"...And they lived happily ever after.".
And thus ended the story of Cinderella, the girl whose glass slipper lead her to true love.
Closing the book with an amused look on her face, Silvia set the dusty leather-bound book onto the desk, wiping her hands on her apron as she leaned back into an old leather recliner.
"I thought you were supposed to be dusting off the bookshelf?", Ollerus asked, peering out from behind the old chair, handkerchief tied around his head in a makeshift bandana, grime and dust staining its pale yellow cloth as sweat began to gather on it.
Tightening the knot on her apron and picking up the feather duster on her lap as she sat up, Silvia looked back at Ollerus with an irritated grin on her face.
"And I thought you were supposed to be cleaning under the stairs?", she growled, her grin slowly becoming more and more malicious as she grasped Ollerus' chin with three fingers, shooting him a deliciously sadistic look as she leaned in closer to him, her hot breaths falling on his face as she eagerly awaited a response from him.
He was enjoying this more than he had thought.
"I'm done! I was just checking in on my favorite Saint! That's all!", he stumbled out, trying to hide the faint blush on his face as his breathing began to speed up in response to her breaths slowly kissing his face.
Yeah, he was into this.
Leaning in dangerously close to his ear, Silvia let out a mild giggle as she whispered closely into his ear.
"Trying to flatter me now, are you?", she asked, her grin breaking into an unseen smile, before she pulled away from him, giving him a playful pinch on the cheek as she patted his bandana clean.
"...You sure are into those books, huh?", Ollerus asked, dusting off his bandana even further as Silvia stared him down with a smile on her face.
"It's not my fault I'm reading them for the first time.", she told him, crossing her arms as she tilted her head to the side.
"Now I know what all the hype is about!", she exclaimed, letting out a chuckle as she picked up the leather-bound book, placing it back onto a sparkling clean shelf, nestling it amongst the many other books on the lacquered oak shelf.
The two couldn't help but share a smile as they stood beside the bookshelf, the fuzzy remains of an old song echoed in from downstairs as the afternoon sun shone in through the windows, coating the room in a hazy, golden glow.
"Well, I'm glad you can finally read up on these properly." Ollerus replied, he knew just how sparse Silvia's spare time was during her childhood under the care of Royal Maids, not having lived a particularly fulfilling life with them due to constant training, not to mention the special treatment she got due to her status as a Saint.
Looking back at Ollerus and raising an eyebrow as she dusted off the lowest part of the shelf, Silvia couldn't help but chuckle at her companion's enthusiasm at her having finished a children's book.
"Didn't you say these were meant for kids?", Silvia asked, running her fingers through the collection of hardcover books, their spines painted in various shades of deterioration, some books clearly more loved than others.
Untying the knot keeping his makeshift bandana together, Ollerus tossed the handkerchief into a basket and leaned up against the shelf, keeping his right arm on its side to support his weight.
"It's not a bad thing, is it?", he replied, brushing off a speck of dust that had found its way onto her face.
"Suuuure it isn't.", she responded, running her fingers over where Ollerus had touched, feeling a strange warmth where her fingers brushed up against her cheek.
"Besides, only a book like this could make the concept of a happy ending palatable!", though her tone was boisterous, the relaxed look on her face said it all, she was right where she wanted to be.
Literature was something Ollerus excelled at, so it was always a treat whenever Silvia, the less well-read of the two, found time to discuss a book she'd been reading, whether it was Bram Stoker's Dracula, or a certain series of books written by E.L. James that had "50" and a monochrome color in the title.
"Eh... isn't that a good thing?", Ollerus asked, massaging the joints on his arms.
"It would make sense for happy endings to happen a lot.".
"I mean, the books ARE for kids, after all.".
Ollerus gave Silvia a gentle smile as he stretched his arms, the telltale cracks and pops of joints settling in making themselves apparent as he raised his arms above his head, arching his back as he let out a yawn.
Silvia looked away for a second as she began to smile herself, "He's so cute...", she thought to herself, clearing her throat before turning back to face him.
It just didn't feel right, living peacefully with the man she loved the most.
"Happy endings just don't happen in real life!", she complained, pouting as her blue eyes locked onto Ollerus.
