It had taken a seconded before their eyes had adjusted to the sunsets new hues, Shim Cleo & Alex had all been standing there, waiting for the sun to calm down.
After spending almost an entire day in a dimly lit church this was only natural, but a recognizable figure caught Alex’s eyes.
『 Tiffen!?
』 He thought, as the sun’s gaze calmed down this was confirmed to be
Tiffen standing there in perfect shape.
She was just outside of the large steel gate, but she was definitely there, Alex had thought it to be a mirage at first, thinking;
『 What is she doing here?
I thought she was half dead this morning, I mean I am happy for her by how did she recover so quickly!?
』 Alex had thought back to that time he had caught a cold, it had lasted about two weeks and was unbearable, yet Tiffen managed to pull through in less then a day..
Sickness wasn’t something you could just will past, as a soldier Cael understood this well, but Tiffen was here and healthy.
The three walked up to the gate, slowly pushing it open, Tiffen turned to the noise bowing down she spoke;
“Ah, good evening, master Alex.” Alex almost jumped at the ‘master’ being added on, Tiffen raised her head looking at Shim and Cleo, Alex was quick to brushes this off speaking before anyone got any ideas;
“Just Alex is fine, but weren’t you sick as a storm this morning, Tiffen?”
Alex was quick to diverge the situation, he didn’t know why Tiffen had done that but he thought it may have been because he was growing up.
As such Alex would no longer suffice, so ‘master Alex’ would have to become the new title granting him permissions alike to a master, but
Alex didn’t want this one bit, if anything he like being on equal ground with Tiffen.
Tiffen raised her finger to her chin, thinking for a moment before speaking;
“Very well Alex. However I am grateful you have remembered my slickness this morning, but please don’t worry about it, a maid has duties after all. So I couldn’t be laying around all day, please understand that much…”
『 What The!?
What happened to The Tiffen I Knew!
Where Did You Take Her!
』 Was what Alex wanted to say, but his own mind held back, however the feeling was still true.
He hadn’t know what had got into Tiffen, but one thing was for certain ‘Tiffen is treating me different’ it was a weird thought.
But the barrier between a co-mother and a maid started to slip, Tiffen was abruptly transitioning into that position of a maid rather then a co-mother, that much was clear…
It was a sad truth, but it had to happen one day, unfortunately it was here, Alex held in his feeling and opinions about this matter and locked them away for another day.
With a deep breath Alex calmed down, 『 This is for the better, after all I am not a child, I just have a child’s body..
“This is Tiffen, my family’s maid, she is here to pick me up, so this is Shim”
Alex made sure to add the ‘family’s’ inside of his talk, he didn’t want the wrong idea slipping, although they where children sometimes Cael had forgotten he was psychically younger and mentally older, but he introduced Tiffen to Shim first pointing to the boy with back hair, Shim spoke seeing Alex point towards him;
“Hey, I am Shim..” He said nervously, he had never seen a maid before, much less one with such devotion as Tiffen.
“Hello, Shim. Nice to meet you..” Tiffen responded seeing Shim’s confused face, then Alex pointed to the boy with tinted blue hair, saying;
“And this is Cleo.” Alex pointed to Cleo who was standing next to Shim, but he was slowly backing up and behind Shim’s back as he got shy and scared, seeing he wasn’t going to speak, Tiffen did it for him;
“Hello as well, Cleo. It’s nice and refreshing to meet Alex’s friends, please treat him with care in my wake, Shim and Cleo…” Tiffen said, Alex hadn’t really know if he was ‘friends’ with Shim and Cleo yet, he had definitely done a lot with them for a first day, so maybe that was enough to call them ‘friends’.
Though such a request from Tiffen wasn’t unheard from Shim and Cleo, Shim stepped forwards holding out his hand for a shake to the maid.
Shim had gained courage and experience from Alex, in such a short time and this was one of those moments Shim tried to be more Alex-like.
He was replicating his first time meeting Alex, and the time Alex had also shook the old mans hand, so Shim followed in those footsteps left behind from Alex.
Tiffen was quite surprised by the young man who held out his hand willingly,
Tiffen took this action with the upmost respect shaking Shim’s hand,
Shim then spoke as there hands went back to eachother;
“I will try my very best, Tiffen.” Cleo who was still hiding behind Shim’s back also nodded, it seems they where very well respected people at least Tiffen had thought that way.
Alex was also quite surprised by how
Shim was acting, he had yet to figure out Shim was trying to be
‘Alex-like’ but that was neither here or there.
“Very well, I will take that with the upmost respect, Shim.” Tiffen said with a small laugh as how friendly and happy everyone was, Alex had changed his perspective on Shim from this interaction alone, Shim then spoke;
“Alright, well me and Cleo live this way, so we best be off before it’s dark… See you tomorrow Alex, and you as well Tiffen…” Shim said pointing behind him at the street, it was clear they had lived somewhere in that direction, Tiffen bowed down and back up, saying;
“Very well, we shall be off as well..”
Alex also piped in; “Yeah, See you guys tomorrow…”
“Yeah” Shim said smiling, Shim and Cleo turned around and started to walk off with no final regards, Tiffen also shifted her low-cut shoes on the spot, she then tilted her head at Alex who was still looking back at
『 That Cleo is waking side by side with Shim, what is his problem?
Why is he so shy, yet he would turn his back so easily?
Ugh, I can’t understand him at all, Shim is easy to read, Cleo is like a different language.
』
“Alex?” Tiffen said, as Alex’s jaw clenched;
『 Even so, calling me dead, using a mirror on me, keeping a secret hidden to the library, and working with father…
Who is this Kid!
』
“Mm, Alex?” Tiffen said moving closer, Alex’s eyes where locked on Cleo his fists clenched and his face grew anger;
『 What does a kid like him know?
How many secrets has the library told you
Cleo… How many things has Father told you about me?
Did you know I was coming today?
How, no, Why do you know magic at such a young age?
At such an age you weren’t given the title of gifted, yet I was..
Just how highly do they think of me?
』
“Hey, Alex, are you okay?” Tiffen pushed Alex a little moving Alex’s shoulders left to right as Alex stood motionless;
『 What kind of monster are you Cleo?
How do you know of such things, why do you know of such things… I can’t take it longer Cleo, your holding me on the edge…
and..
I might..
just fall off………… 』
“Alex!” Tiffen shouted, by now Shim and Cleo where already behind the street with them out of sight Alex fell down.
He fell on the dirt and floor, his clothes gain a layer of dust, Tiffen seeing this shouted his name out.
Her fingers ran up his throat feeling a pulse, with a sigh Tiffen picked Alex up, letting him rest on her shoulders.
Tiffen then started to walk home with Alex on her back, all she said to the passed out Alex was; “Must of been a tough day, right? Master Alex?”