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It Runs in the Family

*splash*

The cold water splashing against his face was more than enough to wake the tall, heavily built man from his half-asleep state. He reached for the towel by the washbasin and wiped his face.

Officer: "…"

After taking a good look at his reflection in the mirror, the man meticulously put the towel back to its place and combed his short hair. As he finished with that, he left the small bathroom and entered his living room, though technically it was also his bedroom and kitchen as well. It was a small one-room flat. Of course, as a templar sergeant he could have afforded a better accommodation, but this was his choice. He lived alone; he didn’t need more space than this.

Officer: "*sigh*"

A barely audible groan left the man’s lips as he walked past his uniform on the coat rack. First Sergeant Ervin Angus of the templars only felt alive when he was wearing that uniform. It was one of the reasons why he hated off-days like this so much. During these days he had nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to speak to. His family lived in another city at a neighboring province, but even if they were here he probably couldn’t spend too much time with them anyway. His father, his grandparents, even his brothers; all of them were templars, so even when he lived with them it was a miracle if any of them were at home during the day. He didn’t mind it though, it was their duty and call and he understood their passion for their work all too well. As his father loved to say; being a templar was in their blood, and that same blood was tormenting him now. He understood the need for these off-days, times to wind out, but having nothing to do was still hard to bear. After loitering around in his home for a few more minutes, a sudden image came to his mind.

Angus: "…"

Even he didn’t know why, but he suddenly remembered the ordeal that happened only six days ago, his chance meeting with the Lone Wolf. It was an experience he would not forget any time soon, mostly because his peers were more than impressed by the fact that he survived an encounter with the man. Of course, later the archbishop’s men came by to put a lid on their gossiping about the mercenary’s appearance in the town, but until then he heard more about the man from his colleagues than he ever wanted. He had already known about a few of the mercenary’s exploits, but after the stories he heard from his fellow templars that afternoon, he was the most surprised about his own survival.

There were tales about him annihilating entire mercenary bands without suffering a single scratch, killing all the knights and Walkers sent after him, and one of the younger men even had an origin story for his Fangs that said they were sculpted from the actual fangs of The Devourer itself. Of course, as usual when it came to rumors, it was hard to tell where the truth ended and fiction began, but after seeing him cleave a pistol apart in one swing, even the ridiculous Devourer-fang story gained a little bit of credibility in his eyes.

Angus: "…"

After realizing that he had been staring at his uniform in the past ten minutes without doing anything, the templar sharply shook his head and turned around. After glancing at the warm light seeping in through the curtains, he quickly decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, if only to distract himself. As such, he quickly donned the freshly washed sweater that was hanging on the rack by the window and absentmindedly left the flat.

His home was on the fourth floor of a renovated housing block and without elevators it took him a little time to get to the ground floor, but it wasn’t even an inconvenience. As he finally reached the exit and took a step outside he could almost feel the liveliness of the morning wash over him. Sure, it was only a recently re-established, partially rebuilt city with only a few thousand inhabitants, but it had a certain sense of life to it that was hard to grasp, yet it filled the air wherever he looked. Passers-by walking on the pavement, the slightly anachronistic sight of horse- and mule-carriages sharing the roads with the scarce number of cars reserved for the Order’s ranking officers, the noises coming from the direction of the nearby marketplace… These were small, mundane things, but they were all parts of a greater whole that always captivated him.

After quickly moving down the road, he decided to look around at the marketplace. Actually the marketplace was one of his usual patrol-routes, so it could have been more accurate to call his small stroll an “off-duty patrol” at this point.

Woman: "Oh, good morning sergeant!"

Angus: "Good morning ma’am."

A surprising number of people greeted him on his way walking down the streets. Most of them were citizens he got acquainted through his job, but there were a few others, like his neighbors or the owner of the fruits-stand he frequented a while ago. However, no matter how hard he tried to change his mind, just by walking these streets, the memories of that man came to his mind.

Angus: "Tch…"

Even he had no idea why, but it was impossible to shake him out of his head. It wasn’t that the Wolf dominated his thoughts; he was more like a small Jack in the Box. Sometimes, even at the most improbable times, he just popped into his mind and was impossible to get rid of.

Angus: "(Why am I so fixated on that? It’s not like I would…)"

Nick: "Ah!? No way!"

Angus: "?!"

For the templar it seemed as if time itself came to a screeching halt as he slowly turned his head towards the source of the loud exclamation. He kept telling himself that it was impossible even as his head was turning, but sadly he already recognized the owner of the voice.

Nick: "Hey! Wait for me!"

It was the mercenary, there was no question about it. This time he seemed a little better-kept, with a fresh shave and clean clothes, but there was no way he would mistake him for anyone else, even though they were standing more than two hundred feet apart from each other, a distance that was steadily decreasing thanks to the man enthusiastically making his way over to him.

