They always say a realm wouldn't stand grounded if no heart makes it feel alive. For the Celestial Realm, it was the Celestial Palace. For the Infernal Realm, the humble teahouse was considered close to being the heart. It was a lively place that welcomed visitors, known for its art and beauty, its reputation lives far and wide for travelers.
For the infernal Realm, having the teahouse was their pride and joy. It had a good reputation and the people who established it were respectable.
As soon as the door opens, everyone in the teahouse is wrapped in good spirits. Even the guests who just entered bore big smiles as they began to look around at the famous attraction. Different ornaments decorated the ceiling, bells could be heard giving a cozy ambiance as a welcome. The tables were occupied by various groups of people, all laughing and simply having a good time. In the middle, there were women dressed in beautiful dark-colored silk, where a beautiful melody resonated from their different instruments in hand.
The people who just came in wore clean and prim clothes with symbols of fire and mountains, eye-catching, and had a unique cut style. But for the people who worked at the Teahouse, It wasn't uncommon for foreigners to come and stop by.
Especially to Leon who greeted the guests with a handsome smile. "Welcome travelers, to eat or to stay?"
Stunned by his features, the person who was in front could only gawk. If it weren't for his friend who nudged him, he wouldn't be able to converse with him properly as expected.
Leon kept his tone professional at each question they had and handed them the key to their assigned room as soon as they were done.
"Is it me or have we been getting a lot of travelers these days?" Lance whispers next to Leon who is rubbing his wrist to unravel the nerves.
"As long as it brings good money, who cares?"
"Those seem like people from the Phoenix race tho..."
"Really?" Leon blinks.
"Even the celestial realm has a few travelers visiting or staying in." Lance crosses his arms, thinking, "Do you think something is happening outside our realms?"
"Possible," Leon hums, feeling a small creature climbing up his arm. Looking down he spots a moth. "But didnt the Celestial King take care of the problems outside the realms recently? Maybe it's a new occurrence..."
But instead of swatting it away, he lifts his hand. The moth watches as a smooth plam greets him, and it gladly crawls into it.
"A little friend?"
"Mhm," Leon smiles as he heads behind the counter table to hide the little fellow in the displayed flowers. "Found this buddy near my head this morning. It was friendly and looked very cute."
Lance was intrigued by his fondness for the little creature and decided to check it out himself. Bending down to look at it, Lance raises a brow at how the moth was staring back at him.
"Anything?" Leon smiles as he watches the exchange.
"Looks like an ordinary moth to me... I don't sense any malice but I do find it intelligent..."
Since some demons were summoners, it was common for such creatures to be wandering around their realm.
And since it was Lance's verdict, Leon was relieved.
"Do you think I should name it?" Leon chuckles as he ponders.
"I might have an owner tho, naming it would create more affection between you two. When the owner shows up, are you willing to part with it?"
"Well, when that happens, I hope the owner is good-looking. I don't mind co-parenting."
"Sometimes you say the strangest things..."
Leon lets out a laugh at that. His eyes turned crescents as he held his stomach in laughter. "Im just kidding! Look at your expression, it's so silly."
"Im serious.."
"Alright, alright," The mischievous demon waves a hand while looking at the small moth, "Well if its owner does show up, I'll tell them to take care of it properly. So it wouldn't wander around freely like this."
If someone saw the face he was making, there was no doubt it would make one's heart flutter warmly. Looking away, Lance clears his throat as they hear the door slide open again, indicating another wave of customers.
Lance wanted to take it for him when he noticed something strange. And unconsciously he hides Leon with his figure.
"To dine or to stay?" Lance plasters a smile while eyeing the group of people who were dressed out of place.
Out of place, more like, unnatural. White is a universal choice of color but people often wear them along with other colors, whoever, Angels wore them as a whole.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"... Pretty sure it is."
Lance could hear them but kept his smile in check. What were celestial beings doing in this area? Perhaps since the announcement of an Infernal King, they decided to look around themselves to see who it might be. Seeing how serious their expression was, that could be the case. They kept their conversation in hushed tones and as soon as they were done, Lance was finally approached. Unlike the other men who looked stoic and fierce, this one had a calm, inviting air around him with a smile gracing his soft features.
"To dine please."
"Oh." That was unexpected, Lance thought as he glanced back at Leon's way who was observing quietly behind them.
"How many tables?" Lance proceeds to ask.
This angel places a finger under his chin while glancing behind his companions. "Four please, and would it be possible for one private room too?"
"Sure, but it will cost more than the regular tables would that be alright?" Lance made sure to jot that down while asking, seeing how the angel nodded he decided to move from his spot, "I'll just tidy up a private room, for a moment."
"Take your time," The Celestial Being answered brightly.
But before Lance could turn around, Leon was already moving inside while saying, "I'll do it, stay there."
"Are you sure?"
Leon responded with a hum while waving a hand at his way. Lance could only watch as his back disappeared inside with a worried look.
