Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

         The ticking of a clock alone filled the restaurant, and the chatter Tsukasa had once loved to hear as he rushed about to cook their dishes was gone. He stared down a still door, just anticipating a joyous crowd to walk through.

        This restaurant had seen a lot, from the ups and downs of the town it encapsulated, to its own charm, with celebrations. Yet all had been thrown out the window when an odd sense of dread and doom descended upon the townsfolk. They blamed him from the most unfounded and lost theories, and even when the cause was found as some sort of weird, new illness, they still avoided the restaurant like it was the one to infect them.

        The door swung open.

        "Are you sure this is the haunted restaurant? It sure seems… normal." A man with purple and teal hair stepped in.

        "I assure you, this is the one. There's no other reason to explain why the mysterious illness came upon us when he made that new menu item." One of the townsfolk explained, giving him a mean look.

        "But he looks like a normal human, and I'm detecting no magical signals from him. Not even this place itself holds any significant power. Surely you're wrong."

        "This place is evil and cursed! I don't even know why you're here. You should leave before its curse affects you too."

        "Leave. I will question him, and I'll remember to not trust you for haunted things." The questionably dressed man forces the villager to leave the two of them alone.

        "And who are you? I'm guessing not some sort of cursed evil guy like the misinformation I've been given." Tsukasa stares at him before answering.

        "My name is Tsukasa Tenma. I run this restaurant and I did it quite well before rumors spread."

        The man in front of him looked simultaneously well put together and messy. His hair was strewn crazily, like he had more important cares than his appearance, yet his outfit was perfectly unwrinkled and neat, folded in the perfect places, as if a wild cat was put into a pretty cage.

        "I'm Rui Kamishiro. I am a traveling magician, searching for something worth my while to stop and help. Why don't you serve me something, and I'll consider helping you?" Tsukasa seems shocked by the answer. I don't know why he's here, but it's not like I've got other customers walking in.

        "Most certainly! Is there anything on the menu you fancy?" He smiles warmly.

        "Ah, let's see… how about the steak there?" Rui points to a decently difficult meal to make on the menu.

       "Sure, just give me a moment and I'll have it whipped up in no time!" Tsukasa, however, doubts himself on that.

       He stepped into the kitchen he had many fond memories of. Once again, as he had missed so dearly, he would be cooking. And for a magician who could help his failing place! What could be better than that?

       He checked the fridge for some steak, and found some tucked in the back. Perfect. This'll work great. He went to get some spices to season it, and to get the stuff for the baste. He carefully seasoned it, before throwing it into the pan with some butter and rosemary.

       "Oh, it looks amazing, but I should start working on the steak fries though." He scurried off to grab the potatoes and start cutting them up. He kept working hard, and Rui started to get curious about what Tsukasa was doing, and peeked in.

       "Greetings Tsukasa, how is my dish faring so far?" Rui had an odd smile on his face.

       "It's doing amazing, you have not a reason to worry. I'm just finishing up the fries." Tsukasa showed the fries he had finished so far.

       "And the steak? I do hope it's doing spectacularly."

       "Also great! You can see it in a bit, when I finish these fries."

       "Fufu, great. See you around, Tsukasa-kun." Rui left, coattails swishing behind him. Tsukasa continued to prepare the food, finishing up shortly.

       Rui sat waiting, legs crossed, as he saw Tsukasa approaching with his meal.

       "Here you go, a fine plate of juicy steak, with nice, crispy fries on the side. Eat up!" Tsukasa sets down the plate. Rui gracefully cuts the steak, keeping precision as he slices through it, and he takes a small bite.

       His eyes widen, and he ignores wiping his face to try the fries, them also delighting him. He hastily eats more, before remembering the man beside him, waiting for his response.

       "It is most excellent. I will consider helping you– on the condition that you make more food for me. Do not take that as yes, but I will be considering."

       "Thank you! I always put my best work into all of my dishes, I am glad it pleased you. Oh, and you said you wanted more food? I could make you dessert."

       "That would be lovely, unfortunately I have places to be. Do not worry, expect to see me soon. Farewell for now, Tsukasa-kun." Rui left swiftly and disappeared into the empty streets, nothing but a mark on the ground remained of his departure.

       "How odd, I wouldn't expect a high standing mage to be so swayed by good cooking– could that be his weakness?" Tsukasa was cleaning off the plate he had left. "Well, I ought to pack it up for now. It's way past closing, and I doubt any other fancy magicians will come waltzing in."