Angus: "Are you… serious?"

Nick: "*phew* Yeah, I am. Why?"

Angus: "Huh…?"

The templar kept uncomprehendingly blinking at the man standing at his side until he realized; he was so shocked by the mercenary’s sudden appearance that he didn’t even notice that he has already walked up to him, with a large basket full of fruits in his hand.

Angus: "It was more of a rhetorical question, but… What are you-?"

Nick: "Doing here? Ah, actually, it’s kind of a secret, but to put it short, I sneaked out behind the back of the archbishop to get some fruits for my partners."

Angus: "Fruits? Partners? His Excellency? What is going on here?"

Nick: "*chuckle* Ah, you see, I’m kind of trying to keep a low profile here, so please don’t flail your arms like that."

Angus: "…"

Nick: "Thanks. Anyways, I can’t really tell details because it’s secret, but as I said, I slipped out for a few minutes, and I just saw you walking down the street so I thought I might as well call out to you."

Angus: "But how? Why?"

Nick: "Ah, for the how, you kind of stand out. As for the why…"

For a moment, the man seemed to be thinking, then just smiled at the templar.

Nick: "Oh, now I remember! I wanted to thank you for helping me out when I was lost a few days back. You were a tremendous help."

Angus: "I see…"

Nick: "Yup. Thanks again. By the way, what are you doing? Are you off-duty?"

Angus: "Yes, but…"

Nick: "Awesome! Then can invite you for a mug of beer? I found a pretty nice pub not so far from here. It’s by the end of that street that leads to the train-station."

Angus: "The Sand?"

Nick: "Ah, yes. That’s the place. Come on, let’s go."

Angus: "But…"

The templar tried to object, but before he even knew it his legs were already following the mercenary. In the end he would have been lying if he said he wasn’t curious about the man, and this time it seemed like he didn’t have his Fangs with him, so he probably wasn’t going to provoke a fight. As such, only a few short minutes later…

Nick: "*gulf-gulp* Fuah! That felt good! How the hell do you guys even keep this stuff so cold anyway?"

Bartender: "Actually, the barrels are kept in the cold-cellar until someone orders, so that they always remain chilly."

Nick: "Really? Wow, so life does not stop without refrigerators after all! *crackle* Here’s a tip for the info!"

Angus: "…"

Bartender: "Thank you, sir. Is there anything else?"

Nick: "Not now, but I think I’ll have one more of that before I leave."

Bartender: "I see. Please call me when you are about to leave then."

Nick: "Roger."

Angus: "… What am I doing here?"

Nick: "Oh, another rhetorical question?"

Angus: "… No."

The Sand, a relatively popular pub, more or less the first stop of any traveler that enters the town. It was in plain view from the train-station, and contrary as one might think it was quite a high-class place, one that the templar would never visit under normal circumstances … Yet there he was, sitting at the bar with a merry mercenary at his side, one whose moniker’s mere mention would have made the other patrons run away in fear.

Nick: "Aren’t you going to drink that?"

The tall man glanced at the huge mug of beer in front of him, then back at the mercenary.

Angus: "… I’m not really fond of alcohol, to be honest."

Nick: "Ah, I get it. Because of your job, right?"

Angus: "Yes."

Nick: "*crackle* I see. Actually, I’m not a big drinker either."

Angus: "Really?"

Nick: "*sigh* Yeah. Drinking dulls the senses, and that can cost you a limb or two when you are in my trade, where those pesky Walker guys can jump at you at any moment."

Angus: "I see…"

Nick: "Ah, but don’t worry, now it’s okay. The old man said that the Order will leave me alone while I’m in this town, so it’s cool."

Angus: "…"

For a few seconds, the large man kept staring at the mercenary, then slowly reached for his mug and took a big gulp.

Nick: "Ah, that’s the spirit."

Wiping the corners of him mouth, the templar turned to the man one more time.

Angus: "I believe that I haven’t introduced myself yet, did I?"

Nick: "Huh? Now that you mention it, you didn’t…"

Angus: "First Sergeant Angus Ervin, at your service."

Angus offered a hand, and the mercenary took it without a moment of hesitation.

Nick: "Pleased to make acquaintance. If you excuse me, I won’t introduce myself again. As I said, I’m trying to keep a low profile."

Angus: "Then would you mind if I called you Nick?"

Nick: "Ah, you actually remembered? Wow! That’s some memory you’ve got there!"

Angus: "Not really."

Nick: "Oh, don’t be modest. I cannot remember names at all, so I’m actually a little jealous."

For the first time, the templar’s lips slightly curved at the honest remark.

Angus: "It’s nothing special. It’s part of the trade."

Nick: "Ah, true. You must have to remember a lot of names in your line of work."

