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An earthy aroma wafts throughout the room, a quiet sipping breaking the silence. The mug makes a light clink against the table's surface, and he gives the young man sitting opposite a level stare.
How they sat reflected the other's personality more than their own. He himself was known to be uptight, yet he leaned back against the cushions. On the other hand, the usually upbeat one sat upright with his arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed.
Neither had spoken above a whisper since they arranged their seating. While he preferred it this way, his counterpart would surely be of a different opinion. His younger self was always eager for a new adventure, that he recalls.
Besides, they were here for a reason. If that man won't initiate, then he'll simply do it instead.
"Will we be spending the rest of our time like this?" he speaks up. "We have something urgent to address, no?"
Charlie jumps. There's an impatience underlying Charles' calm that he picks up on. He knows better than to test it.
"Ah, right… sorry about that." Charlie says, rubbing the back of his neck. He clears his throat.
"So. Valentine's Day is tomorrow. What should we give Nonny?"
'Hm?'
Once again, the room goes quiet. Charles' eyes suddenly snap to the calendar on the farthest wall. He reads the small, blurry lettering. February 13.
'It's that close? Was it not the 10th today…?' he thinks to himself. No wonder his other self was so worried—they only had today to do something.
When he directs his stare back ahead of him, he notices the rather strained smile the other man has.
'Was he relying on me to be prepared?' Letting out a huff, his ruby eyes narrow at him. Neither of them had a clue what to do, that much was glaringly obvious now.
"I know she wouldn't mind chocolates, but it feels too plain!" Charlie groans, putting his head in his hands. "What are we gonna do? I don't wanna disappoint her…"
Charles was stumped. The question "Why are you overcomplicating this?" doesn't leave his lips. He knew he felt the same way as his counterpart. It wouldn't do to give her something so common, no, it wasn't befitting of her. They didn't have any particular talent in baking either—hell, the most they knew was how to bake bread or perhaps mini cupcakes—so there weren't many options open to them.
He tugs at his mind for an answer, desperate to find anything, when a vague memory appears at the forefront. A long hallway of stairs leading upwards, armoured boots thumping against every other step. He can barely make out the voice that echoes throughout the spacious area. Were they talking to him?
"Are you ____? __ ___ want _ _____ roll cake?"
Not a second longer can he dwell on the memory before it fades away. He pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to quell the rising frustration.
'What was that? Did that happen on SE.RA.PH?'
The more Charles concentrates, the clearer that voice becomes. It sounded feminine and extremely familiar, as if he's well-acquainted with them. Could it have been Hakunon?
An idea hits him. Even he's grasping at straws, this was better than nothing.
"How about… making a cake roll for her?" he suggests, his voice lacking its confidence. "We could ask one of the chefs for help."
Charlie puts a hand to his chin and silently thinks it over. Then, his face lights up.
"That's it!" he grins. "We only have a few hours left, so let's get started on it now!"
Valentine's Day finally arrives. Both versions of Charlemagne spent the day before in Chaldea's kitchens, redoing any failed attempt at baking a roll cake with Martha's help. They could only hope their former Master would be satisfied with how their last two turned out.
Spotting her entering the cafeteria, Charlie cheerfully calls out her name.
"Nonny! Over here!"
She perks up and makes her way to where he and Charles are standing, evading the people excitedly rushing to the Fujimaru siblings. Once she reaches them, they each hold out a mesh bag in their colours to her; a light blue with silver highlights for Charlie, and a maroon with golden highlights for Charles.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Haku." Charles says. "We didn't know what flavour you liked the most, but hopefully you enjoy it all the same."
Inside the bags, she could see the slices of roll cake were different. What Charlie had was presumably chocolate, while Charles' had vanilla. With surprise decorating her features, she takes the bags into one of her hands.
"Thank you. I actually had something for you two, but you beat me to the punch." she smiles, her free hand reaching into her jacket. She pulls out a small tin box wrapped with a tidy brown bow.
The two men glance at each other before Charles accepts it and opens the lid. Their eyes widen at the sight of biscuits, shaped like Joyeuse with two variations in frosting designs for their respective swords, filling the tin to the brim.
"Wha—there's so much! How long did this take you?!" Charlie exclaims.
Her response is a simple finger to her lips, her smile growing smug.
"It's a secret."
And so the day goes off without a hitch. There wasn't anything they had to worry about; she would have accepted any gift from them. But from how she seemed to savour every crumb, it's clear she treasured this specific gift.