Deep in the forest, there was a sturdy, medium-sized woode hut. The thick fog blocked outsiders' awareness of the warm interactions between the thirteen people inside the hut, dressed in warm and casual clothes. They all were the regular agents, wearing the neon blue crow emblem on their chests, who were willing to help Brissia in hiding from their conceited leader.
Why were they helping her? Well, so many reasons they could tell. One thing was for sure, though: they thought Brissia would be able to regain the sense of home they should have had from the beginning.
A man popped up from among the crowds of agents conversing, transferring objects, or simply strolling around the hut. He approached Brissia who was sitting close to the fireplace, fixing his hazel eyes on her.
"Want me to help clean up?"
Harris's gentle question broke Brissia's musing, making her stare for a moment at Harris and the metal bowl filled with water in his left palm.
"Clean what?" Brissia asked quietly, glancing at the small towel in Harris's right hand.
"You think I wouldn't notice?"
Brissia winced when Harris touched her left shoulder, making Harris only grunt in slight amusement.
"It's not what's on your mind. I'm a little sore because you pressed too hard on my shoulder," Brissia countered as she brushed his hands away.
"Ah, I wonder who I'm going to drink hot chocolate with when we get back."
Brissia looked slightly irritated when Harris said it calmly while dipping the towel in the warm water in the metal bowl. "Alright. Victory is yours."
Harris chuckled as she averted her eyes and rolled up her left sleeve. "I would gladly take the prize."
Brissia stared for a moment at Harris, who was wiping her wounds carefully, even though she knew he seemed amateur.
"I doubt it will make you glad."
"Don't worry, Brissie."
He stopped wiping the wound with his hand and raised his head to meet the girl's golden brown eyes. When their gazes interlocked, he said with great tenderness, "I'm used to bitterness. I wouldn't have come to you in the first place if I sought a fairy tale."
Debora, who happened to be passing by, saw what Harris was about to do and quickly approached them.
"See? I knew this was coming," she said, making Harris turn to her.
"What does that imply?" asked Harris with a look that turned serious instantly.
"You saw her wound. It was truly unsettling to see you running from the base here with an open wound, Brissia. I've had enough worries since you vanished. "
Debora glanced at Brissia, who glared at her as if to tell her to stop talking.
"Oh, I knew that from the very start."
The two looked at him.
"Then why are you quiet? She's your girlfriend, Harris."
Brissia and Harris gasped at Debora's blunt words, which made the dark ruby-haired girl furrow her brows even more.
"T-that's not it," Harris said, refocusing his attention on Brissia's wound. "We're on someone's wanted list. If they captured us, there would be no one to treat Brissie's wound."
Brissia stared blankly at Harris, either doubting the man's memory that she had told him about her life experiences or pondering the reasons they had to hide like criminals.
Hearing Harris's words could only make Debora sigh. She turned to Brissia, saying, "Alright. So, wanna tell us who it was, 'Brissie'?"
Harris's slightly annoyed face invited a chuckle from Debora and a faint smile from Brissia.
Amidst the noise of conversation and the indifference of everyone else to the three of them in the room, Brissia told Harris and Debora everything. They listened carefully to her pursuit by Madam Ouden, her inability to save the person she despised, and her return to Algor District.
"What a terrible loan shark," Debora said while shaking her head.
Harris was silent. However, his solemn expression conveyed more suspicion than approval.
"Sounds as terrible as Marius Pagan."
The arrival of a blonde haired girl with a man beside her caught everyone's attention.
"Things are getting out of hand," Fayrl said, looking at Brissia, "they're not only looking for you, but also an agent who's said to have played a key role in the previous district feud."
Rumors swirled in the room. That made Debora give an annoyed look at Fayrl, who came up to the three of them.
"Should you come making a fuss?"
Harris got up and held Debora who looked ready to express her emotions at Fayrl.
"Stop acting childish, Debora. She did the right thing by saying it. We shouldn't just be worried about Brissia, but everyone here."
Hansen's firm words made Debora's gaze even more cynical. She turned to Brissia, seized the towel in Harris's hand, then helped Brissia clean her wound.
"Did they mention the Miss Savior?" Harris whispered to Hansen as he ushered them out of the hut.
"No," Hansen replied, sighing. "I hate to convey this, but we're left with countless possibilities. Drey won't be able to give us information either."
Harris snorted displeasedly. "That's obvious, given his personality or level of dedication."
"Listen, Harris," Fayrl gave Harris a stern look, "if we don't diminish the possibilities, Marius Pagan will take the more certain things between all of us."
"So you intend to let him take Brissia and this mysterious figure for the lives of many people?" Harris asked sarcastically.
"I can't make you any promises."
The conversation continued until the three of them were outside the hut, staring at the slowly falling snow.
"Nevertheless, don't you think one certainty is needed to offset the impact of the loss because a definite loss always begins with all the uncertainty?" Fayrl continued.
"She's something Marius Pagan definitely wanted. If this certainty turns into a possibility, or even an impossibility, then you know exactly what will happen to us," she said again.
Harris stared at the falling snow for a moment. How could he hand over Brissia to Marius Pagan? Even if that person was a chief of intelligence agency, he could never leave Brissia in the hands of anyone other than Gabriel and himself.
"Is that all?"
Hansen and Fayrl gave a confused look at Harris who said so.
"I have to go back because there is certainty that you guys are talking about shivering without me there," said Harris with a faint smile.
Hansen stared at Harris flatly. "Isn't it the opposite?"
Harris's smile widened, followed by a small chuckle that sounded painful.
"Anyway, it's cold in here. You come in too, Hans. You don't want to be that smart refrigerator next to you, do you?"
