The thing about immortality is that it works differently for everyone. Some reincarnate again and again over the ages, remembering only shadows of who they used to be. Thinking and feeling things that make no sense to them, acting on the impulses of whatever poor dead sap they used to be. I don't feel too sorry for them. I've got it worse. After all, it's no fun being fifteen for thousands of years.

I shake my head and push the cafe door open. A bell tinkles in welcome. I've spent too long moping and angsting as it is. Screw you, teen hormones. You shan't win this time.

Besides, there's no use dwelling on it. It's not like I could end it all even if I wanted to. And there's plenty of good things about living forever. Things like sitting in a cozy cafe on a cold January morning. Sipping a perfect chai latte, equal parts sweet and spicy. The Yelp tells me this place makes the best, and it has never yet given me reason to doubt its counsel.

"One chai latte, please."

The owner looks at me the way most people look at slugs. His hands clench by his sides, so tight his fists shake and his knuckles turn a strange yellow-white.

I raise an eyebrow.

"One chai latte," he echoes. His lips contort into a bloodless smile. "Coming right up."

I shrug and set my bags down. Well, the Yelp never did say anything about customer service.

The owner came back with gritted teeth. He marched up to me, chai latte held in front of him like a sword. His eyes bulged madly out of his face. Without another word, he threw the hot chai latte in my face.

"Sorry, miss," he hissed. "I don't know what came over me."

I did. I climbed to my feet and trudged out of the cafe, back into the blistering winds of January. When you've lived long enough, every damn fool you run into is the reincarnation of an enemy.

"So, you found me." I'd be amazed at the tone of defeat if I believed it. She was always a good actor, and while I can tell when one of you is lying (Shakira was wrong, it's the ears that don't lie), I never could get a bead on her.

"No, my usual spot shut down last week. Was the only good Chai latte on the continent." I tried to ignore the hand going for her waist, telling myself it was for a pen, and not her timestone. I resisted eons of muscle memory. Imagine trying to keep your eyes open while sneezing. Not the Mythbusters way, with tape or some object to assist. Just willpower and self-control.

"Martino's, yes. It was the only good thing on the menu." She brought her hand back up, empty, to the computer.

"The raspberry cheesecake scones were good until they dropped them." I failed to avoid looking at her neck for a chain or string her stone could be on. She pretended not to notice. Or maybe she didn't, who can say?

"Scones," she corrected. "But yes, they were good. Not great, certainly not the best, but good."

I waited while she tapped in my order.

"I don't make the drinks here, so they are terrible. But I did make the handpies. The rutabaga is from my own garden." She said it all over my left shoulder. I didn't turn to look, as it could be a distraction. The stone only worked in her hands, so no accomplices could help.

"How can refuse? Do you have two? One for the road." I noticed I could see reflections in the glass of the menu. Nothing stood out behind me. A simple distraction, as I'd guessed.

"Can I get a name for the order?"

"Ah, that old trick," I said, and we both grinned. "Of course. I should have known." It was how we'd ended up here in the first place. Deals with the fae were always a gamble, though some would say we won.

"Brionne work for this one?"

"Good as any."

She gave me the handpies and said, "Thank you, have a fantastic day."

"You, too," I replied and turned to go for the drink pickup and wait for my latte. Unfortunately, that's when I saw it. Over the door, right where she'd looked before. Not her stone, but a simple binding rune. It looked like steam over the coffee cup in the logo. The reflection didn't catch the detail enough. Without stopping or turning back, I whispered, "Well done. How?"

"Motors in the sign, remote in my pocket. Simple enough."

"I just want my latte."

"Fair enough. It's a long road." After a moment, she handed me the finished latte. "How far this time?"

"Can't just let me walk away?"

"I don't trust you to." She pulled her timestone and blasted me.

Back and back to those early days before men had writing, barely had tools and language. She was right about the long road. But at least I got my latte, terrible as it was. The pies were good, though. Not great, certainly not the best, but good.

I tried to keep my head down as I walked toward the high school student manning the cashier. “What would you like?” she asked cheerfully.

“One chai latte please” I muttered, trying to keep my voice as low as possible.

“I’m sorry what did you say?” she asked again politely.

“A chai latte,” I hissed, but a subtle flash of green told me that it was too late.

“I’ll take this one,” the manager said as he came forward and pushed the cashier aside. His eyes shone a vibrant green that looked less and less natural as the color intensified to a bright emerald. “So, you thought you could escape me” he sneered, the words dripping with venom. “Well you were wrong. It may have taken a few more decades than last time, but it was a hopeless effort on your part to think you could evade me and stop me from finding you.”

“You didn’t exactly find me. I was the one who came into your coffee shop,” I pointed out. “Also you were living in London the last three times we met, so I knew I was bound to run into you sooner or later if I kept coming into the city every few months.”

“Yes, you fell right into my trap. Sometimes, hunting is a game of patience” he exclaimed, turning to the cashier as he said it who gave him a confused look.

“Yes, yes, you’re a good hunter, you say that every time we meet.”

“Ah, but I am not just a mere hunter. We both know that I am something much more than that.” He paused for dramatic effect, holding the pause slightly too long. “I am… The Disruptor. Sworn to disrupt and stop you in all of your heroic duties.”

