Pamela observed the unblemished squished face in the window pane with curiosity, tilting her head. She couldn’t quite tell their gender since every part of their feature was planted right into the window pane, like a squashed slime.
“Ah, so that's it!”
Pamela clapped her hands together in understanding and a bright smile adorned her lips. Without any hesitation, she squished her face right into the window pane beside the stranger. The stranger widened his eyes at her, and Pamela widened her eyes in return.
Oh, they have pretty eyes!
Pamela noted in interest.
The stranger possessed heterochromia eyes. One was a brilliant golden and the other was azure blue.
At the same time, Sayi descended down the stairs of the cottage and stumbled upon this disconcerting sight. She furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance and turned around, taking a few steps up the stairs before pausing.
“If I let them continue, their ugly faces would be etched into those window panes.”
She spun around and in a blink of an eye, she was standing beside Pamela. She glanced between Pamela and the mysterious stranger, and they were still trying to imprint their mark on the pitiful window pane.
“I should set everything on fire.”
“Sayi!” Pamela exclaimed as she withdrew, pointing to the stranger. “This is an interesting way of greeting in this world!”
“Greeting? What kind of greeting do you think this is?”
“Saying hello! Look at their friendly face!”
Sayi looked at the stranger whose gaze had shifted towards her, giving her a pleading stare with their squashed face.She closed her eyes in resignation, placing her hand on her forehead.
“Should I continue sticking my face there?” Pamela asked. “They seem to like it! I could see it in their eyes.”
“Do that again, and I’ll burn your skin off.”
Pamela pouted. “Booooo. Rude.”
“Bring that laht’kil seht in.” Sayi sighed, waving her hand in annoyance.
The stranger's pleading gaze became a sheepish one. They were still insisting on squishing their face against the window pane.
“Is that their name?” Pamela asked.
“Not really.”
“Well, it doesn't matter! From this day forth, they will be a customer!”
“Customer?” Sayi raised an eyebrow, pointing at the stranger. “That…thing?”
The stranger showed a hint of displeasure at Sayi's words.
“This is a cafe, and I have my equipment with me,” Pamela gestured to her surroundings, beaming. “I’m back to being a barista!”
Sayi didn't have an inkling of what Pamela had said, but she didn't care. Her possession should remain in her lair obediently.
“This place was made according to your desires, so use it as you please,” Sayi said as she shrugged. “As long as you stay here and continue making drinks to cure those migraines of mine, I don’t care what you do.”
Pamela nodded eagerly. “I’m more than happy to!”
Sayi frowned at her enthusiastic response. She has never seen a human so bubbly and animated after being kidnapped.
❅❅❅
The stranger turned out to be a tall, elegant man dressed in white clergy robes. Long, straight blonde hair that reached down their shoulders and irises which were a brilliant golden and a beautiful azure blue. His features were extremely beautiful, like a delicate doll sculpted inch by inch. Moreover, he seemed to give off an otherworldly feeling. The two of them sat at the bar counter while Pamela stood behind the bar counter, admiring the blonde-haired stranger in awe.
I am surrounded by beautiful people!
She glanced back and forth between Sayi and the blonde-haired stranger.
“What are you doing here?”
“Te netl sa’an.”
“Are you expecting me to be your translator? How dare you treat an elder dragon like a servant.”
The blonde-haired stranger looked towards Pamela and gave her radiant smile, ignoring the menacing Sayi.
Pamela was tempted to lift her arms to shield herself from the dazzling sight.
“I wanted to apologise to the young lady.”
“Me?” Pamela blinked, pointing to herself. “Why?”
“Your fainting spell was caused by me.”
“Ah…” Pamela trailed off as she recalled her memories of fainting, and she grinned in approval. “It’s okay! Life is always full of misadventures like that!”
“I…don’t think the life of a human from Earth is that complicated—”
Pamela leaned towards the blonde-haired stranger, startling him. Her amethyst irises sparkling in delight. “How many times have you been to Earth?!”
“On-only once.”
“Have you tried any special drinks there?”
“Sorry, young lady. My memories of those times have faded.”
A genuine smile curved at Pamela’s lips as she observed him with a nod of approval. “Great! It’ll be fun to make a drink just for you!”
“A drink for me?”
Pamela winked.
An unfathomable emotion fleeted past his heterochromia eyes, and he softened his expression. “You may call me Chaeyar.”
“Chaeyar…” Pamela muttered to herself as she smiled. “Chaeyar.”
Pamela hummed a melody to herself as she brought out an assortment of items from her interdimensional bag, laying them out neatly across the shelves behind her. It was a mixture of fruit juice, various types of liquid, sweeteners and different types of coffee and tea. There was even beer, wine and liquor. At one point, it was hard to keep up what items she took out.
