Three days had passed since the Helix Centre Incident. All of the terrorists at the building were apprehended and immediately put into custody. All except one; Umbra, who had managed to make a narrow escape. No one was sure where he had gone, but they were certain he was still within the confines of Shandel. To prevent his escape, the entire city had been put under lockdown. President Emich Buer had said the lockdown would only last until they captured Umbra, and whichever members of the Ebon Shroud they had not apprehended. If not, it would only last for a week.
Only three days had passed and Folorunsho was already bored out of his mind. Much to his disdain, he had been residing in a presidential suite alongside Diane, Kenan and Ingrid. Three barely said or did anything, leaving the freelancer to his thoughts. Folorunsho and introspection were two things that never went hand in hand, and after a while, he felt he needed to put his brain to rest. Once he was finally fed up, Folorunsho picked up his jacket and went for the door.
"Where are you going?" Diane asked. Her eyes were on a book in her hand.
"Just stepping out for some fresh air," Folorunsho replied.
"Why don't you take Ingrid with you?"
Folorunsho's eyes took a glance at the daughter of the Immortalis. She was seated near a window and focused her attention on the cloudy sky. The red-haired girl was always staring at something or someone in a state of listlessness. Most of the time, that thing was Folorunsho. The thought of her pale blue eyes staring at him was another reason he was keen to leave. It made no sense to take a problem out with him.
"Why should I?" Folorunsho asked.
"Everyone is required to go outside at some point in time, and she is no exception," Diane replied. "Of course, I cannot allow her to wander off on her own, hence my preference for her to accompany you. Protection is what I am paying you for, no?"
"Fine," The freelancer grumbled. "But this will cost you extra,"
"Count that as another favour for which I owe you financial compensation. Just try not to let this one slip between your figures at the last moment,"
The pair made their way through the streets of Shandel. Compared to their arrival, the city was like a ghost town. The majority of people seemed to be taking the lockdown seriously. The only ones who were not curled up in their houses were workers who were not being paid enough to take a day off or people who did not care a bit.
As they wandered through the city, Ingrid slipped her hands into Folorunsho's. Folorunsho felt a chill run down his spine as she suddenly held his hand. Her fingers were so cold, almost as though she had no life in her body. He wanted to retract his hand from her grasp but decided against it. How often did she get a chance to hold someone like this in a family like the Immortalis? He would just count it as an extra charge for Diane.
Their walk went on until Ingrid suddenly stopped in front of a window. The building was a pastry shop that had several flyers advertising their confectionaries plastered all over its windows. Ingrid's eyes were focused especially on their limited edition strawberry crepes. The glint in her eyes was the most emotion Folorunsho had seen the girl express.
"You want one?" He asked. The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Alright then,"
The two walked into the shop and found a seat with relative ease. A waiter promptly came over to take their orders. After a while, they were served. Ingrid got the crepe she was eyeing while Folorunsho ordered two glazed doughnuts and a latte. While he ate his doughnuts, Folorunsho noticed Ingrid's eyes were on him again. With no other option, he decided to finally say something about it.
"Is there something on my face or do you just like the way I look?"
"Neither," She replied. "I am just hoping to catch a glimpse of something,"
"Of what?" Folorunsho asked.
"That thing that shook everyone to their core that night,"
Folorunsho realised she was referring to the Otherworldly Revel he used against Jonathan Immortalis.
"That's not something that shows itself on my face all the time,"
"I have already reached that conclusion by myself," Ingrid stated. "That was not the only conclusion I reached after meeting you either,"
"Is that so?" Folorunsho raised an eyebrow. "What else have you 'concluded' about me?"
"The conclusions everyone around me has reached about you present you as a sort of enigma," She continued. "Father and Diane view it as some sort of solution to s problem I know too little about. Jonathan and Francine view you as an unstoppable force of nature that cares little for consequence as long as you get your way,"
"And what do you think of me?"
"Kind,"
"Kind?" Folorunsho asked, stunned and confused by her answer.
"You were kind enough to let me accompany you even though you did not want to, and kinder still by getting me this crepe even when you did not have to. Whatever everyone else thinks of you is irrelevant to my conclusion,"
Ingrid went back to eating her crepe without uttering another word. This was the first time Folorunsho had been referred to as kind. It left a strange feeling in his chest, · almost as though he was having difficulty breathing. He was not too sure if he disliked it though.
Once they were done eating, the two went back on the streets and continued their walk, they passed by a hospital. Unlike other establishments, the hospital still received an influx of visitors, either coming in on their own two feet or a stretcher. Amongst the crowd, a man with hair so black it looked dark blue stepped out of the building. His hazel eyes met with Folorunsho's and the two immediately recognised each other.
"Hello Folorunsho," The man smiled.