The sky had changed to a soft orange tone now, small gray clouds forming above the city. It was going to rain soon. Caden watched Owl, the server that had spilled the drink onto the well dressed man, slowly get up. “I'm so sorry, please forgi-” Before they could even apologize for the mess they had created, the man raised his hand in front of the other, cutting them off. As he lowered his hand, he reached for one of the napkins on the table and gently dried off the spots on his dark colored shirt, thankfully the stains weren't as noticeable as they would have been on a white shirt. “I'd usually tell you that I'll get you a new drink, but…” The server said, going quiet and looking down at the shards.
“But what.” The man stared up at Owl, wondering what it could possibly be that's keeping them from getting him another drink. “We are kinda…out of…that drink-” Owl smiled nervously while hurrying over to a closet and getting a broom for the shards. For a moment, he just sat there and considered what he should do next. He was visibly upset yet he sighed and nodded at them. “Try being less clumsy next time, this is the second time this week that you tripped.” He huffed slightly as he folded the used napkin, neatly placing it back onto the table. “But I swear there was something there this time!” Owl defended themselves from across the room, trying to reach the broom in the closet.
Caden stared at him in surprise, they were sure the man would be more upset about it than he actually was. Or maybe he was just very good at hiding it. Either way, Owl had come back with the broom. The shards were scattered across the floor in the area like the glass had reduced itself to nothing but small pieces. It must have been quite fragile if it broke from this height, there wasn't a lot of force behind the drop either. After most of the shards were collected into a pile, Owl stared at the bigger problem that they had created: the stain on the wooden floor. If it had been carpet, they could have at least tried to get rid of it, but the red liquid had already dried into the wood, tinting it and leaving a dark spot behind.
Caden, who had overheard what Owl said, looked down at the ground to see if there was anything they could have tripped over. And to their surprise, they found the strap of their bag all tangled up on the floor, detached from their actual bag. Uh oh. They were the one that caused Owl to trip and technically also the one that ruined the floor and the man's fancy clothes. “You should probably tell them.” Zaida made Caden jump by suddenly talking, she could only shoot them a hopeful smile while gesturing for them to go on and talk to the two. Mumbling something under their breath, the witch got up and approached the table the well dressed man sat at. Owl turned towards them and smiled while the man kept his head lowered and his gaze still staring outside.
“Do you need anything? I'll be right with you if you want to order.” They said politely while bringing the broom back to the closet, making sure one last time that no shards were lying on the ground anymore. “Actually, I-” But before the witch could even say anything else, Owl was already back at the front counter, disappearing into the kitchen to discuss whatever they should do to the floor with the cook. Caden was left standing there puzzled, they didn’t get to come clean just yet. At least not to the server that is. “It was your bag, wasn’t it?” The well dressed man spoke up, still staring out of the window but his attention seemed to be fully on Caden other than that. “Sorry?” Caden asked, looking down at the other who had now turned to face them.
“You heard me. It was your bag that Owl tripped over and therefore you are the reason that my drink spilled. Or do you want to deny that, witch?” A sinister grin appeared on the man’s face as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting for a response. Yet Caden only stood there, considering their choices right now. It had clicked in their brain that the man must be a vampire, slightly pointy teeth peeking out at the corners of his mouth as he continued to grin. They had never met a vampire before but they were taught to always be careful around those blood sucking creatures. “What’s this then, cat got your tongue?” The man had stopped grinning, his expression changing to an irritated one.
“What’s your deal?” Caden blurted out, returning the irritated look to the man. This seemed to aggravate him. If there was one thing that Caden was good at, it was making situations worse by saying things they shouldn’t. “What’s my deal? Is it not a perfectly reasonable reaction to be upset at the person that caused my drink to spill?! And now, instead of trying to make it better and at least admit to it, you come at me with an attitude as if I am the one in the wrong?!” He slammed his hand onto the table, breaking it and reducing it to mere wooden scraps. “If you aren’t going to admit to it then go back over to your table and mind your own business.” The man got up from the chair and stood in front of Caden, leaning down to look directly into their eyes.
His eyes were a deep red color, similar to the color that the liquid had left the wood stained with. Caden could feel him towering over them like a looming shadow, making them want to curl up into a ball. By then, Ithil had returned to the table the other two were still sitting at, visibly unimpressed by whatever Caden was getting themselves into. “Should we help them?” Zaida asked, she wasn’t quite sure how she should read the situation. With a flick of his hand, Ithil dismissed her comment, sitting down and looking into the menu. “They are old enough to deal with things themselves.” Pointing at various different things on the menu, Hale showed Ithil what he wanted to order while Ithil replied with a nod each time.