“And in getting my drink it seems.”

“Don’t joke about what we know is a serious matter. Your purpose is to guide, help, and nurture the human race, and lead it to advance and flourish. But any unchecked force no matter how benevolent can become a curse. It is my job to thwart your efforts and keep things in balance so that humans are prevented from full dominion over the planet.”

I sighed and wondered why he was repeating the same monologue yet again, for no one’s seeming benefit other than perhaps the cashier, though she had already pulled out her phone and didn’t exactly seem to be paying close attention to the conversation. What he said was true, or at least had been true. This was the purpose that the two us were put on earth for, with the two of us as opposing forces. But it had been millennia since I had made any attempt to follow through on my objectives. I had started out with such zeal, taking careful notes and planning my actions, noting how each small or large nudge I made impacted things 10, 50, and 500 years down the line. But after thousands of years and millions of attempts, I finally gave up. It was apparent that nothing I could do was going to work, and it had nothing to do with “The Disruptor”. I would try to introduce the most benign invention to a civilization, and within a year they found a way to kill each other with it and set themselves back a century. I would teach them how to grow more food to help avoid famines, and then they would respond by having more children, leading to even more death when farming suffered. I got nowhere acting as a prophet and yelling at them, and ended up even worse when I tried a softer approach as a humble yet charismatic traveling teacher. Every little touch I made seemed to make no difference in how much or little humans advanced. And the disruptor’s attempts at thwarting my efforts were equally disappointing, and though he would never admit it, half the time his attempts to disrupt actually brought more progress than whatever I was trying to do.

Eventually, I was forced to accept that the whole idea we had been founded on was flawed. Human progress was something that advanced inevitably at its own pace, and no engineering of any kind was going to meaningfully speed it up or slow it down in the long run. After that, I simply settled down and kept a low profile. People think that being immortal would get boring, but it really doesn’t all that much. Even if you’ve done everything, it’s been centuries since you did most of those things and by that point you’re ready to give them another go. Besides, when you stop worrying about the grand scheme of things, every day has its own pleasures the same way it does for any mortal person. However at this particular moment, the small pleasure of a chai latte that I was hoping for was being thwarted.

“So, I sit here waiting,” he smirked, missing the irony that his comment could just as well be applied to me as I stood there at the counter. “What grand scheme are you working on now that I must step in to sabotage?”

“We’ve been over this. I know it’s been thousands of years, but I’ve explained it in detail to you on a number of occasions. Nothing I was doing was making any difference, and so I’ve given up on all of that stuff.”

“Ah, so you’re telling me that the plan’s a secret. No matter. I have figured out many of your plans before, and I won’t be stopped this time!”

“I’m telling you,” I said, annoyance starting to seep into my voice, “There’s no plan to thwart!”

The green in his eyes began to dull a little. “Look” he said at last. “I get it. We’ve done a lot, not much has seemed to change, and at this point humans are moving ahead at a pace much faster than anything we could dream of controlling. But you have to understand. My only goal is to disrupt. I’m not like you, where you had the freedom to decide what idea or plan you wanted to try. My sole purpose was defined in opposition to you. You can now use your freedom to pursue any project or life path you feel like, but I was never built for that. Deep down, it's ingrained in me to want to oppose you.”

Truth be told, I had never really thought much about what it must be like for him. I just assumed that he would carry on like I had and develop different interests and pastimes, but I hadn’t considered what it would be like to be defined in opposition to someone. He was perhaps selling himself short given that he seemed to have started a coffee shop on his own, but I could sympathize with the inner angst that must have persisted inside him.

I sighed, and thought for a moment. Finally I turned back to him. “Alright, fine. It just so happens that I was thinking of starting a children’s program at the library near my house. Technically that counts as doing good and moving civilization forward, so it would be your job to stop me.”

His eyes lit up with the brightest green I had seen yet that day. “Ah ha! I’ve discovered your plan. Try as you might be, but you will be thwarted! Those children will not learn to read!”

I smiled as he cackled to himself and began preparing my latte. To be honest, I felt a little good myself. As I walked out and sipped on my drink, I started to brainstorm a few other community projects I could do. I figured I should give him a few months to work on the library one before I showed up here again to reveal to him my next plan.

i rush into the coffee shop and shake the rain off before putting my umbrella into the waiting holder and joining the queue. I stare at the menu deciding if I want anything different or just the usual before looking down at the barrister on the till.

"you?" I mutter looking at count Von Krapht, vampire lord of the 15th century standing there behind the work top.

"you..." he replies glaring at me before he tailors his expression again and hands over a coffee to the waiting customer, I take a step forwards and stare at him. and notably the hair thick red line around his exposed neck...from where I'd ripped it off about 500 years prior. as I step I shrug one shoulder causing my hand to slip up my coat sleeve and touch the handle of the silver knife I keep tucked there.

"me? you were a..."

"What can I get you...Sir" he interrupts.