       The next day had come, and its morning turned to afternoon. Earlier, Tsukasa had walked around and asked if anyone had seen the mage since yesterday. Unfortunately, he hadn't been spotted at all, but one person saw the mark of a cast spell that wasn't the one he used to leave. Not even a cricket was chirping, or a bird sang as the clock ticked, the town still and quiet. While Tsukasa was cleaning up, someone had come inside, and it wasn't Rui.

         "Hey! I wanted to come eat at this place again. I can't even remember why I don't go here anymore. I asked my friends, but they all didn't want to come. Odd, huh?" One of the townsfolk was standing right in front of him, cheerfully chatting carelessly.

         "What– huh, oh, sorry, what would you like to have? We've got lots of delicious options to choose from!" Tsukasa half-hazardly covers up his shock, distracting the person with the menu.

       "Wow! I really forgot how many good options this place has! Uh, I'll take the spaghetti." He pointed to the small, basic spaghetti.

       "Of course! I'll make it right away!"

        The spaghetti was fairly simple to make, it was just sauce, noodles and a garnish in a small quantity. While cooking, he pondered why he would have customers now of all times. It's the only logical reason, Rui must've done something. Why though? My food is good, yeah, but this is just a small restaurant in the middle of nowhere in a tiny little town. I have to grow my own ingredients for the most part!

       "Well, no use worrying, though I do hope he comes back. This restaurant sure is empty." Tsukasa heads to serve his customer.

       "Here you go! I hope you enjoy it!" Tsukasa hands him the plate, before going off to clean some more.

        Nothing else super notable happened until later that night, no other people walked in to be served.

        "Well, I'm back for the dessert you offered to make me. What, are you surprised I'd come back?" Rui walked into the place like he owned it.

       "Are you the one responsible for the customer earlier today? He seemed so unafraid of this place."

       "Oh, you could say that. I didn't really pay you back for that meal, so I figured you should at least have some compensation."

       "I didn't even notice that, but thanks for the payback. And what do you want for dessert? I could make some cake, or cookies, whatever you want the most."

       "I would like a nice, fudgy brownie. You can make that, right?" Rui was almost teasing him.

       "Of course I can make brownies, don't doubt me on what I can bake just because I'm a chef." Tsukasa left to begin baking, leaving Rui to himself.

       "Good food is one of the things I appreciate the most, other than a good spellbook packed with stuff to learn. It always feels like I'm making up for lost time digging into something delicious." Rui said to himself.

       Tsukasa was working hard in the kitchen, not only trying to get the measurements correct, but also changing them to make the brownies more fudgy like Rui asked for. He was scrambling about, because the flour is in one place, and then the brown sugar is across the kitchen, and the spices are unorganized and hard to distinguish. Eventually, he got the mixture into a good looking state, and popped it into the oven to bake.

       "Alright, I've got your delicious brownies in the oven, why don't you tell me a little why you're wandering around, and what's drawn you here?" Tsukasa sits down next to Rui.

       "Oh, where to start. I've got a long story, so you ought to settle in and get ready for a tale."

"It's fine by me. Start wherever's relevant." Tsukasa nestled into his seat.

        "Many years ago, I was just an apprentice studying at the most prestigious magic academy, even as a scholar I was most talented. I was studying to eventually become a mage working under the king, fulfilling any tasks and being paid a lot. It's a position chased by nearly every mage. I managed to become one, and a year or so after, a war broke out. Naturally, he sent out every force he had, and so I ended up on the fields of war, fighting. The war was brutal, much more dark than I could possibly imagine. I grew more mature than I should ever have. But the thing that really broke me was the terrible food. They fed us practically rocks, and the budget for them was the last thing funded, so even then we were rarely fed. I was starving out there. Starving. Food has never tasted better after such an experience."

        "Oh, wow. I could have never guessed anything like that would have happened to you. I'll make more food for you and make it extra great."

        "Thank you. I really also am looking for something calm and quiet. I don't want to feel rushed or forced or panicked to a level anywhere near that again."

        "Of course, and speaking of food, It's about time for your brownies!" Tsukasa went to grab them and plate a piece.

        "Here you go, a fudgy brownie with fluffy whipped cream on top. It's the least I can do for you." Tsukasa sat down with his own plate as well.

