･ﾟ*. 地球 ･ﾟ*.

The softest of sighs escapes from Mikleo, as if he wishes for the other not to hear it. No need, after all, for Edna to know when she managed to get under her skin. She truly did seem to enjoy getting a reaction out of him. 

“… Alright.”   Fine.  “I can’t promise you the best in the world, but I could make some… I wonder if the others would like some, too.”  Lailah would probably be better at this than him. 

     ❛ YOU making hot chocolate ? ❜ She scoffed. ❜ Sounds like a spell for DISASTER but this will why you’ll always be my lowly manservant, Meebo. ❜ Mikleo truly made it far too easy for her to get under his skin but for some reason, he TOLERATED it, even if he always ended up being pushed around for it ( aw, little Mikleo wasn’t honest about his feelings after all. ) 

Edna was far more reserved than Sorey himself and sometimes, sometimes he had difficulty understanding why people could be that way. Not speaking from the heart, open and honest, was like a foreign concept. To temper the tongue and quell the spirit — he lacked every defense that she had. Wasn’t that the beauty of their journey, though? Such different people, both human and seraphim, who had lived such different lives coming together. Working together. 

It wasn’t the bridge, but it could be the foundation. 

“Hehe.” Idiot was, basically, a term of endearment coming from Edna. “It sure isn’t easy all the time, I’m with you there.” Sorey never expected it to be. Perhaps he hadn’t know the breadth of the burden when he first forged that pact with Lailah ( how long ago it seemed, now ), but not once did he regret it. The quiet, almost hesitating words caught him, the shepherd turning his attention towards her. He wished there was a way to convey Edna that she didn’t need to front of strength with her at all times. Emotions — aches and pains — were not something to hide away. Even he struggled with it, though. It was one thing to have other people burdening you, it was another to be a burden yourself. 

“Of course I am.” There was resolve in his tone, but even he would admit the problem was one that felt so far beyond him. “I meant every word that I first said to you, Edna, and I want to help Eizen. For you, for him,” he folded his arms over his chest and looked back towards the sky, “for everyone. Your brother may be a dragon, but there has to be a part of him still in there somewhere.” It’d been a pressing matter on his mind. A niggling little thought that came to him, sometimes, at night while he was trying to sleep. Reared it’s head in ill placed conversation, in a snide remark, little reminders all over the place. 

Sorey didn’t know if he’d ever be able to help, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying. “We’ll save Eizen together, I’m sure of it.”

     EDNA trusted Sorey but as more time passed, the more the DOUBT began to pile up. Of course it would. She couldn’t help but wonder why things turned like this. All she wanted to do was simply stay at his side but why was the world so ADAMANT on keeping them apart ? Was there really a way to save Eizen ? No matter how hard she tried to fight it, no matter how she CLUNG onto whatever hope she had, she’d always hear the same words; it’s impossible to save a dragon. Anyone would HESITATE at this point but ... not Sorey would be fazed by it.

It’s not like this was his first time hearing something along those lines — especially not from Edna. Jaded as they came, he couldn’t help but wonder just what it was that made her so averted to humans. But then, he’d never truly be able to understand, would he? The breadth of their experiences so vast in difference, almost incomprehensible. Edna had lived far longer than he, and for all of Sorey’s resonance he was still a human. There would always be some level to the seraphim and their experiences he could not relate to, just as the same went for them and himself. 

“Well, maybe it’s a good thing you’re not in my position then. Everyone handles things different. Besides, there’s plenty of good in the world. I mean, if you’re only looking for the bad stuff then the bad stuff is all you’re going to find.” A grin tugged across his features, bright as the stars above. Edna was an enigma at the best of times, hiding behind a stony defense, but Sorey had always been good at climbing rock walls. Subtly in her words, ‘we wouldn’t be doing this for you if we didn’t care’, or something along those lines. “I am grateful for you guys, I wouldn’t have been able to come this far all on my own.” Humble as they came, but he was just being honest. “And — I’m really glad. I can’t imagine being on this journey with anyone else, or doing it all on my own.”

