‎The bell above the cafe door chimed softly as their fifth companion entered.

‎A soft breeze followed in her wake, her hair fluttering in the wind for a small instant.

‎ Conversations faltered for the briefest moment.

‎Heads turned and gazes shifted towards the attractive woman.

‎At 5'4, Allisa Thorne was quite the stunning woman.

‎Her unusually pale skin only added to her charm, drawing attention to her like an otherworldly siren.

‎ Her long dark camel coat swayed with her stride, catching the afternoon light in smooth folds.

‎ Glossy black hair, parted cleanly to one side, shifted to a vivid green halfway down a streak of color that seemed to pulse with life against the muted tones of the little café.

‎Her eyes lazily swept over the room.

‎The whole cafe instantly buzzed with murmurs.

‎" Who is she?"

‎" Do you think she's alone?"

‎" Dude, you don't have a chance with such beauty. Keep dreaming."

‎Others silently prayed to gods they didn't know.

‎" Please come here."

‎" Let her sit here."

‎Alissa just had that kind of effect.

‎" Leave it to her to make an entrance."

‎Letting out a weary sigh, Norvax stared at her for a brief instant, then turned his gaze back to the food in front of him.

‎A moment later, she spotted Norvax and the three youths.

‎Heading over to where they were seated, a sultry smile played on her lips, her eyes lighting up for the shortest of moments.

‎"Uncle Norvax, it's so good to see you."

‎Norvax inwardly rolled his eyes.

‎Instead, he rose from his seat, briefly embracing her and offering her the seat next to him.

‎ Several groans rippled throughout the room.

‎Alissa chuckled politely at the reaction.

‎For the sake of the mission, the group was posing as a family.

‎Xander, Warren, and Edmund were brothers.

‎Norvax was their doting father, and Alissa, his younger sister, was traveling with them.

‎The purpose of the aliases was to help them blend in with the crowd and make them less conspicuous.

‎"Something Alissa is particularly excelling at," Norvax thought sarcastically while taking a large sip from the dark beverage in front of him.

‎His eyes widened slightly.

‎" Wow! "

‎The beverage, a Frosty, was not so bad.

‎In fact, it was one of the best things he'd tasted, and to think it was in such a far-off place.

‎" I really should travel the world sometime," he thought, glancing at Alissa.

‎Taking a small break from stuffing his face, he offered her a small smile.

‎" So how was the sightseeing? Anything you liked?"

‎Xander, Edmund, and Cassius subtly turned their attention to her, raptly listening in what looked like innocent curiosity.

‎Alissa nodded, smiling brightly.

‎" Yes. The Juborg Museum was a marvel to behold. The works on display were particularly enchanting."

‎In truth, Alissa's reply was a code.

‎One that they had established in preparation for this particular mission.

‎A yes would mean that she had succeeded in meeting up with their informant and that she had obtained the necessary information about the location of their target, and that everything on her end had gone without a hitch.

‎ If Alyssa had said no and that there was nothing that she had particularly found interesting, it would mean that she failed to get in touch with the informant and that the mission was likely compromised.

‎

‎For a mission such as this, Alissa's skill set and abilities were perfect.

‎For the youths, it made for valuable experience since they wouldn't be in any considerable danger with Norvax and Alissa present.

‎A the same time, it presented an opportunity for the Brotherhood to work closely with the Praesagius.

‎One could say they were hitting three birds with one stone.

A not so impressive a feat considering Norvax's speed.

‎Cleaning his mouth with a napkin, Norvax smiled softly.

‎"I daresay that is excellent news. Care to show us? Of course, you should place an order first and go into detail. "

‎Alissa nodded, briefly glancing at the rapidly depleting cookies on his plate.

‎'I think I will have whatever you're having.

‎Norvax chuckled warmly.

‎" Excellent choice! I'd recommend the Frosty especially. "

‎Alissa threw him a quizzical look.

‎" Frosty?"

‎Norvax palmed his face, laughing awkwardly.

‎" Silly me. It's the drink I had. It was especially delicious. "

‎Alissa smiled, nodding slightly.

‎" I'll try it out then.

‎Just then, a gravelly voice spoke just above where they were seated.

‎Alissa craned her back up slightly to find a dark skinned man with pearly white teeth smiling at her.

‎The man had curly dark hair and deep russet eyes.

‎His hair was slightly combed back and styled peculiarly.

‎He wore a light blue sweater and dark jeans with matching boots to complete the look.

‎ The faint smile on his face revealed the large dimples on his cheeks.

