"Iris, look out!" Luka shouted as a brown lump came hurtling at Iris with immense speed. Panicked, Iris shrunk back against the bench. But only a moment later, Iris found herself hugged tightly against a warm, broad chest. "Are you okay, Iris?"

THIRD POV

"Erm.. Yes, yes I'm fine." Iris answered. "Good." Sirius let go of her immediately, yet she still felt his warmth. The overwhelming and skin-scratching feeling burned through her, but she bit her tongue as she tried to calm her racing heart. She hadn't been expecting that, or anything of it, really. Sirius' gaze landed on the brown fluff ball, "Chutney, what were you thinking?" he questioned.

Iris gave him a puzzled look, "Chutney?" She followed his gaze, looking down at whatever it was that had come flying at her. Sirius bent over and picked up a tiny, brown raccoon. Iris stared at it, slightly wide-eyed, "Oh.. It's cute.." she mumbled. The raccoon let out a series of squeaking noises, almost as if it was attempting to scare and intimidate Iris. Sirius let out a sigh, "Sorry for scaring you, little lady," he spoke, then turned his attention to the raccoon in his arms, "Chutney, you should go back to your pen."

Sirius set the raccoon down and Iris watched as it tottered off in the direction of nearby bushes, seemingly to glance consistently at her as it went. "Sirius, report your injuries!" Luka spoke, his tone sounding much too serious for what had just occurred. But Sirius seemed to humor him, "A scratch on my jacket. That's it." Luka's expression softened to a slightly troubled frown, "I see. I'm glad there were no casualties." "Casualties..? It's a raccoon.. Isn't that a bit of an overreaction?" Iris questioned.

Luka shook his head, purple locks falling over his face, "You only say that because you've never seen Chutney go into a frenzy." Sirius nodded in agreement, "He's right. She was definitely targeting you, as the newcomer." Iris had never really heard of raccoons being that overprotective of their territory, but, it wasn't like she was an expert on the topic in the first place.

"Wait.. You keep a raccoon as a pet?" Iris turned her attention to Sirius. Sirius scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly as he spoke- "Well, I found her when she was a baby and injured. She'd lost her mother, so I took her in and she's followed me around ever since." he explained. "So basically, she's Sirius' problem." Luka added on, "Anyway, I'm glad nothing happened. I need to get back to training." "Ah.. Sorry for the worry, Luka." Iris muttered.

Luka averted his gaze and began to walk away, giving a quiet "I just happened to be looking this way.." as he did so under his breath, hurrying back towards the fighting soldiers. "And.. Thank you, Sirius.." Iris muttered, her gaze falling down to her lap, "Err.. If.. If I was by myself, I doubt I could've dodged Chutney.." "Well, I'm sorry that Chutney did it at all. It's pretty hard for anyone to dodge her flying tackles."

Iris let out a small sigh, closing her eyes as she fell into deep thought, "I bet you're just as incredibly strong as everyone who's training right now." She muttered. "Not really. I'm more of a tactician- fighting in battle is outside my area of expertise." Sirius answered, startling Iris. She hadn't realized she'd said that out loud, but chose to not address it. But was he being serious? "Mm.. I wasn't expecting that. You look as though you'd be great in a fight." Iris replied.

Sirius let out a sigh, "I hear that a lot. But- when it comes to the actual fighting, it's not my place to join in." a small smile formed on his lips, "They've all got me well beat on the battlefield." Iris followed his gaze and saw Fenrir and Seth, the two men appearing as though they were completely within their element as they trained. "Those guys have a monopoly on being the last thing our enemies see." Iris paused, quietly watching everyone as they trained, and it clicked. When she really thought about it, it made sense that even in an army, everyone had their own fields of expertise.

Sirius' smile softened to a more relaxed and friendly one, "That said, I'm more than capable of blocking a raccoon's flying tackle." He reached out, gently patting Iris on the head, then stood up from the wooden bench. "If you have any problems, just call out." And with that, Sirius walked away, leaving Iris on her own.