"what?" I ask now thoroughly confused. especially since its about a thousand years too early to meet him

"late, cappuccino, espresso?" he says, the mask of a serviceman settling over him.

if this is how its going then fine I'll play along. "right, a toffee late with some cream on top." I tell him. he nods and presses some buttons on his register and I quickly pull out a card to pay.

that done he turns around and with just enough supernatural to his movements makes the coffee. I watch him like a hawk as he quickly works three separate machines in sequence. the espresso machine brewing a thick golden brown shot whilst he preps the mug with toffee, just as the first drips fall the mug is underneath them. and as the last drip falls the mug swiftly transfers over to where steamed milk is waiting, he pours it out before artfully creating a rose out of the aerolised cream, a single pink marshmallow is gently pushed into the centre before he hands it back.

"one toffee late, just how you like it." he says before whispering quiet enough that only I would hear "there's a bit of nightshade in the marshmellow."

I smile then frown. how the hell does he know i like nightshade...I mull this over as I sit down at a bar stool and sip my butchered coffee. for a long while I was an espresso guy. but lives too short to demand snobbery. or in my case. to fucking long.

"so what brings you to london? last I heard you were in the vattican." Krapht says walking over, apronless and sitting next to me, a suspiciously red coffee steaming in his hands.

"the pope figured out that I was once Jesus. tried to arrange for my second coming, still regret filling in for that kid." I mutter. "wait."

"we keep tabs on you." Krapht explains.

"we?" I ask.

"yea, the other long lived. there's a few constants in life for us. first gossip, when you're 500 years old its all you really have left.

second is moving around, we don't stick together but we keep in touch.

and third is you...you've either killed or tried to kill every one of us at some point."

"not without good reasons." I point out.

Krapht nods. "there's a youngster. Gobels or something who's still mad about the 40's"

"Joe from Germany?"

"that's him... the rest of us kinda just figure that we got what we wanted. mostly. and that ruling really sucks."

"it does." I agree.

"I still like my authority though, which is why I run this coffee shop...that and I like my blood caffeinated." he says nodding to his own cup.

"so how did you live?"

"...my daughter she put me back together over a hundred years or so...thanks for letting her live by the way."

"how is she?" i ask.

"there was a scuffle. she didn't make it."

"who?" I ask.

"don't its settled."

"I wasn't going to."

"we know you!" Krapht hisses, "revenge is for the mortals, let her rest... its more than we can do."

...we sit and sip our drinks, mine tasted as bitter as our moods now.

"you know I could."

"thanks..." Krapht interupts. "but I'm doing ok. like I said, we keep tabs on you. if I wanted to move on I'd have found you."

I nod and drain the last of my coffee leaving behind a skin of creamy foam at the bottom of the mug.

"Well I'd best get moving. I've got some work to do." I say standing up and patting Krapht on the shoulder.

"before you go. can you answer a question?"

"sure." I say turning around.

"when everyone else is gone what will you do?"

"same thing I did last time. put the chairs up, mop the floors, lock the doors and wait for the next universe to come round." I say walking to the door, picking up my umbrella and leaving.

Krapht watches as the friendly middle aged man opens the door to his café and steps out side. when the door closes he watches as the old man disguise drops for a bit, the reaper raising his scythe in fairwell, for now. Krapht sits back for a bit before pulling out his phone to update the group. "deaths in London. he said there's work to do in person. be safe." he sends off before sighing, draining his bloody coffee and getting back to work.

"Listen Chris.... You by Chris now. Right?... Laftia was 120 years ago. If I could go anywhere else I would." I said as I removed my hood.

"Charlatan!" Chris yelled. As Runes lit up beneath my feet and I lifted in the air

"only 9 Sides to the containment star" I laughed to myself as I dispelled the poorly laid trap with anti-magic in my shoelaces.

Landing gracefully on the ground l looked him dead in the eyes

"It's a very nice shop you have here. I'm very grateful your open at 1 am."

The anger in his eyes was evident but he was listening at least. I shrugged.

"Hot chia latte no foam, please. I promise I'll tip well." As I laid the pendant on the table

"Where the hell did you even" Chris gasped with surprise

"Soy if you have it please" I smiled

10 minutes passed and Chris showed up at my table.

"I go by toph now you have some nerve"... "But that pendant I was sure it was destroyed" toph said as he handed me the chia.

"It's a long story" I laughed "but when isn't it with people like us"

A door opens, the little bell chimes and I'm awash with easy listening lift-worthy easy listening inoffensive jazz.

I shuffle along to the counter and order "One chai latte please". That's when I notice the eyes. The only problem with a disguise is that it's always a self-portrait. And the eyes always give it away.

They hesitate an instant before attacking. I hold up my hand. "Let's not do this. Not this time. I just want my chai latte. Please let me enjoy this. If you want I can fit you in for a 15:30, bit now I'm just in the mood for a chai latte and some damn peace and quiet." Our previous meeting ended up with the destruction of another of my favorite haunts and this place may be the last place for halfway decent chai latte.

They make the tiniest of nods. "One chai latte coming up. Can I interest you in Norah Jones' latest album?" I decline politely and check out.

She prepares my drink and as I leave the counter meekly smiling, she flashes the tiniest bit of mirth. I try my chai and find it decent, maybe even borderline great. I look back, genuinely surprised. "It was you all along?