        "Much appreciated." Rui took a bite of the brownie, pleased with its taste and nearly devouring it, finding it amazingly delicious.

        "Well, after all this I would hope you're going to help me? Not that I would force you."

        "Oh, Yes! Consider this my approval. I, Rui Kamishiro, will work with you to operate this restaurant."

        Tsukasa was filled with a sense of joy. The restaurant will be back in business!

Chapter Text

         The next day has arrived, and Rui has returned to the restaurant, hoping to help it grow with a pinch of magic.

        "How are you doing this morning, Tsukasa-kun? Enjoying the sunny day?"

        "I am doing delightful, thank you for asking Rui. Now, shall we get this place up and running for the morning?"

        "Oh, but I haven't had a bite to eat yet~ Surely you could make me breakfast?" Rui asks with pleading eyes, and his stomach growls as if it's following a script.

        "Fine, fine. What do you want? Biscuits, a bagel, some french toast, a pancake or two, maybe a waffl— Are you drooling?!"

        Tsukasa stares at him, both dumbfounded and shocked that one person could be so wanting of a good meal.

        "Well—" Rui placed a hand on Tsukasa's shoulder. "I find that your food is the most delicious thing I've tasted in my many years. Even before the war and when I was yet to learn magic, my family was not well off. A good meal was far and few between."

        "Oh, well all the more reason to cook good for you. What will you have?"

        "I will have a waffle, the fluffy one with whipped cream and strawberries on top."

        "Coming right up!" Tsukasa went off to the kitchen. Rui was left by himself, sitting in the empty restaurant.

        "This place is so empty and sad. I can't wait to work on this place." Rui pulled out a book of magic spells, turning to the page listing how to remove curses.

        "If my intuition, and testing, is right, this place has a detrimental curse laid on it. I ought to start on fixing it if everyone in the village is deterred by it." Rui quickly refreshed what to do to cast the spell. "Aha. The shed of a tarantula, a feather from a crow, and any mushroom that grows on decomposing trees. Fairly straightforward for a spell of this level. Maybe I could use Tsukasa to fetch them." "Ah, but I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I'll need to memorize the incantation, after all, It's been a while since I've done any incantation, and years since casting this one." Tsukasa comes rushing out of the kitchen, holding a big plate of waffles.

        "Here you go! Some delicious waffles with strawberries as you ordered." Tsukasa puts down the plate, and sees the spellbook. "Oh, getting to work already?"

        "I just wanted to see what the removal of curses warranted. Its ingredients and incantation are pretty simple, so I'm thinking you could gather the ingredients. It's the shed of a tarantula, a crow feather, and a mushroom growing off a dead tree. You know this place better than me, anyway."

        "Of course! But, I don't think tarantulas live around here. Do you have a way to get that? Also, your waffles are getting cold!" Tsukasa nudged the plate towards him, and Rui takes a few heaping bites, before responding, lips covered in whipped cream.

        "Mhm, I do carry around a few of the rarer items for spells. I just happen to have one tarantula shed left." Rui lifted his bag up on the table, pulling it out.

        "Y-Yeah, you have it. Uh, excuse me, I forgot to put the dishes away!" Tsukasa jumps at the sight of the shed, scampering off to the kitchen.

        "I suppose he doesn't like spiders. Oh well, it's just the shed. Surely he'll get over it."

        "And there's the crow feather. Thank you, Tsukasa. I'll get this curse lifted just in time for dinner, we'll get customers rolling in!"

         "No problem, I've got to pick up the kitchen so I can get cooking for the customers. I'll leave you be!"

         “Well, with the items collected, all that's left is the incantation. Lets take a look here." Rui inspects the text, reading it carefully over and over. "Thy curse be sealed, and the souls return to their resting. Begone, oh dark one."

        Magical energy swirls around Rui, as the image of the restaurant distorts and turns dark. The energy swirls around Rui's hand, and with a swift flick of his hand, the place quickly returns to normal.

         "Alright Tsukasa, I've removed the curse. The effects of it should lift from everyone soon." Rui shouts, and Tsukasa comes rushing in.

        "Really? It was just that easy to dispel it? I thought this place would be ignored forever until I had to move to something else. I can't thank you enough!" Tsukasa hugs Rui. "Seriously, I couldn't think of anything that could be enough for your gratitude. My restaurant means everything to me."