One of the other soldiers slowly approached Iris, almost cautious as if he were approaching an unknown yet possible threat, "Iris, are you okay after Chutney's attack?" Iris tensed up slightly, but kept her tone even as she answered, "I'm fine.. I appreciate the sentiment." The soldier stood with a group of others nearby, appearing to wait their turn to join in the fighting. But then, an idea popped into her head.

"Um.. Is it true that Sirius never joins in the fighting? I thought he appeared to be like a real tough guy, but.." she trailed off, unsure of how to phrase her sentence. But the soldier seemed to catch on, "I've never actually heard of Sirius getting involved in the fighting. I mean, he's on the frontline. But that just speaks on how perfect his strategy is, and how admirably he commands his troops. As a strategist, he's not just a tough guy- he's a beast!" The soldiers were almost speaking over themselves in their eagerness, making it as plain as a sunny day of just how proud they were of Sirius.

Strategy. It was something Iris knew absolutely nothing about. The soldiers soon moved to take their turn, and Iris sat back to watch once more. But out of the corner of her eye, she could still see Sirius watering the flowers. And a realization slowly donned on her. To Iris, Sirius was an enigma. She had never met anyone like him before. He didn't appear to be that much older, yet he seemed so much more mature. She tightened her folded hands and tried to focus on watching the soldiers, yet for some reason, her mind and gaze kept falling back to the Queen of Spades instead.

It wasn't the first time she had found out just how amazing Sirius was, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

At 9:30 the next morning..

"Good morning.. Excuse me." Ray blinked at the white-haired girl in surprise, "Iris? What are you doing in here so early?" he questioned. Iris paused as she stood inside the office, nerves slowly building up as she thought carefully about her request. "Um.. I was wondering if there was anything I could assist with? Anything at all.. I don't mind how mundane it may be." "Hmm.." Ray pondered carefully, "Well, I'm about to go out.." he spoke, then turned his attention to the older man in the room, "But would you have a job for her, Sirius?"

Sirius smiled as he met Iris' gaze, "Hm, these books are a complete mess. Can I ask you to put them away for me?" "Of course." Iris returned his smile. In her mind, if they were going to be so kind as to let her stay here, the least she could do was help out in return. Yesterday, all she had done was watch their training session and awkwardly pick at her meals. Ray soon left the room, an unasked question floating around his mind as he cast one final glance at the girl.

Subconsciously, Iris rolled up her sweater sleeves, and quickly set about sorting and putting away books. Sirius sat at the desk, silently going over a large stack of documents that sat atop the desk. Iris took note of how focused Sirius looked, and decided to remain as silent as she could so as to not disturb him. The room fell into comfortable silence, the only sounds were light footsteps upon carpet, the plonking of hardcover books, and the rustling of paper. But eventually, the door slammed open and crashed against the wall.

"Sirius! I've got a question!" Iris subtly flinched as Fenrir's loud voice echoed throughout the room. Sirius let out a sigh, "Keep the unruly behavior to a minimum, you brat. As in, don't break the door." Fenrir smirked, "A 24-year-old guy ain't a brat, old man." "And a 30-year-old gentleman isn't an old man, either." Sirius retorted. Iris let out a small noise of surprise, but it went unnoticed by the two men as they continued conversing. "C'mon, don't get mad. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something." Fenrir spoke.

"I wanna strengthen my troops a little, so which of the newest recruits is good with a gun?" Fenrir questioned. "Michael, Jack, and Henry. Luka's been training the new recruits." Sirius answered without missing a beat. "Thanks! I'll check in with him!" Fenrir exclaimed, then seemed to take notice of the other in the room as his gaze fell on her, "And hey, Iris, you might want to remember this, too!" Without pausing in her task, Iris glanced over her shoulder, "Hm? Remember what, exactly?"

Fenrir smiled, "If you want to know anything about anyone, ask Sirius! See ya!" With that, Fenrir exited the room, a brief look of concern flashing in his eyes for mere moments. Iris just quietly nodded, taking a silent note of how Sirius apparently wasn't just in charge of strategy, he also managed personnel.

