Just as the three of them were still in the room, analyzing the complex and strange situation—
"Knock, knock, knock."
A soft, tentative knocking sound suddenly came from the door.
The three of them instantly became alert and exchanged glances. Cassian and Kane immediately stood up, each finding a concealed position, ready to deal with any sudden developments.
Elara took a deep breath, walked over, and opened the door a tiny crack.
Outside stood a pale woman who looked to be in her thirties. She wore a faded old coat, and her hair was somewhat yellow and dry. Her whole demeanor screamed of malnutrition and… a persistent timidity.
Seeing that the person who opened the door was Elara, another woman, someone who looked relatively less aggressive, the woman's face seemed to relax slightly. She carefully peeked her head through the crack in the door and, in a near-whisper, tinged with a pleading tone, asked softly:
"Excuse me… do you… have any food here?"
Elara didn't answer her immediately. As a woman, she was indeed more likely to make the other party lower their guard, but she was also more likely to be taken advantage of. She just silently observed the woman in front of her with her honey-colored eyes.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Elara asked in return, her voice flat, betraying no emotion.
"I… I saw… you're new here…" Being questioned like this made the woman even more nervous. She kept wringing a handkerchief in her hands, one that had been washed so many times its original color was gone. "I… I just wanted to ask, to see if you have any extra food. I can… I can trade something for it…"
Her eyes darted around, not daring to meet Elara's gaze.
Elara stared at the woman. In her mind, it was as clear as a mirror.
This woman, nine times out of ten, had seen her and Cassian and the others enter the base through "unofficial" channels. That's why she had specifically sought them out. On the surface, she was here to "beg" for food, but in reality, it was very likely a… test. Or perhaps, a silent "threat."
Elara's mind raced, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Should she just eliminate her? Or… use a gentler method to resolve this potential "trouble"?
Just then, Cassian, who had been standing silently by the window, suddenly spoke.
"Food, of course we have some," his voice was as gentle as ever, full of warmth. "But the weather is so cold. Why don't you… let your child come in too, have a cup of hot water, and warm up. We can also have a little chat together."
Cassian's words stunned both Elara and the woman.
Elara followed Cassian's gaze out the window and saw, at another corner not far from their shelter, the figure of a thin little boy, furtively peeking out with half his head, looking in their direction. Upon realizing he had been spotted, he vanished in a flash, like a startled rabbit.
I see.
Elara instantly understood Cassian's meaning.
A gentle smile played on Cassian's lips. He walked to the door, one hand naturally resting on the doorframe behind Elara, half-enclosing her between himself and the frame. His other hand he rested lightly on the door.
This posture made him and Elara look extremely intimate, like a couple.
Seeing the extremely intimate posture between Cassian and Elara, and Cassian's gentle yet unquestionable gaze, the woman outside managed a smile that was uglier than crying.
She knew that her little scheme had been completely seen through.
Her knuckles turned white as she clutched the handkerchief. "O… okay…" her voice held an undisguisable tremor. "If… if it's just a chat, we… we'd be happy to."
...
At dinner time, the woman, as promised, arrived at Elara's shelter with the thin little boy.
After a brief introduction, Elara and the others learned that the woman's name was Mary, and the little boy with black hair and black eyes was named Joshua.
Joshua was exceptionally beautiful, with fair skin and delicate features. If not for the boy's clothes he was wearing, one might have mistaken him for a pretty little girl at first glance.
Elara looked at this almost excessively beautiful Joshua and couldn't help but think of her own Vespera. She subconsciously made a comparison between the two children in her mind.
Mm… comparing them, my Vespera is still cuter.
Dinner was simple: compressed biscuits, canned meat, and hot water. But for the starving mother and son, Mary and Joshua, it was a rare feast.
Joshua seemed a bit shy and didn't talk much, just sat quietly at the table, constantly picking at his fingers with his small hands.
Seeing him like this, Elara's heart softened again, and she thought of Vespera. She took a fruit candy she had gotten from the trading post earlier from her pocket and handed it to him.
Joshua glanced at his mother and, after receiving a nod of permission from Mary, cautiously accepted the candy. Then, he quickly unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out like a little hamster as he ate with satisfaction.
"We… we meant no harm," Mary said, taking a deep breath after finishing her food and water, finally speaking up. "It's just… my child, he… he's been hungry for so long. And we really don't have anything to trade. I had no choice, I… I could only resort to this method to…"
"Whatever you want to ask, as long as I know, I'll tell you," she said, seeming to have resigned herself to her fate.
Kane, who had been silent all this time, now looked up, his sharp, hawk-like gaze sweeping over the mother and son. When his eyes passed over the almost excessively beautiful little boy, his brow furrowed involuntarily.
"You, what is your relationship with the man who brought us in this afternoon?"
Though his words were a question, his tone was filled with an unquestionable certainty.
Hearing Kane's question, Mary's body trembled! Her hands, which were on the table, subconsciously landed on her son's shoulders, gripping them tightly.
Just as she was hesitating, not knowing how to answer, Joshua, who had been silent, suddenly looked up.
"That's… my dad," he said, his voice clear and bright, the words tumbling out like beans.
"Dad left with my sister."
"Sister… is sick. She can't… can't stay in the base anymore."
"I can 'see'… you… you are good people. Dad… is a good person too."
His pure black, deep-as-a-black-hole eyes stared straight at everyone present, his gaze seeming to hold a strange power that could see into their hearts.
After saying these few sentences, Joshua seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He buried his head deep in his mother's embrace and began to mutter, as if in a dream:
"Sister… sister… Maria…"