Imuru had woken up early, for the new day, which surprised him, he didn't dwell for long, got up and gently rubbed his eyes.
He held the body of his sheath containing his sword firmly, and carried himself outside, where he smiled, once he saw Forcent, curled up and asleep.
He sat on the top step to his porch, and observed Forcent, hand on his cheek, with a sense of pride and happiness, that came through the subtle smile of his, seeing Forcent clean once again.
He sat there, until the sun flooded the land with the warmth of its glow, something he paid little attention to. "Yep. I think we did a good job," Imuru thought gleefully, his subtle smile subconsciously widened.
The door slid open behind Imuru, though lost in his daze he hadn't picked up on it. Slite unexpectedly greeted Imuru from behind. Imuru snapped out of daze and swiftly stood to his feet. "Uh, Slite…?"
"Forgive me," Slite said apologetically. I was merely here to speak to my granddaughter about yesterday," Slite said, his voice steady and clear.
"Oh." Imuru's expression subtly fell. "G-Got anything?" He hesitantly asked, knowing the answer.
"A shame to admit it, but I expected I wouldn't," Slite murmured, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips. He chuckled lightly. "Yet, considering our situation, I'm grateful for it."
Imuru gave a tentative smile. "I've noticed, she has a… Strong personality… So I'd doubt she'd give in so easily."
"Precisely," Slite replied. "I've grown used to it by now, Young Lord." Slite's gaze intensified. "Though cruel, this is the time I need her to be strong."
The feel in the air shifted dramatically, and Imuru felt it instantaneously. There rested a dormant moment of silence between the two.
Slite promptly realized what he had done, and cleared his throat. His gaze drifted outwards. "That is the Ennom Forcent, correct?" He asked, shifting the conversation.
"Oh! Yes!" Imuru exclaimed. He spun around to match Slite's gaze. "That is Forcent. Though he's asleep at the moment… So let's just leave him at that." A simple suggestion, which Slite nodded in agreement to.
Inside, Ori and Yosho sat around the kotatsu in the dining room in silence. Ori had her arms crossed, eyes glued to the ground.
She subtly shook her head, and locked eyes with Yosho. "I'll have you know, I'm proud you all kept my 'hiccup' yesterday to yourselves."
Yosho cocked her head, unsure of what she meant. "Hm? Are you speaking of the sobbi—"
"YES!" Ori swiftly Interjected, almost throwing herself over the kotatsu to hush Yosho. "Thank you. Let's just not refer to it as that."
A smile smirk crept on Yosho's face. "Dear, I see. Then I shall ask, what should we refer to it as?" Yosho inquired.
"Equanimity… Simple." Ori crossed her arms across her chest, and broke eye contact with Yosho. "Besides, I was merely testing each of you… Clearly you all failed."
On his own in the kitchen, Le-va-none paced around with his thoughts. "Breakfast… Really shouldn't be a problem, but even stuff I create has something left to be desired," Le-va-none thought.
"Okay, right!" Le-va-none exclaimed, as he clasped his hand together. "Never too late to start learning how to cook, right?"
He held up a hand, to which a book materialized in it. "If I'm starting now then, obviously I'll need to start off with something simple. Mm-hm, yep."
Le-va-none took some time to review the cookbook, in search of the most simplistic dish he could find. It took some time till he came across something he possibly might be capable of replicating.
Before he got started, Le-va-none made sure to gather everyone inside the dining room. He first off gave them all a warm morning. "Now. I have one request, I'd like you all to stay here until breakfast is prepared. Thank You." Le-va-none didn't stay to chat and went back off to the kitchen almost immediately.
"Does he really think he can make me stay here?" Ori inquired, slight irritation present in her voice.
With a solid foundation of determination to not screw-up, Le-va-none took a deep breath in and out.
He gave a swift swipe of his hand to instantaneously and forcibly teleport a Fury Boar in the kitchen.
The thick black fur boar locked eyes with Le-va-none, but before it could make a move, Le-va-none's hand dropped to his side and he muttered one word "Die" putting an instant end to the beast's life.
"Next, Mosit Leaf and Min Bush." Le-va-none made a swift exit in search of these two plants. He does so in just a few minutes in order to gather them and return back to the kitchen. Le-va-none gathered two brown bowls to place the plants in them.
He poured water in the bowl containing the Mosit Leaf, and waited for a few minutes. Once the water was absorbed by the Mosit Leaf, Le-va-none squeezed them to extract the white, thick, sour liquid.
"Great. Now let's see." Le-va-none checked the cookbook once again, to review the recipe and nodded. He materialized a bowl of oil, which he took two spoons full, and poured it in the bowl to get the right texture, and half a teaspoon of salt, leaving him with a tangy sauce.
Le-va-none put on a pot of water in order to boil the Min Bush leaves.
