Nyx was reorganizing the snack aisle, humming to herself and carefully stacking bags of chips, when a sudden shadow fell across her.
"Boo."
Nyx screamed so loudly that a pile of instant noodles toppled over, cans clattering across the floor. She flailed her arms, nearly knocking over a display of cup noodles.
Yuwen stood there, arms crossed, perfectly calm, one eyebrow raised. "You really need to pay attention to your surroundings."
Nyx scrambled to her feet, brushing off ramen powder. "I-I thought someone—uh—you weren't supposed to sneak up on people like that!"
Yuwen smirked. "If you spent half as much focus on work as you do on your tricks, the shelves might actually stay standing."
Drogan peeked around the corner, snickering quietly. Garruk held a soda can like a weapon, ready to defend Nyx from any real threat, and Bella leaned on the counter, arms crossed, silently judging.
"Focus, Nyx," Bella muttered. "We can't have you destroying stock every time you get startled."
Nyx waved her hands defensively. "It wasn't me—well, okay, it kind of was—but Yuwen just appeared out of nowhere!"
Yuwen's smirk widened. "I appear where attention is lacking. It's a skill." She stepped closer, tapping a soda can with a pointed finger. "Like this one."
The can wobbled, and Nyx yelped again, diving to grab it before it fell.
"You're hopeless," Yuwen said, shaking her head. "I don't know how the Demon King keeps you around."
Nyx pouted, muttering, "He has no taste."
Bella rolled her eyes and muttered, "Idiots."
From across the aisle, Arthos stumbled in, holding a stack of magazines. "Is everything okay here?" he asked, squinting.
Nyx jumped again. "No! Yuwen just scared me!"
Arthos blinked. "Scared? But she's… y'know, a general."
"Yes!" Nyx shrieked. "Exactly! And she's terrifying!"
Lunaria floated by, eyes half-lidded. "Terrifying… compared to what? The freezer?"
Nyx gaped at her. "Don't even start!"
Meanwhile, Garruk tried to maintain order in the aisle, accidentally knocking over a soda display with his elbow. Drogan howled with laughter, and Seraphine floated past, shaking her head at the chaos.
The Demon King appeared from the back room, holding a cup of noodles. "What is happening here? Did someone break something again?"
Nyx pointed dramatically at Yuwen. "She—she—jump scared me!"
The Demon King sighed. "Nyx, you are literally impossible. Yuwen, apologize for scaring her."
Yuwen raised an eyebrow. "Apologize? I merely used my skill."
Nyx groaned. "Skill or sadistic power—it's the same thing!"
Bella, still leaning on the counter, muttered, "Next time, I'm hiding in the freezer. Let's see who gets jump scared then."
The group laughed, or in some cases groaned, as they slowly cleaned up the toppled noodles and soda cans.
Nyx muttered under her breath, "I swear, next time I'm keeping a broom as a weapon."
Yuwen leaned back, smirking. "You're welcome for the practice in reflexes."
And somewhere, in the corner, the Demon King shook his head and muttered, "This is why mortals are not allowed to run dungeons—or convenience stores."