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One morning in the Nearl Estate.
The morning alarm beeped loudly in the bedroom. A hand lazily hovered over the clock, reaching to silence the noise. It came down on the button but missed. With a tired groan, the hand fumbled again; pressing down a second time, then a third, each attempt just off the mark.
Annoyance flared. Fingers curled into a fist before slamming down furiously on the alarm, silencing it at last.
The room fell quiet once more. Beneath the rustling sheets and tangled blankets, a blonde-haired Kuranta stirred, reluctantly waking from his deep slumber. He let out a tired yawn before stretching his arms out, stepping out of his bed and looking at it in its messy state.
“Time to start a new day…” He muttered quietly
He started to make the bed diligently by tucking his bedsheets in and folding his blanket into a neat rectangular shape. After he finished making up his bed he began his small morning exercises in his room fifty push ups, fifty sit ups followed by a seven minute plank and lastly with twenty pull ups. After his training, his hands were shaking and the planking had caused the fresh bruise on his stomach to ache once again.
He always wanted to stop this rigorous routine; who in their right mind would get their butts kicked on a daily basis just because they wanted to play the hero?
But before he could even finish that thought, he reminded himself that he is the son of the legendary radiant knight; her legacy and the honor of his family name rests on his shoulders, making them proud is his most important priority.
“Fear neither hardships nor darkness.” He reminds himself quietly of his family’s long standing motto, one he has to live by and hold onto till his end.
After the daily morning routine, the young knight stepped out of his bedroom and went into the hallway. As he walked he couldn't help but admire the captivating decorations that were displayed across the hallways. Everything about the decoration within the white porcelain room tells him of the glory that the Nearls have earned throughout the decades; it's as if they quietly remind him to not disappoint or ruin what they had built.
After that he walked down the stairs towards the kitchen for the most important meal of the day, breakfast. He entered the kitchen to see a fluffy tail sticking out of the door of the refrigerator and he walked towards the refrigerator to see who was behind it. As he got closer he saw his cousin Ceclylia.
“Good morning, Ceclylia.” He greeted her with a soft yet tired tone.
“Morning, Pat.” She replied while rummaging through the fridge for something.
As Ceclylia rummaged through the full refrigerator to find what she needed for her morning breakfast, Patryk poured a good amount of water into a kettle before turning on the electric stove. he placed the kettle onto the flat heated surface of the stove and waited for it to boil as the stove boils its contents. As he waited he opened the top cabinet, grabbing an airtight jar with a note taped on its glass frame that says “Robusta”. he took off the lid of the jar before taking two spoonfuls of the powder and putting it into a ceramic mug.
After the water reached the right temperature for his coffee, Patryk poured the hot liquid into the mug and the water turned black as it made contact with the coffee powder.
“Hey, cousin, can you give me the creamer in the fridge?” He asked Ceclylia who was still rummaging through the fridge.
“Here you go… if you're looking for the honey, it's on the table next to the barbeque sauce.” She replied while passing the creamer to Patryk before continuing to rummage through the fridge.
Patryk poured the creamer into the coffee as well as grabbing the honey that was next to the barbeque sauce, putting its viscous golden liquid into the coffee.
“Thanks, and have you seen Blanka around? I haven't seen her this morning…” he asked his cousin once again for the whereabouts of his dearest sister.
“Your dad took her out to his workshop just this morning, surprised you didn't tag along and here I thought you are the favorite child.” she sarcastically replied, intentionally trying to mock him
Patryk didn't reply to her sarcasm as he poured steaming hot water into the mug, the rich and strong fragrance of the coffee wafted over to his nose as well into the nose of Ceclylia. The aroma of the sargonian beans were exquisite; it had a very woody and slightly charred smell to it, these were top quality coffee beans he had received from a friend in Rhodes island. He could smell this all day and couldn't get tired of it although good things must come to an end sometimes as Patryk poured creamer into the coffee giving the dark colored liquid some light, the smell isn't as rich as before but it's still great.
