Nocte Yin: Anti-Villain, Anti-Hero and Anti-Everything Else

Chapter Two

“Thank you,” Nocte murmured as she reached for the hot chocolate.

She hugged the cup in-between her hands and breathed in the warm steam. She could taste the vapour swirl down her throat, open her lungs, and settle over her heart like a warm blanket. Feeling the buzz of heat in her fingertips, she looked to her digits and shook at the sight of her ink-stained hands. In response, the hot chocolate slipped over the rim of the cup and gathered in the saucer.

She cursed, both for breaking her composure in front of the maid and for losing a sweet drop of much-needed heaven.

“Would you like more milk, milady?” the maid (bless her!) asked, as if Nocte had not been acting like a fool, throwing ink bottles every which way and collapsing suddenly onto the floor in a fit of tears.

“No, Trillium,” she spoke hoarsely, throat swollen from the cry. “Thank you.”

The maid, Trillium, curtsied and left the room, closing the door softly on her way out and leaving Nocte and Lit Sek to themselves. No one said a word as the orc sipped on his tea patiently.

His cup, unlike Nocte’s tea cup, was a gàiwãn, more of a bowl with a lid to keep the liquid warm. He seemed to appreciate the Xonese-styled dishware as he took another sip. Sitting at the other side of the living room, and across from Nocte, Lit Sek knew she needed time to settle before anything serious could be discussed. And so he gave her time by setting his tea down and picking up the steamed bun waiting on his plate.

“Mmm,” he admired after a good swallow. “This is a good mān tou.”

Nocte smiled, glad for the distraction. “My chef, Iris, is from Zyrinth, but she’s trained in Xonese cuisine.”

Lit Sek nodded, munching on the bun.

Her smile faded then, and she brought the cup to her lips to hide her waning expression. The fact of the matter was that her sifu had come unannounced, with no prior warning. She could only guess as to why he was suddenly in front of her. Perhaps something had happened?

“Everything is… well?” she asked carefully.

“So far,” Lit Sek answered.

Nocte felt a spike of alarm.

“So far?” she enquired.

“Yes, exactly that,” he said calmly. “Everything is well, so far.”

Nocte didn’t know how to reply to that. The “so far” in Lit Sek’s answer seemed to hold weight; enough weight to sit heavily on her mind; enough weight to make Nocte suspicious of her sifu’s sudden visit.

“Good,” she said as an afterthought. “Do you want more mān tou?”

“No, I’m fine,” the orc said, taking another sip of tea.

Another silence ensued, this one awkward and prebuscent. Nocte fiddled with her cup, no longer feeling the urge to drink as Lit Sek sat there stone-like, worn and ancient.

“I came from the Yin Manor,” he said, breaking the silence. His orcish half got the better of him, the impatient half.

“Oh,” she murmured, setting the hot chocolate aside. “And how is my bro – Lord Yin?”

Her stumble was not missed, but simply ignored as Lit Sek answered, “Well. He had called for a meeting two days ago with us and the Dark Moon Sect.”

Nocte’s eyes drifted to the floor. She grew quiet, not knowing what to say or how to act. Six months without seeing him, without seeing them, had made her family seem like strangers. Strange enough that she was no longer privy to their affairs or going ons.