Smash and Grab

John stood before the small, unassuming diner, his eyes fixed upon the magically illuminated sign hanging over the doorway. Witch’s Brew wasn’t the most creative name but the interior looked well-maintained, with the flickering light of a warm fire shining through the glass of the front doors. As he approached the entrance, he could feel a certain energy emanating from the building, beckoning him inside. He pushed open the door and was immediately enveloped by a warm, inviting atmosphere.

The cafe was small, with small round tables scattered throughout. Each table was adorned with a small vase of fresh flowers and a flickering candle, casting a soft, warm glow on the surroundings. The booths lining the walls were intimate and cozy, perfect for sharing a meal with a friend or loved one. Most of the furniture and flooring was dark, stained wood, unblemished and so immaculate it had to be enchanted.

But it wasn't just the decor that made this cafe enchanting - it was the drinks. John watched with a soft smile as a cup of steaming hot cocoa floated through the air, making its way towards a table across the room. The drinks might be mundane, but even if they were, the service certainly wasn’t. The occasional sight of them floating to their tables added a sense of whimsy to the already charming space.

The fireplaces on either side of the cafe burned brightly, casting a warm, comforting light upon the patrons, giving the entire room a more consistent glow than the small candles would have alone. Despite all the open flames, the air felt only slightly warmer than outside; a blanket of warmth gently settled over the comfort of cool air. A greeter met John while he was still taking in the interior, hastily ushering John across the room.

As he took a seat at one of the small, round tables with Sophia close behind him, he couldn’t help a chill running down his spine. The cafe was relatively empty, as was most of the Abyssal Market – he suspected people were already emptying out of Springfield due to the threat of the Northern Ashes.

Still, if anything, the emptiness only made it easier to notice that despite the comfortable atmosphere of the cafe itself, there were a few too many eyes on him. More than he’d ever experienced in his mundane life, to be certain. Probably even more than he’d felt at the Order Manor most days. It was hard to ignore – with only himself and the ever stoic, mostly silent Sophia at the moment, there was little to distract him from the constant glances he could feel the other people shooting him.

”I guess I still haven’t been outside of my new world much except to visit the Order. I didn’t realize that so many more people had become aware of me...”

John wondered which part of his tale seemed to gather so much interest. Had more news of his abilities leaked around? Surely in the year that he was gone, it would have spread much further than the Albidians, so that could have been it. Or perhaps it was the Albidians themselves, and how he had culled such a troublesome organization…

The thoughts occupied John for a long while, only interrupted by the rapid arrival of their drinks, mere moments after keying them in on the tablet at the table. Sophia had picked something that smelled of cinnamon and nutmeg, while John’s was a simpler mint. They had only finished half of their drinks when the sound of the front door opening rang out with a soft jingle – something that caught John’s attention almost immediately. It was the first customer to arrive or depart since John had seated himself, and he was only briefly surprised to see Layla pressing her way past the glass door.

Layla brushed the greeter aside, making her way past their objections and seating herself across from John with barely a breath between her entrance and seating. She offered John a soft smile as she stared at him, with only a quick glance toward Sophia.

“Thank you for inviting me out like this, John. I was a bit worried when you went silent after returning home,” Layla admitted, only stopping to place her own order on the touchscreen when she finished speaking.

“Sorry, I… I did mention I don’t get cell reception in my new world, right?” John mused. “If I didn’t, that’s my bad.”

“You’ve mentioned it before, I was just thinking that since you’re back in Springfield, you would be checking in a little more often,” Layla said, looking up at him shyly, gently twirling a lock of her hair. “You were gone for most of the last year… I was hoping that had changed.”

“Ah, it’s a bit tangled up…” John mused, finding himself oddly flustered by the intensity of her look. “Well, I’m trying to balance my time between preparing for the war and-”

“Oh, be careful how much you say here,” Layla warned, her voice falling to a whisper as she spoke, eyes darting left and right. “I do like this place… but it’s still very public. You shouldn’t give anything away. I know information about your abilities has already leaked, but your actual plans for the future...”

“R-right,” John said abashedly, rewording the sentence in his head before picking up again, “I’ve been balancing my time between preparations back here, training with everyone, and trying to just catch up with everyone, including my family in the new world… I wasn’t exactly the greatest to them for a lot of the last year. It took a lot of time for me to be myself again, a lot of help from all of them too. And a little help from myself, I guess.”

