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Post by Asher on Jun 21, 2017 7:54:14 GMT
One more hour. Asher just had to make it through this shift for one more hour, before he was free to spend the rest of the day as he pleased. As the cafe finally began to slow down from a business rush, the teen took a deep breath while hiding in the back room. It really wouldn't have been that bad, if the teen had been given time for a proper break. Or, perhaps, a more diligent crew? No, that was just a mean thought.
Taking a second to slip into the bathroom, the butler fixed his hair and made sure that his uniform was still perfectly adjusted, before returning to the floor. But, now that things had slowed down, it was giving Asher time to think more. This work shift would have gone a lot easier if there were different people working tonight, though. Nobody could really deny that. Some people just worked better with certain people!
Like how a certain, very short butler, worked quite well with (for?) Asher! "How long am I going to have to cover for him?" Asher mumbled to himself, pulling dishes from a table, and sweeping them to the kitchen. Forever? Well, that just felt like a depressing thought! Nobody wanted to consider that as an actual possibility! And, everything had to get sorted out eventually! It always worked out by the end of a movie! But, what about in real life?
...Everything didn't always work out in real life. Just like things wouldn't always work out, if Asher didn't pay enough attention to where he was walking, when in the dining area!
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 21, 2017 8:17:21 GMT
”Are we really doing this again?” Sol asked from within the confines of Alicia’s mind as she approached the cafe. She’d taken necessary measures already, already looking several years younger and having flicked some “hair” over one of her eyes again to fit her more “shrinking violet” role that she’d made when she first came here and stumbled across Isaac at his job.
“Of course we are...” she muttered under her breath. “Elliot’s saying he’s not feeling well lately, but Isaac isn’t responding to anything at all… something’s not adding up here so I’ve gotta catch ‘em when he’s not expecting me.” Oh if only she knew what had transpired, and how Isaac had been, for lack of a more exact word, mutilated and stapled back together. On one hand, she’d have serious reason to be in much more of a panic. On the other hand, she’d know she’d have to scour the Digital World up and down, leaving no stone undisturbed.
”Alicia… I’m sure they have good reasons for this so… please...” Kisara spoke up, trying to comfort the redhead. The shape shifted liquid dragon was having none of it though, and kept marching on. Without a moment’s pause, Alicia stepped into the cafe and instantly took up her demure and shy fake personality.
With that done, she went to go get a table… when she crossed a corner at just the wrong time and bumped into a certain distracted young man. With an adorable squeak of surprise, Alicia collapsed backward, landing on her rear end and silently thanking instinctive responses to hold her malleable body in one piece. “Oww...” she fake-groaned, as she actually didn’t feel anything from either the collision or the fall.
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Post by Asher on Jun 21, 2017 9:13:00 GMT
It was really all Asher's fault. If he had just watched where he was going, nothing would have happened! But, instead, the idiot had run into someone! Or had they run into him? Whatever! That didn't matter! Focus on the problem! Luckily, girly squeaks were really the best way to get just about anyone's attention!
Recovering from a small stumble back, the redhead had been far too dazed to even attempt to catch the customer before she hit the ground. "Ah, I'm so sorry, Princess," the butler started, with a small gasp. It was really a wonder that this was the first time that Asher had ever run into one of the customers in such a literal manner, and he had to admit that he wasn't entirely sure of what to do! "My mind was elsewhere." Such as, in a totally different world! "I really didn't see you."
Kneeling down in front of the girl, the actor provided a concerned smile, "are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Don't panic! Do. Not. Panic! Somehow, none of the other workers had even noticed them yet. Whether this was a blessing or a curse was beyond the teen! Was he supposed to be overly apologetic, or try to make the situation appear that he wasn't at fault?
...Could they get sued for accidentally knocking people down? Was there a specific protocol for this kind of thing? There were a lot of important questions here! And the idiot with all the questions was the only manager on duty at the moment. Who was supposed to know what to do? Okay! Okay, stay calm, and assess the issue a little better. With any luck, the girl wouldn't be too upset!