He felt guilty doing what he did. He ruined the rich fragrance with the creamer even though it made the coffee much more bearable than just drinking it as is. He was not his sister who's addicted to caffeine, that is Blanka for you always drinking coffee alongside the other medical staff. Luckily she doesn't make herself suffer by piling up work.
As he sipped his sipped his morning coffee he can see that his cousin was holding a jar of peanut butter, the label says “Crunchy O’Butter” a Columbian brand that she likes, in her words it's perfect because it's smooth and crunchy at the same time, she would kill for this peanut butter because how much she loves it.
She twisted the jar open and took off the lid. What she saw next devastated her to the core. The jar was empty; there were barely any traces of the sweet, delicious and creamy but crunchy light brown substance. She takes out a spoon and desperately scoops out what was barely left of her beloved peanut butter.
She could only scoop out a tiny amount, an amount that can only cover the tip of the spoon. Cecylia looked at patryk with eyes that began to plead.
“Patryk…” she called out his name with a soft tone
Patryk’s Kuranta ears twitched and he turn his head at his cousin while raising an eyebrow
“Yes?” He responds to her
“Can we please go to the supermarket? Pretty please…” she pleaded while putting her hand together in a begging manner.
“The supermarket? What for? Isn't this too early in the morning to go there right now?” He puts down his coffee
“Look… I ran out of peanut butter just now and I want to just go there right away, you know?” she replied, trying to convince her cousin to come along.
“Why don't you go there by yourself? You're practically an adult.” He annoyingly says but he tries his best to stay patient with his kin.
“Come on, Pat~ you don't wanna abandon your own cousin will you? My mother would be mad at you if anything ever happened to me~” she sarcastically remarked to Patryk her tone was mischievous as if she wanted to provoke him further.
“I swear… I sometimes wonder how you're the daughter of auntie Maria. But alright I'll go with you to the supermarket but I need to get my stuff first then we can go” He sighs in exasperation letting her win
Ceclylia's lips curl into a grin of victory as she has succeeded in convincing Patryk to assist her on her small adventure to the supermarket, once again achieving what she wants. Patryk emptied his cup of coffee before hastily returning back to his room to grab all the things he needed such as his jacket, wallet, and most importantly his gift from his parents.
At first glance it appeared to be a dagger with a crystal blade; However, this was actually an arts wand but it was a bit oversized from the normal standards. The "blade" was a quartz crystal encasing originium, there was a light that was glowing within, slowly and rhythmically flashed as if it was alive and breathing. The crystal was held by a metallic handle; there are intricate and beautiful carvings a testament to his father's craftsmanship. Even though he was a woodworker he beautifully implemented his carving skills in the wand's handle.
Patryk placed the wand on his belt with the intention to use it for conventional purposes like a handy flashlight that can be very bright; shoot a ball of light that can disorient a poor scoundrel's vision or use the wand to create a shield.
He puts on his jacket before heading outside to the grocery store to get the peanut butter. It was a chilly day outside, the crisp fresh morning air was perfect for a morning run.
As they stepped out they could see vehicles driving along the streets while the sidewalk was filled with pedestrians either going up for a morning jog, Heading to work or even taking a leisurely walk around the grand knight territory, it was the sign of a new week.
The two started to walk towards the grocery store that was a few blocks away from their estate
“Mondays are always so busy.” Patryk commented while they were walking
“I hate Mondays. Chores are always a bother.” Cecylia groaned as she was reminded of what day it was.
“You know, you shouldn't be lazy.” Patryk reminded her
“Hey, at least I know when to take a break. Unlike you, golden boy.” She retorted
“I'm just training, that's all. As an operator and a knight I must be in top shape to help people.” Patryk explained trying to correct his cousin.
