Malachi was currently standing in an elevator next to a very nervous and fidgety old man.
Today, he was scheduled to have a meeting with Luna about Rowan's potential employment at the guild.
Rowan had put on the most formal suit he owned and for once, did not reek of cigarettes and depression.
"Why are you so nervous, old man?"
"Brat! It's Luna Autumn! She's the most beautiful woman in the world and I'm about to walk into her office!" Rowan was constantly trying to straighten his clothes and make sure his hair looked presentable.
"Keep it in your pants, geezer! She's mine!" Malachi argued.
Luna technically wasn't actually his yet, however the words flew out of his mouth before he even realized it.
"You wouldn't know what to do with a woman like that, boy! She's almost twice your age!"
"You're double hers!"
"I'm only fifty!"
This sudden reveal caused Mal to pause and give Rowan a pitying look.
As he looked at his head full of gray hair and face full of wrinkles, he couldn't help but feel bad for the old man.
Malachi lightly patted Rowan on the shoulder and said in a voice full of sadness, "It's been a hard fifty years, huh?"
Rowan felt like a blood vessel was going to burst in his forehead. "You son of a bi-"
Ding!
The door to the elevator slid open and Malachi hurriedly slipped out followed by an irate old man.
The two arrived directly in front of Luna's office and Malachi hurriedly opened the door.
'Bastard! Why didn't you knock?!' Rowan wasn't prepared yet!
He needed another minute to calm his pulsing heartbeat!
Upon entering Luna's office the pair were greeted with the sweet, melodious sound of her laughter.
Both men felt their hearts speed up at the sight of the gorgeous white haired woman laughing cutely.
"I must say, the two of you are really amusing." Luna said as she wiped tears out of her eyes. "I can't remember the last time I laughed like that."
"Hm?" Malachi asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
As a response Luna picked up her tablet and showed the two the footage she was just watching.
"You know we have cameras in the elevators, Mal." Luna giggled.
Both men now had embarrassed looks on their faces as if they'd just been caught red handed.
Luna walked right up to Rowan and introduced herself politely.
"I am Luna Autumn, thank you for coming today."
Rowan was entranced by Luna's feminine movements that oozed grace and charm.
In his entire life he'd never seen someone so effortlessly regal.
He reached out to return her handshake but words continued to elude him. "I…I- "
"Have one foot in the grave." Mal muttered.
Rowan did not hear him however he assumed that Mal made another joke about him being senile and straightened up his posture. "I am Professor Rowan Ivers, thank you for seeing me today!"
"Shall we sit down?" Luna gestured to the empty couches in her office and the men took a seat.
"So, how do the two of you know each other?"
Immediately, the two were blindsided.
They hadn't really expected such a question but in hindsight, it wasn't unreasonable of her to ask that.
"I'm his grandfather." Rowan blurted out without much thought.
'Oh my god what the fuck is wrong with you!?' Malachi screamed internally.
Rowan wished he could take it back as soon as he said it, however it was already too late.
Luna looked back and forth between the two men on her couch who were clearly not related.
"I see… well atleast I know where Mal gets his sense of humor from."
She obviously knew that the two were not related, however she trusted him enough to find out how they knew each other later.
Unbeknownst to her, she had already begun to give Mal special treatment.
'She's just accepting it?!'
'Do we actually look alike?'
Malachi and Rowan both simultaneously checked their individual skin colors before looking at each other's face.
'I was more handsome as a youth.'
'I wonder how long it'll take me to age like that.'
Seeing the two men who's thoughts were clearly written on their faces, Luna could not resist the urge to smirk a bit.
'So they actually are a bit alike, huh?'
She made sure to make a note of this for teasing Mal later and decided to continue with the interview.
"Now, tell me what you can do for us here at immortal moon."
Rowan swallowed his nerves and then proceeded to explain his knowledge and how it could be applied to the guild members.
Malachi also made sure to comment on the few tricks that Rowan had taught him in their time together.
She found the golden flowers to be especially innovative and captivating since the tattoo on her forehead was of the same flower.
Luna made sure to ask more questions of her own and by the meeting's end she'd actually learned a few new things about her potential abilities as well.
After an hour long conversation, Luna was finally convinced and welcomed Rowan as an instructor at the guild.
As the pair exited the building the old man was the liveliest Malachi had ever seen him.
"Come on, brat! Let's go get a drink!"
"I can't get drunk." Malachi shook his head.
"I can!"
Mal chuckled and prepared to agree to the old man's request when he got a sudden phone call.
He felt his whole body tense up when he saw who it was from and his finger trembled as he accepted the call.
"Mr. Saint? This is Moriarty Memorial Hospital calling to inform you that the patient is awake and responsive."
He didn't remember much after that, only that he'd driven to the hospital like a mad man.
-
When Mal arrived at the hospital, he was in such a daze that he almost needed to be led by the hand.
What would he say?
How should he apologize?
Should he ask about why she ended up with someone like Derek in the first place?
Did it even matter anymore?
His mind was embroiled in a storm of emotions.
"Sir? Sir!" The nurse yelled.
"Ah.." Malachi looked up and realized that he had indeed been spacing out and they'd already arrived at their destination. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine, I see it happen a lot." The nurse said as she waived her hand. "She's right inside."
The nurse waived him goodbye and left while he stared absentmindedly at the door.
He was sure that what was waiting for him was an uncomfortable conversation but it was one he didn't want to run away from.
"Hoooo…No time like the present."
Malachi opened the door to the hospital room and stepped inside.
However instead of finding Melanie, the person actually sitting in the bed looked more like her older sister.
Like Melanie she had short, black hair that framed her face perfectly and a pair of dark amber eyes.
They shared the same creamy white complexion, yet the woman in front of him seemed to be a bit paler than he remembered Melanie to be.
She had a beauty mark beside her right eye and despite her slender figure, she also possessed the largest pair of breasts he'd ever seen.
"Hello.. do I know you?"