Amid the soft buzz of conversation from the other tables, the drinks finally arrived, carried by a tall, slender, dark-skinned man dressed as a waiter.
His hair was white, his eyes silver, and among all the waiters serving the other guests, he stood out as the most handsome.
"Here you are. Ladies, gentleman," said the handsome man with a soft, friendly smile. "Enjoy your drinks and your time in the Lux Valley."
With a respectful bow, the man walked away with a strange air of kindness.
Nova stopped to look at him. He knew him, in fact.
'Nathan... your decision to leave your job as an Empath to become a waiter still seems to me to be one of the craziest decisions I've ever seen.'
Everyone has their own reasons, and although Nova understood that, he found it difficult to accept.
That aside, Nova's Dark Flame looked like a very dark purple liquid that literally had a flame burning in the glass. It was a strong, bitter drink—enough to knock out any normal person.
The thing is—Nova wasn't normal. He even blew the flame out with a casual puff.
'Well, at least the drinks you serve now are still the best. Also, I guess you must be making good money.'
Miyu's Scarlet Flower, on the other hand, was a red drink with dark tones that formed a flower inside the glass. It was especially popular among those with a sweet tooth, not only for its appearance, but also for its pleasant sweet, floral taste.
Elara ordered a Light Feather. It was a clear white drink with little alcohol, but with a strong, bitter taste. It was the equivalent of drinking coffee, but with alcohol. Besides, the name itself was very sarcastic, as the taste was anything but light.
"I have a lot of money this month," said Miyu. Her tail swayed happily from side to side as she drank from her glass. "I can pay the rent and buy myself some cute clothes."
The feline girl chirped again and again as the drink slowly disappeared from her glass. That joy would soon be crushed by reality.
Nova looked at her with pity.
"I hope you don't forget to save some of that money for your food for the month."
Miyu's tail bristled at Nova's recommendation. Elara smiled as she took a sip of her drink and added:
"You're not going to starve like you did last month, I guess. I'm sure you won't waste your money on nonsense this time."
"Yeah, because you always have an empty wallet. Then you show up at my house with the excuse that you're coming to visit my mother, but you're really coming to beg for some food."
Nova's last comment made Miyu's ears twitch. Her fur stood up a little, ruffling her red hair.
'I don't mind her coming to eat at my house, but I can't keep indulging her whims for the rest of my life. That includes my mother...'
Nova wasn't going to let anyone take advantage of his mother's kindness.
Scoundrels burn in hell. Rude people lose their tongues.
"I didn't think you'd notice."
Miyu gave up immediately. There was no way to argue with Nova when he got like this. It was worse when Elara took his side. Together, they felt like the final boss of a raid.
"You're so obvious all the time. Don't think I don't notice."
Elara raised her eyebrows, curious and amused by that statement. She cleared her throat and said:
"That's where I disagree, Nova. If you noticed everything she does and feels, you would have noticed many other things a long time ago."
"What? Really?"
He was surprised. Elara nodded proudly and concluded:
"Of course."
The feline girl shrugged, shuddering at Elara's words.
"Gulp!"
Interrupting the agreement between Elara and Nova, Miyu grabbed her drink and swallowed it whole in a second. Then she slammed the glass on the table and looked at them with defiant eyes.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here and let's drink. Let's drink a lot!"
Nova smiled, amused. He took the glass between his fingers and nodded.
'Finally, something we agree on. Tonight is going to be fun.'
There was nothing better than having a good time with friends.
"So, if we're going to drink a lot, let me pay for the first few rounds," said Nova, quite sure that he could quench these girls' thirst with the money in his wallet.
Elara and Miyu applauded the team leader's chivalry, but he had other things in mind.
'Besides, I'm sure Elara will pay the rest.'
In the end, his proposal was just a strategy to avoid spending money later.
'She is a wealthy young lady, after all.'
***
A guy who looks a little above average, but is very weird; a feline girl with money problems; a blonde girl from a wealthy family; and finally, a canine boy with anger issues who lives in a cheap house in the suburbs.
What a colorful bunch. But that's how they are. They were friends because they had things in common, they were friends because they were so different, and together, they complemented each other's shortcomings.
That was Team Asmodai of the Blood Crystal Faction.
"Waiter! Bring me another drink!" Miyu said, getting up from her seat noisily. Her face was slightly flushed.
Elara took her by the shoulder and made her sit down.
"Calm down a little, Miyu. There are other people who also want to enjoy their evening."
"Actually, Elara, I want another drink too," added Nova with a slight smile.
She was also going to scold him, but stopped herself before doing so. Normally, Nova would scold his team, but tonight, Elara smiled back at him and said:
"I think I'll order something stronger."
The waiter appeared like an angel to a table full of drunkards. The drinks began to come and go as the minutes ticked by on the bright, colorful, mechanical clock behind Nova.
The voices of the people around them continued like a soothing chorus, and the old jazz music that suddenly began to play created the perfect atmosphere.
Elara and Miyu talked happily, laughing when something funny came up in the conversation, and Nova added something from time to time, as he wasn't much of a talker—more of an observer.
He always was: a spectator who appeared calm in front of everyone. In fact, no one had ever seen him show any strong emotions. No one had ever seen him cry or laugh loudly.
He was always too calm.
"Hm? What's this?"
At some point, Nova's communicator rang. He looked at the screen and realized that someone was complaining in the group chat.
RubRub:
[Why did you leave me alone with Doc?!]
[That guy is so weird!]
[Did you guys go drinking without me?]
[You sons of—!]
[*Sticker of Nova painted as a clown*]
'That sticker… Did you seriously take a picture of me that night?!'
His inner voice was a thousand times more powerful than his outer voice. While he appeared more serene on the outside, on the inside he was louder for some reason he didn't even understand himself.
A sour smile formed on his lips—something struck him as funny.
'Ha. Wait until you see yourself in the mirror.'
The kind of revenge only a five-year-old would come up with. There was no other way to describe it.
'No. Wait until you try to wash your face.'
The night was shaping up to be one hell of an odyssey.