“Oh and you call almost getting run over by a Jeep a form of dodging training? That sounds like insanity to me. At least Auntie Platinum trained to become an archer and not an overachiever.” she sarcastically retorted
Patryk fell quiet for a moment, he recomposed himself before talking.
“I am merely training, that's all.” He reassured her, his voice was losing composure as if he wanted to yell at his cousin but he held back.
“Whatever you say, Patryk.” She scoffed at him again
He sighed at her dismissive comment, he has to admit the training he was put through by some of his mentors were outrageous.
Eventually, They arrived at the grocery store.
The automatic door opened, the fresh breeze of the humid and conditioned air greeted them.
“Ah~ finally my third favorite place in the grand knight territory, The grocery store!” she lets out a small proud laugh
“Then what's the first and second?” Patryk asked
“The first is my room, of course and the second… is probably the bar that auntie Zofia always goes to- let's not waste time, I can't wait to get my hands on some good ol’ crunchy o’butter.” Cecylia rubbed her hands excitedly before walking fast to the condiment aisle
She hummed as she finally reached the condiment aisle, the racks were filled with a variety of sauces, jams and some other things.
She stepped towards the shelves with a steadfast pace, her head held up high, in her thoughts Cecylia imagined herself spreading the smooth and crunchy peanut butter on top of a warm toast. Her mouth is watering by just imagining how the peanut butter is melting delicately on the warm toast.
However as soon as she gazed upon the shelf where her favorite peanut spread was supposed to be. Her steps suddenly faltered, her eyes caught a devastating sight. The peanut butter isn't there, as she stood in front of the empty shelf, eyes twitching with annoyance.
“It's out…” Cecylia spoke out in annoyance.
“Well, we have a lot of options here, don't you think? It's just peanut butter…” Patryk suggested while holding a jar of peanut butter next to the empty shelf.
Cecylia turned her head around, a slight anger flashed before her eyes.
“What.” She sounded offended that her cousin just compared her beloved crunchy o’butter to some average and inferior peanut butter.
“W-what’s with that look?”
“You did not just say that.” Cecylia said as she took a step closer to him, she yanked his jacket before giving patryk a death stare.
“You take that back, crunchy o’butter is the best thing that has come out of this miserable world so you better take that back, Golden Boy!” Her face inches closer to his, it was clear that she was not having anyone say something bad about something she likes.
“Okay, Okay, I'll take that back.”
Cecylia let's go of Patryk's jacket before stepping away from him
“Good, now let's get out of here, there's probably more Crunchy o’butter somewhere else.”
“But shouldn't we buy the other groceries here while we're at it?”
“There's no time! It's going to sell out in a few hours if we're not fast enough!”
Cecylia grabbed Patryk by the wrist before dragging him out of the grocery store, they are now on the hunt for peanut butter… some people would've just given up by now and just take whatever they can get but not Cecylia. It's just poor ol’ Patryk is going to get dragged on a misadventure with his peanut butter obsessed cousin.
They went from store to store looking for any traces of Crunchy o'butter but every store they went to was out of stock of the product they were looking for.
“Seriously?!?!? Ugh… This is the seventh store we went to and they're out! Come on, Golden Boy! Let's look again!” She commanded as she walks away
“Wait! Why don't we ask the clerks here first? Don't you think it's a bit suspicious that every store we went to has no crunchy o'butter left but other peanut butter is in stock?” Patryk suggested trying to catch his breath because of how long they have been walking on the city
Cecylia turned around to look at Patryk before crossing her arms.
“Come on, it will make it easier for the both of us.”
Cecylia let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes before finally uncrossing her arms; he was right. but she wouldn't admit it
“Fine… let's go ask… but I'm telling you it's better if we keep looking!”
“And spend all morning finding peanut butter? I have things to do, you know…”
“It's worth it! Trust me.”
Patryk's eyebrows furrowed as Cecylia spoke, he found it hard to believe that all of this is worth all morning, Any normal person would've just given up at this point.