Hansen snorted in amusement. Fayrl glared at Harris as the man just grinned at her before entering the hut and closing the door.
"Smart refrigerator…"
"Shut up. He likely got that vocabulary from his girlfriend."
Hansen covered his mouth. His shoulders trembled from holding back his laughter.
"What an innovative thing. What do you think about a refrigerator that you can discuss strategy with?"
Fayrl smacked Hansen on the shoulder.
"Tsk! You two are no different. It wouldn't be surprising if it was said by someone who came from the future."
His laughter came to a halt.
"What?"
Fayrl walked into the hut, ignoring Hansen who kept calling her name. As her gaze landed on Brissia, who was visibly annoyed that Harris and Debora were arguing over who would apply the medicine, her memory played back to the conversation Brissia and Harris on the Flower Bridge.
That morning, as Harris was returning Brissia's bag, she heard Brissia's confession from across the bridge. The brief strain on Harris's face when Brissia said she was from the future showed her confidence in her words, though Harris teased her afterward. The series of events that Fayrl witnessed had proven that Brissia was indeed not from Archtier or that period.
***
"Brissia has stopped by?"
The man standing in front of Gierra gave a small nod while fixing his glasses.
"She seemed to be in a hurry, so I had no intention to stop her," said Gabriel.
Gabriel walked away as his co-worker called out to him. With a somber face, Gierra walked to the door. That made Nicholas, who had been standing beside her, follow her in a bit of a hurry.
"Ji! Wait for me!"
Nicholas quickened his pace as soon as Gierra crossed the road to the river barrier. He caught his breath as he stood by her side and glanced at her who rested her chin on his palm.
"Brissia must have forgotten us, hasn't she?" Gierra said with a bitter smile and eyes straight ahead.
"Ji…"
"Ah, how ridiculous I am," she muttered. "What kind of person from the future wouldn't like the idea of living in this place. Don't you think so, Nicho?"
Gierra was surprised when Nicholas forcibly turned around her body to face him.
"Ji, Brissia isn't on holiday. You saw it for yourself, right, when she was wearing a navy uniform and her colleague said they were on duty?" Nicholas said, looking intently at Gierra.
"I did," Gierra said, smiling slightly. "It's just… she looks like she fits this place," she continued with a fading smile.
While Nicholas was looking at her worriedly, a figure with turquoise eyes walked toward them. Nicholas who recognized his step, turned to his side.
"Hey Ben!" said Nicholas while waving at him.
Benjamin smiled briefly before turning to Gierra, realizing how cloudy her face was. "Gierra, what's wrong?"
Gierra turned to hear a sound as calm as the surface of the water. With a big smile, she replied, "Ah, nothing! It's just that Gabriel said that Brissia stopped by the editorial office last night."
There was no reaction from Benjamin, which made Nicholas and Gierra curious. However, both of them then get a question from him.
"You want to taste something? There happened to be an empty table for three people nearby," said Benjamin with his charismatic smile.
"Wow, really?!"
Nicholas flinched when Gierra suddenly nudged him, closing in on Benjamin with sparkling eyes.
"How about ice cream? It's hot here!" Gierra suggested.
Benjamin laughed softly as Nicholas pulled Gierra away from him the way parents pull their children from the playground.
"Don't ask too much, Ji. Gabriel already said that milk is expensive here," said Nicholas, looking at Gierra flatly.
Benjamin shook his head slowly, saying, "If she wants it, so be it, Nicholas. What do you want yourself?
Nicholas stared straight at him with a blank stare. The question strangely left the same question for himself: what did he want? Why couldn't he say it as easily as Gierra did?
"Hm… anything, Ben," Nicholas said.
***
Under the gentle sunlight, a girl walked through the light mist. The trees at her side cut through the warm light, creating a silhouette that led her to the end of the walk.
An energetic voice then called out her name.
"Brissie!"
She turned her head as a pair of hasty steps stopped beside her.
"Harris, why did you come—"
"Why do you always walk alone? Ask me, Debora, or… ah, no… just ask me to accompany you wherever you go," Harris said, handing Brissia a mug of hot water.
"You came all the way here with that?" Brissia asked in surprise, pointing at the mug Harris offered her.
"You need to drink lots of water at times like this."
A slow grunt escaped Brissia's mouth along with a small smile etched on her lips.
"Thanks," she said as she took it and drank slowly.
Harris looked at her with his hands on his hips. "Brissie, I'm sure I've said it before, but your face is as dull as the winter sky. Are you someone whose mood follows the weather?"
Pushing the glass away from her lips and continuing to walk, Brissia replied, "How could I?"
"See?" Harris snapped his fingers. "Are you still thinking about yesterday?"
She froze. The light left her eyes as she muttered, "How can you be so earnest?"
The smile on Harris's lips vanished hearing Brissia's muttering. He held Brissia's shoulder, making Brissia turn quickly to him.
"Tell me, who's the figure you couldn't save that day?"
The warmth in those hazel eyes turned cold, as cold as the wind that blew in one night. It made her tongue at a loss to speak.
Brissia's finger pointing at Harris made the man speechless. He pulled Brissia in his arms, feeling her grip on his clothes getting tighter as he heard soft sobs.
"Is he the person the intermediary lady called as my replacement?" Harris asked softly.
Brissia gave a small nod, hiding her face in Harris's chest.
The brown haired man looked up and let out a small sigh. In the warm shower of sunlight that drove away the morning mist, Harris was imagining the chill of being abandoned by someone in loneliness.
The memories pulled him deeper. It all began when robbers trapped him at an alley in Algor District, when he fled at a young age, and when Gabriel saved him after he failed to save himself.