The trio went to bed early. Barney was still nursing a headache, while Lumi was experiencing the after-effects of a sugar rush. Matthos wasn't as attentive, only refilling her cup until he noticed that she finished a liter of cola. That was not good.
"Lumi, let's go upstairs," he ushered her. He ended up cooking soup and heating bread to calm her stomach and aid Barney's exhaustion. That'll teach him a lesson not to underestimate things in the future. This situation did give Matthos an idea of how to introduce Lumi to the modern world. Instead of just teaching her math, tech, and modern stuff, he also needed to teach her modern cuisine.
It has only been a few days since Lumi arrived, and she acclimated a bit well. Her wounds may have been physically healed, but the problem was inside. Matthos took no chances and gave Lumi antibiotics. He did note that when it came to pain relievers, she needed twice the dosage. The sugar rush triggered her headache and for her body to follow suit.
Her pinkish, amber eyes looked straight into his, like a puppy begging to be relieved. The feeling of the sugar rush was foreign to her, considering that in her time, sugar was expensive. She winced, regretting how she abused the cola. But how could she not? It was addictive.
"Here," Matthos gave her an ice pack and two tablets of Tylenol, which she took greedily. She moaned at the bitter taste as she chewed it. He only laughed as he gave her a glass of water, "I told you not to chew it like herbs. Just swallow it with water."
"Ugh, whatever I do, it tastes disgusting," she whined.
"Well, that will teach you not to eat and drink too much sugar," he lectured.
"In the next life," she replied. That made Matthos snort.
***
The night was peaceful within the barriers of the Grisham-Trem property. The blessings held the shield up high, creating a barrier that only animals can enter. Only animals with no ties to anything can enter the barrier. As the wild bunnies terrorized the lavender Matthos' grandmother planted, a certain animal tried to enter.
The small grey bird bounced back, and it flew to a nearby branch.
The barrier distorted the view from the outside. It was as if there was an opaque film that covered their surroundings.
The bird sighed internally. 'It looks like she's living well. That is not good,' it said to itself.
She was only there to watch, to check, and then go back to inform her mistress. The bird felt nothing but pity towards the strange being now housed by the barrier.
'A strange barrier,' it noted. The bird could not penetrate it, nor does its powers work. It's as if it is trying to suck in its energy. 'What kind of barrier is this?' it said in curiosity.
However, it had no time to dawdle. It had to tell the mistress what's going on, or the lack thereof.
As it flew away, it only wished Lumi well. That happiness will be short-lived if everything goes according to plan.
***
Morning came, and the atmosphere became better. After the incident of almost losing his manhood, Matthos did not enter Lumi's room while she slept. He only knocked on the door until she responded. Barney also felt better. A good night's sleep works wonders.
"Good morning, my dearest moon bun!" Barney wrapped his arm around Matthos's shoulder, who ended up sighing. It was only eight am.
"Good morning, world's favorite dinosaur," Matthos exhaled. Then, he pasted a smile on his face, which his friend found humor in because it was too much effort. This guy who is used to being slapped by girls for being 'insensitive' and 'unresponsive' just looks like a miracle.
"Good morning, Matthos," Lumi came out of her room, haggard due to the effects of last night's sugar rush. Matthos elbowed Barney as a warning not to make fun of her.
When they got downstairs, the three ate their breakfast as Matthos relayed their agenda for that day.
"Tour Lumi around Physma today? Don't you think it's a bit early?" Barney wasn't that satisfied with their progress.
"Just a glimpse of Physma," his friend replied, "Maybe bring her to old man's restaurant for a quiet eating experience and then head to the cliff."
"You're not planning to push me off of it any time soon, eye?" Lumi asked warily.
"Obviously not, Lumi. We have no plans to murder you," Matthos smiled charmingly, which made her look down. 'What is that feeling?' she asked herself. His smile had a different effect. Good thing the other two had oblivious as their shared middle name.
"It's a great picnic spot," he explained further, "The forest is off limits because that's where I found you, and I don't know if there are miasma and other residues."
"Oh," Lumi only gave it a second and then ate the toast.
"Blessings aren't Matthos's strongest suit. You can leave him with books, and he'll survive, but leave him on an abandoned building. The results vary," Barney grinned.
"That is not nice, Barney!" Lumi gave him a slight blow, which made the receiver wince. He was finally warming up to the idea of showing Lumi Physma.
"Maybe we can get her chocolate," he suggested.
"No!" Lumi replied quickly. Matthos quickly picked up, remembering that chocolate was medicine in the past.
"Lumi, chocolate is a dessert now. It has variations. It isn't known for its medicinal purposes."
His words just kept on blowing Lumi's mind. Everything she knows is being changed one by one.
Barney took pity on her, "Lumi, just because what you knew isn't the norm anymore doesn't mean that you are wrong. Things evolve; for the good and bad," he tried to comfort her.
She took a deep breath and made the others smile when she said, "Ifsoever you have other plans, I will push you off the cliffs," she threatened.
This will be fun.