“How was your conversation with the hostess?” Returning her focus back onto Ithil, she couldn’t help but still worry a tiny bit about what their witch was doing. “She couldn’t provide any information on the location of the passage to Nymph’s creek, she mentioned that the only passageway for other creatures to get through is a swamp area that rarely anyone travels through so the exact location is unclear. The owner has a map somewhere, she said we could use it once he returned.” His gaze stayed on the menu as he answered Zaida, looking through the pages closely. The café had a surprising selection of foods and drinks for its size and placement, it was probably the only decent shop in the area.
Slowly but surely, the man came closer to the witch, placing a hand with a firm grip onto their shoulder. “Last chance.” He was awfully close to Caden, a bit too close for their personal space. “Don’t scare off more customers, we had enough complaints about you last month!” A new voice called out from the kitchen before a young fox poked his head around the corner, huffing at the sight of the broken table. “And don’t destroy more tables!!!” He yelled this time, staring at the man with an upset expression before going back into the kitchen. Faint whispering could be heard, Caden assumed it was Owl in the kitchen, moments before they came running out of the kitchen and over to the two.
“You know that we don’t allow any violence in the café, those rules apply even to you Mr Blade.” The nervous and quiet server from earlier seemed completely different now as they told off the man who sighed and let go of Caden. “I wasn’t going to actually fight this kid and you know it, Owl. I just wanted to teach them a lesson. I have standards.” The man who’s name was Blade, at least from what Caden could tell, sat back down at a different table, staring out of the window again as the first rain drops started to fall. Owl brought Caden back to the table with the others and lowered their head. “I apologize for the disturbance and the wait. Please don’t mind Sir Blade, he can get irritated really quickly if he is on low blood supply.”
The café had gotten quiet by now, besides the group of four and Blade there was only one more customer who sat in another corner of the café, seemingly sleeping on their chair. Though Caden swore that they looked dead. “I didn't expect a vampire to be living in City X, I heard that they stay in their Kingdom so that they don't have to worry about getting blood from somewhere.” Zaida mentioned, glancing at Blade. It seemed like he had calmed down now. He kept facing outside of the window though, perhaps he was embarrassed or just uninterested in whatever was going on. Both seemed valid in this situation. “He must be quite the loser.” The witch, who had sat back down now, was still very much salty about what had happened, and was not afraid of showing it.
Their arms crossed over their chest, they leaned onto the table and kept their eyes on Blade. “Please refrain from being mean to him, it's our fault for not being able to give him a new drink and getting him into a bad mood.” Looking worried, Owl fumbled around with their hands to grab the notepad and pen that were fixated on their belt. “Either way, you probably came in here to get some food and I keep on rambling about other things…” Getting the pen ready, they looked down at the menu that was on the table and open. After everyone had ordered some kind of drink or food, Owl went back to the counter and put in their order. Once that was done, they went behind the counter and started preparing the drinks, they were not only a server but a barista as well. This café must be understaffed…
“So, where should we stay the night?” Caden was the first to ask and break the silence between the four, causing all of the three to look at them. “I mean, we came here to ask for directions and all but this is just a café… I really don't want to go out camping in this weather.” They said truthfully, pointing outside at the rain that had been gradually getting stronger and stronger, now plunking against the café's window. “We should hurry and find somewhere to stay after we finish eating.” This was probably the first time of the entire day that Caden had worried more about the actual mission rather than the food or anything else. “Since when are you the one to worry about that?” Ithil leaned onto the table and rested his head on his hand, using his other hand to fidget with the coin that Hale had given him just now.
“I've asked the hostess to find us a hostel in the area, and from what I can see, she is about to tell us that she hasn't found anything.” He sighed as he watched the hostess that had welcomed them earlier, she had been on the dial phone that was standing behind the counter for the past ten minutes. She had placed the handset back down by now and made her way over to the group's table, specifically looking at Ithil. “Sorry pal, I couldn't reach anyone in the area. Seems like everyone closed their hostels around here ages ago. This isn't the wealthiest part of the City after all.” She gave them an apologetic nod, lowering her head. “I know I haven't been of much help but if there is anything else we can do for you, let us know.”
