If There Is No Answer

"You know, that explains a lot."

Currently, Lydia was sitting in Jason's office. She'd come in twenty minutes ago asking if Jason had gotten any leads on Lorelei's part in the whole isekai thing. At the very least, she got her answer, even if said answer left her with a whole new batch of questions.

It figured that she and Lorelei had helped the same bird. She wasn't surprised that her ribbon had stayed on the bird's leg. Lydia's mother had always said that her knots were immaculate. She wished she'd noticed the glitter coming off of the bird's wings as a kid, though. She should tell Nico about it before this was all over. He'd love to draw something like that. Even so, one thing still bothered her.

"Hey, Jason?" Lydia called slowly. "It's nice to know how this all connects, but how does this help us put a stop to this?"

Jason considered that for a moment. "Spirits are quite invested in those they support, especially birds. Since birds have wings, they sometimes follow their chosen people."

"But our spirit is dead."

"Maybe in body," Jason noted. "Spirits aren't like us, Lydia. So long as they have a tie to this world, they don't necessarily need to leave."

"So we're holding the bird back?"

"That is a little harsh," Jason said. "Actually, I think it may be more accurate to say that you're keeping them together. I doubt that a spirit without a body is all that stable."

As he spoke, Doris came in with a box. Lydia hardly noticed as the aide handed the box to Jason and left without a word. She had an idea on how to fix this stuff, but it all seemed too easy. Was there something she was missing?

"Let me see if I've got this right," Lydia said, now noticing the box. "So long as me and Lorelei are keeping this spirit together, we will continue to switch, right?"

"Correct."

"Then, to fix it, we just need to let him go?" Lydia frowned, both at his words and at the box. "As for the why, I'm going to just say it's something corny like 'they were unsatisfied with their lives, so the bird helped' or something."

"You are correct on the first point," Jason confirmed. "As for the second, I believe the spirit is the only one who would know."

"Man, this is so weird," Lydia commented, leaning back. "All those times I heard about the Traveler's Bird, but I had no clue that I'd actually seen one. Nico's going to be so jealous."

"To be fair, this doesn't mean that everything is wrapped cleanly," Jason pointed out. "We still need to be able to get into the Gloom Forest without arising suspicion."

"I thought you already did," Lydia replied, still sneaking peeks at the box. "Didn't you already head there to see if the portal Yasmine talked about was still there. How did that go, anyway?"

"I did go there, but it may be odd if I went there again, especially if I were to be accompanied by the newly titled Maiden of Mystery." Jason sighed. "As for the portal, it wasn't present when I arrived, but it showed up fine once I asked for it."

"Sorry, you asked for it?"

"Yes." Jason said it like it was obvious. "I told the spirits what I needed and why."

"What made you think it would work?"

"The Gloom Forest has a reputation with spirits," Jason explained. "If Lorelei and Yasmine were able to encounter a Traveler's Bird, it stands to reason that one may be listening in when I ask."

"Regardless, this still doesn't solve the issue at hand," Jason continued. "How can we get into the Gloom Forest without drawing too much attention?"

"What about Lorelei's brothers?" Lydia asked. Again, the box was mocking her with its secrets. "You know, the two who weren't in the ballroom when Sophia did her memory bull."

"That would do it."

"Hey," Lydia wondered. "Hey, does this mean that Lorelei's going to get to say goodbye to them?"

Jason paused. "I suppose so."

They sat in silence for a while. It was kind of comfortable, even if the fact that Jason was working this late was a little sad. Seriously, that man was a textbook workaholic. With the chill vibes going around, you'd think that Lydia would be able to relax. It was hard to relax when a mysterious, still unopened box was just sitting there.

"Alright, I'll bite," Lydia said. "What's in the box?"

"Who knows?" Jason said cryptically, shifting in his chair. "Perhaps a question. Perhaps the answer."

"Jason, I don't speak riddles," Lydia told him. "Just tell me."

"Lydia." Did Jason look nervous? "I know we already agreed for you to stay here at the estate once this is over, but we never truly discussed what that might entail."

Lydia frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"These evenings with you have been very enlightening," Jason started slowly. "I have begun to see things from a different perspective because of you." He was totally nervous.

"Lydia, I want to get to know you better," Jason suddenly blurted, speaking a little faster. "Every word you say catches my ear. Everything I learn about you only makes me more interested. If it is alright with you, I would like to court you."

Lydia blinked twice, her thoughts faltering. "Court me as in, date me?"

"Yes, if that is alright with you," Jason confirmed, now speaking even faster. "It may fall apart, and we may never even go further than a single date, but I would like to try. Though I have never laid eyes upon you, I can already tell that you are a special woman. I am not one to let such a luxury slip away so easily."

Standing from his chair, he walked towards her. "But, Lydia, if I am to move forward with such a thing, I believe it is important that we communicate with each other. I know you are keen to let what happened before fade away, but that is not the path to a good relationship, romantic or otherwise. And yet, I am quickly learning that merely speaking directly does not work all that well for you, so. . ."

He opened the box. Inside were little brown shapes. They smelled good, and looked even better. Grabbing one, he held it in front of Lydia.

"What is this?" Lydia asked, her voice wavering just a bit with how close he was. He left her plenty of room to back away, yet she didn't move.

"Chocolate," Jason said. He smiled. "Chocolate makes everything better. Remember?"

Chocolate and chill.

"What--- Mmfff!" He used her open mouth to place the chocolate just between her lips. God, fantasy world chocolate was so good.

"Perhaps one day we can discuss our grievances in words," Jason continued. "For now, know that I am here for you. Whenever you need me, be it for company, support, or otherwise, I will do my best to be there. I will ask you what is wrong and, when there is no answer, I will bring out the chocolates and we can just chill, though I am still not quite sure as to what that means. I'm sure you will help me figure it out. Is that alright with you?"

Lydia's voice was barely a whisper. "Yes. That sounds. . . really nice."

"Good." Jason leaned away from her again. The space he left behind was cold.

Well, if Lydia hadn't been sure before about staying, she was now. Finding a man like Jason was worse than finding the needle in the haystack in California. It definitely helped that every green flag he showed sent tiny little flutter into her heart. Now that she had fully resolved to stay, she felt like a bit of weight had lifted from her shoulders. There was only one problem left:

What was she going to tell Nico?