"Are you okay to stand up, Princess?" This question was, of course, followed up with Asher offering a hand out, to help the girl rise to her feet. After all, the butler couldn't leave an innocent looking stranger just sitting on the floor! "Have you gotten a table yet?" Maybe changing the topic, even if only slightly, would help the situation! But, probably not for long.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 21, 2017 9:34:36 GMT
“Ah...” Alicia gasped out, looking up with just her visible eye and spying the butler. “Mmm… It’s okay… I wasn’t paying attention either.” she muttered softly. She still had to ask around about Isaac after all! “I don’t think I was in any condition to see anyone in time.” With a soft sigh, she took his hand. “I’m alright.”
Poor thing was acting so quiet and shy, looking away as she let the butler pull her up. “I was just about to get a table actually… w-would you be so kind as to take me to an empty table then, since we already ran into each other.” Quite literally at that.
”Probably the best time to ask him really, since he works here, plain as day.” Kisara noted with a tilt of her head in Alicia’s mind. ”But how to segue into that...”
“He’ll probably ask me if I have a preference once I sit.” Alicia muttered as quietly as she could, shaking her head to herself. “I’ll ask him if Isaac’s here then.” That shut the ice maiden up, and she could feel Kisara shrugging to herself at the thought.
”… What a strange soul, this one has...” Sol mused to himself, causing Alicia to briefly wonder what the dragon was going on about now.
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Post by Asher on Jun 21, 2017 18:38:30 GMT
When anger hadn't been the first reaction, or any at all, the butler relaxed slightly. It still hadn't been okay that he'd run into someone like that! But, at least they weren't livid or injured! Hearing the girl's own excuse, Asher raised an eyebrow. Any condition? Curious. Perhaps he'd figure out later what that meant. Or not. It really depended on how talkative the girl was. And, if appearances alone gave much to judge off of, she wasn't going to be overly outgoing.
Carefully helping the girl to her feet, the butler's smile shifted from concerned to warm. "Gladly." At least he hadn't scared her from the cafe! "Is this your first time visiting? I don't think we've met before." It wasn't like red hair was a common trait around Japan. Asher knew that, first hand!
Turning, Asher hummed, "right this way, Princess," before beginning to walk towards a table. Eyes glanced over his shoulder, thinking that he had heard the girl say something. But, if she had, it certainly didn't seem to be directed at him. Or, Asher was just going insane. These days, it was becoming progressively more difficult to tell his own sanity levels!
After all, how many people had literal talking rabbits in their head?
Pausing at a table near a window, the teen slowly pulled out a chair, then looked to the girl. "Is this table alright?" If it wasn't, they'd have to be off to find a better choice, but Asher suspected that the guest really wouldn't be that finicky. "And, do you have any requests for a specific server, today?"
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 21, 2017 21:45:05 GMT
“S-Second time actually...” the faux-teen admitted with a small squeak. “A friend kept pestering me to go out and see what it was like...” Technically true, if fudging the details somewhat. She had to keep herself from rolling her eyes as she heard Kisara giggling. She’d noticed that the butler had at least noticed her speaking to her spirits so the more she could cut down on inexplicable reactions, the better.
Still, she dutifully followed the butler as he led her to an open table by the window. On one hand an irrational concern of being seen by someone who would recognize her came up, until she remembered the glaring differences between her current self and normal self. Who would suspect the woman in her early twenties could manage to make herself look no older then sixteen? They would have to go down some very strange thought processes indeed to come to that conclusion. “I don’t have any real preference so… this table’s fine.”
With that said, she took a seat in the chair Asher had pulled out for her. She hid a small smirk of victory as he had predictably asked her of her request. Kisara meanwhile shrugged and giggled, wordlessly admitting her defeat. Still, focus! “Um… I do actually… I just hope he’s in. I think his name was ‘Isaac’? A lot’s been going on and I’d promised to come back and ask for him.”
Now that was a bald faced lie, but whatever it took to get an idea of where he was without arousing too much suspicion. If he was avoiding her, she knew she’d have to catch him by surprise. And if she could request his service specifically, then he’d have to stay in contact with her for at least a fair amount of time, possibly enough to figure out what had happened.
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Post by Asher on Jun 22, 2017 4:25:12 GMT
"I'm glad that you must have enjoyed your first visit," the butler hummed, "I just hope that you like this time, too." Especially after she had already been run into by one of the workers! Jeez! That was not a good way to start off a day!