Shaking his head with his smile remaining unchanged, Ollerus tried his best to avoid another rant from his Saintly companion by deflecting her worries before she could wallow in them any further.
"Of course they do!", Ollerus leaned back against the shelf as he traced the outline of a light switch on the wall with his fingers, "It's just that nobody these days wants to see them being told.".
Nobody, huh?
Silvia did want to believe in a happy ending for everybody, she wanted everybody to set aside their differences and leave it at that, at the very least. But there were just too many things that didn't add up, Fiamma wanted to save the world, but went about it with malice, and was punished for it, Othinus wanted the world to return to the way she had envisioned it, but in doing so, went against the world, and pulled quite literally everybody into the conflict, even somebody she'd willingly worked with, Leivinia Birdway, orchestrated many big events that undoubtedly hurt a lot of people, just so her cabal could stand toe-to-toe with GREMLIN. What's the use of a happy ending, if all of it is built upon the suffering of others?
This was nothing like the stories they used to create the Fairy spell, happiness achieved through the suffering of others was hollow, at best So why do people deserve happy endings, if the happiness they sought, was derived from the suffering of others?
Even coming from Ollerus, those words didn't sit right with Silvia. If the selfish desired a happy ending through the pain of others, then they would pay for it, but Ollerus was nothing like that.
Even to his (and her) detriment, all he did was try to protect everyone around him, even as they were being pursued, all he did was in the service of good.
So, why?
Why didn't a person like Ollerus achieve a happy ending?
"If happily ever afters did exist...", the indifference on Silvia's face slowly morphed into a frown, as disgust settled within her heart, spurred on by what she felt *he* deserved to have.
"Then why did everything end the way it did?", slamming her fist down onto the desk beside her, the blonde's gaze dropped down to the ground, trying to hide her steadily growing fury, directed towards the world itself. "Why did she get away? Why did you, of all people, have to lose everything?".
It wasn't that simple of a situation to wrap his head around. One one hand, he somewhat agreed with her assessment, he'd been sent back to square one, losing some of his ability to cast spells, and his physical capability had been greatly hampered by the Fairy spell. But on the other hand...
"That's...", he wasn't going to pick a side this time, there was too much for Ollerus to unpack, "Such a loaded question...".
Her imminent rage somewhat quelled by his indecisiveness, Silvia's anger turned to confused irritation, the fury in her eyes shifting to a puzzled look, as she herself, was starting to lose her train of thought.
"Really? You lost everything! Is that so hard to understand?!?", she spat out, making her concern for him apparent as she got right up to his face, the puzzled look on her face, hiding hints of worry behind its crazed facade.
With her hands on his shoulders, Silvia felt Ollerus' hands grasp her forearms, and pull her arms down, his fingers sliding down her sleeved arms to meet her hands.
"Even if, admittedly, the last stretch didn't go all too well for me...", exerting a gentle grip on Silvia's hands to comfort her, Ollerus met the gaze of his Saintly companion as her expression softened to match his.
"We still won in the end, right?", he reassured, locking his fingers around hers, flashing her a half-hearted smile.
She was right.
He was nothing like how he'd been before.
Powerless, weak, lost.
And yet...
"I know! It's just-", feeling his fingers intertwined with hers did help to ease her mind a bit, but as each curl of his lips fought hard to stay upright, she could tell he still had more to say.
"Where's the "happy ending" those books we used for the Fairy spell promised?", she asked, her concerned gaze meeting his.
"I-", Ollerus hesitated for a moment, he knew what he was about to say, and he knew it would go against everything he'd ever lived for.
"I'm more than happy that the world is safe.".
But at the same time, he would be lying if he said he didn't want this, sure, it was in his plan for Othinus to be defeated, even if it weren't by his hands, but everything that lead up to her defeat, didn't seem to matter all that much, now that he was where he'd always wanted to end up, right after losing his shot at becoming a Magic God.
"But...", he hesitated once more, he knew what his heart wanted, but he was concerned about what Silvia would think about his decision.
As if knowing what he was thinking at that very moment, Silvia replied with a "But...?" of her own.
