Moranor and Enora saw Reiki with his head turned sideways as he smiled at them. Enora returned the smile and was about to take a step toward him when Moranor elbowed her and ran toward him. Moranor said. "Reiki!" Moranor placed a hand on his shoulder as she ignored the hostile glare Enora was giving her. Cherry moved her gaze from the parchment with writings on the desk and let out a caw. Moranor glanced at the albino bird as she gave her a smile and said. "It's good to see you too, Cherry."
Cherry moved her gaze back onto the parchment while Reiki grabbed Moranor's hand which got her attention. Elora watched the hostile glare on her daughter's face slowly turn dangerous. Reiki said. "Mora, can you crouch for a minute." Moranor let out a chuckle and saw the serious expression on his face as she crouched down. Reiki cupped her face using his hands as he stared deep into her eyes which made her slightly blush as she glanced at a wall. He said. "Have you been under a lot of stress lately? You look tired." Moranor let out a scoff as she quickly stood up straight, she said. "Just some new training."
Enora's pupils started glowing while Elora saw her daughter's hands radiate a faint yet visible icy blue color. Reiki gently grabbed Moranor's hand and intertwined their fingers, he said. "I'll talk with your mother about overworking at that restaurant." Elora let out a cough which snapped her daughter back to her senses and got Reiki's and Moranor's attention. Elora said. "How about you three lovebirds take it outside my office?" She glanced at Cherry who was still on her desk as the white bird tilted her head towards her.
Elora patted Cherry's head using her index finger as Enora marched her way toward Reiki. Enora placed her hand on his shoulder and felt the freezing touch through his shirt.
[System: User has received 76 ice Damage.]
Elora was repeatedly rubbing Cherry's feathers in one direction, she thought. Time to see your 'little' gift. Enora put on an excited expression and said. "Reiki, where's my gift?" Reiki stared at her and pretended to be ignorant which made her completely freeze up. Moranor smirked at her while Cherry turned into a streak of white and appeared on Elora's shoulder. Elora's gaze narrowed, she thought. I'm going to have a 'talk'-.
Reiki let out a chuckle as he grabbed Enora's hand and said. "I'm messing with you." Moranor crossed her arms as she glanced at a wall from the corner of her eye. Enora let out a scoff and said. "You're lucky I… Am a generous princess." Reiki nodded along and said. "Yes, my little princess is very generous." Enora playfully threw his hand that she was holding, she said. "Reiki." Moranor had a fed-up expression as she softly tapped her foot on the floor. Elora was pretending to admire Cherry on her shoulder while watching them.
Reiki took out his tattered pouch from his pocket and placed his hand inside, he said. "Even though I'm late by a few days. Here's your present." He took out a canvas with the painting facing Enora as she stared at it with wide eyes. Enora was completely stunned as she stared at the painting, she said. "This is… Me?..." Moranor glanced at her with a narrowed gaze, she tilted her head sideways to perk at the painting as her eyes widened in disbelief. Elora's expression turned skeptical, she thought. It can't be that bad, he has some talent in drawing.
She vanished from behind the desk as Cherry flapped her wings and landed back on the desk. The white bird stared at the parchment again as Elora appeared beside her daughter and got a clear view of the painting, she thought. Now, let's-... Her eyes widened as she stared at the portrait of her daughter from the waist up. Enora had a mesmerizing smile as she used her index finger and thumb to pinch a couple of small leaves. The background had blue skies with clouds, trees with a peek of grasslands with some of the greenery being snow white.
The painting was beautifully drawn as it looked like a moment of time that was captured giving it a hint of life. Enora said. "This place is the tribulation." She couldn't take her eyes off the portrait while Moranor's expression increasingly turned jealous. Elora stared at the painting and thought. It's remarkable… She said. "That's a-." Her sentence was finished by her daughter, Enora said. "Masterpiece." Her lips subconsciously formed into a smile as Enora's gaze turned gentle. Moranor glared at her and spoke under her breath, she said. "I'll have you know, Reiki drew me first." Elora made her way behind the desk while Enora smirked at Moranor and said. "Is it as good as mine?"
