Alright. Author time. Family trip for the next 2-3(ish) weeks. Expect a continuation of this chapter. maybe even a very short new chapter that will be expanded on. If not then apologies. And if you ask me to apologize for the late weekly upload... Fuck you. Not you the reader, just the concept of schedules and self-imposed deadlines.

Here's an OWO

Thanks for reading anyhow, I feel like I'm getting a tick better at this. I am planning on riding this out to a nice conclusion. And yes, i do have some basic formulation of an ending. (Kinda.)

Scratch that I'm going to sleep.

Also Grammarly is bad at detecting.

Laura was walking down hallways with her head forward at a normal pace, she didn't care for the pauses in chatter, nor the stares that came from the silence.

Should she go to the nurse? Their room was nearer. Ice packs were one of the few luxuries she could splurge on.

She did everything she could to seem strong, to be an unbending force of power. That room would grow quiet whenever her mere presence was shared with others.

However, it was more out of pity and concern.

Trained to perfection by Chifuyu, all her faults were from her not following the training to a key.

She was willing, led by someone capable. But still, she was flawed.

"What use would you have when they think you were a waste of trust? Would they change their mind that easily?"

Laura slammed the side of her fist into the hard wall but the pain was nothing compared with the agony of there even being a chance to prove that witch right.

There was a slight fantasy of just doing away with that wretched woman for good. She'd heard it happen before, even was close enough to almost see it happen.

Too many plans that could fail.

It had to be swift and brutal, and showing of who really held the power. Not just putting a muzzle on her and taunting her now every move.

Laura led others with orders. , what would be the difference if she ordered herself in Chifuyu's absence?

There were more looks at her now, laura didn't even bother looking, they arrived in crates after the morning bout.

Still, whether she knew it or not each footstep gained a slight amount of force added to each stride.

Although she'd never boil over in rage to those who didn't deserve to see it.

Laura kept walking to a place where she could at least ignore someone too stupid to do anything to compromise her.

It wasn't the most efficient day. Laura could tell her bout made tensions strained, but she really couldn't care enough to do something about it.

It was a mistake to even confide in him. A moment of weakness that could cripple her further.

He didn't even remotely resemble Anselm. He was just tall.

Laura opened the door and was immediately confronted by the noxious intoxicating smell of fried meats and fine potatoes.

It was too wholesome for her to like, his cooking was something too good that dug in too deep with her.

Her stomach rumbled with longing, but she could last until… deprivation would weaken her too much.

Ichika didn't seem to even pay attention to her entrance, there was nothing but the rising aroma and heat of the food on their small shared table, and his busy work in in frying meat and stirring dishes.

It was so mechanical in the way he did it, like the pistons and gears that pushed out gear in a factory, except that it was so efficient that there was no noise. Just product. No rumbling churning, or… bubbling hissing…

Laura took a step forward toward him and her attention was… diverted from him. Her head unwillingly changed to look directly at the food.

The food. Oh, wow! The food was!... An assortment of her more favorable meals, a mashed potato salad along with schnitzel! Extra parsley with an even larger amount of garlic!

…

It seemed like the time together made him learn something about her that she knowingly and unknowingly leaked.

Plates were right next to him anyhow, but she… partook in a few morsels of food to satiate her.

The flavors were delicious. But it was hunger that was the greatest spice in this sidetrack.

Laura went forward again to her actual target. His statue-like demeanor was just busy doing nothing except frying. It was oddly quiet.

It took a small double-checking to make sure she wasn't imagining it. Usually, a fryer makes noise correct? The commissary always was buzzing with noise.

And her footsteps, were they deafened by the carpet or by…?

Schwartz would be her backup. But first, she would come in close prepared to draw her knife.

Laura walked gently behind him, creeping slowly to his back.

And with a simple tap, the man tensed up, his shoulders rising for a few seconds longer than paranoia wanted.

But they relaxed, and without turning around or speaking he turned the heat up on the stove, and inserted a new piece of meat.

The roaring bubbles made her beliefs seem like delusions.

She had no experience in this field. A lack of sleep and self-imposed starvation did this to her.

"Scared you didn't I?"

A hollow laugh came from her. There was a moment of silence before he talked.

"Suprised, never scared."

Bravado! Cheers to him for trying to attempt it.

Laura tried to unwind herself slightly and grabbed a plate from a pile next to him.

They were… surprisingly nice.

"Fine looking."

"Got them from a friend."

