"Alright, get off my back, everyone."
After having them see his flustered self, Isaac attempted his best at collecting his composure. He thought that, if he steered the conversation away, he could immediately escape the center of attention.
Yet what had already occurred cannot be easily dismissed with his words.
- Click
"...?!"
Suddenly, he heard a shutter from his sides. He quickly turned his head, only to see Lumine pocketing something before looking back at him with an unassuming smile.
Looking at her act clueless, he questioned her innocence.
"...Lumine. My valued employee, dear... Did you just take a picture of me?"
"Hm? I don't know what you're talking about." Lumine looked back at him with a curious gaze as she shrugged her shoulders. "You must be seeing things. Right, it must be because you still have yet to drink your morning tea."
"Yeah, that's right. Your morning routine always consists of a lukewarm cup of tea, so it's understandable that you're still not your usual self." Paimon swiftly joined in the conversation and aided her traveler friend.
Isaac attempted to retort their logic but was stopped by another person amongst the group that were clearly taking advantage of their numbers against him.
Someone tugged at his shirt, and his gaze followed, only to see his protégé Freminet holding a cup of coffee with a small plate.
"Here, Mr. Isaac. Your chamomile tea. You always drink chamomile two days after green tea, and a day after black tea. All of which are to make sure you have variables each morning." Freminet explained in a rather matter of fact tone, as if reciting a script he had already memorized down to the last lines. "Well? Did I get it right, Mr. Isaac?"
"..."
Staring at his young apprentice, Isaac couldn't help but ponder whether he himself had become that predictable that even his student was learning his habits.
'I should mix in oolong tea in there, or even ginger every now and then...' He thought to himself.
A bit reluctant at start, Isaac eventually took the teacup from Freminet and nodded at his apprentice with an approving smile. "Yes, you did good, Freminet. Thank you."
He took a sip, and sure enough, it was up to his standards. It was lukewarm, had a sweet note, with a subtle bitter undertone that hid an even more refreshing flavor underneath all of it. The aftertaste was a mild combination of the three, with the sweet note rigining at top.
'His skills are seriously great... He's gonna do well once he starts working under me full-time.'
Just the thought of taking Freminet from Arlecchino one day once he's great enough to brew tea tingled his mind a bit, to be honest.
While he immersed in his thoughts, Freminet tugged his sleeve once more. "Please, sit down, Mr. Isaac. Let us do your work for today."
"Hm? Really?" Hearing his latter words, Isaac couldn't help but look at the others. "To be honest, I appreciate the help you guys gave me by cleaning... But are you serious about helping me out today?"
"Yes, we've talked about it." Nahida nodded her head.
He found it odd for her to say that because he never really asked her to do anything in the café, let alone helping in managing it.
Still, he continued listening to her explanation.
"You've been gone for weeks, Isaac. And although we don't know where you went, we have a general idea of what you did..." After speaking, she pointed at his neck, which he instinctively covered. "You must have gone through something, right?"
"Aha, this? Don't worry about it." He immediately tried to alleviate their worries by downplaying the marks left behind by the shackles that once bound his neck in Nod-Krai. "It's just me being foolish. Really, it's not something for you all to be worried about."
"Even so," Nahida smiled warmly as she continued, as though she was a teacher gently reprimanding her student. "We still want to do something for you Isaac, after everything you've done for us."
"..." Isaac remained silent. He ruminated over his words for a while, before sighing, and mumbling words under his breath. "No... It's me who should have done more for you... Serenity is the least I could give to the world."
"But it doesn't have to be one-way, right?" Klee joined the conversation with her brimming energy. "You can still give that, erm... Serene-y-tea... thing, while also receiving it! We're sure that we can give you something just as good!"
Upon hearing her bright words with the same enthusiastic energy as she had on the day he first met her, Isaac couldn't help but be absorbed in silence.
Then, after a moment's worth of contemplation, he bent down to Klee's level and head patted her.
"I guess... I could try. You're right, Klee."
"Hehe!" Klee giggled with joy, feeling the warmth of his hand gently caressing her head.
Standing back up again, Isaac looked back at the rest of his friends gathered around him.
The morning sun streamed through the café windows, painting the room in a gentle golden glow. Familiar faces looked back at him, each carrying the same unwavering resolve in their eyes.
He knew from those stares that they all shared the same idea, and were going to be quite adamant about it. He had a deep gut feeling that he'd have a hard time dissuading them from continuing on with this arrangement of theirs, and as such...
He let out a quiet sigh.
Followed by a light smile.
"Alright, I'll agree. But y'all better not regret this. I won't pay any of you any Mora... But I can cook for you, if that suffices."
"That would be enough." Yae Miko nodded her head, her cheeky smile never once leaving her face.
"Oh! Can Paimon request a menu? She wants one of your red-braised pork belly again! They're so yummy..."
"Don't mind Paimon." Lumine chuckled. "You don't have to take any requests if you want. Just you being here and cooking is enough for us."
For a brief moment, Isaac found himself at a loss for words.
The clatter of voices, the soft rustling of the breeze through the open windows, the faint warmth of sunlight against his skin... It all felt strangely distant compared to the simple sincerity behind those words.
Just being here was enough.
How long had it been since someone had asked nothing more from him than that?
Well, maybe last night. With Furina.
"Alright, that's settled then." Isaac nodded, in a good mood.
Then, with a genuinely warm smile, he slightly bent his torso and bowed before them, sincere and unreserved.
"Once again, thank you, friends."
No one made a joke. No one teased him for it.
Instead, they simply smiled.
And so, for that day, Isaac got to rest while his friends managed the café.
---
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air, mingling with the laughter and chatter that drifted throughout the café as the crew were preparing for the opening of the day.
Meanwhile, Isaac sat at one of the tables with Freminet, who was sharing a meal and tea with him.
For once, there was no problem to solve, no burden to carry, and no expectations weighing upon his shoulders.
Just good company, a warm café, and friends who had chosen to be around.
For Isaac, that was more than enough.
"Mr. Isaac, do you want more tea?" Freminet asked while applying a spread on his french toast.
"No, I'm already full. I'll have to decline." He sighed with a wry groan. "Besides, I've had enough drinks already."
"Hm? Already? But this is just your fifth cup." Freminet questioned as he looked at his mentor's teacup. "You usually drink more."
"Yeah, well..."
Isaac stopped. He then thought for a moment before a devious smile formed on his lips, before continuing with his carefully thought out words.
"I had a... a lot to drink last night." He said while looking away, hiding his twitching smile. "It was the best drink I've had, to be honest."
"What could possibly be something so good for you to praise it that much, Mr. Isaac?" Freminet hummed in curiosity.
"It's the best kind. Fontaine's own specialty that cannot be found anywhere else," he said as his eyes drifted away to a certain room. "What's special about it is that, the more I want from it, the more it gives."
"I was even so careless and excited for it that it gushed like a fountain when I so much as touched it, oh dear me."
Freminet showed a genuine concern. "That... sounds like a mess. And a waste of such a fascinating drink."
"Ah, but don't worry, none of it went to waste." Isaac laughed. "Because I made sure to savor all of it."
"In the end, I gave the highest compliment to the one who made it by pouring lots for her too. The drink, I mean."
"Huh... What a fascinating person you speak of." Freminet showed a pair of eyes that looked as if they were admiring an imagined idol. "I'd like to meet that person some day."
"Haha, one day, my boy."
Indeed, for today, Isaac truly was gonna have a relaxing day.
---
A/N:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