Steeling his resolve, Ollerus' expression changed to that of resolution, the serious look he wore against Othinus, alarming Silvia as a jolt ran through her body, upon hearing what he had to say next.
"Maybe it's a good thing that I got hit by the spell.", he turned away from her gaze for a moment, his voice audibly wavering as he thought of what to say next, his heart dropping as he seemingly threw away all of what had made him so downtrodden.
"If I still had Hliðskjálf with me, we'd still be going on adventures together.", his grip around Silvia's fingers tightened as the notion of travelling the world, righting Magic Side wrongs with Silvia, slipped away from his fingers, possibly for good.
"We'd still be hunted down by any cabal who wanted to use my power for themselves.", feeling a light squeeze on his left hand, he brought his gaze back to Silvia, as he imagined the two of them on the road, possibly aided by Fiamma and Brunhild, as a group of Magic Side castaways, with nowhere else to go.
"We'd be on the run every single day.", his brows furrowed as he fought the urge to let out a single tear, he was angry, more than anything, angry at the thought of abandoning whatever the two had right now.
"We wouldn't be living a life like this.".
It just wasn't fair.
She could tell he was still hurting, even with the threat of capture, however slim that may have been, nothing but distant memories, she just couldn't wrap her head around why he was so content, living a life like this.
"It just isn't fair, even without the threat of somebody getting ahold of you.", she commented, looking defeated, as her downtrodden expression hung drearily over her face.
"You're even farther from becoming a Magic God now.", she was perfectly content with how things had turned out for her, but that wasn't what she was worried about.
"You're even farther from where you said you've always wanted to be.", her worry lay with Ollerus, her beloved Ollerus.
The idiot who thought he could fit 100 children into a tiny apartment complex.
The magician who could rival the power of a Magic God.
The man who should have been a Magic God.
The- no, her failure.
"Still, does that not upset you?", she asked, her expression softening to a melancholic, yet loving gaze.
"It bothers me, even now.", he replied, though the topic of that hurt more than ever before, her just being there, made it bearable.
"It hurts even thinking about it.".
"I still wish for another chance to present itself to me.".
"But I can't go back and change what's already done.".
It had become increasingly clear to her that he'd already made up his mind, he was clearly content with life as it was right now, but for what reason, she couldn't tell.
Okay, it was probably because he could sit in all day with a pint of ice cream, but that was neither here nor there.
But still, if this was his choice, there was nothing she could do about it. At the very least, she could tell he was enjoying his time here, and that was all that mattered.
But even so, she still couldn't fully wrap her head around it.
"I-", still left with a tiny shard of disbelief, Silvia tried her best not to take a jab at Ollerus, but couldn't resist the urge to rub it in.
"God, I just don't get you sometimes.".
"First, you're up at night, crying about that moment where you gave it all up.".
"And now you're perfectly happy with... whatever's happening to you now.".
"Are you sure you're happy with whatever's happening right now?".
A faint blush formed on Ollerus' face as Silvia's playfulness began to show itself again, a sign that things were right in the world once more.
A grin formed on the pair's faces as Silvia's fingers slipped away from Ollerus' grasp, her left hand ending up on his head as she gave it a hefty rub.
"Well, Fiamma and Brunhild are on the lookout for people who still don't know I've lost my touch, so we're definitely safe, as long as they keep looking out for us.", Ollerus felt a light pull on his hair as Silvia playfully tightened her grip around his head, prompting him to attempt to pry her hand off his head.
"That's why I think we can afford to lay low like this for a while.", the feeling of Silvia's touch, even as said touch threatened to pull him up by his hair, was always a treat, only enhanced by the feeling of spilling his heart out to her, reciprocated with playful jabs when it felt right.
"And besides, isn't it a good thing that we can kick back and relax without getting into fights all the time?".
Silvia doubted this veeery slightly, after all, he had some choice words to say regarding... things she'd done to him.
Her playful expression disappeared upon hearing what he'd just said, being replaced with one of doubt as she raised one eyebrow.
"...Didn't you say you liked it whenever I beat you up?", she asked, tilting her head to the side, much to his horror.
"N-not what I was talking about!", he fired back, the blush on his face growing until it dyed his cheeks bright red.
