The little café was tucked between two old brick buildings two blocks from the warehouse, and its faded awning fluttered gently in the afternoon breeze.
Half of the locals were sipping drinks and swiping on their phones at tables set outside.
Two black coffees steamed in front of Orced and Kruna, who had staked the corner table.
The background to the city noise was a subtle one: distant traffic, an occasional laugh from inside the coffee shop, the clinking of cups.
Orced drank slowly, his eyes lazily looking at the street. "Good location. Quiet enough to contemplate, loud enough to fit in."
Kruna relaxed back in his chair, knives buried but always within easy access. "You yearned to chat. Speak thus."
Orced smiled faintly. "Today's struggle was satisfactory. Still, we are being observed. That drone proved it. Hedonas will not ignore us always. We have to start considering the larger picture."
Kruna looked questioningly at his eyebrows. "You wish to engage them in conversation? Not quite. The door ought stay open. Just in case."
Kruna barely got a chance to respond before a person came to the table.
Pero with his hands in his pockets and dressed casually in a plain jacket and jeans, he resembled every bit a regular city dweller out for a stroll.
He stopped a proper distance away and gave a little, pleasant grin. "Think about whether I should join you. I observed the battle from afar. Impressive work indeed. The lads who brought down an A-class might have some intriguing ideas over coffee."
Orced glanced up, welcome and composed. "Of course. Bring a chair around. If you like, coffee's on us."
Pero sat down gracefully and indicated to the waitress a black coffee. "My name is Pero. Logistics is my field of work. Observed the commotion close to the harbour. Weeks of disturbance came from that curse. You addressed it swiftly. Most parties would have created chaos."
Kruna kept quiet for the time being but observed him intently.
Orced leant forward a little, kind and honest. "I'm Orced. and this is Kruna. Sky Boys is our company. We aim to make things straightforward. If you see a problem, correct it. Simply results."
Pero nodded, taking the coffee when it came. "Sky Boys? Lately I have heard the name drifting around. Floating island base, right? Nasty work. Most curse-hunting teams stay to the mainland and Hedonas oversight. You are functioning beyond the rules. That's brave."
Orced smiles softly. Guts and a ton of coffee. "We're not opposed to Hedonas. We only believe the planet could benefit from more individuals prepared to act rather than waiting for clearance. Today you spotted Rengan. He was threatening but not dumb. People worried and the danger was finished. That's it."
At last Kruna spoke, voice steady. "You are Hedonas' native, right?"
Still, he didn't refute it. He instead sipped slowly. "Let's say I am linked. I haven't come here to apprehend anyone. Just want to.. talk. Rengan was classified as low-threat, scavenger type. He was not specifically attacking people. He was living. Your squad came in with force. Individuals are saying it is too much."
Orced maintained a calm, nearly loving attitude. "Okay okay I get it. Probably what we do seemed hostile from the outside. But the reports we read told us otherwise. People's houses were being taken from them due to his feeding. He wasn't stupid, yet he wasn't innocuous either. We let him speak. He decided to fight and that happened"
Kruna murmured softly "We finish conflicts, not start them."
Pero he spent considerable time studying them. The discussion went pleasantly long, Orced kept it light, questioning Pero's logistics work, sharing some innocuous stories about training on the island, and even making fun of Macker's breakfast calamity.
Though Kruna kept more subdued, he chimed in with sarcastic remarks that had Pero laughing.
The debate lasted about forty minutes. Orced never made a threat or shouted. He was sensible towards him.
Orced leaned back. "Look, we're not seeking conflict with Hedonas. We share the same goal: people free from curses. Perhaps there is room for dialogue. Like a meeting time. Not under any circumstance. Simply discuss maybe collaboration or at least non-interference."
Pero cocked an eyebrow. "You want to talk about merging?"
Orced gave a head nod. "Not a merger. Just a conversation. The north side of the city is home to an ancient teahouse that is neutral, public, and has many eyes. Bring whoever you choose. Two individuals will come with us."
Pero was silent for a long time, his eyes flickered with uncertainty. But it was difficult to reject straight out given Orced's so honest and rational attitude. "I will return it to my people."
Pero said at last, rising. "Not any assurances. Still, it's a beginning. Orced gave a kind smile. That's what we want. Travels back safely."
But hands in pockets, thoughts racing, left the coffee shop. He had reservations, lots of them, yet the discussion had been, well, disturbingly normal.
The squad waited for his report back at Hedonas headquarters.
Darkas listened as Pero described the conference. "He maintained composure. Suggested a noncommittal gathering."
Meha scowled. "Sounds too perfect to be real."
Jellal fixed his glasses. "Still, it might calm things down if it's real."
Nemo nodded leisurely. "This might turn out to be a positive change. Initial encounter free from violence. We ought to give it some thought."
Darkas stayed silent for a long period. He then remarked. "We will go over it. Good job, nevertheless"
At the same time, Kruna and Orced got up after they had finished their coffees.
Walking back towards the extraction point, they found the afternoon sun to be warm.
Kruna turned to look at him sideways. "You genuinely believe they will turn up next week?"
Orced chuckled softly. "Whether they do or don't, it makes no difference. The seed has been sown. They have a fresh outlook on us now."
They vanished into the throng and made their way back to Sky Island. Unknowing, the city kept going. But the lines were being created.
Orced and Kruna climbed down from the extraction platform and back onto Sky Island just as the sun started its leisurely drop to the horizon.
The floating rock now seemed different, still serene and still theirs, but the events of the day weighed heavily in the air.
The rest of the team had already returned ahead of them and was spread out across the main plaza, stretching, cleaning their weapons, or just sitting on the grass and going over the fight in loud, excited voices.
Macker first noticed them. "Boss! Kruna! You two moved quite slowly. What were you stopping for sightseeing?"
Kruna smirked. "We shared coffee. Genuine coffee. Not the immediate rubbish you consider to be breakfast fuel."
Nix bounded over, gauntlet still faintly smoking from earlier. "Coffee? Without us? You realize it's rude. Next time I'm around. Using my explosion setting on low, I produce a mean espresso."
Ema glanced up from his bow-cleaning work. "For folks who just killed an A-class, you two look far too cool. Spill. What's the deal?"
Orced giggled softly, dismissive as he and Kruna strolled towards the main structure. "First, let me introduce someone. New guy showed up when we weren't around. Eriky. He will full-time manage the tea and kitchen. Macker no more boiling his own balls."
Macker moaned loudly. "What? That's so unfair. I was becoming rather skilled at it."
The kitchen already smelled incredible, like fresh herbs and warm, savory bread.
A new face stood at the stove: Eriky, a tall, broad-shouldered man in his late twenties with short-cropped black hair, a simple apron over a plain shirt, and a calm, steady demeanor that, somehow, made the messy kitchen seem tidy.
He was simply a regular guy with a gift for cooking and a subtle smile suggesting he had witnessed enough craziness in his life to go with whatever Sky Boys tossed at him, not a curse.