Angus: "Indeed… But speaking of work, what are you doing here?"

The mercenary tilted his head and let out a small sigh.

Nick: "Good question…"

Angus: "…?"

Nick: "Ah, you see, right now I’m sort of a… babysitter, I guess."

Angus: "Babysitter?"

Nick: "Yes, pretty much. I have to take care of two girls."

Angus: "That’s… surprising."

Nick: "Really?"

Angus: "At least it’s not a job that I would expect a man of your caliber would be doing."

Nick: "Ah, stop that. True, I might be a little famous or infamous or whatever, but it’s not something that I’m proud of. I’m just a merc, nothing more."

Taking one more gulp from his mug, the templar lowered his eyes onto the basket at Nicolai’s legs.

Angus: "Are those for the girls?"

Nick: "Ah, yeah. They were a little down since yesterday, so I thought I bring them something to cheer them up."

Angus: "How old are they?"

Nick: "Two."

Angus: "Two?"

Nick: "I mean, technically, they are two, but they look to be somewhere around fourteen. No, make that fifteen."

Angus: "…"

Nick: "Please don’t ask, it’s complicated."

Angus: "I… see…"

The mercenary suddenly let out a heavy sigh, then grabbed a few grapes from said basket and threw one into his mouth.

Angus: "Those grapes… I thought it wasn’t their season yet."

Nick: "Gm? *gulp* Ah, these are apparently imported from up north. The guy at the market sold them like they were made of solid gold, but they are really good."

Angus: "Imported?"

Nick: "Yeah. He said they just arrived this morning."

Angus: "On train?"

Nick: "How else?"

Angus: "I see…"

Nick: "Want one?"

Angus: "I have to refuse. I don’t like sweet things."

Nick: "Your call."

Nicolai popped yet another grape into his mouth while the templar’s eyes slowly wandered over to the station just outside the window. Even from there, he could hear the rumbling of the fiery machines.

Angus: "…"

Amongst the many advancements of civilization the Devastation destroyed three hundred years ago were the global transport systems. With the economy and the commercial network annihilated in the wake of the Devourer, the planes disappeared from the skies, their advanced electronics being one of the first to fall prey to its Corruption. Soon after that; ships, cars, trains, everything stopped, leaving the cities and the ruined nations isolated. However, that era of despair was also the rebirth of the steam-engine…

*whistle*

As if on cue, they could hear the departing train’s whistle echo in the distance. Since the Corruption only targeted electric systems and the oil-supplies ran dry only a few years after the Devastation, people soon realized that they had another alternative: steam. Under the Order’s lead, antiquated steam-trains and ships were revived and called back into duty. Very soon the sound of the steam-whistle and the white smoke on the horizon became synonymous with the restoration efforts, and the bulky steam-trains once again became the symbol of progress they once were in the age of industrialism. Of course now they were not using those old trains anymore, but their sleeker and more efficient offsprings. However, their message remains the same: Even after the end of the old world, life goes on. Humanity survives, strives and slowly rebuilds.

Nick: "Say…"

Angus: "Yes?"

With his train of thought interrupted, the templar slowly turned to the mercenary.

Nick: "How’s that kid?"

Angus: "Kid?"

The big man curiously tilted his head.

Nick: "I mean the guy that was with you back then. You know, the one that pulled a gun on me."

Angus: "… He is fine."

Nick: "Really?"

Angus: "Well… Actually, no. We don’t know yet."

Nick: "…?"

Angus: "The doctors said that it will take a long time for his hand to heal, and they don’t even know if he will be able to use it until they take off the cast."

Nick: "I see…"

For a moment, the templar didn’t know what to say. The usually cheerful mercenary suddenly fell quiet at his side with a remorseful look in his eyes.

Angus: "…"

Nick: "*sigh* Now I feel bad again."

Angus: "… You shouldn’t."

Nick: "Huh?"

With surprise in his voice, the mercenary looked up at the templar, just as he raised his cup again.

Nick: "It’s strange. Are you taking my side over your subordinate’s?"

The big man gulped down the last of his beer and slowly put the mug back at the counter before answering.

Angus: "It was his fault. You warned him, I warned him, and he still reached for his gun. He was always jumpy like that, so it may have actually taught him an important lesson."

Nick: "…"

Angus: "…"

The two of them started blankly at each other for a few moments. There was no tension, they were apparently only studying the other’s reactions, which to say was nothing on either side. Finally, just as the silence was about to become awkward, the mercenary laughed up like he just heard the most amusing thing ever.

Nick: "Hahaha. You are a curious man, you know?"

Angus: "So are you. I’ve never expected you to be worried over injuring a templar."

The mercenary’s face suddenly turned sour as he slowly shook his head.

Nick: "You know, just between the two of us, but I actually hate needless violence."

Angus: "Really?"

