Some time passed, and Mirror fell asleep, so Caster carried her to bed, laid a kiss on her forehead, then returned to the living room to read for an hour before joining her.
The next morning, they headed to Aura's house and saw Veil and Vision standing in her doorway. Veil stood holding a paper takeout bag, and Aura cracked her door open just enough to accept it before slamming it shut again. Veil sighed, walking away first with his brother not far behind. They waved once they saw Caster and Mirror.
"Hey, come to check on the princess, too?" Vision asked with a hint of bitterness. Veil continued his stride and said,
"I'm going to get some coffee." Then he left the area.
"She said she doesn't want to talk to anyone." Vision informed them and sighed, "But maybe she'll make an exception for you," he added, patting Caster's shoulder sympathetically, then making his way down the road.
Mirror pressed her hand to her heart worriedly. It was Caster who gently led her to the door.
Mirror hesitated, her fist hovering above the door, then she took a deep breath and knocked. Seconds passed, and nothing happened, so she knocked again, and this time Aura opened the door and yelled,
"I told you to go!" Her hair was disheveled, she had bloodshot eyes, and her voice was hoarse as if she'd been screaming all night. She gasped when she saw her sister and hurriedly tried to make herself look more presentable.
"I'm sorry," Aura whispered, her voice still shaky. Her older sister had never seen her so broken.
"Can we come inside?" she asked, but Aura's grip on her door didn't loosen. "Or we can talk from here; we're just worried about you." Mirror explained further.
Aura groaned, then her eyes welled up with tears.
"I was just mad... because he made such a drastic decision, bringing me here without saying anything," Aura began, her voice straining, "Flow seems to have faith in him... and I know he's strong, but I just can't stop thinking that I killed him... that he's going to die and it's my fault." After saying this, she finally opened the door to wipe her eyes, and Mirror stepped forward to hug her sister and let her cry.
"That's his choice; it wouldn't be your fault at all," the older sister assured. That's when Aura jerked away and pushed her.
"I... knew he would do anything for me... yet I said careless things anyway. That was MY choice! My fault!" Aura shouted. Mirror opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get another word out, Aura slammed the door in her face.
Mirror's face scrunched up as if she was going to cry as well. That's when Caster stroked her hair and said,
"Let's give her space for now and try again tomorrow."
His girlfriend sniffled and nodded in agreement.
"How about..." he continued, "We get ingredients together and bake her some sweets... she is a sugar fiend, maybe it'll cheer her up. At least a little." Mirror snorted from amusement.
"I doubt that," she replied, letting out a small laugh.
"It's worth a try," he said while stroking her cheek and smiling, "And... now that we understand what's wrong, you can definitely do a better job comforting her." Mirror closed her eyes and sighed,
"... I think I should just listen next time and let her vent... I can't pretend to know what she's going through." She murmured. He held her hand and intertwined their fingers, then led the way down the road until they reached the market area. Caster asked the vendors where to buy baking goods. He handled all of the information gathering.
They were given a reusable shopping bag, and Caster picked out everything he'd need to bake Chocolate Chip cookies.
When they returned home, he went straight to work, so Mirror went out to get lunch for them both alone.
He was finished by the time she got back, so they ate the sandwiches she brought together.
"Let's play a few rounds of Platoon." Caster suggested once he'd finished eating. He picked up the deck of cards on the coffee table in front of them and started shuffling, but Mirror only exhaled sadly and said,
"Is it really okay for us to be playing a game, right now?" she muttered the words mostly to herself. He placed the cards back on the table, then stood up behind the couch and started rubbing her shoulders.
"If you let yourself get too stressed, you won't be able to help anyone. It's okay to unwind, you don't need to make yourself miserable," he coaxed. Mirror leaned back, relaxing under his touch.
"You're right..." Mirror replied, closing her eyes. Caster then leaned down and kissed her lips.
Her cheeks pinked slightly, her eyes fluttered back open, and she gazed at him curiously.
"Do you want to taste test the cookies?" he asked, meeting her gaze.