"Always have been".

Davv walked into the coffee shop, the air was crackling. You can't put your finger on it, you try to shake it off. Tables murmured with animated figures, a drink is spilled, eyes look up for a second, then back to their phones. There is no lineup, but Davv wished there was. The brush bearded barista greets Davv without words. A tidal wave of heat hit Davv like a bus. A double decker bus that hadn't been washed, and a diesel smoking engine, most definitely not on schedule for a service.

You know that expression "love at first sight?" -this is the opposite. Spite at first sight.

"what can I get for you today?" The barista growls the words with the ferocity of a foundry. He remembered Davv, now it comes back, like a film being flashed through.

A betrayal. He left Davv literally hanging cliffside, and fell. Was it a falling down thing? It was definitely something, but a betrayal nonetheless. Davv died. Not really dead. Injured and with fragmented memories. This was ages ago.

"Lief, please just the latte today". The words are sent forth with a mix of emotions, hurt, angry, confusion.

"coming right up," Lief spits back. You go for the weather-checked wallet to pay. Spilling the change on the counter, Lief is studious, meticulous, even. The passage of time is a clock, with the gears covered in tar. Lief moves with deliberate movements, getting the measurements just right, moving like a well oiled machine. The tension is thick, hypnotic. "This is my doing, stop it, he can't hurt me here, can he? Look at him, he enjoys?" I'm manufacturing a scenario that doesn't exist. Give him the benefit of the doubt ".

Out of nowhere, a cooler of ice water is thrown at Davv.

"This. This is where you get yours, Davv!"

Flung into a panic, like a leaf in the wind.

"This. I have waited too long to make sure you get yours"!

-"whuuut?!" "uh uhhh, I..I.."

"your Latte, on the house, enjoy!"

Davv dives for the drink, no poison, no surprise potions, or added tinctures. The right temp, great taste. Possibly one of the better Latte ever. No. The best Latte.

"Social cues, were never my Forte, Davv." Lief confessed. "Coffee is my passion, my pride and joy, even"

Davv drinks the latte appreciatedly, and finds his way to the door. Outside, the wind nips at Davv, he pulls his dark coat close. Davv swivels back to wave at Lief, - he's gone. "hrmph, prolly gone in the back to get stock".

Davv heads out, enjoying the Latte.

Maybe people can change.

Time passes faster and faster after the consecutive appearance of geniuses throughout centuries. Their innovation quickly made things easier for the people affected by them. As such, things become faster. New things taking over the old ones.

Although having experienced the rapid development of different civilizations a few times, it still exhausts me to "catch up".

A sage once said, "It's ok to be tired. Find peace. Relax. Things will flow naturally after."

"... Yeah, I think I'll try that."

So, I followed the recommendation of my latest apprentice and walk into this small shop, that is gaining fame for making coffee in a style used during the old times.

"Heh. I'll be the judge of that."

I scoffed at the claim. Few had ever managed to preserve and recreate the old ways. Others just use old tools but the art used is amateurish at best. Pretenders I call them.

But I am here to relax not to criticize people for doing their job the best they can.

The bells chime upon opening the door, making the worker there come right up the desk.

"Hello, Sir. May I take your order?" The lad said.

"A chai latte please" I ordered after looking at the menu on the desk.

"Would you like anything with your order, Sir? Cookies or Crackers perhaps? We also have bread biscuits and honey."

I replied "No thank you." to the lad before he goes to the back.

"Oldman! One Chai Latte at the front!" is what I heard before the sound of a computer booting up and lunching a game.

"Teenagers. " I commented on their habits.

My order came quickly but it was not brought to me by the lad.

"This is not what I expected when I say I want to relax, dammit!" I murmured in frustration.

Sure, brawling this one out would make me feel better but I had left that life behind me. I don't want to fight anymore.

So with a sigh I called out his name.

"Hello, Meiyak'Taul."

This startled him out of his mind making him drop my latte on the desk.

"Now look what you've done, what a mess. " I said in disappointment. He didn't even clean the mess as he continued to glare at me.

"What do you want." He growled.

I raised a brow at him.

"My latte. That you oh so had made a mess of."

This didn't calm him down.

"I am not going to play your game, R'yanaku! Now tell me what do YOU WANT!?"

Ah, R'yanaku. The Champion of the Sun. Haven't been called that for a long-long time now.

"What...? Can't even call me by my name? How cold, I thought we had things better."

After I finished he strode toward me and lifts me up by my suit. Anger buring within his eyes.

"This is a nice and expensive suit you know...?"

My comment went ignored.

"I am not going to ask again, Lahar'Kaoum. WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT?"

"Well, at least you called me by my name." I sigh and phase out of his grip and walk through his body.

"Like I had said. I want my Chai Latte."

He didn't like the way I separated myself from him and his response was to literally flare up his eyes and blast me with beams of heat.

I tilted to the side, dodging the beam.

"Well... that's new. Might I presume that's what you are using to heat up your product?"

"ENOUGH OF YOUR GAME! I want to know what is the reason why had come here!?"

