TW: Drowning, food

"Y-yeah," he said, not really knowing, and not really caring all that much. He quickly grabbed them, and went over to his room, thinking of those four words, and trying to figure out how in the world they were possible.

Roman just sighed. These things always had to happen, didn't they? He was tired of all of the conspiracies and connections. For once, he just wanted to be able to enjoy his life without being caught up in his parent's mess.

He decided to go back to his novel, seeing not much of a choice. He worked for a while, then paused when he heard a knock on his door.

"We'll be leaving soon," Patton called, and then Roman heard the gentle receding of the Dragon-Witches' footsteps.

He quickly got up and went over to his bed where he had placed the swimming trunks earlier, putting them on. They were a nice berry red, and actually fit pretty well, which was nice.

He walked downstairs where Patton was waiting for him. He was wearing swimming trunks of a similar design, but instead with a pastel blue color. He also had a large pink hat with a flower on it, which Roman thought to be a nice touch.

"Ready to go?" Patton asked.

Roman wasn't exactly sure if he actually was, but he thought he should be, so he replied with a "Yep!", and they walked out.

Logan and Virgil were standing on the edge of Patton's property, about twenty feet away. Logan was wearing a dark blue shirt, some black shorts (or swimming trunks, he wasn't exactly sure), with his scarf, and was holding a large wicker basket. Virgil, on the other hand, was wearing a one-piece with purple and black stripes and had a furious expression.

Patton signaled for Roman to stay on the porch, then walked over to the two. Virgil glared at him. "Patton Fostiae Adefectus. What are you doing with that human?

Patton glared back. "Well, Virgil Storme Aeneid, I thought that it might be okay to bring a friend on our trip. It is a good way to get to know each other, after all.

Roman cringed, the tension thick. He felt like they could start screaming at each other any second now.

And they did, just not aloud.

He could see it in their body language—Patton's tight face, Virgil's scrunched fists, the glares they were giving each other. This fight was non-verbal, but it was just as intense as if it weren't.

Finally, after a few moments, Virgil let out a loud sigh. "Fine. The human can come." He turned towards the forest, and Logan followed him. Patton gave the knight a smile, then started walking with them, and Roman quickly ran up.

They walked in a heavy silence, Roman feeling a bit guilty, and then Patton spoke up. "So, uh, Logan. What's in that basket?"

They turned to Logan and he held it up. "Food. Emile—the child that my parents took in a few years back," he added, upon seeing Roman's confused look, "thought that we would need sustenance, so he made us this. Or at least, that is what the note that came with it said. It is about a dozen miniature sandwiches, of different flavors and varieties, a platter of cookies, and a couple jars of Crofters."

Virgil let out a chuckle. "You added in the Crofters last minute, didn't you?"

Logan looked down. "Possibly."

They kept walking, the Dragon-Witches talking as they went, Patton occasionally prompting Roman to join in, although none of the others seemed to like that.

About twenty minutes later, Patton gasped. "We're here!" He ran up ahead of them, and snapped his fingers, a large blanket with a floral pattern appearing on the grass. He then tossed his hat onto it, and ran into the glittering lake, giggling. "Come on in, the water's amazing!"

When Roman reached it, he smiled. The lake wasn't too large, but it wasn't that small either. It was surrounded by lush grass, and it seemed like the perfect place to spend an afternoon.

He was just about to join Patton when he noticed Virgil wading in. He thought it might be awkward to join them now, especially since Virgil hated him, so he decided to sit on the edge of the blanket.

Logan sat on the other end of it and brought out a book and a jar of something. He looked at the label. "Crofter's Organic." Roman looked over at the man. "Is that the thing you mentioned earlier?"

He looked up from his book. "Yes," he said. "It's quite good actually, honestly the only jelly that I will put in my belly."

Roman nodded. "Nice."

There was a bit of an awkward silence, then Logan cleared his throat. "Do you want some?"

Roman looked from the jar to Logan, and back again. "Why not."

Logan brought out a wooden spoon from the basket and opened the jar. He put it in the jar, and slid it over to Roman, who quickly grabbed it. He took it out of the jar and dealt himself a large spoonful.

And that's when he knew he had been missing out his whole life. He kept giving himself more—the jelly might as well have been gold—but quickly stopped, realizing Logan might find it rude if he kept eating more. He turned to give it back to him, then paused.

Logan was staring at the lake, smiling, watching the other Dragon-Witches splash around in the water. Roman smirked.

"Which one?" he asked.

Logan gave him a confused look. Roman clarified. "Which one do you like, I mean."

Logan's face turned red. "I- I don't--"

The knight laughed. "I can tell you like one of them. Which one is it?"

"Virgil," he mumbled, and Roman couldn't help but feel glad, although he wasn't sure why.

He was about to say something, but then, suddenly, he heard something. A scream.

The two shot up, and Roman's eyes went wide as he saw Patton's head go under.

Hehe

Hope you like this! Please comment on your general feedback as well as any spelling or grammar mistakes that I may have made.

Have a great day/night everyone!
-Pencil