The young latter walking through the tables caught a lot of attention. His looks alone could turn any heads around but the aura surrounding Leon was particularly alluring. Even travelers from far places couldn't help but gaze at him. Though it wasn't uncommon for him to wander around during working hours, when his girls saw him with a serious expression, they couldn't help but be curious.
"Leon, where you going?" One of his courtesans chimes, holding a tray carrying plates of food to a nearby table.
"Do we have a private room available?" Leon asks as he unwraps the small cloth on his waist and wipes it around his hands.
"We have one at the moment, the last door up the stairs."
"Perfect," He nods in understanding. "Place special attention on this one, we have angels as customers. And it seems the one staying in the private room is their superior."
"That's a surprise," His girls would blink but nodded at his wishes.
"Also inform the chefs to be careful with their meals.."
Leon thought about it and as soon as he realized something, he turned around to head towards the vacant room. Almost running up the stairs, the courtesans who saw this behavior couldn't help but wonder. And they all shrugged their shoulders in confusion as soon as they looked at one another.
In business, Leon always gave special consideration to other customers. But for some reason, he wanted a great review from the angels. It wouldn't harm bending a few things just to hear they enjoyed their time here. And seeing how the other night was, Leon was sure that Celestial beings had a more mature and sophisticated pallet. They might not be able to handle strong strong spices and their taste might be far from their own.
Therefore entering the private room, he quickly scans over the area. And finding the concern he was worried about, Leon finds his way to the small table at the back. Grabbing the candle, it was mandatory to light these up to relax the customers. A very woody and musky scent when lit, it has soothing properties to calm the nerves. But the scent might be too much for the celestial beings.
Fortunately, he remembers buying milder candles that were in storage. The scent of irises in bloom after the rain. A scent that had a refreshing tone to the nose, a better option for angels to indulge in.
Grabbing the rest, he was ready to head back to where the door was. Tucking one candle under his arm, he was about to slide the door open when it opened before his fingers could grab hold of the door.
Eyes connected, and it seemed like everything around them halted.
Those eyes. The same eyes that drew out coldness like a piece of glacier. The same pair of eyes that Leon had gazed at and got lost in its stormy orbs.
The eyes belonged to the same person who had a sour personality.
"You?" Leon blinks.
"You..."
It was the handsome guy from last night. The one that can make any person stop and stare. Even in daylight, he looked magnificent, so magnificent that Leon wanted to look away.
Too blinding.
"Leon?" Lance's voice came from behind the latter, causing both of them to sever the connection.
However, this person didn't move nor did Leon.
"This is our customer, the one who's gonna stay by the private room."
"By himself?" Leon lifts a brow while eyeing the said man with a frown.
Lifting his chin, Leon tries to move. But as he steps to the side, the latter also follows.
Unexpectedly both of them didn't expect it. As if their minds were in sync, they turned to the other way. Only to move in perfect unison.
"Move."
"Is that how you speak to your customers?" The angel rebuked.
He couldn't even argue with that. Pursing his lips together, Leon gathered every bit of his patience and lifted a hand. He placed the hand next to the angel's shoulder to stop him from moving and slipped out.
"Do you know him?" Lance whispers to him as Leon comes close. The latter answers with a scoff before saying a simple word of no.
If that was the case, it was different for the customer. Lance could see how the stranger's eyes followed his friend, having no intentions of looking away. However, this gaze felt a little different.
And unconsciously Lance moves to cut that gaze, only for those dark pair of eyes to fall at him.
"Allow me to assist you inside." Lance puts on a smile that can hopefully mask his uneasiness.
Thankfully the stranger wasn't troublesome and turned to head further inside. Lance needed to release a breath of relief before sliding the door behind him but not before nodding at Leon's way in reassurance.
The storage room wasn't that far from where he was. Fortunately, Leon knew where to find the candles since he loved to organize the storage room in his free time. And just as he thought, the iris candles were hidden safely and rather untouched judging by the amount of dust it had collected. With a smile, he gathers a few into his hands, leaving the rest behind.
"Leon!" The storage room opens, and a familiar voice cuts through the quiet room. Without turning around, it was his sister's voice. "I heard angels are in the teahouse?"
"Mhm," He hums while dusting off the dust from his hands.
"I heard from the girls that they are all handsome?"
"Well maybe," Leon glances behind with a lifted brow. Seeing the excitement on her face, he couldn't help but be more playful about the matter, "Maybe not. Though I'm not sure if their looks are up to par."
"Is that so?" He could see her face fall into a disappointed expression. The ornaments in her hair sway as she tilts her head down.
"Why are you hoping for something?" Leon scoffs while walking towards her. "Don't tell me you were expecting the person from last night?"
As if caught like a deer, her eyes widened in surprise, and she expectedly tried to lower her eyes again to avoid his invasive gaze. " I'm not sure what you are talking about..."
"Oh, please dear sister," Leon chuckles at how her cheeks had reddened. "Acting shy already? Well if you're that curious... Then feel free to tag along with me."