ic: Amber nodded. "I was in japan (?) once in order to learn japanese martial arts for my army training and I had moon cakes tehre. They're delicious." She saisd to evryone's surprise.

Ani nodded and tried one, "Oh they're very interesting! Quite good too. I can't believe you made them so fast." She smiled at Katyasha. "You must be very talented." She happily nibbled away at her moon cake. She then turned to Amber and asked, "You were in the army?"

[[Hey guys, please try not to write out our reactions to what you're saying or doing. You're only in control of your own character. ^^;;]]

"Uh no," she told Ani as she rubbed her head a bit, "I was train by someone else."

Pushing the door open slowly, a women with curls draping over her shoulders peered inside. Her face alone didn't have very distinguishable features; pale, chocolate eyes and light, black hair that bordered on the side of being grey. As she entered, she was seen to be wearing a decorative, black dress that went with the rest of her pale features. Closing the door quietly, she timidly made her way across the room, hands folded in front of her as she walked. She seemed to be looking for someone, but even she, herself, wasn't quite sure who she was looking for. She brought her gloved hand to her mouth as she looked about the room curiously and lost.

Kat's ear began to twitch a little when she heard someone entered the room, she looked to see a young woman entering the room.

"I will be right back," Kat said with a smile quickly untieing her hair and sleaves, and wipeing away the flour from here face.

"Welcome," she said with a bow,"may I escort you to your table?"

The woman began to tug lightly at the tip of her glove as she continued to look around the room before an approaching person caught her eye. As the woman bowed to her, she replied with an even lower, but quickened, bow.

"I'm sorry!" she quickly apologized, as she often did. "I am not a customer. Actually, I'm suppose to start my job as a waitress here," she explained in quiet but polite tone before extending her hand to the woman. "I'm sorry. How rude of me. My name is Edona."

"oh that's great the more the marrier," said Kat smileing, "My name is Katyasha but you can call me Kat for short. I'm working here as well as a part time cook, part time waitress."

Ani looked up at her mooncake and smiled at the newcomer. She got up to greet her, "Ah Edona! Welcome to our cafe! I hope you enjoy your time here." She looked apologetically over at Katyasha, "Sorry I forgot to give you a warning. It completely slipped my mind with everything that has happened. But Edona will be your new co-worker. She will replace my position as a waitress so I can cover other positions until someone can come in to fill them. I hope you to get along!." She laughed lightly, "Edona, you must try these moon cakes Katyasha has made. They're really interesting!" Ani motioned Edona over to a tray sitting on the bar top.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Miss Kat," Edona replied while clapping her hands together lightly. "A waitress and a cook. I'm sorry that I do not have as many skills as you do. I think I would have liked to be a cook since people often say that I speak too softly, not a very good quality for a waitress, but my little sister says I'm a horrible cook," she sighed while lowering her head, which she quickly snapped back up with a blush.

"I'm sorry! I'm rambling again," she apologized. "I should probably get to work, shouldn't I? Do-do you think you could help me, Miss Kat? I am...a little unsure of what I should do," she mumbled shyly as Ani walked over.

"Ah, hello, Miss, Ani," she greeted with a polite smile. "Thank you again for letting me work here and..for the moon cake too, I suppose," she laughed as she took a moon cake from the bar.

"Well I got to work on a menu and I might have to do some shopping to get more stuff but in all I think we will get some customs before you know it," said Kat walking back to the bar.

"Now lets see moon cakes would be great for a afternoon tea treat, I can whip up some other stuff that I can do. I just need to find a market place that can deliver do you know where I can find one?"

"I'm not exactly sure if you can get someone from the market to deliver produce to us." Ani frowned slightly. "We're not exactly placed in the safest of areas. However, if you can find someone brave enough to come and deliver food for us I'd be willing to hire that person. We've never really had a long term delivery person before. Something always happened to them." Ani gently shook her head and looked down sadly.

"Oh dear, that is too bad," Edona replied to Ani's comment sadly. "I'm sorry that I cannot be of more help, but I am still new around here and do not know many people just yet," she apologized while lowering her head slightly. There probably wasn't a time she hadn't apologized each time she spoke up since she had arrived in the cafe.

"Well I will get the food myself if no one can do it," said Kat with a smile and a wink, " By the way Ani what do you mean something happened to them when they tried to deliver in this area?"

Ani looked up sadly, "I'm sure you two are already well aware of the fact that this isn't a very safe neighborhood. All types of ill-intended people gather to this area of town. Despite this, I have tried to keep this cafe exactly as Ali had envisioned it. This is a safe haven for those that are forced to pass through this area of town. A neutral area if you will. I try my best to keep us separate from the outside turmoil. However sometimes, the outside world cannot be ignored. I have managed to keep myself safe, unfortunately this is not the case for the previous delivery boys."

Ani sighed. She didn't like reminiscing in the unpleasant past but she felt it was important her new hires be fully aware of the dangers. "We've only had two in the past. One was so young, younger than me. I didn't want to hire him but Ali claimed he could take care of himself. He vanished just a week after we hired him. We found the money pouch we gave him discarded in a street not too far from us empty and stained with blood." She closed her eyes and grimaced, trying not to think about the blood. There hadn't been much but it was enough for her imagination.

