[Hex & Seris Doodle]

He could hear sounds coming from the kitchen as he readied the table. A neatly folded cherry-red tablecloth rested in his hand, and he unfolded it before he spread it precisely over the surface, carefully patting out any wrinkles that formed as he did so. It was just the right size, and gently spilled over the sides of the table meant for two tidily.

The tablecloth was a stark contrast to the monochrome themed dining room but served its purpose as the center of attention. It wasn't an important occasion, but any other tablecloth wouldn't match the dinnerware of this particular night.

He found a small ebony vase near him sitting on one of his bookshelves, and he plucked it from its spot and set it on the table. A small frosted orchid sat in the vase, looking young and happy.

He peered over to the kitchen and spotted someone he knew all too well leaning over the counter, hard at work. He easily recognized a youthful satyr with cerulean blue hair with a high ponytail. His obsidian hooves would tap against the stone floor every so often; They matched his black and ash gray goat ears.

Atop his head, two curled horns the color of caramel were nestled. They were the same color as his furred legs and perky goat tail, which would spring up and down in those moments whenever he was proud of himself. Tonight was one of those nights where that tail could be seen practically wagging.

In the dining room, Hex was waiting patiently. He didn't have much to do now that the table looked ready, so he casually glanced over to the kitchen in curiosity when the satyr wasn't looking.

"How are those coming along Seris?" The satyr heard from the other room, eyes focused on his task.

"Oh, just fine!" Seris answered from the kitchen. He was having some trouble due to inexperience.

The idea was to bring out a lovely plate of perfect Dragon Sushi Rolls, and he was determined to make them correctly. They were almost ready, he only needed to garnish them.

Every sushi night prior, Hex would prepare the sushi for both of them. He had no trouble creating various kinds and was expertly quick. Tonight Seris wanted to try his hand at it, and had requested that Hex show him a swift demo. Afterward, Seris shooed him to the dining room, eager to start. He regretted that he wasn't shown a second time, but decided to do his best.

He carefully spooned a small amount of tobiko on the top of each roll after they were arranged on stone-patterned rectangular plates. The decoration was simple, and he felt Hex added a bit more with his when he made them, but he couldn't remember what it was. This would do for now.

Taking both marbled-colored plates in hand, Seris made his way to the dining room, hoping his nerves wouldn't cause him to drop any rolls. He met Hex sitting in one of the chairs nonchalantly, his crimson red eyes focused on his phone. Half of his silvery hair was shaved and swept to one side, like a mohawk that wasn't styled to stand up. It fell just a bit below his chin, and was quite short.

Hex's ears were bat-like and a velvety walnut brown color. They matched the color of his vampire bat wings and tail, though his tail was a bit different from a typical bat. It was short-furred and slender, with an arrowhead at the end. On his upper arm, he wore a black arm guard that acted as a container, housing several glass vials similar to how spare bullets are held in a row on a bandolier. However, the glassy bottles couldn't be seen from the outside, and were protected with care from its interior padding.

Hex looked up when he perceived Seris tiptoe in.

"I think they're finally ready!" Seris beamed, carefully placing both plates on the table. He set one in front of Hex, and the other in front of the chair beside Hex, rather than across from him. Seris saw no reason to be so far away during dinner, though it might seem like improper dining etiquette to anyone else.

"Alright, let's see how they look."

From afar, the rolls appeared decent. Up close, however, one could tell the chef needed more practice, as many of the rolls were leaning towards one side, as if they might topple with a light tap. Some of the rice fell off, laying itself in tiny piles on the plate, and wasn't quite sticky enough to hold itself together. Hex admired the attempt at the decoration on the tops, though it needed a few more key things to really pop.

"They look lovely, Seris."

"No, you're just saying that," Seris fretted. "Look how they're ready to fall over!"

He took one of his chopsticks and prodded one of the dragon rolls, watching it fall over on command. It was a bit sad how the roll practically unraveled itself afterward, and Hex fought a chuckle.

"They're great for a first attempt! You should be a little proud at least," Hex smiled, scooting his own plate closer to himself. He picked up his chopsticks and selected his first roll, dipping it in a puddle of soy sauce before giving it a taste. "After all, tonight is your first night putting them together, and I didn't even help you."

Seris sat down in his chair, scrutinizing the rolls on his plate.

"They're not as nice looking as the ones you make, but if you really think they're okay," Seris began, taking one of the rolls in his chopsticks.

"Then that makes me happy!"

Hex smiled at him.

They did taste pretty good.

"And you'll just get better with practice. You'll be making them like a pro in no time."

"I hope one day they'll look just as pretty as yours do!" Seris chimed. He felt inspired and energized all of a sudden, and was delighted that Hex seemed to be enjoying something he tried his best to create.

"I'm certain they-"

Hex couldn't finish his sentence before his phone began to ring. He decided to simply ignore it. Whoever was calling had no sense that this was dinner hours.

"You're not going to answer that?" Seris inquired. The phone kept ringing with no sign of stopping.

"No. It can't be that important to interrupt our evening."

Seris looked a bit concerned.

"What if it's work calling?"

