"Welcome to my house!" Rachel beamed, her voice echoing in the expansive room as her bag landed on the floor with a thud.
Before Percy could utter a word, Rachel dashed off, her socks sliding across the polished floor as she bounded up the stairs.
"Emmie!" she called out, her voice trailing off as she slammed open a door somewhere above.
The sound of Rachel's ruckus provided a backdrop as Percy examined the room in curious incredulity, taking in the soaring ceilings and the sweeping staircase that spiraled upwards. The air was filled with a subtle scent of something sweet, and a soft melody played from an unseen source, enveloping the space in warmth despite its grandeur.
Everything was so clean. So polished. So unlike… her.
Percy tucked her hands into her pockets, suddenly conscious of the mud she might have tracked in, or the potential smudges her fingers could leave on the pristine surfaces. She wasn't sure if sitting was appropriate without asking, or if her laugh would be too loud for these walls that seemed to only echo soft, classical music.
Rachel reappeared at the top of the stairs, her expression puzzled. "I can't find Emmie anywhere," she declared, descending back to the living room.
"Who is Emmie?"
Rachel's face lit up at the question. "Oh, Emmie is my brother! He's the most amazing person ever. He's super smart and makes the yummiest food!"
Percy hadn't thought it possible, but Rachel's enthusiasm seemed to soar even higher.
"And you're gonna love his cooking!" The redhead seemed to realize something. "But I guess he's not here, so you can't try it… Aha!"
She dashed to her backpack by the door, pulling out a flip phone. Percy watched, a twinge of envy stirring within her as she gazed at the sleek gadget. It was a luxury she couldn't afford, apparently not until this thing called "college". According to what she learned from her mom, that would basically take forever.
Rachel snapped the device open with a click and settled onto the sofa, glancing back to beckon Percy. "Why are you still standing there? Just leave your shoes by the door and come join me," she said, patting the space beside her on the couch.
"Ah, okay!" Percy scratched at her short wavy hair, carefully placing her sneakers next to Rachel's, making an effort to line them up properly.
As the girl worried over her beat-up footwear further offending the penthouse's impeccable interior, Rachel's voice pitched into a whine in the background. "Emmiiie~"
Surprised, Percy turned to see Rachel firing questions into the phone with a rapid intensity, inching forward with each query until she nearly folded in half. Percy approached the couches, perching awkwardly on the edge of the cushion beside Rachel, still concerned about soiling the immaculate environment.
"Hey, why is it so loud?" Rachel sprang up, throwing herself into the backrest. "Is that the wind? Where are you? When will you come home?"
Riding out the ripples of the sofa beside Rachel, Percy swallowed and wiped her clammy palms on her shorts. The speed at which the questions were fired felt like tiny bullets pelting her brain.
"You are on a car? Really? But it's sooo loud! Is that the wind? Also, why is there a woman yelling? And when will you be home? I'm hungrrrryyyyy, Emmiiieee…"
Percy felt the pounding grow in her head. It was becoming difficult for her ADHD-addled brain to process the frequency at which words were entering her ears.
"Oh! There is dinner in the fridge? Awesome! …Oh… yeah, um, sorry I didn't see your message… oops…? But that's because I made a friend!"
Friend? The girl perked up, she heard that word loud and clear. Was Rachel referring to her?
"Are you really in a car? I keep hearing a woman shouting. Who is that? …'A melon drama tick powder puff'…?" Rachel tilted her head with a pout. "Emmie~ Stop using big words and trying to sound smart!"
Were they friends? No, she was probably misunderstanding again. It wasn't the first time Percy was woefully optimistic, and she had kind of learned her lesson by now.
"Okay, I'll be careful!" Rachel swung the phone in front of her face and shouted into it with a big smile. "I won't burn my fingers this time and I'll read the instructions! Come back quickly, okay? I can't wait to show you my new friend!"
Percy pinched herself, hard. Rachel was just being nice, inviting her over and all. That was it. Right.
"Okay, me and my friend are going to eat your food now. She's going to love it!"
Percy let out a shaky breath. Her mind was beginning to short-circuit. This had to be a dream. A dumb dream making her not-so-bright of a mind short circuit.
"Bye-bye, I love you!" Rachel pressed the phone against her ear and waited in anticipation. "…Say 'I love you'! C'mon… Please? …I love you! …Say it back!"
Deep breaths.
