…
----------------------------------------
Productive
----------------------------------------
…
A day has passed since the contract was signed.
Hadrian's life has gotten a bit more interesting.
The redhead, Natasha, had proven herself to be quite observant and keenly interested in almost everything that piqued her curiosity.
She asked him questions, a lot of questions, and he answered them truthfully.
He would not elaborate more on things that did not really require her attention, the kind relative to magic and important matters that concerned AEONS’s affairs.
Regardless, he did answer her inquiries to the best of what he was limited to say.
Of course, sharp as she was, Natasha noticed it.
…
…
Green eyes narrowed as they peered into vivid cyan orbs.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re holding back on me?”
Hadrian sighed, resisting the urge to sweep his hair back.
“It’s not a matter of holding back, Natasha. You’re just asking me questions that I cannot really answer.”
Natasha frowned, arms crossing below her chest.
“I thought you’ll answer my questions after I sign the contract.” Natasha reminded.
‘Were you lying to me?’ was the unspoken question behind her words.
Noticing it right away, Hadrian gave her the most innocent face he can muster.
“Sure, I’ll answer your questions.” He said in a light tone.
As he expected, the redhead perked up.
Emerald eyes brightened triumphantly.
“Then a–“
“But that would require you to sign a new contract, one with a set of conditions vastly different from the recent you have signed.” Hadrian interjected with a bright smile.
Natasha stilled.
Green eyes squinted into a deadpan stare that would make an average bloke nervous.
Hadrian merely countered it with a megawatt smile.
The girl’s brows furrowed, looking annoyed by his unfazed demeanor.
Still, he understood her intentions, given what he knew of her by now.
And so, he relented annoying her any further and sighed.
“The questions you asked, while valid and understandable if I were in your position, will only put you under the organization’s scrutiny, should you continue to pursue this any further. Also, the contract states that I must answer your questions, not that I must answer all of them.” Hadrian clarified with a wry smile.
The redhead’s green eyes widened in surprise.
Clearly, the girl did not know of what the term loophole was, let alone how it works.
Not wanting to give her a chance to respond, Hadrian spoke again.
“And might I also remind you that your time with me is only after the next mission?”
“…”
Hadrian gave her a gentle smile that (he hoped) would soften the blow.
“I suggest you drop that line of questioning, Natasha. It won’t do you any good to know things that will endanger your safety. While I may have a good reputation in the organization, I’m only a part of it in the end. There’s someone else at the top, and I’m not sure how they would react to you digging secrets privy only to high-ranked members.”
…
…
With that reminder, Natasha quieted down and kept her curiosity to herself.
Sure, she had the right to know some things about him, but not all.
Once Hadrian pointed it out to her, she relented her inquiries at least.
Still…
After signing the contract, Natasha discovered a number of things about him.
She now knew that he was a member of a secret organization (AEONS, though she has no idea of its name yet). That his assignments were mostly arranged by a handler designated to him.
That the hotel he was staying at has ties with said organization.
That his weapons are not ordinary, or the kind commonly seen before.
That the friend he spoke to on the holo was a temporary aide assigned to him.
…and that he had recently acquired a lot of money.
Hadrian supposed that the bulkiness of the duffle bags yesterday was too conspicuous to hide.
But there was really nothing he could do with that since Natasha was the one who had seen the bags before he did.
“Haah…”
Sighing, Hadrian shook his head and focused on his current task –
CHINK
CLANG
– which was doing regular maintenance on Lapis and Tempest.
He was currently in the lounge, sitting on the couch with Maya lying beside him, watching him work. On the coffee glass table, Lapis and Tempest were laid on their sides.
The sheath (Tempest) was left open, displaying its complex and intricate components in clear view as he continued detaching pieces of its parts, cleaning, and reattaching them again.
Lapis, the aikuchi katana, was the easiest to maintain.
He only needed to clean the blade with a special oil (one that was made via a potion to keep it in pristine condition), and the parts near the handle of the blade.
Tempest, on the other hand, required a bit more effort and time to maintain its peak condition.
Hadrian literally had to open the sheath in order to clean the gears (small and tinier pieces) and other intricate parts that made up its shifting forms.
It was a bit of a time-consuming process, but he learned and became faster as time went.
