Night passed and the following morning arrived. Ardyn woke from her sleep feeling a bit fuzzy and flushed. She took a glass of water, did her morning routine which includes some exercise, a meditation session and a flexibility training. When she was done she took a shower then remembered that she had a guest.
Ardyn wore her gown no went down to make Noctar some breakfast. She approached the garage with a cup of coffee in one hand and a bundle of fresh towels in the other, a peace offering of sorts. She wanted him to take a shower first before having breakfast with her. She slid the connected garage door open quietly, half-expecting to find him already awake and plotting.
Instead, she found Noctar Ville, S-Rank Debugger, completely undone by sleep. He was sprawled inelegantly across the spare bed, one arm dangling off the side, his face buried in the pillow. His posture was a catastrophe. And yet, even in total repose, with his black hair a mess and his mouth slightly open, he managed to look like a deity banished to a mortal couch. The early morning light filtering through the garage window seemed to halo him.
// Boss. Rise and shine. The Rose Knight is here for her morning visual audit, S.A.R.A. announced, her tone a sassy alarm clock.
Noctar's eyes fluttered open. Languid, heavy-lidded, and still clouded with sleep, they found hers. The trajectory of her gaze, however, dipped lower for a fleeting, involuntary second before snapping back to his face.
He followed her look down.
There, tenting the thin sheets, was a very enthusiastic, very obvious morning salute.
Ardyn's cheeks flushed a brilliant crimson. She quickly averted her eyes, setting the coffee down on a workbench with a sharp clack. "I brought you a towel. And bathing essence. The guest bathroom is down the hall to the left."
Noctar didn't scramble or apologize. A low, sleep-roughened chuckle escaped him as he slowly, deliberately, sat up. "Good morning to you too," he rumbled, his voice a gravelly vibration that he now knew, thanks to S.A.R.A.'s real-time biometric feed, made her heart rate spike by 22%.
He took his time getting out of bed, accepting the robe and towels from her. As she turned to flee, her silk gown did nothing to hide the enticing bounce of her assets with each hurried step. Noctar watched the retreating form, the view making his already pronounced situation decidedly worse.
// I'm registering a significant increase in—
A cold shower in the guest bathroom was a necessary tactical retreat. He emerged from the bathroom, towel around his waist. Yesterday when he was shopping at the boutique he didn't just take one set of clothes but a few.
S.A.R.A had saved them in his inventory. After ensuring he'd completed the bathing routine, Noctar dressed in simple, casual black loose shirt, soft pants, and a pair of comfortable shoes. It was a look of understated luxury that screamed he didn't need to try.
When he left the garage through the connected door, Noctar looked at Ardyn's home. It was very warm with pictures of her and Garner on shelves, flowerpots with small roses and the curtains drawn giving the room enough natural lighting.
Ardyn was already at the dining table, dressed for work in another one of those devastatingly formal suits. Noctar made a mental note to express his appreciation for the corporate armor she wore so well. He sat at the table with her, a small cheeky smile on his face as he ate the toasted bread with fried eggs.
Breakfast was a surprisingly easy affair. The conversation drifted to age, and Noctar's casual mention of being twenty-five made Ardyn, at twenty-seven, feel strangely… elderly for a fleeting moment.
They talked about tastes and preferences, and Ardyn quickly realized that for all his genius, Noctar's knowledge of pop culture, fashion, and basic social norms was practically nonexistent. The 'shut-in quantum researcher' part of his cover story was proving alarmingly accurate.
When they finished their meal, Ardyn took the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash. Noctar just sat here as added another cup of coffee.
//Boss. Next time offer to wash the dishes. It's common courtesy. S.A.R.A said her tone oddly strict.
//Its the thought that counts.
"Noctar." Ardyn's call brought Noctar from his internal chat with S.A.R.A.
She was already finished and ready to leave for work, she fixed him with a look because of how zoned out he was. "What are your plans for the day?"
"I'm going to a real estate agency," he said, sipping his 3rd cup of coffee. "I believe I have ninety-nine platinum coins that need spending."
A genuine smile touched Ardyn's lips. "I'll drive you since you don't know much. It has been less than a day since your return."
Noctar didn't refuse. He quickly chugged the coffee and speed washed the cup leaving it to dry with the others on the rack. It's true that it had been less than 24hrs since Byte and Mortis threw him to this planet Ethron.
They left the house and Noctar was somewhat sad to leave the scent of roses behind. The drive wasn't long but also not too short, the lack of traffic aided the journey's smoothness. When they arrived at the sleek real estate agency, however, the atmosphere was charged.
People were staring, whispering, and pointing their phones at them. Before Noctar could even process it, S.A.R.A. dumped the information into his mind.
// SCANNING LOCAL NEWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS.
// PRIMARY TRENDING TOPIC: "ROSE KNIGHT'S SECRET LOVE!"
// SUBHEADER: "Ardyn Vermont Spotted with Mystery Man, Shares Home and Intimate Morning Outing!"
// ATTACHED: [Image_01: Ardyn and Noctar leaving her house this morning.]
// SUGGESTION, BOSS, S.A.R.A. added, almost as an afterthought. // After you buy the house, you really, *really* need to get a phone.
Noctar looked at Ardyn, who was glaring daggers at a giggling group of interns. It seemed his new life on Ethron was about to get a lot more complicated.