Cloakwork

~~~⚙️~~~

Leonoris hadn’t slept a single moment that night. After such an exhausting day, she should have been able to drift into slumber with ease, but what had happened during dinner kept her mind restless. Once again, Rei had ended up in the center of the storm, shutting himself away after Ettor’s harsh words. And though they had been unfairto the Hero, shouting at him like that… she had never done it before, nor even imagined herself capable of it.

"It must be because of the pirates and the prophecy, yes." She tried to convince herself of that as she walked toward the makeshift workshop in the courtyard. That their behavior—and everyone else’s—was due to the arrival of the Promised Hero, who had the entire kingdom on edge. And also to the looming threat that for months had hung over them, threatening to destroy the Realm and possibly conquer the world.

She soon reached the workshop gates. There would be time to apologize to Ettor later; for now, she needed to speak with the inventor.

"Rei!" she knocked, realizing that she was already speaking to him more casually than before. "Are you in there?"

Just like the day before, silence.

Leonoris pouted in frustration, her expression soft despite her annoyance.

"Who does he think he is?" she muttered, pushing the door open.

Inside, the workshop was once again cloaked in total darkness. Leonoris noticed the windows—shut tight from the inside, as if Rei were hiding some ancient secret.

"Solaria, let me see."

A sphere of light appeared at the tips of her joined fingers, which she mystically bound to her right hand. As she moved it to reveal her surroundings, she froze.

The night had been long for her, but apparently far longer for Rei. Scattered papers, worn chalk, and scraps of metal granted by the King had transformed the room into a chaotic burrow.

"What happened here?" she exclaimed from the doorway.

On the worktable lay piles of sketches. Of every kind imaginable—ranging from complex mechanisms with hooks and pulleys to mechanical wings with absurd springs. On one sheet, Rei had scrawled a circle with an arrow; on another, a smudge of charcoal barely resembled a portable catapult.

"Attack from below…" Leonoris had never seen such strange symbols, yet somehow, thanks to Solaria’s Blessing, she understood them. "Did he… do all this in one night?"

The workshop was proof itself. No one needed to ask if Rei had been working. The mess was enough to show the night had been consumed by his genius.

She moved forward quietly with careful steps. Didn't want to be noticed. The darkness reminded her of how she'd been startled the day before. She shivered at the thought.

"Rei! If you scare me like yesterday, I'll cast a spell on you! A very, very nasty one that'll turn you into an ant!" she lied. She had no such spell.

But she didn't have to wait long to find him. The Hero was slumped over one of his work tables. Head resting on his arm, fast asleep. He still wore his wrinkled shirt and work pants. Clutched a piece of wood—the keel of a model—like it was a pillow.

Leonoris didn't want to disturb the peace of that moment. She just looked at him with a trace of tenderness and moved closer. Last night's fight had left her uneasy, and seeing him exhausted beyond his limits only made her worry more. She wanted to take care of him. But she'd come here for a reason.

She couldn't resist poking his forehead with a finger. Rei stirred but didn't open his eyes. So she brushed her hand gently through his copper hair scattered across the table.

"Come on, Mister Inventor," she whispered softly. "The sun's already up."

He mumbled something unclear. Turned his head. Still half-asleep, covered it with a crumpled paper. Leonoris giggled and pulled it away like she was unmasking him.

"Hey!" Rei protested groggily, prying open one eye. "Five more minutes, Gorō…"

"Gorō…"

"Even before Gorō adopted me!" he had shouted at dinner. Leonoris’s heart clenched at the memory, realizing how deeply he longed to return home—a home she knew little about. She couldn’t respond until the inventor finally lifted his head, disappointment flickering beneath his sleepy gaze when seeing the white cloak in front of him.

"Ah…" Rei sighed. "You’re not Gorō."

"Would you have preferred if I were?"

"...You wouldn’t like the answer."

Leonoris gave a faint shrug.

"It's alright. I understand. I'm sorry."

Rei sat up clumsily, rubbing his eyes. His hair stuck out in every direction. A red mark from a bolt pressed against his cheek.

"What...?" He yawned, looking around like he suddenly remembered the chaos he'd made. "Gods, looks like a dragon stormed through here."

"You're no Drakhanian," she corrected. "Looks like a stubborn young man worked all night without thinking about his own body."