Doing frequent maintenance on Lapis and Tempest was one of the downsides of their being modern Trickster Weapons. (1)
To owners that were not experienced in casting cleaning or maintenance spells, at least.
Trickster weapons were the kind of weapons that were designed to shift into different forms.
They are armaments quite popular around the Hunter division of AEONS.
The typical ones normally only have two forms it could shift into.
Tempest and Lapis are viewed as such, but due to their intricate components, they were labeled as an advanced-modern type because of their capabilities, and the latter’s dual ability to shift its mode of fire in mid-fight.
A cleaning spell or two would usually be enough to maintain their condition, but he felt like doing the maintenance by hand today. Not only that, but he also needs to keep up the appearance of a mundane as there was a certain redhead nearby, not as a mage.
Pat
Pat
Pat
It was to the scene of him putting the tiny screws back to their respective positions of Tempest that Natasha arrived at.
Seeing the girl, Hadrian was reminded of what happened this earlier morning.
Hadrian had finished his morning exercise at the time, when he passed by Natasha on his way back to his chambers to shower and change into fresh clothes.
The look on her face…
Natasha was clearly surprised to see him up and walking about so early.
The girl had to take a second look to see if she was dreaming, and when she realized she was not hallucinating, the sleep in her eyes cleared up and she was wide awake.
Hadrian sensed that he somehow made another impression on her.
What that was, he has no idea, but he has a feeling that he will find out in the near future.
Looking at the girl, Hadrian took note of her appearance.
Unlike before, Natasha looked clean and ready for the day, though her clothes were still slightly loose in her frame and practical. She wore a dark gray T-shirt, a black hoodie with long sleeves, black cargo pants, and a pair of black and white sneakers.
While her clothes were new, Hadrian would not be surprised to see small tears and rips on them soon, knowing her habit of concealing knives on her person.
The two of them had already eaten breakfast earlier, and were now simply doing whatever they liked around the penthouse.
Hadrian had been busy doing maintenance on his weapons, while Natasha spent some time watching TV in her room before spending the next hour exploring the penthouse.
A few rooms were off-limits though, such as Hadrian’s quarters, the study, and his temporary workshop (which he had not told her about), but the rest was open for her to visit and explore.
Upon entering the room, Natasha stopped and looked at what he was doing.
The redhead appeared intrigued as she watched him put the screws into their proper places.
“I’ve never seen a sheath like that before…” She commented quietly, walking closer to the table before taking a seat on the chair next to the couch.
“Not surprising. These two are quite one of a kind. I made them myself.” Hadrian stated with a smile as he finished, turning Tempest this way and that to look for anything he might miss.
His casual admission seemed to throw Natasha aback as her usually impassive expression morphed into surprise.
“You made them?” She said in astonishment, emerald eyes slightly wide.
“Yes.” Hadrian nodded.
He paused and stared at her for several moments, garnering a curious look from the girl, before he came to an internal decision.
“In the organization, it’s sort of tradition to make a weapon like these two. Nowadays, most would order premade weapons of similar structure, but some like to venture out of the norm and test their creativity by making more complex weapon builds from scratch. It’s more fun that way, I suppose.”
“I see… what are these called?” Natasha asked, gesturing to the weapons lying in front of him.
“This is Lapis and Tempest. They are called a Trickster Weapon.” Hadrian stated with a smile.
“Trickster…” Natasha trailed off, thoughtful before perking up as she asked. “Does this have something to do with their ability to transform?”
“…!”
Hadrian blinked, staring at her in slight surprise.
The wide-eyed look she received prompted her to elaborate.
“That sheath –“ she pointed to Tempest before continuing. “– I saw it change forms and you fired a bullet of some kind with it, Rey. It’s not hard to connect the dots from there.”
“Ah…” Hadrian nodded, recalling the time he shot at a thug with Tempest at point blank.
“Yes, it does actually. This sheath has two firing features, the primary is a rifle and the second is a shotgun. It is because of their advanced function that they are labeled as a Trickster Weapon. Or Trick Weapon, in short. Tempest is the only one that mechanically shift forms though, but since Lapis is its sibling, they are acknowledged as one.”
