The rich, warm scent of freshly baked pastries and savory bread, just released from the packed box in Elara's hands, hit the two feline children with an overwhelming force.
Their small bodies quivered, noses twitching uncontrollably, and their already loud stomachs now roared with an almost painful urgency.
Their wild eyes, wide with desperation, were glued to the enticing array of food.
Elara, with a gentle smile, handed the open box to Kilian.
He took it, turning to face the children, holding the bounty directly in front of them.
The heightened senses of the feline children, already exacerbated by gnawing hunger, made it clear they were struggling to control themselves.
The grey-haired boy, his hand trembling, slowly reached towards a golden-brown loaf of bread.
But just before his fingers could touch it, he froze.
His eyes, still fixated on the food, slowly lifted to meet Kilian's gaze.
"Thank you, sir," he said, his voice surprisingly firm despite his obvious hunger.
"But no thank you. You already helped us earlier. You didn't have to do this for us too."
He swallowed hard, his gaze flickering back to the bread.
"Our parents... they also explicitly told us never to trust strangers or take food from them."
At this, a soft chuckle escaped Kilian.
"Really?" he said, a playful glint in his eyes.
"But your sister looks like she wasn't listening when your parents told that to both of you."
The boy, startled, immediately spun his head to look at his sister.
There she was, the snow-white haired girl, already deeply engrossed, her small mouth stuffed with what looked to be a cream-filled pastry, crumbs clinging to her chin.
Her cheeks were puffed out, and she chewed with an almost frantic delight.
The girl's eyes, still teary-eyed from earlier despair, met her brother's.
She offered a sheepish, guilt-ridden look, her voice muffled by the mouthful of pastry.
"I'm sorry, brother," she mumbled, chewing rapidly.
"I was really, really hungry... and they smell so good... and they taste really good too!"
The boy immediately facepalmed, a soft thwack echoing in the quiet alley.
"Hahh..."
He sighed, his voice exasperated but tinged with a hint of affection.
"This is why we always get into trouble, because you always act before you think, sister."
Kilian chuckled softly, a warm sound that seemed to ease the tension in the narrow space.
He gently placed the open box of food on the ground directly in front of the boy.
"Well, I guess you're already too deep in this trouble," he said with a playful smile, his eyes sparkling.
"Might as well be in trouble with a full stomach, better than an empty one, wouldn't you agree?"
He paused, then added, "Ah! Don't worry, these food are my breakfast earlier, there's no way it has anything bad inside them."
"So dig in, before your sister eats all of them."
Elara, watching the entire exchange unfold between her young master and the two scruffy, adorable children, couldn't help but smile.
It was a soft, genuine smile that bloomed on her face, a feeling she hadn't realized she was capable of in his presence.
Her gaze lingered on Kilian, on the casual ease of his posture, the genuine warmth in his eyes, the playful curve of his lips.
"He really changed a lot this morning."
She thought, a quiet wonder blooming in her chest.
"But why?"
"And why can't I seem to stop myself from being so curious about him now?"
"I just want to keep looking at him, at his face, his smile, his actions, his voice."
The maid from yesterday that couldn't even bring herself to look in her master's direction or stop shaking whenever he was near.
She would have never in a million years imagined that today, she would feel so completely different towards her once terrifying master.
Seeing that both kids were now enthusiastically digging into the food, Kilian leaned back slightly, still smiling.
"So, what's your deal?" he asked, his tone gentle but curious.
"Why would the two of you go around selling flowers when you should be in schools"
"Or at least be with your parents at home playing?"
He raised a hand before either of them could answer.
"And before you answer all that, what are your names?"
I can't just call you 'gray cat boy' and 'whitr cat girl' now, can I?"
The boy, Gris, momentarily stopped chewing.
He swallowed the food in his mouth, a serious expression settling on his small face.
"My name is Gris," he stated, his grey cat ears twitching slightly.
"And my sister's name is Luna."
He then looked down at his half-eaten pastry before continuing, his voice growing softer, laden with a child's profound sadness.
"Our father has long been dead. And our mother... she's dying too."
His voice wavered slightly as he explained their journey.
"We were traveling from the Ironwood Kingdom to get to Noxhaven Kingdom, trying to let our family move on after our father's death and to start a new life here."
"But she contracted a life-threatening disease from a monster while we were on the way here."
"Our mother is super strong, sir, she was a warrior in the Ironwood Kingdom."
"But after reaching this place, she succumbed to the disease and lost all her strength."
"She can no longer lift even a finger."
"We found out that there's a cure that could completely heal our mother," Gris continued, his small fists clenching.
"but it costs a lot of money. We only started to sell flowers in this place because we wanted to help our older sister."
At hearing those last words, Kilian's eyebrow gave a subtle twitch.
"Ah yes, here's the moment I've been waiting for to hear." He thought, a strategic gleam entering his eyes.
"That older sister he's talking about is one of the strongest characters attainable in the game, with the potential to rank at least S-tier in the future."
"It's a must that I get her if I want to at least have someone protecting me while I'm finding a way to get stronger from this useless body of mine."
Kilian then leaned down again, bringing himself to the kids' eye level.
"I think I have a way to save your mother," he said, his voice soft but confident.
"But you have to trust me. Can you bring me to your mother, Gris?"
"Where is that older sister of theirs anyway?" Kilian thought, a fleeting concern.
"Isn't she late?"
And as if on cue, they heard it, the distinct sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, growing louder, closer, and faster.
It was someone running at full speed from a distance, nearing them at a terrifying pace.
The rapidly approaching footsteps were accompanied by a frantic shout, cutting through the marketplace's distant hum.
"Gris! Luna! Don't worry! I'm coming! Big sister is here to save you!"
Kilian looked up, his gaze fixing on the shouting woman who was now almost upon them.
She was a blur of motion, yet details sharpened into focus as she closed the distance.
Like Gris and Luna, she too bore the distinctive traits of their feline kin.
A sleek, black cat tail with a stark white tip lashed agitatedly behind her, hinting at her fierce urgency.
Her hair was a striking blend, mostly white with half of it black, and her ears, identical to the children's, were black on the outside, tapering to a soft white on the inside.
She wore a simple, dirty white t-shirt, stretched thin across her frame, paired with worn, faded shorts.
A utilitarian sling bag bounced against her hip, and her shoes, noticeably a size or two too big and old, seemed to slow her down slightly as she sprinted.
*Illustration
Her face, sharp and determined, was initially filled with desperate concern as her eyes locked onto Gris and Luna.
But then, as her gaze slid past the children and landed squarely on Kilian, her expression underwent a dramatic transformation.
The concern vanished, replaced instantly by a furious, lethal anger.
"I think she's misunderstanding something here."
Kilian thought, a bead of sweat forming on his brow despite his outward calm.
"She looks like she's going to kill me when she reaches this place."
Seeing the woman's rapidly approaching, furious face, Kilian immediately tapped the shoulders of both Gris and Luna.
"Uhm, I think your older sister is angry," he said, his voice a hasty whisper.
"She looks like she's going to kill me. Can you please go and stop her before she reaches this place?"
"Go now, she's already close! Any second now she might punch me in the face, and I do have a very punchable face."
"He then glanced at Elara by his side, a nervous chuckle escaping him.
"Right?" he asked, still trying to smile.
Elara didn't answer with words, but a quiet, cute chuckle escaped her lips as she watched the bizarre scene unfold.
***
/I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If its alright, please drop a comment or a powerstone to help me keep making this world bigger!