Nick: "Yeah. I actually dislike killing. Not that I can avoid it, mind you, it’s pretty much in my job description, but I want to keep it to a minimum. *sigh* Too bad it’s a wolf eats wolf world out there, it’s really hard to avoid hurting people."

Angus: "I understand. Honestly, I never thought I would hear such words from the mouth of the infamous Wolf."

Nick: "Ah! Not so loud, not so loud! I told you I’m in incognito!"

Angus: "…"

Nick: "*sigh* Infamous, really? I mean, I did some things I’m not too proud of during my time in the spotlight, but I don’t remember ever becoming a public enemy."

Angus: "But you are."

Nick: "Now that you mention it, yeah… Man, this world is weird."

Angus: "I agree."

Once again, the two looked at each other with a blank expression, but this time they both cracked up at the same time.

Nick: "Fufu. *sigh* Seriously though, don’t believe everything you hear about me, okay? About two-thirds of those rumors are fabricated."

Angus: "Fabricated, you say?"

Nick: "Indeed. Most of them hail from the time I was with the Pack. Those guys loved to exaggerate everything, and I was their mascot."

Angus: "Mascot? What is that?"

Nick: "Oh, yeah, it’s a rarely used word nowadays… You could say that I was their headpiece, the face of the Pack."

Angus: "I’m sorry, but I don’t know too much about mercenary bands like that. Weren’t they destroyed a few years ago?"

Nick: "Ah, yes… That’s a sad story…"

Angus: "…"

Nick: "…"

Angus: "Aren’t you going to talk about them?"

Nick: "I said it’s a sad story, didn’t I?"

Angus: "But it seemed like you wanted to talk about them. Was I wrong?"

Nick: "…"

The mercenary fell silent with the same remorseful look as before and took a huge breath.

Nick: "Maybe you were right. Do you really want to hear it?"

Angus: "I have nothing better to do."

Nick: "… True."

Still somewhat disheartened, the mercenary began to talk in a soft, almost nostalgic tone.

Nick: "You see, I wasn’t always a mercenary, although that’s probably obvious. I got into the business at the age of fourteen, when my father was killed by the Pack."

Angus: "Killed? Then why…?"

Nick: "My father was sort of a scholar. We came to this continent from Europe in search of some documents or whatnot when we crossed our path with the Pack. I can’t even remember why or how he was killed, just that one day I was taken by them and was told that my father had a debt to them and that I had to work it down."

Angus: "…"

Nick: "As you can guess, I wasn’t exactly good mercenary-material back then, so I did whatever small jobs I could around the camp just to keep myself from starving. They never really viewed me as one of them, and I was fine with that. As long as I was tolerated, I could live with it. Then one day, it turned out that I had a knack for battle after all."

Angus: "…"

Nick: "I was sent on a simple job with some veterans that turned out to be a trap by a rival band. This kind of thing happened from time to time between large mercenary groups, but I never expected to find myself in a middle of an ambush like that. We were outnumbered five to one."

Angus: "What happened?"

Nick: "Fufu… I panicked. When we were attacked, I covered in fear and hid myself as the other mercenaries were killing each other. I remember I almost wet myself when I realized that we were surrounded and that I had no way to escape. And then… my mind kind of went blank. I grabbed the weapon of one of the dead and rushed into battle, ready to be killed… But by the time I came to my senses, I was the only one alive on the field."

Angus: "…"

Nick: "Honestly, I can’t recall what happened. I remember running, dodging, striking again and again, but back then I had little to no formal training, so all I did was swinging my blade left and right. It was such a ridiculous thing that when I returned to the Pack with blood-drenched clothes and still gripping the dulled blade in my hand, they simply didn’t believe a word I said… Until the news came back to them."

Angus: "So there were survivors after all?"

Nick: "Yes. Apparently a few of the ambushers ran away when the tide of the battle turned and they told the same story: a kid reaping down their comrades one after another. The guys were literally pissing themselves in fear of me, so Mikhal… Oh, yes, Mikhal was the captain of the Pack, a huge man, even bigger than you, and he was wielding an axe about as big as me… Anyways, he had an idea. He wanted to use this unexpected reputation of mine to his advantage, so he immediately made me vice-captain, and started proclaiming from the housetop how I’m a living monster, and how I’m a small army by myself and such. At the same time they finally began training me, and once again it turned out that I had more than a little talent when it came to swinging my blades."

Angus: "So?"

Nick: "Ah, yes… I’m rambling. Sorry. Anyway, after I gained this dubious reputation, they actually put me onto the front-lines. At the beginning it was sickening. I was more or less thrown into the fray, but I survived time and time again and my reputation kept steadily growing. In the end I became the face of the whole Pack, and thanks to that they became the second biggest merc band of the entire southern region. The biggest, of course, were the UOPA. So, the Pact did what it always did and raided their home base."