“Why those two? Rifle and shotgun, I mean.” Natasha asked, curiosity clear in her green eyes.
“I chose a rifle for longer range, and the second is meant for crowd control.” Hadrian answered as he slowly returned Lapis to Tempest.
“And what is Lapis capable of? It doesn’t look like an ordinary sword.” Natasha commented as she observed his actions.
“No, it’s not.” Hadrian agreed with a slight shake of his head, chuckling.
“What does it do then?” Natasha frowned, brows knitting.
“…”
Hadrian paused, turning to stare at her with a curious expression.
Subtly activating empathy, he sensed a dose of impatience and annoyance coming from her in soft waves.
A mischievous smile spread across his lips.
“This is one of those cases where it would be better to keep it as a surprise than to tell you now.” Hadrian answered after some time.
“…?”
His smile widened at the confused look he received.
“What I can tell you now is that Lapis is not an ordinary blade. It’s anything but normal, that’s for sure. Even the process of its making is… different from the norm. Tempest is also the same in that regard.”
While a bit displeased that she didn’t get a straight answer from him, Natasha was intrigued by the additional details as she appraised the sheathed blade in his hands.
“Where are you going?” Natasha asked, seeing him stand up from the couch.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Study.” Hadrian said simply, walking towards the stairs with Maya following at his heels. “I have paperwork to finish up. I don’t really have much free time to burn, even if I am still waiting on the next assignment.”
Musing on the paperwork waiting for him at his desk, Hadrian did not notice that he was being followed by Natasha until he opened the door to the study.
PAT
PAT
Hearing footsteps behind him, he stopped and blinked.
He turned around to face an impassive-looking redhead, who also stopped and stood a few feet away from him.
“…”
“…”
Silence hung upon them as they stared at each other before Hadrian’s brows furrowed.
Bright cyan eyes narrowed slightly as it dawned on him as to why she was following him.
“You… have nothing better to do, don’t you?” The magician guessed in a deadpan tone.
“…!”
Blinking in surprise at his sudden observation, Natasha huffed quietly and crossed her arms under her chest, looking a bit miffed.
The slight tint of redness on her pale cheeks ruined the effect though.
“No, I don’t.” She admitted in monotone, almost reluctantly. “I’ve already finished my morning training, and I already explored the penthouse. So, no… I don’t have anything else to do.”
“Watch TV?” Hadrian suggested with a raised brow.
“Already did, there was nothing interesting on.” She answered with a straight face.
“Take a walk?” Hadrian pointed to the nearby window.
“In this time and weather? Not interested.” She refused with a mild shake of her head, scoffing lightly at the idea of it.
Glancing upwards, Hadrian hummed as his finger tapped on the doorknob a few times.
Moments later, an idea came to mind.
Perking up, he briefly stepped into the study, tossing the sheathed sword onto a couch (which landed perfectly) before exiting.
He then turned to the bemused-looking Natasha with a small smile.
“I know. Come with me.” Hadrian said as he walked past her.
Curious, Natasha followed him closely.
The pair went back downstairs where Hadrian led her to a small corridor, only stopping once he was in front of twin doors painted in black.
With both hands on the knobs, he pushed the doors open, revealing a two-floor library.
The area was furnished lavishly, exuding a luxurious yet comfortable aura.
The room has high ceilings, and the windows were large enough to let natural light brighten the room. In the middle, there was a small wooden table with a leather couch and two chairs.
White curtains hung by the windows, while a black grand piano was near the fireplace.
“If you have nothing to do, then why not read the books here?” Hadrian smiled, gesturing to the books on the shelves with his right hand.
Turning her gaze to him, Natasha blinked in surprise as her mind processed his words.
“Read? You mean it’s fine for me to read these?” Natasha asked slowly.
When she said that she had explored the penthouse, she did mean it, and she had come across the library.
But, considering the duration of her time here was only temporary, Natasha hesitated to touch any of the books, let alone spend some time in this part of the penthouse.
Although, she was tempted to stay and use the various equipment in the gym when she found it.
While she loathed the source of most of her habits, training had turned into a sort… of past time that she had accepted as an important necessity.
Not only does training keep her body fit and her senses sharp, but it also gave her something to do and for her mind to focus on.
