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She taps the tip of her boots against the floor, and when that wasn't enough to settle the nervousness coursing through her veins, she stands on her toes before lowering her foot flat on the ground again.
It’s a day that calls for simple celebration. Nothing major like the New Year and Christmas but people around the Foundation seemed to be livelier, with greetings and smiles exchanged. And when able to, sweets are placed on each other’s hands (and tables, for those lacking courage).
It’s the 14th of February and while not acknowledged as a day important enough to be given a work day off, the Timekeeper’s Team has enough freedom to spend it as they wished. Regulus had already set off earlier with Sotheby in tow to visit the nearest town alongside Mr. APPLe to buy ingredients to bake sweets although it definitely should have been done on a day before this one. And last she’s heard, Lilya had dropped by mere moments ago and departed with Druvis.
She places a hand over her chest, letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in.
That means that the only one left inside the Timekeeper’s office is none other than Vertin.
But that’s the problem, isn't it?
She’s been standing in front of the door for a little over a minute. Or so she hopes. She wasn't exactly keeping track of the time. There should be no reason for her to be this… this rattled over the idea of giving her superior cookies she had baked herself. Not that Vertin was simply her superior. They have grown up with each other and if Sonetto dares to say it, she might even call them as… friends.
The word somehow makes a wave of disappointment spread in her chest but she pays no mind to it. She’s unable to pay any mind to it, really, because her nervousness comes back again in full force when she hears footsteps approach from beyond the door and—
“Sonetto?” Vertin freezes right there, blinking in surprise at finding her Chief Assistant standing by her doorstep.
Sonetto opens her lips and yet despite all her pride as their class’ most outstanding student, her words, rehearsed for over a week, elude her. Like a script doused in water out of surprise.
Instead, and embarrassingly so, she lets out a squeak.
“T-Timekeeper.” She winces when she hears the sound of the plastic wrapper of her baked cookies crinkle ever so slightly behind her.
And Vertin lets out a soft smile at the sight, the edges of her eyes crinkling and it makes Sonetto’s heart skip a beat. “Sorry, I didn't notice you were here. Would you like to come inside?” She tells her, so calm and collected that it’s almost envious.
Sonetto nods, tries to keep her wildly beating heart under control and then enters the office as the door gently clicks shut behind her.
“I don't think I have any tea left,” Vertin muses as she leads Sonetto to sit on the sofa while she takes the one opposite her. “Everyone’s been too busy to restock. Well, at least everyone who drinks tea. Do you want a can of Dr. Peppers? I’m sure Regulus could live with missing one of hers.”
There’s a twinkle to her eyes that it was easy enough for Sonetto to realize that agreeing to her words now would only lead to something later on. If they were still students, she’s sure then that whatever that might come out of such an innocent sounding offer would land them a day in the Guardhouse. Simply put, she is probably only saying it to get back at Regulus and involve Sonetto in whatever revenge that the DJ would enact over her favored drink.
So wisely, she turns her down. “No, ah—” She fumbles her words, a bit bashful now that they’re actually face to face. “I’m okay, Timekeeper. I won't be here for long.”
And if Vertin looked a tad bit more disappointed at hearing that, Sonetto turns a blind eye to it.
“Vertin,” the Timekeeper suddenly blurts out and it makes Sonetto sit a little straighter, peering at her curiously until the girl realizes that maybe she had said something wrong.
“I meant to say, it’s just us two,” Vertin continues and Sonetto waits with bated breath, “so it’s fine to just call me Vertin, isn't it?”
It’s not the first time she’s called her by her name but the amount of times she’s done so now that they're no longer children (she ignores the echo in the back of her mind of Madam Z’s words not too long ago, correcting her that they're still children actually) is significantly lower.
Almost a rarity nowadays.
“Oh,” Sonetto says. “Yes. Sorry. Er… Vertin.”
Her words come out awkward but her name still feels right on her tongue. She briefly wonders why she stopped using it so often.
Vertin smiles again and the sound of the plastic wrapper getting crinkled finally reminded Sonetto what she was here for.
“Um, right—” Sonetto tries again. She looks for the words and slots them together until they sound coherent enough in her head to be spoken. “It’s… Valentine’s Day and um. People normally give each other treats on this day so…”
She presents the cookies, the wrapper tied neatly with a red ribbon. Though, on the ribbon is a small card that she’d love nothing but to ignore the existence of so she doesn't say anything else.
Vertin eyes the cookies critically (or does she?) and it’s only after a few beats passes that she finally relieves Sonetto’s hands of their weight.
