月の下で [3]
In the Moonlight © aicchan
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Asmita's eyes remained fixed on the name card in his hand even as he came out of the bus and walked the way to his home. It was Defteros's. He gave it to him when they reached the bus stop close to his detective office, saying that—he wasn't sure whether the taller man was joking or not—he can contact him with the numbers listed on that card if he need help or just want to have someone to talk to. Asmita wasn't sure whether he should be offended with the implication that he had no friends and thus offered a way to relieve some loneliness through talking to someone like Defteros.
Nonetheless, he appreciated the little gift.
Looking up, he nearly walked past his destination—a three-floored building that is owned by his relative. An eye-catching plank hung over the awning, telling people who cared to look that the building hosted a restaurant specialized in Indian cuisine on its two first floors. The topmost floor was served as the owner and workers' lodging. That's right; it was his workplace doubled his home.
The restaurant was less packed, but will steadily grow more crowded soon as it was getting closer to dinnertime. A waiter, clad in the restaurant's uniform and had his long blond hair tied with a rose hairband, saw his entrance and quickly approached him after he was done serving the customers' orders.
"Asmita! Where were you since this morning?" He hissed the question, and continued to lower his voice to the level of whisper—unnecessary, actually, as the place was full of noises though not yet at the maximum it could reach with a situation when the place is really, really packed. "I thought you said you're going to have a 'refill' for the month, but you just returned now. What happened?"
Asmita inclined his head in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry, I had an incident that required me to overstay at someone's place. I'll tell you the full story later, Cardinale."
The man named Cardinale opened his mouth, as if he was about to flood the other man with more questions, but he heard one of the customers asking for his help, so he decided not to. "Alright, I'm expecting a detailed explanation. Now go to work—it's your shift but poor Sonia had to work overtime because you wasn't here. Make sure that you apologize to her and, later, to Shijima too. He was very worried."
His only respond was a nod, then he quickly strode to the kitchen, where he immediately greeted, apologized, and shooed their German part-time girl, all in quick sequences.
.
They closed their restaurant when the clock strikes 11 PM and the last customer had stepped out of the front door. The employees said their goodbyes as they finished cleaning the place and went to their respective home. Only Cardinale and Asmita remained, as they lived there along with the owner. Once they had locked the door and pulled close the curtains, both headed upstairs to the third floor.
Scent of sandalwood filled the two's lungs the moment they made their last step and reached the topmost floor of their building. It came from the burned incense sticks in numerous pots situated close to a man sitting lotus position on a mat at the other corner of the open recreation room. The red haired man had his eyes closed, but he seemed to sense the two men approaching and slowly his eyelids fluttered open, revealing a pair of green-colored irises.
"Thank you for the hard work today, Cardinale, Asmita," he slowly relaxed and unfurled from his position.
"As always, it's no problem, Shijima, amore mio," Cardinale smiled and knelt down, placing a soft kiss on the redheaded's cheek.
Asmita stopped walking when he was in front of Shijima, a good centimeters away from him, and went down to sit cross-legged. He did a namaste and inclined his head slightly before speaking. "I've returned, Shijima. My apologize if I've caused you worries."
Shijima eyed the blonde sitting across of him for a moment. "I noticed your arrival earlier this evening, and faintly heard that you chanced upon an incident. What kind of incident could it be to require you to overstay," his gaze shifted to the bandage still attached to Asmita's arm, "at a human's place?"
Asmita followed the gaze and silently scolded himself for forgetting to take it off. He unbinded his arm and watched that what little wound had marred his skin there had, as expected, completely healed. Thank goodness that those humans back then didn't attack him with weapons that could marred him for a long while.
"I met hunters when I preyed on a human last night. Two of them."
Cardinale gasped in surprise while Shijima remained expressionless. "And they nearly got you? Someone like you?"
"I admit I carelessly dropped my guard back then and underestimated their kind. They're stronger than I thought they are."
"And we warned you to always be on alert. Hunters stationed in this borough—no, in this city, is stronger than places you previously settled in; quite understandable since it is one of the biggest den for our kind—vampires."
