The two casually entered the brick building together, Alex slightly eyeing the calm, almost empty area. The cushioned seats surrounding tables sat by the massive glass windows to her right, all of which were nearly spotless. To her left, she noticed the older man at the counter, calling out to him. "Hey there, Dan."
   Daimian came in behind Alex and waved at the man happily. "S'up, Dan?"
   Dan looked at the two from over the counter in a slight glint of happiness to greet the two. He set down the wet rag he was using to wipe the main counter and turned on his coffee pot behind him. "Ah, Alex, Daimian. Glad you two could make it. How was school today," he asked as the siblings walked closer to the counter.
   "It was fine. THIS GUY,” Alex said, pointing at Daimian from across the room, “got in a bit of a fight from what I’ve heard."
   Dan excitedly lifted the panel of the counter and walked out looking at Daimian with a grin. "Oh damn, really? Well, did ya win at least?"
   "You know it, Dan!" Daimian said as he pointed finger guns at the old man, who let out a small chuckle. Alex smiled slightly before she headed to the door, pointing at it as the other two looked back at her.
   "Alright, I'll be back in a bit to pick you up, Dame." Daimian nodded as she left the building with the ring of a bell. Dan’s eyes slightly widened as he looked back at the counter at hi8 coffee pot and rushed over to it. Alex walked about halfway to her car before Dan came out of his café with a tray of two lightly stained to-go cups.
   "Oh yeah, before you go, coffee for you and your mom. My treat.” He handed the small, cardboard tray to Alex. She carefully picked it from Dan’s weary hands and looked happily at it then back at him. “Careful. It’s hot.”
   "Thanks Dan, this helps a lot."
   Dan waved at her as she got into the worn car. "Alright, drive safely now."
   "I will," Alex said, waving back. Dan watched as she backed out of her spot, turning around the parking lot before exiting to the open road behind her. He looked down before going back inside to Daimian, who was sitting in one of the booths to look out at the people downtown. When he entered, Dan stopped in the back door frame of his café and positioned his body to fit as much of the door frame as he could. He looked at a slightly chuckling Daimian with a determined smile.
   "Now then, tell me about this fight that happened."
   Dan came through the doorway and went back behind the counter, tightening his worn, brown apron. As he did, Daimian jumped out of the booth and walked up to the edge of the counter to sit down on one of the plush circular seats with a squanch.
   "Eh, well it wasn't anything too different from others I've been in. A kid maybe my age was getting his ass beat by a really big dude for some... thing I guess, so I went up to stop him from dying."
   "Oh, I hope you put a dent in the bully you were warding off," Dan said, washing a small mug behind the clean counter.
   "You mean an 'uppercut to the jaw?’"
   "Attaboy, Dame." Dan nodded, starting to dry off the dish as he checked a nearby stove eye. Daimian turned and looked out the front windows to his right.
   "After all that, we went to the principals office to get 'talked to' or whatever and continued our day. Er- well, after the nurses office..." Daimian rubbed his black eye, still feeling what happened earlier that day. "Then, just before now, I talked about it a bit with Alex in the car."
   SqweeEEEEEEE-IP!
   Dan took a screaming kettle off of the hot stove eye, quickly turning it off. "Well, I think it's a good thing you're standing up for others," Dan poured some water from the kettle into the newly-washed mug. "I'm sure that Alex's proud of you just like I am."
   Daimian sighed as he turned back to the counter. "Yeah, I guess..."
   "Here's you some tea," Dan placed the mug in front of Daimian, who looked down surprised. “Fresh off the kettle.”
   "Oh, thank you, Dan."
   "Mm-hm," Dan slightly nodded.
   Daimian put his right hand on his face and elbow on the counter, looking weakly at the old man. "Uuhhh, anyways... I don't know, what about you? Done anything interesting lately?"
   Dan looked down solemnly at the counter, wiping his hands on a rag. "Eh, not really." Daimian took a slight sip from the steaming mug as Dan turned around to wipe down his coffee maker. "Business's been pretty quiet for about a week of so. Nothin' too big happening, no festivals, no tourists. It's almost deafening how quiet it gets here lately." Dan chuckled slightly and raised his eyebrows. "Gives me time to be catchin' up on my late reading at least." Daimian started to stand up from his chair as he finished his tea, now looking out the front windows. Dan set down the rag and turned back to Daimian, setting his hands down on the counter. "It's been nice, though. Nice and slow for once."