Moranor felt the grating hint of mocking from her voice as she rummaged through her pocket and took out a piece of parchment. It was a detailed half-body ink drawing of Moranor reading a book as she moved some stray hair behind her ear while smiling. Elora sat back down on the chair while Reiki gave her a smile and said. "How about now, your majesty? Am I playing favorites?" Moranor showed Enora the drawing and said. "See!" Enora stared at it with a hint of contempt in her eyes as she waved her hand at it in dismissal.
Elora had a helpless smile on her lips as she caressed Cherry's feathers, she said. "Oh, you're playing favorites alright. I was just wrong about who it was." Enora's smirk grew even bigger, she said. "That's a nice two copper drawing, but it's nothing compared to my masterpiece." She turned the portrait toward her showing off the painting as Moranor gritted her teeth in anger. Elora stared at the two young elves' expressions and thought. I'd be willing to pay two thousand platinum for a painting like that. I can perfectly understand little Mora's reaction.
Moranor's pupils had strings of lightning traveling around them as she glared at Enora. Moranor pocketed the drawing in irritation as she grabbed Reiki's clothes by the collar and said. "Reiki, where's my painting?" Elora played with the bird's feathers as Cherry stared at the writing on the parchment. Reiki gave Moranor a wry smile and said. "Well…" Moranor's long and pointy ears drooped down from what he said as Reiki grabbed her hand again and continued. "I got you the quiver and Nora got her present late." Enora had a huge smile on her lips as she admired the portrait.
Elora stopped caressing Cherry's feathers as the bird turned into a streak of white and appeared on her left shoulder. Elora thought. Now I wait for the perfect moment to escape. She said. "Nora, where are you planning to frame that?" Enora's gaze was glued onto the painting as her lips were stuck into a smile, she said. "Where else, my room." Moranor had a hint of emptiness in her eyes while Reiki tried his best to coerce the elf, he said. "Mora, I know you can hear me." Elora raised a brow at her daughter, she said. "In your room? How narcissistic can you get?"
Reiki tugged on Moranor's green tunic and said. "Mora." Enora let out a short laugh and wagged her index finger at her mother, she said. "A painting like this, I can admire it all day." Elora used her fingertips to tap on the desk, she said. "How about you put it in the living room?" Moranor stood still which made Reiki let out a sigh, he gestured at Cherry as she turned into a streak of white. The albino bird appeared on his right shoulder as Reiki dragged Moranor out of the room, he said. "We'll be at Melanor's place."
The two arguing elves didn't even hear him as Reiki opened the door and escorted Moranor out. From the inside of the room, Enora said. "Since I'm the owner of the painting-." Reiki gently closed the door and looked up at Moranor's expression, he thought. Hopefully, no one would think I'm abducting her… He said. "Let's go, Mora. Hopefully, your mother would help me reason with you." Moranor didn't respond as despondently walked down the endless-looking hallway with him. Cherry let out a caw and flapped her wings, Reiki glanced at the bird and said. "No, Cherry. I'm not elfnapping her."
Inside A Break Room
Ketsueki was sitting on a chair by a round wooden table as she glanced out the window watching people going about their commute. The door leading outside opened as Namida and Sachi walked in. Namida raised a brow at her and said. "Look who it is." Sachi waved her hand as the door closed itself, she said. "Why are you in so early?" The two girls sat on the other two empty chairs as Ketsueki moved her gaze onto them, she said. "I caught Reiki getting up earlier than usual."
Namida pretended to be completely shocked as she covered her mouth using her hand, she said. "A kid waking up early to make you food and clean the house?!" Ketsueki glanced at her from the corner of her eye while Sachi clapped twice and said. "Namida, we know you'll never have a career in acting. No need to remind us at every opportunity." Namida let out a scoff as she leaned her chair back balancing it with two legs, she said. "No need to get your panties in a bunch." Sachi let out a chuckle and said. "We don't wear boxers like you."
Ketsueki let out a snicker and spoke under her breath, she said. "That's not hard to imagine." Namida stopped leaning back in her chair as it made a soft thud sound, she said. "I only wore boxers once. They're surprisingly comfortable compared to panties which ride up our-." Sachi quickly interrupted her and said. "Let's not have our conversation head toward that direction." Ketsueki let out stifled laughter, she said. "At least not this time." Sachi glared at her from the corner of her eye as she spoke with a hint of frost in her tone. Sachi said. "Must you, really?"