.
Asmita's eyes remained fixed on the name card in his hand even as he came out of the bus and walked the way to his home. It was Defteros's. He gave it to him when they reached the bus stop close to his detective office, saying that—he wasn't sure whether the taller man was joking or not—he can contact him with the numbers listed on that card if he need help or just want to have someone to talk to. Asmita wasn't sure whether he should be offended with the implication that he had no friends and thus offered a way to relieve some loneliness through talking to someone like Defteros.
Nonetheless, he appreciated the little gift.
Looking up, he nearly walked past his destination—a three-floored building that is owned by his relative. An eye-catching plank hung over the awning, telling people who cared to look that the building hosted a restaurant specialized in Indian cuisine on its two first floors. The topmost floor was served as the owner and workers' lodging. That's right; it was his workplace doubled his home.
The restaurant was less packed, but will steadily grow more crowded soon as it was getting closer to dinnertime. A waiter, clad in the restaurant's uniform and had his long blond hair tied with a rose hairband, saw his entrance and quickly approached him after he was done serving the customers' orders.
"Asmita! Where were you since this morning?" He hissed the question, and continued to lower his voice to the level of whisper—unnecessary, actually, as the place was full of noises though not yet at the maximum it could reach with a situation when the place is really, really packed. "I thought you said you're going to have a 'refill' for the month, but you just returned now. What happened?"
Asmita inclined his head in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry, I had an incident that required me to overstay at someone's place. I'll tell you the full story later, Cardinale."
The man named Cardinale opened his mouth, as if he was about to flood the other man with more questions, but he heard one of the customers asking for his help, so he decided not to. "Alright, I'm expecting a detailed explanation. Now go to work—it's your shift but poor Sonia had to work overtime because you wasn't here. Make sure that you apologize to her and, later, to Shijima too. He was very worried."
His only respond was a nod, then he quickly strode to the kitchen, where he immediately greeted, apologized, and shooed their German part-time girl, all in quick sequences.
.
They closed their restaurant when the clock strikes 11 PM and the last customer had stepped out of the front door. The employees said their goodbyes as they finished cleaning the place and went to their respective home. Only Cardinale and Asmita remained, as they lived there along with the owner. Once they had locked the door and pulled close the curtains, both headed upstairs to the third floor.
Scent of sandalwood filled the two's lungs the moment they made their last step and reached the topmost floor of their building. It came from the burned incense sticks in numerous pots situated close to a man sitting lotus position on a mat at the other corner of the open recreation room. The red haired man had his eyes closed, but he seemed to sense the two men approaching and slowly his eyelids fluttered open, revealing a pair of green-colored irises.
"Thank you for the hard work today, Cardinale, Asmita," he slowly relaxed and unfurled from his position.
"As always, it's no problem, Shijima, amore mio," Cardinale smiled and knelt down, placing a soft kiss on the redheaded's cheek.
Asmita stopped walking when he was in front of Shijima, a good centimeters away from him, and went down to sit cross-legged. He did a namaste and inclined his head slightly before speaking. "I've returned, Shijima. My apologize if I've caused you worries."
Shijima eyed the blonde sitting across of him for a moment. "I noticed your arrival earlier this evening, and faintly heard that you chanced upon an incident. What kind of incident could it be to require you to overstay," his gaze shifted to the bandage still attached to Asmita's arm, "at a human's place?"
Asmita followed the gaze and silently scolded himself for forgetting to take it off. He unbinded his arm and watched that what little wound had marred his skin there had, as expected, completely healed. Thank goodness that those humans back then didn't attack him with weapons that could marred him for a long while.
"I met hunters when I preyed on a human last night. Two of them."
Cardinale gasped in surprise while Shijima remained expressionless. "And they nearly got you? Someone like you?"
"I admit I carelessly dropped my guard back then and underestimated their kind. They're stronger than I thought they are."
"And we warned you to always be on alert. Hunters stationed in this borough—no, in this city, is stronger than places you previously settled in; quite understandable since it is one of the biggest den for our kind—vampires."
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