The rhythmic ticking of the clock in the quaint room brought a sense of character in the space where Vertin and Isaac were currently in.
Both sitting down, both of them remained silent for a while. One was finishing a document while the other was quietly enjoying the tranquil vibe.
Isaac had to admit that the warm sunlight beaming in the window contrasted greatly with the slightly chilly weather, providing a decent apricity in the room.
Of course, in truth, he was not just merely staying idle — but was instead thinking of the questions Vertin might ask him later and the appropriate answers he could give.
As for Vertin, she was also doing something else other than jotting down on her paper. Occasionally, she would glance at Isaac to observe him for a few moments before going back to her writing.
After a good while of tranquil silence, Vertin finally finished what she was writing and turned her head up to Isaac. "I'm sorry for the delay. I hope it wasn't an inconvenience."
He nodded lightly, not minding what had happened. Leaning back a bit to his chair, he replied slowly. "It's quite alright. I enjoyed the silence, to be honest. Are you done with what you were doing?"
Seeing how relaxed he was, Vertin was subconsciously influenced by his demeanor and also released some tension, leaning back to her seat. "Yes, I just finished. If you don't have any questions, then we can begin the questioning."
He gestured at her. "Go on ahead."
Vertin nodded lightly before pulling out another piece of paper. With her fountain pen as well as an ink bottle by the side, she thus began her interview.
"First of all, you mentioned that you were willing to stick around us — may I interpret that as you wanting to join the Foundation willingly?" She asked in a composed manner.
"That's right. If it's with Ms. Vertin, then I'm willing to join St. Pavlov." He replied succinctly.
She actively observed his tone of voice as well as mannerisms and noticed that they all pointed to him being too relaxed about it — meaning he was either honest or was confident of his answers.
However, there is one thing that she noticed in his words that stood out.
'Why me...?' Taking note of his choice of words, Vertin found it odd and worth keeping tabs on. She then proceeded to jot down on her paper before moving on to the next question.
"Next, is Isaac your true name? Even though you can choose not to use your true name and instead use an alias within the Foundation, I still need to record your birth name for legal and mystical reasons."
"Indeed it is. Been using it since I could remember." This time, Isaac spoke with full honesty because it was, unironically, the truth.
I'm both worlds — be it his own or this — he had always used and been referred to by this name. It was not only because it held a nostalgic reason, but also because it ties him down and reminds him who he truly was.
Never will he forsake nor forget this name.
True to his demeanor, Vertin also caught on to his honesty and took note of his sincerity over this matter. Noticing how he didn't delve in further and mention his surname, she speculated that it was either unnecessary or he purposely didn't want to bring it up.
But since she already got his first name, his surname wasn't of the top priority currently. It could always be asked of later.
Taking note of his answer, she swiftly moved on. "Next question, what's your nationality? You mentioned earlier that you were a polyglot, so I'm wondering where you really are from."
At her question, he got amused a bit and chuckled lightly. He then immediately gave an answer, albeit a vague one. "It's... complicated. In truth, I don't know how to choose one."
At his answer, she tilted her head a bit, not comprehending what he just said. "Complicated? As in you don't have nationality or citizenship?"
Truthfully, she was quite taken aback indeed. From the qualities she observed from Isaac — his mannerisms, speech, and clothes — she had expected him to say that he was British or at least from the United States. But to her surprise, that appeared to not be the case at all.
"Something like that, yes..." He once more vaguely answered. However, he soon followed it up rather swiftly. "However, I can confidently say that I've been in Europe for most of my life, so do what you wish with that information."
This, too, was a truth covered in lies. But for the most part, it was the truth — and Isaac will leave it at that.
Unsure of how she would write this answer down, Vertin pondered for a moment, her fountain pen hovering just above the paper for a brief moment, before she decided to jot down what she had understood.
'Hm...' At this moment, however, she couldn't help but feel that more and more of his answers would soon follow this trend of ambiguity.
With this in mind, she swiftly moved on to the next question. "Moving on... Can you tell me more about your arcanum?"
At this question, his eyes lit up. "Sure. As you already know, my fog can manifest itself around me at any given moment — with seldom my control. Normal humans and arcanists who stay inside it for too long start to get affected mentally, with the former often resulting in open hostility and the latter in deep mistrust."