        "Why thank you, but I think working with you and getting to eat your delicious cooking is more than enough of a repayment." Rui smiles. "Oh, and speaking of your cooking, you'll need to get to that soon." Rui begins to pack up his magic stuff, as someone walks in.

        "Oh, hello! You can take a seat here, and I'll get the menu for you." Tsukasa greets the customer with a smile.

        "Thank you!" They sit down.

        "Well, I can see you're busy, I'll leave you be, Tsukasa-kun." Rui waves before he leaves.

        "I hope he gets some more customers before the night's end. It would be a shame otherwise." Rui says to himself.

         And so Rui goes off, and many days pass as Rui watches Tsukasa serving their newfound customers. All up until, Rui decides it's time for him to help out, too.

         "Hello Tsukasa, how is the restaurant going today?" Rui sniffs the air. "Is that… Cookies?"

        "Yes! I baked you some since you come at the same time every day. The restaurant is doing great!"

        "Good. When will those cookies be done?"

        "I actually just took them out of the oven, you can have one shortly." Tsukasa smiles.

        "Well, while we're waiting for those, I was thinking about how I want to improve your cooking. I've found a way I think is manageable." Rui sits down and pulls out some written notes.

        "Really? I didn't know magic could go this far."

        "Yes. If you look here, I've got some ideas for spells, but the one I think is the best method will be enchanting the ingredients, which will bring out the flavors while they're cooking, so it'll be better than enchanting at the end." He points at some different sigils and some notes in cursive.

        "I don't know what enchanting would be like for regular objects like vegetables, as opposed to weapons. It seems straightforward to enchant a sword, but food seems, well, odd to enchant."

        "As a mage specialized in enchantment, It did seem weird at first, but enchantment usually brings out the best qualities of an object, or improves on its weaknesses. Considering it's much less complicated than spellcasting, It seems to be our best option."

        "Okay, I see. Any object can be enchanted then? Or are there some you can't enchant?"

        "There is a long, complicated list of items banned to enchant, that anyone who specializes in enchantment must memorize, and you're tested on it. It's about five thousand items."

         "Woah! What generally does an item have to warrant being illegal to enchant?"

         "Most poisons, deadly weapons and the majority of untested alchemy potions are what take up the large amount of the list. The rest are usually things that react negatively to enchantment, with some common items even being on there." Rui suddenly glances up to Tsukasa with a pleading face. "Are the cookies cool enough?"

        "Oh! They should be plenty fine by now. I'll get them." He goes to the kitchen, giggling a little on the way. What's he laughing for? No, It didn't feel like a mocking laugh. More like an excited one. Maybe he's thinking about me…

        "Fresh hot and gooey chocolate chip cookies. All for you and me!" He puts a plate with four cookies in between them, taking one and gently giving it to Rui. "Eat up! I searched hard for the most delicious recipe. It was buried in some cookbook way in the back."

         "Thank you, Tsukasa." He smiled, a full one, before greedily biting into the cookie. "Mhf! Itz fewry goodf!" He scarfed the rest of it down.

         "Chew before you start talking to me, even if it's the best cookie you've ever eaten!" Tsukasa playfully teased. "And watch your manners."

         "Sorry." Rui wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "It's just so good though!"

         "I expect you to savor your next one. All my cookies would be gone by tomorrow at this rate." Tsukasa takes a small bite of his cookie.

         Rui eats his next cookie slightly slower, but still not up to what Tsukasa wanted. "Well, I should get to enchanting some ingredients, and we can see how the food turns out when you cook with it." He gets up and heads towards the kitchen, dragging Tsukasa by his arm.

         "I look forward to what awaits me with cooking with enchanted foods. I'll guarantee that it'll turn out great!" Tsukasa doesn't shake Rui's tugging hand off of him.

         The kitchen lay in front of them, messy but clearly getting the love it had felt all those times ago. Ingredients were strewn about, covering the counters and half open bags everywhere.

         Tsukasa guided Rui to the cabinets full of ingredients, suggesting he try a potato first.

          "It's got such a plain flavor that it'll be clear if the enchantment worked. Here, take this one. "

          "Alright, It looks fine. Let me get out what I need." Rui pulled out a big piece of quartz, setting it in front of him. He held the potato to his heart, repeating words in his head. The energy from the quartz transferred to the potato, filling it with strength. He hands it to Tsukasa.