Two hours later, at 11:30 am-

"Luka. Seth. I've brought Iris with me." Sirius announced as he walked into the kitchen. Iris nodded, "I'm.. here as assistance. Do you often make lunch together like this?" she asked. "Yes, instead of taking a break." Luka answered. "I'm in charge of taste-testing." Seth smiled. Sirius rested a hand on Iris' shoulder, not seeming to notice when the action caused her to tense, "Iris, I'm going to step out for a bit, so ask these two what to do." "Okay.."

Soon, Iris was taking directions from Luka and helping him cook while silently listening and often giving small replies to Seth's insistent chatter. But out of nowhere, an ear-shattering scream echoed throughout the kitchen. "Oh no! This is awful!" Seth exclaimed. "What's wrong?!" Iris questioned, swallowing down her own panic. "We're completely out of olive oil! What are we going to do?!" Seth answered. Luka stared at him, wide-eyed, "What? You're kidding."

Seth nodded, "We're out of grapeseed oil as well! How could this happen?! It's not proper pasta if we can't mix it with oil!" Luka let out a sigh of defeat, "There's no hope…" Iris stared at them in quiet shock. They appeared as if the world were ending. Was it really necessary to be so dramatic over cooking? But, a small part of her understood where they were coming from. "I'm back!" Sirius announced as he walked in, only to pause as his eyes widened, "Okay, what happened? You all look like you're about to cry."

Luka turned to the older man, a look of defeat across his porcelain features with a tone to match, "Sirius… It's over." "We don't have any oil to use on the pasta!" Seth exclaimed. "If that's all it is, I knew we were almost out so I ordered some. Look." Sirius casually placed the two large bottles of olive oil and grapeseed oil in his hands atop the table. Suddenly, both Seth and Luka's expressions lit up as they smiled, "Sirius, you're the best!" they both exclaimed. "I picked some fresh oregano while I was at it. Here, I thought it'd go well with the pasta." Sirius smiled.

"Yay!" Seth exclaimed, "The scent of freshly picked herbs is the absolute best!" "Now we can make pasta again. What a relief." Luka smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." Sirius commented. "It's all thanks to you, Sirius." Seth turned his attention to Iris, "Alice, you should remember this!" "Remember what?" Iris questioned. "If you need to check our stock of ingredients, or daily necessities, or stationery, or even weapons- talk to Sirius."

And then, at 3:00 pm-

Sirius glanced around the office, "Is everyone here? Iris, if you're free, sit down over there and listen as well." "Okay." Iris nodded. Despite her agreement, she still felt as though she was intruding on a military officer's meeting. But a part of her still felt grateful. The Red Army was after her, so it was best that she knew as much about them as possible. "Right, then let's start the meeting. First the reports on each of your usual duties…" Ray spoke.

Then he added- "Yeah, we'll skip that, as usual." "Roger that." Seth and Fenrir replied. Iris stood near the back, leaning awkwardly against the wall as she observed. In her mind, it was strange. These men were more laidback than she'd originally thought. "Ray, I have a recent report on the Red Army's movements." Luka spoke up. Ray turned his attention to the purple-haired man, "Go ahead, Luka." "A group of my soldiers were northwest of the Central Quarter when they apparently spotted a troop of Red Army soldiers acting suspiciously." Luka explained.

"In their opinion, they may be searching for a new route to use to invade the Central Quarter." he finished. Seth narrowed his gaze, "In other words, there's no way to come and go except for crossing the bridge itself, they're trying to find a way to bridge the moat that surrounds Central so they can send their troops in all at once, right?" Ray crossed his arms, "I received that information from a different source myself, so this morning I went to take a look." "How was it?" Fenrir inquired. "There were definitely a bunch of guys loitering there," Ray began, "They weren't wearing uniforms, but I recognized some of their faces from the Red Army."

