Amour De Cafe, Leon, Mexico.

Amour De Cafe, a small, quaint, French cafe which smelled of cinnamon and coffee! It had large, pink tinted windows and heavy magenta windows, and as Andone walked in, he felt the pink light and warm smells bathe him. He grinned, took a deep breath, and then walked towards the table at the very back.

As he walked, he could see the few people at the cafe, drinking coffee and nibbling at cupcakes while staring at newspaper, or even each other, start to turn his way as he walked by with strange expressions. He grinned and pushed back his shaggy blue hair as he thought. This handsome mug of mine must be intimidating all of the ladies here.

He slid his hands into his pockets, excitement blinding him, and ended up tripping into one of the waiters, who slipped on the tiled, slick floor and fell towards the ground.... only to be caught by Andone by the hand. He smiled down at her.

"Sorry to bump into you, Madam." He pulled her to his feet, and she stared at him with an expression that was a mix of confusion and thankfulness. What a nice man! I thought he was just some homeless beggar when I saw him walk in, but he's actually a gentlema-. Her thoughts froze as she realized that the man smelled absolutely repulsive, like an aquarium.

Andone grinned at her, clearly thinking she was impressed, and walked off towards the back table, sliding one of the chairs backwards and taking a seat, his eyes closed. He grinned. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He smirked and pushed his hair back.

"Sorry doesn't cover it. Maybe if you spent less time wandering in your delusions you wouldn't have wasted as much of my time." She replied.

"Oh-, I mean, I'm sorry. I guess, that like- well, I. I mean, sorry, I shouldn't of kept you waiting, especially considering it's our first date and all." He stumbled over his own words, surprised by how harsh the lady was, and opened his eyes for the first time since he sat down, and his mouth flew open.

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"Not your date, that's for sure." Shen curtly replied, taking a sip from his steaming cup of café crème.

"WHAT'VE YOU DONE WITH VALENTINA? I WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET HER, NOT YOU!" He ran his hands through his hair and messed it up, panting. "Did you kidnap her?!"

"Valentina doesn't exist." Shen relaxed his chin onto his hands. "If you're done, can we get to the point?"

"WHAT? B-BUT HER PROFILE PICTURE! I SAW IT RIGHT THERE ON MATCH.COM!" His hands dropped to his side, and Shen stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Are you not familiar with the term, profile picture? Just because I used a rather attractive young woman for my profile picture does not mean I am an attractive young woman." He saw Andone start to open his mouth again and continued to shut him up. "And even if she did exist, she would of stood you up after getting a whiff of that horrid odor you have."

"Huh?" He sniffed his armpits, and then stared at Shen, incredibly confused. "What odor?"

"The odor of aquarium water and fish gathered up into sweaty socks. You smell horrid. Now, if you shut up and let me get to the point I'll get you some cologne, shampoo, and a date with another girl. Got it?" He stirred his cup and took another sip before glancing around the cafe sharply.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Andone stared at him for a few seconds, sighed, and slouched in his chair. "Fine."

"My name is Shen Kou, and I'm an associative of a man planning to go through the Rata Sea to enter Moloc's Labyrinth. After extensive research and studying, we found that you hold heavy connections to the Oruka Shipping Company, which as you know, is one of the only three shipping companies which will go through the Rata Sea."

Andone immediately stopped slouching, and his eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you mean."

Shen glared back at Andone, frowning slightly. "Yes, you do. The Oruka Shipping Company is almost impossible to find, which is why we need you to help us find a ship owned by the company, so that we can get to the Labyrinth. You formerly worked for that company after all, am I right?"

"I said I don't got any idea what you're talking about, kid. Fork over the cologne already, and the new date." He shifted his gaze to the side, and Shen's fist tightened.

"If you don't comply right now, you'll end up wasting your and my time, because I'll just have to force you to comply later."

"Go ahead and try it, you weird catfish. Contact me again and I'll call the cops." Andone slid out of his seat, pushing it back in, and took a step towards the exit. "I mean it." Andone walked out the cafe, glaring at all of the people who scrunched their noses as he walked by, and slammed the front door.

Shen stared at him as he walked off and sighed. "So be it." He tapped his earpiece. "Pan, Malincha, be prepared to proceed with the plan." He stood up, pulling on his jacket, leaving a 5-dollar tip at the table, and walked out the cafe, and into the night, silently.

-------------------------

The next day a woman with slick black hair walked into to Acuario de Los Ocho Mares, a small, broke down fish shop facing the street, wearing an elegant huipil with complex patterns. As she walked into the shop, she looked around at the aquariums with heavy disdain in her eyes, sighing.

Andone, who was behind the front desk, noticed this, and slid out of his chair, walking towards her. He clearly had not handled last night well and looked even worse then yesterday, his short blue hair shaggy and tangled, and his eyebags looked like they were holding soccer balls.

"Hello, miss. Do you, uh, need anything? My name's Andone."

"Mmm, I was looking for a nearby fish shop, and someone told me that Rata Sea fish are delicious, so, I came here." She shifted her handbag to her other arm and sighed. "But the fish smells kind of..fishy?" She gestured with her hands, and Andone blinked slowly.

"Ma'am." He said slowly. "This is a shop that sells fish."

"I'm aware, Antonio." She looked at him from under the shades she was wearing and sneered, resting one arm on her other.

"No, I mean alive fish. As in fish, for pets." He smiled nervously at the lady, who just looked him up and down.

"Interesting. But you have those Rat fish, or whatever they're called, Antonio?"

"It's And-"

"Please, Antonio, I am a busy woman, and I have clients that are waiting on me to make their dresses. Just get me my fish, okay?" She stretched out her gloved hand and snapped her fingers, much to Andone's annoyance. "I'll just buy some fish and cook it at home."

"Respectfully, Miss...."

"Silla." She answered, patting her hair neatly.

"So, Miss Sarah, you are not allowed to cook any of my fish. They are pets, not food, so don't even think of it. And they don't even taste good, either, Miss Sarah." He retorted in a very drained tone.

"Excuse me, uh, do you KNOW who I am? I could have this...backwater-"

"Heh, pun." He pointed at her with finger guns."

"BACKWATER, POOR, STREET FACING SHOP GET CLOSED DOWN IF I FELT LIKE IT!" She finished, clenching her fist tightly, taking deep breaths as she finished speaking her piece. He stared at her after a deep inspection of his nails.

"Look lady, I am not scared of y-"

"Well, if I can't cook the fish, why don't you show me what their use is?" She scoffed, and then shoved her handbag into Andone's arms, walking off towards the section labeled "Fish of Rata Sea". "Are you coming along or not?" She called out to him, before heading further off into the store. Andone looked down at the handbag in his head and sighed.

As soon as she was out of his line of sight, she tapped her earpiece and whispered. "The plan is underway."