Calm down.
She was getting ahead of herself. She and her stupid fantasies. Nobody would actually want to be friends with the school's troublemaker… Right?
"Ah!" Rachel glared at the lit-up window of her phone. "Stupid Emmie. Didn't say it back again…"
Right.
Stop. Imagining. Things.
"C'mon Percy, let's go!"
The tomboy yelped as she was yanked off the couch. The grip on her wrist was too real to be true.
"Emmie made us dinner! You're gonna love it!" Warm and sparkling, those emerald eyes focused undividedly on her, unreserved.
Ah. So, this is a friend.
What a wonderful dream.
Emiya pocketed the phone while he hurtled through the forest, the trees blurring into a stream of muted colors as they parted around him.
He glanced back, the hood of his casually projected cloak flattening against his cheek from the air resistance.
"—a 'melodramatic powderpuff'?" A fading voice huffed in dissatisfaction. "I see, there seems to be a misunderstanding—"
The tiny crimson dot that was the goddess was seemingly swallowed by the retreating foliage. Emiya turned around and the branch beneath his foot cracked as he propelled forward.
"—But I can be forgiving when I want to. This generous goddess shall pardon your slight. Now, if you would stop moving so fast and reveal yourself…"
Emiya sighed as not a moment later her speech had vanished, he caught the sweet, flowery scent of the goddess from the winds ahead. In a swirl of petals, she returned, tossing her silky red hair over her bare shoulders, before letting a hand run through her glossy strands that swayed past her hips.
"There is no need to be afraid, for I am feeling benevolent today—Oh." The goddess paused, finally noticing her new form, as she fiddled with the locks of scarlet and golden hair pinched between her fingers.
A glint of delighted surprise flashed through her eyes. She lifted a dainty arm and a silvery mirror flashed into existence.
"…Wonderful! This is just so cute!" The goddess squealed, resting a palm against her cheek as she studied herself. "I have never received such a beautiful form! Absolutely exquisite. Such lustrous, sleek, and polished hair. And goodness, the colors!"
Once again, Emiya took in her figure as he surpassed her in a trail of raining leaves. The almost scantily cladded robes that barely clung onto her curves in his passing; her glowing, swirling mane that colored a brilliant red on the outside and a blinding yellow on the inside; and scarlet wings that hung onto the bloody, ornamental skulls-like curtains behind her back.
So, this was what he meant—the ability to automatically take on the most beautiful forms, derived from the subconsciousness of those who are subject to look upon her. A pseudo form of mind reading from what he could conclude.
Certainly, this looked like the Aphrodite. She was not the one he knew, but, nonetheless, had taken on the same figure. It is a combined effort, crystalized into the form he deemed true from his memory and this… variant's ability to extract the image from his mind.
Emiya shook his head as the distracted goddess steadily shrank from the edge of his vision.
Unsurprisingly, and not a moment later, his nose caught the disturbance of her powers.
A chuckle, light and airy, escaped Aphrodite as she twirled around on the branches ahead as if presenting herself to an invisible audience in the woods.
"Such a striking, scarlet red on the outside and a shinning, creamy yellow on the inside…" She pivoted slowly and deliberately, locks swaying and swishing behind her. The goddess's lips curved in satisfaction and her eyes gleamed with the radiance of a thousand sunsets.
Emiya's brow twitched in annoyance.
What a shame. This one assumed the same flamboyancy as the one he knew. Confident, proud, and entitled—truly, the agglomeration of the stereotypical, rotten characters of the goddesses he had the misfortune of stumbling across.
"Oh, such beauty is a gift. To myself. To all who gaze upon me," she declared, her voice a whisper yet carrying the weight of divine proclamation. "Let it be known that this form shall be the envy of the heavens and the delight of the earth!"
Emiya resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her self-indulging performance. The distance between them shrank at a visible pace, his path unchanging despite the goddess that had erected herself as an obstacle.
In just a couple minutes, they had covered almost half the distance of Long Island, gliding between trees and leaping over houses as their surroundings melted between suburbs and nature. Their chase left spots of falling petals, courtesy of Aphrodite teleporting in front of him after every time he left her eating dust.
With a final, approving nod at her mirror, Aphrodite dismissed the dainty accessory. Her attention shifted, a playful smirk gracing her features as she tapped a finger at Emiya's approaching figure.
