⌜

To find that which cannot be found. To save those who cannot be saved. To fight, when all else is dire.

We are brothers and sisters in death.

⌟

This was the message on the plaque her mother placed on the wall in her room. A sigh. “She never really left the battlefield...” The elven girl stood up from her bed and walked over to the mirror.

Her silvery blue hair was messy, and her amber eyes were dim in the soft lighting of the room. Soft light reflected off of her new piercings. She hung her head. “Another missed day.” She slapped her cheeks. “Okay. I only have to man the shop today, it’s not like I’ll have missed anything huge at school. Right?” She kept coping, trying to convince none but herself.

The girl quickly went to the washroom and cleaned herself, taking a few minutes to sort out her hair, amongst other bits and bobs. The uniform on the table was the same as the one her mother wore, but it was tailored to be a bit smaller so it would fit her. “Come on Maya, we gotta open up shop!” Maya put on the white shirt and black trousers, then reached for the apron hanging off her chair.

Today, she would cover her mother’s absence and run the café. She didn’t enjoy it, but they had to earn money somehow. This was a much better alternative to most of the other demeaning jobs that women got in this city. The establishments in the red light district were well-known for their high payrates, but the stories from the women who worked there gave her an awful impression of the area. Maya thanked the battle-gods for their love and care for her and her mother, that they didn’t have to work in the red light district.

She fastened the apron, and went downstairs. The café was at the front of the house. Maya and her mother were only able to live there because of the café. It afforded them a business residence. Fortunately for her, the café was very close to the Academy. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t attend today because her mother was off on some personal business.

Still, Maya persevered. The Academy was understanding of students’ personal circumstances, and offered ways to catch up on the work they missed without causing too much hassle. She smiled unknowingly. The Academy felt like a second home to her.

Outside of the café was a small group of people who patiently waited for their morning coffees and teas. Most of them were chatting amongst themselves.

Maya pushed the button in the café’s kitchen that opened up the shutters at the front. They couldn’t afford a magical security gate, but this old fashioned mechanical one did the trick just fine. Considering their proximity to the Academy, the area was always secure enough.

The people outside audibly reacted as the shutters raised. There was a mostly positive reaction among them when the gates opened up. Some of them were impatient and rushed to the front of the small group.

The café was officially open for the day, and Maya was the sole worker.

She riled herself up. This is gonna be a loooong day. Let’s work hard for mum!

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It really was a long day. The start of the week was always the worst. Maya was glad for this brief respite in the middle of the day. Just after the lunchtime rush was a lull period. Hardly anyone actually visited the café during this time period. The café being empty right now meant that Maya could rest a little bit.

She prepared an iced tea for herself, then sat back on the chair just behind the till. Slowly, she enjoyed her iced tea. It was like a break, but she still had to be ready for potential customers to show up.

There was just enough tea in the cup left for a full mouthful, Maya gauged.

Challenge accepted.

Maya breathed out all of the air in her system, pushing down to the last dregs of air in her lungs. She took a half breath. The cup reached her lips, and she efficiently filled her mouth with the iced tea.

Her limits were being reached. There was too much tea in the cup for a full mouth to contain. Still, she pushed onwards. Maya wouldn’t be defeated today. Her cheeks would’ve looked inflated to any passersby, but she didn’t care.

This will be my victory!

The cup was almost emptied, and Maya was at her limits.

I won’t lose!

The cup emptied. Maya’s mouth was completely full. She strained to keep her lips closed. A single droplet of tea leaked out, and dribbled down her chin.

Maya took a huge gulp. She let out a satisfied ‘pwaaah’ of triumph as she leaned back in her chair. After a moment of indulging in her win, Maya took a napkin and wiped the dribbled tea off of her chin.

The battle of the iced tea was her victory. 1-0. Mum may have fought in the war, but did she ever win a battle of iced tea? I think not. She giggled to herself.

The bell at the top of the door rang as it opened.

Maya stood up, choosing to relish in her victory at a later point.

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“Hello! How may I help y-oh?” She stared at the group. “Amy?”

Amy let go of Tullian’s arm and flew forward, “MAYA!”

Maya ran around the counter with her arms outstretched. She caught Amy from mid-air.

Tullian let out a low whistle, “Did you see that airtime?” He spoke to no one in particular.

Amy squeezed out a word, “Maya... let... go...”

Maya caught herself. “Oops.” She released her bear hug, dropping Amy to her feet.

Amy wheezed as she was let go, “Why are you so freakishly strong?”

Maya smiled at her, “Why are you so freakishly loud?”

They stared at each other, then laughed.

Tullian was terrified. He whispered under his breath, “There’s four of them now...”

Maya noticed the red haired girl silently walk up behind Amy. She recognised her. “You... you’re the Deceiver’s daughter aren’t you? Sindyl, was it?”

Sin smiled and nodded, “Yep! That’s me. Do you two know each other?”

Amy jumped in front of Sin, startling her somewhat. “Our parents know each other. So we’ve been friends since we were young!”

Sin’s face turned to realisation, “Ahh...” She looked over the counter, as if she was looking for something.

Maya tilted her head, “You alright?”

Sin frowned slightly, “The other lady isn’t here.”

Rai spoke from behind Maya, “Yep. Definitely no one else back here.”

Maya turned around. Her eyes were wide. “How... how did you...” She stared at Rai, who was sat on top of the counter.

Amy placed a comforting hand on Maya’s shoulder, “That’s just how he is. Don’t worry about it.”

Maya shook her head, then whispered under her breath, “But I couldn’t even sense him...” She took a closer look at the boy... “Wait! I know you!” She stomped over to the counter. Maya glared at Rai, “You’re the one who said my footwork sucked!”

