"Of course, they will spend money here; they need to ensure that these kids worship them and eventually join their ranks." Blinded by faith to do their bidding." Jinn did not answer at first; he acted as if he was not some deluded person or a schizophrenic who talks to himself. He calmly took a sip of the soup from the bowl.
"But you don't need to worry about this, as you won't join our enemies." There was surety in the voice, like it knew what Jinn would do in the future.
Just as Jinn was finally about to say something back, a voice stopped him.
"Can I sit here?"
"…"
Jinn raised his head, half expecting it to be Geralt, but he knew the voice was different. Much to his surprise, it was the youth he had seen in Matron's office when he was there.
The boy did not even wait for his permission and took a seat opposite to Jinn like he owned it.
"Be my guest…" Jinn kept his eyes on the boy.
The delinquent-haired boy did not react to Jinn's sarcasm. He looked around at other kids for some reason.
Seeing this, Jinn calmly placed the spoon back in the soup and covered it with a lid to prevent it from going cold. He clasped his hand before his face, letting his elbow rest on the table.
Jinn already knew the boy was not here by chance or just to eat.
"You were in Matron's office in the morning today." The boy finally turned to face Jinn with narrowed eyes and asked with a deep voice, "What for?"
Jinn raised an eyebrow and asked back, "What is it to you?"
Pursing his lips into a thin smile, the boy whispered. "Are you messing with me? Do you have any idea who I am?"
"A brat who is way in over his head." Jinn's reply was instant; he wiped his lips with a hand towel he had brought along.
"Do you think because the Matron favors you, no one can touch you?" The delinquent kid snapped and raised his hand with a fork, pointing it at Jinn. He growled with a threatening tone while also looking around.
The cafeteria staff served food while the children consumed their meals. No one had yet noticed them. The smirk on his face widened before he looked back at Jinn, only to be surprised.
Jinn was not scarred at all… He was looking back at him with a calm, yet cold gaze.
Just one look in his eyes made the boy loosen the grip on the fork. He gulped a mouthful of saliva and forced himself to remain calm and sound menacing at the same time.
"If you know what is best for you, you will tell me everything I want to know about her. When does she get off work? Where does she go in her free time? Things I can use to bl—"
Jinn abruptly exploded into a fit of laughter, cutting him off in the middle. "HahAHA!!"
His laugh was so loud that everyone was now turning to look at him. The boy began to panic due to all the attention they were now receiving. His plan was simple: threaten Jinn in secret, like he did with other kids.
It always worked for him, but this time… he hit a wall.
Jinn's laugh stretched, his lips curled up high, but his smile never reached his eyes. Soon the laughter faded.
Jinn stared the delinquent kid in the eyes and asked, "What is your name, boy?"
His eyes were now colder than the coldest winters there had ever been. The young man flinched under Jinn's gaze; he started to wonder if he should just get up and run away.
It was too late for him to realize that he had made a mistake thinking the boy was an easy target.
However, with everyone watching, he could not afford to act cowardly at such a crucial moment. Otherwise everyone would laugh at him, and he would no longer be the most feared child in the orphanage.
"T-Torus." The messy-haired boy tried his best to sound unafraid and authoritative, but his attempts failed miserably when he realized at some point Jinn had taken the fork from his hands and was now grazing its teeth over the back of his hand.
"Torus—ah, what a name!" Jinn exclaimed with a merry smile, "Just like the Crimson God."
Everyone in the cafeteria was now curious as to what they were talking about, and some of the closest-sitting kids were even secretly listening in on their talk.
Jinn, however, did not care about the others and suddenly lowered his voice; his smile vanished. "how ironic or maybe I should say it is to be expected."
"People say that the names we are given represent who we are." It shows how we will come to live our lives." Jinn looked down at the fork in his hands, which was still connected to Torus's hand.
At this point, the boy was shaking in his boots. He no longer cared about his image.
"You can bleed to death before anyone can save you if this artery is cut." Jinn joked lightly, but it only made things worse for the boy. His hands started trembling, and his eyes dilated.
"Here is the thing… Torus." Jinn maintained the eye contact and slowly pressed the knife down on a nerve and whispered at a volume no one else could hear. "No one threatens me with anything and gets away with it. Especially when it comes to Sister Agnes."
He looked around and smiled at others, indicating everything was fine. Some looked away, but the others who still felt something was wrong kept looking at them.
Torus hissed, his eyes glistened with tears. He could feel a sharp pain coming from his hand. The cold fork was now pushing against the bones deep inside.
"Now, I will be the one stating demands." Jinn blinked innocently at the delinquent boy and said, "If I see you anywhere near Sister Agnes or attempt to harm her in any way, then the next time she sees you, you will be a lifeless body."
Jinn laughed lightly before placing the fork down and patted the boy on the shoulder. While everyone else thought that they were just talking, Jinn got up and walked away from the table with a tray of food in his hands.
Only Sally and Geralt, aware that Jinn was not the type to make jokes—especially with someone he did not know— were now looking at the boy with deeper curiosity.
Jinn placed the tray on the counter and flashed an apologetic smile to the woman serving the food. "I am sorry; I could not finish the food."
The woman smiled back and said, "there is no need to worry, child; just leave it. I will give it to Sally. I am sure she will ask for more any time soon…" The woman suddenly paused, her face showing doubt before she asked, "Unless you spat in the food or something?" Did you?"
Seeing the suspicious look in her eyes, Jinn let out a dry laugh and shook his head. "Nothing like that—"
Did he pee on himself? Woah!"
"No way!" A sudden commotion broke out, making Jinn turn his head. He saw Torus standing over his seat, his face flushed and pants soiled. There's a pool of yellow liquid under the table, spreading out from his feet.
"What did you do to the boy?" The woman behind the counter looked at Jinn in panic.
Jinn turned back towards her and blinked in surprise before speaking, his tone unsure. "Nothing illegal?"
Torus turned his head to the front and glared at Jinn with hatred, fear, and embarrassment. But the laughter of the kids in the room kept ringing in his head. In embarrassment, he ran out of the cafeteria, but the laughter haunted him wherever he went.