When Vlad came out of the bathroom after taking a bath, he found Raphael, Alisha, and Hugo also present in the mushroom house, sitting around the dining table. The packed food cans were already spread across the table, waiting for the kettle to pour in the boiling water.
Vlad took the empty chair between Raphael and Seraphina. "So, what I found—"
"Shh! Have dinner first," Seraphina cut him off mid-sentence in a calm tone, handing him the spoon. "We can discuss the details later."
Alisha poured the boiling water into everyone's cans, and soon the table was filled with their brief conversations as the warm food went down their throats.
For a moment, Vlad felt as if he was no longer on a dangerous mission but entertaining guests in his own home. Perhaps because it was, in truth, Seraphina's camp, she didn't feel like a guest but rather like a member of his family.
He didn't even realise that he kept stealing glances at Seraphina throughout the meal.
