"Here, try this out." Elayne said with a warm smile, giving Rose a plate filled with warm stew.
It had potatoes, carrots, meat, and many other spices. The stew was red and pipping hot. Usually as a Dhampir, she satiated herself drinking blood and eating mostly raw meat, she had never eaten food that tasted that good for her.
Elayne's warm smile also added to the whole meal. She had meet her for just a bit of time, but she had detected a very nice and overwhelming aura from her, an aura of a mother, a mother she never had.
"So, Rose? Is it good? I prepared it specially using magic ingredients so you can feel better." Elayne said with a smile, enjoying her own plate as well.
Rose ate the stew like she had never eaten food before in her entire life. The flavors, the mana flowing into her body with each bite, the soft pork meat, the warm potatoes, the deliciousness of everything, the warmth that spread through her cold body…
"T-This is…" Rose muttered, suddenly recalling a single memory of her childhood.
She recalled the time when she was living in the Vatican, as a young dhampir that was bullied by many priests in training, and often called a demon. She used to run away from these people and hide in a corner of an abandoned temple all alone.
However, there was a nice and old nun that always found her, and brought her a nice and warm plate of porridge with a warm, recently baked bread with butter. That old nun's smile, and her motherly nature with Rose was perhaps the only good memory she had of her childhood.
And this stew, and Elayne's smile and personality, greatly reminded her of the only person she ever considered family, who had passed away long ago.
Without realizing a small tear flowed from her right eye, as it fell over the stew.
"I-It is good…"
Elayne panicked after seeing her cry.
"E-Eh?! Is it too salty, maybe? Or too spicy? I added a tiny bit of dried chili and some pepper…" Said Elayne, feeling slightly worried.
"Oh no… It's delicious. I have never eaten something so tasty before. It slightly reminds me of the time I used to eat at the Vatican. There was one old nun, the only person that was close to me back then…" She sighed. "She always feed me porridge and bread with butter. Her smile is similar to yours, Elayne."
"O-Oh…" Elayne felt a bit relieved. "I see, so you had it hard back then… I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize for anything." Rose said. "Anyways, this is too good and even my Mana has begun to recover… Did you use something magical?"
"I used Spells that enhance flavor, and some secret ingredients! I use my magic not to just fight, but to strengthen nature itself and grow plants and veggies. The veggies I grow become much tastier and have magical properties." Elayne said with a smile.
"W-What?!" Rose was shocked. "I see… Something like this… If the higher ups were to ever find out such a talent, they would immediately try to offer you millions to work for them. Someone that can create food that can not only recover health and hasten regeneration, but even recover Mana…"
"E-Eh?! That much?!" Elayne panicked. "I would prefer if you kept this a secret… if possible then. I like my life as it is, even if it has its hardships. And even if I'll aim higher in the future, I would like to do it one step at a time, hahaha…"
"You're too humble." Rose squinted her eyes. "Such a power would make you famous but… I understand that feeling as well. Sometimes, we just want to live our simple lives, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah." Elayne nodded.
"You see, I am not working on this because I'm being forced, nor for the money, even." Rose said. "The boss is someone that saved my life back then, and a nice man that cares about the safety of the innocents. I have grown tired of working for the Vatican because the only thing I was asked to do was to kill people, sometimes, not even Vampires… I wanted to change my life, I… well, maybe I'm talking too much?"
"Oh no, go on." Elayne said.
"Well, I just want… to do good." Sighed Rose. "To protect people, like I was never able to do in the past."
Elayne giggled a bit, giving Rose a motherly hug and then petting her head.
"E-Eh? W-What are you…?" Rose asked, blushing a bit.
"You're a nice girl, Rose." Elayne said with a warm smile. "You're a good person."
"Me? A good… person?" Rose wondered. Recalling the things she had done, and the many sins she committed for the "greater good" that the Vatican had brainwashed her into thinking, she never thought of herself as a good person.
She was doing all of this now in the Agency perhaps to redeem herself, to make herself be useful to society, and to protect innocents like she was never able to do before.
Was she a good person for that? She never considered it, and quite honestly, she always thought of herself as someone… bad.
"If you're working so hard and fighting with your life on the line to save others, then you're indeed a good person." Elayne nodded, letting go of her. "Ah, sorry about that hug… You slightly reminded me of my daughter, hahaha…"
"You have a daughter?" Rose was surprised. "So you're a mother fighting so much for her?"
"Kind of…" Elayne said. "I love her and I am doing this for her as well but… I am doing it for everyone too. I feel like it is my responsibility. After all, if I don't do it, then who will do it? And it is partially my fault too… That monster was seeking me for my powers."
"I see…" Rose nodded. "You're also a good person then, Elayne. Too admirable in fact, hahaha."
"Geez, don't say something like that, I am feeling embarrassed now…" Elayne giggled. "Well, now that we're done here though, we should get going! I can feel Mark and Rita very close, let's go!"
"Alright! Scarlet, come!"
FLUOSH!
The two decided to ride Rose's Familiar, rushing across the dungeon.