"My, my. You are truly full of surprises!" Her eyes fluttered close, and her lips curled into a confident and sultry grin. "Stop where you are, boy, and I shall reward you for this most wonderful offering."
Emiya glanced up.
A good distance past the enthused goddess, beyond the edge of this greenery were endless houses that transitioned into a bustling cityscape. From what he could tell, there lacked any meaningfully large patches of forestry beyond this point—at least, not any that would effectively shield humans from any supernatural scuffling.
It seems their little game of cat and mouse would have to end soon.
"I am a generous goddess. It is only proper that such a remarkable moment be honored with a proper prize. You—"
He blurred past Aphrodite at the height of her speech, her arm still extended, and her finger pointed at where he had been.
"—Will you stop and listen for just a moment!" The goddess huffed from somewhere behind, voice fading into the wind.
He'd prefer not to do this. But she brought it up herself.
Emiya unfurled his finger and grasped at the air. A gentle pulse of blue light danced within his palm, vanishing as abruptly as it had appeared. With a sweeping backhand, he flung the "needles" ahead of him, enveloping the swirl of petals that began to manifest.
"I shall overlook this transgression one last time," appeared Aphrodite as she stepped through the whirlwind of flowers.
She didn't notice the metallic shards at all—it was disappointing for an… Olympian. Fortunately, for her, those weren't meant to kill.
The branch beneath Emiya's foot cracked. His body snapped forward, sending splinters of wood and bark flying as he entered the storm of debris—debris that he had scattered where Aphrodite would emerge dead center.
"Now, as I was so generously—!"
And then he was there, his body pressed almost parallel to the murky horizon as he stepped into the space at her side, within arm's reach.
For a split second, amber orbs met startled pools of scarlet and gold. Their gaze remained locked as the goddess was caught mid-stumble, alarm beginning to brew behind wide eyes as the realization of her predicament clicked far too late in her mind.
With another snap of his foot, the branch they shared fragmented into a thousand pieces, and his body tore through the cloud of debris.
The tree lines opened into a suburb of varying sizes under a canopy of stars.
Emiya twisted around and peered into the forest, his body sailing over the roofs beneath.
Left in place was a disheveled Aphrodite, crying out in dismay. Everything about her—the beautiful scarlet mane, the loosely hung silk of her revealing robes, and her feathered wings—were violently swept towards the direction in which Emiya had left.
Poised in a staggering, half-twisted position, the goddess kicked her heels around, failing to find purchase among the blur of petals and barks falling with her.
P-pshhssss. Pss-szzzzz.
"Wha—"
Hidden, past the veil of descending petals were pieces of metal that numbered in the hundreds. Their tumbling surfaces reflected the pale glow of the moon.
They were swords.
Swords that were the size of needles, with fractures that snaked around their body. Fractures that began to glow.
In a flare, their cracks burned brighter. An unhealthy hue painted the darkened forest. A field of plummeting stars. Pale shards streaked towards the earth in a golden shower that enveloped the flailing goddess.
And their lights reached a dazzling crescendo.
Percy sat in a daze licking her lips. The silent trickle of water padded the empty backdrop of the vast dining room.
The entire afternoon until night felt like a fevered dream.
Rachel had bounced away moments earlier to answer the door. Apparently, it was freshly made dinner delivered by a chef called Mish Elin—weird name—but the two of them wouldn't be needing it after already having their fill.
Not that Percy would choose whatever meal the delivery had to offer.
Because it's over. She was over. She was… she was destroyed.
Yep, that's the verb Percy was looking for—destroyed. It was one of the scant few words she had accumulated in the past months—a precious survivor of the ruthless bombardments of spelling tests and a testament to her struggles against the menacing behemoth that was the educational system.
It only seemed appropriate to mark such a memorable occasion with an equally memorable word. Destroyed.
Following this day, never is she to be satiated by worldly pleasures again, not after the bliss she had experienced. That was and probably will remain, the best meal of her life. As a result, she couldn't help the twinge of guilt tugging at her gut for admitting a stranger's food was the best.
It felt like a betrayal to her mom.
Her mom…
Percy squinted, her head lulling towards the panoramic glass, catching sight of the Manhattan skyline that twinkled like fireflies of a midsummer night. It was distinctly different from the view of her room that funneled towards a barricading wall of bricks, windows, and peeling paint.
