He answered it and turned the volume up, hearing his aunt's voice once again.

"Good to know ye're up this early!" Her tone was calmer.

"I'm heading to my usual spot. If... that dark-haired lad's there, I'll try inviting him somewhere different today."

He replied, taking small sips of his drink.

"Hm... have ye ever noticed anything odd about him? I mean... not that I'm trying to judge someone I don't even know."

"But what counts as 'odd'? The way he acts? I think he's a bit absent-minded."

Leon replied.

"I don't know how he acts, but ye know why ye have to keep an eye on him. He knows, remember?"

"I know he knows... I told him myself in such an idiotic way that if I told ye now, ye'd probably laugh."

"But besides that... I rang ye to talk about Mille."

Her tone became more serious.

"About Mille?"

He stopped, his mug close to his lips.

"No... don't tell me..."

"She was admitted to hospital, Leon. She can't work anymore."

Leon gripped the phone so tightly that the coffee almost spilled from the mug as his fingers trembled.

"BUT SHE'S ALRIGHT, ISN'T SHE?!"

He raised his voice.

"I hope so."

"Aunt Lyle!"

He spoke firmly.

"Hm? I'm listening. I'm just finishing my breakfast."

"Yeah, that's not the point! Ye don't have the diagnosis yet... but do ye know which hospital she's in?"

He walked into the kitchen and slammed his fist onto the table beside him.

"In Limerick, Leon. Ye... can't go see..."

"BUT I WANT TO SEE HER! I NEED TO SEE HER! I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY'LL SAY IF THEY SEE ME THERE!"

"STOP BEING THICK AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE!"

She shouted back.

"Listen... Leon..."

"Shouting this early? Is that Uncle Leonard on the phone again?"

A voice slowly approached, crossing its arms in front of Lyle.

"What are ye doing here? Go into the sitting room! Breakfast isn't ready yet!"

She said in an authoritative tone.

"Grumpy as always. That's why Dad's still my favourite. Ye've been acting awfully paranoid around us."

The girl slowly walked out of the room.

Leon trembled as he listened to the conversation through the phone, taking it off speaker and pressing it against his ear.

"I... need to sort something out. I've got to go."

he murmured.

Lyle put the phone back to her ear and sighed.

"Don't do anything stupid..."

"I promise..."

After hanging up, he let out a heavy sigh, finished his coffee, and went to his room to get dressed.

---

A few minutes later, he stopped as the wind moved his clothes and hair.

In front of him sat Liuk, simply staring at the scenery with nothing in his hands.

Leon approached and stood beside him without sitting down.

Liuk glanced sideways, then looked upward before turning his eyes back ahead after noticing Leon.

Liuk's fingers were intertwined with each other, while Leon's kept opening and closing constantly.

Leon stared steadily at the landscape.

Liuk, meanwhile, closed his eyes every so often until the dark-haired man finally spoke.

"Not planning on staying long?"

"Something like that. How'd ye figure that out?"

"Ye didn't sit down, ye didn't ask me anything, and ye didn't bring anything."

"I did bring my phone, actually."

Liuk let out a short laugh, keeping a faint smile on his lips.

"Yeah. That's something."

Leon turned his head to look at Liuk's profile, trying to arrange the right words.

"Would ye... like to go somewhere else today?"

"Go for a drink?"

Liuk looked at him too.

"No. Just somewhere we can forget everything I've already told ye."

He took two steps away from Liuk.

Liuk slowly got to his feet, brushing the dust from his trousers and looking directly at the back of the man's neck.

"That's not usually how ye make someone forget things."

"And how do ye do it?"

Leon glanced back slightly without fully turning around.

"I haven't the faintest idea. I'll owe ye that answer."

Liuk walked closer until he was beside him and casually draped an arm around his neck.

"But... where were we going again?"

"Anywhere but..."

Leon slowly looked down at the ground before facing forward again.

"No, I need to buy a new watch. Let's head into the city centre."

he declared.

"On a Saturday? Ye had the whole week to do that."

Liuk teased with a quiet laugh.

"And after all that time it only broke recently. Stop complaining, it wasn't yer watch!"

Leon shot back sharply.

"Blimey! Guess I'll have to bow before Your Majesty!"

"Ye should."

Leon replied flatly.

"But if I'm joining ye on this grand quest to buy a watch... don't ye want to get to know me better?"

"Do ye really think I come here every day and don't walk away the moment I see yer face because I want to keep my distance?"

Leon clenched his fists.

"Don't be thick. If I come here, it's because that's exactly what I'm looking for."

"Good grief, just swallow me whole already!"

Liuk laughed as he simply walked alongside him.

"But something really is swallowing me... and it feels like it's swallowing ye too, Leon... Ríthe."

Liuk thought.

"I don't know what's trying to devour ye and make ye so complicated... but I know whatever's devouring me keeps pulling me towards ye."