    EDNA couldn’t help but wonder if her AVERSION towards humans was misplaced at times but at the same time, there were plenty of reasons to not approach them. After all, humans were the ones who created the very MALEVOLENCE that would ENDANGER not just themselves but the whole world around them. It was also the very same malevolence that led Eizen to the state he was now but even so, she supposed she could now see why her brother spent so much time around them. It was just as Sorey said, there was plenty of GOOD in the world and she’s witnessed it countless times in this journey. In the end, she couldn’t be as happy-go-lucky as the Shepherd was. They lived in two completely DIFFERENT worlds after all. 

    ❛ It really does take a special kind of idiot to even want to be the Shepherd but ... I guess this journey really isn’t all that bad, even if is a PAIN in the neck to deal with sometimes though. ❜ It was really a wonder how he could keep so OPTIMISTIC all the time. The contrast between them was AGGRAVATING at times but she supposed it was better than having a Shepherd that was easily DISCOURAGED. To alone hear his SINCERE thanks was enough to stir her heart a bit but she said nothing to it and instead, returned her gaze to the starry sky above. She soon drew her umbrella over her face as she began to think back to Eizen. ❛ ... Sorey, you’re still going to keep your PROMISE, right ? ❜ Although she TRUSTED the hope that Sorey presented her ( rather, she was clinging onto it ) , they’ve gotten this far and she still saw nothing that could truly SAVE her brother the way she hoped to. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was really FUTILE in the end. Perhaps she was just being IMPATIENT here but as she moved along in this journey, she began to realize that there there were so many things that stood against her WISH to be with her brother once more. 

‘Inn needed a night shift cook. Couldn’t say no.’ And truthfully, Ludger just liked the atmosphere of working a public kitchen. Too bad his duties as a Kresnik mandated his first priority be serving the clan; he wouldn’t mind working a kitchen full-time.Perhaps once Shepherd Sorey succeeded in his journey, the Kresniks could be free to live normally. 

A stargazing geek was he? Ludger couldn’t argue with that– his passion for stars did outshine cooking by a country mile. ‘Least you’re sure now my life isn’t just about cooking.’ He easily took the jabs in stride, having caught up to Edna’s usual method of mood-making by now. That, and he couldn’t help but quickly switch gears under the assurance his closet hobby might mean something special to the Seraph. ‘Remember any constellations you looked at with him? Always wondered what the sky looked like before my time.’

     ❛ YEAH, it would be pretty sad if your life was just about cooking. ❜ After all, it was so DULL to revolve your life around a single thing but then again, human occupations often took up the whole span of a single life so she couldn’t say much to that. She couldn’t RELATE as a Seraph after all.

Figuring Edna wouldn’t punt him miles away with earth artes, Ludger did his best to sneak up behind her and give her shoulder a tap. ‘Fan of stargazing? Been a closet hobby since I was little. Spent years filling out a personal star map. Wish I could find it.’ Although if Edna was willing, he could remember about half of them from memory– mostly the animal ones. 

     EDNA didn’t particularly expect anyone to come bother her ( especially since it was so late in the night ) so Ludger’s appearance came to be somewhat of a SURPRISE. She would’ve expected Zaveid or even Sorey to come by but this was new. 

     ❛ Who would’ve thought you’d also be CREEPING around during the night too. ❜ It was a SARCASTIC greeting but it was a far more kind gesture than jabbing him with her umbrella. She did already determine that he was TRUSTWORTHY so this was just her usual attitude. ❛ I should’ve figured you’d be a geek for this stuff too. I don’t really stargaze that much but I used to do it a lot with my brother a long time ago. I guess it isn’t too bad. ❜

Sorey moved to stand beside her, now, one hand resting idly on the hilt of his sword as he kept his eyes fixated upwards. “Yeah, but it’s nice on those other nights, too.” Did it get old, he wondered. Gazing at the stars. How unchanging the night sky ; or was it a comfort for a seraphim. They watched as time went by, but the sky was always the same. “Huh?” A lift in his tone, head cocked curiously towards her. Tired of what? Being the shepherd? It’s an easy enough puzzle to piece together.