"Sirius, what do you think of this information?" Luka asked, turning his golden gaze to the Queen of Spades. Without missing a beat, Sirius answered- "It's a trap." Seth and Fenrir shared a look of bewilderment at the older man's conclusion, exclaiming in unison- "Just like that?!" "If you want proof, I have it. Look." Sirius spread out the same bundle of documents Iris had seen him collating through earlier that day. There were a multitude of letters, with documents seeming to summarize each individual letter alongside.

Iris stiffened, questions looming in her dark blue gaze as she noticed the Red Army's seal. Were these letters that the enemy had written? If so, how did Sirius even get his hands on them? Pointing at the sheets with one gloved finger, Sirius spoke- "It's a ploy to lure us out and make us attack first. It's just a diversion from what they're really doing." "Well, if you've already looked into it, then there's no doubt about it." Ray concluded. Luka stood awkwardly, seeming to readjust his scarf, "I agree." he commented. "Me too! What a shame!" Seth exclaimed. Fenrir frowned, a look of disappointment etched across his face, "Seriously! I thought this was my chance to run wild! Talk about anti-climactic!"

"Don't say that. Save your excitement for when it counts." Sirius lectured. Both Seth and Fenrir let out sighs of defeat, "Okay, okay." they said. "Iris, I think you should remember this, too." Luka suddenly spoke, interrupting Iris from her thoughts as he turned his attention on her. "Ah- Um.. What?" Iris spluttered, startled by the sudden interaction. Luka smiled softly, "If you need someone to gather intelligence or evidence, talk to Sirius." Iris shifted awkwardly, "Um.. I doubt I will ever need anything of that sort in the short time I shall be here but um.." she took a deep breath, "Thank you, Luka."

"Anyone else with anything to report?" Sirius asked. Ray nodded, "I have one more thing. I heard a very dubious rumor when I was in town." A look of excitement flashed through Fenrir's gaze as a wild smile crossed his lips, "I have something, too! I want to unveil a new weapon- an Oliver-made specialty!" "My turn! I'm planning a new course on how to use hidden weapons!" Seth squealed. "Okay, okay, one at a time." Sirius urged. He handled each topic that came flying at him, kept the discussion in check, provided quick summaries, and then fluidly moved everyone to the next subject.

Sirius didn't comment on much himself, but it was blatant that he was the one to keep the conversation moving smoothly. Iris couldn't help but wonder- Just how much work does Sirius juggle in a singular day?

Finally, 8:00 came-

Even though the day's work was long ended, and everyone had now gathered in the longue to eat and chat, Sirius was exactly the same as ever. Iris watched as he divided up the salad as if it was completely normal and wiped up spilled beer. He did everything in such a nonchalant way that if you weren't watching him, you'd never notice just how much work he did. The lounge was filled with bright laughter and the light sound of glasses clinking together, with the occasional fight breaking out.

"Seth! I'm gonna beat you at arm wrestling this time!" Fenrir announced proudly. "Don't be so ridiculous. Today I'm going to wipe the floor with you, again." Seth taunted. "Hey, Iris," Ray spoke, turning to face the white-haired girl, "Who would you bet on?" he asked. Iris tensed, slightly startled, "What- We're betting on them, now?" she questioned. Luka nodded, "If Ray wins the bet, I always make him his favorite type of food." Ray smiled, "And if I lose, Luka gets one cuddle from my cat."

Iris' eyes narrowed slightly, "Um.. Win or lose, it sounds.. intriguing. But I think I'll just watch today." she gave an awkward smile. "Really? Okay, maybe next time." And with that, Ray dropped the conversation topic. Or, at least he didn't continue pressing Iris about it. "I'm gonna bet on Seth again today." Luka spoke. A mischievous smirk formed on Ray's lips, "Then I'll bet on Fenrir again." "Ready, go!" Fenrir announced.

The two men linked arms as sudden cheers and shouts of encouragement echoed and shook throughout the lounge. Noticing just how intense the two were becoming, Iris made a subconscious decision to step back and watch at a distance. She shuffled quietly out of the circle that had formed around the two men and sat down on a nearby sofa, smoothing out her pristine white skirt as she did so. A heartbeat later, Sirius appeared as if out of thin air, and sat down next to her. "Do you want dessert?" he asked.

