Red, Black and White
A short time had passed since the appearance of the Kingdom's two monarchs, and the Dark Moon went back to its serene atmosphere. The owner of the establishment had been particularly busy with some personal matters that not even the manager and the barista knew what was going on. It wasn't until the morning of an early day that the employees found out what Selemene had been doing all this time.
With how things have been going for her employees, the one who arrived first was Mortred. Always wanting an early start to her day, she'd either be the first, or the second to arrive at the coffee shop. She was surprised, however, when she saw that Selemene and Sylla were already at the coffee shop; specifically, Sylla was changing the Dark Moon's sign, with Selemene watching over his work.
"Selemene? What are you doing here early?" She asked, knowing that her boss hardly ever appeared before midday.
"Ah, Mortred!" Selemene brought an arm around the baker, her other arm spread, directed at the sign. "Do you like it?"
Mortred stared at the sign, trying to see what changes were done, and realized there was a subtitle under the name that read "Blessed by the King and His Queen". She looked back at Selemene, a proud expression spread across her face, feeling happy with the result. A sentiment that Sylla did not share as he got down the ladder, before making his way to the back.
"Really?" was Mortred's deadpan response, not impressed by her boss' glee.
"I know! This will boost our standings!" she responded, either oblivious to Mortred's reaction, or uncaring.
"But I thought you didn't want Dark Moon to get too much attention." Mortred said.
"I don't. Just nice bragging rights to other coffee shops out there." A jovial laugh escaped her mouth as she entered the coffee shop, with Mortred following behind her.
As per usual, Mortred would lock herself up in the kitchen, spending hours upon hours creating the wondrous pastries that she's known for. She would often lose track of time, having no way of keeping it in the kitchen. She only took a break when she heard a knock on the door. She stopped what she was doing to greet the guest/intruder of her sanctuary. She wasn't the least bit surprised when it was Sylla that showed himself.
"Are you baking anything now?" he asked.
She turned around, observing the kitchen, before answering him. "Not at the moment. Was just about to."
"Good. Get." He said, once again pulling her out of the kitchen, before locking her out of it.
She didn't bother complaining, knowing that she couldn't win against the older man. Even if she resorted to violence, with the skills she learned, she still wasn't sure. Sylla was old, a man with time and experience. Merde she thought, the lose and lose situation bringing her down.
With nothing else to do, Mortred settled with sitting on a stool next to Luna, who just so happened to be busy wiping the glasses. Her back was facing the door, her mind somewhere else. Mortred just sat, staring at the barista for what felt like hours on end. The door opening caught her eye, a sharp dressed man entering.
His dark skin meshed well with his black and red suit, a black horned hat adorned on top of his head. His yellow eyes carried superiority, as if it stared directly into one's soul. Their eyes met briefly, and a grin from his face sent shivers down; and not the good kind, as she felt a bit of herself wanting to hide behind Luna. The man approached the counter and sat on the stool.
"Excuse me, Luna." Mortred felt Luna flinch. "May I order a drink?"
Mortred glanced at Luna, seeing the barista close her eyes as her breathing became erratic, her body started shaking. Mortred was scared for Luna, fearing the woman might fall into another rage. She held Luna's hand, trying to calm the older woman. It felt like it wasn't going to work until Selemene appeared, putting a hand on Luna's shoulder. That had successfully calmed her down, but Mortred saw that Selemene had the most venomous expression she's ever seen.
"Mr. Angelo, what a pleasant surprise." Selemene said through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"
"What? Am I not allowed to have a drink?" a dark and deep chuckle came from him, one that disrupted Mortred to her very core.
"Not when the customer disrupts my business." Selemene crossed her arms over her chest.
The man stood up, towering over them, even Selemene who was taller than Luna. But Luna barely responded, still staring the man down. The man kept on chukling.
"What can you even do to stop me?" he challenged, spreading his arms apart. "You know I control more than you can even comprehend."
"I won't let you touch your filthy hands on my haven."
"We'll see."
"That is enough, Angelo." Another figure had appeared at the door, wearing a black Kevlar body armor and a red suit underneath. His knees and elbows were padded, as he wore a helmet that covered his face, although the inside of his helmet looked like it was glowing orange.
The man slowly approached the rest, brandishing a baton. He pulled the supposed crime lord back by his shoulder. The armored man was not as big as Mr. Angelo, but he held a sense of honor, enough to challenge the bigger man.
"Order your drink, and go." The armored man ordered.
Angelo frowned, his expression enough to melt those who stared at him, but there was some sort of respect for an unseen authority the armored man conveyed.
"The blackest knight appears to save the day." He said, spitting the name. He turned to Luna, who had collected herself and was now staring back at him. "Black Coffee."
"Done." Luna immediately answered, handing the cup over to the crime lord.