After escaping that hellish place, training slowly became a soothing activity for her to fall into.
The mere thought gave her a bittersweet sentiment.
“Hmhm…”
A deep and smooth chuckle snapped Natasha out of her dark thoughts.
Looking up from the carpeted floor, green eyes met a pair of vivid cyan orbs alight with amusement.
“It’s fine. Like everything else in this penthouse, they are mine to do as I please.” Hadrian assured, smiling as he added. “And besides, it’ll give your mind something to focus on other than training.”
“And you think it’ll work for me?” Natasha asked, lifting one brow.
She had never been much for sitting down on a couch and reading books. Not that she had enough time to spare for such luxury while surviving in that place. (2)
Even before she was forced into training, she had always been an active sort of person.
“You won’t know till you try.” Hadrian countered, tilting his head slightly.
Looking to the second floor of the library, the magician did not notice the thoughtful gaze directed at him as he pointed to the shelves situated upstairs.
“The shelves in that section have combat and survival-related books. I’m sure that’ll keep you preoccupied in the meanwhile. If you’re feeling restless, just work out again and burn some energy. You can use the equipment in the gym, which I’m sure you know is just close to this room. I’ll be in the study. I’ll probably be out for an hour or two, so until then, have fun.”
After saying his piece, Hadrian left a befuddled Natasha in the library.
Closing the doors gently behind him, he exited the room with Maya in tow.
…
----------------------------------------
…
Minutes later…
He was back inside the study.
Placing Lapis and Tempest to the side, he wore a pair of circular glasses and quickly worked on the small stack of paperwork in front of him.
On one of the chairs in front of his desk, Maya was taking a nap, as per usual.
The papers he was working on diligently were documents and reports of a few businesses that Zelretch delegated to him, literally leaving it to him to decide whether to approve or reject it from his personal judgement.
The old wizard had a lot of responsibilities resting upon his shoulders, and being concerned for his health, Hadrian offered to take some of the burdens from him while he was away from home.
And thus, here he was, reading and signing documents at a calm, steady pace.
Scritch
Scritch
The sound of the fountain pen’s tip scratching against the paper’s surface was almost soothing.
It was fortunate he had a large amount of experience with this kind of thing.
In contrast to most people, Hadrian enjoyed the task of filling out paperwork.
It reminded him of the times when he had been a king once.
The task was more enjoyable now, as the documents does not consist of asking for his approval (or permission) to provide food, shelter, and other important necessities for the people under his protection and immigrants, who suffered the tyrannical reign of a certain mad king of Niflheim.
‘Good riddance for that…’ He thought with a small frown of displeasure.
Dismissing the dark memories from his mind, Hadrian exhaled deeply and redirected his focus to signing the documents.
…
…
Creeaak
Thud
Deeply invested in his current task, the reincarnated magician failed to notice the door of the study opened and closed gently.
“…!”
Not even sensing the stupefied gaze of a certain redhead, who stopped to stare at him blankly for a few moments.
The girl shook her head, and made her way silently to the chaise lounge situated on the right side of the room.
Thud
She placed the books in her arms onto the small table, before making herself comfortable and started reading.
In his defense, there are wireless earbuds playing classical music in his ears as he worked on the papers, loud enough to cover any sounds permeating the room.
Some documents also required his utmost attention.
He even had to split his focus on the emails that require in-depth reviews and answers, back and forth, through the holo-pc (which he withdrew from the automaton’s spatial inventory the other day), to even notice he was not alone anymore.
He was simply that busy and concentrated on his task.
The acute senses and calm vigilance he would usually display were absent, as he reviewed and organized the stack of documents.
[… … …]
The automaton didn’t bother to notify him either, seeing as the other occupant bore no ill will to its inheritor and owner.
An hour later, he paused and frowned as he read an email sent by one of his retainers.
Grabbing his holo-phone, Hadrian scrolled through his contacts and tapped on one of the names.
Durururu
Ringing echoed in the earbuds.
Then, the call connected to another line, prompting Hadrian to speak.
“Good morning, Captain.” He smiled.
“Ah, master. Hello.” On the other line, Captain Nemo responded kindly.
“I’m just calling regarding the email you sent me last night.” Hadrian began, opening the topic.