Red hair, drifting away. Wings on the breeze. Fingers slipping.

John shuddered, willing away the unwelcome feelings. “Anyway, things are kind of hectic right now, but I promise I’ll reach out as often as I can. At the very least I can always check in over a text or something when I’m back in town.”

"Well, I do appreciate you getting in touch. It's nice to spend time together like this... without being in the middle of a fight for our lives. I'd love it if you could stop by like this more often..."

"Well, things are a little hectic, but I can probably work something out," John noted. "Oh! You could always come join us when I’m back here with the others. I should have thought about it a lot sooner – I’d love to take you into a dungeon."

"A d- dungeon?" Layla said, blushing noticeably. "W-well, I mean, I suppose if that’s the sort of thing that you’re into…"

John mirrored her blush as he realized what she’d said. “N-no! Not like that. I have Dungeon Barriers that we train in, monsters to fight… I actually forgot, you’ve never come and trained with me. You should definitely join us. I’ve been told that for other people, leveling up the first time when they’re partied up with me is quite an experience.”

“I’m sure it is,” Layla said, smiling softly. “So is that an invitation?”

“Of course! I was planning on having a day for training with Moira and Kim sometime in the next few days, I can message you where to meet us. It might be at the Brighton Manor, or-”

“I may have to pass, then. I’m not really comfortable going to the Manor. I didn’t mind working with Moira when it was urgent, but…"

Layla trailed off, her eyes sliding off the side of the table and staring at some distant tile in the floor. John tried to read something from her gaze, but it was as if a curtain had fallen over Layla’s true emotions. He hadn’t seen a face so stern and emotionless since the few times Kim wasn’t actively annoyed at him…

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had some issue with the Order… Uh, if it changes things at all, they’re a lot better than they used to be,” John offered, holding his palms out in a placating manner. “I had some issues with Moira when I first met her too, she used to be a lot more of a zealot than she is now. And from what she’s told me, the Order doesn’t have the best reputation in other areas either. But if you’re not comfortable, I’m not going to pressure you. We can still make time for just us.”

“I’d appreciate that. Not just because of the Order,” Layla hastily added. “I, um… I really do appreciate you coming to see me like this. Away from all the danger and fighting and, well, you know.”

“It actually is surprisingly nice to be able to sit in a restaurant like this. It feels almost like being normal again. Well, except for the service,” John noted, his eyes catching movement to his right just as a levitating pot of brew hovered to the side of the table and began to refill his emptied glass. John nodded thankfully, took a moment to feel silly for the gesture, then quietly sipped his refilled beverage while the awkwardness dispersed.

“I think that you should spend more time with her, Father.”

Though he was quickly becoming a bit more used to Sophia speaking up, John’s eyebrows still danced a bit as he turned to face his lover. Her eyes met his, though they glittered with something closer to amusement than he was used to seeing from her.

“Not that I disagree, but I wouldn’t mind hearing why you think that,” John said curiously.

“As I have told you many times before, I am always here to support you, Father. But it need not be only me – and more importantly, it is good for you to have time to relax like this. Away from not only the concerns of training, but of taking care of the rest of us. Ever since the kittens were born, you do not seem to take much time for yourself. It would be good for you to take this opportunity to connect with someone removed from the more stressful conditions of your life.”

John paused, a reply half-formed on his lips. There was something off about Sophia, though he couldn’t quite place what it was. It wasn’t just what she’d said; Sophia may been the type to train, fight, and fuck her stress away, but she’d become much more sensitive to the needs of others – especially as their family had grown more diverse. It was everything about her. Sophia was so steadfast and stoic that the slightest change was noticeable, but it happened so rarely that he had no idea how to tell what was causing it.

Still, whatever Sophia may have been thinking, John could always trust it was in the best interest of her flock. He left his questions for later and turned his gaze back to Layla.

“Well, like I said, I’m definitely open to the idea. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be opposed if you wanted to make this a more regular thing," Layla said, a pleased smile spreading across her face. "Perhaps we could meet up whenever you come back to Springfield?"

"That sounds amazing, but are you sure? It doesn't have to be every time, especially since my schedule isn't really reliable right now,” John admitted.

