Ashrik stared at Lucille and saw how exhausted she was. He decided not to mention anything about the idea involving the relic yet. Too much had happened since yesterday.
"Haa!"
Lucille exhaled out loud, throwing herself on the soft ground. Sweat had dampened her hair and back. Her long locks were splayed on the lush grass.
The brief cultivation had drained her energy. As she inhaled the fresh air, her chest heaved up and down in rapid succession.
The session left her so tired, yet bore not even the smallest fruit. Despite that, she reminded herself not to be disappointed. At least, her broken core was stable instead of going crazy again.
Don't give up!
If she just surrendered, how else could she continue surviving?
Lucille had long understood that this apocalyptic era required survival of the fittest. Restoring her core to its original state was her top priority.
"Lucy, I have to go out later."
"Huh?"
Ashrik's words startled Lucille. Blinking, she stared at the man, who remained sitting in the same position. Backlit by the orange lights of the cottage, the shadows obscured his face slightly.
"Go out?" she breathed. "...you have to leave the space? Why?"
Lucille made a rough guess behind Ashrik's remark, thinking it should only have one meaning. If not, where else did he mean by going out?
Ashrik's eyes lingered on where Dobby and Ponyo were playing. He said quietly, "My team. We've promised to meet at midnight. I need to bring them back here."
Upon hearing him, she was reminded of what his teammates were currently preoccupied with. Her gaze faltered slightly, thinking of them infiltrating the survival base she treated as home.
Lucille pushed herself up, her eyes searching him. "You can't contact them if you're inside, en?"
Ashrik nodded. "Not possible. We can only agree on time and place. Don't worry. I've stepped outside for a bit when you were asleep. There's no emergency."
Despite his concern about leaving her alone in the space, he also had to think of his team members. So, he left after making sure she was fine this afternoon.
If Ashrik concentrated by holding the jade pendant, he could sense any shift in energy within the space. If such a thing happened, he could immediately go back.
Even with such a method, Ashrik canceled participating in the mission. He was reluctant to leave Lucille alone for hours, fearing her life might be in grave danger if he was late.
Tilting her head, she asked, "Where will you guys meet?"
"The forest outside your base," he replied quietly.
Ashrik and his teammates traveled to the forest at dawn before separating; he returned inside the space while the others proceeded with the mission.
Then, he stealthily flew to the survival base this afternoon, skillfully evading the guards. Through his observation, he detected nothing abnormal.
Each one of his teammates was excellent.
Isaac's seventh-tiered dual-ability of fire and concealment, Regina's sixth-tiered shield ability, Felix's fifth-tiered impact ability and Hazel's sixth-tiered healing ability.
Everyone was exceptional. Together, they formed a formidable team.
Lucille simply assumed that Ashrik's teammates hadn't turned Blackstone Fortress upside down. Still, she reminded him, "Be careful when you're outside. Don't worry about me."
It couldn't be helped. Even if she followed him, she would just be a burden.
She believed she was stable enough to be left alone here for a short time. At the same time, she was curious about the result of their investigation.
Was anyone, especially her comrades in the Stoneveil Team, looking for her?
Did anyone question why she, alongside Captain Gao and his members, suddenly disappeared?
Or did Deputy Commander Jia bury the news by pinning the blame on the zombies? After all, only a small team of four was assigned for the so-called secret mission.
No matter what, Lucille was eager to know. She also hoped that Ashrik's comrades had found valuable information during their infiltration.
Upon hearing her trying to reassure him, he said firmly, "I'll check your core again before I leave. You'll be fine. I'll return as soon as I detect something."
Lucille nodded once. "Okay."
After spending more time in the yard, Lucille finally headed back inside the cottage. Dobby and Ponyo came running after her, obviously excited to play with her again.
"Arf! Arf!"
"Woof!"
The dogs' barking rang clear in the vast lawn. Helpless, she rubbed their furry heads while laughing.
"Sorry, I'm tired. Can we play tomorrow? Let's just relax now, okay?"
As much as she enjoyed the Pekingeses' presence, exhaustion won over her desire to play with them. Thankfully, they seemed to understand as they stopped barking loudly.
"Arf!"
Ponyo nuzzled Lucille's right leg, while Dobby tugged at the hem of her shirt. The two dogs pulled her toward the bedroom, as if telling her to sleep.
She laughed again. "I need to shower first!"
Ashrik simply watched Lucille interacting with Dobby and Ponyo. He quietly retrieved a set of pajamas before approaching her.
Before Hazel and Regina left for the mission, they had set aside a few clean clothes for Lucille. The three women's figures were quite similar, with Regina being a head taller than the other two.
"Wear this," he said, one hand extending to her. "It's Hazel's. I'll leave at 11:50. Take your time washing up."
"...oh, okay. I'll wash what I'm wearing."
Lucille took the pajamas, grateful for being given another set of clean clothes. She wanted to thank the female members of Ashrik's team for their consideration.
Because of the current era, she had to lower her usual standards in everything, including keeping good hygiene. But she couldn't deny that she still loved the feeling of being clean the most.
A thought struck Lucille's mind when she walked past Ashrik to go to the washroom. She abruptly halted. Her action gained his attention.
"Yes?" he raised his brows, catching the flicker of unease in her eyes.
"That..." she trailed off as her gaze revealed her uncertainty. Then, she forced herself to ask, "The Stone. Since you've gotten its core yesterday, have you merged it with the fragments?"
Ashrik didn't expect to hear Lucille inquiring about the Calamity Stone. Still, he answered without hiding, "Not yet. I'm still thinking whether to merge them now or wait until I've gathered all. Do you want to see them?"
She nodded. Aside from being curious about the mystical relic, she also had more questions in mind.
"I'll show you later. Maybe tomorrow," he promised. "Go shower now."
"Okay."
After getting a positive reply, Lucille rushed to the washroom while carrying the pajamas. She glanced at the wall clock along the way, finding she still had less than two hours before Ashrik had to leave.
Still plenty of time to wash clothes and shower, but she didn't dawdle. Once again, she wrung out the washed clothes before hanging them over the wire.
'I forgot to check. Does the backyard have clotheslines too?'
Lucille made a mental note for tomorrow. Hopefully, she wouldn't forget again.
Not long after, a refreshed and cleaned Lucille stepped out of the washroom, wearing pink pajamas with white bunny prints. She wondered if Hazel shared the same taste for cute things like her.
"Arf! Arf!"
Ponyo and Dobby walked around Lucille as she headed to the living room. She couldn't help but laugh in helplessness, thinking how adorable they were.
'Oh... He's there.'
Through the open windows of the living room, Lucille saw Ashrik sitting in a chair on the front porch. The bulb bathed his figure under its warm, orange glow.
For some reason, seeing him like this gave her a sense of distance, as if he was far beyond her reach despite being so near.
With just a light touch, he would disappear.