“Ah yes, what do you think of it so far?” he asked, sounding a bit eager to hear his opinion.
Turning to the holo-pc, he hummed under his breath as he scrolled through the images attached to the email.
“…”
From her position, Natasha was amused by the thoughtful expression he wore.
A few moments passed; Hadrian leaned back into the chair.
“It looks like it’s coming along nicely. I hope it’s not taking a toll on you, taking on this project mostly on your own.” Hadrian frowned slightly, concerned for his retainer.
“It’s fine. The others are helping me whenever they have free time.” Captain Nemo stated with a soft chuckle.
“Apologies, Captain. I would offer my help in the labor as well, but as I’ve mentioned before, my hands are tied at the moment.” Hadrian said with a tint of guilt in his voice.
“It’s alright, Master. It can’t be helped.” Captain Nemo reassured, sounding relaxed.
“Thank you. Worst case scenario, I give you permission to force the others to assist you, so the progress can be much faster.” Hadrian jested with a small grin, thinking of two retainers in mind.
“I’ll do just that. There are others who seem to enjoy their free time than I would have liked.” The captain mentioned casually, amused.
“Are they fooling around there and taking advantage of my absence?” Hadrian asked, lifting an amused brow.
“Kind of, but they are being kept in line by our resident butler here and the big redhead.”
Hadrian can sense a smile in his voice, despite being on the other line.
“That’s good to hear. And may I know when it will be finished?” Hadrian asked, returning to the topic earlier.
“Soon.” The captain answered confidently. “Especially now that I have your permission to enlist the others’ help in the process. The inside is empty for now, but it will be simple and easy to fill it out once everything is in place. In fact, I might be done building the interior and downloading the programs by tonight. If not later, then tomorrow for sure.”
Hadrian blinked once in surprise.
He knew of Captain Nemo’s skill set and was confident in his capabilities, but even he was surprised by the quick progression.
He had been expecting the captain to finish the project in a few months.
Not in weeks.
Hadrian was aware that the captain’s expertise was not in line with the project he was currently undertaking, but after such good news, he would need to re-evaluate his opinion of the retainer.
“That soon?” he asked, surprised and impressed.
“What can I say? Bringing this project to life is a delightful experience for me.” Captain Nemo stated, sounding a bit exhausted but satisfied at the same time.
“I see. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I look forward to seeing it in person. Then, is it possible to send it over for me to use?” Hadrian asked, a bit hopeful.
“Once the trial runs are complete and it’s safe for travel, yeah, sure. I’ll have it delivered as soon as possible.” The captain said, much to his quiet joy.
“Thank you for your hard work, Captain. Ah, before I go, there’s something I wish to inform you.” Hadrian said, recalling an idea he had in mind.
“What is it?” the captain asked, sounding curious.
“A blueprint of something I had in mind. I’ll send it to you sometime later. Can you look it over and tell me your honest opinion about it?” Hadrian asked, staring at the papers on his desk.
“Another project?” The captain guessed, lightly amused.
“It’ll depend on your opinion.” Hadrian smiled, hinting at the fact that he has the right to refuse.
“Interesting. Sure, just send it to me.” The captain said, intrigued.
“Thank you again, Captain. That’ll be all for now.” Hadrian said in gratitude.
“It’s no problem. It’s a pleasure, in fact. Take care, master.” The captain bade him goodbye.
“You and the others as well. Good day.”
With that said, the line disconnected.
“♫~♫~♫~♫~♫”
Music resumed in his earbuds once more.
Sighing as he picked up the pen, Hadrian was about to return to work when he saw movement on the right side of the study.
Fwip
“…!?”
The reincarnated magician blinked as he noticed Natasha lying comfortably on a chaise lounge, a book in her hand.
“…hm?”
As if sensing his dubious gaze on her, she pulled down the book to her chest and met his gaze, then lifted a hand to wave lightly in his direction.
The girl’s casual attitude made him chortle softly in amusement.
“How long have you been there?” Hadrian asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
“A while…” Natasha answered, smirking a little.
“…?”
Inwardly, the magician in disguise was surprised to see a different expression other than her default monotone façade.