Did he make a friend? Surprising. Or unsurprising based on the amount of girls going head over heels for him. And that pissiant.

Better to just eat off the stress.

This plate would be filled with everything excluding nothing, more and more of these fried goodies that would come only as treats.

Moral boosters, that's the way Chifuyu described them to her. Anselm called it enjoying food.

Laura sat down properly and just started ripping up pieces of fried meat and dipping it into the potatoes and sides.

Closing her eyes and leaning back she…thought she could afford a smile.

Lots of food and someone who doesn't talk too much to keep her company. Just like she wanted. Maybe one day she could share a moment like this with Chifuyu again.

Ichika was still frying food. But why? There was already plenty here. Enough for more people…

No. Someone's coming over? That spoiled her appetite somehow.

"Who's coming over? Too much food for either of us."

Ichika froze again, this immediately confirmed her suspicions.

"I make too much food when I'm by myself."

Aw, she thought she was right. Two incorrect assumptions that could've led to tragedy.

"You can stop now."

He was still annoyingly deciding not to turn to face her, was she really that ugly still? She thought he was being superficial.

More food would remedy that.

"There is someone coming over though."

The sentence lost some of its chipper tunes, just as how she paused on her next bite. At least she was consolidated on being right once.

Who? It's definitely not Houki or her partner Cecelia. She knew a small bit of his past well enough.

Probably lignin. Well, she could at least ignore her easily enough.

He turned around to look at her and paused when he saw her eating. What, this was how they ate it over there. Did he have a problem with that?

The response was in a sort of bruised whisper, it was kinder and weaker as if an animal was beaten down.

"It's Charlotte."

Laura started choking on her food almost instantly. But she tried to regain composure as fast as she could because she knew she'd have to "correct" him in her way.

"Why?"

There was a forced edge to her voice, there was going to be one chance to redeem himself.

"We talked earlier. I know that she's reliable- "

That's his excuse? That he knows people?

"She speaks more lies than breath in her lungs."

Did he forget how she'd blackmailed her?

"Did you forget?"

Ichika's face of slight realization reinforced that thought.

Laura decided to very pointedly enforce that into him. Now she was about to prepare a brutal punishment. Not enough to ruin their relationship but enough for him to remember this.

"Look-"

No changing her mind.

"I can. And I do far better than you."

Laura ripped off her eyepatch. She knew it was horrifying to almost anyone who looked at it, the golden glare. She hated the stares, but she could use the ugly thing like this, to make him afraid.

There would be no taking of any of this nonsense, Laura stood up to walk over to him. But just as she was about to approach him he put his palms out gently and looked her straight in the eyes. With a quiet and steady voice.

"I understand but, she revealed some very private things that could allow you to gain some…leverage."

That snapped her out of her rage for the slightest moment. Intel could be useful to find a way to remove an evened field to their advantage.

Tip the equilibrium in her favor. No matter what lies they're told.

"Speak."

There would be no forgiveness if this was just a farce.

"Charles Dubois was a real person, Charlotte is his sister. Charlotte is the name of their mother."

It was annoying how unfazed he was because of how calmly he spoke such vague information. It wasn't completely useless but.. It could be something.

Laura broke the gaze and walked to the side of the room with the beds. Then she proceeded to yell loud gibberish in German just in hopes of making him feel afraid.

Half of it was a fear tactic the other was just venting at the sheer cruelty of the world.

To control the self is to control the battlefield. That was one of Chifuyu's lines that always bit at her because of how little she wanted to follow it but only did out of respect for her and her teachings.

Ichika raised his voice up to make her hear, it was still quieter than she wanted. It didn't show him cowering in fear.

"There was a layer of person under all of the fake rumors that her father seemed to push, she was very adamant on her father."

She could contact her friends. There could be something that she could do or Sasha in particular.

Laura turned her head to face him making sure the unnecessary full gleam of her odin eye was in full view.

"Alright."

There was visible relief in his face. That wouldn't stand.

"But."

He was paused mid-relief.

"I will punch you based on how well this goes over."

Very noble terms and conditions. This was her being kind after the fine meal he made.

"It's a deal."

That brought out a bit of cheek back to him, he smiled while looking at her full-on. That would be wiped from his face soon enough when she let loose her fist in his chest. Bravado only lasts so long.

Laura walked back to the table and sat back down without a word and started to eat. But first she put on her eyepatch again.

That garnered another look that earned a glare from her.

Ichika just raised his hands in surrender and dug in.

Annoying prick.