"Hm... And how about that time when I spanked your behind after you messed up the laundry? Didn't I hear you say you wanted more?", her lips curled into a toothy, sadistic grin, as she leaned in closer with a playful "Hm?".
Ollerus' lower half shifted as he tried not to embarrass himself in front of Silvia, if he showed any sign of acknowledgment, he feared what she'd do to him, and if she'd take it even further... best leave it up to your imagination, 'kay?
"WHA-?!? WHEN DID YOU HEAR THA-", his immediate rebuttal of her claim only sent her for a loop as she watched him writhe and squirm against her grip, he was so cute whenever she had him cornered like this, if only she could see this side of him more often...
"I mean- No! I didn't say that!", correcting his course a tad bit too late, Ollerus felt Silvia's grip around his hair completely disappear, as she took to brushing his hair back to how it was, before she oh so graciously tickled a part of his psyche he dared not venture to.
The malice in her grin melted away, leaving Silvia with a genuine smile as she gave Ollerus one final pinch to the cheek, prompting him to let out a half-hearted "Ehhhh...".
"Just kidding!", letting go of his cheek, Silvia rolled up her sleeves and undid her apron, tossing it towards the desk she threatened to reduce to splinters earlier.
Looking around the room, she could tell that she was starting to warm up to this place, she'd already resigned to living in this little house with her travelling partner, but hearing word from Ollerus himself regarding their arrangement just sealed the deal for her.
"But... It is nice that we get to do something like this.", brushing away loose strands of hair that had strayed onto her face, Silvia turned to a filled dustpan, sitting against the wall, and chucked its contents into a bin, setting it down beside the desk as she proudly looked upon their new study.
"It's not often that we get to settle down somewhere for more than a few months.", she commented, slipping off her work boots and replacing them with a pair of yellow flip-flops she stored beneath the shelf, relieved that they only had the television to set up after this.
Looking back at Ollerus with a chuckle, Silvia beckoned for him to come help her with something, unrolling a large carpet that was leaning against the wall, one of its woven ends ending up at Ollerus' feet, prompting him to help her centre it properly.
"Are you sure this is what you want?", taking a seat on the carpet, Silvia patted down a spot beside her, prompting Ollerus to take a seat beside her, their hands sinking into the fluffy fabric, jutting out from the surface of the velveted carpet.
Taking one look at Silvia, Ollerus had already made up his mind, in fact, he'd made up his mind the moment he first laid eyes on her.
The afternoon sun shone in through the window, its warm light crawling over the back of her blonde hair, their edges glowing an almost gold iridescence as she stood against the warm glow of the sunlight.
The sunlight shone, almost opressive against the dimly lit sight of her face, the soft curvature of her face standing in opposition to the gentle expression of warmth on her face.
In that afternoon light, she was all that existed in the world to him, the only person he knew would never leave him, his best friend, his companion, his bodyguard, his...
...Future wife? Maybe he was being a bit too hopeful, maybe he should shoot for something a bit more achievable.
"Of course.", he said, with a smile, the subtle gleam in his eyes and the way he said it, sent a tiny shock throughout Silvia's body, as she couldn't help but widen her smile in response, her heart slowly quickening its pace.
"In a sense, I finally did get my happily ever after.", he added, planting his hand just a few inches beside Silvia's. The Saint seemingly noticed this gesture, and reciprocated by moving her hand juuuust a few inches, enough for him to think that she'd accidentally bumped into his hand.
"Hm? And what's that?", she asked, not expecting anything too grand.
Safe to say, she set her expectations WAY too low.
Feeling her fingers brush up to his, Ollerus hesitated, looking down onto the carpet as his cheeks flushed a faint pink, he'd practiced this so many times before in his mind, only now had he seen how awkward saying it truly was.
But still, even amidst her presence, all of his fears melted away, upon seeing her smiling face, waiting for an answer.
Keeping his eyes trained on the carpet's edges, yet holding his head up high, Ollerus gulped down on his worry and said what he'd always wanted to say.
"Having somebody like you with me, every step of the way.".