‘This girl…’
Realizing that she had been listening in again, Hadrian left the matter at that, shaking his head with a wry smile.
Glancing at his watch, he stood up from the chair, walked around the desk, and to the door.
An action that did not go unnoticed, as the redhead’s gaze turned from the book in her hands, then to him, when she noticed him moved.
“Where’re you off to now?” Natasha asked, getting up from the couch as she watched him cross the room in long confident strides.
“To make lunch. It’s nearing afternoon.” Hadrian said without so much as a glance in her direction.
Thump
By the time he reached the door and laid his hand on the knob, Natasha was up from the couch, the book left on the table as she seemed intent to follow him out.
A quick glance over his shoulder, Hadrian’s lips quirked upwards in amusement.
“Since you’re following, you might as well help me make them.” He said as he exited the study.
Creaaak
Thud
The sound of the door closing behind him as he walked away with Maya was the only answer that he needed to know.
…
----------------------------------------
…
“…”
“Haha~”
Hadrian chuckled softly at the puzzled expression Natasha wore as she stared at the food.
The meal he chose for lunch was a wagyu steak sandwich – a popular comfort food in Japan back in his world’s timeline.
The timeline in this world was still in the early 2000’s.
Thus, Hadrian was not sure if the wagyu sandwich was already known globally.
Nevertheless, it was the chosen meal for lunch today.
And by the looks of it, Natasha had never seen or heard of such a sandwich before.
Throughout the process of making it, Natasha looked bewildered, confused yet fascinated as she watched Hadrian prepare and assemble the sandwich.
Now, the food in question was placed in front of her, with fried potato wedges with a honey mayo dip and a glass of cold red iced tea on the side for her to enjoy.
“Best to eat that while it’s fresh.” Hadrian advised, multi-tasking as he cut the thick slab of steak (without the breading) for Maya and served it on her plate.
“…”
For a few moments, Natasha stared at the young man seated beside her. She then switched her attention to the foreign-looking sandwich on her plate.
Slowly, she took a piece in both hands.
And, almost reluctantly, took a small bite.
“Hm…?!”
Hadrian laughed under his breath as he watched the red-haired girl look stunned for a second, before eating the sandwich in her hands with more energy than before.
Within a few minutes, there were two pieces of wagyu sandwich left on her plate, having already eaten the other three earlier.
Seeing the delight in her eyes despite her stoic expression, it was not difficult to guess that she was enjoying the sandwich by how fast she ate.
They ate their lunch in companionable silence, enjoying the food and a peaceful afternoon.
The silence was broken, however, when Natasha spoke just as they were well into finishing their meal.
“Earlier, in your office, who was that you were speaking to?” the redhead asked, taking a small bite out of a potato wedge as she stared at him.
“That would be the captain, a close friend of mine.” Hadrian said with a small smile, leaning back in his seat.
“Was it the same one you spoke with last night?” Natasha inquired.
Hadrian shook his head lightly.
“No, that was Luka. He’s from the same organization as me. He was temporarily assigned to me as an aide by the higher-ups. You might see him around from time to time in the duration of your stay here. I’m notifying you now in case you happen to encounter him.”
“Hmm, noted.” Natasha said with a slight nod. “And that thing you were talking about with your friend recently? What is it about?”
Hadrian chuckled, inwardly shaking his head at the girl’s inability to contain her curiosity.
Or perhaps…
It was her inability to restrain her habit of gathering information, as she was probably trained for.
Regardless, since she had already signed the contract, it was safe for him to tell her some things that were not that important.
Granted, the project was significantly important and will become an integral part of his plans for the future once built, but that does not mean he cannot tell her some parts of the project.
As long as he chooses his words carefully, Hadrian supposed it would be fine to indulge her curiosity on the matter.
“It’s about a project that I asked him to work on for me.” Hadrian answered, looking thoughtful as he continued.
“He sent me an email last night, which was after I went to bed. I only saw it recently earlier this morning, so I had to call him and check on the progress of the project so far.”
“What was he building for you?” Natasha asked, taking a quick sip from her drink.
“An aircraft, a jet.” Hadrian elaborated when he noticed the questioning look in her eyes.
“A jet?” Natasha asked slowly, looking a bit stumped and surprised.
