"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
- Edith Wharton
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The cafe was beautiful. A smallest very well established estate of perfection, is what I would call it.
I walk behind the desk with Yomo behind me, he scans the room for something, but I focus on the cashier, wandering how much customers they get.
I sit down on a chair and check out all the different types of coffee. I myself isn't a big fan of coffee or tea, I prefer juice, (ps I know this might sound a bit, crazy, but I don't like soda, it makes my stomach go nuts).
Everything is so Damn clean that I can't see anything wrong with the place. How did ghouls get such a well established cafe to themselves. I sit up and head to back where Yomo is going.
"So, who's this Touka?" I asked right as Yomo turned the corner and ran into someone.
I walk up next to him and we both look at a girl, probably around in her very early adult years, and purple colored hair, one of the sides of her face covered by it. She glared at me with the intensity of a lion. A shiver is sent down my spine as she takes a step closer to me and inspects me.
"Who's this guy?" She asks with a glare.
I flinched, and I'm about to tell this girl off when Yomo puts his arm across to my chest, shaking his head for me not to. I sigh and put my hand out politely. "I'm Levin, I'll be working with you for now on." I said.
The girl frowned, and glared at Yomo. "I thought I said NO humans!" She murmured him.
I'm about to clarify when Yomo gives me a look as if to say, Shut it! I completely shut my mouth and walked more into the back with Yomo, ignoring the girls pissed off attitude. What's her problem?
"Do me a favor and don't tell Touka who you really are." Yomo said as we entered a room. The room consisted of a bed, a tv, a small table and a desk. I guess this is my room. I liked my old one at the Nest better, but I'll visit in a week, or else I might get homesick.
"So, don't use my kagune? How am I supposed to defend myself?" I asked, waving my hand around in a gesture.
Yomo pulls open a cabinet in my desk and pulls out a black pistol. I flinch at the sight of it, he sets it into my hand and I test aim it at the wall. It's weight was pretty light...
"It might feel light, but it has a big kick." Said Yomo. He then walked out of my room, closing the door so I could have some privacy. So much secrets with these people, it seems I have to act like a human helping ghouls. I am a pretty good actor...
I put the gun in the cabinet again and walk to my bed, slumping on top of it.
The dream I had pops into my mind.
My two wide-ranging whether what was the right thing to do. I felt as if my mind has been split into two different beings. My human self takes over when I'm talking with friends or doing errands. But when I fight, sometimes I completely forget that I shouldn't be killing people, and I brush it off like a every day thing. That's my ghoul side.
And they asked for my opinion... Aren't they me? Shouldn't they know that answer? But then again... I don't know that answer, so neither would they. Does that mean I'm asking myself if that's really the right thing to do? To kill people and brush it off like I see it on a daily basis...
I'm not like that, right? I lifted my hand and looked at it, the light above me as I made a gesture to grab that light. Maybe I should just... let myself become a ghoul... I would be stronger, wouldn't I?
I shake my head, no, I would only be able to kill without mercy. To stay sane I need to have some sense of justice, some sense of humanity.
There's a knock at my door that makes me sit straight up. I stare at the door fora long time before hearing another knock. I stand and walk over, opening it to see the girl named Touka standing in the doorway, looking annoyed.
"Why didn't you answer from the first knock?" She said with glare.
I stuttering nervousness. "To completely honest with you, I don't like the way you look at me." I said.
She looked surprised by me saying this, she seemed confused at first, tilting her head. "What do you mean?" She said in that voice that made her sound evil.
How am I supposed to say it? Should I lie and say never mind? Ah, hell with it. "You glare at me like you wanna kill me..." I said, trailing off.
She glares at me. "That's because I don't trust you." She said.
I gulped down. This girl made me uneasy. It was those eyes of hers, so beautiful yet so dangerous... kind of like Rize's. Just as I was thinking this, I see Touka come closer and sniff me, I flinch.
"Hmm. You do smell human. But it's a weird smell." She said, squinting her eyes at me. I stay composed.
I suddenly smirk. "Must be my deodorant." I joked.
She took a step back, at first, I swear I saw a crack of a smile, but she hid it so fast that I think I was imagining it. She turned and walked out of my room, clearly frustrated by her new partner at the cafe. I hope I don't disappoint her too much, I would rather be on her good side.
Next Day...
I get dressed in my outfit and walk into the cafe. In the cafe there's only about three customers, but I instantly grab the notepad and begin taking their orders, cracking jokes with them and making them happy.
As I return with the orders, Yomo looks down at the pad and nods at Touka, to make them. She gives me a nod as if to say, come on. I follow quickly.
We're in the back as she brews the orders. I watch closely as she does this, in her own special way. She points at it to make me try.
Without fail, I repeat what she did without fail. She looks impressed for a second, but shakes her head and says to get out there with the orders in a commanding voice.
I give them their orders with a smile, they thank me as I walk back to Yomo. He gives me a small thumbs up as if to say good job, I smile at this. It gave me a strange sense of belonging. Maybe working here wouldn't be as bad as I thought.
After closing hours, Yomo leads me into a basement like structure, but it's friggin huge! I look up at the high ceilings and huge room. This place was like a dojo in the back of the Cafe! Amazing...
As I was admiring the atmosphere, Yomo seemed to charge at me without warning. I flinch, barely blocking his punch with my arm. I jump back in surprise, but he takes a step forward and implants a blow to my stomach.
I cough up as Yomo speaks. "I'm here to teach you. If your to conceal your identity, then you need to learn more hand to hand combat." He said, getting in a stance.
I stand with struggle, he didn't hold back that punch, it hurts like hell. I bite my lip as I get into a stance similar to his, he scoots forward with the small pieces of gravel on the cement floor, and swings his leg into a kick, connecting with my side. I grab his leg and bring my elbow into it, he grunts in pain.
We separate and he smiles. "Very good counter." He said while rubbing his leg. He runs as me again, I duck this time in attempt to punch his stomach, but he catches my arm and throws me over his shoulders.
I land on my back with a big Oof! He puts a knee onto my chest and puts one of his arms out, holding my other arm down. "Game over." He says as he gets off of me.
I breath in breathes as he helps me up. He gets some distance again and smiles at me. "Again."
I smirk as I run at him this time, he flinches at this, ever since now he's been the one attacking. I swing my right arm in a large arc, he grabs my arm, but as he pulls me in, I smile bigger. Seeing this he notices my left arm, connecting with his stomach.
I take a step back as he frowns at himself for not noticing my fake attack. I smile and chuckle at him. "Gotcha."
He frowns as he runs at me, he's so fast I can barely make out his movements! His right arm grabs one of my hands, and he ducks as he does this, grabbing both my legs, scooping me up. He swings me around and then flings me across the room. I land with a large impact on my shoulder, I quickly get up when he stomps on the ground.
He throws another punch as I push it to the side and land a blow in his side, he grabs my arm that I hit him with and twists it into a hold.
I grunt in pain as I elbow him in the nose, making him stunned. But this doesn't stop him from grabbing my elbow and bringing my to the ground backwards. I land on my back, I stare at the ceiling.
He steps on my neck and my hand. He stares down at me. "Game over, again." He said.
He got away from me again and got into stance. I sigh as I shake off the pain. Looks like this is gonna go one for a while.