Pudding and Sleeping In

Morning light filtered through the inn's thin curtains, bathing the room in warm yellow. From the courtyard outside came the faint sounds of Himmel's party packing for the journey: Heiter's low voice, the clink of metal as Eisen checked his armor, and Ruby's chatter, hushed but still barely able to conceal her excitement.

Inside the room, however, everything remained still and drowsy.

Frieren was curled up under the covers, with only a few strands of silvery-white hair showing. Like a hibernating animal, she was oblivious to the noise outside. On the bed beside hers, Lowell lay flat on his back, but his eyes were tightly shut and one arm rested across his forehead. Clearly, he had no intention of getting up either.

"Creak—"

The door opened a crack. A little red head peeked in, and a pair of green eyes darted around before settling on the two "lumps" in the beds.

Ruby tiptoed into the room and closed the door behind her. She looked at the two motionless figures and pouted.

"Lady Frieren? Mr. Lowell?" she called softly. "It's morning. Time to set off!"

A muffled mumble came from beneath Frieren's covers. "...Five more hours..."

Lowell didn't even bother to mumble. He simply rolled over, turning his back to the source of the voice.

Ruby blinked, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. She crept over to Frieren's bed, reached out a small hand, and carefully lifted a corner of the covers. Finding Frieren's side, she gave it a gentle tickle.

"...Mm..." Frieren squirmed in her sleep and wrapped the covers more tightly around herself.

Ruby refused to give up, tickling harder and over a wider area.

"Pfft... haha... mm..." Frieren finally couldn't hold back. She let out a bout of stifled laughter and curled up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Stop... stop it..."

"Wake up, Lady Frieren!" Seeing that she was awake, Ruby grew even more eager and went at her with both hands.

"Hahaha... stop... that tickles..." Frieren finally admitted defeat. Laughing and struggling, she sat up in bed, her hair as messy as a bundle of straw birds had nested in. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, and a blush lingered on her face.

"...Ruby!"

"Yes!" Ruby immediately stood straight, an innocent yet smug smile on her face. "Good morning, Lady Frieren!"

Having dealt with Frieren, Ruby turned her gaze to the other bed. Lowell still had his back to them, as if nothing had happened.

Ruby tried the same trick, climbing up beside Lowell's bed and reaching out a finger—

Before she could touch him, Lowell's calm, even voice came. "I'm awake."

Ruby's hand froze in midair.

Lowell slowly sat up. His black hair was somewhat disheveled too, but his eyes were clear again, though they held a trace of weary resignation. He glanced at the triumphant Ruby, then at Frieren, who was still trying to comb through her messy hair with her fingers, and sighed softly.

"...All right." He threw back the covers and began putting on his coat at a leisurely pace.

Having successfully completed her "wake-up service," Ruby was in high spirits.

As if performing a magic trick, she produced a small wooden bowl from behind her back. It held a translucent pudding with a faint blue sheen, its surface smooth as a mirror and dotted with tiny flecks of silver leaf that looked like fragments of stars.

"Lady Frieren!" She presented the wooden bowl to Frieren as though offering a treasure, her eyes shining. "Look! It's Ruby's special Mercury Pudding! It's made with morning dew and blueberry jam, and it's delicious! I practiced lots of times!"

Frieren still bore a hint of resentment at being forcibly woken, and her expression was somewhat resigned. But when her gaze passed over the bowl of pudding, it stopped.

The pudding's color and texture looked exceptionally tempting in the morning light.

She blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering. The reluctance on her face quickly faded like thin ice melting in the sun. The corners of her mouth lifted into a tiny smile of their own accord, and she let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"Wow~"

She took the wooden bowl and picked up the little spoon Ruby had thoughtfully prepared, then carefully scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The pudding melted on her tongue, its cool, delicate sweetness instantly awakening her sleeping taste buds. The slight tartness of the blueberries blended perfectly with the crisp freshness of the dew.

"...Delicious." Frieren narrowed her eyes and took another spoonful, eating with such concentration that it was as if she and the bowl of pudding were all that remained in the world.

Ruby watched Frieren's satisfied expression, so happy she was almost jumping for joy. Seizing the moment, she went around behind Frieren and produced a small comb from somewhere.

"Lady Frieren, your hair's all messy." Her voice was sweet as she began carefully combing Frieren's silver hair, which had been thoroughly tousled in her sleep. Her movements were a little clumsy, but she was extremely careful, afraid of hurting even a single strand of hair.

Frieren enjoyed her pudding without objecting to what Ruby was doing, merely tilting her head slightly to help.

Ruby carefully combed out the tangled strands, then tried braiding them. Her technique wasn't very practiced, but she made up for it with sincerity. As she combed, she asked softly:

"Lady Frieren, are you satisfied... with the pudding?"

Frieren swallowed the pudding in her mouth and nodded, her gaze still fixed on the bowl. "Mm."

"Then..." Ruby's voice carried a note of cautious anticipation. "About Flower Field Magic..."

Frieren paused in the middle of eating. She raised her eyes and glanced at Ruby's hopeful face behind her in the blurry bronze mirror on the dressing table, then lowered her head again and scooped up a large spoonful of pudding.

"Depends on my mood," she said indistinctly, but her tone had softened considerably since the previous night.

Ruby immediately seemed greatly encouraged, and her hands grew even gentler as she combed. "Mm-hmm! Ruby will keep doing her best!"

Lowell was fully dressed and packing his belongings. He watched the scene of "advance payment for lessons," with one feeding and combing the other's hair, and the other accepting it all as a matter of course while still bargaining. He shook his head, though the faintest smile touched his lips. Picking up his packed luggage, he headed for the door.

"I'll wait outside," he said, pushing the door open and walking out, leaving the room to the pair who would soon become temporary teacher and student.

The morning light fell just right, shining on Frieren and on Ruby's little hands as she diligently combed her hair. The only sounds left in the room were the faint scraping of the spoon against the bottom of the pudding bowl and Ruby's cheerful humming. For the journey about to begin, there seemed to be one more small, sweet reason.