“No, I don’t think so.” There wasn’t much room for pause, but it’s not a question Sorey truly needed to think hard on. “But Mikleo’s told me before I never really know when it give up, hehe. Even with our downs, the losses, and failures… they’re just reasons why I need to keep trying. People can always sit there waiting and hoping that something will change, but nothing won’t ever change if there aren’t those working towards it. I can’t just sit by and do nothing just because it gets hard sometimes.”

    PERHAPS there was a sort of COMFORT of being able to stand underneath the very same night sky through all these years but she’s stopped thinking about it so long ago. After all, her time here on this earth had been nothing but TIMELESS until now. Being able to walk on this JOURNEY she never would’ve imagined herself to tread upon all those years ago certainly changed a lot about how she saw things now. She supposed the sky did look more BEAUTIFUL than it used to. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was this how Eizen saw the world during his ADVENTURES.

“It’s a pretty nice night, isn’t it?” The shepherd’s voice breaks through the quiet of the evening. He’s keen on giving the seraphs their space when they need it, but he figures if Edna doesn’t want the company she’s more than capable of shooing him away.

“I… guess? I’ve read a few books, but I had never done it until that day with Sorey.” it was a little weird, that once he was in that environment..? It was like he knew exactly what to do, before Sorey had even spoke up on what he should do. Like his body had moved despite not really knowing what he was doing.

“Are you sure..? I might need a recipe book if you want me to try?”

     ❛ IN that case I have the perfect recipe for you to try out, why don’t you prepare hotpot for everyone tonight ? It’s simple but what’s important is the PERFECTION of the broth. I’ll personally be overseeing your progress but keep in mind that I won’t baby you. I’ll just tell you what to do since I don’t feel like putting down the recipe on paper. ❜ She was only suggesting this in the first place because she was feeling like hot pot tonight and it was going to be COLD so might as well have something nice and warm.

“Funny you should mention that… I don’t really know how, but it seems like I already know how to cook. It was really easy to pick up the rest from Sorey.”

    ❛ SO, are you’re saying you’re a natural or something ? ❜ Well, she wouldn’t complain if he could actually cook but she couldn’t help but wonder if this was something INHERITED from his human self. Although no one could say for sure, there was definitely some EVIDENCE that implied that he was a REINCARNATED human.

“Of course!” agreeing with her quickly as she had repeated the reason why to really hammer that fact home. Though it wasn’t long before she threw up her wall again. “I’d be more than happy to, and if you need any help with it..? I could always give you a hand?”

    ❛ I guess having a kitchen helper would speed things up but I’d prefer to see how experienced you are before letting you help out. How’s the cooking lessons from Sorey coming along anyways ? ❜

“R-Right!” this was Edna, she was pretty straightforward. So taking one of the cookies from the pouch, he took and bite and… his eyes widened in mixed surprise. “These are really good… Seriously!” his face said it all, it couldn’t lie. 

    ❛ ... OF course they’re good; seeing that I put so much love and care into making them. ❜ With that, she opened up her parasol and turned herself around as she threw the roof over her head. Perhaps it was to conceal her subtle joy. ❛ I guess I wouldn’t mind making you my taste tester for the next batch of sweets next time. You are easier to find after all. ❜  

Jude was so done with the earth seraphim, his face practically screamed it. But when she suddenly put a pouch of cookied into his hand, his eyes widened in shock. “This is…” did she just give him– “…are you sure?” the seraph looked past the fact she said guinea pig. This was… human food.

“Well maybe I just don’t like it when someone touches my face, and the only one I see teasing me here is you.”