"We are back!" Alek came running back to the car with a big paper bag in front of her face.
"I thought you were only buying a rocket?" Bia sneered at her sister but got out of the car to help Alek put it in the boot.
"We were. We bought three." They bought the one that they chose and also the one that the shopkeeper brought since they couldn't decide on one.
The excited older sister closed the boot and went to the driver's seat. Her father was buying flowers and macaroons for his wife at the shops near the supermarket. And they waited in the car for him for about five minutes.
"Where will you put the flowers, though?" Astraea pointed at the flower bouquet in her brother-in-law's hands. "You shouldn't put it in the boot."
"I'm gonna carry it. Meanwhile," Robin took out a box of macaroons that wasn't for his wife and handed to the person who was sitting in the middle in the back seat. "These are for you."
"Thank you but, do you have for mum?" Bia asked, seeing it was a full packet of colourful macaroons.
"I do. Share that behind." Robin told them and turned to look at the driver. He took out another packet of macaroons but, this one was much smaller than the rest. "Maybe you can eat this at home." He handed it to her since she had to concentrate on the road and could not eat.
"Thank you, daddy!" Alek took the packet onto her lap and hugged her father carefully, not to mess up the flower bouquet.
"Your welcome." He kissed her cheek before letting go of her. "Drive carefully."
"I will. I will drive normal." Alek started the engine and smoothly got out of the parking lot without hitting anything, and went to drive on the highway.
"Please don't go over the speed limit." Bia asked from behind.
'There is a speed limit on the highway?' Alek asked her in her head.
"Don't run over someone." Kai added while eating a green macaroon.
'I have eyes. I wouldn't run over someone.'
"Oh and, don't hit the brake so abrupt." Astraea continued.
'That, can't do.' She said in her mind before speaking out loud. "Why are you guys doubting me so much?! When I took you guys to the beach, I think I didn't go over the speed limit or run over someone!"
"So you admit the last part." Her aunt asked. She didn't know about going to the beach but, she could guess her niece anyway. "That you did a sudden brake and sudden gas."
Alek shut up hearing that. She indeed did the sudden brake hen leaving the house.
"Alek, concentrate on the road." Robin told her.
She took a deep breath and concentrated on the not-so-congested road. It was Friday and around ten in the morning. Of course, it wouldn't be crowded.
She drove like that and ate her macaroons on red lights. They reached the house where the first group was already done with removing the things. Lake was showering and, Panacea and Iris were preparing lunch.
"We are back!" Alek shouted towards the house and, her two cousins came out to help them unload. "Thank you."
"Anytime." The twins spoke in a harmonious tone and helped Alek to the laundry room where all the clothes in the bags would be washed.
"What were you doing? You guys look hot." Alek spoke and received a look that scream, 'what did you just say?' "I meant that you guys look like you are feeling hot." She corrected herself immediately when she understood what she said.
She wasn't wrong, though. They were hot. That was a fact.
"Oh. Aunt Panacea asked us if we could water the plants outside." Castor told her. Because he was wearing a pyjama bottom, she was wondering. Also, Pollux had his front hair up the way he had in the cave when he was reading a book.
"Thank you. We are supposed to give water daily, but I guess it's my fault. I'll help you once I'm done." It was her fault that they needed to stay in Nagatsuki because she turned and lost control.
"We are almost done with it. There are things that we need to discuss, right?" Rin whispered to her ear when he saw that Kai was walking away from them. There was a chance Kai was hearing them and, they didn't want to risk that.
Alek nodded to it. [At where?]
[Maybe in our room. I will keep Iris busy.] Castor told her through telepathy. They were doing a group chat in the head.
[That's going to be a hard task, brother.] Rin looked at his brother. Iris was sharp and, she could sense when something was not going right.
[I know. Wish me luck.] With that, he patted his brother's and cousin's shoulders before going into the house. It was going to be a challenge.
[Or, you guys can discuss without me now while I'll be helping to cook.] Alek asked Rin. Jin had left the chat.
[Why didn't I think of that?] Rin asked himself. [We will still need you at the very end, though. It involves you too.]
[I know but, you guys know the supernatural world than I do. I am very brand new and, it may sound irresponsible but, I want you guys to decide on it.]
"Okay. At three would be good, I guess." Rin and Alek stopped talking their heads and voiced out.
"Roger that."
Rin closed the boot while Alek held two bags in her hands. They walked into the house and shut the door behind them. They had locked the car and the door.
------
"What are you doing, Alek?" Panacea asked her daughter. She looked like she was going to cut down the whole table if she didn't stop.
"What do you mean? I am just going to cut the green pepper in half, mum." Alek pouted. Just because that she didn't cook, didn't mean that she couldn't cook. She usually did other chores apart from cooking since cooking was Bia's thing.
"Do not cut your fingers." Panacea came to her daughter's side and watched as Alek sliced the ten green peppers without cutting her fingers. "Thank goodness."
"Are you serious? I'm not that clumsy, mum." Alek watched her mother exhale and hold her chest. That was just dramatic.
Iris watched while she washed her chopping board and removed the minced beef from the freezer.
"Thank you, Iris, but I will do it." Panacea then flew to her niece and took the bowl and the meat. The girl's arms were thin and, she didn't have enough height to use the kitchen table. "You can rest."
"Okay." The youngest gave up quickly and sat down on the kitchen counter seat. Her aunt was serving her strawberry milk.
"Mum, let me help. You can go and finish your work." Bia came from the laundry room after finishing setting the washing machine.
"Really? Thank you. I have a work to finish it by tomorrow." The mother served herself a Caffe mocha from the fridge before rushing to her study.
"We are cooking-"
"Peppers stuffed with meat. I can see that." Bia rolled up her sleeves and wore an apron. Alek was removing the seeds and, there was a huge amount of meat in the bowl on the table.
"Then that's easy." Alek continued to remove the seeds while Bia began to bend out her stress on the meat by punching, pinching and hitting them. The meat already had eggs, salt and fried onions and the only thing to do now was mix it.
"You know those cows are innocent, right?" Alek saw her sister doing that when she finished her work.
"I do. But this is the way to do it, sis." Bia stopped the torture and handed the meat to her sister. "Start packing while I heat up the pan." She washed her hands and prepared the pan. It could cook five at the same time so, they only needed a short amount of time.
Meanwhile, in the study...
"Oh no. My set is in my room." Panacea came fully prepared to her room when she realised that she forgot her set in her bag in her room. She was also working when she was Nagatsuki and forgot to remove it when she was coming here.
She left the study to go to the next room, which was her and her husband's room.
"What's going on?" She rounded her eyes, seeing a flower bouquet on the bed and a box next to it. She approached to find a card on the flowers.
Love, Robin.
She chuckled at the card and took the box in her hands. Because the box was all opaque, she couldn't see what was inside. She smelt something sweet from the box.
"Oh, ma'am." The wife smiled from joy seeing the colourful macaroons. The ones that Bia guys ate didn't have sprinkles but, this one did. They were neatly arranged and had their names below them.
"I hope this can make you forgive me..." Robin hugged from behind her. Her sweet scent mixed with those of macaroons that were in her hands.
"Let me consider it." She leaned back onto his chest and took a bite of a viridian coloured macaroon that tasted like pistachio. "Maybe a little."
"Little? He asked and kissed her neck. It was her favourite spot.
"Yes. Little." She smiled when her husband dis that. It felt like it had been years since they had last had this kind of moment when it had only been two weeks.
"You are hard on me, my love." Robin sat on the bed next to the flowers with his wife in his arms.
"I think you deserve it." She replied and kissed his neck in return.