VI

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Arc VI Chapter 16

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30^th Ignis Lunar 753 AAC

“Mmmmm~” Atop her chair, Aurora hummed happily, her feet dangling in the air, a large cup of steaming hot chocolate throning in her hands, her cherished doll nestled safely in her arms. Angelika ... Her tardiness was all but forgotten and forgiven. At least, as far as she was concerned. All just with the help of a little bribery, corruption and a cheerful spirit. But primarily bribery and corruption. And a cheerful spirit.

Aurora would lie, but she was at the moment supremely satisfied with her life. As a wise man once said, it was important to enjoy the little things in life, to appreciate the little joys, to savour the moment. His words rang true. It was the little things that gave you strength. It was the little things that granted you resilience. It was the little joys that tempered, that hardened your spirit against the coming storm of the unknown. Because a spirit content was a spirit unshakeable, one founded on strong foundations, on a will unbending and unyielding as steel.

Thus, Aurora was currently sipping on her cup of hot chocolate, her eyes and cheeks sparkling with delight. Her lips tasted the rich flavour of cacao and heated milk fused in harmony. Hot chocolate was delicious. It was heavenly. It was a wonderful treat. Warmth filled her with sweet induced happiness. Even better, she was in possession of not one cup of hot chocolate, not two cups of hot chocolate, but in fact three whole cups of hot chocolate.

Her incessant begging and irresistible kitten eyes had proved to be rather persuasive. They paid off. The results spoke for themselves. Three cups of supreme hot chocolate were her hard fought reward. She had earned them fairly and squarely. One for her. One for Dolly. And one more. Because what was better than two? Three, of course! Four certainly! Five for sure! More was always better! But she shouldn’t be too greedy. Not when it wasn't her own purse that she was systematically lightening. Contrary to common perception, she had a heart too. At times.

“Mmmmm~.” Aurora sipped on her cup, the foam of whisked milk spreading across her entire mouth. So this was how this fabled childhood she had heard so much about must have been like. At least, she assumed so. One filled with lots of delicious hot chocolate. Not to mention biscuits. Lots and lots of them.

Angelika watched Aurora with a fond smile, her head resting on her folded hands. “How does it taste? Do you like your hot chocolate, Edelgart?”

Aurora nodded vigorously, her giant cup clutched in her hands. “Yes, bery, bery much~.”

“I am glad to hear so~.” Angelika veritably sparkled from tip to toe, seemingly radiating the aura of a saintess, a halo of unrelenting, blinding light surrounding her. Her insufferable positivity and optimism aside, it was rather difficult to dislike Angelika. Her kindness, her cheerfulness, her exuberance, they were frankly disarming. “Seeing you smile means you are happy. You being happy makes me happy. Me being happy means that it was worth every single coin spent, even when fairly expensive.”

“Hmm ...” Aurora sipped on her current large cup of hot chocolate, eyeing her benevolent benefactor, nevertheless, with a certain dose of suspicion. Was it wrong to take advantage of Angelika’s boundless kindness and her stupendous naivety? Certainly. Did she care? A tiny bit perhaps, but it was a crime that she could live with. After all, she had done worse.  

Angelika’s sentiment, however, was not shared by everyone. Neither by Erich, nor by Ludolf. They both glared at her as though she was the most despicable criminal imaginable, Erich in particular. He continued to prove her most outspoken and stubborn critic. As if he had a bone to pick with her, which he clearly did.

“...” Erich crossed his arms, offended by what he perceived as childish behaviour on her part.

Aurora looked at her doll, her partner in crime, whispering. Obviously, she was inclined to disagree. “I suspect that he still doesn't like us ...”

“You think so?” Dollrora raised an eyebrow, her voice laced with an almost sarcastic undertone.

Aurora nodded. “Yes, trust me. I told you before that I am a good judge of character. I have been backstabbed only twice, or thrice.”

Erich overheard their little discussion, his eyes narrowed. “Hey, Edelgart, what are you whispering there? What are you and your doll plotting now?”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Oh, nothing~. Nothing, at all~. We were just discussing your untimely demise. Seriously, Erich, what is the matter, my friend? Why all the bad temper? What have I ever done to offend you? Haven't we settled for a truce?”

The boy hardly relented, his gaze never leaving. “We have. We won't fight you, but that doesn't mean that I need to like you, nor that I need to approve of your frivolous antics. Quite the contrary. Your very presence, your very existence affronts me, Edelgart.”

“...” Aurora furrowed an eyebrow. “How so? What have I ever done to offend you, Erich?”

Erich glared, equally annoyed and irritated. “Of course, a numpty like you wouldn’t understand. Carefree. Careless. Capricious. Whimsical. This is who you are. No sense of responsibility. No sense of accountability whatsoever. Spoiled and unprofessional. You do whatever you want whenever you want, Edelgart. And you think you can get away with it. I can’t stand any of it. I have no idea what the guild sees in you. Because I don’t. You put nothing but shame and dishonour on us adventurers and our hallowed profession. If I didn't know any better, I would say you are one of these pampered noble brats playing adventurer in her free time. For you, all of this is just another silly game of yours, Edelgart. This is why I will never accept the likes of you amidst our ranks, let alone in our party.”

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