Le-va-none got himself an Iron skillet. He set the fire underneath the skillet, whilst he grabbed himself a sharp knife, to cut the thick hide from the Fury Boar, so he could slice them into manageable slices.
Next to that, he set on the eggs, and made sure to watch them carefully, they fried until the edges were crisp and the yolk was cooked to a firm consistency.
Le-va-none arranged the roasted slices of the Fury Boar meat on five plates, topped with Mosit Leaf sauce, and placed the fried egg alongside the meat. He poured out the freshly brewed Min Bush tea into a few mugs, a small bowl of honey and sugar on each side, giving them the option to keep it bitter, balanced or sweet.
Le-va-none paused for a moment. "Goodness. And imagine people do this everyday…" Le-va-none dramatically blurted out. "Hmm. Or maybe… I'm just lazy?"
Le-va-none brought out everyone's meals, a pleasant smile on his face. Once the door slid open, everyone was relieved to see him. Le-va-none carefully rested the dishes, for Forcent, Imuru, Yosho, Ori, and Slite.
"This better be worth the wait," Ori thought, subtly holding her stomach.
"Well, thank you all for your patience!" Le-va-none cheerfully exclaimed. "I think I'll name it, Le-va-none Six Wishes. Today makes it the sixth day since I met Imuru!"
Le-va-none cleared his throat. "Well, the day cycle is slightly different in my dimension, so technically it's the eighth, but the sixth sounds great."
"May I ask, what we'll be eating today?" Yosho inquired, curious about the dish that was laid in front of her.
"Oh, yes, of course." Le-va-none rubbed the back of his anxiously, unsure if the dish could be properly explained by him. "Best to give it a try. Okay, the dish consists of tender sliced Fury Boar, drizzled over it is Mosit sauce, with fried egg on the side. The beverage is a minty yet bitter tea made from the Min Bush, if it's not to your liking, you can either choose it to be mixed with honey or sugar, thank you."
They applauded Le-va-none, with the exception of Forcent and Ori, her arms crossed and a disinterested look plastered on her face. As they began to eat their breakfast, Forcent seemed mildly annoyed. The Ennom devoured his portion in a matter of seconds and laid back down to sleep, for a calmness to return to his face.
Le-va-none felt a sense of pride, and accomplishment, seeing everyone enjoy the first meal he ever made.
"This is pleasantly wonderful," Yosho said, a delightful expression on her face.
"Yah. it's close to a delicacy." Ori murmured. "Sir, Le-va-none is an okay cook," She said nonchalantly.
"I would agree with Yosho, pleasantly wonderful indeed," Slite commented.
"Imuru. Could I have a moment with you?" Le-va-none requested, as he locked eyes with Imuru.
Yosho suggested they take the bowls and plates, to give the two some time, except for Ori, who played stubborn and refused to move. Slite grabbed a hold of Ori by the arm, and forcibly dragged her out.
"That was delightful," Le-va-none commented sarcastically.
"Yeah, she's, she's doing her," Imuru muttered, bewilderment palpable in his voice.
He gestured for Imuru to sit. "So, how are you, overall?" Le-va-none thoughtfully inquired.
Imuru's eyes darted to the right, as he processed a thought over carefully. "To answer that. I'm fine honestly… Yosho's been great to me, Arken, I find him lovely in my own way, Forcent's magnificent and this little community of Dark Deviders are all well rounded…"
He smiled, a subtle sense of relief washed over him. "Yep. I'm perfectly great overall."
Le-va-none sat beside Imuru. "That's terrific to hear. You know all things considered, you've clearly handled everything that came your way quite well." He wrapped his arms around Imuru, and held him in a firm and gentle embrace.
He held it for a few minutes, before he released Imuru from it. "You really inherited a lot of my good qualities and some of Eld's too, of course." Le-va-none giggled.
"Welp, my time is almost up…" Le-va-none stood up and stretched. "...You know what they say, duty calls… Unfortunately."
Imuru got up, and followed Le-va-none out for his departure. Forcent, raised up his head, as they left the room, he'd quietly observed Le-va-none with intrigue for some time. He got up and exited the dining room, and on his way outside ran into Slite.
Slite took this opportunity and approached Forcent. He bowed in the presence of the Ennom. "I haven't formally introduced myself, I am Slite Acudane," He expressed in an articulate voice.
Forcent straightened himself, a brief wave of energy does the same for his fur. He stood with a sense of respect and elegance in the presence of Slite. "I am The Ennom known as Forcent."
"It is an honor to meet you, Forcent," Slite expressed with content. "Please, I will not keep up your time."
Forcent gave a genuine yet simple nod, in response.
Outside, Le-va-none created himself a portal ready to depart. He gave another look to Imuru and his surroundings before he stepped in.
Yosho walked up to Imuru's side, followed a little behind by Forcent. The Ennom released that curious look he carried outside with him of Le-va-none.