- Knock, knock...
The rhythmic sound of knocking reverberated, notifying the occupant of the room. The door gently opened, and the familiar visage of Regulus appeared.
When she saw who it was, however, she raised a brow. "Hm? What's this?"
Standing outside her door, Druvis and Isaac were present — the former quietly beside him while the latter beamed with a smile.
"Good evening, Regulus. Druvis and I were just dropping by to give some dinner we made — if you still haven't had one." He then presented a small sealed casserole pan. "Please, have some."
The dish in the small casserole pan instantly entered Regulus' senses, prompting her stomach to involuntarily emit a sort of low growling sound. It wasn't loud, nor did she feel embarrassed about it, but it was fairly audible.
"Ah, you two are the best! I was just thinking of going out of the suitcase to eat — think of the hassle! Guess there's no need for that." Nudging her sunglasses, Regulus softly sighed. She then extended her hand to receive the casserole pan. "I'll be more than happy to accept! Seriously, you're a life saver."
"There's no need for exaggeration." Druvis shook her head lightly.
"But it's true! And to be honest, I really didn't want to go to the Foundation's cafeteria — people there look at me weird." She recounted her experience with the cafeteria outside. "Moreover, it's Isaac's cooking — that alone should be enough. So I really appreciate this. Thank you."
"I love the enthusiasm." Isaac happily replied. "And I'm gonna be real with you — I feel the same way too with the Foundation. Lately, it seems like certain people have been looking at us as if we've done something wrong."
It was the truth. With Constantine's subtle control from the background, certain conditions were being created to slowly drag everyone in the suitcase away one by one.
Sooner or later, Regulus would most likely be called for an obligatory calling from the Foundation — since, although she wasn't fully a member of the Foundation, she did penned her name in their records.
And once Regulus was gone, everyone else would go one by one.
"I have a feeling that something's going to happen now that Ms. Vertin is no longer shielding us. So, for the time being, be careful with what you do outside, okay Regulus?" He dropped some subtle cues for her to pick up and to prevent any sort of accidents from happening.
"Alright, you don't have to worry about me, Isaac." She smirked while holding her sunglasses. "This pirate is quite adept at avoiding legal counsels! Avoiding and escaping from the authorities is my bread and butter!"
"Aha, that's great to hear." He gave a subdued chuckle.
Pausing briefly, he soon changed the topic, a look of curiosity evidently present on his face. "By the way — this is totally out of topic — but why do you still wear your sunglasses indoors... at night?"
Regulus scoffed. "It's called fashion, my dear Isaac. Look it up sometime."
Isaac raised an eyebrow, amused and a tad bit interested. "Fashion that blinds you?"
She shrugged at his words lightly. "If I can't see the chaos around me, then it can't affect me. And in this pirate's life, chaos is always present!"
Then, a moment later, she sighed and muttered under her breath, "...Why do we even do anything, am I right?"
"Hm, that's a good point." In the end, he agreed with her response. "I apologize. I didn't know your game."
With those words, the two of them soon bid farewell with her, intending to move to the next person.
As they walked, Druvis suddenly spoke. "What do you think we should do? With the Foundation's current behavior, I mean."
"...keep ourselves calm and collected." Isaac responded, his eyes focused. "No matter what, we mustn't let the Foundation sway us like straws to the wind."
"But would that be enough?" She asked further. "The Foundation... they're not just going to sit idly and watch a bunch of unregistered arcanists run around their grounds."
He didn't reply immediately and remained silent for a while. Moments later, he turned to her with a soft smile. "...it's going to be fine. Trust the process."
She didn't respond. Or rather, she didn't know if she needed to. It seemed like he had already convinced himself that they were going to be fine, or that something would happen that's gonna guarantee such an outcome.
Either way, the way he spoke convinced her a bit.
The two of them went back to the kitchen, packed another casserole pan, and went to look for Sotheby's room.
Once there, Druvis was the one who was holding the pan this time.
- Knock, knock...
The door almost immediately opened, and the figure of the young Sotheby appeared.
"What's this?" She said, looking at the casserole pan held by Druvis.
Druvis gently spoke. "It's a stew that Isaac and I made. Would you like to have some, Sotheby?"