At least Asher had gotten lucky enough that he didn't need to hunt down a different table. "Would you like a menu to look over?" Asher didn't really need to wait for a waitress or butler to be assigned the table to at least let the girl have something to look at! Unless she already knew what she wanted from her last visit, of course.
While Alicia had found Asher's next question to be predictable, the teen certainly couldn't say the same for her response. Isaac actually had people requesting him? That just made the situation more distressing! "I'm sorry, Princess," the actor began, with an apologetic smile, "Isaac wasn't feeling quite himself today, and had to call in." Well, that was sort of the truth. Isaac definitely didn't look like himself! That was for sure!
For some reason, Asher couldn't help but feel a little bad about the situation, though. His coworker's life was potentially ruined, and someone had come to specifically see the younger boy. "If you'd like to tell me your name, I'll make sure to tell him that you missed him today." It was a shame that was the best that the redhead could really do. And, in fact, it might be treated as salt in a wound, rather than making things better! But, if he had a message for Isaac, even from just a random customer, it gave the teen an excuse to go check up on him!
But, that led to another issue. "Do you have a second choice for your host?" Probably not, considering their earlier conversation!
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 22, 2017 4:49:41 GMT
Alicia mulled a soft hum of her own as she listened to Asher’s response, looking down. “Ah… yeah a menu would be nice. I might pick something different this time...” The excuse made her especially worried. Isaac said he wasn’t feeling quite himself? That… seemed like an unusual way to word it. She was about to ask her spirits their opinions when Sol suddenly cut in.
”Whatever you do, Alicia, keep this guy around, and make sure he keeps. talking. I have a sneaking suspicion about this man’s connections to Isaac, and you’re right to suspect the choice of words.” Well, that saved her a potentially awkward whisper. So she shook that off mentally and glanced back up at Asher.
“I-I’m… Alicia. Alicia Westfield.” she began, pouting softly. And wouldn’t that name be quite the surprise to the charismatic butler? “Please? If you see him again, I… I’m begging you… please tell him I’m worried sick about him. He hasn’t… hasn’t been answering my attempts to contact him...” At this Alicia put a bit of a tremble into her lower lip and sniffed, ‘tearing’ up a bit but not actually ‘crying’ at the moment. Then she lifted one hand to wipe the fake tears away.
“W-Well… I don’t really have a second choice. Would you be so kind…?” she asked, looking up to him with that same sorrowful pout and eye expression. Could any man resist such a look?
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Post by Asher on Jun 22, 2017 6:11:59 GMT
Having already suspected that the answer would be wanting a menu, the teen was rather quick to slip to a nearby table, where a maid had left a stack of menus, and return to place the item in front of the guest. But, now that that problem was solved, they'd have to move onto the part involving the requested butler being terribly unavailable!
And, it was definitely good that the butler was paying attention to the name drop! Normally, nothing would have really phased Asher, as far as what parents named their kids. But, this one stood out. Raising an eyebrow, he subtly glanced over the girl in front of him. There was no way that this was the Alicia that Elliot and Isaac rambled about all the time! ...Was it? Alicia was a common name, so it was very likely that-- wait. Japan. Right. In Japan, Alicia was not a common name! But, this girl couldn't be--
Pay attention, moron.
Oh, come on, Asher wasn't being that obliviou-- wait, was Alicia about to start crying? Okay, yeah, he was definitely not listening as well as he should have been! Trying to be comforting, the butler offered out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. Who would have actually thought those things would have a chance to actually get used? "Hey, now. Why are you so worried?" Girls shouldn't be crying like that! And, what reason did she have to even be this close to tears? "You haven't fallen for my dear coworker, have you?" Asher teased, lightly, hoping that it wouldn't make the situation any worse.
Asher couldn't help but feel that something was off from the statements, though. What attempts to contact him? Hadn't she just acted like she wasn't positive of his name? Things weren't really adding up! But, the redhead would keep playing along. Plus, an upset girl was still an upset girl! That certainly didn't change! "I'll make sure to let him know, regardless."
At least Asher could immediately fix one problem. "I'd be honored to be your butler today, Princess." It wasn't like anyone could say no to a face like that!
