================================

Date 27/6
Time 8:00 am

           The booth at the center right of the dining room pressed against the wall was packed with a small group of middle-aged approximately in their late thirties or early twenties. They seemed too out of place with their jeans shorts, leather jackets, and smokey eyes matched with long black eyelashes that fluttered like moth wings. At their feet sat bags and bags of liquor, luxury clothes, and perhaps even jewelry. Amongst their chattering and babbling, the lady sitting at the center among them stood out the most, for her skin was as pale as the moon, lips blood red, and brown hair resting on her shoulders and snake, black, sinamay hat casting a shade of shadows over those piercing sun yellow eyes. The black fur coat on her shoulders proved a great contrast against her skin and yet its fitness matched up nicely with her plain- black-crop-top and long skirt that reached down to her knees and reminded one of a parfait flower. " Honestly that ginger and blonde were quite the cuties, you should have just let them serve us," the lady on her right complained, playing with the loose strings of her shorts. It's not like there are a lot of people working here."

          " The place does look quite delightful though, " another refuted, running her violet-painted finger fingernails smooth wooden surface of the table,  while her eyes gaze wandered to Childe who stood behind the cashier with a bored look on his face. " And that one there looks . . . Charming."

          " This is a ridiculous waste of time, " Kequing sighed as she witnessed her colleagues the two servers that their lady had refused to be served by.

           "Tsk tsk tsk," the lady breathed out another puff of grey smoke, before looking up at the newcomer approaching them. " You can settle down ladies. "

             With shiny shoes and the first two buttons of his blouse unbuckled, Kaeya carried himself over with a classical polite smile embellishing his face. " Is there a problem with our service, lovely ladies ?" His voice came out smooth and gentle, making most of the women go pink or melt mentally into nothing but slime.

            " T-they seemed inexperienced," the lady in string shorts, sitting next to the lady in the black hat, complained with a stutter, but loud enough to prove a muscle in Childe's clenched jaw. " You however seem to know very well how things work."
 
           Even with all the ladies' attention, Kaeya did not sway and humbly placed a hand over his heart. " You flatter me, allow me to introduce myself," his eyes darken as he catches sight of the sun staring at him through the shadows. " I'm Kaeya Alberich, the manager here."

***

          " I don't like them," Childe huffed, staring at the blue-haired man across the room managing to chat up the picky customers as Janet came to his side with a file in hand. " Look them fluttering those funky gothic lashes at him."

           A scoff left Childe's lips as he fumbled with his ginger locks between his index and thumb, twisting and turning a strand into a curl. " At least that face of his will get us customers, " Janet reasoned, pouring him a cup of water. " And if you're gonna keep frowning go to the changing room and cool off a little, "but only for five minutes or it's coming out of your paycheck."

          The squeak of the changing room's door shifted Childe's attention to something that was far more entertaining. A sulky Thoma dragged himself out, before standing a certain distance away from Janet and Childe with head hung low and eyebrows knitted together in worry. With a heavy breath, he made himself busy and began scrubbing the already clean counter with a towel, and ignored the gaze of the other two near him. " Did she refuse to have sex with you?" Childe asked directly with a grin mockingly plastered over his face.

         The blonde's shoulders jerked and his eyes widened as red instantly found its way to his cheeks. " N-no she didn't," he stuttered, before trying to distract himself.

         " So she agreed to have sex with you?" Janet chirped in with a similar smirk on her face and a curiously raised eyebrow. "Spill the tea Blondie Locks"

          Ears now red, Thoma turned his back to the two and made his way to the exit, not bothering to realize the preying eyes that followed him. " She rejected him~" Childe proudly declared, drinking the cup of water in front of him, refreshed, and feeling like a new man. " My lady can't be easily swayed twice. "

          " Right, like you would know," Janet scoffed and left for the changing rooms Thoma had returned from. " Try not to break him, Childe. " She spoke as if she knew everything, and could only guess that meant she wanted him to comfort the Cinderella of the restaurant.

           " Childe!" The ginger took in another heavy breath and turned to the bluenette approaching him. "Be a good bunny and get the lovely ladies their orders."

          Kaeya did not even spare him another glance. " Enjoyed wagging your tail at them?" Childe spat once the other man was about to open the heavy, double doors leading to the kitchen.

           " How about you wag your tail at the boss? Doubt she'll spare you a glance," Kaeya spoke,  smile fading as he turned back to Childe and flicked him a mora coin. " Your tip. "

             The corner of Childe's eye twitched. He could grab that oh-so-perfect face of his and bash him into the register or maybe even pop out his other eyes and hang it in front of his screaming face, twisted into sweet agony, but his Little Miss would be mad. With that thought in mind, his hand twitched and he forced himself to turn around and walk to the table of four with the pencil in his hand threatening to break.

           Satisfied with himself, Kaeya glanced up at the bottles of rum and wine, his thoughts drifting back to the wine glass he'd left in the changing rooms, however, he did not trust the ginger to keep his cool. Instead, he flicked open his phone, staring at the number of unanswered messages and calls from the people back home.  " He still didn't call," a shudder rolled down his back at the reminder of how those flame-red eyes looked at him like he was nothing. Nothing but trash. A mistake.

           He turned off his phone before anything else came to mind and brushed his fingers over the black eye patch over his eye. " Long time no see, Kaeya," the lady in black smiled from across the counter, her bright red lips curled into a wicked smile, and eyes bore into the blue-haired man's skull. " Read the news, I'm so sorry about your father," her voice had a hint of amusement in it that nipped at Kaeya's skin like a poisonous rash. " Why didn't you go to Ayato? I'm sure he'd have found you quite the job."

            He could not even smile at that comment and kept his lips pursed into a thin line. The lady had not spoken when he first came over to their table, but here she was, sitting before him. "Being my personal assistant doesn't sound so bad," Her light and delicate voice carried a heavy weight with them that seemed to rest on Kaeya's shoulders and force him to hold his head low and not dare to look her in the eye. " You know what? Being my pet sounds even more delightful."

            Childe smacked his note notepad to her, making both of them jump at the force that nearly shook the counter, but the ginger only held a poker face and smiled ever so simply at the lady, before turning to Kaeya, and through between clenched teeth he spoke, " Hop away and get table three, four orders of fried calamari, two seafood stir fried noodles, and two golden fried shrimp. . . Please,"  with every word he seemed to open the gates of hell little by little, and by the end he smoothly shut them and pulled up a halo over the pointy horns over his head. " Also, three glasses of osmanthus wine. . ."

          " Make it four, " the lady added, before pulling out a card from her furr purse and placing it against the surface of the counter between her and Kaeya. " Call me when you change your mind."

           " Well fuck Christ on a stick, " Childe butted in taking the card while ignoring the glare being shot at him. " Lucky rabbit got scouted by a strip club," he glanced at Kaeya who only narrowed his eyes at him. " How. Befitting."

            " Excuse me, gentlemen," with her glare now focused on Childe, the woman carried herself back to her table in silence, leaving Childe and Kaeya to their exchange.

"You screwed us over," the color drained from Kaeya's face a little. "That right there was a very very dangerous woman ."

        Childe only arched a brow at him and stuffed the fragrant business card in Kaeya's booba window," Did I make her mad ?"

         "Obviously," Kaeya sighed at the ginger's laid-back attitude. "God, you should come with a warning label."

"Perfect," the ginger grinned, patting him on the shoulder," You're welcome."