"Additionally to this, I can also manipulate my fog to cover others and redirect certain attacks, thus acting as a shield. Other than that, my fog acts like any other natural fog in the wild."
He paused for a moment and looked at Vertin. Then, with a contemplative expression, he continued. "But you, Ms. Timekeeper, seems to be unaffected by the effects of my fog. I mean, I've been with you for quite some time now here and yet you still haven't shown any changes. Why is that?"
"That's, well..." Taken aback by his sudden inquiry, Vertin was left speechless for a while, not knowing how to respond to his question.
Indeed, it was just as he said. She had witnessed what his fog could do while they were fighting yesterday, and knew how fast a person would get affected by its effects — yet she remained unaffected by it even in close proximity and prolonged exposure.
Thinking about it for a while, she did have some theories, but they're speculations at best, so she couldn't be sure.
Shaking her head, she couldn't provide a detailed answer. "I apologize, but I don't know either. It would be best for your arcanum to be analyzed by the Foundation itself to know more."
Seemingly expected this answer from her, Isaac wasn't disappointed. Shrugging lightly, he feigned disappointment. "Well, it's quite alright. We can discuss this with the Foundation in the future, if you're willing."
"That would be fine by me, yes." Nodding her head, Vertin swiftly wrote down the information she took from him as well as the speculations she made in the report.
As the rather short questioning was about to end, Vertin got curious about one more thing outside of what was needed by her report and decided to ask out of pure curiosity. "Last question... Do you have a family, Mr. Isaac?"
It was a question that stemmed purely out of her subconscious mind; driven and influenced by her own personal pursuits.
At this question, Isaac's expression momentarily froze as his smile turned wry. "Well, that's..."
He coughed. "I'm still a young lad, Ms. Vertin — stuff like that has yet to cross my mind."
"...huh?" Receiving his bizarre answer, Vertin was also genuinely left confused. Then, realizing what the misunderstanding was, she immediately clarified. "No, no, I meant if you have any close families from — the parents and siblings kind of family."
"Oh... That's what you meant..." Realizing that he took that question and ran off with it, he felt slightly embarrassed. Then, rather swiftly, he gave an answer. "Well, no, not really. I've... lost my only family a few years ago, so I'm the only one remaining."
This was... also the truth.
Since he transmigrated into this world, it was only natural that he had a family here. However, it was not a traditional family, per se, but a complicated one. It was neither normal nor a family one could call home — though it might be warm sometimes, in the end, it still buried a deep cold dagger in Isaac's heart and mind.
For a decade, he had stayed with that estranged family — learning all he knew about this new world as well as his own arcanum. He felt grateful for that one person that taught him most of what he knew now, yes, but...
But he could never truly say that he missed that family.
"Oh..." Receiving his answer, Vertin seemed to have understood what he meant. "I see, I'm sorry for asking."
"Haha, it's fine." Chuckling lightly, he intended to end the questioning as soon as possible. "Well then, may I leave now? I still promised Ms. Druvis a meal, after all."
"Alright, you may leave. Thank you." She nodded.
Seeing him nod and stand up, she watched him walk towards the door. However, before he could turn the knob, a curious thought popped up in her head.
"Hold on, I have one last tiny question."
"Yes?" He turned to her, not minding one more.
"..." Vertin remained silent for a while, as if unsure about her question, before opening her mouth. "...you said earlier that you were still a young lad, but the gray strands on your hair made me think you were... a bit older."
Indeed, the gray strands present in Isaac's raven-black hair was quite noticeable if not an iconic feature of his character that can easily distinguish him from the rest.
"Oh, I see..." Running his hand through his hair, Isaac chuckled. "Although it looks like this, I'm still quite young, you know? Stress does weird things to your body, which is what happened to mine."
"For the record, I'm still twenty years old."
After he dropped his age, a palpable silence descended upon the quaint room for a few moments. Then, seeing this as a sign for him to leave, Isaac immediately grabbed the knob and turned it.
"Well then, I'll be going now. Thank you for having me, Ms. Vertin!"
With those words, the eccentric man left, leaving Vertin to ponder his answer.
'He's only twenty...?' Indeed, she thought he was older. Then, taking note of his advise, she hummed contemplatively. '...I should also manage my stress.'
It is as they say; never judge others by their looks.