Chapter 12 - Yukanie

Looking outside the window of the cafe that was above deck, it was crazy to all the people that changed into their swimming clothes and jumped into the large pool even though it was pretty cold. There weren't many people that were in the cafe besides those elders that came to sit down for some chit-chat while the kids play outside. She liked the quiet and peaceful environment, there was nothing but small whispers of people talking quietly and the clinging of glass cups as the waiters bring snack and drinks to the right tables. She sat alone by the counter, waiting for Maven and Scarlet to arrive after their shower. She was the first to take one, so first to finish as well. She assumes that Maven and Scarlet were going to come up together rather than one by one.

Taking a sip of the royal milk tea she had ordered, with thoughts swirling in her head. Part of them was of yesterday evening and the words her father had said to her. The other thoughts were what Scarlet had said, unable to figure anything out it annoyed her.

"Excuse me, would you like me to refill that for you?" The male bartender said, snapping her from her thoughts. She glances down at her almost empty cup, this was probably her 5th refill already and the bartender seems to be paying attention to when she's about to finish her drink.

"Yes, sorry thank you." She manages to say before he took her cup away by the handle. She stared at his back as he turned away to use the counter behind him to remake her drink. And a thought came to her head,

"May I ask if there's anything special that's going to happen on this cruise?" She questioned as he placed her refilled teacup back down on the little glass plate below it. The bartender met her eyes with his blue ones, he didn't seem that much older but yet he was trusted with such an important job as to take care of the drinks behind the counter. Comparing to the other few waiters that are walking around this large place, he could have been considered the head.

"Is that what's been bothering you ever since you walk in here?" He questioned.

She stared at him blankly, was he watching her when she first steps in? Or was the expression on her face too noticeable? Seeing her blank stares, he chuckled.

"The expressions you were holding while sitting here were very noticeable." He replied, as he spoke his hands never stop working. It was as if he used to this kind of small talk, he was wiping a few glass cups drink from the sink and placing them carefully yet quickly onto the tray to be filled again for the next set of orders. "This ship is not just a cruise trip for the rich, from what I heard it's also a meeting place for those business people."

"Meeting place?" She repeated, sipping her tea.

"Yeah, I don't know if you know her or not but the woman Mrs. Nikki as they call her, apparently has found something unusual among her research in the ocean. And she's planning on holding a speech for those people that are looking to buy the objects." He added.

Her thoughts went to the crates that Scarlet had pointed out, the ones that labeled 'handle with care. So Scarlet was right, if it was something planned by the government it couldn't be so simple.

"If you're looking to get into the meeting, there's no way you're going to get in. People that enter must have an invitation." The bartender said.

She frowned, she wasn't planning on heading in. If she wasn't allowed to go to a certain place, she wouldn't. As far as she knows she wasn't much of a rule-breaker as much as ..... she snapped up to meet the bartender's eyes. He gave her a smile as if knowing what she was thinking about.

"But I can still think of a way to get you guys in. Just look for me when you want to get in, no later than tonight though." He replied as he brought forward two cups of drinks placing them down in front of the two empty seats next o her. From the smell and the color of the drink, she could tell one was coffee mix with milk to get its light color, while the other one was a light green drink mix with light cream to create a leaf shape foam on top.

"I didn't order-"

"Hey Yuka, were you waiting long?"

She was cut off as Maven and Scarlet appeared taking the two empty seats beside her. They both glance at the drink in front of them and smiled.

"How did you know we needed coffee and green tea?" Scarlet asked with a smile as she took sips of the drink.

"I...didn't" She muttered, but the two were too busy to hear her. The royal milk tea in front of her suddenly made her stomach turned as she watches the bartender switch out with another older-looking guy.