"She's set on staying outside," Sho closes the door and sits on the couch next to Charles.
"That was expected," the investigator claims, sipping on his tea. "The tea is lovely Rose".
The latter is wearing a frown on her face and swimming in her own ocean of thoughts.
"Oh come on! Look at the bright side. She agreed to come with us. So turn that frown upside down. Right guys?" Levianth attempts to ease her worries and urges both men to back him up.
The only sounds heard are the rain drops crashing on the windows and wind howling outside. A flash of light blinds the group followed by a deafening thunder. The door flies open and shuts with a thud that makes all eyes turn towards it.
There stands Nolani, face pale and hands shaking.
Charles stifles his laughter whereas Levianth fails at the task. "You're still astraphobic!"
"What's that?" Sho questions looking back and forth between the prince and Nolani.
"Fear of lightning and thunder," Charles answers briefly.
Nolani stumps her foot looking for something to throw at the laughing prince.
"Stop teasing her," Rose's voice slices the air, shutting the prince up.
"I don't need you to defend me," Nolani speaks, staring the elder woman in the eyes.
"I wasn't defending you. His laughter was annoying; it sounded like a maniac's," she smirks as the prince protests and the other two laugh. Nolani fights the smile creeping up her face.
It's been a while since she heard her mentor make a snarky comment. Rose's old age has caught up to her; her once upright posture has decreased a few degrees, her clear face is now covered in wrinkles, her blonde hair turned piercing white. Nolani notices that Rose has gotten thinner, way thinner than one should be despite their age. This observation makes Nolani's brow furrow in concern. Sho seems to catch on quickly; however, this man is not the type to stay silent.
"Yo boss, you ill or something?" He asks bluntly making Nolani's eye pop out.
"Seriously… you need to learn some communication skills idiot," Charles snarls at him.
"SHADDUP FOUR EYES," Sho, who's had it with Charles' retorts, snaps.
"Enough. Both of you," Rose orders in a military manner.
Both men shrink and mutter an apology.
"Yes, Sho. I have fallen ill long before I left the army; it's a slow illness but not painful. You needn't worry your feeble mind about it," she expresses and turns on her heels, "I'll make some more tea".
The prince nods and addresses Nolani, "did you know about this?" The latter shakes her head in negation, "but I sensed something was wrong two weeks after our encounter".
The prince smiles to himself, thinking "as perspective as ever".
Sho, on the other hand, stands and marches after Rose.
"He doesn't look happy," Nolani mutters earning a nod from Charles.
"I'd say it was expected," the prince elegantly takes off his coat, "no soldier likes seeing their commander in a frail state, especially one that brands them as helpless". He sets the coat on the arm of the chair and sits himself placing one leg over the other. His movements are smooth and flawless, like a true prince.
"If only his majesty was here to see you. He would go around yelling 'my son has finally become true royalty'" Charles teases his friend who eyes him neutrally.
"No reaction? That's new," Nolani comments and takes a seat on the same sofa as Charles.
"You're in no room to speak, night walker," Rose emphasizes the nickname followed by Sho carrying the tea tray.
"How did you know…" Nolani blushes in embarrassment.
"Seriously, Lan. Night walker? What is that the name of a character from those novels you obsessed over?" the elder woman teases her former disciple further, making the latter lower her head in mortification.
The tension that once reigned the room's atmosphere has been incinerated to nothingness as the group chats over hot well served tea. The chatter mainly involved Rose telling the rest about Nolani's trinkets when they first began their training. Sho and Levianth spat their drinks now and then, unable to swallow due to how hard they were laughing. Only one person didn't laugh, that was Charles. He considered that making fun of Nolani's hardships would be an offense; it will seem like ridiculing and miniaturizing her… just like her parents. Thus, he clears his throat pausing Rose's story about when a boy confessed for Nolani.
"Rose, do you have any medication that might help with a sore throat?" he asks calmly. The mentioned nods and heads off to grab the medicine. Nolani looks at Charles surprised then moves her gazes to her hands. Her eye widens when she realizes that she's been gripping the pillow in her lap hard to the point where her knuckles have turned white. None of the other men noticed it, but she is certain that Charles did. Primarily why he rudely interrupted Rose.
