At Lurce's Restaurant:
The four of them sat around a circular table with chairs. On one side sat Lucian, and beside him was Elizabeth.
Elizabeth wore a crimson one-piece dress with sleeves and a row of buttons down the center. The dress featured flower patterns slightly darker than the fabric itself.
On the opposite side sat Henry and Victoria. Victoria donned a form-fitting cuirasse bodice dress adorned with intricate patterns and textures.
The tables in the restaurant were set with silverware - knives, forks, and spoons along with exquisite plates bearing chocolate.
Their table displayed a lavish spread of various dishes, including soups, dessert biscuits, eggs, bacon, and steaks.
"Are we sure we can finish all of this, haha?" remarked Henry.
"We can certainly try," replied Victoria.
"So, Lucian, I heard you got a job. Can you tell me what it is?" inquired Victoria.
"Lucian is a professional pi-" began Elizabeth.
Lucian swiftly interrupted, "Yes, I work on request. I provide feedback on people's compositions. They always need someone who can listen to their work and offer thoughts and ideas."
Elizabeth was taken aback, recognizing Lucian's lie.
That's quite unusual for him... But perhaps he has a good reason for not disclosing that he's a pianist.
"Oh, that's wonderful," said Victoria.
So, that's his job. Why didn't he tell me that earlier? I was a bit concerned it might be something untoward, Henry thought.
They all chit-chatted, and Lucian's mood improved as time passed. The food on the table had disappeared, leaving only a plate of chocolates with a few pieces left.
Henry took his last bite and swallowed, then let out a satisfied belch. "Oh, I'm fu-" Burp!
The atmosphere suddenly shifted, and everyone burst into laughter at Henry's ungentlemanly act.
"It's the food's fault!" Henry chimed in, attempting to justify the burp.
Suddenly, Lucian felt a strange sensation, his hands trembled beneath the table, a sign that something unusual was happening.
He looked down and tried to regain control, hoping not to draw attention, but it was too late.
Elizabeth noticed his trembling hands and instinctively moved hers beneath the table, intertwining their fingers. The contact sent warmth through their hands, and their heart rates synchronized.
Lucian's hands refused to steady, instead, they began to change, just like during his confrontation with the intruder. His nails rapidly lengthened, becoming stronger and sharper, nearly grazing Elizabeth's skin.
Elizabeth sensed something unusual occurring with Lucian's hands. She attempted to sneak a look underneath the table but couldn't discern anything.
Then, Lucian abruptly stood, slipping his hands into his pants pockets, and forced a laugh. "I need to use the restroom, Haha."
Everyone, except Elizabeth, offered a small chuckle at his abrupt departure.
Why was he trembling? And why did he leave right after we held hands? Does he find me repulsive?
Lucian quickened his pace toward the restroom, entered, and finally withdrew his hands from his pockets.
"What the heck."
Why is it transforming now? It's been stable for at least a week, and I couldn't even use it when I tried.. How can I control this?
Think. Think. Think... I can't let them see this. But I can't just leave the dinner either.
Maybe if I concentrate hard on it retracting, it will actually retract?
He focused his thoughts, envisioning the nails retracting, but it didn't seem to have any effect.
Then he heard Selena's voice, a whisper in his ear, "Envision it flowing. Guide it to your core."
"F*ck not again," Lucian muttered under his breath.
"Why are you here? I told you I don't need your help," Lucian asserted, but there was no response.
He pondered for a moment, debating whether to heed Selena's advice.
What if something goes wrong? No, this is already bad.
Lucian closed his eyes, focusing on the power coursing through him. He 'saw' dark specks of aura with a faint gray glow moving through his veins. He willed it away from his hands, directing it toward his core.
Slowly, the elongated nails retracted, returning to their normal state.
"It worked! I just need to keep the aura in check. That's manageable," Lucian exclaimed, a smile breaking across his face.
Then, his elation gave way to worry. He scanned his surroundings, half-expecting a sudden, ominous presence to materialize and attack. Yet, nothing appeared. It was all in his mind. He was haunted by the knowledge that whenever Selena intervened, danger loomed and calamity followed.
"Phew..." Lucian breathed a sigh of relief.
She helped me. I dread to think what might've happened if I'd failed. Could I have lost control again, endangering everyone... Elizabeth, Henry, Victoria? It's unknown.
He returned to his table, concentrating on containing the specks of aura within his core.
"That took a while," Henry teased, hinting at Lucian's extended absence.
"Yeah. Nature called," Lucian responded.
The two ladies covered their mouths, exchanged glances, and burst into giggles.
...
At home, after dinner:
Lucian chatted with his brother about the enjoyable dinner, mentioning how much it lifted his spirits.
As night fell, they retired to their respective rooms. Lucian settled on his bed, focusing on the specks of aura. With a deliberate effort, he guided them towards his hands.
His nails swiftly lengthened, prompting him to exclaim, "Wow! I can control it now! There won't be any more unexpected issues like during dinner."
He concentrated on channeling the power back into his core, the dark specks of aura dancing within him.
Releasing it is much easier than gathering it.
Lucian contemplated the sudden transformation of his nails and deduced that it likely correlated with the presence of a half moon.
His reasoning stemmed from the previous week, during a full moon when he conducted the ritual. Although he was in pain back then, he could also sense a great amount of power. Now, under the half moon, he experienced a similar sensation. He began to suspect that his 'Believer' abilities were tied to lunar phases. To harness this knowledge, he calculated the moon's phases, seeking to strategize his actions against the Bart Family accordingly.
"28 days in a month, 13 months in a year, and 4 exact weeks—364 days in total. Every full moon occurs on the 28th day of the month. The 7th and 14th mark the half-moon phases. Between them lies the gibbous moon. From the 14th to the 27th, we have the crescent moon."
"I think I've calculated everything correctly."