Capitano continued to look at Isaac without uttering a word, as though he was taking in the moment to whether to entertain his request or not.
But that stretched silence alone was enough for Isaac to conjure up many pessimistic ideas in his head.
'...did I get too pushy?' He thought wryly, feeling the subtle tension in the air rising.
He was confident that Capitano won't senselessly beat him up just because of his request due to his upright morality and personal creed, but then again, he adhered to the Tsaritsa's commands as a Harbinger.
For all Isaac knew, if The Captain deemed him a danger or a threat to the Fatui, or if he was suspected of exploiting The Knave's name for his personal gain, then he would come face to face with the might of someone who can easily obliterate him without even trying.
And he stood firmly to that belief.
Because there was just no way he could ever fight against The Captain. The best he could do is run, but even then, he wasn't even sure if he could successfully escape from him unless he teleported back to Fontaine.
'Please... Either entertain my request or just let me off the hook easily...'
A few more moments ticked by, and soon, The Captain spoke once more, his tone and cadence still the same as ever, carrying weight.
However, contrary to Isaac's ideas of worse case scenarios, The Captain instead asked a question he hadn't anticipated in any way shape or form.
"Then let me ask you... Why do birds fly?"
"What?"
Isaac's mind momentarily paused. He didn't know what to answer, nor was he sure if he should answer.
But before he could utter anything, The Captain continued.
"Apologies. That was a strange thing to ask."
And then, as if the question he had posed earlier was nothing but a mere illusion that didn't exist, he continued as he walked towards the door. "Regarding your request... I shall think about it."
"In the meantime, stay here for the time being. My soldiers will pay for your stay until my answer has been decided."
"Until then, do make yourself comfortable and enjoy your stay in Nod-Krai."
Isaac's thoughts became chaotic.
He hadn't anticipated this. At all. He thought that he would need to have made some mental gymnastics and convince The Captain more with his silver tongue, but to his surprise, the flow was even smoother than he had thought!
"I, uh..." Isaac stammered a bit, before pulling his words out of his throat. "...Thank you for your consideration, Captain."
The Captain quietly nodded before opening the door and leaving, offering no other words but his lingering impressions on Isaac.
Alone in that room once more, Isaac staggered and fell on the bed, ruminating about what had just happened.
'With how things progressed...' He thought, piecing together the events that had just transpired and extrapolating the next possible course. 'The Captain didn't send me away right off the bat, nor did he deny my request on the spot. In addition to how he treated me and my accommodation...'
His eyes gleamed.
'There's a high chance that he'd accept the request.'
Thinking about this, Isaac rolled on the bed, thinking about what would happen now.
'Honestly, this is turning out far better than I thought. And just the thought of being under The Captain and learning some things from him...'
He had to admit, he was hooked on the idea.
But then again, there was also one thing that made him quite suspicious about everything.
"The Captain... I thought he would have surely refused me..." Isaac mumbled. "I wonder if the reason he didn't outright reject is because of his character? Or is it because of my connection to The Knave? Hmm..."
He then sighed.
"Well, no matter what it is, it helped me. And that's all that matters."
With that said, he then looked out the window, and out in the world outside. It was currently lightly snowing, but not hard enough to cause major inconvenience.
And as Isaac looked outside, another thought burrowed in his mind, prompting him to stand up.
"Now that I think about it... There should be someone here who I can hire for my café..."
"A perfect employee that follows every command..."
He smirked. He had an idea.
Taking his black winter coat off the coatrack, Isaac wore it before putting on his boots. And, after cleaning himself in front of the mirror, he walked out, intending to find another employee to hire.
"Time to find the ineffable robo-maid."
---
Meanwhile, in another area just outside of Nasha Town, The Captain walked with a composed gait, followed by a group of Fatui footmen.
Just then, an officer walked over to his side.
"Captain, how should we handle The Knave's envoy?"
"Treat him as a guest."
"Yes, sir."
Without any other words or voice of complaint, the officer followed The Captain's command without a second thought. It was a testament of his loyalty.
Just then, while they were walking on the dirt path, a peculiar mechanical bird landed on a boulder not far away.
All of them looked at it, but none showed a reaction nor took any action, as though they had long grown accustomed to its appearance.
The mechanical bird's beak opened, and following that, the voice of a young lady reverberated.
"You're going back already?"
"I am." The Captain replied. "What do you want, Marionette?"
The mechanical bird, referred to as the Marionette, hopped closer before replying, "I heard from a little bird that The Knave sent an envoy. Is it true?"
"Do you have to ask?" The Captain asked in an even tone. "You should have already known the moment he stepped foot here."
"Aha, you're right." Marionette cackled. "But, you see, that's the thing. I never saw him coming. He just arrived from the edge of Nod-Krai and walked over here as if he were just a ghost. Or better yet, a lost member of the Wild Hunt."
"Then I suppose you would need to conduct your own investigation." The Captain said before continuing his walk. "I have far more important matters to deal with at the Kuuvahki Experimental Design Bureau currently."
And, without uttering anything else, The Captain and his men continued walking back, paying the mechanical bird no heed any further.
But the bird was persistent. It followed them and continued to pester their march.
"Indulge my curiosity just this once, Captain." The voice from the bird sounded sarcastic. "Why did you let that man go easily?"
"..." This time, The Captain stopped. He turned to look at the mechanical bird, and, with his usual tone, replied coarsely.
"Because he reminds me of someone."
"Hm? Who?"
"From my days in Khaenri'Ah."
"But that's five hundred years ago. How could you sense familiarity in someone who's centuries apart from the ones you knew?"
The Captain didn't reply back immediately. Instead, he looked up at the dark skies of Nod-Krai and, under his breath, said, "I don't know."
"..."
The mechanical bird became silent, as though the one behind it was too baffle or speechless to even come up with some kind of reply.
Then, with a sardonic snicker, it turned around. "Fine, so be it. As a refined young lady, I guess it falls to me to accomplish what our dear Captain can't do."
"Do as you wish." The Captain didn't stop her from doing what she was planning. However, he pressed on his words. "But don't do anything excessive."
"I'll try."
And with that, the mechanical bird flew away, leaving The Captain and his men alone on their path back to the Bureau once more.
But The Captain, staring into the dark clouds in the horizon, remained standing still. His soldiers were just a couple of meters behind him, looking at his back as if it were a mountain.
Then, under his breath, whilst the cold frigid wind of the north blew past him, The Captain silently mumbled,
"Why... do birds... fly?"