Puppet-Master

5- Typical Night

"Finally," Andrew muttered wearily as he stepped into the coffee shop, his demeanor still carrying the weight of exhaustion and apathy. His words were laced with a hint of sarcasm, "The 12 minutes and 27 seconds of continuous walking are at last over!"

"Yes, just like I said, guys," Andrew mumbled to himself once more, acknowledging the warm greetings from everyone in the coffee shop with a casual wave of his hand. He continued his slow march toward his desired destination. "I am Andrew Lapis. Sadly, I'm a poor guy who needs to run quite a marathon just to satisfy his human desires."

"What are those human desires, you ask?" Andrew continued, his voice taking on a tone of mock seriousness. "Well, it's that urge to play those tacitical games: card games, chess, and reversi… nothing grand, to be honest..."

"Oh, Eye Bags!" Alex exclaimed loudly as he noticed Andrew taking a seat at the table, his arrival completing the group of five. "You arrived earlier than usual this time. Why?"

"Ah..." Andrew sighed, settling into his chair. His eyes were fixed on Ray, who was shuffling the deck with evident satisfaction. "The king of my kingdom accused me of sins I didn't commit. So I escaped his clutches before he could execute me."

The other four stared at him, attempting to decipher the meaning behind his cryptic words. Even Ray halted his shuffling, and Leonard paused in the act of cleaning his glasses. After a few moments of awkward silence, the fifth person, a young woman, seemed to grasp the situation, her confusion still visible as she tucked a strand of her thick blonde hair behind her ear.

"You got into a fight with your father?" she ventured, seeking clarification.

"Yes, I did," Andrew replied nonchalantly, stretching his body as the tension in the room eased. The others finally relaxed, understanding the situation.

"Idiot!" Leonard muttered, readjusting his glasses, while Alex expressed his irritation by delivering a strong slap to the back of Andrew's head. "You should've said so from the start."

"Well, that's Eye Bags for you!" Ray chuckled, continuing to shuffle the deck, undeterred by the commotion. Andrew rubbed the back of his head where he had been slapped, shooting a glare at Alex before speaking, "You didn't really need to slap me that hard..."

"Well, whatever," Andrew said, brushing off the earlier incident nonchalantly. His attention shifted to Sonia, observing her closely as she took sips from her strawberry juice. "Sonia, you cut your hair a little, didn't you?" he remarked, just as Ray finished cutting the deck and started dealing the cards to the group. Sonia, upon hearing Andrew's words, let out a giggle, her cheeks flushing slightly. "So, someone finally notices it," she said, playfully hitting Alex with her elbow. "Unlike a CERTAIN someone, you're quite sharp, Andrew!"

"Ow..." Alex muttered, finally realizing Sonia's changed hairstyle. "Come on, Sonia! You know I'm not an analyzer like Eye Bags," he added, everyone picking up their cards and arranging them. "You look good like this; your hair is cuter now."

"Keep it to yourself," Sonia teased for the second time, her laughter soft, just as their waiter friend joined the scene. "Hello there, Eye Bags!" the waiter greeted, placing a hand on Andrew's shoulder. He noticed that the group was deeply engrossed in arranging their 14 cards. "I know I shouldn't disturb you, but should I get you the usual?"

"The usual it is," Andrew confirmed, waiting for Ray to play his card so he could draw his own. "A mildly warm cup of milk, Torta."

"Warm milk it is," Torta said before leaving the group to their game. As he departed, Andrew drew a card and then posed a mysterious question, "Guys... I've got a question... Does any one of you know Torta's real name?" His words made the four of them raise their heads to look at him, their attention piqued.

"Andrew..." Sonia began, nodding slightly as she observed her friend. "You hardly ask questions. But when you do, it feels like you're aware that no one can give the correct answer, not even Torta himself!"

The coffee shop was alive with the sounds of laughter and chatter as the friends gathered around the table for a game of Rami. The cards were dealt, and the game began with an air of friendly competition. Andrew, as always, wore his signature apathetic expression, his eyes fixed on the cards in front of him.

