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It was an average day in Thieves’ Rest. Coil had already done his damage to Slingshot for the day, Vinestaff had politely shooed away a rowdy customer, and Shuriken had tripped and spilled something already.
Overall, it was a completely normal day. The café wasn’t busy enough for the three of them to preoccupy themselves with work, which meant they’d all begun hanging around the counter for ‘work reasons’. Even if a part of those work reasons was gossip in disguise.
“Coil invited me to go watch one of his fights, and you know— I just might bring one of you.”
“Really?” Vine lit up as Slingshot spoke, clearly becoming invested.
“The only issue I have with it is I have to fight to watch.”
Shuriken looked at him before saying the same word, except with a more deadpan expression: “Really?”
“Didn’t know I lived in a family of parrots.”
“No, no, I just think watching a fight would be fun!”
“I think he’s bringing you the Crossroads equivalent of Fight Club.”
Slingshot gave Vinestaff a smile before giving his brother a frown, mumbling, “But Tyler Durden looked good, so that doesn’t really matter a lot in the first place.”
“Not if you end up being put against him.”
The two of them watched Slingshot comprehend that question in real time, and Vine took it upon herself to say what both of them were thinking:
“Please don’t tell us whether or not you would enjoy that.”
“I can’t be honest with my siblings?”
“Nope!”
The conversation would’ve continued if it weren’t for the sound of the café’s door opening, the bell instantly causing all three of them to shift back into their somewhat regular positions.
Slingshot next to the baking goods, Vinestaff handling the register, and Shuriken looking ready to take orders.
Not three people who’d been gossiping.
But all of their faces quickly went through a similar shift in emotion upon realizing it was Katana. Not only was it Katana, but it was also Katana with a friend?
One none of them had seen before.
There was a shared look of confusion between them, with Vinestaff mouthing something, Slingshot forcing a harder customer service smile— and, well, Shuriken tried to appear normal.
As normal as he could be when rushing over to the other with his big, waiter grin, “Good afternoon, Katana, and?”
He gave a space, blinking at the other man next to him.
“Ah, I’m Hyperlaser.”
Shuriken watched as he stuck his hand out, and he gave into the handshake as quickly as he could.
“It’s good to meet you!”
Don’t comment on how Katana doesn’t usually bring around friends, don’t comment on how—
“Shuriken, since you’re already here,” Katana’s voice came out low, seeming to have picked up on some of his thoughts and shifted the topic for him, “Can you get us some tea and two vanilla cake slices?”
“On it!”
By the time he gave the order to Vinestaff, the three of them were trying to gather up as discreetly as they could.
“Do we play wingman?” She asked, looking at Slingshot and Shuriken for their opinions.
“I’m planning to,” he replied, leaving the last answer up to Slingshot.
“If you play wingman, I’ll do it with you.”
Upon realizing they’d attracted the attention of Katana’s— friend? New guy? The three of them split up, trying to act somewhat casual.
Shuriken tried to look busy with washing dishes, Slingshot was baking, and Vinestaff was counting money. All fitting if it weren’t for the fact that all of their heads were tilted more in that direction, attempting to pick up on the conversation.
“You know these three, don’t you?” Hyperlaser asking that question had blown one cover, with that being Shuriken’s.
He’d dropped a plate while scrubbing it in the sink, not breaking anything, but the noise was noticeable over the sound of lo-fi.
“They’re my neighbors.” Katana looked over at the noise before redirecting his gaze, looking more focused on the conversation between the two of them.
“I think they consider me an elder. Not in my words, only in theirs.”
“I’d like to think we aren’t that old.”
“We aren’t that young either, are we?”
The sound of laughter was what gave away Vinestaff, who ended up giving away her staring. She couldn’t hide looking over at the two of them for that long!
Which meant the three of them had one left, one strong soldier.
Slingshot!
He ran the café, so he’d become adapted to peeking in on customer conversations without giving himself away. Besides, as much as Shuriken wanted to run their food, it would be too obvious now. Dropping that plate right on cue was a fumble.
Vinestaff and Shuriken were staring at their brother, and his sigh was almost inaudible to anyone besides them.
But then, he looked focused, holding both of the cake slices and tea with a determined look on his face.
“You got this,” Vinestaff murmured to him as he began walking out to the tables, and the most Shuriken did was give a small thumbs-up.
But that hope was quickly crushed by what Slingshot thought would’ve been a good opener.
“Katana! It’s good to see you,” he smiled while putting the plates between the two men, adding on, “You know, I haven’t seen you much after you helped me and my siblings out of that crash the other day.”
Now, this method would’ve worked on anyone else.
Vinestaff had even used it on a customer taking his girlfriend out before, and it was an easy bit to keep up with.
But— that method only worked better with younger Inphernals.
“I didn’t do that, though?”
There was a genuine hint of confusion in Katana’s tone, and Slingshot would’ve messed it up some more if it weren’t for the sound of Hyperlaser’s chuckle.
“Ah, really? That’s a shame.” The other didn’t seem to take Slingshot's or Katana’s words too seriously, only saying, “I would’ve been eager to tell Princess about my date with a hero.”
“Date?”
No worries, Katana— everyone in the room had the same question. The thing was, the other three knew not to correct him on that aloud!
“That’s what this is, is it not?”
There were four pairs of eyes strictly on him now, and Slingshot bit his cheek to keep from laughing at how bad this was going.
He could’ve seen the fluster behind Katana’s mask while he grumbled, “If you consider it one, sure.”