Taking the beverage, he left the Dark Moon, rushing out of the building where he was not welcomed in. The armored man took the seat that was occupied before, staring at the three women with indifference. Luna, with one last breath, left her counter heading straight to the restroom, leaving Mortred between the odd looking man and her boss, who was smiling.
"Odd to see you here, CK." Selemene greeted, her hands now on her hips.
"The presence of chaos is strong within this land." He said, his hand clasped under his chin. "I would rather the chaos exist in an orderly manner."
"By your hands?" the armored man chuckled.
"Precisely."
Mortred felt left out and confused at how close both of them looked. Luna had came back from the restroom, her face still wet. Selemene turned to her barista, whispering something to Luna's ear. With a nod from Luna, she went to her counter as Selemene left the room once more.
"Who are you?" Mortred asked.
The armored man turned to face her, the glowing visor shedding an ominous glow as he eyed her. "I am, an existence of pure chaos. A sign of an unstoppable force of nature."
"What?" Mortred asked, confused at what the armored man had said.
"Here you go, sir." Luna said, offering the man an odd looking orange drink. Mortred was even more surprised that Luna used an honorific at the strange man.
"Thank you." He took a straw that was provided, drinking the beverage under his helmet.
Mortred looked back at the older woman, looking for information, but Luna just shook her head, uncomfortable at where the subject was heading. She turned back to face the man again, still unmoving, only his beverage slowly diminishing. She turned back to Luna, a different question in mind.
"Who was that man from before, Luna?" she asked. "He seemed to know you."
When Luna flinched just from being reminded of him, Mortred almost regretted her question. But the armored man answered the question for her.
"Mr. Angelo, head of the Angelo family. Likes to go by the name, Lucy."
"Lucy?"
"Yes." He took another sip from his drink. "It's a shortened name from his actual name."
"What's his actual name?"
The armored man shook his head. "It is better that you did not know, young lady."
Mortred squinted her eyes, still feeling a little out of the loop. "And, is this person going to cause a problem?"
The man was silent for what felt like an eternity, before finally answering her. "Possibly."
Mortred sighed, feeling like she was getting nowhere, talking to the armored wall in front of her. She was startled when she felt Luna's hand on her shoulder, turning to face the barista for clarification.
"Just leave it, Mortred." She said, a disapproving look on her face. "There are some things that we are not meant to know, or even understand."
"What?" Mortred clutched her head as a migraine formed. "Merde, Luna. This all doesn't make any sense!"
"I know, Mortred. But I don't think we'll ever understand." Luna sighed. A sad, defeated sigh. "We're only human?"
"And what does that make him?" Mortred questioned, earning an ominous chuckle from the armored man.
The door opened again, a frail looking old man dressed in white entering the coffee shop, carrying bottles of clear water with him. He had an odd glow around him, according to Mortred as she observed him. She realized that what he wore was more of a robe than anything. His white beard grew out, as his piercing blue eyes stared through them. He then sat himself next to the armored man.
"Ezalor." The armored man greeted, giving a slight nod.
"Good afternoon, older brother." The older looking man replied, surprising the two women.
"And a fine afternoon to you, Luna. Tis a shame your light could not be reflected by the moon."
Luna blushed at the compliment, with a thought forming in Mortred's head.
"Do you know him?" she asked.
Luna shook her head. "Never met this old man in my entire life."
"Then… Wha?"
"Ah, to share this day with such a beauty is an honor, Mortred."
Now it was Mortred who blushed, but she had more questions than answers, feeling like she was being toyed with by these elder people.
"How do you know my name?" she asked.
"There are many things I know. And many things I also don't know."
"Like what?" She prodded on.
"Like what my older brother is planning on doing." He turned to face the armored man, who in turn looked back at him. "What is your plan today?"
"I will simply ride Armageddon, and I will weed out the imperfections."
Mortred clutched her head, already unable to handle the amount of information that was being traded between the two 'brothers', who she was inclined to not believe. She felt hands on her shoulder, directing her away from the room. She was lead straight to the break room, where she sat down next to Lanaya, who was reading one of her text books.
Luna sat at the other side of the table, as Lanaya looked up at them, eyebrows raised in mild curiosity.
"You've dealt with this before, Luna?" Mortred asked.
Luna shrugged. "I only saw the black knight once. And I never talked to him."
"What are they? Please tell me they're at least human."
"I'm not even sure, Mortred. Selemene told me to not think too much about it, like what you're doing now."
Luna sighed, feeling empathy for the baker. "Just take a nap. It'll be better soon."
Mortred took heed to Luna's advice, lying her head down on her arms. It wasn't too long till she embraced the rest her pressured mind needed, leaving the baker and the confused part-timer alone in the break room.
"Uh, Luna? What's going on?" Lanaya asked, setting her text book down.
"Oh, nothing." Luna answered, earning a laughable glare from the college student. "Maybe when you're older."