It was as if she had already made this place her home.
She went over to the sink, twisting the tap and took a sip of the crystal clear water flowing out from the tap.
“It’s smooth and light!” Pamela widened her eyes, looking at Sayi. “It’s comparable to the water from the blue planet!”
“Of course, I am an elder dragon. I am capable of anything.”
“With this, I can make the perfect drink for you now, Chaeyar!” Pamela grinned.
“Hmm. You actually revealed your name.” Sayi hummed with a look of interest as rested her chin on her palm. “You must have really taken a liking to her.”
“She’s an interesting human,” Chaeyar answered. “Just like how you are an intriguing elder dragon.”
“If you steal her away from my lair,” she threatened with a dangerous growl, her scarlet irises glinting menacingly. “I’ll hunt you down and tear you to pieces.”
“Unlike the others, I have no interest in making an enemy out of an elder dragon.” Chaeyar smiled amiably. “I know better than to touch anything that belongs to a dragon.”
Not paying attention to the conversation behind her, Pamela tilted her head back slightly.
“How would you like your drink to be, Chaeyar?”
“I do not have any particular tastes, but I am craving something refreshing.”
Something shone in Pamela’s eyes as she heard those words.
I’ll start with the simplest drink.
She procured some lemon juice, sparkling water and honey from the shelf. Sayi and Chaeyar watched her, fascinated at her meticulous movements. In an instant, Pamela whipped out a drink in a tall glass cup filled with ice, mint leaves and lemon slices. She placed a cork coaster in front of Chaeyar, putting the glass cup on it.
“For you, a sparkling lemonade.”
There was a soft fizzling sound coming from the drink, and Chaeyar observed the tiny bubbles stuck to the ice cubes and lemon slices in wonder.
“I have never seen a drink like this before.” Chaeyar murmured.
“Can you…even drink those bubbles down?” Sayi regarded the drink with suspicion.
Pamela merely nodded her head at Chaeyar and Sayi, smiling. She went back to cleaning up the equipment and bar counter, placing everything back into the respective shelves.
Chaeyar sipped his drink at that moment, his eyes widening in delight. “This refreshing feeling…is so–”
So familiar.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
There was an inexplicable glimmer in Chaeyar’s heterochromia eyes as he gazed before him, reminiscing a bittersweet memory. A small smile curved at his lips before he glanced down at his drink, watching as the ice cubes slightly moved due to the bubbles.
“Thank you, Pamela, for the very…pleasant surprise.”
Sayi watched the quiet Chaeyar who was still immersed in his memories, and she grinned. A sense of fulfilment filled her, warming her heart.
“Let me try it.” Sayi said, her interest piqued.
Chaeyar didn’t give Sayi the chance, pulling the drink away from her reach and taking a few big gulps.
“Chaeyar, you…!”
“This drink isn’t your possession, elder dragon,” Chaeyar said, a gentle smile on his face. “Didn’t you hear? She said it’s for me.”
Sayi’s eyebrows twitched in anger, turning to look at Pamela. “Miragine pill, make me the same–”
“It’s running out…”
Pamela wasn’t paying attention to the commotion behind her, and observed the ingredients with a tinge of sadness. It was apparent what her concern was, the ingredients on the shelves were diminishing rapidly. The same ingredients she worked hard to bring over from her own world, and gathered over the years.
“I need to find somewhere to restock on these items,” Pamela sighed, holding the bottle of sparkling water in her hands with a pout on her face. “At least that blue planet was good for sparkling water. That’s the only flavoured water they allowed, and it was absurdly expensive! And there was also the matter of…”
Pamela rambled on and on, and a thought occurred to Chaeyar as he listened to Pamela. He shifted his gaze towards Sayi, contemplative.
“What’s with that look?” Sayi narrowed her eyes at Chaeyar, displeased.
“I am wondering if–”
“Sayi!” Pamela called out, interrupting Chaeyar.
“And what now?” Sayi moved her gaze to Pamela.
“I wanna go grocery shopping!”
“...?” Sayi frowned, her hand on her hip. “What the hell is that?”
“To buy things to make more drinks!”
She started to think of the tea and the hot chocolate that Pamela made to ease her migraines, and her expression softened. “As long as you don’t run away.”
“Why would I run? This is the perfect place to live my dreams!”
“What a strange human, but the drink she made has a certain charm to it.” Chaeyar sipped down his sparkling lemonade, mumbling to himself.
Pamela rushed to the door and glanced back, giving the two of them a big wave. “I’ll be back later!”
“...”
“...”
“I can still feel your stare from before, laht’kil seht. Just spit it out.”
“I knew it. You didn’t tell that human, did you?” Chaeyar frowned, clearly troubled.
“Tell her what?”