“You've done a lot for us already Miss, no need to apologize.” Zaida said as she smiled at her, making sure she knew that her efforts were already good enough. “Please, call me Tori. There's no need for formality.” Tori stood next to their table for a while, talking to the four about the City and telling them things they should know. Before long, both Owl and the Fox from the kitchen came over to the table as well, placing down their orders onto the table. Almost all of their orders at least. “I'm sorry but we are currently out of strawberries, can I bring you anything else?” Owl apologized and looked at Hale who was slightly upset about the fact that he would not be able to eat strawberry waffles. Gesturing sadly with his hands, Hale made sure that Ithil understood what he said and that he would translate.
“His drink is enough then, the strawberry waffles would have been nice but he won't starve without them.” Ithil said while Hale gave them a thumbs up. The Fox had brought two chairs to the table and offered one to Tori, both sitting down next to them and continuing their conversation. Meanwhile, Owl stood in front of the broken table from earlier and considered what they should do with it. “I really don't know about the other two but I wouldn't mind if you stayed here for the night. Not like you'll get far in the rain.” The Fox, who had introduced himself as Tim, suggested as he rocked back and forth with his chair, coming dangerously close to falling but never quite tipping over. Tori grabbed the back of the chair and held it, stopping the other from moving it.
“As much as I agree with Tim, I don't think that's a good idea. I really don't want to let you guys go out into that storm but without Mr Coffee here, we shouldn't be making such decisions.” She mentioned while Tim protested, trying to get her grip off of the chair so he could continue rocking with it. “Mr Coffee?” Caden looked at the two puzzled, causing Tori to chuckle a bit. “The owner of the café. His name isn't actually Mr Coffee but the nickname stuck to him after some time. After all, he makes the best coffee in the area.” Caden wondered if there even was anyone else in the area that made coffee. “In any case, we should not offer our house to anyone without his consent.” Tori repeated, causing Tim to pout. Owl came back over after giving up on the table, pushing up their round glasses as they thought. “We do have a guest room though…”
“If it's unclear whether or not this Mr Coffee would allow us to stay then you shouldn't lose your head over it. We can find some other place.” Zaida assured the three, not wanting them to argue over things as unimportant as them. “And where would we go? We are already here and the rain is not getting any lighter, might as well take the offer.” Caden argued with Zaida's comment, they were not going to go out in that rain and search for a place that they knew didn't exist in reach. The two would not back down from their opinion. Their gaze first fell onto Hale, who simply shrugged, before they stared at Ithil, awaiting an answer. Ithil, unbothered by all of this, grabbed his cup of coffee and took a sip.
“Don't look at me as if it is my decision to make. Let's wait until the owner is here to get that map and then we can continue worrying about where we stay.” He gently placed the cup back down. “Since when did we become a hostel anyway?” Blade suddenly called out, turning his neck and staring at the group. Before Caden could say a word, Ithil placed his hand in front of their face and sighed. They shouldn’t try to start anything again or else another table would have to die. He pushed up his glasses, leaning back in his chair and looking at Tim who had moved over to Blade's table to sit there. “Oh I'm sure Mr Coffee wouldn't mind, he likes helping people!” He started playing with the hair of the man, twirling it around a bit and trying to place it onto his face as if it was a mustache.
“Don't try anything funny, Timotheos.” Blade grumbled as he flicked away the fox's hand, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away. “But yes, that fool would throw away all of his belongings if it meant to help someone in need.” Blade added while nodding. “Speaking of which, he's awfully late again, isn't he? He should have been home an hour ago or so.” Tori mentioned as she gestured to Owl, who had been staring at the broken table for a while now, to sit down onto the chair that Tim sat on before. How would they be able to fix this? They already didn't have too many tables in their overall small café, could they afford to lose one that could seat up to six people? “At least we have more time to think about what we will do with the table and the floor…” Owl quietly sat down and fumbled with their hands.
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“Can’t you revert it back to its original state?” Tori asked, resting her hands on the table in front of her. “Reverse spells are not my strong suit… last time I tried I almost lit the house on fire.” Owl let out a nervous laugh while looking down. “Maybe our little Witch can help you with that. They will help clean up the mess that they technically caused and in return, you let us stay here.” Ithil suggested, ignoring Caden's irritated expression that they had definitely shot towards him and no one else. “Aren't you the great hero from the Hexdom who will save everyone? Helping with some cleaning is a good first step to show everyone who you are.” There was almost a sadistic grin on Ithil's face, but only almost. Letting out a sigh of defeat, Caden got up and walked over to the table. “If this is all it takes…” They said as they took off their gloves and placed their hands over the broken pieces of the table.
