Red-Stained Lilies

~Chapter Five~

'Well, that's annoying' I thought to myself. Well whatever, right!? It's not everyday that I get to eat such a delicious meal as f/f, so I'm not going to let anything spoil my moment! As I strutted towards the table, the sparkle of excitement was very apparent in my eyes; of course, Silver Wolf picked up on it. "Are you seriously that excited for some food? You know you could have requested the meal earlier, right?" Well, this is awkward. "Why thank you for the tip!" I replied sarcastically with a wink. In response, she rolled her eyes and continued playing whatever video game was currently pulled up on her phone. When I finished situating myself in my chair, Kafka looked at me with a gentle smile. She remembered my favorite meal... After smiling back, I found myself staring away into my lap. What was this feeling? I felt so warm inside from happiness, and yet tears stung my eyes at the same time. I've never felt anyone care for me in this way. As I pondered to myself with my reddish cheeks, I didn't notice Blade staring at me from the side. His deep crimson eyes searching me for something, but he didn't give a clue as to what. Suddenly, I felt myself being watched. Subtly I looked around, but to no avail; everyone was just doing their own things. Weird.. I thought.

"Alright everyone, I think we have all waited long enough." Kafka said. "Time to dig in!" "Finally, it's about time." Silver Wolf retorted. As per usual, Blade had nothing to say. After saying plenty of thank you's to Kafka, I took a bite of the f/f. Wow.... it was DELICOUS! The flavors of the herbs clashing in my mouth was exactly what I remembered from the underworld; It tasted like home. The taste brought me back to when my mother was still alive, and the delightful meals that she would make from our humble kitchen. The happiness that I gained from the great flavors was immense. The memories made me realize how much I had really missed my mother. Suddenly, I was interrupted by the sound of Blade's voice.

"So, tomorrow we arrive at Jarilo-VI, correct Kafka?" TOMORROW?! "Yes Bladie, that would be correct." She stated with a smirk. Clearly, she was very eager to get a certain plan going, but I wasn't informed on what that plan was. "So, "I said curiously, "What exactly are we going to do when we get there? And more importantly, how are we going to get to the Stellaron?" Kafka was the head of this operation, so it was no shocker that she was the first to reply. "First, the station will drop us off at the outlying snow plains. It is a bit more dangerous and populated by monsters in this area, but there would be less Silvermane Guards. If it means less of a hassle, we are going to go with it for the sake of the mission. We are then going to split up into pairs; you and Bladie going straight through the Outlying Plains to get to the Administrative District, and me and Silver Wolf going through Backwater Pass. The reason is that we need to study our surroundings. If we need to make a quick escape, it will be much easier if we understand our terrain. Lastly, you will avoid Silvermane Guards at all costs, do you understand? We can take them on very easily, but we don't need a bounty over our heads during the trip." Wow... I thought. How can Kafka come up with all of these intricate plans? My head is spinning just by hearing them once. "That was quite a lot, but I understand. Thank you for explaining, Kafka." "Anytime, darling" She replied.

Soon after the explanation of the plan, everyone was done eating their dinner. Before heading off to bed, we all said our goodnights to each other. I gave Kafka and Silver Wolf both hugs, and I smiled and waved to Blade. SHOCKINGLY, he nodded his head in response, which caused my grin to widen. As everyone was heading off however, I realized that I was not tired. There is no way I'm going to be able to sleep yet, I thought. Because of this, instead of going back to my chambers I decided to go to the observatory; perhaps the view of the faraway stars and galaxies will soothe my spirit and put me to sleep.

After a few minutes of walking, I made my way to the observatory. Wow..., the view is breathtaking. The atmosphere was so dark that it felt like I was staring off into an infinite abyss. The stars illuminated the glass walls of the room, which fogged up as I placed my hands on them due to my warmth. Looking at this view was like a dream; it felt so surreal. For the first time in years, I felt that I was in true solace.