"Firstly, how rude. Second-"

I stopped myself mid-sentence as I have to bend back to avoid another beam, this time being stronger than the last.

"Ok, this is getting out of hand. <Randum>"

Upon my call, my chosen weapon appeared before me.

I swing my golden spear and cut off Taul's connection to a Sun Deity, whom I don't know the name of.

Another swing and I brought him to his knees. Blood dripped from his forearms, chest, and tights. Slash marks dip enough that one might not want to eat meat for a while and can kill any mortal man.

"You've become weaker. " I commented to him, as his wounds started to slowly heal up.

I tried blessing him to accelerate his healing but he slapped my hands away.

"Wha...What do you want...?" he growled.

"This again? As I said, I want my latte."

Had he also gone dumb? Is the thought running through my head looking at him.

"I... I had been good. Haven't killed anyone for a long time. Haven't even made contact with beings on the side of O'kyamu. I've been running this business legally! So I ask again! What do you want from me!"

Well... that's a good thing to know.

He started talking about me possibly coming here just to humiliate him or something along the line. But before I can say again what I want, the lad comes back.

"Dad!!"

Clear fright is within his shout.

The lad runs toward us and hugs Taul. The lad's back facing towards me. Making it very clear that he was trying to separate me from his father.

wait....

"....Dad....?"

I entered the "coffee shop" and was greeted by a familiar, albeit surprised, face behind the counter. "Y-you! I thought I killed you a houndred years ago!". "Nah, not really, I just was too bored to come back." "T-to... bored?" The expression on his face was priceless. He has been trieing to kill me for the better of six houndred years, one would think he'd have it figured out by now.
You see, there are two kinds of immortality - functional and real. Functional immortality means you don't die of old age, and usually not of sickness, but loosing your head might still do the trick. For me... it was the latter kind. Luck me. In Earl's eyes that made me biggest threat humanity could ever face and his sworn goal was to kill me for good. That even led to him seeking out immoartality as well, tho he only achieved the functional kind.
Some runes lit up on my skin as the teleportation spell he oh-so-sneakily weaved broke around me. Oh yeah that was the other thing. Amazing adaptibility. Sure, the last time he used it to teleport me into some black hole, incidentally that was how he thought he "killed" me, but to be honest - it was just an amazingly quite place to medidate. Once I grew bored tho, I just came back to earth. Sweat broke out on earls face, and I saw even more mana beeing pulled into his body. "Came back to take your revenge then?" he hissed.
"Huh?" had he really still not figured out that if I ever wanted him dead he would be dead? "Nah, just something to drink, thanks". That startled him and the flow of mana was briefly interrupted, then disspiated as his face quickly went through multiple motions: Surprise follwed his concentration, then a smile as he formed what I assumed was another scheme to kill me and finally the perfect friendly mask of customer service. "Oh, I didn't realize. I will bring one right up, just wait here". "Sure" I nodded, and went to the neirest chair. On the way there 3 different enchantments were automatically broken by my magic aura - one set to dismember, one teleport spell set directly into a sun (really, teleport again? When would earl learn that my auto-adaption made anything he threw at me a second time even more useless than the first?) and the last one with the intention to freeze me to absolute zero. I pittied the destruction of the last one, it would have made for a great drink cooler, I'm sure.
Anyways, it seems like Earl didn't really think me dead and prepared for my inevitable return. When I sat down the heat of a newborn star errupted below me, and I quickly contained it. "You are aware that the heatspell you weaved into the chair would have destroyed earth and all of humanity if I hadn't contained it when I set it off?". No answer. Typical. But I was the danger. Then again Earl was never one to consider collaterals on his path to save humanity from me.
Finally Earl returned. He seemed... hasty. And the cup he held practically glowed with enchantments. I wonder what he mixed up. "Here Miss, one Chai Latte Special, just for you, on the house". As I grabbed the Cup the enchantments broke. Their purpose was obviously some kind of reinforcement, as the cup instantly disintegrated as its contents splattered all over me and to the ground... and in the ground... and... deeper in the ground... fast... . I noticed my clothes were also disintegrating. "Awww, I wanted to drink that" I complained. Wonder how that would have tasted, I'm sure I never had anything like it. Once you grew into your second millenium you started to appreciate novel experiences. Earls face was shocked as I survived what he surely expected to be disintegrating me. "I... I'm sorry Miss, I will get you a new cup right away, on the house". "Thats so sweet, thanks Earl!". I smiled as he hurried past the kitchen into what was his laboratory... or.. .arcane sanctum? Experimentation place? Whatever. After a few minutes I threw another look into the holes in the ground. My drink was making its path towards the core of the earth, where it would wreck some serious havock. I sighed. Earl really should be more careful. A few guestures from me turned whatever that was into harmless water, forming a little puddle in the now several kilometers deep hole it tore into the earth.
Soon after Earl returned, with another cup. "Thanks Earl!" I exclaimed as I took the cup from him - not before replacing his enchantments with my own. This time there was one preventing any fumes from escaping the cup. Interesting. "Cheers!" I exclaimed sipping the "Chai Latte special #2". Not like anything I've ever tasted, but also not bad. Also, highly Toxic. As in: I would probably spent the next couple of days on Mars, as I was sure even sweating some of that stuff out would kill anyone in a couple-mile radius. Urinating into a toilet would probably kill the city and devastate the land for a couple of kilometers at least. Maybe even a houndred. Earls eyes bulged as I downed the rest of the cup. "Thanks Earl, that was great! What do I owe you... wait, what to people even pay with right now?". "Its... Euros. And don't worry, its on the house" Earl pressed out between clenched teeth. "Okay than, great, thanks!" I exclaimed cheerfully and waved my goodbye "I'll surely come around again, see you Earl!".
Earl really was a good sport, I thought painting smileys into the red earth of mars. A little bit reckless in his attempts to murder me, but he had good intentions at hearth and he was a nice little distraction from the endless boredom of immortality. I sighed, preparing myself for another 4 days of red sand and nothing else.

