[Inside the kitchen]
A man and a child were in the middle of a complete mental collapse.
Alexander sat against the counter, breathing unevenly, one hand gripping a paper bag while Eridius crouched in front of him with forced patience.
[Eridius]: Alright. Breathe, Alex. Inhale… exhale… again. Slowly.
Alexander obeyed immediately.
A deep inhale.
A shaky exhale.
Another.
After a few seconds, he lowered the bag and gave a stiff nod.
[Alexander]: …I believe I am stable now.
A pause.
Then Eridius stood up.
Eridius: My turn.
Before Alexander could react—
SLAM.
Eridius grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him against the wall hard enough to rattle the shelves.
[Eridius]: ALEX, WE ARE SO HORRIFICALLY F#@%ED THAT I CAN FEEL MY ORGANS TRYING TO LEAVE EARLY.
Alexander blinked once.
Twice.
Then, with remarkable calm—
[Alexander]: You are informing me of this as though it is somehow my fault.
[Eridius]: IT ISN'T—BUT I NEED SOMEONE TO PANIC AT.
A long breath escaped Eridius as he dragged both hands down his face.
[Eridius]: That's not some random Nest noble out there.
He pointed violently toward the front room.
[Eridius]: That's the kind of person who can probably erase a district while making polite conversation about tea flavors.
Alexander went silent.
A beat.
Then—
[Alexander]: …To be fair, the tea request itself was very polite.
Eridius stared at him.
[Alexander]: Right. Apologies.
Silence filled the kitchen again.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
Then Alexander straightened slightly.
[Alexander]: In my defense…
A pause.
[Alexander]: It has not even been one full week since I began existing.
Eridius immediately pointed at himself.
[Eridius]: AND I'VE BEEN HERE FOR FOUR DAYS.
A beat.
[Eridius]: LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED IN LESS THAN A WEEK.
Alexander adjusted his gloves calmly.
[Alexander]: We built a café.
A pause.
[Alexander]: That is all.
[Eridius]: Alex, we opened a functioning business in the Backstreets, survived the Sweepers, emotionally manipulated the Middle, paid off a debt, secured protection money, and somehow avoided getting harvested for organs.
He pointed toward the front room.
[Eridius]: And now there's a woman who casually jokes about destroying a Wing while ordering tea.
Silence.
Alexander thought about that.
Then slowly nodded.
[Alexander]: …When summarized in that order, our lives do appear deeply alarming.
Eridius grabbed both of Alexander's shoulders dramatically.
[Eridius]: So listen carefully. New plan.
Alexander immediately looked worried.
[Alexander]: Why do I suddenly fear the word "plan"?
[Eridius]: Because this one is simple.
[Alexander]: That does not reassure me.
[Eridius]: I'll go talk to her.
He pointed toward the kitchen.
[Eridius]: You cook. Make tea. Smile politely. We have ten boxes of food and canned goods, so just keep serving things until either she leaves or we die.
Alexander stared at him in complete silence.
A long pause followed.
Then—
[Alexander]: …Why is there no secondary plan?
[Eridius]: Because longer plans fail faster.
[Alexander]: That is not how strategy works.
[Eridius]: It is in the Backstreets.
Another pause.
Alexander rubbed the bridge of his nose.
[Alexander]: Do we possess literally any method of dealing with someone of that level?
[Alexander]: Any emergency escape route?
Eridius: Also no.
Alexander: Hidden weapon?
[Eridius]: Kitchen knife.
Silence.
Alexander slowly closed his eyes.
[Alexander]: I believe we may be catastrophically underprepared.
[Eridius]: Finally, you understand.
Alexander's eyes widened slightly.
Then—
A beat.
[Eridius]: There it is.
Eridius patted him once on the shoulder before turning toward the kitchen exit.
[Eridius]: Good talk. Now go make tea strong enough to emotionally distract a near-color-level threat.
[Alexander]: I do not think tea can accomplish that.
[Eridius]: With enough caffeine, anything is possible.
Eridius stepped outside the kitchen.
Then stopped briefly.
A long breath escaped him.
His expression flattened.
Shoulders straightened.
The panic disappeared beneath something quieter.
Just the simple understanding that he either succeeded here…
Or die.
[Eridius]: Lady...
Her smile widened slightly.
Elegant.
Sharp.
Wrong.
[Garion]: Name is Garion, Arbiter of A Corp.
She lifted her teacup lightly between gloved fingers.
[Garion]: I'm currently investigating an impurity nearby.
A pause.
Her golden eyes settled on him fully.
[Garion]: And along the way… I discovered something interesting.
The atmosphere tightened instantly.
Heavy.
Like invisible pressure settling across the room.
Even breathing suddenly felt louder.
Eridius felt his instincts screaming at him to run.
Alexander emerged from the kitchen before the silence could deepen further.
Calm.
Composed.
Perfectly polite.
In his hands rested a tray carrying a steaming black teapot alongside delicate plates of cookies and small cakes arranged with absurd care for a Backstreets café.
Alexander stepped forward smoothly and placed everything down before Garion.
[Alexander]: Your order, my lady.
He gave a small bow.
[Alexander]: A special black tea blend accompanied by cookies and sponge cake.
Then he turned slightly toward the two masked men standing behind her.
[Alexander]: And for the two gentlemen?
The effect was immediate.
The suffocating pressure in the room loosened slightly.
Not gone.
But lighter.
Garion's attention shifted toward the tea as faint steam curled upward.
One of the masked men tilted his head toward the food.
[Executioner 1]: …A rare place like this outside the Nest?
His voice was rough and mechanical beneath the mask.
A faint scraping sound echoed as he folded his arms.
[Executioner 1]: Then tell me what exactly you're serving here.