         "Here. Do you notice anything different?"

         "It… feels heavier. It also has a noticeable scent other than dirt. Interesting."

         "Try cooking something with it. Make some french fries or something."

         "Okay, can you grab that knife from over there?" Tsukasa points to a knife block. Rui obliges, and retrieves the knife for him.

         Tsukasa begins cutting the potato warily, cautious of any other changes caused by the enchantment. He found, though, that no other changes appeared from cutting or preparing.

         "Well, Rui, I'd like to ask how your time at the palace was. Did you despise it? Were there very good parts, or very bad parts?" Tsukasa throws the chopped up potato into some frying oil.

         "Oh, it was both good and bad. The library was fantastic. And the king was so greedy and selfish, yet so calculating it's scary. I'd kill him just as thoughtfully planned out as his monthly banquet that the working class are paying for in taxes."

         "Is that so? It seems everyone twists the narrative and makes him seem like a savior for that war and any little thing he's done, positive or negative." Tsukasa takes the fries out of the oil.

         "Oh yeah. I'd say the thing he actually spends the most money on is people to make him look like a fabulous king. Not a person suspects his intentions behind the well–managed mask." Rui eyes the fries. "Well, the fries do smell more aromatic than I would expect. Should we give them a taste?"

         "Yep, how about you try the first one, since you're the one making this possible?" Tsukasa holds the fry up to Rui's mouth, and he takes a nibble.

         "Goddness, It's so good. You've got to try it." He licks his lips, enjoying the flavor.

         "My, my. You weren't kidding. It's a mile above regular fries."

         "I guess that settles it, that I'll be enchanting ingredients then?"

         "Most certainly. Just imagine a dish with all the key ingredients enchanted. It be worthy of an arm and a leg!"

         "Yes, yes. Now look at the time, it's quite late. May I start staying at yours? My only lodging is in the palace, and I have grown quite disliking of it."

         "...You sleep there? I can't understand why, but you're free to stay here. I, uh, only have one bedroom though."

         "And the problem with that? I'll get over it, nothing's worse than the palace, after all."

         "Alright then. Come with me."

Chapter Text

         Rui is awakened by the sound of a spell being cast. Sleepily blinking his eyes open, he's hit on the head by something. Upon further inspection, it appears to be a letter, specifically a magic letter.

        Tsukasa was not in the bed anymore, so Rui got up to search for him. While walking, he looked at the letter.

        "The letter is from… The king?! What business could he possibly have with me?" Rui stares dumbfounded at the letter.

        "And I thought you said that you weren't working with the king anymore? Or am I wrong?" Tsukasa looks him in the eyes, waiting for a response.

        "I never said that I wasn't. The king in return for my allegiance protects my family, cutting ties with him would be a foolish thing just because the war was over."

        "Ok then. What does the letter say? It's important what he's asking you to do."

        Rui opens the letter, carefully reading it with a concerned expression before repeating it.

        "'As stated in your oath of allegiance, you shall obey any and all orders from the king, to the best of your ability without fail. Report to the palace posthaste, for I have a mission awaiting you there. Disobedience will not be tolerated in any form.' Well, that doesn't sound good, huh?"

        "Are you kidding? You need to attend that!" Tsukasa grips Rui's shoulders, as the wind sways their clothing.

        "Not necessarily. A magic letter can be sent without knowing the location of the recipient. He doesn't know where I am." Rui tosses the letter, and it crumbles into dust. He looks Tsukasa in the face with a serious expression. "You don't know what he's sent me into before. The blood stained on my hands is his fault. He did it all without any emotion, and not even a thought for the countless gone to a place he should have met ages ago." Tsukasa pauses for a moment, a blank, thoughtful, and maybe even a pained look pasted onto his face.

        "Fine. You can stay with me, as long as it's safe. If you need to go, don't even pause as you leave."

        "Understood. I'll make sure to keep both of us safe. In the meantime, though, he doesn't know where we live. We've got to be safe for a bit."

        "I just don't want you to get hurt, Rui. Please, I don't know what I would do without your help by my side."

        "I'll stay safe, and keep by your side. I promise."

        "Let's go open up the restaurant. Or do you want more practice with enchanting stuff to help me?"

        "I'll be fine, let's go ahead."

