Morning arrived quietly.
The storm had passed, leaving the sky washed clean. Soft golden light spilled across the horizon, threading through the clouds like threads of sunlight woven into the air.
Inside Perun's apartment, the world felt calmer.
Perun was the first to wake. His back ached slightly from sleeping on the old wooden chair, but the fresh morning air made it easier to shake off the night's heaviness. He stretched, rubbed his eyes, and decided to start his day properly.
He headed to the tiny bathroom, washed up, and took a short bath. After that, he put on a yellow T-shirt with black stripes across the sleeves, pairing it with simple white pants. The clothes weren't new, but they were neat—far better than looking like last night's storm.
Feeling a bit more alive, he walked into the cramped kitchen and began preparing breakfast. The stove clicked a few times before the flame caught. He set a pan on top, cracked an egg with one hand, and let it sizzle in the heat. A pinch of seasoning scattered across the surface, filling the air with a warm, familiar smell.
For a moment, the simple act of cooking felt grounding… as if the chaos of last night had been nothing more than a strange dream.
But it wasn't a dream.
Vaelor was still here.
And the day was just beginning.
The warm aroma drifted through the apartment, filling every corner with the inviting scent of sizzling eggs and fresh seasoning. In the small room where Vaelor slept, the smell reached him before he even woke up fully.
Half-asleep, he murmured to himself, wondering what that delicious fragrance was and where it came from. Still foggy in the head, he pushed himself upright, stretched his entire body in one long motion, and stepped out of the bed.
He followed the scent toward the kitchen.
Perun was there, finishing the last touches of breakfast. He slid the cooked egg onto a plate and placed a small bowl of soup beside it. Steam rose faintly into the air, glowing slightly in the morning sunlight.
Perun opened the sliding door that separated the small kitchen from the main room(Living room). Right beside it stood a short dining table, low to the ground, surrounded by soft floor cushions. A television rested in the corner of the room, and on the opposite side, a large glass window stretched almost as tall as the room's door, letting in a flood of bright morning light.
Vaelor took a moment to look around, quietly observing the space with curiosity. Everything felt simple, lived-in, almost comforting.
Perun called out to him from the kitchen.
"Vaelor, give me a hand. Help me set these on the table."
Vaelor nodded and walked over. Together, they carried the warm plates and bowls—eggs and soup Perun had put together for breakfast. The delicious smell followed them as they placed everything neatly on the dining table.
Perun suggested he should take a bath, but It will take time the food becomes cold and loose it's taste.
"At least splash some water on yourself," Perun said. "It'll wake you up a bit."
Vaelor nodded and headed toward the bathroom—a narrow space attached to Perun's room. It was barely enough for one person. A small washbasin sat against the wall with a golden-colored tap, and opposite to it was the bathing area: a silver tap fixed above a plastic bucket.
He cupped cold water in his hands, washed his face, and rinsed his mouth spitting the water out with a quiet sigh. The freshness helped a little.
When he stepped back into the main room, Perun was already waiting at the low dining table, sitting cross-legged on the floor cushions.
"Done?" Perun asked.
Vaelor nodded as he sat down, and they began eating together in comfortable silence. The soup was warm, the eggs were soft, and for a moment the tension of the night felt far away.
After a few minutes, Perun leaned back slightly, studying him.
"So…" he began, "what's your plan now? What are you going to do next? Where did you intend to go?"
His tone wasn't harsh—just curious, maybe a little cautious. Vaelor looked down at his bowl, thinking.
"I don't know," Vaelor admitted quietly. He poked at the food, avoiding Perun's eyes for a moment. "But… what about you? You still haven't told me anything about yourself."
Perun gave a small, dry laugh.
"There's nothing interesting about me," he said. "I'm just a high-school dropout. Had to quit because of money issues. Now I work at a supermarket. They don't pay much, but it's enough to keep this place running."
Vaelor tilted his head. "So you live here alone? Where is your family?"
Perun's hand froze mid-air for a second before he continued eating.
The room fell utterly silent for a few seconds.
Perun inhaled deeply, slow and steady, before finally saying,
"We'll… talk about it later. Let's finish breakfast first."
They both focused on their plates again. The awkward silence pressed between them like an invisible wall. Forks scraped lightly, cups clinked, but neither spoke. Vaelor kept glancing at Perun, as if trying to understand the human in front of him, while Perun avoided meeting his gaze.
A few minutes later, they finished eating. Without discussion, they cleaned the plates and set them in the kitchen sink. The small apartment felt warmer now, but the heaviness between them wasn't gone.
They returned to the dining table and sat across from each other ,the same spot where they had eaten moments before. Perun rested his elbows on his knees, fingers laced together. He seemed to be searching for the right words.
Finally, in a slow, low voice, he began.
"My family…"
He swallowed hard. "No one is left."
Vaelor's eyes widened slightly, but he stayed quiet.
Perun continued.
"My father… he was addicted to alcohol." His voice tightened. "Always drunk. Always high. He didn't care about anyone never cared about how his actions hurt us."
He looked down, staring at a spot on the floor.
"That's why I don't… like him. But—" Perun hesitated, a bitter half-smile appearing for a second. "He still cared about me. In his own messed-up way. So I can't hate him completely, no matter how much I want to."
He rubbed his thumb slowly against his palm, grounding himself.
"My mother was the opposite. A strong believer in God. She wanted me to be like her faithful, disciplined. Always reminding me of everything: homework, festivals, medicine, even stupid little things I used to forget."
A faint warmth entered his tone.
"She was loving. Caring. The kind of person you don't appreciate until… until they're gone."
"And I had a dog. A stray. He used to follow me everywhere. Sometimes even to school. Teachers got annoyed but I didn't care."
A small, pained laugh escaped him.
"He was the first one I'd see in the morning. The last one at night."
Perun's voice lowered to almost a whisper.
"Now… there is no one left."
The words lingered in the air, heavy and fragile.
Understanding the weight of Perun's words and wanting to gently pull him out of the heavy atmosphere Vaelor leaned forward with a slightly clumsy, hopeful smile.
"Well… would you give me a tour of this place?" he asked, tilting his head just a bit.