As if a switch had been flipped, the pair's faces flushed an intense shade of bright red, Silvia placing a hand to her mouth in equal parts embarrassment and excitement, while Ollerus' gaze turned skyward, cielingward in this case, as he felt his soul leave his body in embarrassment.
"He's so cute...".
"She's so cute...".
The pair thought in unison, Silvia wanting to let loose and make him feel even more flustered, while Ollerus couldn't help but take lightning-fast glances at Silvia, each look at her flustered expression making him fall for her even more.
Clearing her throat, there was no hiding how flustered she was anyway, Silvia was full-on glowing.
"I...", she tried to respond, words finding themselves caught in her throat for the first time, turning to face him didn't help at all, as the look of him all flustered like that, only served to excite her even more.
"Don't give me that!!!", she yelled, her voice unnaturally shaky.
"Why would you ever be happy with me, anyways?!?", she couldn't believe what he was saying, there was NO way he'd ever want her to stay with him, considering all the stuff she'd put him through.
"I hit you over the head with furniture! I yell at you when you screw up the laundry! And I tried to turn away all of those children in Milan! Well, even though I let them in, but still! What makes you think I'd ever make you happy?!?".
Even though she sounded agitated, her tone, and face, said it all, she was overjoyed, she was happy that he'd thought of her in that way. It just... didn't seem right to her.
Alas, out of all the things Ollerus could ever know, this was something that still stumped him, to this day.
"Do you really want me to give you a reason why?!?", he hastily fired back, only upping the heat gathering in Silvia's face as she realized:
This was probably unconditional.
He didn't need to have a reason to feel this way around her, he just did.
This only seemed to fluster the Saint even more, she thought she'd have more control over the situation, now knowing the man she loved the most, quite possibly felt the same way she did towards him.
But she was wrong.
She had been brought down to Ollerus' level, a flustered, blushing mess, no amount of Sainthood or Telesma could ever fix this.
The inner workings of a girl in love.
As if a scale had been tipped, seeing Silvia's demeanor soften quite a bit, Ollerus took the time to finish what he had started.
"I think- no, I KNOW you're a wonderful person, Silvia.".
thump
"You've done so much for me in these few years we've been traveling together.".
thump
"You're always there to cheer me up whenever things like this happen.".
thump
"You clean up every mess I make, even if I tell you not to.".
thump
"You're...".
Taking her chance as he struggled to get the words out, Silvia finally turned back to face Ollerus, her flustered face contorted into an amalgamated expression of nervousness and excitement, awaiting his next words with bated breaths.
"Honestly, you've done, so, so much for me, words can't describe how much I owe you.".
Her left hand began to snake its way towards his direction, her fingers brushing past the fluff of the carpet as it sought out Ollerus.
"You're important to me, Silvia.".
Leaning in to close the miniscule distance between hers and Ollerus' bodies, Silvia's erratic heartbeat practically pounded within her chest, sounding like the beating of drums.
"I hope you can see that.".
A single tear rolled down her cheek as her hand found its way to his cheek once more, her gesture seemingly reciprocated as he brought his hand to her face, wiping away the tear that stained her beautiful visage.
"That's why I want to have you by my side all the time.".
Once the first tear found its way out of her ducts, there was no stopping the rest that patiently waited behind it, as another tear rolled down Silvia's face.
Ollerus had never seen Silvia like this before.
Most times, she would be the one comforting him whenever he cried late into the night, tears shed over people he couldn't save, choices he could've made.
Of course, Silvia never cried like this. Ever-confident, she took every step she made in life with grace, not letting the little things so as much bother her.
But these tears were different.
These tears weren't shed out of grief, sadness, or longing. No, these tears were shed out of how he made her feel.
These were tears of joy.
Throwing herself onto Ollerus, Silvia's arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace, threatening to pulverize the weakened former Magician as tears of joy rolled down her face.
"You idiot...", her hoarse voice trickled out, a phrase all too familiar to Ollerus.
Ollerus couldn't feel flustered anymore, no, not at something like this, this warranted something even deeper than mere puppy love.
"I'm not going anywhere, you hear me?", Silvia spat out, pulling away from his body by a few inches, making it so that their faces were but a hand's length away.
