Mala ran and kept running, her legs not stopping until she had reached her hiding place. Her breathing was irregular as she panted, struggling to breathe. Mala looks at her surroundings cautiously, making sure nobody had been following her. A smile was drawn across her face as she sighs in relief, knowing that nobody could follow her in a labyrinth this deep and complicated.
Mala swiftly reaches for her handbag, grabbing a mask and wears it as she walks towards an alleyway surrounded by plants from the sides.
The bell rings as the masked lady opens the door, she was familiar with the noise. Mala was struck by nostalgia for a moment, her mind reminiscing her grandfather's horde of sheep, far away in the countryside's hills. Mala had missed the quiet atmosphere of her grandfather's residence. she relaxed, the soothing tune
without a stop giving her a constant sense of nostalgia.
"Ah.. Miss Lavandula." The white masked bartender greets, his elegant mask leaves nothing but his eyes visible. The man's name is none other than Klump, or called Bartender K.
"it has been quite some time since your last visit, why have you come here now miss Lavandula..?" The bartender asked to the girl with his baritone voice, sounding not too deep yet not light aswell.
"I thought you would be delighted with any reason i have to visit, Klump." Mala stated as she pulled a chair. Bartender K listened, knowing that Miss Lavandula will continue speaking. The masked bartender began brewing the lady's favourite drinks—fruit extract along with soda, syrup, ice, with sweetened condensed milk, and honey. But this time Klump added a rather special ingredients, making a cocktail with basil seeds.
"I feel like an escapee, being hunted for something yet i am not a criminal. Those corrupt officials are so annoying, always searching for more authority. They are even more annoying than flies when you are eating." Mala continued speaking, elaborating on her situation.
"I am sure that you are worth such a price that they would be willing to chase you so far." Bartender K knows, that what Lady Lavandula said was not this easy to decipher. He truly doesn't know about the situation that the lady has just told him.
Despite being a bartender to gather and oversee information, Bartender K has yet to uncover who Miss Lavandula truly is. He lacks knowledge about her, mostly due to how sly she is. Bartender K only knows about what Miss Lavandula has said to him, she speaks with complicated analogies, making it extremely hard and frustrating to understand its meanings.
But that was the not reality, as that was only what Bartender K and other customers thought of her. This was why Mala with ease, always gets what she wants. Mala was an S class customer, a VIP customer under a pseudonym named Lavandula. The reasons behind the pseudonym are unknown, who knows, Mala is not that confusing anyways.
Her head just kept nodding as she blabbed about the bullies in her classroom, who act like an all mighty official. She also mentioned about being in trouble recently. Yep, her highschool is definitely a colorful experience.
Even so… She at least has a friend, a childhood friend. Who doesn't lose in being annoying as if getting an almost perfect score, which was ninety-nine. Her name is Isela. Just Isela. No surname. Unlike Mala Ou Verrel, she doesn't have a family name. But "Verrel" is only a clan name. Mala's ID card, data, or any letters are only signed to Mala Ou, due to the dark history as well as the considered annihilation that happens to the Verrel clan.
What would be the first reaction of Bartender K if he was to find out about her being one of the Verrel clan? Bartender K loves her, either from an interested nature or curiosity, but he is quite helpful, even if you can't deny that he is a rational person that would take cruel choices if given.
Mala thought about it and it felt unfair if her identity was ever coming out as she never saw Bartender K's face and identities as well. Bartender K is truly the real mysterious figure. Even Mala wanted to know what his face looked like. If hearing his baritone voice was an addiction to her, Mala even imagined the handsome face that was hidden behind that mask. Yeah, but he could also be not what she really had expected in her mind. But that's alright, looks aren't everything, right?
The conversation carried on without any real topics to discuss as Mala let out pieces and bits of her exhaustion. That is until the next day, her adrenaline peaked, heart beating fast as she found out a new student named Klump is joining her class…
Her blood pumps fast until she can feel the beat in her chest. Not from excitement, fear. Mala feels her fear. Is her imagination turning into reality? Is her identity coming out and being revealed? And most importantly… Is that truly Bartender K..?