Hmm… right… she is at Rachel's place…
Percy's dopamine and ADHD-addled brain grasped at something important—something that had eluded her mind this entire night.
Huh… she hadn't told her mom that she was at her friend's place…
Percy blinked.
She hadn't—she hadn't told her mom that she was at her friend's place!
The girl snapped up like a spring, slamming her knees into the underside of the heavy mahogany table, sending a jolt of pain arching through her body. She stumbled backward, then sideways, over her chair in a desperate yelp, and finally in a spinning mess, sprawling over the floor.
The dining hall was filled with the sporadic whimpers and the tossing and turning of fabric against stone as Percy flopped around the matte-black, marble tiles like a dying goldfish, clutching at her aching joints.
…Pat. Pat. Pat.
"I'm back! Let's go get desser—why are you on the floor?"
Rachel's confused voice was a deafening echo in Percy's ears. The girl paused mid-hiss, her squirming body frozen as she hid behind the crook of her arms, ears beginning to grow warm.
The ambient trickle of the wall fountain became a jarring undertone to Percy's rapidly thumping heart, followed by the pitter-patter of footsteps. Percy felt a gentle gust of air as Rachel seemingly squatted before her.
"I can see you, you know?"
A finger poked at Percy's temple.
"Hey~ Get up…" Rachel whined as she kept nudging. "Are you okay?"
Percy tightened her arms slightly.
"Hmm… well, okay. I'm going to eat the desserts, then. You stay here, I'll be back later…"
Percy maintained her disguise as a convincing rock.
"Just kidding! Take this!"
"Wah—!"
A pair of hands snagged up Percy's forearm and pulled them apart.
"Aha! Got you!" Rachel laughed from above.
If the food she had eaten practically sent her to heaven, then Percy discovered that mortification, too, was a ticket to the afterlife. Somehow, she would have preferred being scolded by a teacher in front of the entire class than… this—caught acting like a weirdo in front of her new friend.
After some tumbling with no apparent winner, the two girls compromised on a ceasefire. They picked up the dirty plates and made their way for the kitchen through a marble corridor.
"So… why were you on the ground?" Rachel questioned next to Percy.
"I, um, fell down."
"But you were rolling around, too." Rachel stared intently.
"I, uh, kind of like, hit the table and chair before falling. L-like, really hard."
"Uh-huh."
The two girls arrived at a vast kitchen underlaid in limestone flooring. Like every other space within this penthouse, it was exposed to a wall of glass that captured the cityscape.
They moved about the kitchen islands, setting the porcelains and silverware inside the sinks and, upon further interrogation by Rachel, Percy relented on why she had been panicking in the first place.
"Here's how you make a call. See?" Rachel pressed a few buttons and thrust the screen towards Percy's face.
"O-oh."
"And then, you just press the numbers, and then you press this green button that looks like a phone. Got it?"
"Y-yeah." Percy leaned away from the screen and accepted the device gingerly. "Press the buttons for the phone number, and then press the green button. Right, I got this…!"
"Yup! Okay, I'll go grab the desserts." Rachel dashed around the kitchen islands and opened one of the fridges. "Prepare to be amazed! Again! The dessert is also made by Emmie!"
Percy swallowed and quickly shook her head—now was not the time to be distracted.
The smooth piece of plastic nestled with a comfortable heft in Percy's grasp. With a hint of wonder, she turned the device over and back, running her thumb across the crevices where the casings joined.
Whoa.
This is it. This will be her first time using a phone. Her mother had always—in a fashion out of character and for reasons she could not fathom—sternly rejected any attempts at playing with such a phone.
But now was her chance.
The girl took a deep breath and glanced at Rachel busily poking her head into a fridge.
Enter the numbers and press the green button. Simple. Nothing she couldn't do.
Click. Click. Click… Click.
Percy held her breath with all the attention she could muster as ellipses popped onto the screen before vanishing. The process repeated itself on the small, green window sitting atop the keypads, signaling the outgoing call.
Almost abruptly, the loading animation came to a stop, replaced by a short string of black pixels that said: "Call Not Answered".
Click.
She pressed the green key again.
Once more, the word "Calling" was displayed, tailed by little ellipses that cycled over and over.
Somewhere in the background, Rachel extracted herself from the fridge and closed it with a thud. As the redhead bumbled around the kitchen, Percy finally looked up quizzically after yet another lackluster attempt.
"Um, Rachel?" She called out to her friend.
