Sweet Boba Tea
// Authors Note: Hello again guys, I am here with another chapter. As all of you can tell, I will be nearing the events of the internship, soon enough. That will be a blast i’m sure. Let’s enjoy a couple more chapters of relaxation, though. There is no use in rushing forward into more fights, especially when the fights were usually the most active part of the anime. Besides, I already settled on the next major-ish fight (which is the Hero Killer Stain arc), Sandra and the others will not be there. //
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((Pre-Chapter Note: There is a character named Kanmi Sashihikaeta. This character is not canon /as many of you have guessed/ so he might not seem like that solid of a character in concept, or in personality. I apologize for that.))
Sandra stops at the front of a keen little shop with a friendly man sitting at the register. He seemed to be putting something into his phone. There was a good chance that he was making notes to do certain things after work, or something of the like. Sandra waves with a bit of enthusiasm. “Hey there, Kanmi! How are ya, pal?” Sandra winks to him the second she walks into the store.
“Well hello there, Prankster Princess. Ayy, do you have my tile replacement yet?” He greeted the white-haired girl with a loose smile, returning the wink without a second thought. “I heard that you are making it up with the big boys, Sandra-dee. That’s great news!”
“You already know I replaced that floor tile a couple months ago, goofball. Anyways, here, I brought some surprise guests for you to meet.” Sandra lets all of the AU versions of herself in, introducing them one-by-one. “Alright, guys, this guy’s name is Kanmi. He owns this Boba Tea Shop. To be frank, he is only 17, impressive, kinda. He already finished schooling and is waiting a few years for college.”
“I feel like I am seeing a copy and paste image of ya, princess. Are you sure all of these girls ain’t you?” Kanmi looks between all of the others who laugh a little bit to themselves. Everyone seemed to be amused. For the most part.
Nightmare, despite trying to smile, seemed put-off by this guy, and so far, she had definitely seen more people with a bigger, more intrusive presence than he had. He made her feel uneasy, if not just suspicious. He was acting like a normal, social human being. So what was her problem with him?
The dark-clad girl grunted as she looked to the side, narrowing her eyes, and knitting her brows. “Hm.”
Sandra seems to take note of Nightmare’s apprehension, and pulls herself back from the shop owner a bit. Usually if Nightmare started to act suspicious, that meant there was SOMEONE nearby that she did not like the feeling of. Nightmare was the beacon of negativity, and a former bad guy. Some things like this you just learned to point out in a crowd over time.
“Yeah, we’ll have some of your fruit boba tea, please! May we get a menu?” Sandra waits patiently for the menu from Kanmi, looking back to the rest of the group. All of them seemed to be enjoying themselves, save for Nightmare. Epic, Cross and Fresh all look around the shop, Horror and Dust play Rock, Paper, Scissors, and Killer and Error chatter about some small subjects to each other.
Kanmi goes to grab a couple menus, promptly making his way back over to the girls, and handing over the requested items. Sandra opens one, and Nightmare opens another. The rest of the girls crowded around either one or the other to see what all was available. After merely a few minutes of contemplating all of their options, all of them had decided on what they wanted.
“Alrighty, Kanmi, I am ready to order, if you are ready to receive.” Sandra smiles before closing the menu.
“Anytime you are ready, Sandra. Fire away.” The shop owner smiled, before walking over to the register. The register was connected to a computer, meaning there was a good chance there were sub-menus he needed to find to start adding in the necessary order information.
“Alright, I will be having a Peach Popping Boba, Error over here wants to try a Cherry Tapioca Boba, Cross wants a Mango Popping Boba, Epic wants a Passion Fruit Popping Boba, Nightmare wants a Dalgana Coffee with Tapioca, Fresh wants to try a Lime Tapioca Boba, Killer and Horror both want to try a Lychee Popping Boba, and Dust wants a Grape Tapioca Boba. Got all that?”
“Yep, I got it! Will you be paying for the product now, or before you leave?”
“Oh come now, you know me. I always pay for my stuff first.” Sandra laughs a bit, before pulling out her card. Running it through the card-reader, she puts it back in her wallet, before gently putting the wallet back into her pockets. “How long will it be before we have them?”
“Well, I currently have about 3 people in the kitchen back there, maybe about 10 minutes?”
“That will work. Thank you! Mind if we move one of the tables over so we can all sit together? We will make sure to put it back before we leave.” Sandra questioned as the rest of the group started to walk toward one of the more spacious areas in the shop.
“Yeah, that is just fine. Make sure not to put any holes into my floor, okay?”
“I won’t.”
Walking over to a table, Sandra pulls over one of the double tables and rests it next to a restaurant double seat. The other girls all start to sit down, and chatter here and there. Nightmare seemed less tense, and Error had taken notice that she had been in a state of unease for a little while now.
“What’s the problem, chief?” the glitched girl asked the other as she pulled her hair back, as a means of getting it out of her face. “You seem tense.”
“I am tense.” Nightmare curtly stated. “Something feels off about this place. I don’t feel anything major now, but any means, but something still feels off. Maybe there is someone in here that should not be here. That is always a possibility.” Nightmare scanned the room, somewhat full of other customers that talk to each other here and there. She got an apprehensive feeling about several of them, so she could not pinpoint who all might be an issue.