"Hey, you look kinda familiar."

"Oh gods dammit. Why the fuck are you here?"

"Oh. You. Look, I'm over that shit from way back when. I'm just running this coffee shop & don't give a shit about our old beef. I'm not gonna be your friend, but I'm not looking for us to continue the fight. So ya want a drink or are you gonna get out?"

"I'll just have a chai latte. That's it."

"Sorry, we don't make those here. Anything else?"

"Nope. Too strong of a craving. I'll be back at some point to get something else."

"Alright. See ya round, cousin."

I enter the coffe shop and, as I stare at the balcony, I see someone I haven't seen in a very, very long time, and it brings me some bad memories. But time passes, and I'm not the type of guy to hold any grudges.

"Good morning. Can I have a Chai latte, please?"

"You..."

"I know, right? That battle 336 years ago... it's in the past. Let's just move on, Ok?"

"But how could I forget that?"

"I didn't forget that either... yet here I am, just ordering a Chai latte, as if nothing happened"

"Indeed... I did some wrong things... it's for the best if we keep these things in the past" He says after thinking for some seconds, while preparing the coffee.

"So... how has life been after all this time?"

"Well... I have a wife now. Some kids... Even though I will see them getting really old, it's nice having a family."

"Good. Glad to know that." Thinking about what Aarix just said, he really moved on. 336 years later, and I'm here, still alone. Considering this immortality as if it was a damnation, yet I could really do something to make it more like a blessing. I was supposed to be the hero at that time, yet now I'm more like the renegade. Yeah... tables turn.

"Here's your Chai latte. Enjoy it!"

"Thank you."

Dhennos Whitevayne thanked the gods. At long last he'd found somewhere to break his fast.

The previous night had been the worst. Chronic pain had chosen to reassert its hateful dominance, thus keeping the former warrior up for veritable hours at an end.

(Translated from Greek). "{Barely three hours of sleep, two pulled muscles, including a hamstring, and the gods-damned fatigue...}.

The coffee shop was small by city standards. Unlike similar establishments, there wasn't much of a queue this early in the morning.

"{It shouldn't take long to order something light before starting the day in earnest.
Thank God for small mercies, I suppose...}."

Barely six or seven minutes went by before Dhennos reached the counter. No sooner did he make to speak when he noticed something amiss about the employees.

"{The auras around them... the scent of their blood...}."

He had to investigate. Nevertheless, the confrontation would have to wait till after the breakfast rush. Determined to keep up appearances, Whitevayne ordered a triple chai latte and a ham, cheese and egg sandwich. Having paid for his order, the former warrior addressed one of the employees nearby.

"Excuse me... I would like to speak with the owner."

"Is something wrong, Sir?"

"No, it has nothing to do with my order. He's a friend of mine from back in the day, and I'd like to swing by and catch up on old times."

"Then I guess you're in luck. Mr. Halarios should be coming by tonight after closing time."

"Good to know; I'll be back later, then...

With that, Dhennos broke his fast and headed out...

Later that night...

The moment of truth had arrived. As soon as the last customers stepped out, Whitevayne reentered the shop through the front door. Much to his relief, the one he sought happened to be right in front of him.

"{It's him, alright: olive skin, African hair, brown eyes... flawless disguise, if I say so myself}."

"We're closed for the night. Come back tomorrow."

The man had spoken with a slight Greek accent similar to that of Dhennos. The former warrior didn't budge. The younger male carried on with cleaning for some four or five minutes before a stern Whitevayne spoke.

"That won't work, boy. You can't scare me away with the silent treatment."

The owner wasn't amused in the slightest.

"Boy!? I'm as old as you!"

"Give or take a coupla thousand years, Mr. Halarios..."

"Is there a purpose behind your visit, or did you just come here to bend my ear out of shape?"

"You already know the answer to that... Asclepios."

The owner stopped what he was doing. Having called on another employee and instructed her to continue, Asclepios signaled for Dhennos to join him at an alleyway outside. Once they were alone, the owner turned to the former warrior.

"Why are you here? Are you keeping tabs on me, making sure I won't misbehave?"

"Not at all. I came by this morning and noticed something odd about your employees. Good to know these senses of mine are just as keen now as they were over six-thousand years ago."

"You sensed they were sang maudits, didn't you?"

