It was a new year celebration to end the year and to start the next year. Everyone in Moonvale were excited to finally move on to a next year of prosperity. Some of the houses and shops put up banners of festivity. The streets became lively as the colorful banners started to fill every corner of Moonvale.
It was a busy day for every household and it was more so for the Vergessen Bakery as they were busy because of the sudden influx of customers who were coming to get their orders of cookies and cakes. Even the bread that just came out from the oven disappeared in a second.
Mr. C and Ezio were busy with packing and handing out the orders. The line reached outside the bakeshop but luckily no one was complaining since the orders were being served at a steady pace. By the time that the sun had set, the bakeshop had sold out all of their pastries and finally closed the shop for the day.
Ezio sat on the chair after that tiring shift when a cup of hot chocolate appeared before him. He looked at the butler and gave him a smile.
"You did a great job today, thank you for your help." The butler smiled and patted the other's shoulder. "Stay here for while I go and cook dinner for us."
"Wait, uhm, aren't we going to celebrate New Year's Eve too?" He suddenly sat straight while asking the butler. He was actually expecting that after the bakery closed for the day that they will be celebrating too.
The butler looked at the direction of the kitchen then back at the expecting teen, "I'm sorry, but the master isn't keen on celebrating such occasions. He'd rather sleep or read some books than to waste his time on something nonsense, well that's according to his words."
Ezio bowed his head with a sad expression, "But, can't we just do it just this time?" He was looking forward to it, especially now that his uncle was gone.
"Are you a kid? Why do you need to celebrate such an occasion? Do you have any reason to celebrate? It's such a waste of energy." Cygnus commented after he came out from the kitchen while wiping his hand with a towel. He placed the towel on the counter and crossed his arms while looking at Ezio.
"Well, it's because I want to celebrate it with the two of you. It's also a way for me to celebrate finding a home even after my uncle passed away." Ezio reasoned out as he lifted his head and looked at the master's eyes.
The fear that he always felt whenever he looked at the man suddenly disappeared at that moment. Strangely, he did not want to avoid the master's gaze as the urge to stubbornly fight for his request continued to bubble inside.
"Look at this kid! He can even talk back to me like that now!" Cygnus smirked and even clapped his hands. This child was really surpassing his expectations. First, he was able to say his name and now he can look at him like that without flinching.
He started to walk towards where the child was sitting but then a knock sounded on the door which distracted the three of them. Mr. C walked to the door and opened it. Astrophos was standing outside and when the door opened, he lifted up a bag of presents and there was a tray of food in his hands.
"Mr. Astrophos, what brought you here?" The butler was a bit surprised to see the mage and was even confused as to why he had food and a paper bag with him.
"I came to celebrate the new year with you all." He simply answered and shrugged his shoulders before he stepped inside even without the butler's invitation.
Before the butler could even close the door, Nina suddenly popped up and greeted the man with a grin on her face. "Miss Nina, are you here to celebrate the new year too?"
Nina nodded, "Yes! Everyone has gone home to their families to celebrate the holiday so I decided to come here for a while and celebrate with you guys."
The smile on her face was brilliant as she was also looking forward to this. The butler knew that the woman hadn't let go of these celebrations yet even though she had stayed with them for years now.
Although the master hated it, she still insisted on celebrating every occasion on the calendar even if she had to do it alone. Now, she came to celebrate with them. The butler finally smiled and let her in.
It seemed that the new year would be different from now on. He actually liked the idea of celebrating it but because the master was not too keen on it, he refrained himself from asking the master to celebrate.
Cygnus had a frown on his face after seeing the mage and now Nina was there too. "What's the meaning of this? Who told you that you can just come in and do whatever you like inside my territory?" His voice was cold and the air around them suddenly became cold.
"Master!" Ezio suddenly stood up and went to hold the other's arm, "Let us celebrate the new year, Mr. Astrophos and Ms. Nina are already here so let's just do it okay, just this time."
Four pairs of eyes were suddenly looking at him and he couldn't help but scowl even more. There's no point in wasting his breath to stop them now since they were already here so after a while, he sighed and relented.
Ezio smiled and looked at the other two with the strange feeling of accomplishment in his heart. Astrophos and Nina gave him a thumbs up because he was able to convince the stiff master.
"Then I'll leave you be for now as I need to cook food if we are going to celebrate," Mr. C was smiling on the side. Cygnus glared at the butler who looked very happy at that moment.
"We'll help you!" Ezio volunteered as he pulled the other two towards the kitchen where they immediately started preparing. Mr. C gladly followed behind them then he also started cooking already.
Cygnus who was left could only look at the direction of the kitchen with disdain. They were lucky that he was actually in a good mood because if he was not, they wouldn't get any permission from him. Well, now that he had nothing to do, he might as well join them.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when another knock broke the silence. His brows furrowed as to who it could be since they were not expecting any visitors and the mage and Nina were already there.
He opened the door and saw that Major Ginehart and his lieutenant were standing there. Lisbon was holding two bags that contained wine they got from the famous brewery at Alfonso. Cygnus could already guess why they were there.
"Are you kidding me? Why are the both of you here? Are you going to celebrate the new year with us too?" He glowered at the two uninvited visitors.
"Yes, we happened to pass by and remembered that your bakeshop was here so we decided to visit." The major was smiling and yet Cygnus was not convinced.
"Oh visitors! Master let them in!" Ezio suddenly popped out behind Cygnus. He then pulled the two inside even without the master's permission.
Since he already relented, Cygnus did not talk any longer and just let them be. The night was spent with so much chatter and laughter as they ate the food that was prepared. They talked like they knew each other for a long time now.
Ezio was happy that he could celebrate the new year with everyone. Even though the master was unamused all through the party, he was still glad that he stayed with them until the new year came.
Ezio walked up to the master and gave the man a smile, "Thank you so much master for letting me celebrate this new year and thank you for taking me under your protection."
The master narrowed his eyes and just gave the child a simple nod which made Ezio even happier. This new year celebration will be forever engraved in his heart and he will cherish this memory for as long as he lived.
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