"... I'm so sorry, Kevin..."
"... I've failed as your mother..."
"... But I'm tired... I'm so, so tired..."
"... At least this way..."
"... At least this way, the two of us can..."
Kevin woke up suddenly and breathing heavily because of all too familiar dream he's been having since... He wouldn't think of it, he would not think about it
"...That... Dream again..." Kevin dryly said catching his breath steadying it back to normal "I would've thought I've stopped having those dreams already..." The green haired boy said to himself
He look around the room and finds that the other bed beside him was empty '... Seems I woke up late again...' the boy though, sighed he move out of the bed and ready to start today's chores
He walked the pristine hallway of the great cathedral going to the library where he would start his assigned chores, it has been a full week now since he was found and brought in by one of the bishop of Congregation for the Sacrament. It was still hard for him to adjusting to the life in the church but sister Rufina, Ries and bishop Wiessmann believe he would be just fine and that he will be not realize it when he used to his new surrounding.
Kevin remember how in the first few days he live in the great cathedral, he would sometimes found himself lost in the giant cathedral until other sisters or father's found him and return him to the bishop.
Luckily also because of his constant exploring he was now able to memorize the layout of the cathedral easily with this knowledge he can sneak out from the cerfew that bishop Wiessmann in force for him but he just like to messing with the older man for light fun.
Once Kevin arrived at the library he sees a new books had just arrived and needed to be sorted out and catalog, he takes a stroller for the books and walked around the library to sorted the books then after he checked in at the library receptionist.
After he checked in himself not long after the library receptionist arrived, usually the receptionist change everyday and this time it was big sister Rufina friend turn to watch over the library.
"Miss Selnate?" Kevin said slightly surprised to see her here, he remembered that Wiessmann mentioned that she is a very busy person with her work... What ever her work is "why are you here? I thought you have work to do"
Selnate walked up to the green haired boy and petting his permanently straight up hair "No work for me today so I'm here to help you" she told him and then the sister look slightly disappointed "but honestly, I wish you would call me big sister too like Rufina"
The boy smugly smile with a proud look on him "Hehe, sorry miss Selnate but only Rufina can get the big sister title from me" he proclaimed
The sister chuckle at how cute little Kevin was acting "you take a break now Kevin, I can manage alone" Selnate said and the child about to protest but then the sister added "Ries is waiting at the garden to play with you"
And with that Kevin leave the sister to go to the garden to play with Ries because Aidios knows what Ries is when she's mad, Selnate look back at the young boy deeply thinking about something.
Ries was sitting at the fountain swaying her feet back and forth bored waiting for the green haired boy then Kevin arrived not long after but Ries was already looking pretty mad at him.
"I'm sorry Ries for coming late" Kevin said clapped his hand in front of her "I didn't know you're coming to visit" he tells her
The little girl is still mad at him and her anger doesn't seem likely to be letting down anytime soon, he need to improvise quickly!
He suddenly got an idea but it involves something he doesn't like to do at all, with that Kevin gather his courage and said "Please forgive me, Ries! I'm truly sorry!" When that still didn't work now he'll use his trump card
"... 'sigh' I guess, I'll eat all the cookies I baked last night"
With that the girl turn to him a shine of amazement was on Ries face "You can bake cookies?" She asked
"Yeah! I make them last night when bishop Wiessmann hadn't return from his office" Kevin told her then whisper "just don't tell anyone, ok?"
Ries nod and just like that her anger was like it never happens then the two children start to play in the garden as some father's and sister's walked by. Time goes by quickly to noon and the two children was all but spent from playing all morning so the two children walk back inside going to the kitchen to get the cookies, he takes it from one of the drawers where he had stashed it away.
"Here you go" Kevin handed the girl a plate of cookies because he knows Ries appetite is like a deep hole, he then proceed to take some for himself to enjoy
Ries takes a bite of the cookie and was suprise and familiar the chocolate taste "This chocolate..." She blurted out
"Oh, I found a bunch of big bar of chocolate in one of the cabinet and use the one that had already been open" the green haired boy told her "I don't know any of the brand because there's no name on it but it taste like that hot chocolate a week ago" he continues "so sorry if isn't your liking Ries" he apologize
But instead of disappointment on Ries face it was her deadpan face "Kevin, you pervert" she suddenly said
Kevin almost choked on the cookie he was eating "Wh- what do you mean by THAT?!" He said to her shock was evident in his face
Ries kept that face as she explain to him what she meant "you specifically choose the chocolate that was use for the hot chocolate that bishop Wiessmann made for you and big sister Rufina had to do a mouth feed for you to actually eat"
The boy was slightly blush and shake his head in object "I just like the chocolate taste! It has nothing to do with what big sis Rufina did" Kevin told her "Honest!"