"Been feeling under the weather?" Lev questions his friend, concern lacing his voice.
"Yes. I must have caught a cold," Charles replies, moving his eyes away from Nolani's fists to meet his friend's golden orbs.
"I warned you to wait for your hair to dry before leaving. But you never listen," the prince scoffs. Charles shrugs and a cough escapes him.
"What are you? His mother?" Sho smirks.
"No… His mother would have tied him down to a chair instead," Nolani replies making Sho laugh. She smiles at the memory of her first encounter with Charles' mother.
"Ah, yes. That woman is sure one of a kind," Levianth seems to read Nolani's thoughts who nods in agreement.
"Stop speaking about my mother, if you please," Charles says with a stern voice but his cheeks are tainted a fair pink.
"Is little Charlsy shy?" Levianth teases with a high-pitched voice.
Charles place his hand on the prince's face, grips it and pushes him back in his seat.
"Men… you never grow up," Rose sighs and offers the medicine contained in a glass bottle with a small cup, "here, fill it up to half and drink it in one shot". Charles does as prescribed.
"Are you an idiot?" Nolani eyes the man besides her.
"What?" Charles replies, not understanding to what the woman is implying.
"Don't you care about the side effects?" she asks then takes the bottle and reads the handwritten label, "moron… you'll feel fatigue, drowsiness and malaise. You'll also lose appetite and develop a headache. Better get your ass to sleep before these effects start to manifest". She places the bottle back, "Rose, do you have a place where he could dose off?"
"Yes. Go down the hallway, there are two bedrooms. Each with two separate beds. You decide who's going to be whose roommate". The elder gestures then moves to clean the table.
"Understood. Thank you," Charles nods.
Once the woman leaves with empty cups and tea kettle, the four exchange glances.
"Ah! Screw it! Fancy pants, you're sharing a room with me," Sho exclaims and roughly drapes his hand over the prince's shoulder.
"Good idea… you both are terrible snorers," Nolani exhales, having dodged an arrow there. Both men look offended but can't think of a reply, knowing that she is right.
"Alright big shot. I'll watch over you in case the side effects worsen," Nolani volunteers and motions for the astonished investigator to follow her. Charles, speechless and tired, trails behind her leaving Sho and Levianth blinking at their retreating figures.
"I thought she had a thing for you," Sho whispers from the side of his mouth to Levianth.
"I thought so as well," the man replies in the same manner.
"You two! Stop gossiping!" each one is hit by a pillow thrown with sheer force to the back of their heads.
"You know boss… For a woman to be as ill as you are… you still have a mean-" Sho is cut off by another pillow hitting him straight in the face. The victim whines, "how can something so soft hurt this much?"
Meanwhile, Nolani has prepared Charles' bed while he took a quick soak.
"Thank you Nolani. You didn't have to," he expresses his gratitude as he sees her fluffing the pillow.
"Shut your trap. I don't need to hear your voice," she exclaims harshly which puts Charles in another state of confusion. Nonetheless, he gets an answer sooner, "why didn't you tell me you knew Rose?" Nolani turns to face him, anger clear on her beautiful face. Charles frowns, "beautiful? Get your head together idiot!" he thinks to himself before answering that he had only met Vermillion but had never spoken to her in person. Nolani relaxes and ushers him under the sheets.
"You honestly don't ha-" she cuts him off by placing a finger on his lips.
"Shush now patient. You are in need of rest," she smirks at him and retracts her finger away once he nods.
"I have something to tell you," Charles says while his eyes are tracking Nolani's every movement.
"What is it?" the woman exaggerates with a sigh.
"You are wonderful," he confesses bluntly; however, before he can go any further, Nolani turns her head to the side so she can see him with her eye.
"No, Charles. I'm not… I'm broken beyond repair".
He frowns, detecting sadness laced in her voice, and thinks "why must you think of yourself as a tool, Nolani?" before his eyelids grow heavier and darkness envelops his consciousness.