The Dezun Order Appears
Although the air was still cold in the city of Elze, the snow had started receding as the lands were preparing for the coming of spring. The first sign of change was the blossoming of the soft cherry petals that replaced the jade colored leaves of the Protector, now becoming the warm heart of the city. The season of love itself went by almost forgotten, as the people focused their festivities on the coming New Bloom.
Aside from the illuminated entrance, the Dark Moon was completely barren when it came to the decorations during such seasonal events. The reason for that was simply because none of the employees celebrated the holiday. They still however served the traditional drinks associated with it. It was mostly infuriating to the resident barista; she wasn't used to making those drinks, and them being only available during this time was a pain to her.
She was glad that on this particular day that there was hardly any sort of crowd, despite it being the usual rush hour for white-collar workers.
"Hey Lanaya. Don't you celebrate New Bloom?" Mirana asked to the part-timer, looking too deep in her own thoughts. Luna couldn't help but listen in to the brewing conversation.
"Uh? Nah, no. Not really." Lanaya replied, still in her own thoughts. The small smile drew the curiosity of the older women as they eyed the part-timer.
"Lanaya, you in there?" Mirana asked again.
"Huh? What?" Lanaya responded, rapidly blinking her eyes as she took in her surroundings. "What was that again?"
Mirana could only roll her eyes as she reiterated her question. "Don't you celebrate New Bloom?"
"Oh, yeah I don't anymore." She replied. "My parents did though."
Mirana wanted to ask more questions, but Luna's hand on her shoulder stopped her from doing so. She peered to see the barista shake her head warningly. Mirana sighed before shrugging and patting the part-timer on the back, leaving her with Luna as she went about her own duties.
"So why're you on cloud nine?" the older woman asked.
Lanaya giggled as a blush creeped up on her face. "Oh, nothing, Luna." She said, doing nothing to deter Luna's growing curiosity. She had never seen Lanaya act so oddly before, and it was starting to annoy her a bit.
A thought finally slip into her own mind as she remembered the occasion of the past few days. "You must've had a lovely dinner with Dr. Rubick." She stated, putting forth her observation.
And Luna wouldn't have believed it possible, but Lanaya's blush became a deeper shade, acting bashfully as she stifled her giggles. "Oh, Luna. Nothing like that."
"So what did you do?" Luna prodded.
"He brought me along to this observatory." Lanaya told her.
Somehow, Luna was less impressed than she's ever been. "That sounds very romantic." She sarcastically remarked.
"It might not have been most people's ideal night, but it truly was wonderful." Lanaya said, her gaze looking up reminiscently. "We gazed to the dark night, and saw the rebirth of the Phoenix Star, and how close the Morph comet is to our planet, after its discovery in Polymorphia."
"You know," Luna butted between Lanaya's little speech. "I don't understand a single thing you just said. So let's cut to the chase and allow me to congratulate you on your fledging relationship."
"Thanks Luna." She replied, understanding the older woman's quirks.
The sound of the door opening alerted them of new customers, Luna giving the part-timer a quick pat in the cheek before she sent her off. Lanaya observed the two new people that had just entered, two people that she had never seen before.
A pair of similar looking men, but vastly different in their body structure. One was extremely muscle bound, wearing a white singlet and brown pants as he held his blue jacket over his shoulder. He had striking red hair that was tied into a ponytail longer than Lanaya's own. He also had a distinct looking necklace in the shape of some sort of tribal knife. The frown he had strengthened the piercing gaze has held as he stared down everyone that dared look at his direction.
Contrastingly, the other man was a third of his size, in both height and mass. He looked extremely frail, yet he did not waver in his counterpart's presence. The man wore a bright purple robe, akin to that of a priest. He carried an odd looking staff along with him. His head was adorned with headwear that held purple feathers that went down to his neck. His face was painted in some form of makeup, a black base as white surrounded his eyes and mouth in the form of teeth for the latter. Unlike the other's frown, this man had the widest smile Lanaya's seen all week.
"Why in Nothl are we doing here, wasting our time in some coffee shop, Dazzle?" the larger man asked infuriatingly as he was lead to an empty table by the priest called Dazzle.
"Come now, Huskar! Is that how you treat your cousin that saved your life?" the smaller man responded with a chuckle as he joined his cousin on the table.
"That is neither here nor there." Huskar said. "You are a priest of the Dezun Order! Take your job more seriously!"
"I am taking it seriously!" Dazzle retaliated. "This is just how I handle things. And if the elders can accept it, then you shouldn't have that much trouble, since you respect them so."
"I don't understand how a person like you was accepted into the order." Huskar complained gruffly. "You got lucky with your initiation, and now you walk as if the elders paved a golden path for you!"
"Can I get a glass of warm, strawberry milk?" he ordered as Lanaya approached them, ignoring Huskar's tirade of his apparent accomplishments. "And a glass of water for my enraging cousin."
"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" he said exasperatedly. "What in Nothl is wrong with-"
Lanay shook her head as she made her way towards Luna, laughing to herself at how rowdy the coffee shop became just from the two people that had entered.
Luna was already wiping an empty glass as the part-timer approached her. "What do they want?"
"Nothing much, just some milk and water." Lanaya answered as she handed the list of the two orders. "Do you know any of them?"
Luna chuckled at the impromptu interrogation. "Are you gonna ask me about every single person that comes here now on whether I know them?"
"Maybe." Came her short reply. "I've just realized how much you've accomplished, and then some, in your short life Luna."
