The man nodded, and slowly moved around the apartment, going to what seemed to be a kitchen with little appliances. He started a coffee machine that immediately produced a rich, golden-brown coffee in two glass cups, and pushed a few buttons on another machine Eden didn’t know.
“How do you like your eggs, dear?”
“I don’t know...”
Eden couldn’t remember ever having eggs before. Mr. Charles chuckled.
“Then I’ll just do the same as mine.”
“Mr. Charles, I didn’t come here for breakfast. I need to access the Co–I mean, I need to do what I came for quickly.”
“I know, dear, but it’s upstairs and it will probably take a little while. Oh, you can go while I finish preparing breakfast. An old man has his habits, you see. I need a good organic breakfast and my coffee to function!”
Eden frowned, but without waiting any longer, she went upstairs. The upper floor was a bit different; there was still this vintage home decor, but there was also a large desk with plenty of technology on it. A couple of computers were already running, and Eden immediately recognized the programming language on it. She rushed to the keyboards and cables, trying to figure out how to use this model she’s never seen before.
“Loir, I’m here. I have the technology in front of me. What do I do?”
“Oh, it’s playtime!”
The Back Hacker guided her for a few minutes on how to use this piece of equipment she was unfamiliar with. Loir was having fun like a collector finding a rare piece of a collection, and from time to time, he’d throw in a direction for her, so Eden had to keep up with his endless rambling without interrupting him.
“They don’t make such beauties like this anymore! Look at that definition! It might not have been perfect, but it had its charm! Can you believe they only had two-dimensional screens back then? Plus, those old ladies are a bit grumpy, but once you get to know them, they are so easy to use! Nowadays, computers are so heavily programmed they are only extremely good for the simplest tasks! That beauty there can hold her race! Here, select the fourth line of code and implement the one I just sent you. Ah, the old ones are the best. They know the road, are reliable, and have none of that wretched programmed obsolescence! It’s like a fancy one with schizophrenia packed in it! I’d rather stick to my Rolls Royce! Oh, there, get ready for the nasty one... Yes, good timing! Oh, my gorgeous, you and I are going to play... Alright, I call her Marilyn! And Marilyn’s mine now!”
“What next?” frowned Eden, seeing a charging bar on the screen.
“I need a few minutes to get my Marilyn up to date with my genius. She can handle it but it’s going to take a few minutes! If you need to go to the loo, go now!”
Eden rolled her eyes. He really didn’t care about how many people were listening to them... She sighed but stepped away from the newly-named computer Marilyn. Judging by how fast it was loading, she did have a few minutes. Eden decided to go back downstairs and see if there was time for that breakfast after all. She had done quite a lot of physical exercise that morning, and even if she was used to ignoring her hunger cues, it was harder to resist that smell coming from below...
“A.,” she called out while going down, “I got in. Warlock’s working on it.”
“We know. Good job, but enjoy that break. After that, things will get rough...”
Eden thought so too.
“I’ll cut off the feed for now,” she said. “Just in case someone tries to patch in. Bring me back as soon as Warlock’s ready, or if there’s anything.”
“Sure.”
“...Dante? Are you alright?”
“Not really. Missing my wife and there isn’t enough to keep myself busy with...”
Eden chuckled. His wife... With everything that had happened so far, she had forgotten they got married just this morning. In fact, so much had happened already that it didn’t feel like it was only a short while ago.
“Well, we’d better catch up soon then,” she smiled.
“Kitties flirting on the line! I repeat, Kitties flirting on the line!”
“SIN, cut off my communications,” groaned Eden.
She arrived in the kitchen, a bit annoyed by Loir. She knew the communications weren’t meant for this, but she couldn’t help but miss Dante too. For once, she was being honest about her feelings, but it just happened to not be the right time or place for it…
To her surprise, Mr. Charles really had prepared breakfast, and quite an impressive one too. There was a full plate by the time she reached the table, even coffee and fruit juice. She had rarely seen such a pretty-looking breakfast. The older man smiled and pulled her chair out for her.
“An old man likes his habits,” he said as she walked up. “I love a good breakfast to start the day. Especially ahead of an important battle.”
Eden cautiously sat, her eyes going down to the breakfast and her stomach growled, expressing its appetite. Still, she had many questions in mind that wouldn’t go away. She watched Mr. Charles sit on the other side and very gracefully sip his coffee. He was dressed almost the same as she had always seen him, with an outdated but elegant brown suit, except that his jacket was put aside on the couch, and she could see his suspenders.