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 22, 2017 7:06:10 GMT
“I have a number of reasons...” Alicia muttered in response to Asher’s question of why she was worried. And it was only now that she realized she’d slipped up. Okay, okay, how to back track this a bit? “Maybe…?” she continued with a questioning tone. No, she most certainly hadn’t, but she could use that to wiggle her way out of the corner she put herself in.
“N-Normally I just talked with his younger brother Elliot, and didn’t know him all that well but… after I meet him directly here I started putting a lot of effort towards getting to know him more. It’s just… I don’t know, I wind up acting differently around him. And… I may have gotten a little over zealous?” Okay, hopefully that explains away her earlier uncertainty sufficiently. But if this person turned out to be connected to Isaac the way she was starting to suspect he was, she would break the facade soon enough.
”You need to work on your tale spinning… Just a bit.” Kisara deadpanned with a sweatdrop.
”Oh leave her be, she’s improving this whole thing after all. She at least ensured he will be around more.” Sol quipped back, saving Alicia the effort of snapping at the ice maiden.
“Thank you...” she murmured softly, both to his assurances that he’d let Isaac know about what she said, and to him taking the role of her butler at her request. Taking a moment to grab the menu and open it up, she began scanning through the contents again. As she did, she asked a quick question in the hopes of fishing for more evidence for Sol to use.
“Um… This is probably going to sound so awkward but am I the only one feeling that Isaac’s… ‘special’? Like… especially so, almost like he was ‘destined’ for something?” the abrupt question asked, she decided to hold to character for now and squeak in embarrassment while blushing, promptly hiding her face with said menu. “Oh god! I’m sorry I didn’t think before asking that!”
”… ngh… Whatever works I guess?” Sol commented with a sigh.
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Post by Asher on Jun 22, 2017 7:35:17 GMT
Head tilted, curiously, while Asher listened to the girl ramble about Elliot and Isaac. Okay, this was definitely growing into a more convincing obsession over Isaac. Oooh, did his girlfriend know that he had such admirers? Asher had new ammunition to taunt Isaac with! This was a perfect excuse to find him in the near future!
"Thank you," the teen responded, softly. After all, this gave him a better chance at fixing the fact that he had knocked her on the ground a little bit ago! "Might I suggest a strawberry herbal tea? I find a sweet drink is suiting of a sweet girl." Unless Alicia was the coffee type? It was hard to tell with young teens these days! Then again, Asher had no room to comment. He'd been drinking black coffee since he was a kid!
Almost immediately after his suggestion, there was a pause at the question posed. Okay, this was getting... weird. "I was just teasing about it earlier, but," the actor raised a hand to cover the smile across his lips, "I'm honestly starting to think that you are fond of him." As if her rationalizations hadn't been enough to make him think this way! So much to tease Isaac about later! This was golden! Asher never would have thought that the boy would end up with some sort of fanbase!
"Destined for what, exactly?" Asher entertained, still smiling. Maybe it was time to test the waters. If this was the Alicia that the brothers talked about, the redhead just had to find out, after all. Even if she didn't fit any of the descriptions that he had built up in his head! "He's only human, you know." And totally not stuck as a tiny demon someplace in a different world! Nope!
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 22, 2017 7:56:59 GMT
“Mmm… alright, I think I will try that...” Alicia muttered softly, offering a shy smile to Asher. Only to hear Sol metaphorically “knocking” on her consciousness. Which was always a strange feeling. “What is it?” she whispered quietly.”
”He knows. He knows exactly what’s wrong. Maybe even what happened to Isaac and Elliot. Find a point where you can drop the act and level with him. More over, he’s one chosen as a champion in the Digital World as well.” Sol noted, and Alicia couldn’t help widening her eyes a bit in surprise. Was that so? Hmm…
“Well… Maybe I am fond of him… just not in the way your thinking… a-and he just seems like he’s full of chaotic ambition.” Alicia noted, looking around. Okay, good, no one was looking. The disguised dragon suddenly lashed her hand out and grabbed Asher by the collar, pulling him close enough that she could lean in and whisper directly by his ear. When she spoke again, it was with a quiet but fierce strength of will and absolute confidence, a stark change from her acting earlier.
“We are going to talk more after your shift, when I leave I’ll be waiting by the building on the right hand side as you leave the front door. Don’t you dare skip out, or I will hunt you down across both worlds if need be. And you’re going to tell me what you know about Isaac’s condition in the Digital World then. Got it?”
