157 Opportunity

Lycster excitedly picked up his spoon and began to eat his parfait. He made sure to get a little of every ingredient before placing it into his mouth. The cold temperature was colder than he had expected. It was like having a spoonful of smooth flavoured ice.

Vy started to eat hers as well. The earthy flavours of intense matcha brought her comfort and joy. It paired well with the sweetness of the ice cream.

"Can you imagine eating something like this on a hot summer day? All the heat would just melt away!" Lycster said as he took another spoonful of his dessert.

Eating it too quickly caused him to have a brain freeze moment as he squinted his eyes. It felt as if someone had frozen his brain into an icicle. Vy pondered over Lycster's statement, he was right.

It was at this point that she also realised that there were rarely any cold treats available in the Summer seasons in Timbretune or the Prism Sector.

Could this be a business opportunity?

As they continue to enjoy their desserts, Vy and Lycster chat about various things. They threaded lightly when it came to the topic of Elette. Her sudden death still pained them to talk about it, but there were things that they needed to discuss.

Their injuries have healed as much as they could and their disappearance was sure to have raised questions. It was only a matter of time Carole would start to worry and question certain things.

"Do you think we can retrieve our belongings from the Arkwing Castle?" Lycster asked as he took another spoonful of his dessert.

Vy thought for a while, "We might not be able to. Since we've been here, we have not had the opportunity to retrieve any information about the situation after we've left."

A part of them did not want to know about the aftermath. It could have gone really sour for them. Afterall the scene they had left behind was a gruesome one. The death of a small child, the King and Princess of the Kingdom were attacked.

There were days Vy wondered if the King Olwin would have sent his guards to arrest her. So far, it seems like that was not the case. Having the time to think over all that has happened also made Vy realised that King Olwin had not been entirely truthful about certain things.

If they ever met in the future again, can he really be trusted?

"If it is possible, I would love to retrieve our stuff from there. At the very least, I want to be able to collect Elette's things. We also need to give her a proper burial," Vy declared.

Lycster could not agree more. As he tried to get another spoonful of his dessert, Lycster let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes. To his surprise, his dessert glass was empty.

"I thought I still had one more bite…" Lycster sighed as he looked up at Vy who was about to put a spoonful of chocolate ice cream into her mouth.

"Hey!" Lycster called out as he tried to reach for Vy's spoon.

Vy grinned as she swiftly placed the spoon into her mouth and licked her lips.

"Not quick enough," she chuckled.

Both of them shared a good laugh which turned into another yawn for Lycster.

"Looks like someone is tired and needs to go to sleep," Vy said nonchalantly.

But he could tell from Vy's body language that she still wanted to sit there for a while longer. After all, she had just begun to drink her second glass.

"I can go back on my own," Lycster said with a smile.

Vy looked at him curiously, "Are you sure?"

Lycster nodded, "You can stay here, but don't stay too long, alright?"

Vy grinned, promising to return to the room after she finished her second glass. With her assurance, Lycster stood up and gave his sister a quick hug and a light peck on the cheek before he made his way out of the Dining Hall.

Vy watched him go until she could no longer see him before she returned to her liquor. She could feel the heat of the alcohol and her senses were mellow but she did not mind. It had been quite some time since she had the opportunity to taste such delicious flavoured liquor.

It would be a waste for her to call it a night now. The Dining Hall was emptier now, with only a handful of guests left. The night had truly set in as beyond the balcony everything was shrouded in darkness.

The moon hung high amongst the twinkling stars. It was difficult to find such a starry sky in the cities or towns due to the endless amounts of lights that lit the streets. But at Yama Yoma, the dimmed flickering lights did not interfere with the stars in the skies.

Looking up at the sky, Vy took a sip from her glass. She admired the stars and how they formed constellations. How long has it been since she had the opportunity to stargaze? But being alone with her thoughts made her fearful of where her mind would wander.

"Would you like to try our house-brewed rice wine?" Monma asked.

Vy was so deep in her thoughts that Monma's question caused her to jolt in her seat. Seeing that she had startled Vy, Monma quickly apologised.

"It's alright. I would love to try some," Vy replied.

By the time she decided to leave the Dining Hall, Vy could hardly see clearly. She could barely walk in a straight line as she made her way through the Main Hall towards the corridor. Knowing that she could no longer rely on her sight, Vy decided to use her sense of smell to guide her.

Slowly, one foot in front of another, she made her way down the corridor towards her room. She could see the figure of a guest coming towards her, whom she carefully avoided with ease. But, a misstep caused her to trip her own foot and fall face-first onto the ground.

"Damn it," Vy muttered to herself under her breath.

Step by step, she helped herself up and continued on her way. Finally, she reached the room and opened the door. The room was pitch black and even the light from the corridor did not provide much help.

Vy carefully manoeuvred herself so as to not make any unnecessary noise in fear that she might wake Lycster up. She decided to crawl on all fours instead as she tried to find the futon. With a bit of luck, she found the futon and quickly crawled onto it and placed the covers over her body.

Within a matter of seconds, she drifted off into slumber.

But unknown to her, she was not in the right room.