Chapter-64 Quiet Mornings And Lingering Hunger

A sharp knock echoed through Frederique's small room, breaking the fragile quiet of the early noon.

" Red! You alive in there? I'm starving!"

The voice was unmistakable... Lira, as loud and bubbly as ever.

Frederique groaned, dragging herself up from the worn desk where she'd talked with the peeble before. Sunlight leaked through the curtains, pale and cold.

Noon already.

The stone... the Heavenly Demon... sat quietly on her dresser, smooth and unassuming. Silent for now.

Lira knocked again, more insistently this time.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on!" Frederique called, rubbing her eyes and stumbling toward the door.

When she pulled it open, Lira stood there with a lopsided grin, her wild golden hair half-tamed under a beanie that was slightly too large. She was wrapped in an oversized hoodie with a faded band logo and leggings, giving her the look of someone who had barely managed to roll out of bed.

" You look worse than me," Lira teased, leaning against the doorframe.

" Rough night, huh? Dream wrestling with Frideria again?"

Frederique snorted.

"No, just... chatting. Come in."

Lira swept inside, plopping onto bed like she owned the place.

" You know it's your turn to cook, right? I brought coffee."

She wiggled a bag of ground beans with a triumphant smirk.

Frederique sighed, already heading toward the fridge.

" Why do I feel like you bribed me with coffee so I'd make you breakfast?"

"Because I did. And you're not mad about it."

Grumbling under her breath, Frederique started cracking eggs into a bowl while Lira made herself comfortable. The scent of coffee soon filled the kitchen, rich and warm, mixing with the sizzle of butter hitting the pan.

Lira's voice softened a bit as she watched.

"Hey, you okay though? You've been... quiet lately."

Frederique paused, spatula hovering over the eggs. She thought about brushing it off... pretending everything was fine. But Lira wasn't just a coworker anymore. She'd become a friend.

" I guess I'm... just tired. A lot on my mind."

Lira tilted her head, frowning.

" Frideria acting up again?"

Frederique shook her head, scooping the eggs onto plates.

" No, not exactly. She's been quieter, actually. I'm just... "

She hesitated, then forced a shrug.

" Weird dreams. Stress, I guess."

Lira nodded, clearly not convinced but dropping it.

" Well, you know I'm here if you wanna talk, right? We're Corp buddies now. I officially have to care."

Frederique smirked despite herself, sliding a plate of eggs and toast in front of her.

" Yeah, yeah. Eat before I change my mind."

They fell into comfortable silence as they ate.

Lira, as usual, talked with her mouth half-full... sharing stories about the Velvet Veil's last shift. Apparently, a fey with too much glamor magic had accidentally hypnotized himself in the mirror and spent two hours flirting with his own reflection. Frederique chuckled despite herself, the tension in her shoulders easing.

By the time the plates were cleared, Frederique felt more grounded... like the weight pressing on her chest had lightened just a bit.

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The next few weeks passed in a rhythm that felt... stable, for once.

Mornings were often like this... Lira dropping by, food, laughter, and teasing. The missions with the Shadow Corp were smaller lately: minor disputes, patrol work, the occasional supernatural cleanup. Nothing too dangerous.

Nothing like Crystal.

Selora remained distant but professional, only showing up when missions required her presence. She seemed more focused on managing them than being involved directly.

And Frederique?

She trained. She worked. And she kept talking... to Frideria...and to the stone.

The Heavenly Demon had been quiet after their first conversations, but each night she would sit with him, palm against his smooth surface, and explain things... modern life, the strange beings in this world, the concept of technology.

He asked endless questions, his voice calm but ancient, carrying a weight she couldn't quite place.

" What is a... Changeling, truly?"

" You say your body has been changed? Is this possession, or fusion?"

" In my world, demons are mere legends. How can you speak of such creatures as if they walk beside you?"

Frederique explained everything the best she could... her voice sometimes hesitant, sometimes sharp with frustration when she felt his endless curiosity dig too deep.

" I am no demon. Not in the way your world speaks of them. The Heavenly Demon was a title, not a truth."

And yet, as the weeks passed, she realized something strange.

He never asked about himself.

He never explained why he had ended up here.

Why he had become this.

One morning, as Frederique stirred a pot of oatmeal while Lira slouched over the counter, she found herself staring at the stone on the shelf again.

Quiet.

"You've been staring at that thing a lot," Lira mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

" You sure it's not cursed or something?"

Frederique forced a laugh.

" If it was cursed, I think I'd be the first to know."

Lira squinted.

" Mmhmm. I dunno, it just... feels weird in here lately. Like something's watching sometimes. Not creepy... just... off. You okay, Red?"

Frederique hesitated, then nodded.

" Yeah. I'm good. Just... thinking too much again."

" Stop thinking. More eating."

Lira jabbed her spoon toward the oatmeal pot.

" C'mon. Breakfast first, existential crisis later."