"..." Ries was quite her light green eyes critically judging him, not long after she sigh see that what he say is true "the chocolate brand is Quincy Bell's chocolate, the cost and taste are worth the Mira"
The green haired boy take another bites of the cookies "Any other chocolate flavor from Quincy Bell's you can recommend for me?" He asked
Ries tell him different flavors of chocolate that he should try and he listens to her every suggestions and as they continue to eat they're have not realize that someone had entered the room.
"Oh? I didn't know that you two are here, I thought you two still playing outside"
The two children turn to see sister Selnate was here with them "miss Selnate? Are your work is done then?" Kevin question
Selnate walked up to the children's looking at what are they doing in the kitchen "just taking a break, am I not allowed to?" She tease the boy
"N- no, I didn't mean it like that!" Kevin clarify
The sister only chuckle "don't worry, I'm only just messing with you Kevin" she said then took a notice of their cookies "did someone just bake you those cookies?" Selnate asked
"Kevin bake them" Ries told her while the girl was chewing the cookie
Selnate was impressed to heard that "Really? That's pretty impressive of you Kevin" the sister compliment
The green haired boy blushes at the compliment but try to act as if it wasn't something to be impressed about "It- it isn't that impressive..." Kevin grumble
"I digress" the sister disagree with the boy "can I have a try of your cookie?" She asked
Ries gives her some of the cookie from the cookie jar, Selnate takes a a bite of the cookie and was really take a liking of the rich taste of the chocolate it's a perfect balance of bitter and sweet.
"This is quite good" she told them and the green haired boy blushes more at the compliment but again he tries not to show it
Ries suddenly thought of something and asked the boy "Kevin, did you already done memorize the testament?"
Kevin look at her in confusion and slight surprised in his eyes then suddenly averted his gaze, he looks as if he was hesitant to reply to her then he as quietly and little voice answer hoping that Ries can't hear it
"N... No... I... Haven't..."
But sadly lady luck wasn't on his side today "WHAT?!?"
Kevin quickly raise his hands up in defense against whatever the young girl trying to do to him "I- I'm simply had forgotten about it! Honest!" He uselessly try to convince her but to no avail
Ries standing up and grabbed the boy back shirt then draged him out of the kitchen "You can't convince me otherwise Kevin" she said then continue "We should start memorize the testament right away, to the library we go!" She excitedly exclaimed
"Eh?!"
As the two children walked the grand hallway of the cathedral Ries notice a group of people discussing something one of these people was Bishop Weissmann, the older man glance over and took a notice of the two children.
"Hello there children" the Bishop greeted them but then Weissmann seeing the little girl Ries dragging Kevin around like a sad sack
"Um... Ries? Why are you dragging around Kevin like that?" He question the young girl and the youngest Argent answered "Making sure he doesn't run away from memorizing the testament" after she answered Ries continues her way to the library with the green haired boy in tow
One of the members of the seat for the Congregation for the Sacraments turn to him look puzzled and curious "Who is that green haired boy?"
The other member answer before he did "That's Georg kid, the child is found by him alone in the cold one night"
"I am only takes care of the boy until his guardians turn up" Weissmann corrected his colleague but then he voicing his concern "... It has been a full week and his guardians hadn't shown up"
The members of the Congregation for the Sacraments turn to the direction of the children and have sympathetic look in their faces, he doesn't know why Kevin parents hadn't turn up to pick the boy up he would need to ask the child himself but at the moment Kevin seems doesn't want to share anything with anyone yet even if he was now close with the Argent sisters and somewhat close with himself.
Kevin and Ries arrived at the library and the younger Argent gave him the book "Since you haven't memorize the testament I'll be your helper until you do" Ries told him
The green haired boy groans, he did not want to memorize the testament if he could avoid doing that but he can't do it if Ries is the one who will supervised him. Defeated, Kevin tries to memorize the testament and the younger Argent would help if he misremembering the wording.
