Dylan was out on the balcony early in the morning. He cast a barrier around him that inhibited people from seeing him and did push ups on the ground. In the middle of his workout, he suddenly heard an elated scream from inside the apartment. Out of concern, Dylan dispelled his barrier and rushed into the house. It was currently 5 in the morning, everyone was usually asleep at this time, so it was strange to hear such a loud yell in the dead silence of the house.
"I finally finished!" Charlotte sounded both excited and sleep deprived at the same time. She had locked herself up in her room for a few consecutive nights and only went out for bathroom breaks. Her meals were all delivered to her by Dylan, who, like a mother hen, constantly nagged her to eat.
Charlotte's desk was littered with paper balls and cut fabric. She had no concern for hygiene, and it was only due to Dylan's cleaning, that it was still habitable. There was also an electric kettle in her room, along with a bin full of empty sachets of instant coffee. Whenever she was sleep-deprived enough, she would just boil the water and make the coffee on the spot. It was hard to say whether or not it was a good idea, but at least it cut down on travel time.
Knock, knock, knock. Dylan knocked on Charlotte's door to investigate the cause of her noisiness. "Charlotte, did something happen?"
"Dylan! Come in, I'll show you my masterpiece." Charlotte excitedly invited. Her sleepy eyes sparkled with anticipation and pride. Even though she looked haggard, there was a distinct air of liveliness around her.
Having received her permission, Dylan released a sigh of relief and turned the doorknob and walked in. Inside he saw the mountain of rubbish that he had expected to see and felt his eyes twitching a little. He had just cleaned up last night, how could she create such a big mess in so little time?
"Look, its beautiful isn't it?" Charlotte hopped up onto her feet and proudly displayed her creation for Dylan to see. She had made a jacket that looked like what a knight would wear on ceremonious occasions.
The lines of the jacket seemed rigid and stern like what a military man would typically seem like. Its black colour gave a cold, distant and aloof impression but the occasional silver decorations, along with the gold buttons gave a splash of warmth and gentleness to the clothing. An elegant silver belt ran along the waist of the jacket and two chest pockets were sown on the jacket, allowing for ribbons and additional decorations to be added to the jacket.
Seeing the satisfied expression on Charlotte's face, Dylan let out a smile. He pat her head like he would a child or animal and very generously praised her. "It's a work of art. There are no excess decorations that would hinder movement and does its job in impressing. You've done well, Charlotte."
"Hehe." Charlotte laughed. She flashed an overjoyed smiled and shoved the jacket into Dylan's hands. "Put it on now, I want to see what it looks like!"
Dylan held the jacket and thought that as expected, it was a little heavy as compared to normal jackets, but its material was smooth to the touch and comfortable like usual. "I was working out just now, so I'm sweaty. I'll wear it after I take a shower."
Charlotte nodded amiably. "Okay, be sure to wear a white dress shirt underneath and black pants. It will suit the jacket more."
"Alright. Why don't you go to sleep for now? I'll wake you up when I'm done." Dylan gently pushed Charlotte to her bed and very motherly advised.
Charlotte had been staying up late for a few nights and was very tired. She had dark eye circles and her hair was a frizzy mess. Soothed by Dylan's soft voice, Charlotte obediently got into bed and was tucked in by Dylan. From start to finish, it was as if Dylan was Charlotte's mother and was coaxing her child to sleep.
After confirming that Charlotte had indeed fallen asleep, Dylan tiptoed out and headed straight to the bathroom. He took a long, hot shower, making sure that he took a long time so Charlotte could sleep more. After his refreshing shower, Dylan groomed himself neatly and wore the clothes as instructed by Charlotte.
He wore a white-collar shirt without a tie and also put on the black bottoms. Finally, Dylan wore the jacket that Charlotte had just finished making and completed the outfit. He looked at his reflection in the full-body mirror and styled his hair so that it would suit it more. The tie-less shirt gave off a casual ambiance, opposing the formal look of the jacket.
After some considerations, Dylan undid some buttons, showing off his collar bone and also made his hair somewhat unkempt and messy. He looked at himself in the mirror again. It reflected a man dressed in casual formal clothing, he had an air of wild yet mature charm of experienced veterans, sexy and irresistible.
Feeling playful and narcistic, Dylan smirked at his reflection and retrieved a hat from his storage. This cap was also black but it was decorated with pins of different colours and designs, making it a little livelier. Dylan put the hat on skewedly, facing the front but angled a little to the side. It once again added to that wild charm that was exuded by the current Dylan.
"Lyn, you look so cool~!" Fir whistled in praise.
"Thank you." Dylan chuckled in response. He played with Fir for a while before leaving his room, dressed in what looked like cosplay with a beautiful bird perched on his shoulder.
Dylan stood in front of Charlotte's door. A little more than an hour had passed since he coaxed her sleep so he felt a little hesitant over whether or not he should wake her up. Charlotte was obviously excited to see the final product of her hard work, but sleep was also important. Dylan didn't know what to do anymore.
"Should I wake her up, Fir?" Dylan asked.
Fir mused for a bit before shaking his head. "She's tired so no~. Let her sleep, she wouldn't even have to wait, since she will just be sleeping anyways."
"Alright. We'll wait for her to wake up first then."
Just then, Fir's stomach began to growl. He chirped in embarrassment and flew up to hide it.
"It's time to eat." Dylan smirked and said. "Eat some mana to appease your hunger first."
Fir perched on Dylan's arm and watched as he condensed his mana just above his hand into a ball. This ball of pure mana floated over to Fir and he ate it with relish. "Lyn's mana is so yummy!"
"Haha, I'm going to make breakfast now." Dylan pat Fir on his head and headed towards the kitchen. Just before he began cooking, he cast a barrier around his body again so the smell wouldn't stick to the clothes. Dylan then cooked up a simple breakfast for himself and also made some fruit punch for Fir.