The Golden Gift

Chapter Eight, Golden Diary

Hunter's Perspective

I awoke to the sound of tweets outside and sunbeams painting my face with light. My eyes fluttered open and was greeted by Edric's angelic resting face. His hand was still delicately resting on my cheek, his fingers comfortably in my oily hair. I carefully removed his hand from my hair and sat up. I really, really needed to use the bathroom. And I needed something to drink, I was parched. I carefully got out of bed and looked around for a bathroom. I found it rather easily, it was attached to the bedroom. I carefully removed Ed's cloak from my back, setting it on the handle before using the bathroom. It may be old, but at least the water works. I washed my hands and looked at myself in the old foggy mirror. I wiped it off and stared at my complexion. With getting all of this extra sleep, I looked and felt a bit more lively. Still messy and gross and oily, but I did look more vibrant. A well-rested glow on my face with shining eyes. They were still dulled from years of stress and depression, but they were still lively.

I yawned and fixed some of my more messy hair strands, smoothing it out with a bit of water. After thoroughly pruning myself, I returned to the old bedroom and looked for something to drink. Oh right, Ed left his bag in the living room. I tiredly blinked, still trying to get out the sleepy feeling in my eyes. I slinked into the living room and opened up the bag, pulling out a water bottle thermos. I unscrewed the cap and began chugging it, enjoying the feeling of fresh water in my throat. After my throat was soothed, I closed the water bottle and dug around in the bag for something to eat as a breakfast. My mouth watered at the sight of a box of strawberries, scrambled eggs, pumpernickel toast, pickles, and a few pieces of fried chicken. An unusual collection of foods for breakfast, but definitely something I was more than willing to eat. I made myself comfortable on the couch and dug in to the delectable meal, enjoying all of the different and satisfying flavors. At the castle, I rarely have time to make a full breakfast. Really, my last one at the castle was the most nutritious I'd had all month. This is definitely a refreshing change to enjoy, though I know that returning to the castle is my priority. Belos is probably worried about me, he is my uncle after all.

I heard the sound of boards creaking behind me, and a yawn that indicated it was Edric and not some animal. He leaned over the back of the couch and hungrily stared at the food i was eating. "I see you found one of my favorite meals to pack. It's so good isn't it?" He asked with a sleepy smile and droopy eyes. His hair was in all sorts of disarray, and he seemed a bit wobbly. He probably got up too fast or something. "It's soo good! I wish I had breakfast like this every day." I commented and watched as he picked out his own lunch, along with a drink. "Breakfast is an important start to the day, so you should definitely try your best to throw together a good meal." He reminded me and sat down beside me. I nodded and examined the contents of his food container. It was somewhat similar, but the eggs were boiled and he had a different kind of bagel. I stared at it hungrily before offering him some of my food out of politeness. "Oh thank you Hunter, I appreciate it." Edric hummed nicely and took the remainder of my pickles.

"It's only fair that i give you something back. What would you like?" He asked and held out his delectable food to me. I eagerly took one of the boiled eggs, taking small bites of it at a time. I really enjoyed the texture, I didn't want it to go to waste by eating it all at once. The spongey outside pleased my teeth, almost as if I was eating a soft, moist cake, but more rubbery and gummy. The inside wasn't my favorite part, it was a little strange but I didn't hate it. Sadly, it didn't last forever, and I found myself yearning for more as I watched him eat his meal. He seemed to catch on to my fascination mid-bite, removing the bagel from his jaws' grip and holding out his tray for me. "You can take all of the eggs if you want, they're not my favorite part anyways." He said as an excuse. I eagerly took the remaining three medium-boiled eggs and slowly devoured them one by one, until there were no more. I felt incomplete, as if I wanted to eat a whole carton of them. But I was still happy to have had so many, thanks to the kindness of my new acquaintance.