Tea Time

The smell of orange and cinnamon wafted through the tea room, as hot water was poured carefully over a mix of tea leaves. Potted plants of all sorts lined the room, radios set to play birds’ chirps that echoed through the room. The only way it could be more serene was if there was real grass beneath one’s feet instead of a luxurious rug and if the walls imitated the skies outside, rather than covered with several paintings of the massive, horrifying form of Lord Terrorhate. Paintings Etrohus would love to rip off the wall and throw straight in the garbage.

“They’re too valuable to throw away!” his advisors cried once when he threw one particularly horrid painting into the garbage. “Oh, what your father would think if he saw you throwing away pictures of his magnificence!”

His father would have him tortured just for doing a so-called ‘shabby’ job at ruling, Etrohus figured. But he’s quite dead, so his opinion hardly mattered.

In spite of the paintings, it was the one place Etrohus could find peace. Where he could find a small bit of joy in the tedium of his life. There was nothing quite like having a cup of tea after particularly difficult negotiations with other species from other planets, or after several heroes attempting to bribe him to pretend that they killed him so they could brag to their friends, or even after his advisors constantly lavished him with food and praise so sickly sweet, he could gag. Over a cup of Earl Grey, it was easy to forget the troubles in life, the issues he wished to address, everything. Of course, tea time was not complete if he wasn’t wearing the fuzziest ferret-covered pajamas he could find, black hair braided back and swaying to and fro.

Etrohus waited patiently for the tea to steep, then raised the cup to his lips. Warmth surged through his fingers, the steam tickling against his nose as he smiled.  A sip was all it took for that warmth to spread throughout his body, the sweet, tangy, and spicy taste tingling against his tongue.

Bliss. Pure and utter bliss. Heavens above, may this moment never end-

Something crashed outside of the room, the sound of glass falling on the ground. A screech of, “GET BACK HERE!” pierced the silence, as several loud footsteps passed right by the tea room’s door. Etrohus sighed. Another intruder? Or did one of the servants decide to steal something from the advisors? Whatever the case, they were making quite a commotion. The king did his very best to ignore the yells and screams, concentrating on the birds chirping. It was much harder once he heard magic spells being thrown around willy nilly; you can’t exactly hear birds chirping when there was an explosion nearby.

This lasted for about a minute or so until the door flew wide open, a young woman with a small backpack on her back rushing in before slamming it shut and locking the door behind her. She did not seem to notice, in her effort to catch her breath and to clean her wide, round glasses, that Etrohus was there. “Oh, thank goodness, I’m safe!” she said with a sigh of relief, slumping down the door and taking a seat on the floor. “Now to wait them out and sneak past them to face the King of this castle! And hope I don’t get beat up too badly, I guess?” The woman frowned for a moment, taking a moment to adjust her glasses and fix up her braids. “Yeah, sure, not sure what I’m expecting, taking on a bet like this, but never hurts to try-“

The words died in her throat when Etrohus cleared his throat loud enough to catch her attention.

“I, uh, um,” the girl stammered, pulling a sheet of paper from her backpack and unfolding it as fast as she could. She looked up at Etrohus and smiled nervously. “Oh, hi, didn’t…. uh, notice you there! You wouldn’t, um, happen to be the king of this place, would you?”

Oh no. Another hero? He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to humor her. “I am,” he said in his most regal voice. “And what business have you with someone such as myself?”

The woman blinked. “Oh, huh, what do you know? Uhm, pardon me a moment…” She glanced down at the piece of paper, muttering something under her breath until she looked straight at Etrohus and said, “Excuse me, but my fists have an appointment… WITH YOUR FACE!” She held out a shaky fist and grinned, in spite of her whole body trembling. After a few seconds, though, the woman asked, “I-is now a good time?”

Etrohus took a long sip of tea, unsure of whether to laugh or give the woman a blank stare. She didn’t appear to have a weapon of sorts, unless she could conjure weapons from the void. In addition, she was alone, and nervous. Not the best first impression, but her one-liner was remotely entertaining.

After a few moments deliberation, he placed his cup down and said, “Apologies, but I have a different appointment with this cup of tea right now. Care to schedule for another day?”

“Oh! Oh. Oooooh.” Another blink. “Yeah, sure. Is later this afternoon okay?”

“I believe I’ll have another unscheduled appointment with Jerry later. He has a tendency of dropping by at the most inopportune moments. I would prefer if you scheduled it a week from now, if you really wish to see me.”

“Morning or afternoon?”

“Preferably afternoon.”

Etrohus raised an eyebrow as the woman wrote it down on her piece of paper. She seemed pleased enough, folding it back up and stuffing it into her backpack. “Right then, Mr. King! My fists will smash into your face in a week’s time, provided that I… um, don’t die beforehand.” She opened the door and peered outside for just a moment before hastily closing it and locking it again. “Mmmind if I stay here for a little bit? Your guards look kinda, um, pissed.”