Angus: "The UOPA…? Wasn’t that…?"

Nick: "The Order’s unofficial army that was working outside the Order’s control zone? Yes, they were. Of course, the guys at the Pack didn’t know that. The raid was unexpected and went flawlessly. Afterwards though…"

Angus: "…"

The mercenary held his head as he silently laughed up.

Nick: "Fufu… Well, the rest is pretty much history. Mikhal found some Order documents and connected the dots. He realized that if the Order got a wind of this attack then the Pack is finished, so he decided to put all the blame on me. As I later learned, they wanted to get rid of me sooner or later anyway. Apparently I was bad for business. They actually made me so infamous that most clients were too afraid to hire the Pack anymore, so he decided to kill two birds with one stone."

Angus: "So, they sold you out?"

Nick: "Oh, as if they only went that far… They actually wanted to turn the entire thing around, saying that I was the actual mastermind behind everything and that I was so mad they had no other choice but to put me down."

Angus: "But you are still here."

The mercenary’s face, for the first time since they started talking, twisted into a scornful grimace as he hung his head.

Nick: "Yes. And they aren’t. And so the Lone Wolf was born. That’s the end of the story."

Angus: "…"

Nick: "…"

The templar had no words, and apparently the man had no more to say either. For a few seconds, the two of them wordlessly sat beside each other, until the mercenary’s loud proclamation broke the silence.

Nick:"*sigh* Sorry for boring you with my life, I don’t even know why I even started talking."

Angus: "It wasn’t boring, but I admit that it was sad."

Nick: "… *sigh* Actually, I can’t even remember if I ever told someone else about my past like this. I’m weird."

Angus: "I also agree with that."

Nick: "Fufu… But still, thanks for listening. Somehow I feel lighter now. It has been a long time since I could talk with someone like that."

Angus: "What about those girls?"

Nick: "Nah, they are way too sheltered. They have this bright picture about the world, and I don’t want to break it just yet."

Angus: "I see…"

Nick: "*phew* Anyway, let’s drop that issue. It’s better if the past stays in the past. I personally prefer the present anyway."

Angus: "Understandable."

Nick: "Right?"

Suddenly, the man straightened himself and took a look outside.

Nick: "Oh, I think it’s time for me to go."

Angus: "Is it?"

Nick: "Yeah. I promised the girls to get back before dinnertime, and the sun is almost at the top of the sky already."

Angus: "I see. It’s not good to break one’s promises."

Nick: "Especially in my trade, right?"

Angus: "I cannot know."

Nick: "True."

With that, Nicolai jumped to his feet and grabbed onto his basket, only to promptly turn around.

Nick: "Ah, speaking of promises, I told the barkeep I would have another beer before going… Hmmm…"

After fishing through his wallet, the man suddenly called out to the bartender.

Nick: "Hey, barkeep!"

Bartender: "Yes?"

Nick: "Before I go, one more round to my friend here."

Bartender: "Most certainly."

Angus: "You don’t need to…"

Nick: "Aw, come on! It’s on me, so just stay put and accept it like a man!"

Angus: "…"

The bartender soon returned with yet another huge mug of cold beer and put it in front of the templar.

Nick: "Okay, now I better go. Take care."

Angus: "I will. Goodbye."

Nick: "Hehe… Let’s do something like this again when I have more time, okay?"

After a little bit of hesitation, the templar weakly nodded at the strange request.

Nick: "Good. See ya, Sarge!"

Lightly waving at him, the mercenary finally left the Sand with a wide smile on his face, leaving the slightly baffled templar all alone at his seat. For a few minutes he kept blankly staring at the entrance, as if expecting the man to come right back in, then quietly turned around and grabbed hold of his mug with a slight smile.

Angus: "A beer for your friend, huh? … What a weird man…"

And just like that, he emptied his huge mug in one go, with a surprisingly satisfied smile on his face…

---------

[Veevan]: "Uuu… I don’t wanna!"

[Veetu]: "Come on sis!"

[Veevan]: "But I really can’t! I feel sick!"

[Veetu]: "No you don’t! Stop being such a baby!"

[Veevan]: "But he’s mad at me! I can’t face him!"

[Veetu]: "He’s not mad… … I think…"

The two girls locked in the silent room were seemingly absentmindedly loitering on their beds, but their invisible communication-lines were burning white-hot since morning.

[Veevan]: "But… But he left without saying a word!"

[Veetu]: "He didn’t. He said he would be back by dinner."

[Veevan]: "But if you don’t ask him, he would have left without saying a word."

[Veetu]: "Oh for the love of…! You have to get over it already, or His Excellency will be angry too!"

[Veevan]: "Uuu… But I’m sure he already is!"

[Veetu]: "… I give up. Now you are just being unreasonable."