        The restaurant is lively as ever, bustling with people coming in for breakfast. The two took orders, and they regrouped to decide how to enchant the dishes the best.

        "If I enchant the sugar in the pancakes, it'll turn out too sweet, but I can't think of what truly brings out the flavor in waffles. It's so overlooked," Rui frets.

        "Enchanting the flour and the strawberries should be the most important ones. After all, the flour takes up most of the waffle, and the strawberries are the topping," Tsukasa suggests.

        "You must be right! Measure out the amount of flour we need, and then I'll enchant it. I'll do the strawberries when we need them at the end." Rui watches as he meticulously measures out the flour, putting it in a separate bowl.

        "I'll leave you to do that! I'll arrange the rest of the stuff we need." He hands Rui the bowl.

        Rui pulls the same large quartz as before out of his bag, setting it in behind the bowl. Holding his hands over the quartz, he begins to whisper words under his breath, feeling the energy gather in his fingertips. He flicks his hands, and the energy transfers to the flour.

        "Here you go! It doesn't seem as different as the potato, but I'm sure the taste will be fantastic."

        "Thank you! One question though, why did you have to whisper to enchant it this time? You didn't last time."

        "I wasn't directly holding the flour, so just thinking wouldn't suffice. If you don't at least whisper and are not holding the object you're enchanting, then it'll go awry."

        "Interesting! Even just one branch of magic has so many caveats I would never even start to consider." He throws the flour into the rest of the dry ingredients.

        "What's left that I can do?"

        "You could get the wet ingredients in order." He hands Rui a bowl.

        The two continue to cook different orders, until they ran into something peculiar.

        "Rui… I assume you took this order because it's steak tartare. We don't have that on the menu."

         "It would be a letdown if we didn't make it."

         "Rui. It's made from raw meat. None of the meat we have is safe raw."

         "Tsk, tsk. That's what my magic is for. Enchanting will make it safe to eat if I do it with the right intentions."

         "Alright then, I'll get some steak from the back. An egg too, because it also needs a raw egg yolk on top."

         Tsukasa walks to the back, looking for what he needs. Rui says that we'll be safe from the king, but I don't know if he's just lying to stay away from him. I don't know that if the king turns on him he could save us. He fumbles around a bit, struggling to find some things. If he's actually confident though, I don't mind him staying, in fact, I'd rather he stay in that case. I'll trust him for now.

         "Oh, Tsukasa-kun~ Have you finally found it?" Rui hums sweetly.

         "Yep! Do what you need to do with it now."

         Through some more troubles, and a little enchanting, they finish the dish without many problems.

          "Alright, let's give it to the customer and see what they think!"

         "And give them a stern talking to for ordering something not on the menu. We're not ad-libbing our dishes anymore."

         "...Do I get a stern talking to for taking the order?" Rui looks at Tsukasa with a pleading face.

         "No. I guess it wasn't your fault."

        They delivered the order with not much of a problem other than the reprimanding of the receiver. Him and Rui worked tirelessly to clear the rest of the pile of orders in front of them, and they did well at that.

        The place was suffocated with activity. People muttering, dishes clattering, and yet the orders had slowed to nearly a stop. It was a great time for a break for the two, and so they slipped off outside.

        The sun fell down the sky filled with red, the grass blades stabbing them as they laid back. Dim, slightly visible stars bled the little light they had, given the chance free from the bright of the superior star. Howling wind swayed the trees, tearing the leaves from the weak branches loosening their grip on them.

        "Rui. Do you really think the king is clueless as to where you are?"

        Rui didn't answer him for a bit. He thought true and hard about the risks and chances. The sun was cut in half by the horizon when he answered, shakily:

        "I don't know." The statement was true, for there was a good chance the king knew more than he could ever imagine. Tsukasa answered quickly, with a question just as hard, if not even harder to answer.

        "Why. Why would you take so much risk, for a meaningless thing like this restaurant?" Tsukasa looked at him with curiosity, and Rui saw before him what he wanted to protect. A pure soul, free from the control the king had. For Rui knew the king would send the world into ruin. And, most of all:

        "Because you have so much passion. It might be a maybe on whether I get in large trouble, but a promise that I will be with you, and help you. Because you're worth it." The two sat for a while. Thinking, feeling.

        "Look, everyone's gone home. We can think while cleaning."

        "Okay, let's clean it up."