"Don't be too hard on them. They're young, still learning. You know it's impossible to give me the slip for long."

"You still haven't answered my question. Why have you come here?"

Dhennos sighed.

"Are we alone? May we speak in our true guise, uninterrupted?"

Asclepios nodded. In less than a breath, the pair shed their human disguises, revealing their true forms as anthropomorphic dragons. Though Asclepios stood a rough seven feet, Whitevayne still towered above him.

"Four luminous reptile eyes, the color of sapphire and amber... it's you, alright, new body notwithstanding."

"You are really testing my patience, Aristion. Why did you seek me out?"

Aristion sighed.

"There it is... that same old hostility. I don't blame you for feeling that way, though.
Look... I've been thinking long and hard since our latest encounter. I have come to realize I owe you an apology... several, as a matter of fact."

"You, apologize? What for, pray? Which one among your countless sins is keeping you up at night?"

"Don't be like that. Asclepios... I have wronged you... I have sinned against you in the worst possible way. I... I blamed you for what happened to Alexandros. You were telling the truth all along: his death was not your doing. The Dread Emperor and his forces are to blame. I sort of knew it already, yet I was much too angry and bitter to admit I'd been wrong."

"And what's your point? You want my forgiveness?"

"That would be nice... but I don't deserve it. I'm well aware of that. Asclepios... I blamed you for so many things you didn't do, things that were beyond your control. I... I made your life a living hell for so long, all for nothing."

Asclepios scowled.

"Don't give me that. I was far from innocent myself. I performed dark magic, needlessly slaughtered countless fellow sang maudits for all the wrong reasons... the Dark Holy Sword was right to forsake me. All this time... I thought the lad hated me. ... he did it... to save me... so I wouldn't follow in the fiend's steps. I can still see it, Aristion: the mangled bodies, reeking of blood, already dead or about to breathe their last. beloved... she bought him some time, but it wasn't enough. And then I found him... near-death. He told me I was the world's last hope, that I had to complete the ritual lest all should be lost. The way he looked upon me, the way he spoke: 'You have to, Papa. Please... don't let him hurt anyone else.' He... he was so scared, yet he still... and I... I..."

Asclepios wept. Aristion seized his opportunity.

"I know it hurts. You still carry guilt over it. We both know what it's like to lose a son, to lose someone we love. Asclepios... you mustn't blame yourself. Ibrahim was right: if you hadn't completed the sword, there would have been no way to stop him. The nations of the world would all have fallen; billions would have perished. Your son realized that. I... I am as much to blame as the Emperor, if not more so. He... he used me, and I... I blamed you for it."

"None of that; that is his sin to bear, not ours. Defeating him, killing him again and again... that was my life for millennia. I... I stole the lives, the futures of so many, reduced them to pawns to fight an endless war. My rage, my revenge... I nearly lost everything to it."

"You and the Enclave have saved this world countless times. What's more, he saved you. The boy is good... just like his father..."

Asclepios sighed.

"There's still lots of work to be done before we close. I don't have to come in tomorrow night. What say you we continue our talk over supper? I wish to introduce you to my beloved and our hatchlings."

Dhennos smiled.

"That would be wonderful."

"Good; you already know where I live."

"Same here."

The pair shook hands.

"Until tomorrow, Manuel Galerios."

"Until tomorrow, Asclepios Mavrós."

"Ok, just take a seat. Your order will be ready in 15 minutes," said the cashier in a cheery voice that screams she really needs a good tip to make her 8 dollar an hour job worth it.

As I was going to take my seat, an oddly familiar face was standing in the periphery of my vision. Huh, very few things still surprised me, but this, this did. I looked more intently towards her. No, it couldn't be, all of it fit, all of it was right, but this was all wrong. She was frozen. Also, I'm sure she had the exact same questions flooding her mind. I could see the surprise in her eyes, which quickly turned into rage as she began walking towards me. I didn't know what to do, embrace her, kiss her, run away? for the first time in a millennium. I didn't know what to do. I just sat there as she walked towards me.

She looked so beautiful, I must have been hallucinating. The biggest ghost of my past walking towards me, haunting me as she had done for centuries. She couldn't be real, this couldn't be real, I watched her die by my hand, I moaned her I buried her, she died this couldn't be real. So how was she now seated across the table from me.

"1037 times, 1037 times was the number of times I died and woke up again in that box you put me in. It would have been much more, but after a 1000 or so deaths, even death itself gets tired, so instead, you just feel the pain leading to death all the time. Your little coffin barely held out as soon as you poured the cement over my grave it caved in on itself, so for 537 years, i was being crushed alive, dying and waking up again till I stopped dying at all. In the end, only two thoughts kept me company, the thirteen times I could have killed you but spared you because that was our thing, you would foil my scheme, and we would fight and make love after. The other was your stupid face as you stabbed me in the stomach, and you even had the nerve to say you loved me after breaking our unspoken rule. I really wanted to kill you, but by the time I got out the world was a changed place, I thought for sure time had stolen my chance to kill you, but now I see you can't die, thankfully the grave taught me that living through the pain of death is much worse. I am going to enjoy tearing you limb from limb and watching the life run out of your eyes, only for me to do it again. You look smug now, but I'll teach you the true meanings of dread and pain, Charles. Now get up. I really wouldn't want to cause a mess in my cafe."