"Oh- um.. Yes, please. Thank you." Iris mumbled. Sirius handed her a small bowl of orange sherbet with some mint sprinkled on the top. She wasn't the biggest fan of sherbet, but she took small bites anyway, sneaking glances at Sirius as she did so. He sat there quietly with a smile on his face, occasionally, he'd join in on the cheering over the arm-wrestling match. But rather than getting right in the middle of things, he just sat back and kept his eye on everyone. He appeared as if he enjoyed it though, like he really did enjoy just watching and listening to everyone else have fun.

There was something about his profile, the sharp lines of his face, that captivated Iris, distracting her from the dessert in her hands. But suddenly, Sirius looked back at Iris, bright amethyst boring into deep sapphire. "Is that a habit of yours?" he asked. Iris tensed, "Is.. Is what a habit?" she asked. "Staring at people's faces. You were staring during practice yesterday, and during our meeting today, too." Iris froze, she hadn't anticipated that Sirius may notice.

"I.. I am so sorry about that. I don't mean anything negative by it. It's just-" she paused, unsure of what to say. To her, Sirius was an enigma, she had never met anyone quite like him before. But could she really say that to him? Tell him that she found herself unable to pull her gaze away? That it naturally fell on him? No, she absolutely couldn't. There was too high a possibility he'd take it the wrong way. Her gaze feted away down to her lap, pale cheeks burning red as she struggled to find some cohesive way to conclude her sentence.

"It's just, I mean- anyway! It's nothing, I don't mean anything by it at all. Really." she stammered. Sirius narrowed his gaze, "Nothing, hmm?" He folded his arms over his chest, the look on his face stating clearly that he didn't buy an ounce of Iris' admittedly awful explanation. It was dreadful, and Sirius may have been kind to her so far, but he was also the second in command. Iris really couldn't have him thinking that she was rude or ungrateful. "I'm.. I'm truly sorry. I hope I didn't offend or upset you." she spoke.

"What if you did?" Sirius asked, his expression flat. "W..Well, then.. I'd.. I'd do whatever it took to make up for my actions and openly accept any consequences and punishment due." she answered, her voice cracking. But suddenly, Sirius smiled softly, "You scare far too easily, you know." Iris froze once more, confused. He wasn't angry? "You don't need to apologize, but.." Sirius reassured, "While we're at it, will you keep tomorrow morning free for me?" he asked. "May I ask what for?" Iris questioned.

Sirius reached out and lightly touched her forehead, almost as if attempting to smooth away her worried frown. Little did he know, that only made her feel worse. "I have the day off. If you like, we could spend some time together." he offered.

The next day..

Iris stood outside, dressed in her usual attire. Long white hair styled loosely around her shoulders, little to no makeup on her face, with her usual long-sleeve blue sweater-white skirt combo with the knee-high socks to match. It was an odd dress for the sunny weather and clear skies, but she didn't want to take risks.

Iris and Sirius had made arrangements to meet at 8:00, yet it was only 7:45. She was meant to be meeting with him, yet he was nowhere to be seen. Iris thought back to the previous night, confused by just how happy she had felt when he'd asked her to spend time with him. But now, the doubt was settling in. Did he actually want to spend half his day off with her? Why would he even want to? She was just like a little stray kitten to him, was taking care of her even much for a day off?

"You're up early, little lady." A surprised voice broke Iris from her self-doubt. Turning around, she was met with the surprised gaze of Sirius. Not wanting him to notice anything amiss, she simply smiled, "Good morning, Sirius." "Morning." he replied. Sirius was dressed more casually than his usual uniform. Just a simple white button-up that fitted loosely on his frame with black slacks. It seemed to suit him well. "Come with me." Sirius began, "This'll be the best time to see it."

Iris quietly followed Sirius as he led her towards some nearby flower beds. The two watched in comfortable silence as a single blue flower caught onto the light of the rising sun, opening its petals in slow and graceful motions. Iris smiled softly, "It's.. It's so beautiful.." she whispered. "The bud was starting to open a little yesterday, so I had a feeling it'd bloom this morning." Sirius explained. Iris turned her head to face him, "Did you grow it yourself?" she asked. He nodded, "I did."

