Chapter 707 Ja’s Coffee Shop
Olivia smiled at Ja and the pale man. The pale man was in a button up shirt, sleeves rolled up and wearing a vest. He was more toned in comparison to Ja and had short black hair.
"I'm doing fine, Mr. Ryan. It seems like the coffee shop hasn't gotten swamped, yet." Olivia smiled. "We're lucky, guys."
"Who's all this? I haven't seen their faces before." Ryan asked, pointing at the group.
"Oh, these are my friends from the Academy." Olivia moved over to the counter, allowing her friends to follow her or wander around.
"You've made quiet the colorful friend group. Are they your teammates?" Ja asked.
"How would you know that?" Ryan asked Ja. "They could jsut be her friends."
"Why wouldn't you just bring your teammates along? I heard you spend a lot of time with your teammates." Ja told his lover. Ryan roleld his eyes and Olivia chuckled, nodding.
"Yes, they're my teammates. Lemme introduce you to them!" Olivia spun around, catching everyone's attention. Lee Seng and Ritsuka were sitting in one of the empty tables while Liz and Evan hovered near Olivia. Manny stood near the door, looking at the artwork. "The one in the back is our leader, Manny. This gentleman is Evan. He might not look like it but he's the tank. This fair lady is Liz and the buff guy is Ritsuka… AND I got something real special about this last one." Olivia smiled. Ryan and Ja looked at each other before leaning in.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Ja asked.
"What?!? No!" Olivia pulled back in embarassment.
"Why's that the second time I'm hearing this?" Lee Seng whispered to Ritsuka. Ritsuka shrugged.
"I guess you're two out of two." Ritsuka sighed.
"No! This is Lee Seng! I'm sure you've read the articles about him!" Olivia pointed. Ja and Ryan looked at each other and then to Lee Seng. They did this a couple of times before Ryan realized who Lee Seng was exactly.
"Ah! The Creator's son! What's someone so famous doing over here?" Ryan asked.
"I guess you're more famous than me." Manny commented as he moved over and sat down with Ritsuka and Lee Seng. "Figures."
"Are you actually jealous right now?" Lee Seng asked.
"No. Why would I be jealous? It's better no one knows I'm here." Manny's lips folded before his lips curled into pouty lips. Lee Seng shook his head as Ritsuka let out a small chuckle.
"You befriended the Creator's son?" Ja asked. "That's impressive. I always thought he'd be… Y'know, a bad boy. He looks pure and innocent."
"Ha!" Manny laughed. "'Pure and innocent.' He's far from that Mr. Ja. He's an actual bad boy." Manny patted Lee Seng, who tried to deflect Manny away from him. Manny dodged out of the way before Lee Seng could get a hold on him. Olivia rolled her eyes and smiled at Ja and Ryan.
As long as she could remember, Ja and Ryan were always taking in students, especially those like Olivia. They took in the kids that were curious, a bit quirky and different. Ja and Ryan shared many of their life stories with the kids and Oliiva was one of the regulars that came to their coffee shop with or without getting a thing from them. free𝒘ℯ𝗯𝙣𝗼ν𝑒𝗹.𝒄o𝒎
Olivia felt the most comfortable in this place. She couldn't help but smile in the face of Ja and Ryan. They had helped her out when she was upset. They had celebrated the highs and lows together and it was only natural she felt a bit indebted to them.
"So, heroine, should we make you your usual? Your friends want something to drink?" Ja asked. Olivia spun around and looked at the group. Manny and Ritsuka were already moving to the front to see the menu while Lee Seng's attention was being drawn to the front door.
A strange energy was pacing in front of the building. Lee Seng watched it pace a couple of times before deciding to stand and figure out what it was.
"Lee, what do you want?" Ritsuka asked.
"Double choco frappe." Lee Seng answered. "If they have it. Otherwise butterfly pea tea. Hey, I'm gonna step out for a sec."
"A-alright. Do they have that here?"
