Chapter 3- Basic Introductions
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That croissant in your hand is poisoned.
"Wh… What did you say?" I asked with a whimper, my voice soft after getting caught in my throat.
"Poison," he repeated snidely. "Do you need me to spell it out for you?"
"Y-You're lying…"
"Would you really risk that?"
No. No I wouldn't.
My eyes wide with shock and my heart thrashing in my chest with anxiety, I quickly threw the croissant back onto the plate and scrambled for the dark red napkin on the table, hacking and spitting up whatever I could of the bite I already consumed. My throat was closing, tightening quickly and putting up a barricade against my precious intakes of oxygen. God, what kind of poison did he use? I was suffocating, and fast. A few moments more and I'd be looking down at my body as a spirit. No, no! I couldn't die here! Not now! I still had so much to do! I needed to get this poison out of my body somehow. Could I purge myself? I managed to regurgitate a small bit, but I knew if I pushed any further, I'd completely spill my guts over the table. Yes... That was the goal, wasn't it?
Luckily, no one let me get that far.
"Cane, quit messing with her," the red-haired man said as he patted my back comfortingly. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned. He's just being a jerk."
Hah! I knew it wasn't just me that thought so! After a heaving sigh of relief, I finally calmed my nerves and slumped in my seat, setting the defiled napkin carefully back onto the table. I flushed slightly, realizing the scene I'd caused when I hadn't even been close to dying.
I was such an .
"You shut your mouth, Akin."
"Come on, it's not my fault, and it's not hers, either. Don't take out your anger on us," he said, sticking his tongue out cheekily.
"I said shut up, you—"
"Yeah, come on, Cane. Don't pick on the poor girl," added the man with brownish bunny ears.
Again with the bunny ears? God, these people… I had so many questions.
"Vulpe, even you? When you're supposed to be my servant? If I were you, I wouldn't risk irritating me, especially in your position."
"Ah, ah," he said with the wag of his finger, "Assistant."
"Will you ever learn how to use that word?" laughed the red-haired man, whose name I finally remembered to be… Akin? Yes, that was right. Akin.
"It's not even in my dictionary," the top hat jerk responded callously as he nibbled on his crisp baguette.
"Ah, come on, lighten up! You're such a grouch," Akin grumbled, prodding his eggs with the sharp silver tines.
"I can't stand you people. I'm done eating."
Top hat jerk slammed his fork to the counter, rose from his seat, and quickly proceeded to the exit. He had such grace and subtlety to his steps, much like an eagle soaring through the open sky. If only he were always walking away and never talking to people; he'd be much more appealing.
"We pissed him off again!" Akin exclaimed through thunderous laughter.
"Okay, we've really got to stop this. You've got nothing to lose, but I could be fired," the man with the brown bunny ears said cautiously. I think his name was… Vulpe? Yes, that was what top hat jerk called him.
And yes, I did figure out his name is Cane. But…I like top hat jerk more. It suits him nicely.
"Yeah, and I could be killed," Akin retorted, "I have just as much to lose as you do."
"Killed? Please. Compared to being fired, that's nothing."
What? Did I hear them right? That's nothing? How could being fired be worse than being killed? In what world was dying better? Hell, where was I? Apparently, my confusion was evident on my features, because Akin quickly pointed his thumb at me and raised his eyebrows at Vulpe.
"She's still new here. Don't say stuff like that yet."
"Who cares? She'll find out eventually."
"But still… Don't want to scare the poor girl."
Akin dipped his head to make eye contact with me and smiled when I flinched back. Well, of course I did! Who knew what he would do to me?
"You okay? You look worried."
"I-I'm fine," I said with hesitation in my voice. I saw it in his eyes. He knew I was lying. Damn.
"Here"
He brushed my cheek with his coarse thumb before I could move away and lifted it back to his lips, smiling and licking it clean.
"W-What?"
"You had a bit of chocolate there," he whispered, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Y-You should've just told me," I mumbled, blushing, as he finally pulled out of my space and moved back to his.
"Here, let's get some basic introductions down!" he proclaimed, eagerly showcasing each individual. "You already met Cane out there. I'm Akin, and that one's Vulpe."
"That one?" Vulpe said bitterly, his emerald green eyes boring holes in Akins’s soft, violet ones.
"Yes, you're that one, Mr. Brown Bunny."
"You little—"
"Okay! And there's Leo," he continued, pointing at the shy boy with the fluffy white hair. He looked up at me with his sweet honey eyes, barely smiled, and then quickly retreated to the comfort of his food. "And last is Eridane," Akin finished as he slid his chair back to let me see her.
"I told you not to use my full name. Eri," she corrected sharply, "Eri."
She swept a lock of light brown hair behind her shoulder and hardly even looked at me. That line was the first thing she'd said all morning. Maybe it was just me, but she seemed to be the quiet type, much like Leo.
Ah… Leo. I noticed he was still sitting there, quite silently except for the occasional clink of his fork against his plate and the slight cough from his lips. I shifted my head back and forth, trying to get a peek at his face. He seemed solemn, like he was lost in thought, or was he simply too shy to speak? I found myself wanting to know more about this boy—he was just so different from everyone else.
"Okay, Eri, come on," Akin said, bringing me out of my thoughts and back into the conversation, "I know you're trying to do your best imitation of Cane, but it's not working."
Imitation? Oh, God no. What was this girl really going to be like?
"You shut your mouth, Akin," she said coldly, just as top hat jerk did before.
"Hey, that's better," Vulpe laughed, leaning back in his seat.
"You really think so?" she chirped excitedly, practically jumping from her seat and leaping for joy. "Perfect! I want to show this to Cane and really get to him! Wouldn't that be awesome? I could—"
"Okay, calm down now…" Akin touched her wrist and signaled for her to sit back down, which she did with a disappointed pout.
"You're so mean."
"Yes, I know I am."
Akin finally returned his attention to me and presented a comforting smile, like all this was normal and I would be okay. I wasn't sure whether I should trust him or not, but I trusted him more than anyone else there.
At least, at the moment.
"So, that's everyone. What do ya think?"
He flashed an easygoing smile at me, revealing his perfect rows of white teeth, and shot a wink my way. I wasn't quite sure what I thought of them yet, but they were all definitely better than top hat jerk.
"So?" he repeated eagerly.
With a sly smirk, I replied vaguely, "I could get used to you."
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