“I find it hard to believe that peanut butter is hardly worth all morning to find peanut butter and… it's 23 Marks, isn't that a bit too expensive? No wonder your allowances burned out so quickly…”
Cecylia sighed in frustration; he simply had to point out that she spent all of her allowance in just two weeks.
“Can we just ask? I don't want to hear you lecture me about how I spend my money!” She exclaimed clearly annoyed with her cousin
Patryk walks up to a store clerk who is busy restocking cereal on the shelves. She is working hard, carefully and precisely arranging the boxes.
“Excuse me… miss?” Patryk's tone is soft and polite
The store clerk turned her head around to meet Patryk, her eyes were tired and bags were under her eyes. She was still a young lady, probably a college student that worked part time just to get by.
“How can I help you?” Her voice sounded drowsy like it's threatening to fall asleep at any moment
A feeling of guilt and pity suddenly crawled towards Patryk. He knew he had to ask quickly and just let this poor store clerk finish her job.
“I wanted to know when crunchy o'butter is going to be restocked?”
The clerk looked down on the floor seemingly trying to think or remember something, probably remembering the delivery driver.
“That one…” she murmured before looking up towards Patryk
“Yeah… it's supposed to be today but our manager got told by the delivery driver that he was stopped by a few men with masks… That's all I heard when I was, uhm- Checking the stock” she explained, almost dozing off
“Is the driver still around or could we ask for the manager?” Patryk asked
“He's still around, Taking a coffee break near a coffee stall on the side of the road near here…”
Patryk nodded in acknowledgement
“I see, thank you miss and-”
His hand reached out towards his wallet, he pulled out twenty marks and handed it to her
“Here, it's not much but I appreciate your help.”
The clerk squinted her eyes at the money he handed to her.
“Sir, you shouldn't have…” she tried to hand it back to him but he insisted by gently pushing her hand away
“You need it more than I do, so keep it.” he said with a sincere tone of voice
“Thank you so much sir…” she pocketed the cash, in her mind it looks like she can finally get something nice and warm to eat today.
“You are most welcome” he said with a smile before turning back to Cecylia who was folding her arms, she looked annoyed with his gesture. Her eyes were silently telling him to not waste time.
Both of them started walking out of the grocery store now with a clear direction, as they walked out Cecylia looked towards Patryk with an annoyed look on her face
“Do you really have to do that, Golden boy?” Cecylia scoffed at him
“I do.” He said as his eyes scanned the streets looking for the truck the store clerk mentioned
“Wouldn't it be better if you just- I don't know, sponsor a charity? It would really boost your image, No?”
“I like doing things by myself and besides, I wouldn't want to put my name everywhere.”
Cecylia rolls her eyes, muttering something under her breath – half irritation, half disbelief.
Patryk’s eyes finally found the truck that the store clerk mentioned. It stopped right In front of a small coffee stall.
Crossing the road, the cousins finally reached the truck. Cecylia approached the truck driver who is currently enjoying a cup of coffee.
“You there!” She shouted
The truck driver got startled, almost dropping his cup of joe.
“Ja- pierdole!!-” he caught his coffee before looking towards Cecylia.
The driver was a middle-aged Vulpo. His face had a black eye and a few bruises across his face, his shirt was wrinkled and had a few already dried stains probably from a long time ago, he looked like a man that hasn't had a good day in weeks.
“What do you want?” The driver asked with a hint of agitation.
“Were you the driver delivering for that grocery store down the street?” Cecylia asked with a calm voice but her eyes were sharply narrowed.
“I was… but before you do anything please don't hurt me- I just got robbed, alright?”
The delivery man stepped back, raising his hands defensively or maybe to just cover his face from an incoming punch.
“Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. Unless you don't want to cooperate.” She grinned maliciously before taking a step forward
The driver shuddered, stepping back even further until his back touched the door of his truck.
Patryk's hand lightly tapped her shoulder.