"And you were watering the flowers during training, too," Iris commented, "Is gardening a hobby of yours?" she asked. "Gardening's nothing special. It's just randomly growing things in whatever space is available." Sirius replied nonchalantly. But it wasn't random at all. It was clear just how carefully Sirius would tend to each and every flower. "What's this blue flower called?" she asked. Sirius smiled, "Funny enough, it's an iris." Iris smiled, a small giggle blossoming in her throat. For such a pretty flower.. Why did it have to have a name like that?

But as she stared at it, she only noticed how some could compare her to this flower. The delicate petals were an intense shade of blue, one that matched the color of her own eyes. It was so pretty when it bloomed, but one day it would wilt, just like she had all those years ago. She remembered the times she had put flowers into the vases at work, or when she'd decorate her room with her mother's favorite flowers. She had never bothered to learn the names, but she could now recognize that most of them were irises.

Her emotions felt conflicting. Bittersweet, even. She wanted to embrace the joy of these beautiful flowers, this wondrous life. But the memories that tainted them wouldn't allow her. "You like it, then?" Sirius asked. "Yes. I've actually seen these before, they.. They were my mother's favorite, but I didn't know the name." she admitted. Sirius smiled, "I see why she named you that, then. Irises are pretty common here. They aren't bothered much by fluctuating temperatures, and if you give them a bit of care, they'll bloom even in dry ground."

"Did you notice how many buds it has? They never bloom at the same time, though." Sirius explained, then added- "It's also unique for having a lot of different meanings in the language of flowers." "Really? Like what?" Iris inquired. "Well, the most well-known meaning is 'I love you'." he answered. Iris tensed, "Oh.. I.. I see." Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, causing confusion to rise in her mind. But she hurried to plaster on a smile, to not let him see just how conflicted she was feeling.

"It's amazing how much you know about flowers. You could be a florist." Iris commented. Sirius smiled, "Maybe. But most florists don't know anything about the language of flowers." "Are you being serious?" He nodded, "Well, for them, it's more important to know what season a flower blooms, as well as the colors, the types, and how best to handle them to keep them fresh." Iris simply observed Sirius as he spoke. He was so knowledgeable, and a part of Iris told her that there was so much she could learn from him. But suddenly-

"The ground's a little dry." Sirius spoke, narrowing his gaze as he gently patted the ground with a hand. Then he stepped away for a moment, only to return with a watering can. Sirius took exquisite care as he gently showered the plant with water, his expression seeming softer than usual. Iris felt her own expression soften as she gazed at Sirius, "You really love growing plants, don't you?" "I guess so." But to her, this was way more than just a simple 'I guess so.' "And you've got a sweet tooth." Sirius suddenly commented. "Ah- I guess?"

Sirius smiled as he turned to face Iris, "Well then, Iris. I'm gonna get you to help me with the gardening. It'll make you good and hungry. Then, I'll treat you to pancakes." Iris tensed, "Erm.. You.. You don't have to-" "Iris." his expression turned serious, "I want to, okay? I've seen how your eating habits are, you shouldn't be so timid about it like that. So don't worry. However your life was back in the Land of Reason, you can relax a little, okay?"

Iris stared at him for a few moments of uncomfortable silence, "..Fine." Sirius' expression softened as he smiled, "And I want you to tell me what you think of them. My specialty is cooking food, not eating it." "Okay." It didn't sound like Sirius particularly liked sweet things himself, but he was going out of his way to make them for Iris anyway. It meant a lot, even if she wished he wouldn't insist.

Iris listened carefully to Sirius' instructions as she helped with fertilizing the ground then watering it just enough. It was so strange, but whenever she was with him- Iris felt so safe, like she could actually relax in his presence. The time they spent together that morning seemed more soothing and comfortable than anything she could ever remember.

25 days remain until the next full moon…