The forest was quiet when Kuro opened his eyes.Morning sunlight filtered through the canopy, spilling across Mika's shoulder where he sat sharpening his sword, expression calm and focused.
Lucien was leaning lazily against a tree, his hair perfectly in place as if he hadn't spent the night sleeping on roots.Kuro, meanwhile, felt like he'd been hit by an entire herd of boars.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his neck. "Morning…"
Mika glanced over. "Finally awake. You were out cold."
Lucien smiled. "He looked peaceful. For once."
[He drooled a little, too.]
{I did not.}
[Oh yes, you did. It was adorable in a pathetic kind of way.]
{You're lying.}
[Maybe. But you'll never know.]
Kuro groaned quietly, deciding to ignore him. "So… breakfast?"
Mika stood, brushing off his gloves. "Already working on it."
Lucien raised an eyebrow. "You? Cooking?"
Mika shot him a glare. "Problem?"
"None," Lucien said, still smiling. "Just making mental preparations."
[Oh, this is gonna be good.]
Mika knelt by the fire pit and started pulling ingredients from his pack — bread, dried meat, some suspicious-looking herbs, and something that vaguely resembled eggs but might have been rocks in disguise.
Kuro tilted his head. "Um… what exactly are you making?"
Mika's expression was dead serious. "Food."
Lucien stifled a laugh. "Ah yes, the most specific of dishes."
Mika ignored him, cracking the "eggs" into a pan. The sound it made was less of a crack and more of a thud.Kuro blinked. "Uh… that doesn't look right."
Mika didn't flinch. "It'll taste fine."
[It'll taste like despair.]
{Don't say that. Maybe it'll be okay.}
[Sure, Kuro. And maybe goblins will invent fine dining.]
A few minutes later, the smell hit them.It was… indescribable. Like burnt moss mixed with sulfur and sadness.
Lucien covered his nose with the back of his sleeve. "Saints above, what is that?"
Mika turned the pan calmly. "Breakfast."
"Smells like death," Lucien coughed.
"Then don't eat," Mika said, voice clipped. "More for me."
Kuro hesitated, trying to be polite. "I'm sure it'll taste better than it smells?"
Lucien snorted. "Ever the optimist."
Mika handed Kuro a plate — if you could call the pile of charred blackened mass on it "food."
Kuro stared at it like it might come alive. "…Thank you?"
[Don't do it. I repeat, DO NOT PUT THAT IN YOUR MOUTH.]
{It can't be that bad.}
[It's smoking, Kuro. Smoking.]
Kuro took a small bite. The world stopped.
Lucien leaned forward. "Well?"
"…It's…" Kuro's eye twitched. "…unique."
Lucien laughed outright, and Mika looked offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"N-Nothing!" Kuro said quickly. "It's just… very… flavorful?"
[You're gonna die. Call a healer.]
Mika frowned, taking a bite himself. The moment it hit his tongue, he froze — and promptly spat it into the grass."…Okay," he said flatly. "That was bad."
Lucien nearly choked laughing. "You think?"
"Shut up," Mika muttered, dumping the rest into the fire.
Kuro tried not to laugh but failed, a quiet giggle escaping before he could stop himself. Mika glanced at him — but instead of snapping, his expression softened slightly at the sound.
Lucien caught that and smirked. "Oh, now you're fine with being laughed at?"
Mika shot him a look that could melt steel. "Don't start."
Lucien raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. No more jokes. But perhaps I should handle breakfast next time?"
Mika grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "pretty-boy chef," which only made Kuro laugh harder.
[He's jealous again.]
{He's not.}
[Oh please, he nearly burned the forest down trying to feed you.]
{Elvastia, why are you like this?}
[Entertainment value, Kuro. It's all I've got left.]
The mood lightened instantly. Even Mika, for all his brooding, looked calmer now — shoulders less tense, expression softer.
Lucien leaned back against the tree again, a small smile playing on his lips. "Guess we'll grab something at the guild on the way back. Assuming Mika doesn't try cooking again."
"Say that again," Mika muttered, reaching for his sword.
Lucien grinned. "I dare you."
Kuro stepped between them before things got violent. "Please, not before lunch."
That finally broke them both. Mika huffed a laugh, Lucien chuckled, and for the first time in days — the air around them felt normal.
[Would you look at that? No trauma, no tears. Just bad food and awkward flirting.]
{I think I like this better.}
[Don't get used to it. You attract chaos.]
{...Maybe. But it's not so bad with them around.}
Elvastia didn't answer right away. Then, quietly:[Yeah… I guess not.]