"Do you want more tea, Ms. Nicole?"
[No, this will be fine. Thank you.]
"Alright, just tell me when you need anything."
Having accepted the witches' invitation, Isaac had decided to serve as their temporary knight and meet their needs.
He dared not to actually sit among them, of course.
These witches were all highly respective figures in their own rights, and here he was, a mere café owner. Even if he was who they theorized to be a reincarnation of their previous knight, he still knew that there were boundaries he mustn't cross.
...especially with the identities of the individuals such as Rhinedottir sitting as one of the witches.
"Isaac, won't you sit down? You must be feeling tired by now." Alice suggested as she snapped her finger, prompting a chair to open for him.
But with a shake of his head, he had once more refused. "It's fine, Ms. Alice. I'm far more comfortable with doing this. It's kind of like... my job, remember?"
He still didn't forget how they had mentioned that they, the witches, had been watching him for a while now.
He didn't know about anyone else, but to Isaac, that was something not to be taken lightly. He quite valued his privacy.
Hearing the hidden attack in his tone and words, Alice avoided his gaze with a wry smile. "Oh, oh right. Ah, I must have forgotten. Silly me."
"Carry on then, our knight. Oh, and bring me that snack over, will you? You have my gratitude!"
"..."
Looking at her who was avoiding his gaze while giving out distractions, he still couldn't believe that this woman was one of the strongest people in this world.
But then again, who said there should be a standard for strong people? That was a flawed assumption on his past.
'Oh Klee... you and your mother.'
Truly, there was truly not much of a difference between the two save for the age and mannerisms.
He could only feel a pity for the father, wherever he was right now.
With a light nod, Isaac walked over and brought her the biscuits she had asked for.
Looking at the plate full of biscuits, he had to admit that they all looked appetizing. Even more appetizing than the ones provided by the system, even.
He wanted to try them.
"Don't be shy now, young man."
Just then, Barbeloth spoke to him from behind as she tinkered with her scryglass, as if having perfectly read his mind.
The runes rotated as she spoke.
"Take some for yourself. I doubt Alice would mind."
"...I'm grateful."
With a small bow as a sign of a good gesture, he momentarily paused before reaching his hand for one of the biscuits.
Having taken one, he immediately bit into it, savoring as he chewed. It wasn't anything grand or awe-inspiring, but it was most certainly much better than any biscuits he had ever made not only in taste but also in texture and presentation.
"Delicious..."
He had to admit, he loved it.
He then thought to himself self-deprecatingly, 'If only you're as good as making these, system...'
The system remained silent, and he knew that it wouldn't answer any of his words. But throwing shades at it does make him feel a tad bit better considering what it had been secretly doing to his body behind his back.
As he stood straight, immersed in eating that biscuit, another voice had captured his attention.
"I'm glad that you liked it." Said Rhinedottir, whose only appearance consisted of a pair of metallic gloves and a faint silhouette that couldn't be quite figured out.
"It just comes to show how your baking skills haven't deteriorated." Alice told Rhinedottir from across the table with a wink. "Even after being gone for a while yourself, I'm glad that you're still perfecting your recipe."
"And who said I haven't perfected it yet?" A scoff escaped Rhinedottir as she replied.
Then, her pair of metallic gloves gestured at Isaac to come closer. "Come, sit here beside me."
"...I'd like to politely refuse." Isaac said almost immediately.
Rhinedottir was one of the main reasons why he didn't want to sit as one of the witches.
Just the fact that she was a Sinner who had absorbed a portion of the Abyss, along with five others, and had elevated herself above humanity was enough for him to stay away.
Not to mention...
It had to be said that, currently, Rhinedottir is merged with a Shade.
More specifically, it was the Shade of Life, also known as the Ruler of Life, Naberius.
That, in and of itself, is already shocking and concerning, but what really gave Isaac all the reasons to be cautious around her was that...
Naberius created Egeria, the first Hydro Archon of Fontaine.
Egeria, in turn, created and held a court of Oceanids who eventually became humans.
And one of those humans was Focalors, who eventually assumed Egeria's position as the next Hydro Archon.
In other words, technically speaking, Rhinedottir was currently merged with the grandmother of his lover, Furina.
...which, in and of itself, is a whole can of worms that he didn't want to open.
Upon hearing his adamant refusal once more, Rhinedottir became silent and placed down her teacup.
Then, after a moment of silence, a knowing hum escaped her.
"I know that you are afraid of me, there's no need to hide it. Relax, I won't do anything to you here."
"Come now, you should know to never make a woman ask twice."
Isaac didn't know what to do. He really didn't want to accept her offer, but at this point, it did look quite a bit rude for him to continue refusing the demands of not only one of the best Khaenri'Ahn alchemists that ever existed, but also partially a Shade.
Moreover, the fact that she was quite being nice with it really does make it seem like she's not planning anything otherwise.
"...alright."
With a hesitant movement, he made his way to the seat where Rhinedottir had opened and sat down.
As he sat there, Rhinedottir gestured at one of the plates to float over to him.
"Here, have more."
"Th, thank you..."
Daring not to offend her any further, he accepted the food she brought over. Guessing from the fact that they're also baked goods, he had a guess that they were also made by her.
