"I'll meet you in the evening..." Katherine said as she left for the lab. Her research might've been slow, but it was still important enough to drag her downstairs every day. A blushing Ravess trailed behind like an embarrassed shadow, and Cassian gave them a polite bow.
"Have a nice day, ladies. I'll just be here… bonding with a mop," he muttered to himself.
With Lucy and Laureen out, Cassian had taken it upon himself to clean Katherine's room. Partly because he knew how picky she was about how things were arranged—he once saw her rearrange books by emotional damage levels—and partly because, well, she had nothing better to do.
With Lucy away visiting her daughters and Laureen sent off somewhere by Katherine, Cassian quietly cleaned the room, humming a soft tune to himself. Most of his stress had already been worked out by having hours long sex with Katherine early in the morning, so the task felt oddly peaceful.
Afterward, he tried to do a bit of mana rotation, but after just one cycle, he lost interest. It wasn't even noon yet—just late morning—and already he found himself restless.
"What should I do?" Cassian muttered, staring at the ceiling, unsure how to handle the rare free time after being busy for so long.
He thought about who he could spend time with, but most of his friends were off at war. The only ones he knew still in the city were Astraval Killian, Mage Ascendant Sergeant Hally, and Commandant Sher.
And, well… Cassian did know Commandant Sher—in the "I've felt her breasts and a few other parts with my own hands" kind of way. They had almost gone all the way, too.
He remembered that before the whole cult situation blew up with monster waves and chaos, he was actually supposed to meet her for dinner at Drunken Noodles that evening. Of course, fate laughed and threw monsters instead of noodles.
But now, with a full day of nothing to do, he figured—why not try again? So, off he went to the department building, where Sher was still stationed. After all, they hadn't needed to pull in an 8th Circle warrior for the mess outside. Not yet, anyway.
He gave a salute as he stepped into her office, getting a warm smile in return.
"And what's the special occasion?" she teased. "A young hunk like you dropping by to visit an old lady like me?"
Cassian smirked, recognizing her ploy to fish for compliments.
"Old lady? All I see is a stunning middle-aged woman, Commandant."
"Oh? And where is she?" she asked, glancing around behind him with an innocent look.
Cassian chuckled and pointed right at her. "There."
She smiled, setting aside the paper she'd been reading. "Thanks for the compliment, young man. But really—what brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be at the front lines?"
Cassian gave a small, proud grin. "Got a few days off after taking down some cult members."
That clearly caught her by surprise, but she nodded. "Impressive... but still, why come here? Shouldn't you be out enjoying your time off somewhere nice?"
"Well," Cassian said, walking around to stand behind her, "I'm here because of a promise I broke."
Sher raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely puzzled.
"You remember that day, at your place, when we got interrupted? I said I'd come meet you next time at Drunken Noodles," he said, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "I never made it. So, I figured I owed you."
His fingers found just the right spots, pressing into her shoulders with practiced ease. She let out a soft breath, arching her neck slightly as the tension melted under his touch.
"You don't have to," Sher said, her voice soft. "It was understandable—the cult attacked the very next morning..."
She gently tried to pull away from his hands, a flicker of guilt crossing her face. Of course she remembered what had happened between them. And afterward, the more she replayed those moments in her mind, the more she cringed at herself—for going after a man not even half her age.
She'd honestly hoped he'd forget. But clearly, as he continued to massage her shoulders like nothing had been awkward, he hadn't.
"I really do," Cassian said quietly, his hands firm with intent. For some reason, he seemed determined to make up for it—and maybe more—his fingers pressing into the tense spots with practiced care.
It only made her more flustered.
Her resolve wavered as his massage worked through the tension in her shoulders. Her body felt like it was losing the strength to pull away—or maybe, deep down, she just didn't want to use it. She let out a long sigh before muttering, "Fine, go ahead. But let's be clear—this isn't going to end up like last time, alright? I admit I was just as interested back then, but things are different now. This is just a massage, understood?"
Even as she said it, a pang of guilt settled in. She could tell Cassian hadn't come here just for a massage. And truthfully, she was the one who'd given him the impression that more could happen.
Back then, with her children away and the loneliness creeping in, she'd let herself slip. But now—with them back home and fighting for Magisteria City alongside everyone else—she couldn't ignore how much that emptiness had faded. Her reasons for wanting something more had changed… and maybe, just maybe, vanished altogether.
But she still remembered that magical massage—how his hands had somehow eased the kind of old wounds even divine mages couldn't touch. Wounds only a high-circle warrior like her carried. Yet despite knowing that, she hesitated. The last massage had almost led to something else, and she wasn't keen on walking that path again.
Cassian, on the other hand, found her reluctance a bit... odd. He still remembered quite clearly—she was the one who'd grabbed his penis when he'd shown just how aroused he was by her. She hadn't exactly objected to where things were going either, right up until her son came home unexpectedly and killed the mood entirely.
And now? She was flinching at just the idea of a massage?
Confused, but not wanting to press, he just smiled and gave a small nod."I'm not expecting anything more, Commandant. Like I said, I'm just here to make up for that broken promise—by giving you the massage I owe."
Sher looked a little surprised—and if Cassian wasn't mistaken, just a bit disappointed—at his response. Still, she gave a small nod and granted him permission, though he was already at it, his hands working even better than last time.
"So," he said casually, fingers pressing into the right spots, "I heard all your kids are back. Must be nice, huh? That big mansion of yours finally filled with people again."
Sher nodded, returning to her paperwork. "I could've done with a little less noise..." she muttered, though the faint smile tugging at her lips betrayed her complaint. "But it's fine… it really is."