Madeleine woke up to sunshine on his face and birdsong from outside. It was how he usually woke up when he'd do his patrols.
He'd been so used to waking up in other places that he almost forgot how much he loved the sunlight filtering into his room. Even without the lights, it was bright and lively, something his current home shared with his old one.
Today wasn't like the other days, though. Today he had to meet with Pure Vanilla. Things were bound to get interesting.
Sure, he briefly met the healer the other day, but it wasn't the same as a semi-scheduled meeting. It didn't hold the same weight.
He slid off his bed and stretched with a yawn. With the house to himself, there was a lot to be done. Namely...
He stood at the doorway, eyeballing the jam stains he'd been planning to clean for a week. A bucket of soapy water lay on the floor next to him.
...
Espresso, on the other hand, had a rather rude awakening.
Or rather, lack of awakening.
He'd spent the night trying to catch up on all the research he missed, typing away the results of experiments that shouldn't have been as rushed as they were. He was definitely going to need an extension.
The coffee mage groaned and leaned back on his chair, staring upside down at the clock on the wall.
Since when had so much time passed?
He got up and dusted himself off. There was no time to waste. He had to meet Pure Vanilla today.
Well, he didn't have to, but he was determined to make it happen.
What he'd been doing up to that point was mostly out of moral obligation, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested.
Suddenly he understood why Latte kept him up to date on the kingdom gossip. It was boring to be told the stories, but being involved in them was completely different.
Especially when it was magic related.
As someone who dedicated his entire life to magic, he wasn't about to let the golden opportunity go.
Because it wasn't just any magic, but a completely unheard-of phenomenon.
To hell with the moral obligation, he was in it for self-gain. For self-interest. For the uncharted research.
That's what motivated him to leave the house and make his way to Madeleine's doorstep.
He opened the door and the paladin crashed on the ground, "...maybe I should've knocked."
Madeleine shot up, washcloth in hand, "Good morning, Espresso!"
Espresso slowly blinked back.
The crow from yesterday flew out of the open door and landed at the doorstep.
"Oh," Madeleine looked down, "I forgot about that."
"You forgot about a whole crow? In your house?" Espresso shot him a disappointed glare.
"In my defense, I didn't see it after you left, so I thought it went with you."
"You're so dense." Espresso would've thought the exact same thing.
He eyed the back of the door, hand still on the handle. If he didn't know that it was previously caked with jam, then the dark red stains crammed deep in the crevices would go completely unnoticed. It looked clean.
"That's cleaner than I remember it being."
"Yes! I decided to spend the morning cleaning the jam stains. Wanna help?" Madeleine gestured over to a bucket full of murky water.
YOU ARE READING
Madeleine Grows a Pair
Fanfiction...of wings. He's scared, confused, and now his magic is spiraling out of control. He's driven by a need to feel complete again. Espresso is tired, overworked, and upon finding out Madeleine's newfound situation, curious. With a lifelong interest to...
