What I Expect

Tea and Tomb Keepers

October looms on the horizon and with it comes Halloween fever. It's in the stores already! And so much of it, it seems too big a deal over here to be real, almost like a religious holiday celebrated en mass in Egypt. I remember the hospital staff and how they kept to Ramadan, how it changed the whole atmosphere. This is kinda like that, only in America there's life-sized statues of zombies with motion-activated glowing red eyes to worry about. Yugi begins decorating straight away, Melvin helping, both sharing excited grins and stories and dreaming about trick-or-treating, discussing costume ideas and pranks of anyone dares deny them candy. The apartment will be decked out in Halloween decoration for the entire month.

"What are you going as, anyway?" I ask while helping Yūgi mount posters on the wall. They're for a new horror game being released as a Halloween special. I glance at it, noticing how they enticingly announce 'Pre-Order Now!' But don't include the price.

"It's hard to explain," he hums. "Yami is going as a vampire, so I guess I'm going as one too? Although not a blood sucking one. Just a regular immortal spirit dude with fangs,"

"Got it," I mumble. I really don't got it. i do admit he'd be a cute immortal spirit dude with fangs.

"You suck," I hear Akefia from behind me. He's never been in the game store before, he looks really out of context. I don't even think he plays games, and he just looks oddly at the glass display cases and their contents of action figures, collectors items etc. with a kind of weirded-out curiosity. "You're such a nerd, Marik,"

"I'm not into any of this!" I insist, them add a quick. "Sorry Yugi,"

"Not a problem!" He assures with a smile.

Akefia leans on the counter, drumming his fingers on it. His hand is close to the tip jar. "All this Halloween bullshit gets more intolerable every year," he tells me, talking louder than usual over come clacking. "This household is becoming increasingly taken over by the supernatural,"

"I don't know, I kinda like this horror aesthetic," I muse, poking the eye socket of a skeleton that hangs from the ceiling.

"Wanna come to my room? I made tea," An invitation, from Akefia?! I would crawl over glass for this opportunity so of course I accept. I follow him eagerly upstairs and into his room where indeed, a quaint little tray sits on the carpet with two dainty teacups in the centre and a pot between them. Two sand timers sit by the pot and he waits a few seconds until they drain before beginning to pour. I watch Akefia pour the tea, holding the strainer over as leaves of Keemun fall into it. It's like watching a play, the way he stirs and prepares.

"Thanks," I say when he hands me a steaming teacup, blowing on the edge to cool it off. He starts to pour his own and I feel special that I got mine first. I sip lightly from the cup and the rich aroma makes me sigh contentedly, smile when the flavour hits my tongue. "Holy crap, you make good tea!"

"Thanks," he mutters, dropping a dollop of sugar into his own. Aw, it's such a good tea, the sugar would just ruin its dignity.

"It's good enough on its own," I pout.

"It's boring on its own," he retorts, spooning more sugar in just to spite me. "So, why can't you cook or anything? I feel like I do everything for you, and all you eat are those gross oat protein shakes!" He sticks his tongue out at me and makes a face, which I return. I wanna smack him, damn brat.