“That this world…”
Chaeyar stared out at the windows of the cottage cafe. They were surrounded by lush greenery, and the birds sat on the branches of the trees, chirping away happily. The sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, casting a soft glow on the grass, bushes and flowers.
It was a picturesque scenery.
“...is on the verge of being destroyed.”
“That’s why I left my magic on her, and you did too.” Sayi shrugged.
“It’s a gift.” Chaeyar showed off a radiant smile. “To the hapless yet adorable possession of the elder dragon, Sayinaral Qayag Akiudo.”
❅❅❅
“Hmmm…” Pamela smacked her lips together, a deep frown on her face with her arms across her chest. “Is this how a world is supposed to look?”
After she exited the cottage cafe, the vibrant and colourful world twisted. The world was now bathed in an eerie orange warmth, and instead of seeing a sun in the sky, Pamela saw the sun and the moon colliding together but it wasn’t an eclipse. It was an unbelievable sight, and a sight that her brain could not comprehend. She was standing atop the edge of a cliff with a cave behind her. The same cave that she emerged from. The forest below her was completely ruined with withered trees, burnt soil and even empty patches of land had become a black swamp. There was a stench of death and burning flesh lingering in the air.
Moreover, the temperature in the air constantly switched between hot and cold, making Pamela shiver and sweat at the same time. She squinted her eyes at the dense fog in the distance, it blocked the view of the remaining outside world completely.
“...where can I go grocery shopping in this kind of world?”
There was a deafening roar in the distance that sent chills down Pamela’s spine, making her shiver. She searched for the source of the roar, reeling back in shock when she realised it was a grotesque monster that resembled a tiger. Its flesh was partially rotten, and one could see the bones of its jaw.
“Oh, it’s growing bald…” Pamela said with a hint of sympathy.
It seemed as if the grotesque tiger monster heard those offending words, a glint in its eyes as it focused on Pamela in the distance.
She flinched.
“Grrrrr!”
It dashed across the forest at an astonishing speed, aiming straight for where Pamela stood. The closer the monster was, the bigger it was in size, making Pamela jaw drop. That wasn’t the end as the tiger suddenly leapt high up into the air, baring its teeth.
The “tiger” was now floating.
“...”
“...”
“Grr.”
“Ho-how can a tiger fly?!”
“Grrrgh!”
Just like that, it charged straight for Pamela making her scream in horror as she scuttled back. “I-I just wanted to buy some groceries!”
Fortunately, before the tiger could land its rotten teeth on Pamela, there was a sudden gust of wind and a blurry figure appeared out of nowhere, their leg connecting with the monster’s body as it flew back and falling right into the black, murky swamp. The figure landed elegantly in front of her, and it turned out to be a tall and charming ink-black haired man clad in leather armour.
He turned his head slightly, his sky blue eyes eyeing Pamela in concern. “Are you alright, young lady?”
Pamela’s lavender-coloured hair with blue highlights was a complete mess, and she stood in her spot, blinking rapidly as she pointed to herself. “Woah, I am a damsel in distress!”
“Stay behind me,” he warned, sticking his right arm out as a glowing object appeared in his hand, taking shape as a halberd. “The damn thing won’t go down just like that.”
Pamela did as he said, and she covered her ears when she heard another thunderous roar. Once again, the tiger floated right up into the sky, baring its rotten teeth at them and the murky water from the swamp dripped off their body.
“I still don’t understand how it is flying!” Pamela exclaimed.
“It’s kicking itself into the air with its ridiculous strength, and the damn cat is kicking its legs so quickly, an ordinary person can’t see it.”
“...how is that even possible?”
“Who knows? That’s how desperate it was to catch us in the skies.”
Pamela squinted her eyes, and unbeknownst to the two of them, a golden coiling thread shot out of Pamela’s body, going straight into her amethyst eyes.
“Ah, I see its legs!”
“Huh? Yo-you see it? All of a sudden?”
It reminded Pamela of an animal paddling in the water, and the tiger was paddling so swiftly, it seemed as if there were propellers stuck to their feet. Her lips twitched in amusement at the ridiculous sight, and she squeezed her eyes close, turning away.
“It’s scarier when you can actually see it, right?”
“Ye-yes, yes…” Pamela coughed, struggling those words out and biting down on her lips to control her laughter. “It's a nightmare.”
“Garrrgh!”
“Eeee!” Pamela let out a frightened squeal, the golden coiling thread disappearing back into her body.
“This ugly balding cat,” he said, clicking his tongue as he swung his halberd at the tiger-like monster. “Just go down already!”
There was a fierce glint in the tiger’s eyes as the man spouted those words, and the tiger opened their jaw, chomping down on the halberd that was aiming for their body.
“Uh oh.”
“Uh oh?”