“Cecylia.” His voice was calm but the disappointment hung heavy.
Her smile wavered, and she let out a scoff before brushing his hand away. Rolling her eyes, she took a step back, murmuring something under her breath as she walked away.
“Fine, have it your way.” She crossed her arms while standing behind him
Patryk gazed at her with a frown, feeling disappointed by her actions, but his face soon softened into an apologetic look as he turned to the driver.
“Forgive my cousin, she's having a pretty bad morning.” he offered a small bow to the driver.
The driver blinked, his expression softened but then it turned into the look of recognition.
“Wait– aren't you her son? The radiant knight's son? Margaret's I mean…”
Patryk nodded his head before smiling faintly
“I am. Have you met my mother?” he asked
“Once.” he said as he recalled the events from decades ago. “It was when- ah, back during that knight major where the campaign knights entered the city, That's the one.” the driver chuckled as those memories comes back to him “Never thought I'd see another Nearl in my lifetime.”
“Then I hope that we have made a good impression,” he said ashis smile softens and becomes more gentle
As he spoke, Cecylia was right behind him , arms crossed, watching the exchange with a quiet irritation as she clicked her tongue. She hated how easily people opened up to him.
“But I was meaning to ask – you mentioned being robbed this morning?” Patryk’s tone was calm, genuinely concerned. “The store clerk told us you were stopped. Would you mind telling us what happened? We’d like to help.”
“Oh, right.” The driver said, finally calming down. “Yeah, I got stopped by a few men– three, maybe four? I don’t really remember. They yanked me out of the truck and made me open the cargo.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, frustration creeping into his voice. “They only took a few boxes of peanut butter. Loaded ’em into a van and drove off like they owned the damn road.”
“Do you mind giving me the details of the van? It can help our search. Maybe the color of said van or the license plate?” He asked again, trying to get more details from the driver.
The driver rubbed his chin, trying to recall the details.
“Uh… the van was black, with a few white stripes, I think. I didn’t get a look at the plates– they were yelling at me the whole time.” He paused, brow furrowed as another memory surfaced. “Wait! I remember one of them saying something about Aleja Rycerska. Something about a warehouse… or maybe a garage. That’s all I’ve got.”
Patryk nodded as he took a mental note of what the driver said. “Is that all you can remember?” He asked hoping to get more specific details.
The driver shook his head and sighed. “No, that's all I remember, I'm afraid. I hope this helps… are you going to report this to the police?”
“We need to go there and see it for ourselves…” He replied “If it turns out to be the place, then we’ll report it — and I hope you can help us with your statement as well.”
“But for now… thank you for your information.” Patryk gave him a small bow
Cecylia uncrossed her arms, pumping her fist once — finally, a lead about the people who might’ve stolen her precious peanut butter.
They were about to leave when the driver called out, “Hey! Before you go… could you maybe lend me some money? The robbers took my cash while they unloaded the truck. Would you be so kind as to spare me some?”
Cecylia groaned softly, clearly annoyed at being held up. But Patryk had already opened his wallet.
He took out about fifty marks from his wallet. “Here, I hope this helps.” He said before Handing it over to him.
The driver’s eyes widened slightly, He smiled with appreciation “It does– thank you, young man. I hope good fortune follows wherever you go!”
As they walked Cecylia clicked her tongue in annoyance while uncrossing her arms.
“Seriously? It took you this long to get answers? I could've gotten those answers in seconds.” she remarked while having an annoyed tone of voice as she looked at him.
Patryk glanced at her with the same calm expression. “That man was having a bad day, I don't want to make it worse.”
“Right and guess how much time we've wasted? The sun’s almost high.” she grumbled before looking away
“It's still seven o'clock,” he simply replied.
“Whatever, let's just go.”
The cousins followed the truck driver’s directions until they saw that the streets began to change. From the clean stone roads to cracked and uneven asphalt, the air felt heavier with exhaust fumes and the smell of trash littering the street. They had entered one of the city’s rougher avenues. It was not outright dangerous, but certainly unwelcoming.
