"Ah..."
Along with Artoria's surprised exclamation, Skadi froze for a moment.
Everyone seemed a little surprised by each other's sudden appearance.
In the quiet Chaldea cafeteria during the midday lull, she was watching Shiomi fry pastries. This gave her the perfect opportunity to sample them fresh out of the fryer.
She was holding a plate lined with paper towels, ready to catch the freshly deep-fried brown sugar cakes.
"Put it on the counter. No need to hold it," Shiomi said. "It's still too hot to handle straight out of the fryer."
"But these treats are best eaten while they're piping hot, right?" Artoria remarked with a knowing smile.
Shiomi shrugged. "If you want them hot, you'll need to add something."
With that, he opened the fridge and pulled out an ingredient.
Skadi, standing on the other side of the counter, asked, "Are you cooking this late to prepare for dinner?"
"No," Artoria replied, "Tenkei just happened to have some free time, so he came to the kitchen to make something."
Artoria, holding chopsticks, started neatly arranging the freshly fried pastries as they came out of the oil.
"I see," Skadi said, understanding.
She then watched as Shiomi took out a tub of soft-serve ice cream from the fridge and scooped a large portion onto the center of a plate.
"Oh..." Artoria instantly understood.
Though the pastries' outer crusts cooled quickly to an edible temperature, the fillings inside remained scalding hot. Eating them with ice cream helped cool the filling without compromising the original flavor.
"I get it. Want to try some?" Shiomi offered with a smile. "Just don't eat it all at once, or I'll have to make more."
"That's a bit rude, don't you think? It sounds like you're calling me a glutton," Artoria retorted, picking up her chopsticks and getting ready to taste the treat.
At that moment, Shiomi turned to Skadi. "Would you like to try it now, or would you prefer to come back later and get some for yourself?"
"Not now. I just had lunch, and I'm not that hungry," Skadi replied, shaking her head. "I only came for the ice cream..."
In the Lostbelt, ice cream wasn't something they had the means to make, and as a goddess, Skadi had become completely enamored with the cool sensation of the treat since she first tried it.
Though the fridge only contained handmade ice cream, Skadi was more than satisfied.
"There's an apple flavor I made this morning—it's a little tangier than the previous batch," Shiomi said as he smoothly opened the freezer, pulled out two cartons, and handed them to Skadi as she rounded the counter.
The palm-sized handmade ice cream cartons were just the right size, and even Skadi would only indulge in one at a time.
On the one hand, she didn't want to take more than her share, knowing others at Chaldea would want some. On the other, she practiced a little self-restraint to avoid getting bored with it too quickly.
"Two boxes..." Skadi caught them with both hands, slightly taken aback.
The cold sensation in her palms contrasted sharply with the warmth of Shiomi's hand when they briefly touched. She couldn't help but think that he was purposely favoring her.
Ever since their relationship had become physical a few days ago, Skadi felt her heart race whenever she saw him, a subtle warmth spreading through her body.
Though they had moments of privacy, he rarely let her go unscathed. Still, their physical closeness hadn't interfered with their normal lives.
At other times, Shiomi remained his usual composed and calm self, never making Skadi feel uncomfortable.
"I remember you mentioning at lunch that you planned to visit Ophelia Famsorone in the detention room this afternoon," Shiomi said, his tone casual. "It wouldn't be right to go empty-handed."
"I've heard that she hasn't spoken since being confined. As her former collaborator, I've come to care for her like one of the many children under my protection." Skadi nodded, a faint smile appearing on her face. "So..."
"In that case, why not take this opportunity to try and persuade her to cooperate with Chaldea?" Artoria suggested, setting down her chopsticks.
"You want me to be the one to speak with her?" Skadi asked, surprised.
This was definitely outside her usual skill set and something she wasn't particularly good at.
"You're the honored guest at the table, while she's the prisoner beneath the stairs." Shiomi leaned casually against the refrigerator door. "Of course, if you'd prefer to let things take their natural course and have Ophelia come to terms with it on her own, that's fine too."
"I've pieced together most of the circumstances surrounding her becoming a Crypter," Skadi mused. "Ophelia held immense respect for that man, Kirschtaria. Even during the Lostbelt incident, her loyalty and trust in him far exceeded what she showed me…"
Artoria nodded as she listened. "If that's the case, her loyalty to the captain—another Crypter—makes it unlikely she'd betray her comrades to provide more intelligence or assistance."
"Persuading someone to surrender has always been a tricky business," Shiomi admitted with a sigh. "But since this situation is different from Kadoc's, there's still room for case-by-case discussion."
Skadi steadied the two ice cream boxes in her hands. "Then I'll give it a try—"
"Don't rush it. Start by greeting her like an old acquaintance, to lower her guard," Shiomi advised. "The Lostbelt King aligning with Chaldea—she might be pretty disappointed in you."
"But... but it wasn't my fault..." Skadi's face flushed instantly. "It was you, you man, who took me from the Lostbelt without permission! I never surrendered to you!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Because in private moments of intimacy, she hadn't exactly been shy about begging Shiomi for mercy—even if those flirtatious words had slipped out unconsciously, fueled by physical pleasure.
"Right, so it's a partnership." Shiomi raised a finger. "And you, like Morgan, are an exceptionally special case. Without Odin acting as a mediator, the outcome would likely have been nothing short of an unending, deadly conflict."
"Hm…" Skadi couldn't help but gasp.
His approach was truly flawless.
She suddenly felt a pang of regret. If he had actually brought up those past events, it might have been more interesting.
"I'll head over now. No need to save dessert for me."
Skadi sealed the ice cream's temperature with Runes to prevent melting during the delay.
After a moment's thought, she steeled herself against her shyness and tiptoed to press a kiss to Shiomi's lips before turning away.
"Was that... for my benefit?"
The King of Knights chewed on her chopsticks. She'd been sneaking bites too—the plate was already a quarter empty.
"Not at all." Shiomi chuckled, then lowered his head to kiss the ice cream off Artoria's lips. "You've got ice cream all around your mouth."
"Well, that just proves how amazing Tenkei's cooking is—I'm too busy to notice such details."
"Just rearrange it and bring it back. Otherwise, it'll look weird."
"...Yeah, you're right..."
Artoria's voice carried a touch of cheerful awkwardness.