Tears streamed down the Saint's face as years of bottled up emotions spilled out in an instant, coughing up whatever she'd been stowing away in her heart for all those years.
"You're important to me too, alright? I won't ever leave you. Ever.".
Bringing up his hand to wipe away her tears, Ollerus could feel Silvia's heartbeat through her chest as it pressed up against his.
It'd been beating as hard as his, hell, probably by an even larger amount, as Saint's hearts were probably augmented in order to keep their powerful bodies afloat.
The pitter-patter of their hearts together was magical, the Saint's tears began to cease as she let out a smile brighter than a thousand suns, while the Failed Magic God's mouth curled into a gentle smile.
Their faces were mere inches away at this point, each could feel the other's breaths on their lips as Silvia's tight embrace threatened to meld hers and Ollerus' bodies together.
"Silvia? I-Is something wrong?", Ollerus asked, clearly flustered, his hands clutching her apron tightly as he tried his hardest to keep his composure.
Shaking her head in response, Silvia could feel sweat pour from her forehead as the situation developed further, something big was about to happen, and they both knew it.
"No, I'm just... relieved.", she answered, her eyes looking to the side in order to avoid meeting Ollerus' gaze directly.
"R-really? You're breathing... very heavily...", he replied, trying to ignore the urge to reciprocate her (somewhat clear) need for affection, as he fought tooth and nail to keep himself from kissing her right then and there.
"I could say the same for your heartbeat.", she replied, her hands fidgeting behind his back as she rerealized what she had just said.
The tension in the room threatened to crush the pair if they didn't do something about it, with their bodies and hearts uncomfortably close to eachother, just one move would be enough to set them off.
He'd missed his chance at becoming a Magic God ages ago, this was a chance he wasn't willing to flake on once again, the chance to finally show Silvia how much she meant to him.
"There's something in your eye.", Ollerus lied, taking the initiative, in an attempt to initiate their faces getting even closer to eachother.
Silvia's heart skipped a beat as soon as he said this, she'd seen this in the movies way too many times to count, it was happening.
"D-do you mind getting it for me?", she asked, giving him permission to move in closer and inspect whatever he'd seen, but she was smarter than this, she knew what he was trying to pull.
And yet, she still, willingly, fell for it.
With everything all said and done, Silvia squinted as Ollerus began to move in closer to "inspect her eye", each passing second feeling like an eternity as their faces inched closer and closer together.
click
All of a sudden, the door flew open as Fiamma and Brunhild stepped into the room, the wielder of the Holy Right carrying a large basket filled with groceries, while the Saint-Valkyrie carried a heavy electric stove on her shoulder.
"Hello there.", Brunhild greeted, immediately noticing the compromising position Ollerus and Silvia had caught themslves in, her affirmations of something more happening between the two, all but proving themselves right.
"I hope you don't mind us checking in, we brought you a late housewarming gif-", Fiamma stepped in through the doorway first with a smile on his face, taking a moment to process what was truly happening, feeling a tug on his sleeve from Brunhild as the color drained from his face, realizing what he'd caught his two companions in.
Turning her head to face the two, Silvia suddenly let go of Ollerus and stood up, her flustered face growing even redder, not from embarrassment, but from rage.
"You.".
One step from Silvia was all it took for Brunhild to take the basket from Fiamma, shooting him an abnormally worried look as she shook her head, as if to say "You're on your own.".
The pair could see just how red Silvia's face was, with Ollerus being too stunned to move as he stood, locked into position, utterly defeated.
"Saw.".
Planting her left foot firmly onto the ground, Silvia took one more step towards Fiamma, stepping to the side with her right foot and raising her left leg into the air, chambering her knee so it pressed up against her stomach.
"NOTHIIIINNNNGGGG!!!".
Spinning around on the balls of her feet, Silvia spun around and shot out her left leg backwards from its chambered position, pointing her toes down and dropping her hip to gain more power, hitting Fiamma square in the chest.
Fiamma flew through the house upon impact, going through an open window, and into a pine tree in the front yard.
Fiamma of the Right: RETIRED
All Fiamma could see was stars as the impact of Silvia's textbook spinning back kick, ached and throbbed, his entire being still intact, thanks to a barrier spell Silvia had cast directly before impact.
