Chapter Sixteen: Sugar

He walked into the restaurant, looked around, and saw the two he expected.
The big girl and the cross guy.
Casually walking up to the bar, Rederine sat and ordered a drink. He could hear what the two were saying, and he had a cloak with a large hood that hid who his face.
"...-nant."
The big girl.
There was a long pause.
"You're not joking, are you?"
The cross guy sounded a little funny.
"I'm not, Mr. Priest. It's funny how these things turn out, ne?"
The big girl laughed.
Finally, what Rederine has been waiting for arrived - the waitress.
"What would you like?"
"Chocolate ice-cream!"
"Black coffee."
"Chocolate ice-cream, black coffee? Be right back."
Rederine smiled. They were just too innocent right now - they had no idea what was about to happen.
He toyed with a spoon that was half-buried in a pot of sugar, also mixed with something he'd just added.
He waited.
The lady came out again, balancing a dish of chocolate ice-cream, a cup of coffee, a plate of waffles and syrup in a tray. He lifted his hand and called out for her.
She glanced at his face, and for a split second, their eyes met.
Rederine smiled, and cast.
She stood still for a few seconds, frozen to the spot.
Walk over.
She walked over jerkily, and stood in front of him.
He gestured to a sugar pot next to his arm.
"Don't need any sugar, ma'am?"
Accept.
She nodded.
"Take it, then."
Pick the sugar up.
"Th-th-thank you-u, s-sir."
She was finding it extremely difficult to get the words out, and trembling a little she picked up the sugar and set it onto her tray.
Go to their table.
She walked towards the table that had ordered ice-cream and coffee, stopping half-way to set out the waffles and syrup onto another.
Upon reaching the table, she found her mouth curling into a forced smile.
Put down what they ordered.
"H-here is your i-i-ice-cream ma'am, and y-your c-c-cof-f-fee, s-sir,"
The big girl looked at her in concern.
"Are you okay, ma'am?"
You're perfectly fine.
"I'm f-fine, ma'am."
Put sugar into the coffee.
She picked up the spoon in the sugar-pot with difficulty, and then poured a single spoonful into the man's coffee.
He raised an eyebrow.
"I don't usually drink it with sugar."
Apologise.
"S-sorry s-s-sir."
Take up the tray.
She picked up the empty tray, and held it to herself.
What was happening to her?
Walk to the kitchen.
She stood, rooted to the spot, fear gripping her.
Walk to the kitchen.
She began to walk to the kitchen, each step draining energy out of her.
Her first step into the kitchen,
Thank you.
and the kitchen door shut behind her.
She blinked.
The connection between her and the voice was gone.
In front of her lay the bustle and sounds of the usual kitchen.
Another waitress noticed her strangely unfocused eyes and her open mouth.
She walked over to her.
"Lydia. Lydia? Are you okay?"
She made no reply, but fell to the ground in a dead faint.

Milly dug a spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth, and gave a happy smile to Wolfwood.
"Imagine... a child that looks like you, and looks like me."
Wolfwood tried to imagine.
"It'd probably be a girl."
He sipped his coffee with an image of the child.
"I'd like to have a girl."
Milly's happy smile grew as she thought of it.
"When did you find out?"
Wolfwood asked.
"Around a week ago,"
She replied,
"because sempai suspected it."
Wolfwood choked on his coffee.
"Sh-she knows?!"
He spluttered. Milly handed him a napkin.
"Yes, she does. She said she couldn't tell through me, but through you."
'I'm that obvious??'
Wolfwood thought.
"Uhm... so what did she do?"
Milly ate another spoonful.
"She told me to check. When it came out positive, sempai thought it was wonderful. She told me to tell you that if you hurt me, she'll hurt you."
She laughed.
Wolfwood shook his head with a smile, drinking a bit more of his coffee.
Over the rim of his cup, he looked at her blue eyes, soft brown hair and the innocent smile on her lips. His face warmed.
As if he'd ever remotely want to hurt her.