It was not Elba's wish to waste time over a case that doesn't concern him, but as a certified narcissist, he couldn't just leave the crying people who begged him to help them. Not after he had received their gratitude.
Erin glanced at Tabibah. Was she angry? Her face was just as usual, cold and filled with emptiness, she was still sipping the tea in front of her with ease, but Etim could barely hold his cup straight.
Are you okay?
His cup shook and fell from his hands, green tea spilling all over the mahogany table. He almost had a heart attack at the unexpected voice in his mind. Tabibah looked at him weirdly.
Are you...
"I'm fine!!! I'm very fine." His voice came out louder than he expected. Well, fuck me, he cursed himself. Why was he so bothered about what Tabibah was feeling? But how unlucky am I? Out of all the empty tables, Elba just has to sit three tables from us.
A maid came from the side to clear the table. As he turned, he locked eyes with Elba. A wave of nausea came over him, and he averted his gaze. Why were they so similar? Elba and Tabibah had the same cold face almost every time, they ate in the same manner, and hate the same things. But while Elba made him scared, Tabibah made him feel funny inside. Yes, Etim was aware that he might suffer from a slight case of masochism.
"What would you like for dinner?" The maid asked them. Tabibah wasn't sure what food existed now, so she nodded at Etim.
"Two plates of fried rice with chicken, a big bowl of fruit salad no cucumber, and water."
He peeked at Tabibah to see if she had any objections, but she wasn't listening to him. Her eyes were on him, but her gaze was not focused, and she seemed to be listening to what Elba was saying. He waved the maid off.
"I'm not certain what it is, but I think it is a Rajaka." the fox said. He didn't look too good, his complexion looked grey and his moral grim. Contrary to before, Elba wasn't focused on him and had his hands on the thighs of a doe eyes brunette next to him.
"A Rajaka?" Elba asked. He couldn't help but feel like an evil gaze was on him, but he had scanned the room and the only person who seemed suspicious was the red-haired beauty close to him that stared at him secretly with a flushed face even though she sat with her partner. This was not the first time that a lady fell in love with him at first sight, so he wasn't bothered. If not for the lack of time, he might have fed her before he left here. His eyes met with the red-haired and he winked.
"What is a Rajaka? " Tabibah asked, Etim shivered in disgust and turned his attention to her. Just what did that nasty man mean by that wink?
"Etim. . ."
"A Rajaka is a snake demon with the body of a tree," he told her. "It is a pretty high-level demon. About grade five. It increases its strength by sleeping with young ladies and sucking out their essence."
No wonder only ladies go missing, Tabibah thought. The maid appeared at that time with their food. Tabibah grimaced. The rice was golden, the meat properly fried, and nothing looked wrong with it, but Tabibah felt it would taste horrible.
"Eat, eat, the food won't taste good if it gets cold," Etim said with puffy cheeks. Tabibah nodded and took a spoonful of rice.
She was right, the food tasted horrible. Unlike Etim's tasty meals, the food was not well seasoned and tasted too salty. She didn't feel that hungry anymore.
"Tell me more about this Rajaka," Tabibah told Etim, toying with her food. She needed a distraction to feed in this… thing.
"It had teleportation ability. " Etim continued. "And a huge demon core."
"Demon core??"
A monster core is a good power booster and also helped to heal wounds. It would help Tabibah greatly if she could lay her hands on one, but not all demons had cores. Tabibah sighed. She wanted the demon as well, but tomorrow was the full moon.
While Tabibah was lost in her thoughts, Etim was busy thinking about what he would buy tomorrow in the market. Rice, beans, oil. . . What else?
They are quick and Etim decided to abandon Tabibah downstairs since he felt sleepy. Big mistake.
He walked up the creaky stairs to his room. His mind was filled with various thoughts, especially those of his feelings. . . Towards Tabibah. He wasn't dumb. The crush was real. He can't believe his first puppy love was his kidnapper.
"Hey!!"
Etim turned to see Elba staring at him. Okay, what is it? He ignored him and continued walking, but he was interrupted again.
"Hey, pretty girl, I'm talking to you."
Holy fuck, holy fuck. Etim couldn't believe that he was being wooed. . . By his adopted brother. Help me?
He couldn't escape because, with just a few steps, Elba's long leg have brought him to his front. Etim halted as Elba stood in front of him and leaned closer.
"Are you mute?"
"I-I- I am not mute."
"Ha!! She talks." Elba was only looking for a quick fuck. Normally, the girl was supposed to act all shy and dragged him to her room. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes of coaxing. The girl was not supposed to look all petrified.
Is this a new method of seducing men? He thought confused, it was working.
"I saw you looking at me."
"No, I wasn't!"
"Yes, you were."
"No, I wasn't"
"Yes, you were."
"No, I wasn't," Etim said, stomping his foot. What should he do? What type of weird day is this?
"I was looking at the pink-haired man next to you," Etim told him with a frown.
Elba: "…"
The fox hiding in secret: "…"
Elba scoffed. "So you mean, you ignored me," he said, pointing to himself. "And stared at that. . ."
He scoffed and smirked." You are lying."
Yes, I am. "No, I am not. His hair is pretty, his face is pretty. He is not too muscular or muscular, his body stature is pretty. His eyes are pretty. I love pretty boys, and he is undoubtedly my type."
"Oh, really?" A cold voice drawled out. Etim turned back in shock and saw Tabibah standing there. Oh, fuck me.