Coffee Stained Pages. Part 1. Lilla Somn

our reputation that’s been damaged, it’s my man, don’t forget! – was an angry rebuttal to something that had been said before.

      The refined witch, the source of the searing aura, raised his long, pale index finger sharply and stared with a piercing gaze of his frighteningly bright blue eyes, emphasising the importance of what he had just said.

      – “My men are making every effort to find out! And you know it… – Milo tried to put maximum conviction into his words.

      Why is he trying? There’s only one way out of the situation visible here…

      “Run! Run! Run, run, run, run.”

      Where to run to, we’re here on business…

      “Freeze, freeze, don’t move! No, move back! Look, they taught you at the Office on a refresher course on how to deal with rampaging witches. Here, remember that.”

      Nah. That doesn’t sound like something worth dealing with.

      Milo’s in a bad place right now.

      This witch Ami had seen before. His name was… I think his name was Finian. Yes, I think so. He was the head of the Witchery of the Omilla Temples. That’s right.

      Ami had only seen him a couple of times, bringing documents there and taking them from there, but a creature of such cold inhuman beauty that emanated a powerful sense of might, such a combination was almost impossible to forget. It was toxic and irreversibly embedded in the memory. Only the proverbial amnesia could help with that.

      As the dangerous couple moved away from the horrified and pensive Kantine and toward the exit, the Kantine was less and less inclined to the “run and hide’ plan of action.

      It wasn’t until the epicentre was a decent distance from her that Ami began to vaguely recall what they’d been taught in the Kantina’s Office of Order courses.

      Suddenly “come from behind’, “sneak up on’, “stun’, yeah… They weren’t the first things that came to mind when they saw this angry serving witch. But to quietly withdraw and quickly hide…

      …Judging by the look of the people who were waiting in suspense for the events to continue, it was clear that they were also going to move on to Ami’s first plan. She only noticed that she involuntarily pulled her head into her shoulders. As she exhaled and squared her shoulders, she noticed something else…

      The ends of the fabric of her documents were beginning to smoulder!

      Ami quickly looked around for a remedy to the sudden affliction. A dark-haired man in uniform was staring thoughtfully at a cup with a greenish drink in his hand. Coffee…

      …Into which Ami quickly dipped the edges of her document, which was about to burst into flames.

      Omillsky looked at her with a perplexed look of silent disapproval.

      – I’m sorry! – Ami showed him her most guilty expression. – The creepy witch set fire to my service cloths!

      Amelia quickly showed her interlocutor the documents that were scorched and greenish from the liquid dripping from them. She was so quick to remember Omillian that she didn’t realise it herself. However, by the accent and the pauses during which the Kantine tried to find the right word, those talking to her could easily guess who they were dealing with.

      – Why such a spectacular way of extinguishing? – The truthful one asked curiously.

      – It didn’t occur to me otherwise… Let me wash your mug.

      – That’s all right. – he said nonchalantly, sipping his drink as if nothing had happened. – Mmm. Smoky. Don’t worry about the cup. You could have asked me to put out the document.

      – I’m sorry again! I don’t know how to do it… and I don’t think anyone does. Oh, and… I forgot that I’m surrounded by extinguishing witches now too… not just arsonists.

      Ami felt the colour flood her face. Yeah, that was definitely not the best way to make a first impression when meeting someone.

      – Don’t worry. – The new acquaintance blinked his eyes peacefully. – I’m Davin. Or just Dave. I work here. And I think I’ve seen you here a couple of times before.

      – You’ll be seeing more of me now. I might. There’s a chance I might be working here, too,” Amelia exhaled dazedly, her eyes sweeping around the lot. – And… do you get this kind of thing around here often?

      Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone fixing a problem with the entrance curtain, which seemed to have suffered the same fate as the Ami’se documents. An impenetrable fireproof special reinforced curtain made of special materials…

      Wow. Of course, the decorative trim could have gone up in smoke… However.

      – Finian’s visits? – smirked the clerk. – Luckily, no. But if you do, feel free to call on me and my cup for help. This is a serious matter. You can’t hide in it, but you can pour its contents all over you.

      – Coffee rain…” Ami hummed. – Luxury.

      Dave gave her a friendly wink and strolled off at a leisurely pace to the first floor.

      Servicewoman saw him off with her eyes and exhaled in relief. Such a sweet, humorous cutie. If everyone here was like that, it would be a pleasure to work.

      In Kantine, she would have already received an angry lecture about her low intelligence. Yes, it’s true, they’re not great and they don’t shine, but Ami’s already adapted to living with that and not using them at all. It even works better that way… Acting on instinct is the most effective.

      “Focus.”

      With a determined exhale, Amelia shook off her wet papers, heading towards the secretary’s booth. Well. Looks like it’s not going to be a boring place.

      – It’s a bit noisy in here. And hot. – she began, trying to hold the damaged documents out of the window as nonchalantly as possible.

      – Yeah. It’s a little restless right now. – accepted the secretary’s tissues with the same expression.

      Seems she’d seen more than a few things during her time here. What curiosities could she have encountered yet during her professional life? It’s scary to imagine…

      With a silly giggle, Amelia looked away.

      – It smells of coffee and spicy ivy. – She added hastily, smiling and returning eye contact.

      She had to look, if not serious, at least sane when it came to employment.

      …Swampies. I mean, that’s practically impossible in an Ami’se case.

      – Yeah. Sometimes we don’t know if it’s a coffee shop or a place of truth. – agreed. – I think it’s time to repurpose ourselves and stop deceiving people.

      – I’m Amelia from the Kantine Department of Order. – I’m Amelia from the Kantine Office of Order. – I was sent on an exchange programme.

      – Ah! I remember you. – The truthful one nodded cheerfully. – You are sent periodically with documents. I’m Lucille. Or just Lucy. You and I haven’t had a chance to get acquainted because of your habit of mumbling something welcoming and hurrying away. Now you’ll get a chance to taste