'Again, delicious...'
Having bit into that cake, he felt yet another bliss. It wasn't too cakey, nor too spongy. It was perfectly in the middle ground of both, giving it an amazing texture.
All the while, the witch that had offered him said dish remained silent, as though she was observing him even more.
"It seems like you enjoy it." Rhinedottir once more spoke, having observed him thus far. "What's your opinion on it?"
"It's great." Isaac candidly said. "I could tell that whoever made it is a master at their craft."
This was his way of buttering up to her.
Never too late to make peace with the witch who had essentially contributed to the Cataclysm, after all.
Having received the compliment, she chuckled. "I'm glad."
The way she said it while "looking" at him made him feel weird. She said it in a way that felt so... maternal.
Which, of course, was an insane thing to think of.
Then, she added, "If you want more, then just tell me. I'll make you more should you still crave them after the tea party ends."
"That's..."
Isaac wanted to once again refuse, but seeing how nice she was at it, he decided to swallow his words.
"...alright. I'll take some when I meet up with Klee later, if you don't mind."
"Hm, since it's also for Alice's daughter, I guess I could make a few more." Rhinedottir said with amusement. "You have my word."
And so, the witches' tea party continued. Usually, it had only been the women attending these tea parties, but this time, it was special.
Because in their eyes, a former friend had returned. Changed he might be, to them, he was still the same.
And to Isaac, receiving these foreign yet otherwise true connections, he could only describe it as... oddly soothing.
But for the witches, that was enough. As such, to him, that was also enough.
And soon, the witches' tea party was ending.
But before it did, Isaac approached one of the witches who he had his sights on for a while now.
"Excuse me, Ms. Nicole?"
Approaching the angel, Isaac called out to her. "Can I have a moment of your time?"
[What is it?]
Nicole, who was writing something down on her book, looked up at him with her usual gentleness.
He thought over his words for a bit before asking, "You see, I have this problem involving the Abyss, and I was hoping that..."
She cut him off with a closure of her book.
[Do you need my help at dispelling Abyssal contamination?]
Stunned at how fast she caught on, Isaac paused before nodding. "That's right."
She crossed her arms for a bit and seemed to fall into contemplation as she did so.
Then, after a while, she once more spoke to him telepathically.
[Well, I can certainly help with matters involving the Abyss, albeit not extensively. Still, as long as it falls within reasonable bounds, I should have no problems.]
[The only problem is that just me alone isn't enough for dealing with the Abyss. As you can see, I'm not really in the proper condition to fight nor allocate too much energy.]
"That won't be a problem." Remembering Nahida's plan, he continued convincing her. "I think I have something that could cover up those weaknesses."
[Then, there shouldn't be much of a problem.]
She nodded.
[However, I am a bit busy right now with other matters, so you have to wait. Would that be okay for you?]
"Yes, absolutely." He smiled in relief. "As long as you're in it, then I'm fine. You do what you have to do, and I'll wait."
[Okay then. It won't take long, so don't worry. As soon as I'm done and rested, I'll contact you as soon as possible.]
Having secured the angel that could help him resolve his Abyssal problem, Isaac couldn't help but be in glee.
"Thank you, Ms. Nicole!"
The two of them spoke to each other a bit more before Isaac decided to leave, having another matter to attend to.
Half a day had already passed, so he knew that his promise with Klee was already well overdue. And such, he needed to rush to not disappoint her.
He approached Alice and was just about to ask her to bring him back... when she stopped him.
"Ah, you're here. Good. You're going back to Mondstadt, right?"
"That's right. May I have your permission, Ms. Alice?"
She smiled brightly. "Of course! Although it is a bit disheartening for you to leave us so early, we know you still have other things to attend to."
"We witches would stay here a bit longer, so you can go on first."
Hearing her say that, Isaac quietly nodded and patiently waited for her to send him back, whilst looking at the other witches who were still chatting.
Then, in the corner of his eye, Alice paused as if ruminating over a thought, before chuckling to herself. She then turned and winked at Isaac.
As she neared the finishing of her spell, she told him, "By the way... Thank you for the company you've given to my most adorable Klee, Isaac. As her mother, having someone I know I can trust around her is a gift."
"I'm grateful for the thought." Isaac replied candidly. "Taking care of Klee... I have to admit, a part of me does it on a whim, but largely also because I see her as a little sister of sorts."
Alice nodded with a satisfied smile. "Indeed, even after all this time, you still have that quality in you... Very well. If it isn't much of a bother, then I'd like to ask you to continue taking care of her."
"Well, I was already planning on continuing to do that anyway." He chuckled. "But sure, I agree.
"Thank you."
Alice, satisfied with his answers, soon finished her spell and sent him off in a similar fashion that she brought him here.
The last thing Isaac saw before entering that tunnel of myriad colors again were the faces of the witches watching him, as if bidding farewell to someone dear to them once more.
He knew that those gazes were looking at another person, another him.
Yet he also can't deny the fact that they were directed at him, Isaac.
He may never know the full extent of what they felt towards who his previous self was, but there was one thing he was sure of, and that was that they genuinely cared for the 'him' now who he was.
'The Hexenzirkel...'
What a lovely group they were.