When Xiao stepped through the door, the space around him suddenly changed, and he was dragged to an unknown location.
'This is...!' Quickly realizing the situation he was in, Xiao instantly held his guard up and became wary. 'Was I pulled to a domain?'
In the realm of the Adepti, creating domains where they rule over is the norm. Often, these realms are separate from the common eye.
As for Xiao, who is also an Adeptus, naturally knew how these realms worked. As such, the first thing that came to his mind when he was pulled into this strange new room was that an Adeptus dragged him into their realm.
'...that's what I think but...' Raising his jade polearm and pointing it at the three figures looking at him, Xiao's eyes couldn't help but blink twice. 'Who—'
"Your next thoughts are..." Suddenly, the man who was behind a counter smirked. "Who are they?"
"?" Xiao, who was also about to think the same thing, froze. In an instant, a fierce look appeared in his eyes. 'He can read minds... This needs to be placed on a much serious matter.'
"—on a much serious matter." However, while Xiao was thinking, the man was also saying the same thing he was thinking. "Right?"
Grip—*
Holding on to his polearm tighter, Xiao was ready to attack the unknown person.
Seeing Xiao's reaction, the man made a wide smirk, as if amused by the Adeptus' actions.
His deep amber eyes which were vibrant yet also hollow, made Xiao immediately assess that the man carried an enigmatic yet eerily dangerous feeling.
'Now!' With this thought, Xiao lifted his jade polearm and was ready to attack.
However, before he could continue, the man's smirk suddenly changed and a laugh escaped his mouth. "Haha..."
"I've got to hand it to you," In the same room, the woman with the pink hair scoffed. "To provoke a Yaksha of Liyue? Even I have to deeply contemplate this first before doing such a thing."
"Yeah, but knowing you, you'd still do the same, eh?" The man heaved a sigh as he side-eyed the woman.
"No comments." She replied with a soft smile.
The man didn't pursue the matter further and instead shifted his gaze towards the Yaksha. "Sorry about that, I just thought that it would lighten up the mood."
"...what do you mean?" Despite the man's change in attitude, Xiao never let his guard down and continued aiming his polearm at him.
"Well, first of all, why don't you put down that scary weapon of yours and have a seat? I'm getting scared here, haha." The man with the deep amber eyes chuckled softly at Xiao. He then pointed at a seat. "Come on now, don't be shy."
"..." Xiao hesitated. This might very well be a trap. He moved his eyes and scanned the room.
Other than the man, who wore a white long-sleeved shirt with an apron on top, there was also the woman with pink hair who wore a shrine maiden garment, and finally, a child who wore red clothing who was eating cheesecake beside the aforementioned woman.
Looking at the seat the man was pointing at again, Xiao thought for a moment before opening his mouth. "Who are you?"
"Me? I go by many names," The man smiled enigmatically. He then raised his right hand and started counting, "Some of my names are the Good Hunter, the Eagle of Florence, The Hollow Knight, the Trailblazer, the Captain, the Doctor, the Manager, Sensei, as well as..."
"The Traveler."
During the time the man spoke, it was as if he was trying to recall and reference something. However, the rest of the people present were oblivious to the references he was making.
Seeing how no one got his references, the man wasn't disappointed and let out a soft sigh with a light smile on his face. "Forgive me— those were uncalled for."
"You can just call me Isaac." In the end, the man gave his name. He then pointed at the other two women. "That Kitsune over there is Yae Miko, and the little one is Klee."
"Yae Miko?" Hearing this name, Xiao turned his head and looked at Yae. "Are you... The Head Shrine Maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine in Inazuma?"
"I'm honored to have the Conqueror of Demons knowing my name..." Hearing her title spoken out loud, Yae Miko felt very pleased. She turned her head to Isaac. "See this, Isaac? This is how you rever someone's title."
'As if I care.' Isaac maintained his smile and lightly nodded. He then looked back at Xiao.
"Don't be on edge, Conqueror of Demons," Isaac smirked and pointed at a seat near him. "Take a seat."
"You can trust him," Yae Miko vouched on the side. However, she soon followed up with a comment, "...Most of the time."
Xiao looked at the seat Isaac was pointing at and stared at it for a few moments.
That black comfortable-looking seat with the soft res cushion on top allured the Conqueror of Demons.
"I shall take your word for it," Xiao looked at Yae Miko before approaching the seat Isaac was offering him and sat down.
'Got you.' Seeing Xiao sit down, Isaac almost let a wide grin escape his face. Fortunately, he was quite adept at controlling his expressions. 'You have no choice now, Xiao. You will experience a soothing trip down Isaac's Serenity café!'
'Let's begin business,' Isaac heaved a soft sigh and curled up a light courteous smile. "What tea would you like to have, dear sir?"
Xiao heard this and pondered for a moment. Everything was still flowing a bit too fast for him.
First, he was dragged somewhere unknown, met someone with mysterious motives, encountered the head shrine maiden of Inazuma, and now he's being asked what kind of tea he likes.
'This is... Odd.' The Yaksha thought as he warily looked around to see if this was a trap. 'However... There's not a single sight of any form of trap anywhere...'
"Ah, that's not good, dear sir." Once more, Isaac's words drifted over to Xiao. "Having negative emotions here is highly prohibited, you know?"
"If I may be so bold, Conqueror of Demons..." With a thought in mind, Isaac took out the menu and pointed at a specific tea. "Might I recommend you a drink?"
He then tapped on the menu, "This here is called a Lavender Tea. This one, along with chamomile and mint tea, is my go-to whenever I'm feeling down."
"Their ability to calm down turmoil emotions is quite the miracle— something that I dearly love."
"How about it?" Isaac's deep amber eyes then looked directly at Xiao's golden eyes. Then, with a soft smile, he spoke, "Would you like one?"
'That's...'
Looking at Isaac's eyes, Xiao froze for a moment. He didn't know why, but those deep amber eyes of the man in front of him reminded him of someone.
Eyes that seem to hold an immeasurable and vast sea of enigma, yet give strength to those that gaze upon them.
Yes, Xiao had seen them before. Those amber eyes... It was just like...
'No—' Before Xiao could finish his thoughts, he immediately cut off his train of thought. He acted as if he was about to commit blasphemy. 'They're only the same... There's no way that...'
Though he said that, Xiao still had difficulty convincing himself otherwise.
'They just appear similar— that's all.'
Shaking his head, Xiao shook off his thoughts and looked again at the man in front of him. 'I should... Approach this from another perspective...'
Making up his mind, Xiao, with his unmoved and solemn face, nodded. "I'd try it."
"Oh?"
"Oh?"
Two gasps of surprise escaped the mouths of Yae Miko and Isaac almost at the same time.
It was as if they heard something out of this world.
'No way...' Isaac, who was planning to show other options in case Xiao rejected the Lavender tea, became baffled. 'Where did your cynical nature go? You trusted me way too fast!'
Even for him, this Deus Ex Machina was too convenient.
However...
'Not gonna complain though.' Isaac's smile grew vibrant and he raised a thumbs up. 'If it makes the job easier, why not?'
"Very well," Receiving Xiao's order, Isaac nodded his head. Fastening his gloves, he took a plate and turned around. "I'll whip it up in a moment!"
With those words, Isaac left the counter and went into the kitchen.
"And after this..." However, inside the kitchen, Isaac muttered something under his breath. "You will be my regular customer, hehe..."
Was it morally correct to exploit an emotionally scarred person like Xiao? The answer is no, of course.
But Isaac was doing Xiao a favor here. In exchange for Xiao's help, Isaac, in turn, would help soothe his Karmic debt.
It was a win-win!