Ketsueki smirked at her and said. "What? Did you start charging for talks like this?" Namida's brows furrowed in confusion, she said. "What?" Sachi had a serious expression on her face as she spoke in a firm tone, she said. "It's nothing." She let out a stressed sigh and glanced at Ketsueki and continued. "Do you have to put us in a similar mood as you just because your boy ran off?" Ketsueki crossed her arms pressing her large chest against each other, she said. "Then maybe I should consider keeping your elven dress when Reiki gets back home."
Sachi snapped her fingers and said. "I've had my eyes on a new cafe for a while. How about we drop by during lunch? My treat." She had a big energetic smile on her face while Namida glanced at the two girls' chests and compared the massive difference. Namida said. "Would that even fit?" Ketsueki thought for a couple of seconds and said. "It'll fit, the skirt would just be shorter by a few inches." Namida and Sachi's gaze immediately focused on Ketsueki's large chest. Ketsueki continued. "So, you two dropping by after work?"
Namida nodded as she leaned back on the chair and placed both her feet on the table while wearing sports shoes. She said. "All I have is free time." Sachi's mood visibly brightened, she said. "I'll even take out food for your siblings." Namida let out a yawn not bothering to cover her mouth, she said. "I'll order a few large boxes of pizza." Ketsueki and Namida gave Sachi odd looks from the corner of their eyes. Ketsueki said. "So focused on the dress you forget to reprimand Namida's manners." Sachi glanced at Namida and said. "Let the man be."
Namida spread her arms in defeat, she said."Hey, dickless one and two. My flat chest isn't for smacking." Ketsueki waved at her and said. "Missions?" Namida shook her head sideways and stopped leaning back as she properly sat up straight. She said. "No good ones." Ketsueki moved some hair behind her hair and said. "Again? That's the third time this week." Sachi glanced out the window before moving her gaze back onto her friends, she said. "I think it's for the best. If we keep taking all the good ones the other team will start complaining." Ketsueki did some stretches while sitting, she said. "Another slow day."
Namida took out a pouch from her pocket, she said. "I don't see a problem, we get aid by doing nothing." From the pouch, she took out a laptop and placed it on the table. Sachi was holding onto a pouch as she started placing down an entire tea set one by one. She said. "Tea?" Namida booted the laptop on as she kept her gaze on the screen, she said. "I'll have what she's having." Ketsueki glanced at Sachi and said. "Cold vanilla earl grey with two shots of milk, no ice."
Melanor's House In The Kitchen
Reiki was wearing an apron over his clothes as he wiped some sweat off his forehead while Cherry was eating a small bowl of cherries on the large stainless steel table. He stared at the other elf employees that were cleaning their stations while one of them was doing the dishes. Melanor was standing beside her daughter, she said. "Mora, it can't be that good." Moranor let out a hmph as she crossed her arms and gave Reiki a side-eye glare, she said. "Tell me that after you've seen the portrait." Melanor glanced at Reiki who was taking off the apron as he neatly folded it.
Melanor grabbed her daughter's hand as she dragged her daughter toward him. Moranor's steps had a hint of unwillingness in them as she refused to look at him. Melanor gave Reiki a smile and said. "Reiki-." He raised a hand at her and said. "Melanor, before we talk about my little elf." Reiki placed the neatly folded apron on the large stainless steel table. Moranor faintly blushed from what he said as she managed to keep a slight frown on her lips. Reiki did a half turn to face the two elves as he looked up to them and said. "Let's talk business."
Melanor's eyes lit while Moranor intentionally let out a sigh for him to hear. Melanor smiled at him and said. "Sure, how many recipes are you giving me?" Reiki let out a chuckle, he said. "Not that kind, no more using my elf as free labor." Melanor immediately turned serious as she shook her head and spoke in a firm tone, she said. "Reiki, you've seen the breakfast rush. This restaurant needs all the help it can get." He gave her a fake smile and said. "It only shows me you don't know how to run a business."
Moranor's eyes widened as she gave him a look of disbelief. Melanor placed a hand on her hip as she stared at him with a discerning look, she said. "If you're so good at management, how about you start solving the problems." The elves who were finished cleaning but were too scared to finish pretended to clean. Moranor's expression had a hint of worry as she grabbed Reiki's hand before she could say something. He said. "Reservations, starting this moment only elves who reserved in advance are allowed to eat inside."
