"What are you talking about?" Mosey asked Kove who held his cup of alcohol with both hands, like a warm blanket, thumb gently tracing the rim where his lips touched.
Kove took a sip, still holding the small container of alcoholic beverage with both hands and then set it back on the counter, resuming his routine of rubbing the rim with his thumb.
"I'm just curious, that's all. Also, I've been thinking this for a while, but doesn't it seem like Centshuu and Ripply are hiding something from us?" Kove said and Mosey's eyebrows furrowed.
Kove's words sparked both intrigue and discomfort in Mosey. He quickly unwrapped his arm from around Avery's neck and placed the cup of alcohol on the counter. Then, he shifted his entire attention to Kove, adjusting his body to face the observant man with slanted eyes.
"You feel like Centshuu and Ripply are hiding something from us? What's that supposed to mean?" Mosey inquired.
Kove took another sip, dropped the cup on the counter, and repeated his rim-rubbing routine.
"During our journey here, both of them seemed oddly detached from the rest of us. Normally, we all walk together in a close gathering, however, this time they separated themselves— at least, for the first couple of minutes when they were talking about something we couldn't hear or listen to. I was able to catch a few glimpses of Ripply's reactions to what Centshuu was talking to him about and I'll say that I've never seen Ripply show that level of disturbed and confused emotions before." Kove said then turned his head to Mosey beside him.
"He used to be the leader of the team you two had before Centshuu, me, and Shieve showed up, right?"
Mosey grimaced, wondering where his friend was going with all of this
"Yes, and?" He asked. "That was ages ago and Ripply willingly stepped down as the leader. In fact, he never wanted that role in the first place. He's always preferred helping others, just not from a leadership position and a muscle head like me couldn't be one which is why I was so happy when Centshuu and you guys joined. You know all this so what's your point of bringing it up?"
Avery, who had been listening closely and wondering what they were talking about, observed Kove's peculiar routine and behavior
'The way he rubs the rim of the cup before every sip. The way he even holds the cup, so contained in his grip. His shoulders too, they're so tense. He doesn't talk much unless spoken to either. Hmm, seems like I've found the introvert of the team.' Avery thought, happy to be discovering more about his companions, and then, without thinking, he raised the cup of alcohol Mosey had left in front of him and took a sip.
Immediately the fluid touched his tongue, and the sour and pungent taste and aroma of the drink entering his body caused Avery's face to squeeze like dried grapes. He quickly spat the liquid back into the cup and dropped it on the counter.
*Ptooey* *Ptooey*
As Avery did that, cleaning the tip of his tongue with his wrist, he saw the young and beautiful bartender giggling at his antics and the both of them shared a smile.
"Here," She said, passing Avery a different cup filled with a different liquid while taking the cup of alcohol away.
Avery took the cup from her, looked inside, and then tilted his head, wondering what type of beverage it was. The color, consistency, and aroma were completely different from the previous. This one was more welcoming.
"It's wine, sweet and satiating, unlike the sour stuff you had before," she said.
Avery quickly looked at her, wondering what her intention was while she disposed of the alcohol she had taken from him into a container meant for such a purpose.
"It's what me and my sister drink when we're not working. Just like you, we too don't like alcohol and we have more than enough so I don't mind you having it," she said.
Avery who was shocked to receive such a thoughtful offer looked into the drink of enticing wine and then back to the beautiful bartender and gave her an appreciative smile.
"Thank you," he said.
She smiled, taking off the towel from over her shoulder and cleaning the cup which used to house his unwanted alcohol, after having rinsed it.
"It's no problem. Just helping out a handsome customer" She said, her words making Avery's eyes widen because he didn't expect the compliment.
Avery was about to drink, but then, he couldn't help but notice the bartender's lingering presence. Unlike the other girls who were more direct with customers, she seemed to want him to engage with her.
Avery observed her closely. She was genuinely beautiful, especially when focusing on him, and without breaking his focus from the beauty in front of him, he drank about half of the wine in one go.
'Hmm, it's… delicious' Avery thought, having a look of enjoyment on his face which she saw and smiled at.