“Do you think we will need to leave as soon as possible?” Error asked her, before leaning down, and looking around the room a bit as well.
“No, I don’t think there is any immediate danger here. Which is a good thing. I just need to stop thinking about it is all. I need to make sure not to make a scene.” The dark haired girl rests her head on the table before looking to the side. “Thanks for bringing us Classic, I really do appreciate it. I am not trying to make this difficult.”
“Nightmare, you don’t need to feel bad for feeling apprehensive about something when you clearly know SOMETHING is wrong, somewhere. You are not making a scene, and you are just following what your senses are telling you. Besides, I do know that people of all kinds pass through here. There is a good chance that there very might well be someone here who is not on good terms with the law.” Sandra went to pat the other on the back, before looking over and seeing the door to the kitchen open up.
“Bruh, can I use those beads in the drinks for target practice?” Epic questioned out loud. All of the others simultaneously said no. Epic only huffs before looking to the side with a playful smile. “Fine den, be dat way.”
Cross chuckled, before she slung her arm over the others shoulder, whispering in Epic's ear. "Wanna know what's funnier than 24?" She gives a coy smile, before leaning back, and retracting her arm.
Epic returns the same smile, before forming finger guns at the other. "25".
"Oh come'n, broski's, we all know th' king' of all amusin' numbah's is 69. Unrad of ya' both to forget 'bout 'im." Fresh shook her head in mock disdain before the word "4 SHAME" appears over the lenses of the glasses she was wearing.
Sandra laughs a bit, before looking to the door of the kitchen again. Someone had just walked out, carrying several drinks in their hand. "Heads up, fellas. We got drinks coming our way." Everyone stopped whatever conversations they were having, and look over patiently, waiting for their desired drinks. Upon being served, they all thanked the waitress, shaking her hand as they got their beverages.
The waitress blushed, smiling as she nodded to all of them. It seemed she was not used to being thanked so much before. That seemed kind of sad, actually. She was nice, and it appeared that she was pretty timely and polite. Then again, some people will be people. Often times leaving messes, no tips, and not saying thank-you in the least.
All of them continue to chat respectively at their tables. Nightmare seemed to be immensely enjoying her drink, just a little more than everyone else, actually.
"A'ight pals, I got 'n idea! How's about we dabble' 'n a lil' game of truth 'r dare?" Fresh offered up from where she was sat at the table. The word 'PLAY' flashed over her glasses as a small, coy smile spread over her lips. "Unless all 'r ya are chickens, of course-"
"Game on, over here." Sandra grinned, before resting her hand on her chin with a small smirk flashing over her lips.
Several other people pipe up from the table. Nightmare, Dust, and Horror all chose to pass. Leaving Sandra, Epic, Cross, Fresh, Killer and Error to play the game. Fresh was up first, seeing as she was the one who offered up the game.
"A'ight, uh, Error, broski, truth or dare?"
Error thought for a moment, before deciding that she would much rather share something that she did not want to say, rather be told to do something outrageous or stupid in public. "Truth for me, I guess." She rested her head on her hands, waiting for Fresh to figure out something to ask the other.
"Alright, can you tell me when you got over your Haphephobia?" Fresh questioned, looking over to the other who stared at her for a second.
Thinking about her response, Error sighed, before bringing a hand up to her forehead. "I have not just gotten over my Haphephobia, Fresh. I still have it, it is just not nearly as intense, or triggering as it was before. I hate being touched, rather than fear it. I just let you all touch me because I trust you. It still makes me uncomfortable though."
Fresh nodded, before her glasses flashed the words 'YOUR TURN' over the lenses.
Looking around the table, Error found her target. "Alright, Cross, truth or dare?"
Cross thought for barely even a second. "Truth." Cross laughed as Epic whispered the word 'Pansy' playfully toward her.
"Kiss, Marry or Kill. State your opinions truthfully toward 3 other people playing this game." Error leans back in her seat, looking at the other in interest of what she might possibly choose.
Epic sighed, "Bruh, why you do dis? Makin' me choose-" Epic looks around the group, before sighing. "I would Kiss Sandra. She wouldn't think much of it. I would Marry Cross, because, well, meme-lords second in command cannot be left behind, now can she? I would kill Fresh-"
Fresh looked offended, before leaning back in her seat. "Excuse me, bu' wat 'n th' Sout'rn fried flop 're ya killin' me for?"
Epic looks over at the other, before smirking. "There can only be one meme lord. I don't need any competition, bruh. Ya gotta go-"
After a few more comments back and forth of playful, witty banter, everyone was done with their drinks.
A few more rounds of Truth or Dare pass by quickly, and it was almost 7:30 pm. Nearly time for them all to go home. Sandra walks up to the counter, and whispered into the shop owners ear before he laughs. She calls over to her friends at the table-
"Guys, before we leave, I need you to tell me who this song artist is!" she called to them. All of them are automatically at attention, waiting for it to play.
Fresh, Cross and Epic all felt a disturbance in the force, and grow uneasy.
Soon, a song starts to play. It was the beginning lines of 'I want it that way.' All of them relaxed. However, with the flip of the channel, a song starts to play over the speakers that makes Epic, Cross and Fresh all feel numb.
"Wake me up inside-"
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"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and- desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna-"