Triple Point

Chapter 57: The Second Week

Day 8 of 14

When both Camilla and Elsie woke up just before noon, they knew it was going to be a lazy day. After a breakfast of coffee and microwaved frozen waffles, they lounged on the couch to watch TV, using one of Elsie's subscription sites that automatically played the next episode. Elsie lay sideways on the couch, leaning back against the armrest, and Camilla leaned against Elsie, settled between her legs.

It was relaxing to be able to do that for hours, with no other responsibilities to take care of or missions to worry about, and they would only move if one of them had to use the bathroom. Even if they simply needed to get some water from the kitchen, Camilla would use her abilities to bring it to them, as long as it kept them from having to stand up.

When dinnertime neared, Elsie placed an order for pizza on her phone. Camilla had never ordered delivery before, having grown up under the impression that the person working delivery could just as easily turn into a burglar or a murderer or a stalker, so she watched Elsie with mild fascination as she ordered without having to even talk to anybody. They did have to move about half an hour later when the food arrived, but Elsie brought it directly to the couch so they could quickly return to their state of laziness.

Overall, it was an extremely unproductive day. Camilla expected to feel bad that she had essentially wasted away twenty-four hours, but she was surprised to find that wasn't the case. Instead, she felt well-rested, both physically and mentally, and by the time she and Elsie went to bed, Camilla realized that maybe taking a day off every once in a while wasn't so bad after all.

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Day 10 of 14

After seeing several pictures on social media, Elsie yearned to try out a new cafe that had opened a few blocks away, and her excitement piqued Camilla's interest as well. They both threw on casual streetwear, paired with sunglasses for Camilla and a nondescript baseball cap for Elsie, before heading out just after noon, choosing to go on a walk through the city instead of driving and trying to find parking.

They walked over in no time at all, even though Elsie had to walk a bit slower than normal to match Camilla's shorter strides. Inside, the cafe was decorated with modern minimalism, and the ambiance was laid-back and pleasant. There was a slight crowd, enough to show its popularity but not enough to be overwhelming, and the air was buzzing with their light chatter.

A sign by the entrance directed them to sit where they liked, so Camilla instinctively led the way to a table in the back, right beside an emergency exit, and Elsie followed without complaint. As they navigated between the tables of the other patrons, Camilla caught snippets of conversations and recognition of their "celebrity status," but she elected to ignore them in favor of simply enjoying a relaxing outing—no, a date—with Elsie.

Since Camilla thought everything on the menu sounded delicious, and Elsie could only narrow down her choices so much, Camilla let Elsie order what she wanted for the both of them to share. Once their order arrived, Elsie spent a few minutes taking photos of the spread for her social media, then took a few shots of Camilla just for themselves. Camilla rolled her eyes as Elsie cheerfully reviewed the pictures she took, but she secretly felt overjoyed knowing that she was the reason for Elsie's reaction.

The food and drinks ended up living up to the hype, and they left the cafe a couple hours later, fully sated and refreshed. In that time though, word must have traveled about their outing, and a slew of cameras began snapping at them as soon as they stepped foot onto the sidewalk. Camilla knew the enthusiastic photographers meant them no physical harm, but she still tensed when they got too close, and she set up a light barrier of wind around herself and Elsie, just strong enough to keep everyone else at bay.