The day gradually dipped into nightfall, and three people working on the lonesome cabin out in the woods inside a suitcase, standing near a bonfire, looked at what they built.
"...it looks great." Isaac said, looking proudly at what he and others had built. Turning his head to A Knight, he smiled. "Thanks for covering the majority of the hard labor, A Knight. You were a great help."
"Someone is delighted that Someone's help hath helped thee." A Knight humbly replied, his iron gloves still holding onto his bloodstained sword. "If thou wish to enlist Someone's aid once more, then please, just notify Someone."
Ironically, despite not having a physical body, A Knight handled most of the physical labor in the construction. If Isaac was the gatherer of materials and Druvis was processor, then a Knight was the builder. With their roles and synergy, they were able to smoothly cooperate and build without much hassle.
With their combined efforts, the cabin now looked almost finished. There were now walls that covered the cabin, as well as a front porch which still has no roof over its head. Other than that, the only things missing are doors and windows — if not, then it was technically finished.
Empty and dark on the inside, but finished.
Isaac nodded pensively before turning his head over to the cabin once more, as if enamored by its unfinished beauty.
Looking at his expression, Druvis thought for a moment before speaking. "...you're not planning to sleep there tonight, are you?"
It was dark and empty. There was furniture at all.
"I'll admit that I was entertaining the idea..." Isaac scoffed. "But I would rather be sleeping on my comfy bed in the Foundation tonight than a cold hard wood surrounded by wildlife."
Druvis didn't reply for a while, as if his words had given her some thought. Then, a few seconds later, she asked a question, her tone laced with curiosity. "Will you be purchasing furniture for it tomorrow, then?"
"I'll try... I mean, if the Foundation accepts the currency I have, of course." Isaac shrugged lightly. "How about you? Since it's finished... will you be dropping by some times?"
"Can I?" She asked, unsure of it. Although their conversation earlier briefly tackled that idea, it never truly cemented itself in place.
"Of course." Isaac nodded with a light smile present on his face. "I can't promise that I'll always be here, so in the meantime, you can have it. This is also my compensation for you who handled most of the work."
In truth, if he notices that she really needed it, then he'd gladly make an excuse to sleep outside the suitcase just so Druvis can have the cabin for herself if she wanted to take a rest in it.
"That doesn't seem right, though. I understand your sentiments, but won't it be bothersome for you?" Neither accepting nor denying his offer, Druvis asked. "It's your cabin, after all."
"Yeah... You're right." He shook his head lightly. Then, slowly taking out his monocle that was tucked in his pockets, he began to furbish it cleanly with his shirt as cloth. "However, I have this rather vague feeling that you need it more. I don't know, though, and I might just be making this up on fly — but you seemed quite similar to me, Ms. Druvis."
"..." She didn't interrupt him, letting him continue his sentence, as if she wanted to hear where he was going with this.
Isaac continued to slowly speak. "We who bear our burden and bottle up our emotions silently have this rather distinct vibe around us, you know? One that can be easily recognized by those who have experienced it themselves."
After cleaning his monocle, Isaac then placed it on his right eye, a satisfied expression playing on his face. "And so, I thought, maybe you'd need something like this to wind down and enjoy some peace and quiet. How does that sound?"
Isaac wasn't pushing any agendas, nor was he trying to accomplish something out of this — he merely just wants to share something that he thinks would benefit another.
Sure, it might deprive him of it for a while, but that's alright in his opinion. He can't always have the good things, after all — and knowing how to be selfless was the first thing a leader must learn.
And he had that lesson drilled into his skull more than he likes it, as such, sharing his possessions for the betterment of another has become second nature to him... most of the time.
So if it meant that Druvis would have some peace of mind and potentially recover from her burdens, then he was willing to lend her that opportunity.
He sighed. 'A leader is a dealer in hope, after all.'
"..." Thinking about it long and hard, Druvis was unable to respond for a while. It was as if she had encountered a crossroads, not knowing which path she'd take.
But seeing the willingness and sincerity that the man near her was showing, she couldn't help but gravitate towards the idea. What he said was, after all, not far from what she was truly feeling.
In just the span of a few days, she witnessed her era evaporate in the Storm and leave behind her beloved forest where she lost her parents.
In the pursuit of vengeance, she joined the Manus Vindictae, but betrayed them when she was given another chance at hope and followed Vertin.