[Veevan]: "Uuuu…"

However, before they could say any more, their heavy door slowly opened with the familiar groaning.

Nick: "*phew* I’m back. Sorry for being a little late, I just had a run-in with an acquaintance."

Veetu: "Hey, you! Do something about her!"

Veevan: "?!"

Nick: "Huh?"

Without missing a beat, Veetu jumped onto her feet and pointed at her sister while her accusing eyes were glued onto the mercenary’s face.

Nick: "Hey, hey! What’s going on?"

Veevan: "It’s… nothing."

Veetu: "She thinks you are mad at her after what happened during yesterday’s test."

Still confused, the mercenary’s eyes kept jumping between the two girls.

Nick: "Huh? What? Why would I be mad at Veevan?"

Veetu: "I don’t know, all of it was your fault to begin with."

Veevan: "S-Sis!"

Nick: "Tch, tch… Someone is cranky today."

Veetu: "What? I’m not cranky!"

Nick: "Yeah, yeah. You are the living statue of non-crankiness, princess. Anyways…"

Bringing the basket of fruits to front from behind his legs, the mercenary gave a bright smile to the two.

Nick: "Surprise!"

Veevan: "Huh…?"

Veetu: "What the…?"

Nick: "*chuckle* You two were complaining about that you cannot get fresh fruits down here, right? You seemed a little down this morning, so I thought I get you some."

Veevan: "Wow! Y-You didn’t have to…"

Nick: "Hey, don’t be modest. Here, I even got some pears! They normally don’t even grow on this climate!"

Veevan: "…"

Nick: "Hey, don’t just look at it like that! Have one!"

Veevan: "Can I?"

Nick: "Of course! I just told you that I brought this for you, didn’t I?"

Timidly reaching for the basket, the girl took out one of the aforementioned pears and held it to her eye-level like she was admiring some sort of treasure.

Veetu: "Geez, you are spoiling her."

Nick: "Eh? Who said it was for her only? Here, you can have as many as you want. I recommend the grapes, they are pretty good."

Veetu: "I… see…"

A bit reserved, Veetu finally reached for the basket as well. At last the three of them decided to sit down onto Nicolai’s bed, with the girls at his left and right and the basket on his lap.

Veevan: "Ah… It’s sweet…!"

Nick: "Of course, I picked the good ones."

Veevan: "*giggle* Thank you."

Nick: "You are welcome."

Seeing the two at her side, Veetu overdramatically shrugged her shoulders.

Veetu: "*sigh* How can you two be so nonchalant like that? You not only sneaked out again, but we also have to deal with yesterday’s failed test this afternoon. Why can’t you take things seriously?"

Nick: "… I see your point, but it’s kind of undermined by that handful of grapes you are munching on."

Veetu: "Oh, shut up! *chomp*"

Veevan: "Um…"

Nick: "Yes, Veevan? Did you say something?"

Veevan: "Are you sure you are not angry?"

Nick: "Eh? I told you I’m not. It hurts to admit, but your sister was actually right; it was mostly my fault."

Veetu: "As long as you understand…"

Nick: "Yeah, yeah. It wasn’t such a big deal anyway, the guy survived."

Veetu: "Maybe, but it’s a small wonder that he didn’t get crippled for life after being thrown through the room like that. *chomp*"

Nick: "Oh, stop being such a party-pooper!"

Veetu: "I’m not a… whatever that party-thing is!"

Veevan: "Ah, but… You shouldn’t feel bad!"

Nick: "?"

Suddenly rejoining the fray, the quieter sister looked him in the eye.

Veevan: "Today, I’m sure we are going to do better! I’ll do my best, so please don’t worry!"

Nick: "…"

Veevan: "…"

Nick: "*chuckle*"

Suddenly, the man put his large palm onto the girl’s head and started ruffling her hair.

Veevan: "Auauau…!"

Nick: "Fufu… You are such a nice kid, you know?"

Veevan: Ah… My hair…! Please don’t mess up my hair…!"

Nick: "*chuckle*"

While her sister was all embarrassed and squirming under the man’s touch, Veetu disinterestedly threw another grape into her mouth.

Veetu: "Stop being so overly intimate. It’s disturbing."

Nick: "Huh? Are you jealous?"

The girl’s eyes popped open and she almost spat the grape out in surprise.

Veetu: "Wha-?! Are you talking to me?!"

Nick: "Who else? Ah, now that you mention it…"

With the girl still in a surprised daze, the mercenary extended his other hand towards her and placed his palm on her head.

Veetu: "………. Huh?"

Nick: "Oh, your hair is a not as soft as your sister’s. You should stop worrying too much; it’s bad for your hair-bulbs."

Veetu: "W-W-What are you doing?!"

Nick: "Equal treatment, equal treatment…"

Veetu: "Argh! I told you to stop being so overly familiar with us!"