He shrugged at the jab. Tried to play it down.

"I'm fine... more or less."

"Really?" she pressed, brows knitted slightly.

He met her gaze with a tired smile.

"Sure. Just feels like a wagon ran me over… twice."

Leonoris tilted her head, unconvinced. Her eyes swept over the mess. The scattered sheets. Metal pieces stacked without order. Coal smudges on the table. Everything spoke louder than his words.

"Did you stay awake all night?" she asked. Her tone carried worry, not reproach.

Rei scratched his neck, avoiding her eyes. "Let's just say... time got away from me."

"Listen well, Hero. You can't—"

She stopped when something caught her attention. In a corner sat the grappling gun from the day before. She lifted it carefully, weighing its crude, unfinished design. It was clunky, heavy, like something built by a five-year-old.

And she loved it. Something about it had fascinated her since the first moment. Leonoris studied it closely, like a hawk eyeing a rabbit in the field.

"Hey, careful with that!"

She nearly dropped it, startled. Blushed at being caught so distracted. Set it down gently.

"As I was saying, you can't lock yourself away for days without sunlight or a bath," she scolded. Her tone was a mix of stern and sweet. "You'd destroy yourself before your enemies."

Rei, now on his feet, shook his head.

"I did yesterday, remember?"

She raised an eyebrow, doubtful.

"It doesn’t seem like it. You smell more like a workshop than a person."

He clicked his tongue, amused though pretending to be offended.

"Hey, this is the scent of genius. Iron with sweat and a touch of coal."

Leonoris didn’t smile this time. She kept her serious expression to drive her point home.

"Listen, Rei. No matter how hard you work or how many machines you build—if you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll achieve nothing. I don’t know what you were in your world, but here you’re the Hero of Solaria. You can’t look disheveled and careless. The whole of Kounaria looks to you as a guide, a savior. And like this… you’re not setting the right example."

He held her gaze, more serious now.

"I’m sorry, but believe me, I can’t waste time. I need to do this. I need to go back to my world, to my brothers."

Silence lingered for a moment. Then she answered with calm but firm words:

"You need to learn Solaria’s magic for that. And if you don’t take care of yourself, I won’t teach you. Which means you’ll never return."

Rei blinked, taken aback by her firmness.

"Huh? Solaria wouldn’t like that, would she? I thought you were supposed to help me."

"Solaria would agree with me. So would anyone at court. And if you want to silence your critics, Ettor included, you must start by improving how you present yourself."

Rei sighed, ruffling his hair in resignation, and let out a short laugh.

"Hah… lucky for you, your Hero’s not a complete idiot." He stepped closer. "Deal."

"And you’ll let me watch you work," she added quickly.

He arched an eyebrow.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because…" Leonoris faltered, cheeks flushing. Then, raising her chin in feigned authority, she declared, "Because Solaria sends me to supervise the Hero."

"Not very convincing. Besides, I never let my brothers near when I worked. They could get hurt… or mess things up. And with your luck, we might cause a disaster."

"Oh…"

Her light dimmed. He saw the glow in her eyes fade, her smile vanish. She was the one who had treated him best since he arrived in this world, and he was the one wiping away her smile. A knot formed in Rei’s throat, released in a sigh.

"Although… if you promise not to get in the way—" her eyes brightened again— "and help when I ask—" brighter still— "and stay alert in case tools fly or the roof caves in or something terrible happens—" glowing completely now— "then it’s a fair deal."

That answer broke the tension, and both smiled.

"Fair deal," she said softly.

Rei stood, picking up one of his crumpled sketches and holding it between his fingers.

"Then… want me to show you one of my prototypes?"

"I’d prefer if you bathed, honestly." Rei groaned, but she continued before he could retort. "Though… if it’s just one… that’s fair."

The smiles came naturally now, and for the first time Rei felt at ease in this world. Though deep inside, he always remembered he was doing it for his brothers, to whom he must return.

For that, it was time to begin working with the sweet, mysterious princess in the hood.

And for Leonoris, it was time to learn the craft of the inventor—and perhaps to understand that her restless heart had less to do with the arrival of the Hero, and more with the arrival of Kashiwa Rei.