People called this place their home, of course; families, workers, and infected trying to make ends meet. But so did others – groups of delinquents and petty criminals who claimed the alleys and corners as their territory. Every graffiti-marked wall and broken streetlight told the same story: this part of the city had long been forgotten by order and law or they just stopped caring altogether because of how many times they got called here to clean up a scene.
Eventually they found the Van, parked right In front of an open garage. The clue that was given to them by the driver was spot on, it was black and had a few white stripes.
“That's the van.” Cecylia said with satisfaction clinging onto her voice.
Patryk nodded before reaching out for his phone on his jacket. “We should call the police. They can ha—”
Before Patryk could finish his sentence, Cecylia walked towards the garage without a second thought.
“Hey–Cecylia!” He hissed, but it fell on deaf ears as Cecylia ignored him, he tried to catch up to her
By the time he caught up to her it was already too late, she already opened up the back of the van, on the inside she saw a few boxes that are marked with a familiar goofy logo of a Zalak that has an over exaggerated buck tooth and is dressed up like a Columbian hillbilly proudly holding up a cartoonishly large peanut on his hands.
She grinned excitedly before opening up, her eyes lit up as the inside of the box were jars of golden colored substances with dark blue lids.
“Jackpot.” She said with a laugh as she excitedly picked up a jar for herself.
Patryk stood on her side “what are you doing?” he said lowering his voice
“Relax” she said with a big smirk on her face “I'm just checking if the truck is legit or not and probably taking one for myself while I'm at it.” she was admiring the jar as if it was a masterpiece
“I was about to call the police!” He sharply whispered before his eyes looked around cautiously.
“Yeah, Yeah.” she said, brushing his warning off “You do that while I make sure that these babies are safe and sound~” she glanced at the other jars of peanut butter.
She slipped the jar into the pocket of her jacket, she reached out to grab another one. She was sure as hell not missing a chance to get some free goodies, especially her favorite brand.
“Cecylia you better cut tha—”
Patryk froze. A faint, rhythmic heartbeat pulsed in his head – a premonition of danger that was resonating on his knight spark. He glanced down; the crystal on his wand glowed faintly almost rhythmically.
Before he could warn her, a loud gruffed voice cuts through the air like a blade.
“Hey! Who goes there?”
A tall, bulky figure appeared behind Cecylia. Patryk stepped back and looked up towards the figure, Cecylia turned around, still holding the jar. The bulky figure was a thug, probably one of the people who robbed the driver, his eyes narrowed when he saw the opened box and the peanut butter in her hand.
“What are you doing with our—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Cecylia hurled the jar of peanut butter onto his face as hard as she could.
CRACK!
“AGH-!!!”
The thug stumbled back clutching his nose that was now probably broken. Before he could recover Cecylia lunged forward and spun on her heels, her boots slamming hard on the left side of his ribs, sending him sprawling on the ground in excruciating pain.
“Well… this morning is going to be interesting.” she said with a smug grin
Her eyes shifted toward the thug on the ground, clutching his broken nose and ribs. He screamed in pain, rolling onto his side
Patryk managed to catch up with Cecylia, a frown formed on his face as he looked at the mess she made.
“Did you really need to do that?” he asked furiously
“What? He started it.” she said casually, while dusting her jacket “I just wanted to get my peanut butter, that's all.”
Before Patryk could scold her again, the thug’s screams echoed through the garage — loud enough to attract attention.
“Antoni! What's wro— O JA PIORDOLĘ!” one of them yelled when he saw their friend rolling and writhing on the floor.
They froze for a moment, then one of them pointed furiously “What the hell did you- Damn it! GET THEM!” He barked orders to his fellow men
“Oh for the love of-” he groaned
“Told you this is going to be a fun morning!” She quipped, cracking her fingers and getting into a fighting stance
Two of the thugs grabbed whatever was nearby — a metal pipe and a baseball bat before charging straight toward them.