"I want to taste test you," she replied with a smirk. He grinned nervously while blushing and said,
"Luckily, I'm also on the menu." Mirror laughed and grabbed his wrist, dragging him toward the bedroom.
The next morning, Caster lay beside a sleeping Mirror. He ran his fingers through her honey-blonde curls, his eyes fixed on her lips as he patiently waited for her to wake up.
An hour later, her eyes fluttered open, and she blushed when she saw him; last night's events still fresh on her mind.
"Good morning," he whispered.
She wiggled closer to him and kissed his shoulder.
"Good morning, my love," she greeted back, resting her head against his chest and feeling his heart hammering against her.
"... You ready to try again?" he asked softly.
"... We should go see Aura first," Mirror replied after some internal debate.
"That's what I meant. What are you talking about?" Caster said curiously, a hint of teasing in his tone.
Mirror flushed, then wrapped the blankets around herself and jumped out of bed.
"I'm going to take a shower," she announced, dodging his question. He laughed and said,
"Alright. We'll talk more when you get back," he replied while combing his hair back from his face with his fingers. Mirror scurried away before he could tease her further.
They left the house with the cookies delicately placed in a transparent bag, tied closed with a bright green ribbon.
Mirror carried the treats, and when they arrived at Aura's house, they saw another takeout bag sitting on her porch.
"Looks like she didn't even accept the food from the V brothers today," Mirror noted. Caster kissed her cheek.
"We should still try." He said while gently nudging her closer to the door.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, then knocked. Some time passed with no response, so Mirror yelled,
"Open up! We just want to talk!"
It wasn't even a second later that Aura let the door creak open. She looked worse than the day before, now with dark circles under her eyes.
Even when she put in zero effort, Aura always looked stunning, ethereal, and so confident that it drew others in.
Now she looked broken, even her vibrant fuchsia hair seemed limp and dull, her teal eyes lifeless.
"What?" Aura grumbled. Mirror frowned deeply, but she held back her tears and breathed in.
"I came to listen. If you want to talk!... And I brought cookies!" Mirror said, forcing herself to sound upbeat.
Aura scanned the bag dubiously, so Mirror added, "Don't worry, Caster made them."
With that new information, Aura opened her door and allowed them both inside.
Mirror handed her little sister the cookies, and they all sat in the kitchen.
When Aura took her first bite, she visibly perked up slightly, then she slumped in her chair, and a few stray tears escaped before she took another bite and repeated the process.
The room was silent, except for her munching. Three cookies later, Aura finally spoke,
"Do you think there's a way... to contact him? Just to see if he's okay?" Her eyes looked into Mirror's, full of hope.
Mirror took hold of both of Aura's hands and nodded,
"I think so! We should definitely check!" Aura looked down, sulking again, so Mirror added, "Would you like me to check for you?"
"I'm just... so scared of the answer. I'm afraid to ask..." she admitted. Mirror kissed Aura's cheeks and said,
"Leave it to me!" Her younger sister gave a weak smile in return.
"Thank you," Aura whispered. She then looked at Caster and added, "And thank you for the cookies."
He gave her a reassuring grin and replied,
"If you want me to make anything else, just ask." She nodded and wiped her eyes.
"I ... suddenly feel very sleepy. I haven't slept in two days." Aura said while stifling a yawn. Mirror helped her to her bedroom and tucked her in. They left quietly after that.
"Oh my god!" Mirror screamed once they were a few feet away. Caster stared at her quizzically as she continued shouting loudly towards the sky.
Once she finally stopped, he stroked her back and said,
"Did you get it all out?"
Mirror whipped around with a panicked expression.
"I told her to leave it up to me, but I don't know what to do! Why would I say that?!" she replied while pounding her fist against her forehead.
"Hmm... We'll figure it out... Oh! That woman, Flow, she might know something. We should ask her," he suggested, calmly.
She gasped and threw her arms around him.
"That's the perfect place to start! Thank you! This is exactly why I love you!"
He chuckled, while returning the hug.
"Glad to help." Caster replied.