"Work wouldn't call at this hour." Hex ended, proceeding to dip another one of his sushi rolls in soy. His work understood etiquette. And if it were an emergency, they'd call Seris as well.

The phone stopped ringing, and Hex paid it no mind. He put it on silent before placing it on the table beside his cloth napkin, which he took in his hand and gently patted his mouth.

Seris' phone then began to ring, and Hex's crimson eyes darted towards the direction of the sound. It was coming from the kitchen, and Seris hopped up to the counter where he left it to grab it.

"Oh, it's Cider!"

Hex could hear from the next room. He took his own phone and checked the call history, recognizing Cider's number.

"Of course it is."

Only Cider would have no regard for formalities, and only he would try calling over and over until it went through.

"Let me see it," Hex stated, getting up and fixing his clothes from sitting.

"Are you sure? He might be expecting me to answer, since it's my phone."

"Yes, I'm sure. And that's the idea," Hex asserted, though it was kindly.

Seris handed the phone to Hex, hoping he wouldn't regret his decision. He leaned against the counter and waited for Hex to answer, playing with his hands. Hex hit the 'accept' button with no hesitation, nor did he wait for Cider to say hello.

"Do you know what hour it is?"

He heard an "Oh lord it's Hex," from Cider whispered in the background, followed by what Hex assumed was him handing the phone off to Chronos, who resisted insinuating this wasn't his idea.

"Hello, Hex."

It was Chronos as he presumed.

"Does Cider know what time it is?"

Hex kept his voice cool. No reason for him to lash out at Chronos.

"I don't think he knows what day it is, to be honest."

A muffled "Hey, I have an app on my phone that tells me that," was heard from Cider. "It's called a calendar."

"You know I've told him not to call during these hours, but he doesn't listen," Chronos said over the phone to Hex.

"What was so important then that he had to call both Seris and I?"

"Cider said there's something here he found that you should see. You might know some information about it, since it's related to Hypnos," Chronos answered. "And I agree. It's worth checking out."

"Not going to give me any other info other that that huh?"

"It's best seen in person. It's a bit strange," Chronos affirmed.

Hex looked to Seris, summarizing the scenario to him that he was given. Seris nodded and thought it would be a good idea to at least see what the fuss was about. Hex's attention was then back to Chronos.

"Fine, we'll drop by for a while. Just send us your coordinates."

Hex hung up.

"There goes our evening," Hex said disappointedly. He held the phone out to Seris, waiting for him to take it.

"Oh, it won't be all bad," Seris encouraged, reclaiming his phone. His black hooves tapped the floor a few times like a dance. "It'll be like a little vacation! We haven't had one of those in a long time."

"Any time spent with those three isn't a vacation," Hex commented. "But you're right. It has been some time since we did something that wasn't fully work related."

"And we'll get to see Zephyr too, that'll be great!" Seris cheerfully said, wiping the counters down. He was doing a bit of cleaning before they left, so he wouldn't have a lot of work to do when they returned. He and Zephyr were around the same age and shared that enthusiasm for exploring and having fun, so it was no wonder they enjoyed each other's company. He very much looked forward to these visits.

"We can finish cleaning when we get back," Hex told. "We wouldn't want to keep them waiting too long."

"Oh, of course."

Seris rinsed off the sponge he was using with some soap and water before placing it back in its holder near the sink. In the other room, Hex reached for his coat hanging off his chair. It displayed the iconic colors of Emberguard: Black, red and a pecan brown. He slid his arms through both sleeves and slipped his hands into his pockets, patiently waiting for Seris, his long velvety tail swaying side to side. It wasn't long before he too was ready, and after making sure no appliances were left on, Seris followed Hex to the door where he was waiting for him.

Stepping outside was quite intriguing, as Hex's house was an apartment that resided on a space station, Emberguard's to be exact. One could look up and see stars, or look to the left and see the lovely planet of Azvirus, calmly rotating with its bronze colored surface and white feathery clouds. The reflected light from the planet was so bright, it put a light beige hue on buildings in the station. There were undoubtedly more alluring colors than beige, but it looked pleasant.

The station itself was considered to be a city station. The city wasn't extensive, however, and was reserved mainly those who worked at or around Emberguard. Those who were suppliers or mechanics and owned shops were welcomed to stay, as these were in high-demand around Azvirus. You could never have too many engineers in a faction that relied on all kinda of mechanical contraptions.

Hex closed the door behind Seris, locking it with his keycard. It was different from standard keycard apartments and provided extra security, and cards like these were only given to those with upper positions in Emberguard.

It was a short walk to where their ship was held in the station's landing bay in one of the main buildings. They passed numerous other people doing their various daily jobs in corridors; None were too chit-chatty. The halls were decorated the same red, back and brown colors found throughout the station, and there were a few potted plants here and there with greenery.

They came up to an elevator, taking it down to the bottom floor, and stepping out to the sight of a familiar landing bay. It was simple to spot which ship was theirs, as it was it the same spot it always was, and happened to be the only ship in the bay at the time. It was a small traveling ship, with a new black exterior and a few red markings in select areas. It had a keycard slot just like his apartment's.

"Next stop?" Hex slid his keycard in the slot, hearing a quiet buzz and green light.

"Wherever these coordinates take us."