"Hey, Emil!" The excitable tone of his brother called out.

Emil shuffled beside the entrance of the kitchen,"Good morning…"

A body of voices replied with their own "good morning."

He gave a slight wave before walking over to the dining table. He pulled out his chair and sat down. Leaning on his arm, he blankly stared at the counter, lost in thought.

"So, Emil, how did you sleep last night?"

He looked up,"Oh, I slept alright," He nodded in confirmation of the statement,"Thanks, Tino."

Tino smiled, although not entirely convinced,"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" He set a plate of pancakes and silverware in front of Emil.

As Emil began to eat, another voice struck up conversation of the night before,"Haha! Are you sure you did?" Matthias pointed to Emil,"You look terrible!"

Before Emil could respond Lukas chimed in,"I'm sure he's fine, just leave him alone."

"Hey, I'm just saying," Matthias shrugged,"It's not like he looks his best right now. You should really get more sleep, Emil."

"I already said I'm okay!" Emil retorted.

"Geez, alright."

The rest of the morning continued with ongoing chatter around the table as they caught up on recent news and stories. After breakfast, Tino graciously took up everyone's plates and utensils.

As Emil walked out a hand on his shoulder took him by surprise,"Hey."

He turned to looked up at Berwald,"Oh, hey."

"...Try to take better care of yourself." He spoke, expressing his concern.

Emil solely nodded,"Yeah, I'll try…"

Berwald responded with a soft spoken 'hm' before letting him go.

Emil strolled to the bathroom at a brisk pace, but there was no more "bathroom" once he had stopped by the door. The flood of water from the toilet had seeped into the flooring, creating a discolored stain. He stepped across the puddle, opened the door, and turned on the light to gaze at the now placid stretch of water across the ground. Pieces of rinsed off chicken stuck in certain places.

He ran from the bathroom briefly to find his boots and put them on. He raced back. Emil waded across the still water and paused by the sink. He took out his toothbrush from the holder and began to brush his teeth. Once he was done with oral hygiene, he took up his hair brush and combed down his bedhead. Despite the grooming, a few waves of hair remained out of place.

Shaking the water from his boots, he exited the bathroom, politely turning off the light as he left. Emil returned to his room to change from his sleep wear and clothe himself in new attire.

The burden of loneliness still weighing on his mind, he headed to the front door, planning on going out for a walk.

With a hand on the door knob, Emil exclaimed to the household,"I'm going out! I'll be back in a while!"

Silence.

Suddenly, an emphatic,"A'ight!" acknowledged.

Emil twisted the handle and stepped outside, getting into his coat and scarf as he did. Taking his bike, he kicked up its stand before rolling it a distance and clambering on. While cycling down the road, Emil ceased his pedalling every so often to coast along the tranquil path. A mild gust of wind occasionally whipped at his clothes and hair. He would turn his head to wordlessly admire the hushed scenery blanketed under crisp weather. A chill blue sky lay overhead, clad in patches of pastel whites and grays.

Eventually, Emil had made his way to the outskirts of town. He continued to bike past quaint buildings of warm color and the different faces of distinctive people. He began to slow his pedalling, preparing on coming to a halt. His hand gripped the brake and brought the bike to a stop. Hopping off, he cycled his ride to the bike rack and locked it.

Emil now stared across the harbor, breathing in the brisk air that settled across the water. He exhaled, the warmth of his breath condensing into the wisps of a fog. A spray of mist showered him as the growing wind created waves against the shore.

He walked along. From the corner of his eye, Emil noticed a stranger pacing across the wharf. Despite all the various faces around the foreigner, they appeared to stick out from the rest. Emil couldn't help but awkwardly stare.

"How the heck did I even get here?" They asked aloud to no one in particular.

The spoken words of the stranger had planted themselves in Emil's thoughts. Already, he was beginning to feel a lightness in his chest. A pleasant warmth seemingly washed over him.