Perse wasn't surprised in the least when Gilda suddenly spoke up, even though she hadn't been in the room moments prior. In the beginning, even someone like Perse had been spooked by the fact that Gilda could make nary a sound if she wanted to. Especially given how large and imposing she looked. Nowadays, it was common to hear her speak before hearing any footsteps.

"He alright, up in there?"

"Perfectly fine. He said he'd be running some tests now that he has a good sample size." She pointed the knife she was holding towards some potatoes she'd left out. "Would you be a dear and peel those? I want to be all ready when he gets down."

Gilda huffed but made her way over. She'd gotten much better doing work such as this. Perse could still remember the first time she'd helped her in the kitchen. The poor vegetables didn't know what hit them. Now, with Gilda's larger hands, she was even faster at peeling than Perse. The shorter girl hummed while the two of them cut and peeled respectively. Gilda raised an eyebrow at her.

"That the same tune the Boss been humming?"

"Oh, is he? This isn't anything special. I hum it whenever I'm thinking up a new project idea…" Her face took on color as she spoke. Gilda smirked. Perse scrunched up her face in a pout. It was true though! Really.

"Hey, not to sound rude or 'nothing, but we sure this is gonna work in our favor?"

"I trust him. I know you do too. It's like he said though, an experiment isn't worth doing if you already know for certain what the answer will be; that's what makes it an experiment. But I know he's doing his best. If something came up that endangered all of us he'd let us know before continuing."

"Yeah, but," Gilda waved a potato in the air, "I still kinda feel on edge. Think he does too. Isn't that why Boss had me patrol around town more than usual the last day?"

"S-Percy is just being cautious. He did admit to his slip up at the booth, which is why he wants the both of us to be on guard. As luck would have it I was scheduled to spend time with Mirajane today, so when she inquired about him I had a response all set out. Now she believes that it was simply a slip-up on my part to attract attention early on by telling some overly eager friends. No harm no foul. The actual plan is still safe. They'd need to know what they were looking for, and if things go wrong, I can always cut the thread and they'd lose the trail."

"Hmm," Gilda answered noncommittally. Perse wished she could get across her desire to see this plan to fruition.

"Don't you want to have it work though? Or at least have us understand a bit more what we're lacking?"

"Never said I didn't. A part of me just feels off now, like it's in a crouch waiting to strike but forgetting about the thing that's crouching for it." Gilda didn't elaborate on her thoughts. Perse understood anyway. She kept silent for a minute, cutting the vegetables with slightly less force than before. The taller woman gave her a glance and sighed. "Sorry, I'm not saying it the right way."

"No, you're alright," Perse whispered. "I'm worried too. I think I always am, a little bit, whenever we do things like this, and I pretend that everything will just work its way out. Because it usually does. He just seems so excited about all this, in a way I've never seen before. So if he can just find some peace in doing this work…I think no matter what the outcome, I can still be happy."

She stood there, a smile on her face until she turned to look at Gilda, who had on an even bigger smirk than before. Perse's face went bright red. "W-What's so funny?!"

"Nothing, you're cute Perse."

"No! Y-You're cute!"

Gilda laughed, a wild, ferocious sound, her whole body shaking from the force. Perse punched her with her non-knife-holding arm. This made Gilda snort in the middle of a laugh.

"Haha! Your punch is like a baby's punch!"

"Ugh! You and your stupid muscle hardened arms!"

"Don't worry, it's still more than the Boss. His are like wet noodles."

"Argh, it's true! But do you have to be so disrespectful?!"

And so the evening went on, the two friends going back and forth while making a meal, oblivious to the revelation happening just above them.

A line of the spool of thread shone a brilliant white. Amidst all the other colors, even the highly saturated ones, it was like staring at the sun in all its intensity. Percy could hardly keep himself from shaking once he saw that color. It was a rare thread, one he'd seen only a handful of times in his entire life. A thread that shone with wonder, with possibilities.

He never would have guessed in his wildest dreams that he'd actually snag one, especially not so early into the experiment. To finally have one he could hold…Would it truly be as wondrous as he always thought it'd be?

Carefully, delicately, he plucked the thread from its holding place and held it tight, then attached it to himself. The result was instantaneous. A power, unlike all the other threads he'd connected before seeped into him, a limitless power that made his heart race and his mind explode with new ideas. Ah, yes. Was this it? The "power of bonds"?

In the back of his mind, he remembered that the other two were waiting for him. Perse would be done with dinner by this point, and Gilda was no doubt already home. They would think it worrying if he stayed up here too long, even knowing him. But this feeling...he started to giggle, then broke out into laughter at the mere sensation of it all. Along with the laughter, tears also streamed down his face. His mind simply could not make up what it was he wanted to feel. But the power…the overwhelming connection he sensed. Yes, the thing he'd been secretly hoping for was finally within his grasp.

And he would not give it up. Not for anything.

A/N: Perse is going to be rather sore than he missed dinner. Really, the nerve of this guy! Tomorrow starts Day 4, don't miss it!