A pause.
Then, coldly—
[Executioner 1]: And understand this clearly.
The air tightened again.
[Executioner 1]: If I taste artificial protein… your heads will leave your bodies.
Silence.
Alexander didn't even blink.
Meanwhile, the second Executioner looked completely uninterested in the threat.
[Executioner 2]: Eric, we're still on duty.
A pause.
Then he pointed toward the menu lazily.
[Executioner 2]: Just bring me canned sardines and a straw.
Silence filled the café.
Eridius blinked once.
Alexander froze slightly.
Even Garion slowly turned her head toward him.
[Executioner 1]: …A straw?
[Executioner 2]: Efficiency. Minimizes interruption while eating.
A long pause followed.
Then Garion covered part of her smile with one hand.
Amused.
Dangerously amused.
The soft laughter echoed through the café like a knife sliding across glass.
Then her golden eyes returned to Eridius.
Still smiling.
[Eridius]: So… Lady Garion.
He forced his voice to remain steady.
[Eridius]: How can I help you?
[Garion]: You misunderstand.
She lifted the teacup calmly.
[Garion]: I do not require help.
A small sip.
Then—
[Garion]: H Corp is relatively close to this district, and I merely wished to observe something unusual during my investigation.
Her eyes narrowed slightly in visible interest.
[Garion]: A humanoid singularity with a rather fascinating ability.
Silence.
Then her smile sharpened.
[Garion]: Though it is unfortunate that you still qualify as human.
A pause.
[Garion]: Otherwise, I would have enjoyed dissecting you to see how you function.
Her gaze drifted lazily toward Alexander.
[Garion]: Your little companion as well.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Eridius could physically feel sweat running down his back fast enough to form an actual puddle beneath his shoes.
Across the room, Alexander continued serving the two Executioners with flawless posture—
Despite the equally concerning puddle forming beneath him.
[Executioner 2]: More sardines.
Garion rested her cheek lightly against one hand.
Still smiling.
Still horrifying.
A pause.
[Garion]: If you show me something sufficiently interesting—
Her eyes gleamed faintly gold.
[Garion]: I may allow the two of you to continue living.
Silence filled the café once more.
Eridius slowly opened his inventory beneath the counter.
His eyes scanned the flickering list.
Then stopped.
A smile appeared on his face.
Small.
Dangerous.
[Two Hours Later]
The atmosphere inside the café had completely transformed.
The Executioners sat motionless before the screen.
One still held an open sardine can in his hand without realizing it.
Garion herself rested her chin lightly against folded fingers, golden eyes fixed on the projection with complete focus.
Meanwhile—
The table was empty.
Every plate cleared.
Every can opened.
Every snack was destroyed.
Only crumbs remained.
On-screen, the movie approached its ending.
The soundtrack swelled softly through the café.
A character spoke their final words.
Then silence.
A long, painful silence.
Near the counter, Eridius slowly leaned toward Alexander and whispered carefully—
[Eridius]: …How much food do we have left?
Alexander stared at the empty shelves.
Then at the mountain of opened cans.
Then back at Eridius.
A pause.
[Alexander]: All of it is gone.
Silence.
Then, quietly—
Alexander: Only the tea and tea bags remain.
A beat.
Then from the viewing area—
A faint sniffle echoed.
[Executioner 1]: …That ending was unacceptable.
Another sniffle followed immediately after.
[Executioner 2]: The sacrifice was noble.
Garion remained perfectly silent.
Which was somehow far more terrifying.
Garion continued staring at the darkened screen in silence.
No smile.
No amusement.
No visible reaction at all.
Then—
She slowly stood.
[Garion]: …You passed.
A pause.
Her golden eyes shifted toward Eridius.
Both Eridius and Alexander straightened instantly.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them trusted the situation enough to celebrate.
Garion adjusted one of her gloves calmly.
She glanced toward the kitchen.
[Garion]: I will be confiscating your tea.
Silence.
Then, with complete seriousness—
[Garion]: I enjoyed it.
Alexander visibly looked more honored by that statement than he did by passing the Fixer exam.
Garion slowly began walking toward the exit.
Her heels tapped softly against the floorboards.
[Garion]: I will be returning after I finish dealing with H Corp's little impurity problem.
A pause.
Then she looked back slightly over her shoulder.
Smiling again.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
[Garion]: So I do hope you clean all this water off the floor by then.
Only then did Eridius realize what she meant.
The puddles.
The massive stress-induced puddles surrounding both him and Alexander.
Silence.
A beat.
Then he looked down.
Meanwhile, somehow—
At some point during the conversation—
The entire teapot, the spare tea containers, and every remaining tea bag had already vanished into Garion's possession.
Eridius hadn't even seen her take them.
The two Executioners quietly stood and followed after her.
Before leaving, one of them calmly placed a thick envelope onto the counter.
Then all three disappeared into the rain outside.
Silence filled the café.
The pressure vanished instantly.
For three whole seconds—
Nothing happened.
Then—
THUD.
Eridius collapsed face-first onto the floor.
A second later—
THUD.
Alexander followed immediately beside him with equal dignity.
Silence.
Rain tapped softly outside.
Then the café door opened.
Ding.
A man wearing Association delivery attire stepped inside holding a case under one arm.
[???]: Hello. I'm here to deliver a Fixer license to one Alexander von Dufrode li Hulu—
A pause.
He looked down.
At the two collapsed figures lying motionless in puddles on the floor.
Then slowly around the café.
Destroyed food supplies.
Open cans everywhere.
A lingering emotional atmosphere.
And an alarming amount of water.
The delivery man blinked once.
Twice.
Then—
[Delivery Fixer]: …Why is the ground wet?
[Chapter end]