‎" I beg your pardon," she asked despite having clearly heard the question.

‎The man chuckled nervously, leaning down slightly.

‎" Is the seat beside you taken, ma'am? Do you mind if I join you?"

‎Norvax silently stared at the man for a few moments before shaking his head slightly.

‎The man laughed sheepishly, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

‎Turning to Alissa, he shyly offered her his hand.

‎" Hello."

‎Several groans and a few laughs echoed through the cafe.

‎"Lucky bastard!"

‎"That should be me!"

‎Nodding at the rest of the kids, the man proceeded to browse through the menu.

‎An awkward silence lingered at the table.

‎After a while, the man hesitantly put his menu down and deftly placed an order.

‎" Um, my name is Steve. Nice to meet you all," he began, chuckling awkwardly.

‎Warren pierced him with a cold, deathly stare.

‎The man squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutinizing gaze of the young Talented.

‎Norvax swiftly turned to the glass pane, stifling a laugh.

‎"What a joke."

‎It was quite understandable, though.

‎Warren tended to have that effect on most people.

‎Provided this motley crew weren't most people.

‎Xander instead smiled warmly at the man, nodding slightly.

‎" I'm Cade," he said.

‎Norvax's eyebrows shot up slightly at the deception.

‎Xander lied so smoothly that even Norvax was fooled for a moment.

‎" Interesting. Assassin types are truly a different breed."

‎" That is my father, Norvax. My aunt Alicia, and these are my brothers. I'm the eldest, you see..." Xander said very convincingly.

‎Edmund choked on his drink, turning pale for a brief moment.

‎Xander a.k.a Cade chuckled in amusement.

‎" Watch yourself, Edward. There's more where that came from."

‎Edmund broke into a small fit of coughing, with Cade lightly patting him on the back.

‎Warren silently stared at Steve, his eyes boring into his with unsettling intensity.

‎"So what's up, Steve? Why did you decide to join sit here?"

‎Steve let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head.

‎"I couldn't help but overhear that you guys are going sightseeing. You see, I'm a tourist myself and I thought maybe, if you don't mind, I could, you know...tag along with you guys? Of course, it's also fine, if you mind, I'll just try to find my way around."

‎Norvax quietly listened to the conversation, noting that a few people in the cafe were not so subtly paying attention to the not-so-private conversation.

‎"Well, this is just great. More attention. "

‎Warren stared at the man for a few more moments.

‎A moment later, he calmly picked up a roll and dipped it into the exquisite sauce that had accompanied his order.

‎Just then, a waitress arrived with Alissa's order, bringing a welcome respite.

‎Norvax inwardly grinned.

‎" Things are about to get fun."

‎Xander nodded understandingly, bobbing his head up and down.

‎His lips curled into a gentle smile.

‎" I think we'd love that. I don't think we'd mind an extra person. Provided that's what you actually want."

‎Steve stared at him, his expression turning to one of genuine confusion.

‎"I'm sorry, I'm a little confused."

‎Edmund grinned mischievously, lightly elbowing Xander.

‎"Oh, look at him playing coy. Don't think we haven't seen you..."

‎Steve's brows knitted together, a slight frown appearing on his face.

‎"You've...seen me?"

‎Edmund nodded smugly, leaning back in his chair and confidently crossing his arms across his chest.

‎"Yes, we've seen you. Stealing glances at our lovely Aunt Alissa. She's a pretty one, isn't she?"

‎Despite his darker skin tone, Edmund could swear Steve flushed a bright red. The poor man looked positively horrified.

‎Alissa giggled slightly, covering her mouth with her hand.

‎"Isn't that right, Xander?" Edmund said, turning to his " brother."

‎Xander nodded solemnly, letting out a sigh.

‎" I don't like him," Warren said, taking a particularly large bite out of his roll.

‎Steve chuckled nervously, scratching his head.

‎" What do you think, Dad?"

‎Norvax silently turned to Xander, then shifted his gaze to Steve, staring at him somberly for a few moments.

‎"You see, my wife passed away recently," he began.

‎A few groans rippled through the cafe.

‎"And here I was thinking he had a chance," someone muttered not so quietly.

‎" And my family and I are trying to find some closure on this trip," Norvax continued in a somber tone

‎" We're trying to get through this rough time together. So perhaps another time, Steve."

‎Alissa stifled a laugh that was threatening to escape with a cookie.

‎She threw a furtive glance at Norva,x chuckliny.

‎"To think, they'd be this good at acting."

‎Steve nodded, his expression turning sympathetic.

‎" I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

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