"Mhm? What's up?" Replied the girl who was staring intently down a trash disposal. "…Did I throw it away…?"
"Can you teach me again? Like, how to use the phone?"
"Sure! Gimme a sec here, I think I threw away the instructions for the food…"
"Do you need help?"
"It's okay, I got it… ugh, whatever." Rachel gave the dark pit one final survey and gave up. "Here, let me see. Did you enter the number and press call?"
"Yeah? I think I did?" Percy handed over the device and recited her mom's number.
Rachel clicked around on the keypad.
The two girls huddled above the phone with their heads almost touching. After a stretch of increasingly awkward silence that neither could find the will to break, the screen returned the same response as it did before.
"Huh. Your mom's not answering."
"Oh."
"Are you sure this is the right number?"
"Um, I think? Like, I never used a phone before, but I'm pretty sure this is it…"
"Hmm…"
"W-what?" Percy fidgeted upon noticing Rachel's inquisitive stare.
"I got a idea…" A grin made its way onto the redhead's face, her little canines peeking out beneath her lips. "Just sleepover!"
Sleepover…!? Percy's breath hitched in excitement. She's heard of those before! They sounded super fun!
"I've always wanted to have a friend stay the night! We have so~ many rooms you can pick from! Also, we can go to school together in the morning." Rachel smirked. "And then~ you can have breakfast with me and Emmie! He makes breakfasts too!"
M-More food!?
"What do you think?" Rachel leaned into Percy's face, her emerald eyes twinkling in anticipation.
Go home or sleepover? That shouldn't have been a difficult choice. Between confronting Smelly Gabe versus spending time with her new friend, being on her first-ever sleepover, and having more yummy food for breakfast, it should have been an easy decision.
"Ugh! B-but," Agonizingly, Percy squeezed her eyes shut. "My mom, I need to let her know… like, I shouldn't make her worry…"
Rachel deflated like a balloon.
"But, like!" Percy waved her hands in panic. "We can do another sleepover, next time! I-if you are okay with that…?"
"…Really?" Rachel looked up with puppy-dog eyes.
"Ugh…! Yeah, really!"
"Really, really?"
"Wah! Yes! Really, really! Stop doing that—that thing you are doing with your eyes!"
"Promise?"
"Yes! I promise! S-so, stop that! Your eyes, your eyes…!"
"…You said so! You promised, and you can't go back on promises! That means you have to sleep over next time!"
Percy blinked. Just like that, Rachel was back to normal, overflowing with positivity.
Was she hallucinating…?
"Great! How about tomorrow? You can come sleepover tomorrow. Or the day after? Actually, you can come sleepover any day of the week. And on weekends too. You wanna come over on weekends? You can come in the morning, and then sleep over, and then we'll have the entire next day to play. Maybe Emmie can play with us as well… that would be—"
I could come back to Rachel's house? On the weekend, too? With a friend…woah! Percy felt her tummy fluttering in anticipation.
"—the bestest! Bleugh." The redhead spat out her tongue. "I mean the best! The best!"
Percy was too distracted to wonder why Rachel looked like she just swallowed a fly. She was too busy imagining the sleepover.
"…Well, anyways, we should get in contact with your mom soon. Or our chauffeur could drive you home…"
Images were already planted and playing in Percy's head, skipping from one scene to the next like shutters of an old film projected in a theater.
Maybe they could draw? Play catch? Does Rachel like playing catch? Or they could visit the big river beneath Rachel's house? Percy always felt attracted to bodies of water. Oh! Maybe play catch by the big river that was just beneath Rachel's apartment!
"…let's call your mom again in half an hour, and if she still doesn't pick up, we can send you home…"
Yep! Playing catch by the river was a good idea! Percy has two old mitts—one big and one small. She and her mom play catch with them every now and then. They could use those for the. Percy was fine with wearing the larger mitt if Rachel wasn't comfortable using it.
"…let's eat the dessert while we wait. And we can also plan out the sleepover! Come on, Perce!"
"H-huh?" A nudge broke the girl out of her fantasies.
"This!" Rachel pointed at an extra wide pudding.
…Did Rachel just call her by a nickna—woah! That's a huge pudding! Percy felt her mouth water at the glistening, caramelized top of the jiggly custard.
"Maybe I just put it in…?"