"I can guarantee you that it's good." Isaac popped up behind Druvis.
Sotheby looked at them for a moment before her shifted to the sealed pan. A moment later, she nodded enthusiastically.
"Is it Mr. Isaac's cooking again? If so, then I happily accept it!" Her pure, innocent eyes beamed with excitement befitting of a child.
Druvis paused for a moment before giving it to the child.
Looking at the small bundle of enthusiasm that was named Sotheby accepting it, Isaac thought for a moment before whispering to Druvis.
"Is my cooking really that good?"
"It's certainly exceptional." Druvis replied candidly. "Which is odd. I watched you cook it the whole way through and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary — no arcanum nor incantations — just pure cooking."
"I'm curious, is there a secret to it?"
Isaac blinked twice before smirking. "Well, yes. Actually, the secret ingredient is crime."
"..." She didn't respond and merely rolled her eyes. By now, she already knew that Isaac was the kind of person that would make jokes like this.
The two of them talked with the young lady for a bit, before bidding farewell and going back to the kitchen.
Once there, Druvis didn't bother making another casserole pan and instead began to ladle a bowl for herself.
Seeing this, Isaac's brows furrowed. "Aren't we going to give A Knight one too?"
Druvis, who was in the middle of eating, paused and looked at him briefly. A moment later, she spoke with a deadpan expression.
"...I don't think he can physically eat."
"..." Isaac remained silent for a bit. A moment later, a deep sigh escaped his lips. "Right... I forgot. I guess I'll just give him something else another time."
Honestly, it did slip past his mind. A Knight barely ate — if he was even able to eat — and Isaac wasn't even sure if what they made suited his tastes in the conventional sense.
'I must be tired...' Holding his head, he felt his eyelids getting heavy. 'I should have a rest now...'
Then, turning to Druvis, he spoke. "I'll be leaving now, Ms. Druvis. I need to catch up to my sleep."
Druvis, who was eating, paused and looked at him. Then, after swallowing her food, she spoke. "I see. Thank you again… for cooking tonight. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and... so did I."
Her words were soft — but sincere. She looked at him for a moment longer before quietly adding, "Rest well, Isaac. You've earned it."
"...thank you." Isaac nodded before turning around and walking towards the door that leads to the wilderness.
Then, just as he turned to go, she raised a hand slightly in farewell. "Be careful... Goodnight."
Isaac paused and turned to her. Then, he gave a small smile in return — weary, but content. "Goodnight, Ms. Druvis. Don't stay up too late."
With that, he left.
---
Isaac walked through the dark forest of the suitcase's Wilderness. Although there was no light besides the moonlight, Isaac felt at peace rather than being creeped out.
Well, it was partly due to his fog that was surrounding him, giving him a special perception of the surrounding area that made it impossible to creep him out.
Not long after, he arrived at his cabin in the middle of the woods.
Looking at it, he couldn't help but feel a wash of warmth and pride in what he and the others had built.
He entered the cabin, and soon, he was met with the interior. He walked over to the chimney, lit a fire, and soon, light appeared.
Everything... looked warm and comfortable.
He and the others made it look this way, and, sure enough, it paid off in the end. Everything looks like it can heal your soul — and he loved it.
"Hawn..." Isaac opened his mouth and yawned. He felt comfortable. "Yeah... This is life."
Tired, he walked upstairs to the bedroom, intending to finally sleep in his own bed.
Once there, he found a carbide lamp and lit it up, providing light to the room. Sure enough, just like the living room, it, too, appeared comfortable.
Especially the bed.
Isaac didn't hesitate and jumped to the bed, his body sinking into its soft surface. There were two pillows present that accompanied him, giving more comfort.
He was just about to fall asleep when he suddenly noticed something. He opened one eye and murmured to himself. "This scent..."
He was currently lying face down on the bed and picked up a unique fragrance... The fragrance was woody, with some cedar and amber notes. Fit for those who appear calm and reserved, with a tinge of mystery and maturity.
"I like it..." He mumbled as he slowly drifted to sleep. "I should... get one... sometime..."
With that, he entered sleep's embrace, unknowingly surrounded by the fragrance of a certain someone who once laid in the same sheets.
* * *
A/N:
Possibly no chapter tomorrow. I'm graduating HS.