The first thug swung his pipe wildly towards Cecylia trying to hit her in the head.
She ducked swiftly, her movements were fluid and sharp at the same time. The thug tried to swing his pipe at her again — Cecylia caught the end before he could even make the strike. She twisted her wrist and yanked it sharply, she tore it away from his grip, the pipe clattered onto the floor as she dropped it.
“Thanks, now we're even.” She said sarcastically before uppercutting his jaw as hard as she could. The man staggered back — and she followed it with a kick to the side of his head, making him hit the van. He was out, cold.
“I take it back, this is getting boring.” She said mockingly
The third thug — the one that barked orders, Charged at her before swinging his fists in a blind rage
“YOU LITTLE—!”
Before the sentence was finished, Cecylia dodged his flurry of attacks. she spun and drove her fist into his mouth. The sound of his tooth cracking filled the air followed by a strangled groan as he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his face.
She put her foot onto his chest and she pressed down making sure he stayed that way.
“Damn, you crooks don't even know how to fight.”
Patryk, meanwhile, is dealing with the last thug as he swung his wrench at him
“You don't want to do this, I don't want to hurt you.” He warned, his voice still calm but firm.
The thug didn't listen as he kept swinging his wrench — in that instant, Patryk raised his Knight spark. A brilliant flash of light bursted from its crystal shell — the man was blinded mid swing, he stumbled forward, dazed and very much disoriented.
Patryk stepped aside and grabbed him by the arm, and he swiftly sweeped his legs under him — pinning him to the concrete pavement.
“Stay down, please and I'm sorry it had to end this way.” he said softly while pressing the man’s wrist to keep him down — the man groaned as his eyes were blinded by the bright light.
Cecylia stepped off the thug she just knocked out.
“told you this would be an interesting morning.” She said with a smirk
Patryk shot a tired and irritated glare at her as he stood up.
“Do you always try to find trouble?” He asked her with a slightly angry tone although it was still calm.
“Pfft, relax! If we're in trouble the cops would already be here–” she said calmly
As if on cue the sound of boots and radio chatter filled the air as A few police officers surrounded the scene.
“This is the police! Hands where I can see them!” one shouted
Patryk could only sigh before raising his hand followed by Cecylia, he gave her a tired look. “Do you ever think before you act?”
Before she could answer, one of the officers approached the — an old Kuranta let out a heavy sigh before taking off his sunglasses
“oh, for knightlord’s sake…” he muttered before rubbing his temples. “It’s you again? Didn't we arrest you Three times a couple of weeks ago? This is the fourth time this month and I don't need to count how many times I saw your face in the station!”
Cecylia blinked, then shrugged “hey, the third one didn't count last time. I didn't do anything, you just arrested me after I helped a fellow pedestrian.”
“You were jaywalking.” he shot a flat look at her
Cecylia raised an eyebrow “Your welcome by the way, i stopped traffic for her”
The officer and Patryk sighed in perfect sync.
“You are going to give me an early retirement.” the officer muttered to himself.
“Look, officer, we can explain–” Patryk tried to talk to the officer.
“I'd rather hear your explanation in the station” the officer cuts him off, before squinting at him “who are you?”
“I'm her cousin. Patryk Nearl,” He introduced himself with a calm tone.
“Margaret's son? How did you get caught up with this?” He asked again this time with surprise, his expression was that of a man that just got slapped.
Patryk sighed, glancing briefly at Cecylia, who only smirked. “Honestly… I’m still trying to figure that out.”
Later in the police precinct.
Patryk and Cecylia are sitting inside of an empty cell. The station was pretty lively. officers doing paperwork and talking to each other, beginning their morning shift. Cecylia leaned back on the bench with her arms crossed, still wearing that infuriating half-smirk. Patryk sat beside her, head in his hands, regretting every life choice that led to this moment.