Like a drawer, the built-in microwave under the counter—which Percy had assumed to be an oven due to its sheer size—slid open in a mechanized hum.
She's never seen a microwave capable of doing that.
Rachel placed the plate inside. "Hmm… Let's do… five minutes? Okay…!"
The two girls stood back and watched in quiet mesmerization as the glazed custard basked in the yellow radiance of the microwave lights. As time passed, a faint waft of caramel sweetness permeated the room, causing both Percy and Rachel to swallow in anticipation.
"…Um, is it supposed to do that?" Percy pointed at their dessert and the tiny beat that began to jiggle its surface.
"I don't think so? Never seen that happen before. Emmie also never told me anything about this. Or what I should do."
"Oh."
They observed the ripples across the surface of the pudding grew in amplitude.
"Do you think we should take it out?"
"Probably? Maybe I wasn't supposed to microwave it."
"Wait. Why… then why did you?"
"Um, well, I lost the instructions Emmie left for the food. Like, I couldn't find it? Maybe I threw it away? But I didn't see it in the trashcan."
"Oh okay. So, like…"
"That's why I just microwaved it!" Rachel jabbed a thumb at the moving custard. "I mean, we also microwaved the other stuff, right? Those turned out fine!"
"Um, Rachel…" Percy stared worriedly at the increasingly animated dessert. "Maybe we should stop it first?"
"Oh right! Ha-ha, we should keep it safe. No accidents on my watch!" The redhead paused the microwave, and its door opened like a drawer. "Lemme go grab the gloves."
Percy nodded and kept tabs on the raging pudding. She breathed out in relief when it visibly calmed down. Rachel, on the other hand, rushed around the kitchen in eagerness to retrieve the cooking mitts.
"Okay!" The plate clicked softly on the wooden counter. "Here you go. Spoon."
"Mm! Thank you!"
Clink. "And your plate." Rachel did a quick salute with her spoon. "Let's eat!"
Percy nodded eagerly and mirrored the motion with her own shiny utensil.
A solemn moment passed between the two.
Then, Rachel made the first move, extending her hand and dipping her silverware towards the custard's golden-brown surface. With a gentle swipe, the spoon sunk into the deliciously steaming dessert—
SPLOT! Splat!
"Eeeep—!"
"Wahhh—!"
—and the kitchen exploded in a flurry of sugary syrup, jellified eggs, and shrieking nine-year-olds.
Dancing in the air was the taste of fresh, salty breeze that spoke of cold tides lapping against ivory shores.
So, her friend was a demigod.
Emiya reached for the doorknob that was leveled at his chin. The heavy entrance swung open and shut as he stepped into the entryway of the penthouse. Immediately, he picked up on the conversation from deep within the home.
"…Lemme go grab the gloves…"
Emiya removed his shoes and stored them in the wall of built-in closets.
"…Okay… Here you go. Spoon."
"Th-thank you…"
The music played softly in the living room as he made his way towards the kitchen.
"…And your plate… Let's eat…!"
He quirked a brow. There was something next to the girls, bubbling below the audible capacity of the human ear. It was pressurized—not enough to harm but could certainly startle once the energy was abruptly released.
A cooking disaster, he concluded—one that he so timely stumbled across. It was an impending accident that would involve one exploding, microwaved flan and two trouble-making, nine-year-old girls.
Unsurprising, considering Rachel was the likely culprit operating the cookware.
Splat!
"Eeeep—!"
"Wahhh—!"
The panicked, little cries of the young girls were accompanied by the pitter-patter of raining bits of crème caramel.
"…Th-the pudding exploded…!"
Thunk.
"…Ow! My head…!"
Despite the chaos, Emiya stalked through the hallways at an even pace. The girls were fine, that much he could tell. Although Rachel's friend would probably find herself a noticeable bump on the head by tomorrow morning.
"…Perce…You okay…?"
"…Y-yeah…I think…"
"…Really…? How's your head…"
"…I think it's okay… What about you…"
"…I'm fine… Ughhh… This is all because I microwaved the pudding…"
Bingo. Emiya snorted. Only Rachel could cook up a culinary catastrophe of this degree.
"…I-It's okay… We don't know this would happen…"
"…B-but… But Emmie made this…" Sniffle. "And… and now it's all wasted… Because of me…"
Was she going to cry? That's not good.
Emiya arrived at the scene, halting at the end of the dimly lit corridor, out of bounds from the high-hung lights of the kitchen.