“Thank you,” Vertin tells her and then her heart’s fluttering in her chest again. Stop , she chides herself.
“It’s no problem.”
She doesn't tell her either, if she made it or not but she probably already knows. The cookies were made amateurishly, their shapes a bit off but the taste is good to her opinion. And Matilda’s opinion. Though, just in case:
“I apologize if it’s not to your taste, I can just—”
Before she can even finish her words, she stops when she sees Vertin flip open the small card.
There’s… nothing of importance in it, really. It was a card barely able to fit in four lines of a poem she had wrote in a brief moment of bravery last night but—
The corners of the Timekeeper’s lips lifts to form a smile, and her eyes are so fond that when she looks up to meet Sonetto’s gaze, it felt like she was hit by a truck.
Her breath hitched in her throat.
“Thank you.”
She’s already said it once but the second time felt nothing like the first.
“N-No problem,” Sonetto stutters out, shyly averting her gaze away from the other girl. “I just thought that as… friends, it’s only proper to give one to you. As appreciation.”
“Well.” Vertin leans back and then stands up, “I appreciate it. Though, I feel a bit cheated because you got to give your gift first before I could.”
Huh.
Huh, what?
Vertin stops behind her desk, pulling open a drawer. “It’s not anything edible, I wanted to give you some sweets at first but remember when I told you I’ll be going on a small trip with Lilya?”
That was weeks ago, she remembers. She was worried at first, even asking if they got the proper paperworks involved because the two of them aren't exactly known to value the rules set in place that much.
“Yes.” Sonetto nods, brows furrowed.
Vertin fishes out an ornate looking long box, and then makes her way back to Sonetto. “I was finding the right time to give it to you.”
She hands it over to her.
“I thought that I’ll have to look for you myself but then you appeared with your own gift so I hope that mine is good enough too.”
And she opens it to find a fountain pen.
“I didn't want to get you just any kind of pens because you like writing a lot but this one caught my eye so…”
Vertin tilts her head, “what do you think?”
Sonetto finds herself at a loss for words. “I…”
She struggles, for a good few seconds. She doesn't really know what to say, not as she runs a thumb over the delicate carving on the barrel of the pen. She isn't that knowledgeable with fountain pens — she had never sought for more than what she already has — but she knows with a glance that this pen might have caused quite a bit.
Vertin lets out a small laugh, ”Pfft.”
Sonetto flushes red, “Vertin…”
“No, it’s okay if you can't say anything.” Vertin finally takes her seat on the other sofa. “Here, how about this?”
She picks up Sonetto’s cookies again, fingers brushing over the words that are written inside the small card.
She’s still smiling.
And if it was even possible, Sonetto feels so red she might storm off soon.
“If you can't say it out loud, why don't you write them down for me?”
Vertin unfurls the ribbon, crosses a leg over the other and then takes a piece from the bag. “Put that fountain pen to good use.”
Sonetto stands up, unable to take it anymore. It’s one thing for Vertin to say all of those and then choose to… read her written poems with an expression too soft. She doesn’t know what’ll happen if she sincerely comments on her cookies too. “I-I have to go now!”
Vertin quizzically stares at her, “huh, really?”
“Yes!” Sonetto turns her face away from the Timekeeper before shutting the case of the fountain pen tight. “Please enjoy the cookies and have a good day, Vertin!”
And then she’s out the door, leaving behind a very confused Vertin sitting by herself with nothing but a plastic bag of cookies baked with love and appreciation.
It’s a little over lunch when Sotheby finally finds her way back inside the office, a skip to her every step and a hum on her lips.
All stops at the sight of her dear friend sat on the sofa, intently reading something that seemed far too small that Sotheby was about to suggest she instead use a magnifying glass when Vertin suddenly notices her presence.
“Welcome back,” the older girl greets her and Sotheby had to squint.
“... Is there something on my face?” Vertin asks.
“ Tut tut. Cookie crumbs, Ms. Vertin.” Sotheby clicks her tongue, taking out the handkerchief she always brings with her and handing it over to her. “I must say! It’s not always that you have such a big smile on your face either!”
“Is that so?” Vertin muses, letting the handkerchief fall to her open palm as Sotheby skips away from her and to another corner of the office.
Hm.
That explains why her cheek has been hurting then.
She dabs the handkerchief on and around her lips before remembering something. She raises her head and turns around in search of the younger arcanist. “Oh, and Sotheby?”
“Yes, Ms. Vertin?”
“Do you know how to bake cookies? I'd like to be taught how, you see.”