#oc raye

Through his short time talking with Raye, tucked in a quiet little corner of the Duck Cafe, Hinata noticed a lot about her. She held an air of natural elegance he couldn’t quite put his finger on, like she was someone important, or that she was highborn. She sat with her back straight and chin held high, hands neatly folded in her lap and her eyes looking forward. Though there was the occasional flicker due to her own, timid nature, she was able to maintain eye contact for the majority of their conversation. She spoke quite properly for someone who looked like she was around his age. He hadn’t picked up a hint of slang. 

Unlike Hinata, who was talking a bunch of jargon that he didn’t know if she was picking up on or not. He couldn’t help it. Once she had asked what Hinata did for a living, he launched into a passionate explanation of his volleyball career. His hands waved around in the air as he talked animatedly, leg bouncing under the table as he moved around in his seat, the chair creaking in protest as he was unable to sit still. He slouched in his chair a lot and he was bursting with energy, filling the Cafe with his passionate talk and drowning out the music coming from the old radio. 

Raye did not seem bothered by it. For the most part she looked quite intrigued about what Hinata was saying. She was polite enough not to interrupt him in the middle of his stories and Hinata felt like he could keep yapping to her for hours on end as she occasionally dropped a positive comment about how she wanted to hear more. He was so lost in his own words that he didn’t notice someone else had entered the Cafe, not until they were standing directly behind Raye. 

“And who is this?”

Hinata sputtered, stumbling halfway through the story of Karasuno he was recounting to Raye. His train of thought was immediately derailed as he floundered, caught off guard by the sudden deep voice and the arrival of a new guest. His head shot up as he looked behind Raye, his eyes wide and mouth agape as he stared in bewilderment. 

He was a Vidyadhara, just like Raye was but he did not hold the same warm and gentle air that she did. His jade gaze was cold and calculating, face set in what looked like a scowl as he stared down at Hinata. His garb was similar to Raye’s, long, raven black hair falling over his shoulders and swept behind him as he crossed his arms over his chest. He stared down his nose at Hinata, piercing jade eyes to accompany the jade horns that jutted out of his skull and reached up to the sky like wicked branches. At first glance, this stranger was intimidating and the second Hinata locked eyes with him, he was immediately reminded of a certain volleyball setter from his youth. They held a similar distinctive air and Hinata’s back went as stiff as a board as his brain suddenly kicked into overdrive. 

He jumped up from his seat, face almost slamming into the table with how quickly he doubled over in a rushed bow. 

“Nicetomeetyousiri’mHinata!”

Silence followed. Hinata's nerves were wracked with jitters as he tried to keep still, eyes focused on the table and the grooves carved into the wood. Sweat prickled the nape of his neck, every hair on his body standing on high alert as his entire being vibrated intensely. He wasn’t sure what had come over him. His body had acted so quickly that his head barely had time to keep up. He wasn’t left shaking like a wet lead for long as Raye politely cut in, turning her head as she smiled softly at the stranger. 

“This is Hinata Shoyo. He was keeping me company while we waited.”

Hinata raised his head, peeking up at the pair beneath his bangs as his gazed darted between the two. Raye offered Hinata a patient smile as she gestured at the other man. 

“Hinata, I’d like you to meet Dan Feng. He’s the one I was talking about earlier.”

A spark went off inside Hinata’s head when he remembered the previous conversation shared between them. “Oh! You’re Dan Feng!”

Dan Feng took another long and hard stare at Hinata. His serpentine tail flickered behind him, the wisps barely able to be seen from behind his tall stature. His gloved fingers tapped against his arm, lips pressed into a thin line as his intense stare finally lifted. 

“I see. So you’re the one that Deru mentioned.”

Hinata perked up at the mention of her name and as soon as he did, the one named Deru suddenly appeared from behind Dan Feng. She had been stalking Dan Feng’s shadow, much too amused by the scene to interrupt but she appeared as soon as her name was called. 

“Hi Hina!” she greeted in a cheery voice. 

