Starting Life From Zero: Far From Home

Chapter Twenty-Two

Peter glanced at the table where he had written the shopping list out for the things that he had decided that he needed. He had tried to write them in both English and the language of this world and he figured that he had done a decent job. Rem stood over the desk, reading over his work now, just as he was finding that he wouldn't be able to buy the materials to make his web fluid today.

"We have to be at the castle soon," Emilia said. She was in her cloak again with her white a lavender outfit barely visible beneath it. Her hair was styled in the usual way, but it looked like she had taken special care in making it as neat as possible. It did make sense, what with them going in front of the interim rulers of Lugnica.

It had been the 'them' part that Peter hadn't expected. He thought for sure that a meeting like this was something that he would have no way to go to with her. It must have been private and the kind of thing with a high level of security. Or at least that had been what he had assumed.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be there, like this sounds like a pretty private thing, you know," Peter said. Even as he spoke he was looking into the mirror next to the long window facing the street and tying his tie.

"Peter, you're being weird again," Emilia said.

"Is it weird if you're not sure you're prepared to meet a council of wisemen?" He asked.

Emilia linked her fingers behind her back, bending forward so that she was slightly closer to him. "What happened to going where I went?" Emilia asked, though it was obviously in jest, the smile on her face had been there so long that her cheeks had gone red from the strain. He had noticed that she was a morning person, she didn't completely pass out after dark, but she for sure functioned better in the morning.

"I just thought I would be able to get the ingredients for the web fluid too. It'll be vital if you want me to keep swinging you places," Peter said.

"Come on, are you still trying to wiggle you're way out of this, Pete?" Steve stepped into view in the open door in his dark blue suit and tie.

Emilia turned to look at him. "Good morning, Captain Rogers. It would seem that you're ready to go."

"Being in the army didn't leave much time for me to sleep in and the habit...kind of stuck," Steve said.

"Captain Rogers, I hope you found your sleep comforting last night," Rem rushed away from the desk where she had been reading the papers to get closer to Steve and greet him. Peter wasn't sure he had ever seen a woman react to anyone the way Rem reacted to Steve and he really couldn't even be sure what had trigged this response in her.

Steve sighed. "It was fine, but I would feel better if I knew you weren't checking in on me periodically through the night," Steve said. "It's important that you get your rest too, Rem. You're a busy woman and you basically run the day-to-day inner workings of Roswaal's manor."

"Oh!" Rem slapped a hand to her mouth, obviously shocked that he had even figured out what she had been doing.

"It's okay, I'm not mad. I know you mean well," Steve added.

Emilia walked closer to the door where Steve was standing. "Are you wearing your shield today?"

The round shield was indeed on Steve's back, seemingly secured by a magnet strapped under his suit coat. He nodded his answer.

"Yeah, it feels like if we're going to be there to look out for you, we should at least dress the part," Steve said.

Peter, to do his part, lifted his hands up to show the web shooters concealed under his dress shirt. "If it turns out that I don't need them—no one will even know they're there."