By the innermost counter, two disheveled girls sat with their legs folded in a "W" shape, covered in pieces of warm custards.
"…Oh… Um, will he… will he be angry?" The delicate-looking tomboy—who must be "Perce"—asked nervously.
Sniffle. "I— I don't think so…?"Rachel bit her lips, the rim of her eyes turning pink. "Emmie never gets mad at me… Hahhh… At least he isn't here to see this… B-but the pudding… He spent all that time to make it…"
Sniffle… Sniffle…
It was time for a distraction. One that diverted the situation from spiraling into a full-blown calamity of a bawling Rachel.
Emiya made himself known.
"If I wasn't here to see what, exactly?"
Two dumbfounded little faces cranked around robotically—one gradually engulfed by mortification while the other fell into steeper confusion.
A good scare to a crying Rachel is like a pacifier to a squalling toddler… Plus, it was funny seeing their dim-witted expressions.
"Well?" The boy emerged from the shadows of the corridor, strolling across the limestone tiles. "This is certainly more spectacular than your last attempt at the stove, and by a significant margin at that, wouldn't you agree, Rachel?"
"E-Emmie! Guh— Wha— You-you're back!?"
"Hm, yes. As you can see." He nodded while circling the islands.
"I—" Rachel hung her head. "Um… I'm sorry… I wasted the food you made…"
Emiya hefted a large roll of paper towel and stopped at the sink. "Hmm. And why exactly did you… waste it?"
All of a sudden, the smell of oceans thickened.
Glancing to the side as he tore and wet the towels in warm water, the boy noted how the onyx-haired tomboy, Perce, nervously bounced her attention between him and Rachel. She was fearing for her friend, and almost abnormally so.
"…I microwaved it. And then, it like, exploded… B-but I didn't know that was going to happen, I promise!"
"I see. That would explain this… situation." Emiya turned off the tap and stacked the wet, folded paper in one hand. "I do recall leaving a note alongside the food. Perhaps I was mistaken?"
"It was there… But I lost it halfway. I followed everything for the lasagna, a-and it turned out super yummy! B-but I couldn't find it when I was doing the pudding…"
Emiya nodded as he approached the two girls covered in food, unhindered by the mess on the floor. Rachel pouted at her knees in guilt while Perce grew tense at his steady strides, like a cat that was ready to pounce.
His nose twitched.
Yet again, the scent of mysteries intensified from the tomboy. It was an amount of distress bordering unnatural. Rachel has either found herself a timid friend or an abuse victim. He was leaning toward the second option.
"I lost it…? I think I threw it away… I forgot I need it for the dessert, it wasn't on purpose, really…"
Emiya arrived before Rachel and leaned over her. "It was unintended, then. An accident."
The girl drooped her head lower. "Y-yeah. I didn't mean to blow up the food… I'm sorry I always mess things up, a-and you worked so hard to make these for me, and I ended up—"
"Rachel."
"Wah…!" She shivered at the touch of his finger lifting her chin. "What…?"
"Accidents happen." Emiya dabbed a wet towel across her upturned cheek, removing bits of food. "I am not upset by your actions. Do you understand that?"
"Yes?" Large emerald eyes blinked.
"Without experience it is difficult, near impossible, to predict what might go wrong." He set aside a dirtied wipe and picked up a clean one. "Close your eyes."
"M'kay."
Giving her face one last pat down, Emiya moved on to her hair. "…That is especially the case when trying something new. It was not your intention for this to happen, no?"
"No," replied Rachel with her little face in a scrunch. "But I ruined your pudding…"
"The pudding can be replaced. You, however, cannot." He pinched her cheek. "What's important is that you are unharmed."
"Mmm…" The girl leaned into his hand.
"And I'm glad to hear that the lasagna turned out well. You followed the instructions for it, correct?"
Rachel bobbed her head rapidly. "It was super yummy. Like always!"
"Well, the truth speaks for itself. You are capable of doing things right, too. No?" Emiya removed the last chunk of food from her red, curly hair. "And even when accidents happen, it doesn't diminish your abilities. Don't get too hung up on it. As long as you learn from your mistake and improve, it will be fine."
Rachel nodded. "Okay, Emmie!"
Emiya smirked at the girl's happy smile. "Go wash up, there's still some residue, especially on your clothes and in your hair. Also—"
From the sidelines, he caught the stare of another pair of startling sea-green eyes.