The game kept going innocently enough. Sonia made the first move, discarding a five of clubs, and the others followed suit, laying down their cards with casual confidence. Andrew, too, made his moves methodically, his indifference giving him an air of invincibility. His opponents couldn't help but exchange glances, silently acknowledging the challenge that lay ahead.

As the game progressed, Andrew's apathetic demeanor became increasingly intriguing. His hands moved mechanically, arranging his cards with an almost robotic precision. His opponents, on the other hand, grew more animated, their excitement and frustration palpable.

Sonia, determined to break Andrew's calm facade, attempted a bold move, discarding a queen of hearts. But Andrew, without a flicker of emotion, picked up the queen and completed a set, effortlessly turning the tables. The others gasped in disbelief, realizing the depth of Andrew's strategic prowess.

The table buzzed with energy as the game reached its climax. Andrew's friends tried every trick in the book, but his stoic indifference seemed impervious to their efforts. His sequences grew longer, his sets more complex, and his score soared, leaving the others in awe of his unyielding composure.

"Rami!" declared Andrew, his voice as indifferent as ever.

"Rami!" he repeated, almost mechanically.

"Rami!" he declared once more, his victory streak unbroken. The others at the table, no matter how hard they tried, couldn't even reach a quarter of his score. Sonia, instead of frustration, burst into laughter, thoroughly amused by Andrew's relentless dominance. On the other hand, Alex slammed his cards onto the table in sheer frustration, unable to cope with Andrew's killing spree.

"What are you?" muttered Ray, his head tilted downward as he scrutinized the peacefully yawning Andrew. He tried to fathom how someone could win every single game with seemingly no effort. "Card games require luck too, that's pretty clear! So how in the world can't the four of us, teamed up together, beat you? Are you the God of Luck or something?"

"I don't really know," Andrew replied, his answer as vague as ever. He casually picked up his cup of milk, took a sip, and placed it back on the table, his indifference never waning. "I just keep winning. I suppose you're the easy opponents here."

"Easy opponents, you say!" Leonard chuckled, rising from his seat. With a resigned smile, he announced his departure from the group. "There's something special about you, Andrew. That much I can say," He adjusted his glasses with care, offering a wave before slowly walking away. "Well, have fun, guys! Oh, and Alex, try to control your anger a little, okay? It's not like you'll win anyway!" His words hung in the air as he left, leaving the remaining players in a mix of amusement and bewilderment at Andrew's unparalleled card-playing prowess.

"Shut up, four eyes," Alex retorted aggressively, his irritation evident as Sonia couldn’t help but continue teasing him. Meanwhile, as Leonard was leaving, Andrew calmly kept an eye on his friend, only to notice three men standing right behind the coffee shop’s glass entrance. Surprisingly, they were wearing a black turtleneck, a black hat, their faces masked, and the same coat Andrew was wearing – the coat the wanderer had lent him.

"That’s quite… something," said Andrew, startling the rest of the group with his words. "What’s up, pretty boy," Sonia flirted playfully as she continued shuffling the deck, "Want someone to ease your minds?"

"Not really," added Andrew, avoiding direct eye contact with the men outside, and instead turning his head back to the table. "I’ve just seen three dudes wearing the same outfit as the wanderer dude."

"The wanderer?" Alex and Ray uttered in unison, only then noticing the coat hanging on Andrew’s chair. "Wait a minute…," Ray exclaimed, standing up and pointing at the coat, "Isn’t that…"

"Yup, it is," interrupted Andrew, his hand over his yawning mouth. "The wanderer gave it to me because I was about to freeze to death. Turns out he’s part of a certain gang..." However, the moment Andrew decided to take another look at the suspicious men, they had vanished, leaving him slightly surprised. His eyes widened briefly before returning to their half-closed state in a matter of seconds.

"Well…" Andrew chuckled, taking his share of cards. He decided to push aside the unsettling thought and focus on the game. "Things are about to get interesting, huh?"

“I mean, those three were clearly looking at me after all…”