She forged ahead. "Another was just my age. He was training to be a blacksmith and was somewhat skilled in swordplay. However, he vanished a month later. We're not sure what happened to him." Ani frowned and clenched her fists. "Ali says he stole the money and ran but I say he was killed. He would never do something like that." In her mind flashed an image of a cheerful young man smiling and waving goodbye, his pocket slightly bulging with the newly acquired produce money. She had just gotten to know him when the town sucked him away.

Ani looked into each girl's eyes and frowned determinedly, "This is not an easy job ladies. It's hard to predict who may walk through those doors. I fully understand if either of you two are not up for the job."

Listening to Ani's sad and horrifying tale, Edona had brought her hands over her mouth as tears slowly began to form in her pale eye. Edona was a very caring and compassionate demon and her own heart broke with Ani's. She now realized this was more than just a job at a cafe. This was a safe haven as her employer had put it. That's exactly what she wanted. She wanted a safe haven for herself and for her little sister. She would not allow them or anyone she cared about to be lost to that dreadful world of senseless violence.

"I shall not quit," Edona replied with a slightly more bold tone as she wiped away the small tears. "What you're doing is a wonderful thing, Miss Ani, and I, for one, would be proud to be a part of it," she smiled reassuringly.

"I'm not quitting ether, if I have to get the food myself I will," said Kat, "If we are going to make this place a safe place for all to enjoy then count me in."

Kat notice something behind the bar and pulled it out. It looked like a map of the town.

"Cool look what I found," she said to the two, "now if only if I can find the markeplaces then here we good."

Kat took out a red pencil and drew "X" 's where she has to go.

"Looks like the way to get there is from roof top which won't be that hard," she said with a smile.

Shekil had doused off after the arrival of Amber and had missed quite a bit. He noticed that Kat and Ani were still there, but there was also another women that he didn't recognize.

They were talking about something but he didn't quite understand what. After hearing half of Ani's story he got up and started to where they were.

"Hallo~ New lady" He said to the new arrival, "I'm sorry to not have introduced myself earlier, but those chairs are really comfortable, I'm Shekil"

Then, Turning to the other two, "Who is this ill-intended delivery boy that tried to vanish with your gold??" He asked, completely lost as to what they were talking about.


((XP I missed so much, Sorry for the absence, I can't come the weekends))

"Some of the delivery boys have been turning up missing or come back beaten and bruised and Ani worried something out there is doing this," said Kat looking at the map, "Now Ani can you show me where on this map which streets the delivery boys used to get from here to the market place? I want to avoid them when I go later on today to get the groceries."

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Shekil," the ash-haird girl greeted with a polite smile. "I am Edona. I just started working here at the Cafe as a waitress recently."

Edona's polite smile quickly turned to worry as she turned to Kat. "Miss Kat, are you planning on going there on your own? I'm sorry, but that does not seem very safe. Not at all!"

Ani smiled at the bravery of her new co-workers and hoped that everyone would stay safe this time. Ani was as concerned as Edona when she heard Katyasha say she was intending to go alone. "Katyasha, you can't go alone! We must find someone to accompany you if you're so determined to go."

[[no worries ^^ I can only post a few times a few times during the day anyway]]

((What did I miss???))

Edona looked down as she pondered the situation. She would gladly accompany Kat on her journey, but then that would leave Ani short handed on helpers. Still, if it was alright with her employer, then their was nothing wrong with accompanying Kat to the market.

"I'll go with her, Miss Ani," she finally spoke up. "I'm sorry if that will leave you short handed on waitresses, but, as you said, it's clearly not safe for any of us to be traveling alone."

"I can take care of my own Edona," she said to her, "Trust me I ran into bullies before and this will be a peice of cake."

Edona looked at Kat in a worried state, Kat sighed a little, "I hope you have some good running shoes because we are going to do some running. We leave in 10 min. in the mean time here."

Kat handed Ani the red pencil to her, "Mark the areas that are not safe for us too go alright?"

"Of course you may go Edona. In fact I insist." She nodded and took the red pencil and carefully marked off the known unsafe routes. Upon completing she looked at the two of them, "Alright just be careful. I'm sure you two are carrying something to defend yourself with correct?" She handed the money pouch to Katyasha. "If it gets dangerous, let your attackers take the money and run. Your safety is more important to me."

[[You missed quite a bit ^^;; Just go back and read it.]]

((Katyasha, could you please not right my reaction like that? I know it's not a major things, but only I can control what I do))

"Running shoes? Something to defend myself with? Oh dear..." The young woman murmured to herself nervously. Edona was certainly not a slow runner, but in her heels and dress, she probably wouldn't be able to run as fast as Kat. Removing her heels would have to do for now. And something to defend herself with? A weapon Ani meant. The mere thought of carrying such a thing made a shiver run up her spine. She was completely against violence, thus she never liked to carry and sort of thing with her. But...if it was for defensive purposes...

"Um, Miss Ani? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I do not have any manner of self defence."