Boboiboy L/S: A Loophole in Time (BOOK 2)

Spinnet Highlands

Boboiboy and Yaya both stepped over a dusty threshold of a cramped but organised wooden hut. This house, when it was not that dusty and filled with love and laughter, had once been Dragintar's house. Against a part of a wall was a small square window with dull coloured and moth-eaten curtains, so that they gave the window quite a sad look about it, though the light coming from the outside was soft and warm. It was the light from this single window that the room was covered in its golden light; it illuminated two armchairs, a broken baby cradle, a dust-covered table, rusty pots and pans hanging from a cupboard and an ancient kitchen stove.

"Old, here, isn't it?" Boboiboy said, observing the objects in this house.

"Since it was built nearly three hundred years ago, I wouldn't know what else to call it." Yaya grinned.

While Boboiboy was checking out the view from the outside of the window, he said, "It's interesting that you chose here for our annual trip. Didn't know you were a big fan of history."

Yaya chuckled.

After a moment later, they moved on to their next destination: Dragintar's old restaurant. This place too was left in its ruins, only Boboiboy suspected none of Dragintar's descendants wanted to take up the job to take care of it. But in front of the ruins had a new ticket stand which you had to buy your tickets to enter. And once both Boboiboy and Yaya had got their tickets, they moved on into the dining place.

"This is where July-" Yaya started.

"July?" Boboiboy asked, bewildered.

"July is Dragintar's best friend." she told him matter-of-factly.

Boboiboy smirked. "Someone's done their research well."

Yaya blushed, but still went on. "July used to meet Dragintar frequently here. Dragintar used to stand behind that counter, and that's the bike they usually ride together when they go out."

Boboiboy nodded and led the way into the rectangular kitchen. A long counter stretched from the front to the back of the longer stretch of wall. Rusty pots, spatulas and stoves were fixed into the counter. On the opposite wall, displays of worn-out cutlery were placed in sealed glass boxes.

"This is where Dragintar and sometimes his wife, Aspen used to cook. She occasionally helps out with him when she has free time, and when Wynter is taking care of the baby."

"Who's Wynter?" Boboiboy looked up from a special display of plates to stare at Yaya, awestruck.

"Aspen's older brother. And also Master of Ice."

"Wow, you know so much about them." Boboiboy smiled, impressed.

"Yeah!" Yaya said excitedly, now shining with confidence. "And did you know, Aspen's the Master of-"

She hesitated, unsure whether to continue. Boboiboy narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her.

"Master of...?"

"Master...Master of Cooking! Yeah, she was really talented in cooking. Almost as great as Dragintar. See, before Dragintar unlocked his Light Soul form, he was just a normal chef, the best in Spinnet Highlands, actually."

"Oh, I see," Boboiboy said vaguely, hastening to continue the observations of artifacts.

After a quick trip to Quezen River, ("This is where most of the villagers cleaned their clothes and where they take their sh-" Yaya had said, before Boboiboy clamped his hand over her mouth to stop her talking.) they stopped by a restaurant to eat a late lunch before heading back to Georgetown.

"You know, this has by far been our best date." Yaya smiled over her cup of tea.

Boboiboy shrugged, his arms crossed and waiting patiently for his food. "I rather like the one where we went to Legoland." 

"Oh." Yaya said grimly, and did not speak for the rest of the meal. 

They were riding the bus to the international airport alone with only one guy left who wore a panama hat and a long-sleeved jacket. He looked highly suspicious to Boboiboy. That guy reminded him a lot of people in movies that wore clothes similar to his fashion, and they were actually spies. Boboiboy tried his best not to speak that loudly once he realised that, and luckily, Yaya was still a little grumpy for the rest of the trip to say anything else.

Boboiboy and Yaya were home before they knew it. 

"Welcome home, love birds." Fang smirked. 

"You guys really messed up the house." Boboiboy frowned at the litter scattered on the ground and on every surface he could see. The sofa was even flipped over that it represented a triangular tunnel that you can crawl through.

"Ah, sorry. But it's a party!" Ying squealed.

"You should've been here, it was really fun." Serporia said serenely, though her mouth twitched slightly, passing a plastic cup filled with green solution in it.

"Thanks, Serporia," he said. "Where's my brother, though?"

"Here."called Astor across the room, holding a paper cup too in his hand and smirking widely. "Party was a blast. You just came two seconds late, Daniel had been forced to tackle Serporia!"

"Aw man, really?" Boboiboy laughed.

And sure enough, Daniel had appeared out of a small crowd, looking immensely flushed.

"Since you missed out all the fun, we're planning for a movie night tonight." Astor said.

"Oh really? Great!" Boboiboy smiled.

***

After setting up the living room so that several mattresses laid on the bare ground around the sofa, they ordered a few boxes of pizzas and bottles to go with it. The movie was being set up when the pizza delivery guy came.

"How much is that? Mm...there. Have a nice day!" 

Yaya turned around with her arms filled with four boxes of pizzas and her fingers grasping four bottles of fizzy drinks by their caps.

"Here, lemme help with that." Ying said, bending over the pizza boxes and taking all four bottles out of her fingers. She then led the way to the coffee table moved to just below the television for extra space for the mattresses.

"Alright, everybody in?" Fang asked at large.

"Hm..." Ying said, counting everyone's head. "Boboiboy and Astor are not here yet."

"Here!" Boboiboy called, coming to a skid on a mattress beside Yaya. 

Astor emerged moments later from the same hallway and settled down on the couch. 

"Everybody in? Let's start, then!" Fang said happily.