There were six more.

  Six shadows gazed at the one they had lost. To the being who had joined the two men, their forms still lacking.

  The new woman tilted her head, her gaze unfocused and blurry as the shadows moved and tried to become something else. Something human.

  “…would you…like a dessert…? I can also…offer you…chef’s…recommendation.”

  The person with the tray chuckled, the sound tickling the air around them like sweet bells.

  “It is great to be of service, is it not, madame?”

  The woman lifted her gaze, staring straight into that person’s eyes. The sounds that came from her mouth were distant. Lost.

  “Do you…know…my name…?”

  “For me to pry an information that was not offered to me in good grace would be amazingly crude, would it not?”

  They gave her a soft, gentle smile. A voice that beamed with an incongruous warmth, one that the more Ninth heard and analyzed the less it seemed to belong in that place.

  In that house.

  As Second began to drink more of his drink, taking two long sips, the person who resembled a man turned in his direction with almost a hint of concern brightening their eyes.

  “I would advise you not to drink too much, too fast, sir—it can be painful to you.”

  The man moaned, clutching his chest as the golden glow pulsed faster and brighter for long seconds.

  “Aah…argh…..it….hurts….where….does it….hurts…?”

  Second’s moans and groans became louder, the shadows becoming more and more kept as his form solidified. As the lines and details became clearer.

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  First tilted his head toward Second, staring at the fellow man for a few moments before taking a couple more sips of his own drink. His body shook as he let out a sharp breath, the shadows losing their darkness as little by little they began to resemble a veil.

  A veil covering one’s skin.

  Soon enough, both First and Second looked almost the same. And as Ninth stared at them, it realized things. Differences.

  All six shadows were the same.

  But Second was different than First.

  “Ah…yes. I can see now.”

  Second’s hair was shorter. Prickly. Ninth didn’t understand the word’s meaning, but it recalled its use. Second’s hair was short and prickly. Yet First’s was longer and wavy.

  First’s body was longer. The man’s fingers, legs, arms. It resembled something Ninth could not name it, not yet. But Second’s body was stronger, his arms and shoulders wider. They were different. They were both men, yet they were not equal.

  Not the same.

  Ninth realized that person was preparing something else later than the other five. Its attention was pulled by the sudden sound of something cracking and shattering. At that moment, a raw feeling took over the shadow—something strong enough to make its form tremble and oscillate.

  Curiosity.

  It wanted to know how those drinks were being made. Why sometimes there would be loud noises, while others there would be bright flashes. It wanted to know if the drinks were like the men or the shadows. If they were all drinks, but the same. Or if they were all drinks, yet still different.

  However, Ninth did not move from its seat. For somehow, Ninth knew.

  None of them should leave their spot.

  The person who resembled a man finished their new creation with a satisfied smile, placing it on the tray with care. They began walking toward another shadow, one sitting in the middle of the circle. And when they passed, Ninth caught not only a glance but the fragrance of the new drink.

  There was only one piece of ice, and it was darker. The ice was both thinner and rougher, as if it was made to cut instead of melt. The glass was odd, as if it was not glass at all. But another material. Something that could be found on the earth, something only molded by human’s hands.

  The liquid was almost colorless. Were it not for hints of bright red and void black, there would be nothing to tell where that fragrance was coming from. A scent that was both sweet and bitter. Alluring and repugnant.

  That person gave the shadow a short bow, extending the tray to it.

  “I do hope this will strike your fancy.”

  The person did not raise themselves and the shadow did not wait. It reached out for the drink and brought it closer for a taste.

  One more time Ninth observed. As the shadow stopped being equal, and became something else. Not faceless, but formless.

  Another woman.

  Yet different.