“Yes.” Hadrian nodded, continuing in a musing tone, wholly unaware of the blank stare he was receiving from his companion as his gaze was on his plate.
“The project had been undergoing construction for almost a month now, now that I think of it. Fortunately, the building process has been going well. The Captain assured me that I might even get to see it soon.” He finished with a small, but satisfied smile.
“…”
The lack of response caused Hadrian to look at Natasha, only to see her staring at him with a strange expression.
Her face was set into an impassive mask, one that she perfected to a tee, despite her youth.
And yet, her green eyes held certain emotions that prompted Hadrian to know more.
One quick use of empathy, and his ability informed him that she was currently feeling a bit intimidated yet amazed at the same time.
Confused by this, Hadrian broke the silence.
“What?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.
Still staring at him, Natasha eventually gave a small smirk that looked a bit strained in his eyes.
“Nothing. Just… realizing how different you are from the rest.” Natasha said quietly.
Hadrian hummed, turning his gaze to the sandwiches on his plate.
“Am I? I don’t think so.” Hadrian calmly disagreed.
“…?”
Surprised, Natasha’s brows went past into her bangs.
“Why so?” she asked, curious.
“Because I’m just the same as many others. I’m just as selfish, that is.” Hadrian elaborated, flashing her a ghost of a smile before returning to his food.
‘Perhaps even worse than most…’ was his thought inside.
“…”
Of this sudden admission, Natasha became quiet.
Normally, she would have responded.
But there was something in his gaze that prevented the words from leaving her throat.
It was something dark, merely buried deep and hidden in the depths of his bright cyan eyes.
What he said and the tone he used also caught her attention. His tone was calm and relaxed, but there was a hint of resignation and disgust when he referred to himself.
The young assassin was not sure why, but she did not like what she saw.
For someone who usually behaved amicably and serene, it was an unusual sight for Natasha to witness a more serious side to him.
Internally, Natasha paused, frowning at her line of thought.
‘No, that’s not right…’
She had seen such a side of him before. Even recalling back to the first time she had seen him; he had exuded an intimidating aura when he took on those thugs.
But beneath, as she looked back closer on those moments and compared them to the ones she had seen recently, she began to notice that he held himself with grace and poise, prideful, yet there was solemnity in his wake.
Subtly, Natasha looked at Hadrian, observing his posture from head and below.
He sat upright, composed, and placid, yet his back was straight, and his shoulders squared.
His body language held enough indication to tell her that he had years of experience to be that comfortable with his current posture.
He looked utterly regal, even in casual clothes.
But there was a hint of resolution and isolation that surrounded him.
It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but certainly present upon careful observation.
Natasha herself didn’t see it since she was often distracted by his calm and carefree attitude.
The guy was dangerously disarming, even more so when his expressions were too animated and genuine for her to simply ignore outright.
Now that she knew what she was looking for, Natasha began to take notice and realized that there was more to him than she had initially thought.
She broke out of her reverie when Hadrian turned to her with his usual trademark smile.
For a second, Natasha wondered if what she saw earlier was a figment of her imagination, given how fast Hadrian seemed to return to his calm and optimistic self.
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, what kind of weapons do you have on you? Besides knives, I mean.” He asked her.
Natasha blinked, clearly not expecting the question.
But she was quick to regain her composure as she became thoughtful, considering her words before answering.
“I have a small pistol, but it’s empty for now.” Natasha said with a small frown.
Due to her last job being botched by idiots, the redhead had not had a chance to restock on her ammunition for the weapon, among other things.
Turning her gaze to the young man beside her, she saw that he was looking away from her, expression thoughtful.
A few moments passed.
Hadrian nodded to himself, as if coming into an internal decision.
He glanced at her in the corner of his eyes, showing off a sideway dimpled smile.
“Alright then, I have some extra firearms stashed away. I suppose I can provide you with one. But first…” Hadrian grunted.
He stood up from his seat, picking up the empty plates and used glass as he added.
“Need to wash these dishes and go back to work. Those papers are not going to magically sign on their own, after all.”
Of course, he can use some spells to get the job done.
But that would be lazy and unlike of him to do.
Natasha can only stare and shake her head in amusement at that.