"Alright, I'll meet you in the parlor," Logan said simply.
Evelyn glanced briefly in his direction and nodded, then turned and walked back out.
His eyes stayed fixed on the sight of the long shirt barely managing to cover her. The fabric clung where it shouldn't, traced lines it had no business tracing.
'Is she trying to seduce me? What kind of man could resist this?' He grumbled internally, a rush of heat flooding through him.
He forced his attention back to what mattered and followed her out.
She settled onto the couch. He took the one beside her and handed her plate across.
"Tell me what you think." A smooth smile played on his lips.
Evelyn said nothing. She simply watched him.
Logan picked up his fork and pierced a piece of the meat. The juices broke immediately, pooling outward from the cut. He lifted it to his mouth and bit down.
'Oh my — ' The thought didn't finish itself. It dissolved into something wordless.
'This is the best thing I've eaten in my life. What a meal... what a meal...' He felt something embarrassingly close to the urge to cry. It was that good.
Evelyn's lips finally parted. "I'd like to have yours."
'So that's why she was staring at me.' Logan noted internally.
"Okay," he said without complaint, and handed his plate across, taking hers in return.
"Thank you," she said smoothly.
"It's nothing," he replied, just as cool.
Evelyn picked up her fork and pressed it into the meat. She paused a moment, almost hesitant, then bit down.
It melted.
Her eyes went wide.
'What's this?' The thought arrived before she could stop it.
Whatever composure she'd been holding crumbled quietly. She forked another piece before she'd even finished the first, chewing slowly this time, trying to understand what she was tasting.
'How can meat be cooked this well?' She couldn't answer it. She stopped trying and simply ate.
Each bite didn't satisfy the hunger. It deepened it.
Then —
Clang.
Evelyn looked down at her empty plate, genuinely startled. She had cleared it in minutes without noticing. She stared at it for a moment, then her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Logan's dish.
Still full.
A faint flush touched her cheeks. She looked away, then back, then finally asked, "Did you prepare any more?"
"Unfortunately no." Logan watched the disappointment flicker across her face. "You can have mine if you want."
"Is that really alright?"
"Yeah." He handed it over without ceremony.
"Alright," she said, and accepted it.
This time she didn't rush. She ate slowly, deliberately, letting each bite settle before taking the next. As though she was trying to make it last.
It ended anyway.
Evelyn set the fork down and looked at him with an expression that was almost accusatory — as though he'd taken something from her by letting the meal finish.
"How was it?" A quiet smirk pulled at the corner of Logan's lips.
She exhaled once. "It's the best thing I've eaten."
"That much of a praise?" He raised a brow, performing mild surprise.
Evelyn nodded.
"Are you still hungry?" he asked, rising to his feet.
A faint pink climbed her cheeks. She looked down before answering, then nodded once.
"Give me a moment." He turned smoothly toward the kitchen.
Her gaze stayed on his back longer than she likely intended.
"I should freshen up in the meantime," she murmured to herself, and disappeared toward the bathroom.
---
Time passed quietly.
Logan prepared the meal a second time. Somehow it came out better than the first.
Evelyn sat across from him, her hair slightly damp, a few strands clinging to her forehead. The graceful composure she usually carried had been set aside entirely. She ate with full attention, focused and unguarded, savoring every piece.
Finally, after a long moment, she set her fork down and took the last piece of meat slowly, as though marking the end of something.
"Where did you learn to cook like that?" She wiped her mouth with a napkin and looked at him with genuine curiosity.
"A little secret of mine," Logan said.
"You're full of secrets," she replied plainly.
"Perhaps."
Silence settled between them, easy and unhurried. Then Evelyn asked, "What next?"
She had lost her daughter. Her husband. Everything she had held dear was gone, and the road ahead was formless.
'Everything is moving exactly as I planned...'
Logan recognized what the question meant. She was already beginning to lean on him — the mysterious persona he had constructed was taking root, quietly and exactly as intended.
"For now, we stay here," he said. "We need to restore your ability before we leave for the academy."
"Academy?"
"Yes. Something significant will happen there soon." The lie came out clean and smooth.
Nothing was going to happen there. The truth was simpler — there was a particular treasure he intended to reach before the protagonist could get his hands on it. That was the whole of it.
"I see," Evelyn said, nodding. She believed him completely. She always believed the glimpses of the future he claimed to have.
"Will it be dangerous?" she asked, something cautious moving through her voice as the memory of recent events surfaced.
"As long as we arrive on time, I can handle it," Logan said evenly.
"Okay." She accepted that without pushing further. Then her voice dropped slightly. "You said you had a way to cure me?"
She tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear and looked at him, her eyes open and expectant.
"I do," Logan nodded. "However, as I mentioned, it requires certain conditions you might not... accept."
"Certain conditions?" A small crease formed between her brows.
"Yes." He held her gaze steadily. "It requires me to make physical contact with every part of your body."
Evelyn was on her feet before he finished the sentence, shock written plainly across her face.
"What?"