The tiger-like monster lifted its jaw, a devious sparkle in its eyes. It began to spin the man holding the halberd around like a toy, and Pamela watched on in disbelief. In the end, the man was tossed aside like a ragdoll as he rolled across the ground, his face planting straight into the ground.
“Mister Prince!” Pamela exclaimed in alarm, dashing over to his side and knelt beside him.
The halberd disappeared from the monster’s mouth as it reverted back into a glowing orb, floating back over to Mister Prince. His body absorbed the glowing orb as the monster huffed in victory.
“You can’t just leave the damsel in distress like that! This isn’t how the story is supposed to end!”
Mister Prince remained still on the ground with a bloodied face, utterly defeated.
“Mister Princeeee!”
The monster was tired of Pamela’s theatrics, opening up its wide jaw and Pamela shivered as she saw its teeth dripping with black liquid and pieces of flesh stuck to it. She shielded herself with her arms, and just then, the golden coiling thread shot out from her body. It formed a huge palm in the air and slapped the monster away.
“Eh?”
“...?!”
The monster flew off into the distance and was never seen again.
Mister Prince opened his eyes for a moment and saw this mystifying sight. He decided to close them once more.
“How did I…” Pamela gasped, looking down at herself. She could see a golden glittering thread twirling around her. “What’s this?”
Pamela clenched her fist and the golden thread enshrouded her fist in an instant, she observed the magic happening before her eyes in awe. Mister Prince started coughing, the blood drooling down his nose.
“Ah, you are awake! How are you feeling?”
“Dead.”
“It’s okay, you’ll be fine, Mister Prince!”
“...just call me Blyn.”
“Can you sit up? Wait, don’t tilt your head back, keep it down!” Pamela advised, helping him up as Blyn pinched his nose bridge.
“Since I saved your life, can I request something?”
“I saved yours too, but sure!” Pamela nodded, beaming at the battered Blyn. “In return, do me a favour as well!”
“What do you want?”
“Be my second customer! I’ll make you a drink.”
“...”
“...”
“Huh?”
❅❅❅
Pamela marched back into the cottage cafe, forgetting her original mission to obtain groceries because she reeled in another customer. The same customer she was carrying in her arms bridal style. The golden thread was now surrounding her entire arms, and with that, Blyn had become as light as a feather in her arms. Blyn was utterly embarrassed, his hands covering his face. This wasn’t how he envisioned his heroic attempts to end up like.
“Is that…grocery shopping?” Sayi raised her eyebrow at Blyn pretending to be a corpse in Pamela’s arms. “You are using my magic for something like that?”
“He’s a customer—ah!” Pamela widened her eyes, releasing her hold on Blyn by accident as he rolled away from her petite arms. “My groceries!”
Blyn immediately landed elegantly on the ground, trudging towards the bar stool and sitting down on it, hanging his head low. Even though he was covered in bruises and cuts, his pride was the one suffering the most.
“Pitiful little being.” Chaeyar sympathised with the sullen Blyn, raising his hand and casting a spell that showered Blyn’s body in a white glow. “That should be better.”
His battered body was fully recovered, and his charming looks were no longer obscured by his bloodied face.
Blyn looked at Chaeyar in amazement with his teary eyes. “A…a rare buffer? How did you enhance my regeneration without any repercussions?”
Chaeyar showed him an enigmatic smile, placing a finger on his lips.
“Wait a minute, where is this?” Blyn blinked rapidly in confusion. “How does such a place exist in…”
“This is my lair,” Sayi declared, tilting her chin arrogantly. “I am only letting you enter because of my migraine pill.”
It took Blyn a few moments to comprehend those words before he paled, collapsing to his knees before Sayi.
“I found you. I-I finally found you.”
Sayi observed him quietly, her face full of disinterest.
“O’ Great Dragon residing in the Outerlands, please…”
He lowered his head.
“Please kill my younger brother.”
❅❅❅
Featured Drinks:
Sparkling Lemonade
gin tonic cocktail Alcoholic drink (gin tonic cocktail) with lemon, rosemary and ice on rustic wooden table, copy space Gin Stock Photo [https://media.istockphoto.com/id/663312564/photo/gin-tonic-cocktail.jpg?s=1024x1024&w=is&k=20&c=-j_cS6qnfE0THtAHcK69uy0IfLiJJgyh31d1Du58WRo=]
Coffee Trivia of the Day:
Café au lait (French) and Caffè latte (Italian) seem similar on the surface as both are made with coffee and milk. However, café au lait uses coffee instead of espresso in caffè latte. In addition to that, the milk content in café au lait is lower than that of caffè latte.
Overtime, the two drinks have started to meld together and now, the terms “café au lait” and “caffè latte” are used to know if the beverage is served in the "French" or the "Italian" way!