Only five people ended showing up at the soup kitchen for lunch.
It was five more people than Roy had known, and as Zelda shut the door behind the last of them as they left, he smiled, feeling proud of himself. The chess tournament felt like a distant memory now, and all his worries unimportant.
"That was fun," he said, stretching his arms. He moved to put the soup ladle into his belt, before he remembered that he'd already had a sword strapped there, so he settled with putting it back down by his side. Humming, he added, "I think I might return here soon."
"Don't leave just yet," Zelda said as she brushed past him. "We still have to clean up."
Roy frowned. "Clean up?"
"There is no one else here, yes? Just you and me. That leaves us with the responsibility to make sure this place is tidy when we leave."
Roy would have groaned, but it would probably offend Zelda and make her think that he was ungrateful, so he settled for a disappointed sigh. "Don't we have janitors for this?"
"We do, but because it is rarely populated, they only come here once a week. Until then, we must make sure that this place is clean enough for lunch tomorrow."
"Alright. I suppose that makes sense." It made sense, but that didn't make it any easier to do, and it was with the weight of the task at hand that Roy stumbled after her and back into the kitchen.
As he pushed through the door, he found Zelda already hauling a tray of sandwiches out from the serving counter. He had seen her fight in the arena plenty of times and had no doubts that she was a capable fighter, but as she wobbled to the side, following the tray as it tried to fall out of her arms, he figured that she probably needed a little help.
Hey. I'm here too, remember?" he said, taking the tray from her arms and hoisting it over his shoulders. "If you needed my help, you simply had to ask."
Zelda's smile returned to her face. "I suppose there is some wisdom in your words. I'm still getting used to having another pair of hands in the kitchen."
"Yes." Roy frowned. "Speaking of that, why are you the only one who works here? Does anyone else know about this place?"
Zelda shrugged. "Byleth and Byleth know about this place; when they came here, this was where they stayed, so they had to work here. When I came to volunteer, though, it seems that they've decided to appear less often. I suppose they have decided to befriend the other Fire Emblem characters."
Chuckling, Roy said, "I can confirm that. Robin seems to have taken irritation in that fact."
"As much as I realize they must have lives outside of this, it does mean that I tend to work here alone. Having someone else around truly does help, though. I'm glad that you volunteered to help me."
"Yes. I'm surprised that you're so insistent on cleaning. I'd think someone like you would have some friends to help you out."
Zelda laughed. It was a soft, breathy thing, light like clouds and whipped cream. "If you've been here as long as I have, you learn how to do things on your own. It is simply how things are done. If you cannot adapt, you will not survive, royalty or not."
"I suppose you're right," Roy said. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that you've been in this mall for as long as I have."
Zelda waved him away. "There's no need to apologize. I am not someone to take offense in such things."
"Oh. Thank you."
"As much as I'd hate to impose, though, do you think you could move the soup back into the refrigerator for tomorrow? I'm afraid that I lack the strength for such a task, and you seem far better suited than I."
Smiling, Roy opened the fridge with one hand and slid the tray of sandwiches inside. "Of course. I would love nothing more."
Zelda nodded her thanks, and as she breezed over to the sink, Roy made his way back to the service counter. Like he had seen Zelda do with the sandwiches, Roy grasped the edges of the soup tray and pulled it out. He turned slowly toward the fridge and began his trek back, but the task proved harder than he'd anticipated. Every step he took tilted the pan one way or another, and the soup sloshed around the pan. Drops spilled over the edges, tickling his fingers and pooling in the cracks in the floor, and when he glanced to the side and saw a rectangular lid lying on the counter, he realized his mistake.
Roy groaned. With some effort, he shifted the tray to his other hand and reached for the lid, but his fingers slipped over the metal. This was a job for two hands.
Roy leaned over to the side and placed the tray on a countertop. He plucked the lid and looked over it. His own face stared at him, and, on impulse, he tilted the shiny metal surface to check his face.
A crash came from behind him. Roy spun around, and he paled. As he was distracted with the lid, the soup tray had fallen over and spilled all over the floor.
"Roy?" he heard Zelda call from the sink. "Is something the matter?"
"Nothing!" he called back. Then he turned to the soup. "Dammit. Of all things, why did I have to mess this up?"
There was a mop resting in the corner of the kitchen. Quietly, Roy made his way over, grabbed the mop, and turned around–
Zelda was already standing by the soup, a curious look on her face.
"You spilled your soup," Zelda said.
Roy inclined his head. "It's fine. I'll clean it up."
Zelda knelt down. The soup took to her dress like a hungry dog, spreading a bright yellow blotch over the spotless white cloth. Roy winced, but Zelda didn't seem to notice. She waved her hand, and a ribbon of fire materialized over the soup. The flames roared, lapping up the soup and turning it into steam until the upturned tray was all that remained on the floor.
"You told me something about asking for help earlier," Zelda said.
"I would have liked to clean it up by myself," he replied.
"And I would have liked to help."
Roy kicked the floor. "You didn't have to. You already did so much."
"I find happiness in being able to do more." Her face was bright. Blinding, in fact. Roy had to look away.
"Oh. Well, good for you."
Delicate footsteps tapped over the floor. A hand appeared in his sight, reaching across to rest on his shoulder.
"Is something the matter?"
Roy looked up, and he found Zelda's sapphire blue eyes staring back, swimming with concern that called out to his soul, almost as if they could pull his worries out of his heart.
"You do so much," Roy said, "and I've done so little. I just feel like I can't do enough. All the other Fire Emblem fighters do everything so much better than me. Do you think you could just leave something for me to do on my own?"
Zelda's lips turned down. "Roy," she said. Her voice was still soft, yet it held an unwavering line inside. "This isn't a contest. You don't need to do as much as I do. Just by being here, you've already done enough."
"It doesn't feel that way to me."
"Hm." Zelda nodded sagely. "Then I suppose it can't be helped." And the smile returned to her face, but softer, gentler. Like she understood, and like she was going to hold up his heart by herself. "If you feel as if you can't do enough, then I'll teach you until you can do enough."
Roy smiled. "Thank you. I think I'd like that." Then he frowned. "When do we start?"
"As soon as we clean up the rest of this kitchen." Zelda gave his shoulder a firm shake, and she gave a light chuckle. "What do you say we take a walk around the mall, then? We've spent years in the same building without crossing paths once. As much as you might want to hear from me, there's plenty I'd like to hear from you. Would you be up for some much-needed catching up?"
Happy New Years, to all you reading in the brand new year of 2022!
Sometimes it's hard to just keep up a writing streak. I'm sure you all know how it feels to need a break, and I was kind of tired yesterday, so I didn't upload. I'd like to say something like "to make it up for you, I made this chapter extra long", but as you can see, it is actually extra short, so... oops.
Let's usher in a brand new year with as much joy as we can. With this new year comes new opportunities, so I urge you all to make the most of it. The new year brings a new us, so be sure to take the chance to make yourself new with both hands, and stay safe out there!
