10. Coffee
It wasn't any other typical morning to Drake Stone. Because that morning, he had breakfast with Maxim Horvath.
The night before, as he was about to go to sleep, he did asked his elder what was to be expected at breakfast in the morning. He was expecting something that was not on his usual breakfast as being alone. After Horvath's first meal in centuries that was being trapped in the Grimhold, then including the ten years inside that urn, Drake was a witness to his elder's hunger the first time he offered to eat. So he was somehow surprised when Horvath said: "A cup of coffee perhaps, and some toast. That would be enough for me."
Drake made sure he had the morning paper ready too, just in case. But what really made him a bit uncomfortable of having breakfast with the ancient Morganian, was that, Horvath was so poised and elegant even just by lifting the cup of coffee and sipping from it. He was like watching a British aristocrat who was used to being so well-mannered in every way.
"Drake.."
His elder's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah?" he immediately responded.
"This is good coffee," Horvath said, once again lifting his cup to his lips to have a sip. "I remembered tasting a coffee this good centuries ago, though I can't remember what year it was. Do ask one of your maids how she did this. I'd love to know."
"Actually, I did it myself," answered the illusionist, quite saying the truth, and causing Horvath to look up to him with a quirked brow.
"Oh?" said the ancient. "I never would have thought you could make good coffee."
"That's just how my master would want his coffee," replied Drake with a shrug, sipping his own cup of coffee. "Thought you might like it."
As Drake silently ate his toast, Horvath looked down on his coffee with a new gleam in his dark eyes.
When was ever the time anyone would have made him a cup of coffee just so that thinking he might like it?
Horvath cleared his throat and tried to resume his reading. "Thank you," he said over the newspaper.
And when was the last time he said 'thank you' to someone simply for being nice?
...Quite a very long time already...