Both Tori and Owl curiously stood behind them, watching as Caden gently moved their hands above the pieces, slowly but surely putting it back together as if it was nothing. “You did that so effortlessly!” Owl said happily while examining the fixed table, there wasn't a single scratch in sight. Even Zaida and Ithil looked mildly surprised at the work of their witch. “Looks like you are useful for some things.” Ithil commented before returning his focus back onto Hale, who eagerly wanted to express how impressed he was by waving around with his hands. “There. Easy enough. But for that…” Caden pointed over at the stain on the wooden floor. “I'm afraid you'll have to keep that there for now. Since the liquid is blood and not normal water, I can't get rid of it. Someone with medical skills might be able to help you there.” They shrugged as they put their gloves back on, returning to the table and taking a sip of their hot cocoa that they had ordered earlier.
“So in the end, we still have to ask Mr Coffee to fix our mistake.” Tori facepalmed and gently patted Owl's back, comforting the younger one while they sighed. Her hand reached for a watch in her pocket, gently pulling it out and facing it her way. “Well, it's about time we closed the café for today. I guess after everything you guys can stay here for the night, who knows when Mr Coffee is coming back anyway.” She went over to the front door and locked it, closing some curtains in front of the window and turning the lights off in the kitchen. “You should join us upstairs, it's a lot more cozy in our living room than down here!” Tim happily got up and invited everyone over to the stairway that was currently closed off by a rope with a sign that said staff only. “What about your other customers, shouldn't you-” Before Caden could finish their question, they noticed that the other person that had sat in the corner was not there anymore, the table looked as if no one had been there to begin with.
“Sir Blade is free to come and go whenever and wherever he likes.” Tori mentioned as she cleared the group's table, the four getting up and walking over to the stairs. Blade also got up and walked past Caden, grinning at them. “Yeah I get special privileges.” Caden was close to punching the guy, but refrained from doing so. Maybe they were a tiny bit terrified of him. Taking the rope off of the railing, Tim let everyone go upstairs. The hallway that led to the different rooms was decorated with various paintings and pictures on the wall, illuminated by a few candles and antique looking lights. It reminded Caden of one of the older houses back in the Hexdom. Blade disappeared into one of the first rooms in the hallway though no one seemed to bother to ask whether he wanted to join them or not.
Turning around a corner and opening a door, Tim invited them into a big room with a fireplace. There was a cozy looking couch in the middle of the room. Tim and Owl immediately placed themselves onto it while the group stood there awkwardly, not quite knowing what to do. Zaida was the first to fully enter the room, she gently sat down on one of the extra chairs that were next to the couch, putting her stuff down next to it. Ithil sat down on the couch and let Hale sit on his lap, who happily did so. Now only Tori and Caden were still standing. “You guys all live here together?” While brushing through her tail with her fingers, Zaida asked Owl who was sitting closest to her. They nodded in response. “Mr Coffee allowed us to live here, in return we help him in the café.”
“Where is he anyway?” Caden asked and leaned back in the chair that they had now sat down on. “I mean, isn’t it kind of irresponsible to leave your employees alone for such a long time? Three people isn't nearly enough to work a café.” They hadn’t worked in a public space a day in their life but it just felt like there should be more than three workers there. Especially since the three of them seemed very young to Caden, no older than them at least. And if they had to manage a café all on their own it would be a big disaster. “He went out to get more supplies and groceries. We usually go out together on our free day but since we needed supplies urgently this time, he decided to go alone while we manage everything.” Tim looked at Caden while climbing over the back of the couch, dropping onto the floor and scurrying over to them.
“The blood drink you wasted earlier was also the last of it. Mr Coffee needs special ingredients to make the blood so once those are empty, we can't make more. And since it is our responsibility to keep Sir Blade at bay, we kind of depend on Mr Coffee getting back soon.” He made sure that Caden knew it was their fault that Blade was seemingly starving now, though he merely meant it as a joke. “How come you guys have to deal with that guy?” Zaida curiously asked, all four of them could probably agree that they couldn't quite paint a full picture of Blade yet. He wasn't easy to read. Tori, who was leaning against the wall next to the window answered them while sipping some tea she had made for herself.
“We don't know the exact reason but Mr Coffee explained to us that it has been his duty ever since the two met. To keep Sir Blade from attacking and initially killing others, he had volunteered to provide him with an alternative source for blood. It became one of our signature drinks.” The weather outside was getting considerably worse and worse each minute, the rain plunking against the windows of the house stronger than before. “Mr Coffee must have gotten caught up in the rain, I hope he gets here in one piece.” Tori said as she glanced out of the window. “He sounds like quite the wannabe hero, it reminds me of someone else.” Ithil pointed out while staring at Caden.