An echo of heavy footsteps filled the corridor before the cell door creaked open. A tall, sharply-dressed brown haired lupo in a half-buttoned shirt and loosened tie appeared, his expression caught somewhere between exhaustion and fury.
“Here they are, Counselor Nearl.” The officer said feeling half relieved that this trouble is going off his hands.
Their uncle as have arrived to bail them out
“Morning, Uncle V.” Cecylia waved her hand lazily with a smirk.
Their uncle rubbed his nose bridge “You two have any idea what time this is? Any idea at all?”
“It's seven thirty.” Cecylia said as she stood up and Patryk followed suit.
“Seven thirty.” He repeated “Do you know what normal people do at seven thirty? They're getting a cup of coffee for breakfast, reading the morning paper, getting ready for work and eating breakfast— especially when they only get five hours of sleep because of clients.” he said with a heavy and frustrated sigh “ But not me. No, I got a call from the precinct — again. Because apparently they have me on speed dial. Because apparently I am the family’s personal bail hotline.”
His gaze shifted towards Cecylia, sharp but tired. “Guess which name they said first when I got the call?”
“Aww~, does that mean I'm your favorite, Uncle Vittoria? ” she grinned
Vittoria sighed again before holding his forehead, closing his eyes for a moment.
“Uncle Vittoria… we can explain–” Patryk spoke up trying to defuse the situation but Vittoria raised his hand to stop him.
“No, No, You don't need to say anything unless what you were about to say next ends with ‘Trying to save the city’ or ‘Saving the mayor’ I don't want to hear it.” He spoke, Voice filled with disappointment.
The officer handed Vittoria some papers. “Here you are, Counselor.”
“Thank you.” He muttered. “One these days, I am considering billing the family for emotional damages.” He sighed before turning around to walk away, silently gesturing to the two to follow along.
“Don't make any more trouble, Cecylia.” the officer reminded her.
“Yeah, Yeah, I've ‘learned’ my lesson, officer.” She said with a dry laugh
As they left the station Vittoria led them to his car – a sleek, dark sedan was waiting for them parked In Front of the police station, the car looked too serious for the chaos that just had happened. Vittoria opened the door in the back and gestured for them to get inside, He slammed the door shut.
The ride home was quiet at first until Vittoria broke the silence.
“Disturbing public peace and getting into a street brawl.” he said flatly “And all of this… is for peanut butter”
Cecylia slouched on her seat and took the peanut butter out from her jacket.
“Well technically it is stolen” Cecylia said casually
“Oh, that changes everything.” he shot back, his eyes were still on the road.
“look uncle we tried to call the police but-” Patryk tried to explain
“But you charged head first anyways.” Vittoria cuts him off “I swear… taking care of this family is already a headache, as much as I love you all. You gotta admit it's getting ridiculous!”
“At Least we took care of those thugs,” Cecylia remarked.
“And both of you got yourself arrested while doing it!” Vittoria snapped, he glanced at her through the rear view mirror “Cecylia, I have been bailing you out of jail so many times. At Least if you want to help, Make sure you don't get yourself into trouble or become a part of that problem!”
Cecylia clicked her tongue, she turned the jar of peanut butter in her hand.
“...At least we figured out the thieves”
Vittoria lets out a frustrated groan, His hands rubbing his temples as he stops at the red light.
Patryk lowered his gaze, before quietly adding, “We'll promise to do better next time”
For a moment there was a pause.
Vittoria’s anger is taken over by a slight relief but it has been won over by exhaustion.
“...You better be.” a sigh follows.
Their car comes to pass the red light.
Cecylia stared out the window for a moment, suddenly her ears perked up.
“Oh, wait– I just remembered, I ran out of blueberry jam too”.
“NO.” Patryk and Vittoria Said at the same time.
Vittoria tightens his grip onto the steering wheel, continuing the drive back to the estate.