Melanor faked a sweet smile at him as she spoke with a hint of sarcasm and said. "That's one way to make a two-year waiting list and go bankrupt." The worry on Moranor's expression was slowly becoming visible as Reiki intertwined their fingers. He said. "Delivery, if an order reaches a total of one gold the delivery will be free of charge. If more than thirty minutes pass, the food is free." Cherry ate the last cherry in the bowl leaving some pink syrup on the bottom.
Melanor stared at him for a couple of seconds as the sweet smile on her lips disappeared, she said. "E-Employees." Cherry stared at the small empty bowl of cherries as she looked around the room and saw an elf pretending to clean near the cabinets on the wall. Melanor continued. "I can't just get rid of them." Cherry turned into a streak of white as she appeared by the elf near the cabinets. The elf was shocked by the white bird as Cherry stared at the elf and back at the small empty bowl. Reiki smiled in victory and said. "I never said anything about firing anyone."
Moranor was watching their conversation in disbelief, she thought. He's winning… Mom is losing an argument with someone else other than Elora… The elf turned his head sideways and saw the small empty bowl as his eyes widened in understanding. He reached for one of the cabinets revealing jars of preserved fruit. Reiki gently enveloped Moranor's hand with both of his as she felt a sense of reliance. He said. "Since they're already here, how about you start offloading your work to them." Melanor had a skeptical look, she said."That just makes me look lazy."
The elf took out a jar of cherries and took the lid off as he placed some in the small bowl. Reiki played with Moranor's hand as he gave Melanor a knowing smile and said. "I was going to help you make the restaurant self-sufficient." Moranor's cheeks blushed as he played with her hand while her mother pretended not to notice. The elf placed some cherries in the bowl and was about to pick up the lid as Cherry cawed at him. The corners of Reiki's mouth curved into a slight smile, he said. "If you want to cook until all your hair is white, be my guest."
The male elf put more cherries into the small bowl and slowly reached for the lid as Cherry started pulling off the stems and eating. Melanor stared at Reiki as he played with her daughter's hand, she said. "Plan, now." The male elf placed the lid back on the jar of cherries as he placed it back in the cabinet while Cherry took off a stem from another cherry. Reiki glanced at the elves who pretended to clean as he moved his gaze back to her. He said. "Teach them more than half the steps of the recipes and pick a sous chef."
The blush on Moranor's cheeks was slowly becoming more visible as she tried to free her hand from Reiki's clutches. Melanor's brows furrowed as her lips formed into a hint of a frown, she said. "Aren't you concerned about them stealing your recipes?" Moranor struggled to make Reiki let go of her hand, he said. "I can make ours better." Melanor crossed her arms and thought. Make the restaurant self-sufficient… Her gaze wandered onto her daughter who was trying to get her hand free.
Melanor continued her train of thought. I forgot about the painting. She said. "I'll drop by her majesty's place to see the painting." She suddenly vanished as the other elves who were pretending to clean stiffened. Moranor managed to get her hand free from him as she slapped his shoulder.
[System: User has received 43 Damage.]
Moranor glanced at the other elves as a faint blush stayed on her cheeks, she glared at him and said. "What are you doing?" Reiki gave her a smile as he glanced at Cherry eating cherries as she placed the stems on one side. He said. "I mis-." Moranor placed a hand over his mouth in a panic.
Melanor teleported back into the kitchen with both her hands on her hips and a look of utter disbelief as she burned a hole through Reiki. She waited for him to explain while Moranor smirked at his misfortune, Reiki said. "How about you let your employees leave first? They've been awkwardly cleaning for a while now." He pointed at the female elf at the sink and continued. "She, in particular, has been wasting water while washing her hands for a solid two minutes now."
Melanor looked around the kitchen as she noticed the stiff air around all her employees, she cleared her throat and said. "Everyone, we won't be open for lunch and dinner so head home early. I'll still give a day's worth of payment." All the elves gave her a polite bow as they give Reiki a side-eye glance as the first one opened the door leading to all the tables and chairs. Reiki raised a brow and said. "An entire day of payment?" The elf who walked out of the room last gently closed the door as Reiki continued. "Such a generous-." Melanor interrupted him, she said. "Where's my daughter's portrait?!"