Veevan: "*giggle*"

Veetu: "And you! Stop giggling to yourself like that!"

Veevan: "Uuu… You are mean, sis…"

Veetu: "I’m n- ow-ow-ow! Hey!"

After getting her head rubbed a fair bit harder, the girl looked up at the man with peevish eyes.

Nick: "Don’t bully your sister."

Veetu: "I’m not bullying her!"

Nick: "Then are you jealous after all?"

Veetu: "Yes! … I mean no!!!"

Nick: "*chuckle* All right, all right, I won’t tease you any longer."

Veetu: "Hmpf."

Letting out yet another chuckle at the girl’s stingy response, the man pulled his hands back and leaned back.

Nick: "But seriously speaking, I’m a bit nervous about today’s test."

Veetu: "Huh? You are?"

Nick: "Of course. If that special synchronization or whatever you call it won’t happen, I cannot become your partner."

Veevan: "Don’t worry Nick, I’m sure things will go all right this time!"

Nick: "Hehe. Thanks for the encouragement. You are sweet."

Veevan: "Ah…"

Veetu: "Stop making moves on her in front of me!"

Nick: "Oh, then would you prefer if I made moves on her behind your back?"

Veetu: "No! That’s even worse!"

Nick: "*crackle* Just kidding. Come on Veetu, stop being so cranky."

Veetu: "I told you I’m not cranky!"

Nick: "Yeah, sure, whatever. By the way, here’s some peanuts, they are good for mood-swings."

Veetu: "Ungg…!"

Veevan: "Ah, please don’t fight!"

Nick: "*sigh* Okay, I stop here."

Veetu: "How come you only listen to what she says…?"

Nick: "… Okay, it’s final. You ARE jealous!"

Veetu: "I’m not!"

Nick: "AND in denial…"

Veetu: "I tell you I’m not!"

*knock-knock*

Nick: "Huh?"

Quickly hiding the basket behind his back, the mercenary jumped to his feet the moment the light knocking on the metal door reached his ears. After a second of silence, a short lab-member entered the half-open entrance, nervously fiddling with the dossiers in his hand.

Technician: "Ah, sir Farkas? His Excellency requires your immediate presence at the testing-grounds…"

Nick: "Huh?"

The mercenary slightly tilted his head s he pointed at the clock on the wall.

Nick: "It’s barely past eleven. We didn’t even have dinner yet…"

Technician: "Y-Yes, but it’s not about the synchronization test."

Nick: "I see… That means that I don’t have to bring the girls along either, right?"

The man timidly nodded.

Technician: "That is correct."

Nick: "I see… *sigh* What a pain."

Technician: "…"

While the researcher was still nervously fidgeting at the entrance, the mercenary quickly twirled around and turned to the girls.

Nick: "Okay kids, I’ll see what the old man wants from me. Be good and feel free to finish up the basket."

He ended his sentence with a small wink, leaving the technician completely in the dark, and promptly walked over to the door.

Nick: "All right, let’s see what that old coon has in store for me this time…!"

With that proclamation, the mercenary and the small man left the room.

Technician: "T-The door… you left it open…"

Nick: "Oh, come on; let them have some air! It’s not like they would go anywhere…"

Technician: "B-but…"

The twins could still hear their words from the corridors, but even that has faded in a few short seconds, leaving the two of them in the silent room yet again.

Veevan: "Hey, sis?"

Veetu: "Yes?"

Still a little peevish after her little exchange with the man, Veetu slowly turned to her sister.

Veevan: "Are you… really jealous?"

Veetu: "…"

Veetu: "AAARGH-!"

----------

Baran: "… and would like to see a complete report on these by the evening."

Technician: "Yes sir. Anything else?"

Baran: "That’s all."

Technician: "Very well. Please exc-"

Nick: "Hello there pops! Why did you call?"

At first all eyes were pored upon the mercenary as he loudly walked into the hall, but a split-second later everyone returned to their tasks. At this point the staff was more than used to the man’s disrespectful and slightly over the top behavior.

Baran: "I see you are energetic as always. Please come this way."

Without letting himself be shaken out of his pace even for a moment, the archbishop immediately beckoned to Nicolai, who followed suit behind him as the technician who took him there silently took his leave. In the end they didn’t go too far.

Baran: "There."

At the corner of the room, next to some spectacularly broken testing materials, the old man carefully grabbed onto the pair of blades lying on a table and handed them back to the mercenary.

Nick: "Ah, have you done your little tests with them already? Great! I actually thought you would hold onto them longer."

Unsheathing one of his Fangs, Nicolai quickly inspected the blade and did a few practice swings with it.

Nick: "Ah, and you didn’t even break them! I’m impressed!"