To any other person, such events would surely bear heavy in the mind.
She closed her eyes, felt the plant life around her, and inhaled deeply before releasing a deep sigh.
Her mind calm, she now saw how turbulent her thoughts are beneath her calm façade. It tilted the wrong way, then it could easily be bad to her.
'Perhaps I have grown tired...'
Slowly opening her eyes, she once more saw the bonfire in front of her giving her warmth. Then, shifting her gaze to Isaac, she spoke slowly.
"I'll... try it when I'm available. Thank you."
Seeing that she agreed, Isaac smiled genuinely, pleased that he had at least helped her. Then, speaking calmly, he spoke as his dark murky eyes stared at her, glistening as they reflected the bonfire's light. "It's no problem at all."
The three of them lingered near the bonfire for a bit before they finally decided to pack up and return. For Druvis and A Knight, they will be sleeping in their respective rooms in the suitcase's main building, as for Isaac, he will be sleeping in the Foundation.
---
The next day, Isaac woke up refreshed. As usual, he was woken up by the Foundation's global alarm.
Laying flat on his bed with a white pillow covering his face, he grumbled. "Why do they have to wake everyone up at five in the morning..."
Truly, he won't be able to survive long in the Foundation if he joined.
Soon, he got out of bed, folded his blankets, tucked his pillows, and fixed his bed. After that, he did his usual routine of basic hygiene — brushing, bathing, and grooming — before once more getting ready to start a new day.
He wore a white dress shirt, black trousers, and sleek leather shoes. He didn't bother wearing any topping garments today like blazers, coats, or suits and just decided to sport this simple outfit. As someone nurtured to always look his best, Isaac knew that simple can also be better.
As for why he was always wearing formal clothes? Well, as someone who once genuinely worked as a jeweler, wearing such things had become a habit of his — so he can't really do much about it.
"Tasks today... Buying some furniture and planning the farm with Mr. APPLe. Oh, and as well as see what Regulus has been up to." Isaac reminded himself of what to do. "Right... There's also the matter with checking in with Vertin. I should find her later and ask how she's doing."
He had to make sure that she was doing fine before her artificial somnambulism, after all.
After making sure he was prepared, he walked over to the door, held the knob, and opened it.
- Thud!
However, right after opening it, a fist landed on his body. It didn't hurt him at all, but it was enough to startle him. "What the... Oh."
He was just about to ask why he was ambushed so early in the morning when his eyes landed on who it was.
Wearing a bespoke version of the SPDM uniform, that person that knocked on Isaac had platinum blonde hair and lake-blue eyes that glistened with youthfulness.
Seeing Isaac walk out of the door just as she was about to knock on it, the girl quickly retracted her hand. She then pointed at him, her voice high and carrying an accent. "Tu... You're Isaac, the one with Vertin and Sonetto, yes?"
...a French accent.
"That's me... Yes." Isaac, conjuring a wry smile, felt as if he was being arrested by the police. "May I ask who...?"
Of course, he already knew.
Hearing this question, the young girl put on a smug expression, her smile lifting with pride. Then, confidently, she introduced herself. "I am Matilda Bouanich! The monitor assistant of SPDM. The first place for sure, the outstanding young lady — Our Matilda!"
Another major character in the main story who is Vertin's self-proclaimed rival.
In the story, she always sought to compete with Vertin to take Sonetto from her, with a penchant to speak French mid conversation and always doing so when she was by herself.
'...that's her alright.' Hearing this, Isaac maintained his stale smile, feeling as if all the energy he was planning to use today was about to be drained just by talking to her. 'No... I shouldn't be rude...'
Looking at the young lady, Isaac thought for a moment before conjuring a mischievous thought. Then, with a casual tone, he spoke to her.
"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Matilda. Vous avez besoin de quelque chose? (Good morning, Ms. Matilda. Is there anything you need from me?)"
"Oui! I came here because I heard that... Huh?" Matilda was just about to answer Isaac's question fully when she noticed something off. Then, a surprised expression appeared on her proud face. "Tu… Tu parles français! (You... You're speaking French!)"
"Exactement. Ça pose un problème? (That's right. Is there a problem?)" He chuckled lightly, finding her reaction amusing.
It seemed like this won't be a stale interaction after all.
* * *
A/N:
My 28 days French lesson streak on Duolingo has been worth it