It was then that something knocked against the window, a subtle but persistent knocking that caught all of their attention. Opening the window, Tori let in what looked like a big owl carrying a paper bag with its beak . It immediately flew over to Owl and landed on their arm. “You made it through the storm, Mr Hoot! Did you bring Mr Coffee with you?” Mr Hoot answered with a coo while both Tim and Tori went back to the hallway, making their way down to the backdoor of the house. “I sent Mr Hoot with Mr Coffee so that he would have company while shopping.” Owl happily explained to the four and took the bag out of Mr Hoot’s grasp, putting it down onto the table while gently stroking their hand over the soft feathers of the animal.
Back downstairs, Tori opened the door for a figure that was awfully drenched and carrying one too many bags for a singular person to handle, yet somehow it worked out. “Here, let me take some of those-” Tori hesitantly grabbed some of the wet bags and carried them inside and into their storage closet, the Fox following shortly after with more of the bags. “You really went at the wrong time this time, Mr Coffee!” Tim cackled at the figure as he stored the bags away only to be met with laughter from the man. “I should be happy I didn’t fly away in this weather, otherwise I don’t think Mr Hoot could have rescued me.” He took off his wet coat and ran his hand through his long white hair, drying the ends with a towel that Tori had gotten for him.
“And where did you two leave Owl? Don’t tell me they are doing your dirty work for you again while you two relax and play that video game of yours…” Mr Coffee leaned over Tim and glared at him, only to be poked in the face by the fox who walked back up the stairs while giggling. “Not this time, old man! They are upstairs with our guests who are staying for the night!” He completely disappeared upstairs now, followed by Tori who facepalmed and helped Mr Coffee carry two more bags up the stairs. “We kinda agreed to let some people stay here because they helped us fix something, I hope you don’t mind.” She held the door open for him while he went upstairs, looking at her intrigued. “Whatever did you guys break this time…”
Opening the door to the living room, Tim proudly presented Mr Coffee as he entered. He looked quite surprised when he saw the group of random people sitting there, even though the two had warned him in advance. “Well this is quite inconvenient, isn’t it?” His voice was calm and soothing, the complete opposite of what Sir Blade sounded like earlier. “We apologize for intruding without your permission, Mr-” Zaida started, only to be interrupted by Mr Coffee laughing. “Please, be my guests. We have enough room for some travelers, especially in this awful weather. I had only wished to know about this earlier so that I could have brought something for you too.”
“Did you bring us presents?!” Tim yelled while his tail happily swayed from side to side. Mr Coffee opened the bag he was carrying and gave something to each of his employees. It was a smaller bag with little pieces of candy inside. “I got these on my way back, I know I left you guys waiting for a bit.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head while handing each of them their little gift, placing another small bag in front of the four. “Here, you can have these as a welcoming gift.” Mr Coffee smiled at Caden, who had just noticed the eyepatch that the other was wearing over his right eye. They were tempted to ask about it but they knew that it was rude to do so after they had just met.
“You can address me as Mr Coffee, it’s a pleasure to be able to help all of you out tonight. I’m sure you’ve already met these three but just to be sure, the fox over there is Tim, our cook. The young lady that works as our hostess is Tori, though we tend to call her Toast. And my student here is Owl, they sometimes jump in as a server.” With a swift motion, Mr Coffee moved his hand over the fireplace and made it burn a bit brighter, it was another witch, Caden thought to themselves. “My name is Caden, four eyes on the couch there is Ithil, the little guy is Hale and-” Before Caden could finish their introductions, Zaida jumped in herself, smacking Caden with her tail. “And my name is Zaida. Our little witch here caused some trouble with your vampire friend earlier, I sincerely apologize on their behalf.” She mentioned as she lowered her head, pushing Caden’s head down as well to show the man that they were actually sorry.
“Oh yeah, before I forget it, Sir Blade is in the billiard room waiting for you. We spilled the last blood drink earlier so you should probably make him one right now.” Tori mentioned quietly while gesturing at the hallway, to which Mr Coffee could only reply with a long sigh. “I’m not even going to ask what exactly happened. But seeing as you were the one to anger him yet you are still sitting here alive…” His gaze fell onto Caden as he smiled. “It couldn’t have been too bad, however I will go deal with him right away. Please excuse me for a moment.” And with that, just as quick as he had appeared, Mr Coffee had disappeared again, leaving all seven of them in silence.