Completely disregarding his comment, the old man promptly cleared his throat and fastened his eyes upon the mercenary.

Baran: "Those blades... Where did you get them again?"

Nick: "Huh? Why do you ask?"

The old man waited until Nicolai buckled his weapons-belt before continuing.

Baran: "Just as my bodyguard suspected, those are not ordinary swords."

Nick: "Ah, speaking of the smiling owl, where is he?"

Zara: "Fufu… So it’s owl this time? I wonder what I’ll be the next time we meet…"

Nick: "Wha-?!"

The mercenary literally jumped in surprise as the tall man appeared from behind his back seemingly out of nowhere.

Nick: "Would you STOP doing that already, you creepy, creepy man!?"

Zara: "Fufufu…"

Instead of answering, the swordsman kept on chuckling to himself as if to grate on the mercenary’s nerves even more, but Nicolai only shrugged his shoulders in response and turned back to the archbishop.

Nick: "*sigh* So, why do you want to know where I got these weapons from again?"

Baran: "After inspecting your weapons, we suspect that they are utilizing stolen Order technology."

Nick: "Really? I mean, yeah, the guy told me that they are quite cutting-edge, but I thought it was a pun…"

The old man’s brow was immediately raised at the remark.

Baran: "Guy?"

Nick: "Ah, it’s a weird story. You see, it happened a little after I… parted ways with the Pack."

Baran: "…"

Nick: "I was thinking of getting out of Order territory up north to have some breathing space when I came across this man traveling the same way. He was sort of a weird guy with a really skewed sense of humor."

Baran: "His name?"

Nick: "We didn’t introduce ourselves to each other, it was obvious we were both trying to lay low… and even if he told me his name, I probably wouldn’t remember it anyway…"

Baran: "…"

Nick: "So, as I was saying, he was keeping these swords with himself all the time, but then one day he just tossed them to me out of the blue and told me to take good care of them, then went off on his own… Did I mention he was a weird man already?"

Baran: "I see. Did he have some special characteristic?"

Nick: "Nah, he seemed like a run of the mill scholar."

Baran: "Scholar?"

Nick: "Yeah. The type that knows more than he actually needs to. Brooding and always bringing up nonsense scientific terminologies in conversation. I know the type way too well."

Baran: "I understand… Now tell me, Wolf, how much did that man tell you about these weapons?"

Nick: "Not much, actually. Just that they were technically spoons. I think already mentioned he was weird, didn’t I?"

Baran: "I see…"

Nick: "…"

Baran: "…"

Nick: "Is that all? No more questions?"

Baran: "No, that’s all."

Nick: "Okay, now could I ask you to tell your lapdog to stop staring at me like that? I do not swing that way, you know…"

Baran: "…"

Zara: "…"

Nick: "Whatever. If that’s all you wanted to ask, then can I have a request?"

Baran: "It depends on the request itself."

The mercenary suddenly straightened himself and looked at the archbishop with unusual seriousness. 

Nick: "Could we postpone today’s synchrony test to tomorrow? The girls are a little stressed over what happened yesterday and I don’t think it’s a good idea to push them…"

Bara: "All right."

Nick: "…"

The mercenary suddenly froze, then slowly tilted his head in confusion.

Nick: "Excuse me, but for a moment, I thought you said “all right” on the spot…"

Baran: "Actually, I just wanted to tell you that today’s experiments are cancelled."

Nick: "Wait, does that have something to do with yesterday’s failure?"

Baran: "Failure?"

For a moment, the old man’s lips widened so much the mercenary thought he would actually start laughing, but in the end he just spoke up in a tad more enthusiastic tone.

Baran: "Yesterday’s test was the greatest success we had since the beginning of our project. You actually achieved a fifty-three percent synchronization ratio on your first try. Our previous best was a mere twenty percent and the candidate achieving it almost died in the process. Right now our hands are full with the data we gathered, so the tests are postponed to tomorrow afternoon. Until then, please rest up. Our next goal is fifty percent, so we need you to be in peak condition."

Nick: "So… What we thought was a huge failure was actually a huge success?"

Baran: "In a nutshell, yes."

Zara: "Fufu… I hope that fifty percent will involve less collateral damage."

Nick: "Hey! Don’t rain on my parade!"

Baran: "True, we can’t destroy a load-bearing wall on every test…"

Nick: "Ah! Not you too, pops!"

Zara: "Fufu…"

Baran: "So, if there is nothing else…"

The mercenary quickly shook his head and returned his attention to the old man.

Nick: "Actually, there is one more thing I would like to ask of you."

Baran: "*sigh* What is it this time? Please make it short."

For a moment, it seemed like the mercenary was busy steeling his nerves, then raised his head with a defiant smirk.

Nick: "… It’s about the Anniversary coming up this weekend…"

… and with those words, the air seemingly froze around the three of them…

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