“Of course! Honestly, with everything that has happened in the last year, and now with the Northern Ashes looming over everything… it would be nice to have something stable in my life.”

John thought for a moment there was something odd to Layla’s expression, but it was gone quickly, if it had ever really been there at all. Feeling that perhaps he was being too suspicious of his friends, John let a warm smile cross his face as he raised his glass toward Layla, who quickly returned the toast. As their glasses clinked gently together, just before he turned his toward his lips, John offered his appreciations.

“I really do appreciate this, Layla. And not just this, either – I appreciate everything you’ve done for me over the last year. You answered every call I made, fulfilled every request I made of you. Even when I didn’t dare to ask, you followed me across the country and told me you believed in me, when I left you in the dark for months. I really can’t express to you just how much it means to me. I don’t know what it is about me or my aura that got your attention, but… I’m really glad that it did. I’m eternally grateful to have someone like you as a friend.”

As John raised the glass to his lips, something felt… off. Nothing alarming, but there was an electricity in the air. A tension, the kind that warned John only when some grave mistake had been made. His mind had just processed the flavors of mint and turned to the warning sirens in his mind when Sophia’s fist slammed upon the table, the thunder of cracking wood filling the air.

John jumped in his seat, eyes shooting rapidly between Sophia’s fist, the cracks in the wood, the patrons around the room now universally staring in their direction, and of course at Sophia. Despite her face remaining mostly stoic, a strong twitch nearly vibrated the eye of the suddenly animated woman, and her clenched fist continued to spasm as her eyes focused somewhere far in the distance.

“Father…” Sophia began, voice lower than John had ever heard, “it is not my place… but I believe you may wish to reconsider your previous statement.”

“What? I thought you got along with Layla, why-”

John turned his head back toward Layla and found a mixture of emotions on her face, some a bit too complex to read immediately. Still, something did click in John’s head then, though he couldn’t say whether it was her expression or Sophia’s words that caused it.

“Was it… was it calling her a friend? Sophia, I-"

Sophia huffed, her body tightening even further. The wood under her fist crackled slightly as she spoke.

“I believe… Father… that Layla perhaps might prefer a title more important, perhaps one more precious to you.”

“Sophia, this is…” John was about to say something to Sophia, more shocked at her behavior than properly chastising, when he noticed it. Layla’s expression was hard to read, but she was blushing… and John was quite certain it wasn’t out of embarrassment for the scene Sophia had caused.

“Excuse me, sir, I’m afraid I’m going to-”

“I’ll fix it,” John responded without even looking at the staff member who had approached him, tapping the table with an open palm. A quick Craft cast wove the fibers of the table back together, restoring the material to its former form almost immediately, with Sophia’s fist being gently raised from its small crater. “Add a reasonable fee onto the bill, I’ll cover it, and add a generous gratuity for the trouble.”

The server stammered some half-hearted objections, but seemed to realize he was being mostly ignored and eventually traipsed his way back across the cafe. Meanwhile, John’s eyes were still locked on Layla’s.

“Uh, Layla, I feel silly for not asking sooner, but do you like me?” John winced as he realized how childish that sounded. “I mean, you obviously like me. But have you been doing all this for me because you…”

John trailed off again, unable to say the words “find me attractive” or “are interested in me”. They felt wrong in his mouth, somehow inappropriate. While he was still considering the implications of that, Layla broke the silence again.

“W-well, I appreciate you for many reasons, John. You’re a wonderful person, I felt it from the moment we met. The time we’ve spent together has only proven that initial feeling correct. But… would you be surprised?” Layla asked, biting her lip slightly. “A young woman feels a man with an aura like nothing she’s ever experienced before, watches him go to the ends of the earth for people he cares about, all while standing true to values the rest of the Abyss abandoned a long time ago. You’re surprised she might have some feelings for that man?”

“Uh, a little, yeah.”

John meant to say something wittier, but for all his Wisdom and Charisma stats, the words flowed before he could stop them. An awkward silence filled the air then, a moment passing as John’s eyes widened. To his relief, Layla was the one to break the silence, offering a mostly sincere giggle as she eyed John with an affectionate warmth.

“You’re awfully modest, John. You act like I’m the first woman to tell you she likes you.”