Vinestaff was the most overdramatic of the three of them, giving tiny, completely silent claps at the words. Shuriken hadn’t done much other than make eye contact with him, a sign they’d discuss this the moment they were out of earshot.
Which was right now, in Slingshot’s standards, with how badly he needed to excuse himself from the conversation.
“I’ll add on a discount,” he mouthed to Katana, leaving the conversation as quickly as he could. There was no way he’d ruin the mood.
According to the look Slingshot received from his siblings when he got back, he already had.
Nobody was saying anything aloud, too focused on feigning discussion whenever one of the two looked over; they all felt the same.
Vinestaff was making some vague gestures at him, and Shuriken was nodding along, hushing Slingshot by the time he began laughing.
However, he quickly hushed himself as Katana looked at Shuriken, not saying anything before making a small gesture.
Was that meant to be a sign he needed Shuriken over there?
He’d listen– but the gesture itself had instantly hardened the mood of the other two. They would not make this go bad for Katana.
Chances are they were already ruined a bit by blasting music yesterday night, knowing how thin those apartment walls were; it was objectively nice music!
Sure, Katana didn’t like hip-hop, but the songs were good.
Anyway, that part didn’t matter.
Shuriken walked over with a sheepish smile on his face, trying his hardest not to be awkward with the two of them.
“This is the Batman one I was telling you about.”
“Hah?”
Oh, so Katana was just selling out his secrets like that for a date? He quietly noted down how it was, trying not to look embarrassed by the comment. He didn’t need his cover blown like that.
“You couldn’t have said that while he greeted us?”
“What Batman one?” He was being ignored.
“Mm-mm, I know those other two well. They were being nosy.”
And he was ratting out the fact that they were listening! What a snitch!
Both of the elders had the audacity to laugh right in front of Shuriken, not taking his presence seriously.
“Did you need me for anything?”
“Right, right.”
Katana handed over the normal money for the bill before adding an extra sixty bux. The tip almost shocked him, but his mood was killed in an instant:
“Go split some with your sister and brother. They looked hardworking today.”
All of that work was fake!
Still, that was generous, and Shuriken wasn't about to be the one to mess up Katana’s good impression on his date.
“Thank you.”
He’d grabbed the to-go boxes without another word, handing them to Hyperlaser when he walked past them again. Overall, Shuriken was somewhat trying to rush the two of them out of the store to have a very deserved recess with his siblings.
“It was good to meet you. Maybe we can have your sister greet us next time.” Hyperlaser’s voice carried a smile while Katana rushed him out, mumbling something about how the three of them were such ‘troublemakers’ within the apartment.
Shuriken double-checked whether or not they had left before going:
“Katana betrayed us!”
“Shuri, shut up!” Vinestaff snickered, immediately going closer to the door to watch Hyperlaser and Katana walk together.
“He did it for good reason! Look at how his ‘date’ is going!”
“No, Katana definitely betrayed us,” Slingshot mumbled, having crumbled behind the counter when he finally joined the conversation.
“He didn’t betray me?”
“You didn’t even talk to him!”
“He has a good point.”
Vinestaff’s eyes focused on Slingshot when he said that, retorting, “Sling— I don’t want to hear anything from you; you almost screwed it up.”
“How is it my fault he’s so old he can’t go with a bit?”
“You should’ve been like me,” Shuriken added, beginning to talk as if he’d been the center, “They both had a good laugh because of me.”
“More like laughing at you.”
“Vine!”
“My point still stands.”
“She’s not wrong either.” Slingshot looked over at him before clearly thinking back, reminding Shuriken:
“It was more like showing off your bad grandchild when you’re making an example of them.”
He frowned at Slingshot for that, especially when Vine agreed— only becoming distracted by the sound of someone else entering. Right, Coil had asked for some food to-go before leaving and reminded them that Skateboard would be the one to pick it up.
They forced themselves to somewhat settle back into a normal schedule, trying to continue work without more discussion.
…
“What is this?” Vinestaff asked, looking at the door with a confused look as she picked up the boxed gift in front of it, tilting it around and shaking it to listen for any concerning noise.
Shuriken yawned as he walked past her, seeming more intent on getting sleep than properly eyeing the package that he and Slingshot had become curious about.
“I don’t know, don’t care.”
There was a note on it, which Slingshot read aloud for the two of them, “‘For helping with my date’? Huh?”
“I’m not unboxing this inside; it might be a glitter bomb,” she mumbled, trying to tear at the wrapping with her hands alone.
Slingshot chided, “You’re going to make a mess.” Then he was glaring as Shuriken walked in and closed the door on the two of them.
Vinestaff ignored it, opening the package and using her wooden arm as a box cutter. The gifts inside weren’t many, but they were so much sweeter than either of them expected.
Katana had gotten her a rarer flower seed; he’d gotten Slingshot a new pair of baking mitts; and Shuriken had gotten a Batman figurine.
Neither of them understood the last gift, but they were mildly positive Shuriken would enjoy the effort of the gift nonetheless.
“That’s so sweet!” Vinestaff was holding the seed as a new cherished possession, smiling while looking at it.
“These are in a good color too.”
Slingshot said that under his breath, holding them and examining them properly before beginning to move the box inside.
The two of them decided to leave Shuriken’s gift in front of his door, allowing him his after-work nap while figuring out what to give back.
Katana had woken up to a whole vanilla cake at his front door, with an added note to refrigerate it if he intended to split it with someone.