"Waiter, can you make those two chai latte's, your boss, and I have a lot to catch up on."

The coffee shop looked pretty typical from the outside. Opening the door however, it had a spicy fug that took me back to the bazaars of Samarkand in it's heyday. The sent of coffee and rich tea blends had me recalling a happier time of exploring and sampling the many vendors with my wife. They bore me now as to the counter, my feet barely touching the ground as I drifted forward. It was like going home.

I suppose the cashier he asked for my order but my brain long and far away must have responded in Avestan because he was shoved aside and there she was. And there went my mood.

"Hi" I tried. "Nice place you got." The shop was dingy and the furniture worn but damn it, now I really could do with a drink.

"Don't 'nice place' me, you have some gall coming in here. What do you want." She glared at me.

So many ways this could go if only I could find the words to connect the 'now' to the backstreets of 'then'. I'd like to say her ire abated, that we sat, drank soma and reminisced. Or that I said something witty but as she would say, that would require wit.

I smiled bemusedly and ordered a chai latte. Maybe next time.

James walked into the coffee shop, getting away from all the city noise. Walking up to the counter he fondly looked back on the quiet days of his youth, so many thousands of years ago.

"I'll have a large spiced chai latte, with almond milk please."

The barista, who James hadn't really looked at, just stood there silent. It was at that moment he finally saw who was taking his order, Antoninus Crassius.

"I thought you died on the Isonzo front!" A flabbergasted Jaymes blurted out, luckily there were only a couple of obviously stoned teens in the store.

"That is absolutely ridiculous, we're immortal and can't really die. Also we don't have chai lattes."

"What? But it's right there on the me-" looking up at the menu for the first time, James notices that there is only coffee on it. "Scheißa! Well, I guess I'll just go somewhere else for my chai latte."

As James started towards the door Antoninus called out, "Have a wonderful day." And with that James stepped back out into the noisy street looking for another coffee shop on his phone, grumbling in thirty different languages.

It's great, of course.

You knew it. You knew it was going to be. You knew from the moment you saw them (and they saw you, and your eyes locked, and there was an intense energy and yadda yadda yadda same old same old) that of course they'd be making your chai latte, and of course it would would be exceptional.

They've always been like this. The whole reason why they became your nemesis in the first place is because they always had to one-up you somehow - ever since that first random fight on the battlefield millenia ago.

You're pretty sure you remember winning that one. They like to boast otherwise.

They bred the best horses. They planted their standard on more islands. They constructed the most intricate automata for the puppet shows. They cooked the most toothsome orecchiette. They relayed the best battle plans at court, and told the best anecdotes at balls. They bedded more people, more handsome men, more beautiful women, a better class of earthly delights - and they had more children to propagate the world with their superior brand of genetic stock. They loved more, they laughed more, they lived more. They did, apparently, everything more, and better.

Conveniently, none of this was verifiable.

But here it is - a smoking gun. A gently steaming cup of milky tea. And it's perfect. A perfect balance of each of its ingredients, lightly tinged with subtle notes that contribute just enough to not undermine, but complement the flavours of the main components.

You briefly consider standing up, taking your old gladius out of your bag and temporarily putting them down once again. It wouldn't take long - it never takes long. They never seem to expect it, for some reason.

You look up from over the rim of your oversized mug. From across the shop, they're beaming at you with an award-winning (literally, so they say) smile. You scowl back at them, before taking another sip.

Hmm.

This may have seemed like just another attempt to get one-up on you, not that you've attempted to make chai lattes before to compare to this excellent brew. But who really wins in this scenario? After all, you've now got exactly what you wanted.

You watch them carefully. They've now turned away from you, and are serving other customers. Making drinks and conversation. Not paying attention to you in the slightest. Smile as wide as ever.

You take another sip of your chai latte.

Maybe you'll let them think they won this one.

I ordered a chai latte. I couldn’t tell if David recognized me or not. Funny name for a villain, David, but I guess you can’t say he isn’t true to himself.

We became immortal about a millennium ago as the first superhumans. No one other than us knows what created the superhumans hence why we became arch enemies. I was tasked to keep it secret while he wanted to spread the reason why. As time passed on we grew tired of it, we spent centuries on this and we each had nothing to show of it. Neither of us won all those years ago we just stopped.

I made a family with a woman with the ability to travel through time and run a decently successful luxury hotel chain and it seems like David runs his own little coffee shop. It’s a nice quaint shop. Maybe I’ll connect with him sometime soon for old times sake.

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[Poem] Just a chai latte

So thee have come once more to seek justice I supose?

No, just a chai latte please.

Funny, with a little vengeance on the side maybe?

Dude, I quit centuries ago, just a chai latte please.

And what is my tip then? You begging for mercy, followed by an improvised counterstrike?

Seriously, do I need to spell it out for you: A C H A I L A T T E, that's all!

Oh I love it when you play mindgames!

Oh my god! You know what? I'm taking my bussiness elsewhere. This was a mistake!