Patty, Megan, and I all looked over to the right, where Tiana was staring wide-eyed at the restaurant, clearly noticing the difference despite my just insisting that no one would notice.
"Hey, T, welcoming back!" I waved at her and forced a grin across my face while trying to figure out how Tiana was seeing past the veil, 'The only reason why Megan and Patty can see is because of their bond with me. Does Tiana have a bond with another demon?'
"Yeah, to a whole new restaurant, apparently, I thought you were only replacing the windows," Tiana replied ironically as she walked over, looking between me and the restaurant. "Seriously, how did you rebuild the entire building in only two days?"
I didn't bother coming up with an excuse; I was far more invested in trying to figure out how Tiana could notice the difference on her own. Though after a second, I watched as a bit of suspicion flicked across Tiana's face as she looked from me, to Patty to Megan as we all looked at her.
'There's no way she knows that we know, right? And if she does that, would mean that she knew from the start.'
As if to spite my thoughts, I watched as Tiana's eyes lit up with realization, quickly followed by a look of dread as she put all of the pieces together, "Goddamnit."
I couldn't help but chuckle and hold up my hands to show my sous chef that I wasn't a threat. "I think that it's time we have a long-overdue conversation. But let's take this inside, shall we?"
Tiana looked from me to the restaurant with a look of trepidation, but she wasn't running for the hills, which was an overall good sign. "If I go in there, I want your word that I won't be harmed or enchanted."
I blinked, "Alright, you have my word I won't harm or enchant you."
"What? No! Make the vow!" Tiana insisted with a deep frown.
"Vow?" I repeated, even more confused, "How do I do that?"
Tiana glared at me and put her hands on her hips, "You must think I was born yesterday. You're not the first spirit I've encountered, and you're dead wrong if you think I'm gonna step foot into your place of power now that you know that I know about your true nature."
My confusion was at an all-time high, and I couldn't help but shake my head, "Sorry, I think there's been some confusion here. I'm not a spirit."
"Oh really, then what the hell are you, because I know you're not human, no matter how much you try to act like one," Tiana insisted, growing increasingly irate and most likely assuming I was trying to trap her or something.
"Actually, that's the funny thing about all of this, I used to be a human," I explained with a sheepish grin, "But then through some circumstances that I don't fully understand, I was reborn as a demon, and now I run a successful grillhouse."
Tiana's eyes narrowed, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Um…I think I might know what's going on."
Everyone turned to stare at Patty, who half raised her hand, "Tiana your from New Orleans, right?"
"Damn right," Tiana replied and crossed her arms.
"Then I'm sorry if this is offensive to ask, but you wouldn't happen to be a practitioner of Voodoo, would you?" Patty asked timidly, clearly not wanting to evoke any stereotypes.
"Not myself, but I have had more than a few brushes with various witches, warlocks, and spirits themselves. It's part of the reason why I left Louisiana and moved so far north to begin with." Tiana explained, making Patty grin as her guess paid off, "Looks like there's a lot more than any of us know about; we've just discovered that demons and spirits exist; it's only a matter of time before an angel appears or some other fantasy race."
"You mean like elves and dwarves?" I asked, and Patty only shrugged, "Why not, I mean, you practically look like an elf when you're in your demon form, minus the cloven hooves, tail, horns, and demonic tattoos."
"I don't think that was the greatest comparison, babe," Megan said gingerly as she put a supportive hand on Patty's arm.
"W-wait a minute," Tiana suddenly spoke up with a hand pinching the bridge of her nose, "So Ramon is a demon, not a spirit, which are different somehow, and there's a non-zero chance that angels and elves are real as well."
"I think we've moved far beyond the scope of our original conversation," I muttered, feeling a slight headache coming on. "Look, I don't know if I can give a vow, but I swear on whatever power I have that I won't harm you, Tiana. That would be rude and downright idiotic of mean considering I've quadrupled my seating."
Much to my surprise, my heart pounded in my chest loud enough that it echoed through the air, making Patty and Megan stare at me with worried looks in their eyes.
Tiana seemed equally surprised, but after a second, she nodded, "Alright, I guess that worked, now we can talk."
I let out a sigh of relief, 'Thank god, without her I would have to wait the next five days to buy new seating, otherwise I would end up in the red at the end of the month when I have to pay the maintenance.'
---
"Oh my god, the second floor is even bigger than our first ground floor," Megan shouted down as she explored what the new restaurant had to offer. Of course, we all joined her as well, temporarily putting off the conversation that would call into question our basic understanding of the world.
The entire upgrade could be summarized as everything getting bigger, with the standout change being the addition of a second floor accessible via the wooden staircase against the left wall.
"So you lived your first life as an accountant, then you were reborn as a demon and decided the best use of your power was to open a restaurant?" Tiana summarized as we went through the kitchen together, which had kept its overall shape and layout, just scaled up a few notches.
"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds a bit pathetic," I muttered with a fake frown that managed to make Tiana crack a smile.
"I didn't mean for it to come off like that, I'm sorry, alright," Tiana apologized, "Don't get your horns all in a twist."
"I feel like I should take offense to that," I snapped back, making Tiana laugh, "Sorry, I'll try and be more aware of my microaggressions against demon kind."
I shook my head at the absurdity of the conversation, "So you agreed to work for me even when you thought I might be some evil spirit trying to charm you into eternal servitude."
"Hey, from my experience, that is a very real fear to have, combined with the fact I could sense that there was some type of voodoo between you, Patty, and Megan, I was right to be a little bit suspicious."
"And yet you still worked for me," I emphasized again while raising an eyebrow.
"Do you know how hard it is to get a job in the culinary industry that pays well?" Tiana scoffed, "Besides, my heart told me that you weren't out to harm me, and I could tell that you genuinely love cooking both as a skill and something you can do for others."
Tiana's genuine compliment made a smile spread across my face, "Well, I'm glad you listened to your heart. I don't think I could have gotten here without your help."
"Well, I know that isn't true," Tiana denied with a smirk."
I shrugged, "Probably, but it would have been a hell of a lot harder and way less entertaining."
"I aim to please," Tiana shot back, and she locked eyes with me, making me pause as for a moment I drank in her features and the way her skin drank in the light. For a long second, neither of us moved or said anything until Tiana blinked and cleared her throat with a cough, "S-so what do we need to do for tonight's service?"
"You can get started on the usual prep," I answered trying not to linger for too long on the flush across Tiana's cheeks, "In the mean time I need to do a little shopping."