Rai returned her glare with a blank stare, “Huh?”

Maya rolled up her sleeves, revealing toned arms, “Don’t ‘huh’ me. You wanna go?”

Rai pondered for a moment, ignoring the angry girl that was now being held back by Amy, “Ah.” The angry girl stopped being angry for a second. “You’re the brawler! From the first day.”

Maya shoved off Amy’s hand, “Yeah... and what?”

Rai nimbly hopped off the counter, making nary a sound, “If you want to win a fight against me, you gotta move like I just did.” He smirked at her.

Sin facepalmed.

Maya’s anger boiled over the edge. But, before she could even start yelling at Rai, he was pulled away by the ear. Sin yanked him across the room to an empty table and sat him down. The hilarious image practically washed away all of Maya’s anger, and she laughed. This prompted Amy to laugh. That prompted Tullian, who was now no longer terrified, to laugh. The three of them stood, laughing.

Lina sat down next to where Sin plopped Rai down. He looked deflated. Lina pushed herself, “Are you okay?”

Rai leaned back, “Sin scolded me for starting a fight.” He leaned in closer to Lina. Rai whispered, “But she looks super strong, right?! I really want to fight her.” He had a cheeky grin on his face.

Lina looked over in the direction of the three laughing stooges, “Starting fights like that isn’t always good though... Still, I’m glad to see her properly after all this time.” Rai stared at her, not expecting those words to come out of her mouth. Lina whispered under her breath, “She is really cool.” She didn’t realise it, but she was blushing.

Sin walked back over to Maya and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Where’s that other woman who works here?”

Maya blinked at her, “You mean my mum? She’s off on personal business, but she should be back soon since it’s already the afternoon.”

Sin’s expression changed. What was once a questioning aura turned into something ravenous. “Can you make pancakes with strawberries like your mum can?”

It was a question, but Maya felt like it was more akin to an order. Sin’s imposing aura overwhelmed everyone in the room.

Tullian was once again terrified. He whispered under his breath, “Two of the four are about to fight...”

Rai smiled. Lina was scared, but she noticed his smile. What is it about this situation that could possibly make him happy? She didn’t understand it at all.

Rai whispered under his breath, thinking aloud, “She’s doing well.”

Lina looked over at Sindyl. She somewhat understood what Rai was saying, based off of their conversation from earlier.

Maya returned Sin’s fierce aura with an aura of her own. “You think I can’t make one better than hers? Bring it on!”

She accepted the challenge.

Sin’s hunger wouldn’t be sated with a mere pile of pancakes or strawberries. They had to be like the ones she had before. Those were so unbelievably amazing. Sin’s handmaiden, Lilly, couldn’t hope to make anything at that level.

Of course, this was all exaggeration, but Sin truly felt infatuated by those pancakes.

Maya moved to roll her sleeves up, forgetting that she already did so earlier. She went around the counter and washed her hands in the open kitchen. “Watch and learn Princess. I’ll blow those other pancakes out of the water!”

Sin shook her head, “Please don’t, they’re not meant to have water in them.” She was horrified at the idea of eating wet pancakes.

Maya chuckled, “At least you have a sense of humour.” She prepared all of the ingredients. Milk, eggs, sugar, and flour. It was a simple recipe that her mother taught her, but she’d been experimenting on her own.

Now was the time to bring out the secret weapon. Maya brought out a container with a sandy looking powder in it.

Sin gasped. “Cinnamon?!” Her anticipation was rising. The tension in the room was palpable.

Maya smirked at the Princess. “Just wait until you see it all put together. I’ll show you the true power of cinnamon pancakes!”

This was a battle that Maya wouldn’t lose. By this point, Tullian and Amy had sat down with the others. They left a space beside Rai for Sindyl. With the mood that she was in, she’d probably kill them if they didn’t.

Maya whirled around the kitchen like a barbarian, grabbing the things she needed for the final preparations of the dish. All the while, she replaced the completed pancakes on the pan with more of the pancake mixture to make one after another.

After a few minutes, Maya had completed the dish.

Sin drooled as she smelled the aroma coming from the first batch of the pancakes. She sucked back in her drool as the plate clanged in front of her.

Maya smirked, “Frui cibum, Princess.”

Sin stared at the beautiful plate that was laid out in front of her.

Most of the plate was taken up by the pancakes that exuded a wonderful cinnamon smell. But the rest of the plate was made to accompany the pancakes just as beautifully. Around the edge of the plate were different sauces in their own mini-puddles to dip parts of the pancakes into. They all had their own unique smells, and Sin assumed each one would transform the pancake into something completely different. The cool strawberries were in a bowl, topped with whipped cream.

It was beautiful.

Sin gulped. She took her fork and knife and readied herself to eat.

She devoured the entire thing.

Maya leaned against the wall, flipping a hand towel over her shoulder. “Well. What did you think?” She was smiling.

Sin scrunched her face up and crossed her arms. After a second she sighed. “It was good.”

Maya’s jaw dropped. “Just good? Really? That’s it?”

Sin shook her head, “Nonono, it was really really good. In fact, it was better than your mum’s...”

Maya breathed a sigh of relief. However, she knew that there was more. “What else is there?”

Sin frowned, “It’s missing something...”

A voice came from the front door of the café, “The tea. You’re missing the tea.”

Maya smiled. “Hey mum.”

Everyone turned to face her. Lina blushed as she saw her tank top.

The blue haired elven lady stood in the doorway with a huge bag slung over her shoulder.

Rai noticed her arms and abs covered in blade scars. Wait a minute... Those scars... aren’t they like Jin’s?

Sin smiled. There she is.