“W-well…"

John wanted to say that she wasn’t, wanted to admit – if nothing else – that he had at least finally had some connection with Moira. Had he the presence of mind to actually think about social etiquette that would have seemed foolish, even to his awkward self. But he never got that far, because while trying to put the words together, John started to piece together everything Layla had said.

True, their introduction had been somewhat awkward, but since then Layla had never been anything less than honest and devoted to him. In fact he had questioned her devotion a few times, wondering why someone like her could be so immediately loyal to someone she’d just met, especially someone so new to the Abyss like himself. At the time he had chalked it up to a mixture of innocence and being too willing to trust… Looking back on it now, and the way that Layla had acted at the time, John realized the fault had always been his own.

“I guess I should have realized a lot sooner. Sorry, it’s just… until I joined the Abyss, I never really… no one was ever interested in John Newman, you know?” John murmured, eyes falling to the table, idly toying with his own fingers as he spoke. “I spent eighteen years as just that, ‘John Newman’, and no one ever seemed interested in him. I sat in the corner, I did my own thing, and… no one ever even noticed.”

John fiddled a bit more with his hands, eyes not daring to journey up. The revelation was a particularly uncomfortable one. It had been a long time since he had contemplated his old, mundane life. It felt so far away now that realizing how much of an impact it still had on him felt almost foreign… and that it was such a negative impact was decidedly unwelcome.

“Things have changed a lot since I got my abilities. People are definitely interested in ‘The Gamer’ now, if nothing else. But I guess after so many years of no one caring about John Newman, I still don’t expect that to be the case.”

“Father…”

“John-”

“Hey, it’s my issue, and if anything, this has helped. Hell of a confidence booster, right?” John joked, forcing a grin as he stood from the table. “Anyway, I better go see how much I’m gonna have to toss at the manager to help him forget us cracking open one of his tables, before he calls whatever is left of the Market guards to chase us out of here.”

John took a few steps away from the table, then stopped abruptly. He turned backward, and his eyes wavered slightly as he met Layla’s gaze as best as he could.

“Oh, and, uh… I like you too, Layla. Next time we meet, let’s, uh… let’s call it a date.”

Then John turned and continued walking away, hurrying away from his embarrassment so fast he missed the blush on Layla’s face that mirrored his own.

Layla stood a few inches apart from Sophia, both statuesque near the front doors of Witch’s Brew while watching John negotiate somewhat animatedly with the proprietor of the business.

“You are more familiar with the customs and behaviors of your people than I am. Is he having difficulties due to a disagreement on value, or some other foolish vanity?” Sophia asked, glaring disdainfully at the man heatedly arguing with John.

“I’m not sure. Given the state of things in the city, it could be that the owner thinks this place has more value because of how many shops have closed when their owners fled, or it could be desperation,” Layla noted, eyes as cold and calculating as the harpy’s. “Perhaps they believe they can intimidate John into paying several times the value, then use that windfall to flee Springfield before the Northern Ashes arrive.”

“If they do not cease their foolish games soon, they will be worrying over far more than a damaged table,” Sophia swore, jaw clenched as she stared at the man loudly berating her Father. Her shoulders rotated idly and her neck popped loudly as she did her best to quell the urge to flex wing muscles that were not manifested.

“While we have the opportunity, I wanted to thank you for keeping your word. I appreciate the help in reaching him and showing him how much I care.”

Sophia craned her neck a little, her head falling slightly as she considered what had happened earlier. Speaking out as she had felt wrong, almost unnatural, but keeping her word and supporting her Father’s happiness in the long-term was more important than momentary uneasiness and whatever questions he might have for her later. More importantly, seeing the way he had reacted to finally realizing Layla’s feelings and desires for intimacy had helped her see more of the chasms that stood between her own instinctual views of the world and the way that her Father saw things. That alone was worth far more than the discomfort she had felt at intervening with his interactions, no matter how severe.

“It was… a worthwhile endeavor,” Sophia finally managed, tucking her chin against her collar. “I did not lie when I told you that I would aid your efforts.”

“I know, and I won’t forget that,” Layla said, her eyes dancing with a mirth and amusement that was beyond Sophia’s immediate understanding. Words danced in her head, words unspoken, yet felt all the more fervently for their silence.