"Mmm, they have both. Let's just give him the first one." Olivia nodded. Lee Seng pushed the door open and stepped out into the square. The strange energy fluttered off to the right. Lee Seng's eyes were immediately drawn to a girl about his age. She was wearing a black backpack and had short blonde bob hair. "She was in a school uniform and slowly ascended the hill path.
'The second person with unique energy.' Lee Seng thought. A band of gray Dark Matter energy wrapped around his wrist as he anxiously watched her leave. 'Her energy isn't corrupted like that guard. Her's feels light. I wonder why she came here.' Lee Seng watched as another strange set of energies came into fruition. They seemed to pop out of nowhere.
The school girl was met with five other people. They seemed to know each other as they conversed.
"Are you sure it was her?" Guy 1 asked. "She didn't say she was coming back."
"But if she's back we can ask her to help us!" Girl 1 spoke. The blonde bob girl shifted uncomfortably before clearing her throat.
"She's with a bunch of people." The blonde told them.
"Probably her friends from the city." Guy 2 answered. "Let's go see her!"
"They're getting coffee at Ja's! We can't let Ja and Ryan see us… They'll know what we're up to immediately and it'll ruin things!" Girl 2 reminded the group. "What do you say, Hayley?" They all seemed to turn to a girl out of view for Lee Seng.
"Let's wait until she comes out. We can talk to her then. She'll probably make her way to us at some point. She'll definitely hear what's happening and want in." Hayley answered.
'Why does this one feel different from the rest?' Lee Seng wondered. The door to the coffee shop jangled. Olivia stepped out and looked around for Lee Seng, finding him standing at the edge of the shop's area.
"Lee, whatcha doin'?" Olivia asked.
"Is that… Olivia?" Guy 1 asked.
'One of them has sharp hearing.' Lee Seng thought.
"What? Where?" Guy 2 asked. The feet seemed to turn and look over towards them.
"That guy's been looking at us ever since Jamie came back." Guy 1 told them.
'He knows.' Lee Seng turned and looked at Olivia.
"What's wrong?" Olivia asked. "Did you see someone? Someone cute? I might know them. Lemme know and I'll introduce you."
"It's nothing like that." Lee Seng answered. He glanced behind him, noticing they were gone. "I just needed some sun. Are they almost done with our orders?"
"Mmm, they're making them now. Let's go inside." Olivia waved. Lee Seng nodded and followed Olivia back into the shop. The doorbell jangled as they stepped in and Lee Seng noticed his group of friends were conversing with each other at the table some of them were sat at.
"Why'd you go outside?" Evan asked once Oliiva and Lee Seng sat down.
"Needed some sun." Lee Seng lied. "Have an itch to soak in as much sun while we're here in a nice place."
"You sound ecstatic to be here." Manny pointed out. "Most of us haven't gone this far out of the city before, right?" Manny looked around, gathering nods from most of the group. "I thought more of you would be excited to be here."
"Mmm, it's exciting." Evan answered. "But I'm a bit… y'know, cautious. We've traveled so quickly with the information we know and… It's kinda weird to be here… Away from the city."
"A true city boy." Ritsuka commented. Evan stuck his tongue out on Ritsuka and laughed.
"Not as bad as you. You must be out of your element, right? Have you ever seen this many trees and flora around?"
"I haven't." Manny raised his hand.
"Here are your drinks, heroine and friends." Ja smiled. He divvied their drinks up, getting the right drink to the right person. The last person to get their drink was Lee Seng. Ja looked at him and smiled. "And to the famous Mr. Lee Seng Chang, a double choco frappe. Hope it's as good as the ones you get in the city."
"Oh, nothing will beat your drinks, Ja. Trust me." Olivia complimented him. She took a sip of her iced americano and closed her eyes, taking in everything. "Still good."
"You were a little crazy with your americano order, but I'm glad you love it just the same. If you guys need anything else, let my husband and/or I know. We'll get you what you need. If you want a snack, feel free to come and ask for one." Ja told the group.
"Thanks, Mr. Ja." Lee Seng nodded.
"Thanks." The group followed suit.
"I'll leave you to it then."