"—Prepare another set of spare clothes, a T-shirt and shorts, for your friend. The ones you have will do."
"Okay!" The girl sprang up, now standing taller than the boy.
"Don't take too long and leave your friend hanging."
"Got it, Emmie!" Rachel agreed happily before weaving her way out of sight. "I'll see you in a bit, Perce!"
Emiya held in a sigh—children are such a handful.
He surveyed the mess splattered across the counters, cabinets, floor, and even the lamps on the levitated rails. This would take him a few minutes to clean up. As for the custards hanging on the lights, those would have to be removed without watchful eyes.
"Sorry about that, I had to make sure Rachel didn't end up crying, first." He regarded the tomboy. "You are Perce, is that correct?"
"Oh!" The girl was seemingly jolted out of a trance. "Huh? Perce? …Oh, uh, it's Percy, actually. Perce is a… a nickname Rachel gave me?"
Percy appeared unsure of her reply and had a bewildered air about her.
Emiya's been told that demigods suffered from attention deficiency. Now, a perfect example sat in front of him.
"Well, nice to meet you, Percy. We're glad to have you over and I hope the exploding pudding didn't ruin your experience."
"Oh, no!" The girl waved her hands frantically. "It was super fun…!"
"That is reassuring."
Percy tilted her head. The confusion returned.
"…It's good to know that you aren't… unhappy because of what has happened."
"Oh." The girl realized and beamed. "No, it was super fun!"
A regurgitation of the same reply. Perhaps a sign of a limited linguistic repertoire?
"It—" Percy wavered. "It's my first time coming to a f-friend's house, so like… yeah…"
"Well, let's get you cleaned up. You're also covered in food."
"Huh?"
Emiya leaned over her sitting form. After securing her chin in a gentle grip, he repeated what he had done with Rachel, wiping down Percy's face with a paper towel soaked in warm water.
The ocean's scent ebbed away like receding tides.
"Um…"
"When we're done, you can take a shower and change into clean clothes."
"Oh…"
"Eyes closed."
"O-Okay." Her eyelashes trembled.
"So, did Rachel invite you to stay the night?" Emiya asked while switching to another piece of towel. "We have plenty of guestrooms that you could pick from. Rachel's bed is also more than enough to fit the two of you, if you girls want to sleep together."
"Oh, um, actually, I have to go back home tonight. My mom is still waiting—" She snapped open her eyes and stared at him in alert. "Wait… U-Um… You just—"
"Keep still. I'm removing the last piece." Emiya sifted through her unkempt locks. "Alright. We're done here. Now, do you know where Rachel's room is?"
"Uh, wait, hold on… You just… You just called me, uh…"
"Yes?" Emiya made his way to the trash, disposing the waste.
"Ughhh…N-never mind, it's nothing," sulked the girl. "…I probably heard it wrong…"
"So, do you need help getting to Rachel's room?" Emiya repeated himself.
The tomboy picked herself up. "Erm, yes, please."
"Follow along, then." Emiya beckoned at the exit. "And careful there, don't step on the mess that's on the floor."
"Mm!" Percy nodded like a woodpecker.
Emiya waited patiently as the girl tiptoed around the wreckage. Clearly, she didn't understand his warning, otherwise, she would've circled from the opposite end of the kitchen, the section that was custard-free. Now, she found herself helplessly entrenched deep within the enemy lines of angry, wobbling puddings, alone and absent of allied forces.
Emiya met her stunned gaze.
"Take your time."
Truly, the ADHD was strong in this one.
Hey guys,
Long time no see. Finally got this chapter done and the next chapter is in progress.
Since I am new to writing, I've been trying to write more dialogue in this chapter, and trying to make children's speech sound authentic has been a real challenge. I hope you guys found it bearable.
For those who have pointed out the discrepancies between Percy's pronoun and her actual sex, I have explained that it depends on the POV. Since I mostly write in the closed 3rd person, POVs that are not aware of Percy's sex will naturally not refer to her as a "she". In this chapter, however, Percy obviously knows her own gender, and Emiya is able to guess it, therefore, there are no pronoun discrepancies. When we move back to other characters that are ignorant, this discrepancy will pop up once again.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a great day.
Cheers.
p.s. the new look of Aphrodite comes from her fate version, you guys can search it up, for those who don't know