"Relax, it's fine! Just... slightly tilted now."
The clattering grew louder. "You're just bitter because you didn't sleep. Maybe I'll make your coffee extra bitter to match your mood."
Before Elijah could respond, another door creaked open. Visconti stumbled out of his room, his hair a mess and his eyes half-closed. He squinted at Kieran in the kitchen, then at the figure on the couch.
"Why is it so loud? Did a raccoon break in or something—" His sleepy eyes widened when they landed on Elijah, still wrapped in his blanket cocoon, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"WHAT THE—!" Visconti stumbled back, clutching the doorframe for support. "Holy shi—Elijah! What are you doing?!"
Elijah turned his head slowly, his blanket still firmly wrapped around him. "Existing." his blanket still draped over him like he was a ghost auditioning for a low-budget horror film. "I live here."
"You live here, not haunt here!" Visconti snapped, glaring at him. "You look like some cursed spirit from a horror movie!
From the kitchen, Kieran peeked out, grinning like a maniac. "See? I told you! Blanket goblin vibes!"
Elijah sighed, his patience already wearing thin. "I'm just sitting. Is that a crime now?"
"In that blanket? At this hour? Yes," Visconti said. "You could've warned me you were going full ghost mode. I thought I was having a heart attack."
"Relax," Elijah said, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. "If you had a heart attack, I'd just float over and haunt you properly."
Visconti groaned, running a hand through his messy hair. "It's too early for your deadpan humor."
Elijah rolled his eyes. "You two are the worst."
Visconti plopped down into an armchair, still glaring at Elijah. "You're lucky I didn't throw something at you. I thought I was about to be exorcised or something."
"Don't worry," Kieran said, walking over with a steaming mug of coffee in hand. "I'm bringing life to this party." He paused dramatically. "With caffeine!"
Visconti snorted. "More like you're bringing chaos." He pointed to the kitchen. "Did you set something on fire again?"
"That was one time!" Kieran protested, handing Visconti a mug. "And it was a toaster, not a fire."
"Toasters don't explode on their own, Kieran," Visconti replied, taking a cautious sip of his coffee.
"Guys, can we not?" Elijah groaned, sinking deeper into the couch. "It's too early for this nonsense."
"It's never too early for nonsense," Kieran said cheerfully, plopping down on the couch next to him.
"Especially when you look like that," Visconti added, smirking. "Seriously, Elijah. You could audition for a horror movie right now."
"Or a blanket commercial," Kieran chimed in. "The tagline could be, 'For when you want to look dead inside and cozy.'"
Elijah glared at both of them, but the corners of his mouth twitched. "You two are insufferable."
"Aw, he smiled," Kieran teased. "Our haunted burrito has feelings after all!"
"Don't push your luck," Elijah muttered, but his tone was lighter now.
"You... didn't add salt in this right, Kieran?" Elijah said, peeking out from his blanket.
Kieran gasped, clutching his chest. "How dare you! My coffee is a masterpiece!"
"It's a masterpiece of inconsistency," Elijah shot back, his lips twitching into a smirk.
Visconti sipped his coffee, letting out a dramatic sigh. "I hate to admit it, but this is actually decent."
Kieran puffed out his chest. "Decent? Decent?! This is the nectar of the gods, Visconti. Show some respect."
"Fine," Visconti said, smirking. "It's the nectar of the gods... if the gods were broke Esper cadets."
Kieran groaned, throwing up his hands. "I don't know why I even try with you two!"
The three of them were lounging on the couch, still recovering from their chaotic morning routine, when their pockets vibrated simultaneously.
[There will be no patrol for today. And there will also be no classes, due to the instructors not being present. Enjoy your day.]
The room was silent for a split second before Kieran exploded.
"YES! OH, SWEET FREEDOM!" Kieran jumped up from the couch, nearly tripping over the coffee table. "No patrol! No classes! This is a miracle! A gift from the heavens! I KNEW THE GODS LOVED ME!"
Visconti raised an eyebrow. "The same gods you were cursing for not letting you rest even for a day?"
"Shut up, Visconti. That was before they granted me this divine blessing," Kieran said, practically doing a victory dance.
Elijah smirked, leaning back into the couch. "You're acting like we've been released from prison."
"Elijah, my dear friend," Kieran said, spinning dramatically to face him. "This is better than being released from prison. This is like being released from two prisons at once!"
Visconti shook his head. "You're being ridiculous. It's just one day off."
"JUST ONE DAY OFF?!" Kieran gasped, clutching his chest as if Visconti had personally insulted him. "Visconti, do you realize how rare this is? No patrol, no classes... this is the equivalent of a solar eclipse combined with finding a hundred-dollar bill on the street! The universe is finally smiling down on us."
Elijah leaned back on the couch, pulling his blanket closer around him. "I think the universe just ran out of instructors, and this is damage control."
"Don't ruin this for me, Elijah," Kieran said, pointing a finger at him. "This is my moment."
Visconti leaned back, crossing his arms. "So, what's your big plan for this miraculous day off, Kieran? Gonna waste it playing video games and eating chips?"
Kieran gasped again, even more dramatically. "WASTE IT?! Visconti, you have no vision! No ambition!"
"Okay, then enlighten us," Elijah said, smirking. "What's your grand plan for today?"
Kieran paused, looking like he was about to deliver the most profound speech of his life. "I'm going to... sleep. All day."
Visconti rolled his eyes. "Wow. Truly inspiring."
"Don't mock my dream, Visconti," Kieran said, flopping back onto the couch. "Sleep is the ultimate luxury, and I plan to indulge."
Elijah chuckled, shaking his head. "You're unbelievable."
Kieran grinned. "Thank you, I try."
Visconti sighed, standing up. "Well, since someone's ambition is to turn into a couch potato, I'll actually do something productive. Maybe go for a run."
"Have fun with that," Kieran said, waving him off. "I'll be here, living my best life."
Elijah watched the two of them with amusement, feeling a small sense of relief.
"Yeah. I'm also gonna jog around the camp." Elijah said before getting up.