The manager had explicitly yelled at them in e-mail to get their butts over to Wi-Hi and start making some money.  Personally, Leon refused to get up from his comfy bed as the stress from yesterday still hadn't left him.  However, the manager threatened to reduce the salaries of those who became absent, and with rent coming up, Leon bolted up faster than Rammus powerballing with homeguard.  In a record time of ten minutes, Leon had bathed, dressed, and prepared himself for another working hell in the cafe.  Slinging his bag over his shoulder, and donning on the apron of Wi-Hi, Leon marched onward glumly with heavy steps.  His eyes took in the world in all its droll features, and he couldn't help but release an exasperated sigh.  No motivation, no will to even work.  What a time to be alive.

However, his phone vibrated in his pocket, prompting the lad to slowly pull it out.  Surely, this was going to be his mother or dad, and who knows what interrogation they were up to this early in the day.  After all, no one texted him but them, and his parents only communicated for only two reasons:  one, to scold him, or two, to interrogate him whether he had done drugs or something of equal severity.  He spun the phone within his palm, and after entering the star-shaped pattern for the lock screen, his eyes widened at the discovery.  It was Claire!  The blue-eyed maiden that he met in Wi-Hi cafe!  With shaking hands, he read the message slowly, as if lavishing a sweet candy.  Well, aside from his parents, there was finally someone else in his inbox.  His lips quivered in a smile as he felt his core lighten upon seeing the adorably annoying jokes that she made, and really, if it came from anyone else, they'd be annoying.  But, not her.  Definitely, not her.  Claire proceeded to name her demands which brought a slight chuckle from Leon's throat, and with an ardent blaze fueling the pyres of his emotions, he sprinted for Wi-Hi.  He didn't know whether he liked her, or something, but Leon understood that she was different from the rest; she stood out like a white lotus in the dark.

As he entered the cafe, Leon got to work as he put on the Lion Hat that the manager had painstakingly forced them to wear upon Wi-Hi's reopening after the murder.  He busied himself mixing and preparing the caffeine-infused beverage.  Strangely enough, he worked faster than all his speed from last week combined.  After the drink was concocted, Leon drew a 'caution sign' on the cup before writing a:  'Zombie Cure for Claire by Leo the Lion'.  For once in his entire months working in Wi-Hi, Leon was finally proud of something he made.  Suddenly, the door of the cafe swung open, prompting the barista to spin around with a jovial smile on his face.  "That was fast, Claire!  I--"  he stopped mid-sentence upon seeing that it was someone else.  Finally, there was someone who looked more terrible than Leon.  The barista folded his white long-sleeves up to the juncture of his elbow, and offered a warm smile instead.  "You seem tired, friend."  Leon grinned before whipping up a cup of freshly brewed coffee, and handing it to him.  "This ought to warm your insides,"  the barista offered the cup to the lad.  "On the house."

At the same time, Leon switched on the television that hung from the cafe's ceiling, and tuned it on the latest news.  However, his jolly mood was abruptly ended as he heard a disturbing news:  a massive murder of crows had infested the city.  "No way,"  Leon shook his head, remembering the enigmatic event that had left quite a mark on him.  The terrors of the night had not left him as Leon merely shoved them all down his mind, but now, the visions began to crept back up.  "Relax, Leon."  he mumbled slowly before looking at the lilac-haired man.  Upon seeing the man's appearance once more, a strange tingle crept up Leon's spine.  [i]Is he also a manifestation?[/i]  "So," Leon spoke, easing his mind from the worries.  "I've never seen you in Wi-Hi before.  You a new face?  What's your name, friend?"  Leon inquired as he fixed the nameplate on his white polo which read:  Leo the Lion. 

[@VKAllen][@DFA]