Turning her head to face Brunhild, her fellow Saint shrugged, and pointed towards the kitchen.
"...We'll install this downstairs... if you don't mind...", she awkwardly commented, slowly moving away from the doorframe, carefully manoeuvring the electric stove so it didn't catch on any of the framed pictures on the wall.
Turning back to face Ollerus, Silvia's expression quickly turned to that of embarrassment as she crumpled to the ground in defeat.
Such a beautiful moment, interrupted in the worst of ways.
"Oh bother, I think we still need to hook up the television!", Ollerus commented, wanting to defuse the situation as best as he could.
Standing up with an annoyed look on her face, Silvia immediately headed towards the door, without so much as acknowledging what Ollerus had said.
"...We better get changed.", she replied, standing by the doorway, gaze turned downwards to the floor, mentally kicking herself.
"...Alright.", Ollerus replied, heading for the door.
But not before being stopped by Silvia, as he felt her hand tug at his collar.
Turning his head to face her, Ollerus was interrupted by the feeling of her lips pressed against his cheek.
It lasted no longer than 5 seconds, but god, it felt like an eternity.
Pulling away with a *smooch, Silvia shot Ollerus a warm smile, followed by a giggle as she made her way out the door, waving him off as she made her way to her room.
"Carson Clay Pictures presents...".
"Carson Clay.".
"In a Carson Clay production...".
"Of a Carson Clay film.".
A hot bowl of broth bubbled over a portable gas burner, several root crop vegetables broiled and turned within the broth, as the burner lay surrounded by meats, vegetables, noodles, and sauces of all kinds.
A certain film played on the television, the greyscale color palette, combined with the constant reversal of the film reel, left a strange taste in everybody's mouths.
Ollerus and Silvia sat awkwardly beside eachother on the floor, bowls in hand as they focused on the movie.
Sitting across from them Brunhild took charge of checking on the vegetables, poking and prodding at them to see if they were done, while Fiamma sat directly behind the burner, changing the size of the flame in accordance to Brunhild's directions.
Looking over at the couple focused on the movie, Fiamma could feel the tension emanating from them as they picked out morsels of meat and dumped them into the rolling stew, every form of contact they made only adding to the tension as they wordlessly waited for the broth to cook the meats.
"I think we came here at a bad time!", Fiamma whispered as he leaned to his side, prompting a nod from Brunhild as she watched the two catching momentary glimpses at eachother, right across from her.
"...You said it.", leaning up against Fiamma to make their conversation more discreet, Brunhild added a brick of noodles to the pot as she scooted closer to Fiamma.
"Tell me, have you seen them do something like... that... before?", she asked, genuinely curious.
"Way too many times...", he replied.
"Makes you feel a bit out of place.", distracted by their conversation, Fiamma's hand slipped, and made its way directly into the flame, causing him to shriek as Brunhild pulled it away from the gas burner, and dunked it into a glass of water, all without alerting Ollerus and Silvia.
Massaging the only hand he had left, Brunhild shrugged, wrapping Fiamma's hand in a handtowel as she grabbed a can of soda out of the cooler and made him hold it.
"In a way, it does.", she replied, pressing the can onto Fiamma's hand, holding it down as they shared an awkward chuckle.
As the movie cut to a sped-up scene of played-back footage of a British man improperly eating a langoustine, Ollerus thought back to what he and Silvia had said to eachother earlier in the day.
"What's going to happen now?", he thought, was there something happening between the two of them now? She kissed him on the cheek, yes, but she teased him like that all the time! Was that really enough to give him the green light?
Feeling a weight press up against his body, Ollerus looked to the side and caught Silvia's head on his shoulder, her body leaning up against him as her eyes rolled to the side.
"Look at those two.", she whispered, prompting Ollerus to take a quick glance at Fiamma and Brunhild.
The two smiled awkwardly as Brunhild tended to Fiamma's hand, the Valkyrie-Saint manning the stove with her free hand, they were enjoying themselves, it seemed.
With their gazes coming back to eachother, Ollerus and Silvia gave eachother a warm smile, before simultaneously reaching for the ladle beside the pot of broth.