After a while of trying to memorize the testament, the day had gone by in a flash and now sunset has down in Arteria. The green haired boy is spent from trying to racks his brain to remember a couple of paragraph from the testament, he could only remember a small few of the testament but still... Not enough but a progress nonetheless.
"That concluded our lesson today" Ries said closing the book then sigh "Kevin, i thought you are supposed to be slightly older than me. So why are you not as knowledgeable than me"
Kevin turned his head down either in embarrassment or in shame, sometimes the little girl hard to read his emotion when he just look so out of it.
Kevin still had his head down when suddenly he speaks to Ries "... I never had any education when I was your age Ries, I was only taught by my... Mom"
~~ -¥- ~~
After that day Kevin never mentioned anything relating to his parents, Ries feels bad and want to comfort him but the little girl doesn't know how to approach the subject and Rufina did see that her younger sister was feeling bad for something but she wasn't being honest with her.
As for Weissmann he sees the green haired boy became distance again and here he thought that the boy was making progress, it was then he tried to think of getting the child to talk to him but when the older man tried Kevin doesn't want to respond instead he just glared coldly at him.
Though later that week something unexpected happened, he was in his office sorting out a file compilation from the Gralsritter mission's and various artifacts the organization had collected throughout the years. He was still writing down documents when Weissmann heard the door to confession room was opened, his office and confession room was built in together so that he'll know when someone entered but he just kept quiet and continue to work on his paperwork.
That's when a familiar voice cut through the silence "there's no one on duty..." The voice of a child was heard and Weissmann though he must've been misheard the voice but he kept focusing on Kevin voice, curious as to what the boy want to say
The child was silent again then said "Goddess Aidios... I keep having nightmares after that night..." He said the confession room did not have any window for him to see the child stated was but from his voice alone, Kevin sounds like emotionally and mentally drained
This concerned Georg as he also experience a horrendous event in his childhood and have regrets of what he had lost. Yet, the older man curiosity was pique at the boy statement so he waited for Kevin to continue his confession.
But the child never did continue and instead he heard him crying inside the confession room, it make the bishop to stand up from his desk and walked to the child wanting to comfort him.
But when Georg in front of the door to the confession room he had second thoughts of his action, he and the boy was a stranger to each other and even then they didn't have a good impression of each other when he met the boy.
He cast aside his indecisiveness but before the bishop could enter the confession room the doorknob twist and the green haired child walk out, Kevin then took a notice of him and became annoyed.
"What are you doing here?" The boy question him
Weissmann quickly think of a lie "I was passing by and heard someone crying... Was that you?"
Kevin takes a while to answer his question "If so... What are you going to do about it?"
The bishop crouch down to the boy height and held his shoulder firm "I've also noticed that you've been having a nightmare since coming here" at that Kevin eyes were widen
"Ries, Rufina and myself had been worrying about you, Kevin" he told the boy and Kevin turn his head away, doesn't want to face the older man "So tell me what has been troubling you lately"
The green haired boy was still silent probably Kevin doesn't want to tell him, Weissmann sigh in resignation he would honor his privacy until the child is ready enough to tell him himself but then he got an answer from the boy
"I... Ran from home one winter night... Because... B- because..." The boy tried to explain but it's clear to him that whatever happened that night was still fresh in his mind and he wouldn't want to push the boy further just to get an answer he needed
The bishop clap's his hands on Kevin shoulder to snap him out of the painful memories just to answered them once more "You don't have to give me the answer right now I see that it's still affect you" The boy wanted to protest but Weissman wasn't having any of it
"You can talk to me when you feel like you are ready to share it" the older man said then he stand up from his crouch position "Do you want me to cook dinner for you? If yes, what do you want to eat?" He asked
Kevin look at him trying to make his face doesn't betrayed it's neutral look but Weissmann can see a shift in his eyes, it was brighter now 'He must've been feeling grateful for being here, even if he wouldn't want to say it' he thought and smile at the green haired boy
"Can I... Have a ramen?" Kevin asked and the older man nod
When The Bishop was about to walked ahead his hand was suddenly held by Kevin, it startled him for a bit but he welcome the gesture and held the boy hand as they both walked together.