“This guy is your teacher, Owl?” Ithil was quick to break the silence by asking Owl who returned a shy smile. “More or less. I mean, he took me in as his student but I feel like he has since turned more and more into my guardian figure. Though I could never tell him that in person.” Caden looked at Owl with a puzzled expression and got closer to them. “How do you not know the reverse spell then? It’s one of the most basic spells that exist. Is he even certified to teach?” Caden threw loads and loads of questions at Owl while eating some of the candy that Mr Coffee had placed on the table for them. Owl slowly backed away and held a pillow in front of them, trying to get Caden away.
“Come now, Caden. Just because they don’t know a certain spell doesn’t mean that Mr Coffee’s teaching sucks. Besides, I doubt teaching magic in City X could be compared to whatever school you went to back in the Hexdom, they simply don’t have the resources. I’m sure Owl is great at their own and unique type of magic.” Zaida defended the younger of the two witches, pulling Caden away from them. “Still, it bothers me that they don’t know the reverse spell, it would probably come in handy during their job as well. If you want, I'll teach it to you some other time Owl!” Holding out their hand to Owl, Caden tried to encourage them to put the pillow away, which they did soon after.
“Really? I’ve never had anyone else teach me magic before, do you think you could help me?” Owl asked cautiously, not wanting to upset Caden. “I wouldn’t bet on our little witch here. And even so, we will be awfully busy the next few days, if not weeks.” Ithil interrupted their little moment, causing Caden to throw the pillow at him. Ithil simply accepted his fate, he was too done with everything to bother arguing with the witch. “He is right though, I had almost forgotten what we were here for.” Caden was surprised by themselves, just this morning they couldn’t wait to finally get on with the mission and now they are enjoying themselves to the point where they forget out the mission. They had to pull themselves together, they were not a child anymore after all. Though Ithil would probably argue with that.
After sitting together for some time and chatting about this and that, Caden felt like they were no longer strangers. Not only did they manage to understand how some of their teammates acted but they also made some more friends that offered to help them achieve their goal. Despite the awful weather, they thought that the mission started off pretty well, if they went out first thing in the morning and got to Nymph’s creek without any problems, they’d already be done with a fourth of their journey to rescue the Garden. It was almost a little too easy… The chatter had gotten quieter now, both Tim and Zaida had both fallen asleep on the couch, both of their tails neatly wrapped around one another as their ears rested on their heads. Tori, Owl and Hale had moved to a separate table to play a card game, neither of them saying much.
Only Caden and Ithil were left, sitting on chairs next to each other and quietly staring at the fire. It was quite awkward. Out of everyone they had met so far, Caden felt the least connected to the Elf. Maybe it was their rough first meeting or perhaps their personalities didn’t quite match overall. Caden felt frustrated, they were willing to give it a chance yet they were unsure if he would too. Without noticing, the witch let out a sigh, causing Ithil’s attention to shift over to them. “What? You got a problem?” Caden answered defensively even though the other had yet to say anything. He shook his head in response and continued to look at Caden unimpressed. “I was going to ask what you could possibly be troubled about since you sighed but I don’t think I care anymore now that you so rudely replied to me.” He quickly turned his head, flicking his long hair over his shoulder.
“Wait no, I didn’t mean it like that!” Caden called out to the other to which they got a slight chuckle in return. “Honestly, you can’t make up your mind, can you? You have a talent for being misunderstood.” Keeping his head turned the other way, Ithil stared out of the window at the moon who would occasionally peek through the rain clouds. “People keep telling me to work on that but how should I change something like that. Isn’t it everyone else’s problem if they don’t understand me?” Caden said that more to themselves rather than to Ithil, yet he turned back towards the witch and sighed. “Work on finding a way to explain yourself each time rather than trying to change yourself. It should be easier that way.”
Caden wasn’t sure if Ithil was being serious or not but what he had said sounded like actual advice rather than a sarcastic comment meant to make fun of them. They didn’t know that the Elf was capable of such a thing. “I guess I could try that out…” They mumbled, not quite wanting to tell the other that they appreciated the advice but also not wanting to seem like they completely ignored it. Ithil opened his mouth and was about to say something else before he was interrupted by a loud crash sound, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. “What was that?” Tim asked into the room after having woken up, yet no one could answer him. “It sounded like it came from outside.” Ithil noted before all of them hurried to the window, staring in horror at the cause of the sound.