“Master Victor, did you enjoy the breakfast I prepared for you?” Victor’s undead assistant inquired from her standing position next to the table while she watched her creator wipe his mouth with any leftover crumbs or debris. With a few last wipes of his mouth with his napkin, Victor refolded it and placed it on his plate. “It was divine, Helene. The biscuits were so light and fluffy. And did I detect a small bit of honey on top?” Victor asked. “Oh yes, Master Victor, I had come across the idea while I was watching Mistress Chef Fiore. The category of the night was breakfast foods and the winner made her biscuits with a bit of rose honey harvest from the wild bees from the forest near Magnolia Town. I had a bit brought in yesterday while you were in your laboratory.” Helene explained. A bell rang through the house alerting the residences within the mail had arrived inside. Victor stood up from his chair. “I need to watch that episode of Mistress Chef Fiore then. But I shall go and check what came in the mail. Do you mind cleaning up, Helene?” Victor asked. “Do not worry about it, Master Victor. I can take care of the mess.” Helene replied as she reached and picked up the few dishes that on the dining room table.
“Thank you, Helene,” Victor said before he walked down the stairs into the actual area of his business to see what items had come into today’s mail. He wondered if it would just be a few more bills and a few letters thanking him for doing such a nice job with preparing the bodies for their burial. Victor knelt and picked up the letters that had fallen into the small bin they had under the slot. He searched through the letters – most of them were simple bills that came each month and there were a few thank you letters. Eventually, one peaked his interest. It was a flyer speaking at an event in Neutral Grounds where a person could pick up a free iLac. Victor had heard about them on the news and such gadgets tickled his fancy. But to think there would be an event like this where one could get one for free just by attending. He walked back up the stairs and placed the mail on the side table.
“Helene, I plan to head out for a bit,” Victor said as he walked toward the kitchen where his assistant was tending to the dishes. “Oh? Where are we going today?” Helene asked. “I am sorry, but I will be traveling alone to Neutral Grounds today. I am not sure how the anti-magic field there will react with your body since you are a by-product of magic. It might cause your body and your soul to fall apart.” Victor replied. He truly wasn’t sure how a patchwork experiment would function in Neutral Grounds and he didn’t want to test the waters with his first Patchwork Experiment. Helene was too valuable to lose and there was a lot of data he still had to obtain regarding her. “Hmph,” Helene said a bit angry that her master wouldn’t let her travel with him. She had felt odd since she touched his hand back Rose Garden and she didn’t want to leave his side even more now. “Fine.” She resigned herself. “Just hurry back. I am going to make a cake. If you aren’t back, I will give all of it to the kids down the street.” She said. “Wait?! You don’t mean that delicious cake with the strawberries and whipped cream?!” Victor asked a bit panic. “Yes, your favorite strawberry shortcake. It might not be as good as the café’s, but I think you will like it nonetheless.” Helene said. Victor walked quickly out of the kitchen and put his robe. “Okay. Please don’t give it all to the kids down the street, Helene. I will be back in a few hours.” He said cheerfully with hope in his heart that there would be a few pieces of strawberry shortcake when he returned.
With a wave of his hand, Victor signaled a cab down and got inside before he headed to the train station. He bought his ticket and boarded the train to Neutral Grounds. It took around two hours for him to reach Neutral Grounds by train. He knew it could have been quicker to take a train which ran from magical power or lacrimas, but they wouldn’t work once they got inside of the town. Victor disembarked from the train with a chocolate chip cookie in his hand from the dining car. He munched on the sweet treat as he looked at the small map he had brought him. ‘Hmm… If this is the East Train Station. Then the store should be just to the west of here.’ He thought to himself as he finished the last remains of his sweet delicacy before he headed down the street. It was a bit odd to him not to see any magical items, but it also reminded him a bit of his childhood. Victor was always curious about magic, but his mother wanted him to be a simple mortician and carry on the family business. If she was still alive, Helene wouldn’t be here right now. Victor shook his head a bit. Even if his mother was alive, he would have started to research different types of magic on his own and in secret. But he had not times to deal variables that no longer matter. He had one goal right – to obtain an iLac from the store here.
After ten minutes of walking, Victor found a line sprawling a good way out of the store and onto the sidewalk. He knew it would take at least twenty minutes for him to his turn inside of the store. But that twenty minutes was an excellent chance for him to review a bit of the data he had cataloged from his current experiments. He continued to read, lost in the world of his notes before a voice reached his ears. “Sir? Sir?” The feminine voice repeated. “Sir, do you want your free iLac?” Victor closed his book. His cheeks flushed a bit red from his embarrassment of reading for so long and not paying attention that the line had moved, and he was standing outside on his own. The clerk of the store had come out to get him since it was obvious that he was waiting in the line with the others. “My deepest apologies. I am quite embarrassed ma’am.” Victor admitted with a bow. “Ma’am? Oh, the long hair, the sweet voice, and the dress, right? It is actually, sir.” The clerk said with a laugh. “Wait, you are a guy? Oh, did I misidentify your gender – um sir?” Victor replied. “Oh no. I am a guy, completely. I just like wearing cute things, you know? But I can tell that you don’t truly believe me. Hmm… Alright. How about I show you?” The clerk replied. “Eh?” Victor replied a bit confused by the certain development. He just found himself grabbed by the hand and lead inside by the clerk. A bit of time passed, Victor came out of the store with the iLac in hand. “Come again, Vic~ I will be here if you want to… You know later.” Victor walked out of the store with a bewildered expression plastered on his face. He had gained a new toy, but he felt he lost something else important to him. All he could hope now was that Helene saved him a slice of strawberry shortcake.
Word Count: 1285
