The Otherworlder had just pulled open his curtains the next day when loud knocks resounded on his door. With a sombre pain pressing down on his head, the Otherworlder winced at the loud knocks and rushed to open the door.

As the door creaked open, a familiar hooded figure appeared on the other side. Locks of white hair peeked out from under the robe as the person continued staring down. Unfortunately, even if her eyes were glued to the floor, Vera couldn’t hide her regality from this close.

The Otherworlder sighed at her sight and reached into his pockets. He pulled out a small coin worth two syls and put it in front of Vera.

“Here, take it and go away. I’ve got a long day ahead–ACK!”

She kicked his shin.

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

“Get in.” The Otherworlder scratched the back of his head as he walked back in and Vera followed. Even though his hair was unkempt and his attire unseemly, Vera didn’t seem to mind it at all as she comfortably pulled back a chair and took a seat.

The Otherworlder left her to her devices as he went to wash his face and spoke out loud. “You sure took a while. Did something happen?”

“Yeah,” Vera replied, fiddling with the salt shaker on his dining table. “I was summoned to the Angnarmarak Palace.”

“What! Why?”

“Because of the mess you created, dimwit.”

The Otherworlder stepped out of the bathroom with a surprised look as Vera threw him a hand towel from one of the chairs.

“Hah! Dozens of officials getting a note written with blood on torn clothes... You can be quite intense, huh?”

Shrugging, the Otherworlder put the towel back down and patted down the creases of his clothes. “I had to make do with the resources on hand,” he said.

That day when he was escaping the palace of Angnarmarak, the Otherworlder had planted notes telling of the princess’ abilities on the servants they came across. In preparation for being apprehended by the palace, he had already ‘studied’ on the important information with Vera. Making sure those notes reached the right hands was a piece of cake, knowing who served whom. Though he had nothing to note on or with, so he tore off the guards’ clothes and wrote on them with their blood.

“I still don’t get it, though. Why did they trouble you? Why not your dad?” the Otherworlder asked as he finally sat down himself.

“Almost all the important nobles were present there. I had to be there as well. A great accusation was put on the person I’ve been associated with since childhood,” Vera said with a sigh.

“I didn’t know you were good friends with that psycho bitch?” the Otherworlder said with widened eyes. “Why?”

“You shouldn’t be saying that. She had nothing but praise for you, bastard. Instead of being worried about the accusations, Amelia was constantly fantasizing about catching you and cutting you in half.”

Vera’s words sent a chill down the Otherworlder’s spine. It seemed that geniuses were the same everywhere.

Shaking his head, the Otherworlder went past the topic of the princess and her antics. He turned to look at Vera, who had dropped off the hood of her robe, her picturesque face staring back at him.

His gaze lowered a little as the Otherworlder softly took hold of her hands. “Vera, you really saved my life this time.” With a soft smile, he looked into her eyes and continued. “Thank you, really.”

Vera’s eyes softened, and a smile covered her face. She raised the hand the Otherworlder had grabbed and placed it on his head. “I’m glad you’re ok,” she said.

The Otherworlder let her be for a short while before suddenly getting up from his seat. “You hungry? I found a nice, quiet place.”

“Yes, I am hungry. Why did you ask so late?”

“Just say it next time.”

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

With her robe and hood back on, Vera and the Otherworlder found themselves at the door of the quiet cafe he had found in the central parts of the town.

The waiter that had served the Otherworlder the day before greeted him with a nod, but his eyes narrowed down when he saw the hooded Vera step in behind him.

The Otherworlder didn’t pay it much mind and took a seat in one corner of the place while Vera sat across him. Mystery Morning, the cafe which he only noticed the name of today, was just as quiet as he had expected it to be. Despite the calm and peaceful vibe in the place made of wooden furnishings and the fairly enjoyable taste of their items, the cafe had only three customers beside themselves.

“You’ve found quite the place.” Vera leaned towards the Otherworlder and spoke in a whisper. “The food really is good, right? You aren’t taking revenge?”

“It’s good, just try it yourself.”

As the Otherworlder finished speaking, the same waiter from yesterday came up to their table and snatched the menu before they could even open it. Already anticipating it, the Otherworlder didn’t flinch at all this time.

“Welcome. What can I get you today?” the waiter asked with a frown aimed towards Vera.

“Hmm... I think I’ll like something spicy and hot, something with like, nine or ten chillies.”

The Otherworlder reeled back at Vera’s display of love for spicy dishes, whereas the waiter’s frown melted away and was replaced by an amicable grin.

“Get me some super spicy sandwiches. Make it as spicy as you can.”

“I’ll take some pancakes, put in a bunch of maple syrup and jam and give me some of those separately as well.”

“Right away,” the waiter said before leaving.

The Otherworlder was about to complain about the waiter’s behaviour when he remembered what Vera had ordered. “Hey, who needs that much spice? Are you planning to commit suicide through food?”

“Shut up,” Vera snapped back. “What’s with all that sugar? You are the one planning suicide through food.”

“Lay off of my sweets!”

“No, you lay off!”

In a heartbeat, the Otherworlder and Vera began arguing about who had better tastebuds, not knowing both of them were equally bad in that department.

Soon, the waiter returned with a large tray and placed out their orders on their table. Alongside the sandwich and pancakes, he had also brought over two warm cups of cappuccinos.

“Coffee?” the Otherworlder asked.

“Please feel free, it’s on the house. You are just a few cups away.” The waiter again went on with his strange mumbo jumbo before bowing and walking away.

Both their coffees had a string of letters and numbers drawn over them in latte art. The Otherworlder didn’t exactly like the strangeness, but wasn’t particularly bothered by it either.

“Maybe they don’t get customers because of these antics?”

“Probably,” Vera replied. “Well, at least it tastes good, though.”

The Otherworlder pumped his eyebrows and cut off a piece of the pancake with the knife. He then covered it with jam and maple syrup before taking a bite.

“Yeah, it tastes good.”