“Not surprised, considering you tricked them and hid here,” said the king bluntly. “Since you’ve already interrupted what was supposed to be a peaceful time, I guess I wouldn’t mind your company a tad bit longer… under one condition.”

The uninvited guest stared, breaking into a nervous smile. “Oh, uh, yeah? I’ll do anything! Except, well, you know…”

Etrohus gave her a gentle smile. “Oh, it’s nothing serious. You see, usually, when one makes appointments, they give their name. If you could spare that much, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“OH! J-just my name, huh?” The woman grinned a little. “It’s a little funky, though. Family tradition, and all.”

The king couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow to that. “Oh? Well, don’t keep me waiting too long.”

“It’s… Comet Warwitch.”

Etrohus was glad that he was not sipping on tea, because he was quite sure he would have spat it out in that very moment. “W-wait, that’s a joke, right?” he asked, eyes wide as he gave her a worried look. “Surely your parents wouldn’t-“

“Everybody says that,” Comet replied with a frown, playing a little with her hair. “And I get it. I totally get it. But my dad, Claymore Tsunami, insisted on it. It’s family tradition, you wouldn’t break tradition, would you? It’s bad, but you live with it. Kinda. Maybe. Sort of.”

“Ech, that’s not a good excuse. I feel your pain, however. I’m sure you’ve heard of Dread Warlock, Deathflame, haven’t you?”

Comet perked up and nodded her head. “There’s not one person who hasn’t heard of him, yeah!” It took a moment, but the way she slumped as she connected the dots… “Oh. Ooooooh. Ouch. That’s… you, isn’t it?”

“In the flesh. But I would prefer you call me Etrohus; Deathflame is a nickname I made up when I was twelve, and yet nobody has bothered to drop it the moment I started to get embarrassed over it.” Etrohus slumped in his chair as well, staring up at the ceiling as he gave a mighty sigh. “Not even my father seemed to respect me enough to stop calling me that. Parents are strange.”

“You bet, Etrohus!” Etrohus couldn’t help the sudden jolt in his heart when she said his name, his actual name. A few moments pass them by before Comet glanced at him and said, “Well, uh, you’re a lot more, um… nice, than people say you are.”

Etrohus met her gaze, curious. “And what makes you say that?”

“First of all, I’m not dead! They said you’d slay anyone who even looks at you funny.”

“That would be more of my father’s thing, who is currently dead as dead could be. I only tend to knock people unconscious, and only if they truly wish to see a part of my power.”

“And you’re not looking down at me or anything.

“Even if your sudden intrusion was rude, you are still a person.” Etrohus smiled and added, “Besides, you’re the first person who respected my wishes enough to call me by my actual name, which is… honestly quite sad, regarding the company I keep.”

Comet smiled back for a moment before looking down at the ground. “It kind of makes me not want to keep that appointment,” she admitted, putting a hand on the back of her neck. “But you kind of, um… did bad things. And I’m a hero, so I kind of have to at least try to beat you up for what you did.”

Etrohus drained the last bit of tea from his cup before he gave Comet a sorrowful look. “I will not deny that I did terrible things, and any comeuppance that awaits may be fully deserved,” he stated, voice low but firm. “You are more than welcome to attempt it. But like so many others who have tried, I will warn you just once: there is a good reason I’m still alive, while those who faced me are incapacitated. You may very well join them if you actually challenge me. Even if,” he strained to add, “you make for good company, amongst the sycophants I deal with every day.”

The young woman laughed nervously, trying her best to smile as she wrung her hands. “Well, you know, I already took a bet with friends… said that I could at least cause you a lot of trouble before I go out. Can’t leave them like that, and, well, get called a chickenshit and all, um, ya know?”

“Hardly a friend if they’re going to call you stuff like that for deciding facing off with someone powerful enough to beat other heroes with ease is not something you want to do right away,” Etrohus growled. He noticed what he said and coughed. “I mean, I would concern yourself more with your well-being than what others would think of you.”

“Y-yeah, I guess!” Comet creeped towards the door and unlocked it, opening it just enough to peer outside and close it. “Wow, your guards are being, um, really vigilant. I might not, uh… be able to leave and stuff.”

The king stood up from his chair and lifted a finger, dragging it down through the air as if scratching a chalkboard. Where it trailed, a rift opened up, revealing a small, cozy town beyond. Comet hurried over and stared, slack jawed at the awesome sight. Etrohus looked at her and said, “Well, here is a more convenient way out. The appointment’s no good if they find you and use you for whatever sick plans they have in mind. It should lead to the nearest town.”

Comet looked at him as if he had just given her a million gold. “Wow, really? Um, ah, thanks! I appreciate it lots, Etrohus! But next time we meet, don’t get too mad if I repay you with a boot to the head and… stuff like that. Bye-bye!”

The woman hopped right in after waving at the king, the rift sealing itself behind her. Now he was alone once more, thoughts steeping like the tea he prepared.