"As soon as you specified Xain going past Viktor Lovern, I suspected he pickpocketed him," remarked Aeron, his voice cutting into the middle of Malvin's storytelling for the first time. (I think?)
"Honestly, I didn't think he'd pull something like that right after trying to prove he was innocent," Tores chimed in, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, well, neither did we at the time," Malvin replied with a shrug, his tone far too pleased for someone recounting an act of theft. "But honestly, it's one of the best things that brat's ever done."
Jos frowned, his mane-like hair shifting as he scratched the back of his head. "What do you mean, Captain? And… why do you sound happy about it?"
Malvin smirked, tapping the side of his head as if unlocking a cherished memory. "Because he stole from Viktor, that's why. Goddess, the look on Viktor's face? Priceless. I've got it stored up here, and whenever I'm feeling down, I replay it, and my mood instantly improves."
"How... just how are the two of you friends, Captain?" asked Loreen, her expression one of disbelief.
"It really doesn't sound like you should be," Clare added, glancing at Loreen as if the two had silently agreed Malvin and Viktor's dynamic was baffling at best.
Malvin sighed, rubbing his temple. "I ask myself that question every single moment I'm awake... and asleep," he muttered, his tone so deadpan that Loreen and Clare exchanged uneasy looks, neither knowing how to respond. Malvin's words painted his relationship with Viktor less like a friendship and more like a prolonged endurance trial.
"Anyway, what happened after that, Captain?" Aeron asked, steering the conversation back. "Did you chase after Xain and Nori?"
Malvin chuckled under his breath, his tone laced with amusement. "Let me tell you what I told them..."
---
"No."
That single, flat response left Malvin's lips as both Silas and Viktor stared at him in shock after asking, "Aren't you/we going to chase after them?"
Silas leaned in closer, his face twisted with disbelief. "What are you talking about, partner? They stole from Viktor Lovern. The Viktor Lovern!" His voice trembled with the weight of what he thought was a moral imperative, practically shaking Malvin by his shoulders.
Malvin simply placed a hand on Silas's face, pushing him back like one might a bothersome fly. "Yeah, I know. I was here when it happened." His tone remained completely indifferent, as if they were talking about spilled milk.
Viktor threw his hands up in frustration. "Malvin, there were a dozen iron crowns in that coin purse! That's a lot of coin!"
Turning to Viktor, Malvin raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "For most people, yeah. But not for you." He jabbed a thumb toward the food cart. "Come on. Since you got robbed, I'll buy."
With that, he casually let go of Silas's face and started walking toward the cart, leaving both men standing in stunned silence behind him.
"Why are you so calm about it!?" Silas practically screeched, his voice bordering on panic. Malvin turned to him with an exaggeratedly confused expression, tilting his head slightly.
"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked, the nonchalance in his voice only further frustrating the other two men.
"Chase him?" Viktor said, his tone making it sound like the most obvious solution in the world, because it was.
Malvin raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching into a smirk. "What? That sounds like Guard duty. Let The Guards handle that."
Both men stared at him, completely dumbfounded by his response. Silas threw his hands up in disbelief. "Malvin, we're Guards!" He motioned aggressively between himself and Malvin, while Viktor nodded in agreement, gesturing for emphasis.
Malvin's smirk widened, his tone almost teasing. "Oh yeah? Then why don't you show some identification to prove that we are?"
Silas froze, realization dawning on his face as he processed what Malvin was pulling. Viktor blinked before groaning and rubbing his temples. "No… no you aren't doing this," Silas muttered, dragging a hand down his face in exasperation.
With an exaggerated shrug, Malvin replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about. But I do know that we're definitely not Guards right now and have no proof of being so, either." He crossed his arms, clearly enjoying their frustration. "And, from what little I know of the law—since, you know, I'm just a humble citizen—vigilantism is illegal. If we chased after those two, we'd be breaking the law. And you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of the law, would you, partner?"
He punctuated his argument with a smug grin that only grew wider as Silas and Viktor exchanged baffled, irritated looks.
Viktor finally sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Does this side of you only come out when something bad happens to me?"
Without hesitation, Malvin replied, "Yes."
---
"And well," Malvin continued, leaning back in his chair with an almost self-satisfied expression, "after that, we got the sweets. Which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially while watching Viktor's face during the entire ordeal. However long it lasted, that was the perfect end to the day."
His tone practically dripped with amusement, and for once, recounting this part of the story didn't seem to cause him visible mental anguish.
"Wow," Jos said after a moment of silence, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief. "I never thought you had a side like that, Captain."
Malvin leaned back further, resting his hands behind his head. "Well, you'd be surprised and glad to know that anger and annoyance aren't the only emotions I feel. They're just the ones I feel most of the time."
Tores chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, that was definitely an entertaining story. One that was very much needed."
The rest of the room nodded in agreement, the heavy, oppressive atmosphere from before now entirely gone, replaced with a sense of lightness.
Malvin let out a long, drawn-out sigh, his smirk fading slightly. "Yeah, I know," he began, leaning forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. His tone shifted, carrying a more serious edge. "Enjoy the feeling while it lasts…"
He locked eyes with the group, his expression darkening ever so slightly.
"Because we're getting back into the depressing parts."