… Yeah, she wasn’t letting a lead as juicy as this go any time soon. Was she rather heavy handed in doing this? Certainly. But given the weight of her concerns, she was bound determined to pursue any significant lead relentlessly if need be. Before anyone had the chance to look and see one of the employees basically getting manhandled by a young girl, Alicia let Asher go and went back to looking at her menu, blushing again.
“S-Sorry! I just couldn’t possibly say that out loud...” she finished, acting more like she just admitted some embarrassing secret then demanding further investment of his time in decidedly supernatural affairs. However, when it was only Asher looking at her… her visible eye was much sharper, almost sparking with determination.
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Post by Asher on Jun 22, 2017 8:39:23 GMT
Was it really that easy to get someone to take a suggestion? Usually there was at least a second of debate! Unless this girl just wasn't picky in the slightest! Either way, that seemed to be a bonus for the butler, who was really just looking forward to his shift ending in the near future.
Except, maybe he should focus on other things. Like the end of his job, potential future, or life in general! Because suddenly, he was being pulled in way too close of quarters for his liking! Initially, there was a small stutter as he was brought to the girl's level. Oh shit, oh shit, this was not expected! Confirmation, same Alicia! Trying to calm his breathing, the teen shifted slightly, listening to everything. Despite the obvious terror, the second Alicia had actually released her hold on Asher, smile returned in a far more mischievous manner. "Ah," the actor breathed, barely moving back from the space that he had been pulled into. "But, what if I find the hunt more interesting?" A soft static seemed to lace the teen's words, as if not entirely his own. Of course, they weren't. Nobody in their right mind would try to tempt a crazy probable-spirit-user into angrily searching for them across multiple worlds! Asher was weird, but not suicidal!
Not that he seemed to be paying much attention to his own words, anyway. Instead, Asher reached out, to very carefully brush some of Alicia's hair away from her visible eye. "Though, Princess, I'm afraid I must inform you," he began, politely, while returning to an entirely upright posture, "while I entirely understand how difficult it is to keep from touching attractive displays, it is against the cafe's policy to touch the workers. Especially without their consent." How had he gotten this far without a breakdown? That had been all so unexpected! Deep breath!
Fixing the collar of his shirt, the teen threw a glance at the menu that his guest held. "Would you like me to prepare your tea, while you decide if you'd like something else to go with it?" And maybe so that he could catch his breath in the kitchen for a second or ten? This adrenaline rush was almost dizzying! "You still have plenty of time to decide, if you'd prefer I wait. My shift isn't supposed to end for another fifty minutes, or so." Well, that was one way of letting the customer know when he was free. And, perhaps, a way to imply that he wasn't actually going to run. "And, I'll gladly stay past my shift to spend extra time with someone as sweet as you." Sweet? No. Sadistic? Maybe. ...Oh god, this was going to be Karin all over again, wasn't it?
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 22, 2017 9:47:50 GMT
Alicia couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at the static-y voice that Asher seemed to have for a split second after she let go, which was accompanied by ‘him’ apparently trying to provoke her. Okay, either this young man was possessed, or he was in a similar position to her, a Spirit Wielder who could communicate with his benefactor. Either a separate being who made Asher’s totems, or the totems themselves. As such, she blatantly ignored the provocation, not even dignifying it with an acknowledging question of why he suddenly said that.
”That explains the anomaly I sensed. You’re right on the money Alicia, he’s a Spirit Wielder with totems that are cognizant of what is going on around their wielder, and also capable of speech. To think one could even possibly… possess him though. That is unusual.” Sol noted. He almost said a surprise but… after the story Karin related back at the labyrinth…
Oh, right, Asher was back to normal and speaking again. A-A-A-And he just reached out and brushed some bangs that had fallen forward back, what!? This time Alicia couldn’t help but honestly blush in surprise “Eek! I-I’m sorry, I act without thinking s-sometimes!” How had she slipped back into character so easily after suddenly revealing her true self? “Y-Yes please, I’ll need a moment!” she finally answered with regards to the making of her tea.