   Ding-a-ling
   Both Dan and Daimian looked at the front door as a large figure entered. A muscular man in a tight, dark tank top, sweat pants and shades stepped up to the counter, his lush, black hair waving as his body shifted. The man, in a decently deep voice, ordered from Dan. "A black and a cap, please," he said, lifting two fingers.
   "You got it," Dan turned to his coffee maker and started it up once again. As he did, Daimian was stared wide-eyed at the startling figure that was in front of him, looking him up and down. His mouth quivered as he peered at the man's clean-shaven face and thick hair. Just then, the man turned to look back with slight annoyance at Daimian, who looked away almost as quickly.
   A minute later, Dan placed two to-go cups on the counter for the man. "Alright, here ya are. A black and a cappuccino"
   The man dug through his pants pockets, Daimian's eyes following his hand discreetly. He pulled out a ten dollar bill from his back pocket, saying "Keep the change."
   Dan looked down at the wadded cash before looking back up and replying with a "thank you much," as the man walked back to the entrance. Daimian's eyes couldn't help but follow him until the glass door closed.
   Just across the street, as the customer exited the café, another person looked through the windows quietly. They walked down the sidewalk on their side of the street, opposite that of the customer, and turned a corner into a nearby alley. After pulling out their phone and scrolling through their texts, they searched their stained coat, pulling out a short cylinder looking object with what seemed to be a button on top. The figure looked back at their phone, noting the time of 5:43 pm on their screen.
   Back in the café, Daimian sat on a stool, looking out the window with a new steaming mug in his left hand. He looked back at Dan, who was cleaning off some of the storage under the counter, and let out a long "sooooooooooo," catching the old man’s attention. "Got any plans after today?"
   A faint eep started in a vent above them, neither of them seeming to take notice.
   "Well, I was gonna go to the library before they closed today. Gotta make some returns and get more to read."
   beep
   Dan clicked his fingers. "Which reminds me, I was gonna close a little early to do that." He pointed across from him at the massive windows sitting behind Daimian. "You think you could close those curtains over there?"
   beep
   "Sure," Daimian agreed, walking a bit to shut them.
   Beep
   Dan looked up at the ceiling as he heard the faint noise growing louder.
   Beep
   More constant.
   Beep
   Daimian turned the long rod, stopping the light from the curtains from coming in. "Alright, and..."
   Beep Beep Beep
   "DAIMIAN!"
   Beep Beep Beep
   Daimian turned his head back to Dan. "Ye-"
   Beep
   KOOOAAAAASSSSHHHHHH!!!
   Daimian was thrown through the window, shattering the glass as he tried to shield his face. Little bits stabbed his limbs and parts of his back, causing them to bleed out through his clothes. He twisted his body around and fell on his back, causing the glass to sink slightly further into him. His face, which once bore a black eye, now hosted a slight burn mark on his right side. For a moment he laid there, what felt like hours, but was really only a minute or two. His body stopped traffic being half in the road with a multitude of glass shards.
Even then, he still tried to lift his head up to see into what was left of the café. His hearing was seemingly shot and his eyesight was growing dim, but he could make out a figure among the smoke, one that he didn't recognize. He tried to lift his head further, but couldn't. He tried to speak out, but could only whimper out a slightly damaged whisper.
   "d-dan..."
   The figure started to exit the smoke carrying a bag. The small crowd didn't notice them leave, but Daimian did. The smoke slightly cleared, enough to make out an appearance. He saw the figure looking back at him with concern before they ran away through the broken back door.
A man's face. Light blue beanie... Wrinkled face... Scratch on left cheek... Guilty eyes.
   Before the man left, Daimian squinted in pain at the man, who winced and turned away. Daimian could feel his eyes getting heavier with every blink. He put his head back on the ground. The sounds of the police. Ambulances. Noises from every direction... Everything got dimmer. He turned his head to the distance, closing his eyes.
   "alex…"

   "DAIMIAN! DAN!"