Luna could only roll her eyes at Lanaya's odd logic, but she relented either way, tilting her head so she could glance at the two people. Lanaya scanned the older woman's face as she went from the light smirk of amusement to a flat, guarded expression. This drew slight concern from her, cautious of how Luna would further react to this.
Fortunately for everyone involved, Luna settled with simply pinching the bridge of her nose, before turning and showing her back to Lanaya, presumably heading on preparing the milk that was ordered.
"Do you actually know them, Luna?" Lanaya asked, careful on where she was treading.
"Not in the way that you're thinking." Luna said, turning around already with a mug of strawberry milk. She grabbed a pitcher of watcher, pouring the contents to an empty glass. "Gives this to them, and then maybe I'll tell you about it."
Luna left her station, heading her way inside before Lanaya could protest. Not like I could stop her, or change her mind. She thought as she took the tray to the table.
When she arrived, the table was oddly quiet. She could see the person named Dazzle sitting smugly with his feet propped on the table and hands at the back of his head. The one named Huskar however had the deepest scowl directed at his smaller counterpart, arms crossed over his chest as his heaving was visible from the rising of his chest.
Lanaya immediately placed the ordered drinks on the respective sides, hoping to ease the tension between the two. "Here are your drinks, sirs."
"See, why can't you lighten up like this pinkish waitress we have here?" Dazzle said, gesturing towards Lanaya.
"Don't bring other people into this, Dazzle." Huskar replied with a groan, palming his face with one hand and grabbing the glass with his other. "This is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about!"
"Yeah, why don't you just let me handle the religious affairs, a'ight? I'm the priest here."
"The way you're handling things is too loose!" Huskar turned to Lanaya, startling the part-timer. "Leave us, this does not concern you!"
Lanaya did as she was told; understanding that simply standing by would just fuel the flames between the two cousins. And worst of all, she knew that Luna and Sylla would respond in kind. She briskly made her way to where she thought Luna was, but she found the older woman nowhere inside the break room.
Her next assumption was the restroom, and luckily for her, that's exactly where Luna was. The older woman was still splashing some water onto her face, the faucet still running as the sound of it filled the room.
"You okay, Luna?" Lanaya asked, concerned with Luna's wellbeing.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied. "For now, at least."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing big. Just brought some unpleasant memories."
"Like what?" Lanaya asked. She would usually not but her head into situations like this, but after the months of their familiarity between one another, and herself feeling that Luna would benefit from letting it off her shoulders.
"I remember, seeing the purple priest's face. Although back then, he was still some initiate." Luna told her. "I was still a nobody myself, but this was the moment the people of Elze started noticing my actions."
"We; and by we, I meant myself, Akasha and Tresdin; were raiding this settlement just outside of Elze. We were still doing something for someone, and I don't even know why we were there; Akasha was the one searching for the damn thing. I made sure everyone's attention was on me."
"And you did that, by being you?"
"By doing things that finally made everyone know me as the Scourge of the Plains."
Lanaya was feeling slightly agitated. Despite knowing Luna's brief history, she never had associated the barista with those vile acts. "Li-like what?"
"Let's just say my hands ran red for the first time that day. You don't really want to know. And I know I say that a lot to you, but I mean it." Lanaya nodded, feeling slightly assured when Luna patted her cheek.
"So what did that Dazzle man have to do with anything?"
"I remembered he was there assuring the others, telling them that he wouldn't let me hurt them. Of course, I was getting pissed of him that I tried to shut him up."
"Permanently?"
Luna darkly chuckled at Lanaya's inquiry. "Obviously not. But I came really close." Luna paused for a moment; with Lanaya feeling the suspense build up. "He was constantly chattering as I pummeled him, yet whatever I did, he would not shut up. He saw through my frustration, saying how his faith was keeping alive, or something."
"Just when I think I almost did it, Tresdin stopped me. She told me that Akasha found the thing we were looking for, and we hightailed out of there." Luna made her way to the door with Lanaya right behind her. "After we turned that thing in, the three of us talked for the last time. Tresdin was livid with how I lost control while Akasha was in manic glee. I couldn't care less then, I was just extremely angry. Tresdin told us that she didn't want to have anything to do with us ever again, so she left."
The both of them were silent as they exited the restroom, the part-timer still trailing behind Luna as she made her way back. "Suddenly feeling scared?" she asked the younger woman.
"Extremely intimidated." She replied. "But you've changed. Right? I mean, even the Guard Captain trusts you, from what I heard."
"Slithice wasn't always that friendly with me." Luna said, leaning on the countertop. "She really wanted me locked up, but somehow Selemene convinced her that I'd be in good hands. Hopefully, that still rings true."
"Of course it does!" Lanaya interjected. "Everyone's changed, even the Queen from what you're telling me, and I'm sure Commander Tresdin too."
"Thanks Lanaya." Luna said contently.
With the barista calming down, Lanaya turned her attention to the two men, seeing them still in a heated, one sided argument.
"That priest doesn't look old." Lanaya stated.
"Just because I saw him then doesn't mean he's my age." Luna responded. "He was still a teenager, maybe younger than Elodie."
"Wow, people can become initiates that young?"
"Apparently so." Luna tousled Lanaya's hair, tugging on the part-timer's green scarf with her other hand. "Get back out there. You shouldn't let me ruin your mood any longer."
Lanaya sighed, wanting to refute that statement but couldn't do so as the older woman already pushed her towards the room. She'd had to have this conversation some other time. But for now, since the number of patrons had increased since they were in the restroom, she has a job to do.
