Jin tilted his head as the girl continued with her cleaning duties. Something out of the corner of his peripheral vision caught his attention, he shifted uneasily in his seat as he watched the shadow of his table slowly creep its way to the top and proceeded to form lettering on the cloth cover.
”I’m not a waitress, I’m only here to clean… Oh, I see. My apologies.” This place was better off than he had expected. They had enough income to higher employees with specific roles, rather than jacks-of-all-trades. He knew that at least everybody who walked through the streets had an ability of their own, no matter how versatile or effective, everyone had a tince of something. But this girl’s ability was something strikingly familiar,
”...It’s just like his. Maybe we should have Jindal patent umbrakinesis…” A fraction of a smile formed on his face at the thought, but she definitely had a noteworthy ability. The waitress she called was a familiar face and instantly recognized him as a regular, greeting the coffee-seeking boy with an endearing smile which could charm any passerby.
”So, what would it be today, Mr. Akri? The usual?” Jin returned the expression and nodded,
”Yes, please.” The waitress disappeared into the kitchen to prepare a brew, leaving the two alone yet again. He was tempted to help her out with cleaning, but that sense of accomplishment after completing a task was probably her sole form of motivation to get through the day. It was rare to see people work normal jobs so religiously.
A majority of the populace were members of a guild, and depending on the conglomerate’s fame or notoriety, could bring in a lot of income and a few renowned titles. Jin unconsciously began to twirl the end of his scarf around a finger while he waited for his coffee, with the meticulously working girl as his only way to kill the time. That was the case, until another individual skulked into the restaurant and sat down next to him. A bewildered Jin slowly turned to his right and glanced up at the titan of a man. His hand began sneaking its way towards the hilt of his blade, just in case. Most people were easygoing, but once in a while there are those loose cannons who waltzed around with enough pompour to drown somebody. He could recount the times he was involved in bar fights, which he always came out on top, but drunks were surprisingly more persistent than normally sober individuals. If this guy suddenly started magically chugging beer through his helmet, Jin would already be able to tell that he would be in for a bad time.
The waitress finally returned with his coffee on a circular platter and placed it in front of him.
”Thank you.” The boy gently blew at its surface to cool it off. A third person suddenly made an appearance, just to spice things up, and thankfully he was bearing gifts. It was Jamboree, and as per the usual, roughed up as if he was just in a tussle. His comrade ebulliently showed off the contents of the bag, and also informed him of an attempted internal attack. He gave the guild members a surprised look before leaning back in his seat,
”Well, at least you caught onto them before they rooted themselves in the guild. Would’ve been a real hassle hunting them down for any stolen information. Man… I was really looking forward to the new members.” Jin tipped the cup and gulped down a portion of the bitter beverage,
”Speaking of Jindal… Go easy on the guy. He came back today looking like he was beaten up by a neighborhood bully, and nearly fell asleep on the spot. Lyla gave him one helluva earful for it.” The swordsman propped his chin against the palm of his hand and stared at his friend,
”I’m sure there’s a lot running through his head right now. It would be best to give him a few days off, considering the quest he just finished...Now as for the new members…” Jin glanced at the ginormous man sitting a few seats down, then back at the girl who was now attempting to seclude herself in a corner. He placed an arm around Janboree’s neck and pulled him closer, then dropped his voice to a whisper,
”We have two new candidates right here. Anybody’s acceptable. They don’t need to be deities, just have to be able to take our place in case we fall victim to some godawful fate.” A playful smirk abruptly painted itself on his face,
”Also, that girl over there can control shadows, and might have a few more cards up her sleeve. It’ll be interesting seeing to umbrakinesis users in the same guild. As for the other guy…” The task of recruiting him seemed impossible, merely striking up a conversation with him was daunting enough.
Jin released his friend and gave him a pat on the back,
”Well, g’luck~ Use that Sword God magic you always use to woo those fangirls. Who knows, maybe he likes roses?” The boy backed away from the table, simultaneously picking up his coffee cup and walking over to the girl sweeping to her heart’s content. He set the platter down on the nearest table and paced his way over to the girl, then tapped her on the shoulder.
”Hey, you can take a seat. I’ll sweep for you. Also, the name’s Jin Akri.” He pulled out a chair for the girl and then offered an open palm, ready to accept the broomstick.
”Would you care to join a guild…?” He suddenly perked up when he realized how sudden the question may have sounded,
”Sorry, um, don’t feel obliged to answer right away. There’s a trial run and everything for it, but most people tend to take a liking to Cait Shelter.”