Serene woke up in bed, yawning as he got ready to perform his daily morning routine of eating, showering and dressing decently. Once those had been accomplished, he went back to lay on his bed while readying his laptop for the purpose of browsing the internet. Normally, he would just look up video game reviews and short videos involving the process of making tasty desserts, but this time, he was more interested in looking for local areas to go to, other than just the grocery store and bank. As Serene interacted with an online map, he searched his area for a few shops, with one place in particular catching his interest, that being 'Jake's Coffee Shop.' This was a rather unorthodox place of interest since Serene hated coffee and thought that such drinks were for weaklings who just needed a cold shower, HOWEVER, this coffee shop also offered quite a few treats that Serene himself would love to eat, so it was good enough choice.
Having made up his mind, Serene put on his shoes, grabbed his phone and wallet, and walked to the front door of his house, opening it to see and feel the bright morning sun outside before he continued his walk towards the coffee shop. Despite 'Jake's Coffee Shop' being two miles away, Serene opted to not use his car, since he felt that the exercise was rather necessary, and also because he wanted plenty of vitamin d from the sun's rays, two things good for his health. Once Serene walked the first mile on the sidewalk, he looked to the left and noticed a peculiar figure rushing towards his car. He was a rather huge man, wearing a red shirt, white pants and an apron who was was gripping his left arm with what appears to be… a knife really deep inside it. It looked as though there might have been a few other injuries as well, though Serene couldn't tell exactly what they were as the large man had already gotten inside the car drove away, most certainly to the hospital.
"Perhaps it was some kind of freak kitchen accident?", Serene thought to himself, since the man was wearing an apron after all, and also because he hoped it wasn't some kind of domestic situation… Regardless, Serene continued on his journey, walking the other mile before finally seeing the coffee shop with his own eyes. Soon, Serene would have the opportunity to enjoy plenty of treats once he walked inside.
Serene walked to the door and opened it, hearing a small bell ring before he went on to walk inside, noticing the comfy and quiet atmosphere of the place. With that, Serene could enjoy taking his time while looking at the treats behind the display glass near the register, taking notice of a few eye-catchers such as the fudge brownies and cheesecakes. Before he went up to the cashier, Serene heard the small bell ring yet again, turning to his head to see someone else walk inside. With a quick glimpse, Serene saw a figure even more bizarre than the one before, as he saw an exhausted looking woman with pale skin, curly white hair, round glasses, two short and black horns, black and red office apparel, and two tired yet piercing red eyes. As he turned his head away to not come across a rude, Serene, while incredibly unnerved internally, rationalized her appearance with the thought, "Ah, it's got to be one of weirdo cosplayers." Still feeling a bit unsafe, however, Serene quickly made his way to the one-person restroom, locking the door as he planned on waiting for a few minutes inside, hoping she would be gone by the time he opened the door again...
Author's Note:
If anyone is interested, feel free to PM me about Pandemonica and her role in the story, I look forward to discussing (writing based) suggestions such as potential dialogue or actions. With that being said, I also look forward to writing another chapter soon!