   Alex rushed through the smog that the explosion had created, passing by the fire trucks and police officers in a hurry. She tried waving her hands to clear away the thick smoke, finding a near-unconscious Daimian in the rubble. Skidding to a halt, she knelt down and picked up her brother’s back. Alex, with a worried expression, quivered at him, "Oh my god, bro, are you OKAY?!"
   "I don't think so..." Daimian started to open his eyes as he spoke, turning to look at Alex. A second later, he coughed in the opposite direction as his sister continued to look at him in anguish. When he turned back, Alex tugged at the boys arm.
   "Here, I'll help take you to someone who can help you out... physically, I guess." Alex started to lift Daimian's damaged body as he tried to bare his injured feet touching the ground. He winced in pain as he put pressure on his left foot, which seemed to be broken by the force of his fall. As Alex helped Daimian stabilize himself, she asked him, "so what the hell happened? Was it a fire, or- or a-"
   "I'll explain when we talk about it with the cops or whatever," Daimian cut her off as he lurched forward with his head bobbing down. He clung closer to his sister, who held him as gently as she could. Almost on cue, a police officer in a black vest approached the two from behind.
   "Ma'am, what do ya think you're doin' with that young man?"
   "Speak of the devil..." Daimian said, trying to look back at the cop. Alex froze in place, staring directly at nothing in particular as to not draw attention to herself. The officer walked closer and Alex started to panic. She turned around, flinging Daimian around as her arms twisted with her body. In a burst of frustration, she yelled at the officer blankly staring at her and her brother.
   "Officer, I was just escorting my BROTHER over to the paramedics so that they can help him walk again, so SORRY for wanting to HELP SOMEONE IN NEED that just go-"
   "Ma'am," the officer put his hand in front of Alex to stop her mid-rant before sighing and rubbing his face with his other hand. "Please just calm down. Get him to a doctor, make sure he’s better, but after all that, we need to question him about the incident," the officer put his hands down. "Got that?"
   "Fine, sir..." Alex turned around with her brother still in hand and sluggishly walked off to an ambulance ready to treat Daimian.
   "Thanks, Alex. That was... yeah."
   "No problem," Alex said, tugging on Daimian's arm bruised. "Now let's get you some god damn help." She walked up to one of the doctors and handed Daimian off to then, sitting him on inside edge of the ambulance. "Here, do you think you could help my brother?" As she spoke, she saw another figure on a stretcher being rolled away from her. "He was caught up in all of the chaos an-" After a second, she noticed who it was. "DAN!" Alex motioned the doctors to stop moving him as she looked down at the old man’s newly-scarred body. "Dan, what the hell happened ? Are you gonna be okay?" She got closer to Dan's face before he weakly spoke.
   "a-Alex..." She got closer to him, holding his rough hand through the white sheet draped over his body. "Can't speak too well, but... I hope Dame's alright," Dan spoke in a more horse and rough tone than usual. He tilted his head to look closer at Alex. "Not too sure about me, but I guess I should expect as much for this ol' sack'a'bones," he chuckled a bit, trying to open his right eye. Alex noticed it was a similar scar to Daimian's, but far larger and more prominent, still fresh from the fire. Dan looked at her, noticing tears starting to well a bit in her tired eyes as she inched forward to his face. Dan slightly coughed before continuing.
   "What I mean to say is... Don't worry about me. Worry about your family. I'm sure Daimian'll be fine in time, he's a good kid. Just give him a little space and let him sort all this stuff out." Alex rubbed her eyes of her slight tears, but couldn't help herself from what she was hearing. "Only for a bit. After some of this, he should be fine," Dan said, trying to point to himself with his broken thumb. "Same for me. So don't worry too bad, okay?" He held her hand once again. "For everyone, Alex?"
   Alex paused, looking away from Dan at the pavement to her right, trying to find the right words to say. "I-" she started, stopping to pull the tears back from her eyes. Wiping them just in case, she looked back at Dan in slight silence for a moment before telling him "I just gotta find out what happened here before I do."
   Dan set his head back in the stretcher's pillow and was rolled into another ambulance, Alex watching the whole process. She looked back at Daimian as they plucked the shards from his bloodied body and tried to put his foot into a brace. The officer from before came up to him with a partner and sat down with the boy, ready to ask questions. Alex curiously walked over to them to get the story from her broken brother.