Another glance around… good nobody was in ear shot or looking again. Back to normal and confidant Alicia! “I’ve waited a long time to find some kind of trail as is, I can wait another hour easily enough. Please don’t bail on this.” That had been honest pleading in that last line, the poor faux-girl appearing almost desperate before she pulled her shy role back up around her and went back to her menu.
”Whatever works indeed. You serious about hunting him if he skips out though?” Kisara asked curiously.
“Absolutely...” she whispered to herself.
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Post by Asher on Jun 23, 2017 9:21:38 GMT
Asher had no idea what was going on in Alicia's head for... well, any of this day, really. A small bubble of frustration popped in the back of the teen's mind, as the rabbits words failed to even get the slightest of reactions. It was definitely something that Asher wasn't going to be upset about. He'd already been grabbed by the girl, he certainly didn't want to see her when she was actually mad at him!
Either Alicia was a pretty good actress, or she was actually a bit surprised! Either way, Asher found himself struggling to suppress a grin. "It's quite alright. I understand that feeling." Almost the entirety of Asher's life was spent acting before thinking! He had absolutely no room to judge! On top of that, touching the customers was pretty frowned upon, so he had his own break of the rules for this table! Once tea was agreed upon, the butler prepared to take a step back, when Alicia started talking again.
"I'm not the type of person to run," the redhead commented, lowly. "But, if I find out you're not the person that I think you are, you might want to," he chimed. It was somewhat alarming that the teen could even think to utter that statement to a woman! Was Isaac's safety really that important?
...Okay, yeah, it really was. "If you can show that much trust for me, maybe I'll help with what you're asking about." While the teen wanted to pat the 'younger' girl on the head to comfort her, he easily resisted with the reminder that she was absolutely insane. And because he was working! But, hey, that detail came second after 'might break his hand'! "Now, if you'll excuse me, Princess. I'll go make your tea."
With a small bow, the actor slipped back into the kitchen. Once he was sure that others weren't watching, a shudder passed through the teen. On the way to begin preparing the drink, Asher's cell phone was already in hand, and dialing one of the numbers.
"Aren't you at work?" An annoyed tone filled the line, as the teen's sister answered.
And, that was the same time that the teen realized his mistake. "..I am, aren't I?" A curt 'mmmhmm' responded, while Asher tried to figure out what, exactly, he had been planning from this. "I'm going to be late coming home tonight. I met one of Isaac's friends, and she--"
"A girl?"
"That isn't the point in thi--"
"I think it is." For a moment, there was a silence between the siblings, before she continued, "you've been with a lot of strange people, and girls, lately. Are you sure you're alright?"
Was he alright? Taking a breath, yellow eyes glanced around the room, the teen pulled his phone away from his face. "Hm? Sorry, tea's ready. I need to go." Despite some sort of sound of protest, thumb shifted to the 'end' button, before shoving the device back in his pocket. What was the saying? 'Old habits die hard'? Apparently, using his sibling as a lifeline was one of them!
What had he even thought he was going to tell her? 'Yeah, so there's this young girl here, pretty sure she can beat the crap out of me, and might kill me before I can get home again. By the way, she probably turns into horrifying monsters that may or may not literally breathe fire,' really wasn't the best explanation to a total outsider to the situation! In fact, the phone call, that he had somehow hoped to magically help calm him down, had actually made the teen even more distressed! But, since when did small women come off as so very alarming? Alicia should have been like a sixty year old woman or something! Not 'sixteen' and full of fury!
Visibly shaking, the butler threw a glance at a timer that he had set for the tea. Okay, so it wasn't entirely ready yet! Deep breath! 9, 8, 7, 7, 7, 7 -- this really doesn't work when he's already clicked the 'pause' button on the timer. Instead of continuing a potentially calming countdown, "00:07" blinked on the screen, growing more nerve-wracking by the second. Things would really be a lot easier if he'd just relax or let someone else take over.
Finally exhaling, after clearly forgetting how to breathe, Asher found himself feeling surprisingly better. Placing the cup, along with sugar, a spoon, honey, and a few other little details onto a tray, the young man shifted on his heel, and returned back to the table. Despite, perhaps, looking a little more pale, he had returned to an overly polite and cheerful demeanor, as needed for such a role. "Apologies for the wait, Princess. Would you like me to add anything to your drink?"
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