“DERU!”

Deru slipped around to Hinata’s side of the table, sliding into the free seat next to him as he slowly sank back down to his chair. Dan Feng also sat down, taking up the seat beside Raye as conversation started to flow once more. 

“I missed you” Hinata lamented. “Where have you been hiding?”

“I wasn’t hiding anywhere~” Deru replied with a cheeky grin. 

She jabbed her thumb in Dan Feng’s direction, casting him a knowing look as she continued to explain. 

“We were out the back doing some duck wrangling.”

“Duck wrangling?!”

Hinata looked between Dan Feng and Deru, half expecting that Deru was only joking about it. But Dan Feng’s expression was serious as he nodded in agreement. 

“We had to catch Num Num. Well, I did the catching. Dan Feng was there to patch her up. You should have been there! Num Num is so crafty these days. I ended up covered in mud from head to toe after running around after her. Oh, but Dan Feng used his Cloud Hymn magic to make my clothes clean again. It’s such a neat trick.”

Hinata was in awe of her explanation, clinging onto every word as she recounted what happened only thirty minutes prior. Hinata could see that not a speck of dirt was clinging to her, despite running around in the garden. An exasperated sigh escaped Dan Feng’s lips.

“It’s not a trick, Deru. It’s magic.”

Hinata couldn’t help but be even more entranced by the Vidyadhara. They were part dragon and they had magic? He was starting to feel a little envious about such powers. He looked over to Raye with big, beaming eyes and a wide smile. 

“Can you all use that magic? Is it passed through your families and such? Are you two related?”

Raye was briefly stun locked again when Hinata bombarded her with more questions. She was able to recover quite quickly as she cleared her throat, a smile tilting her lips as she glanced at Dan Feng. 

“No, we’re married.”

“Married?!” Hinata exclaimed with a look of bewilderment. 

Deru snickered with a smirk. “What gave it away? The matching pair of gold wedding bands on their ring finger?”

Upon second inspection, Hinata did notice the wedding rings that they wore. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t notice it in the first place. But what he was even more shocked about was that Raye was already married. At her age? Wait, how old was she? Would it be rude to ask her age? He remembered the cafe owner, Fifi, scolding him once when he asked her how old she was. Would that happen again? His curiosity spilled out. 

“But you look so young!” Hinata replied. “Aren’t you around my age?”

Deru couldn’t help but cackle again. When Hinata looked at her, she was playfully wagging her finger at him.

“She’s older than she looks” she chimed. “Probably old enough to be your grandma.”

“What?!” Hinata sputtered. 

He took another look at Raye who only smiled and nodded in response. There was no way she was an old lady. Yet no one was protesting it. Hinata slowly turned his gaze to Dan Feng who also glanced in his direction. Dan Feng could already see the question lingering on the tip of his tongue. But he was interrupted before he could say anything. 

“Oh him?” Fifi chimed in, carrying a tray of food and hot drinks. “He’s ancient. Practically a fossil that one is. I mentioned to Mem once that she could put him on display in her museum.”

“Yay, we love dinosaurs around here” Deru added. “Or should I be saying we love dragons instead.”

Dan Feng did not seem to be bothered by either of their quips and simply went along with their antics. The fresh scent of tea blossomed as Fifi placed a tea cup in front of each of them, paired with a snack that she had made to compliment the tea she had brewed. Both Raye and Deru were eager to offer their thanks as they both had the same mind of going for the sweets first. As Fifi placed Dan Feng’s tea cup in front of him, she gave him and Deru an appreciative smile. 

“Thank you for your hard work. Num Num and I appreciate you filling in for the Vet while he’s out of town. I got an extra special snack just for you two.”

Dan Feng was happy to accept the freshly brewed tea. As he let the floral scent infuse with his senses, he looked back to Fifi with a cursory glance. 

“With how much trouble your duck gets into, I feel inclined to start charging for my services.”

Hinata was less interested in his tea now and more interested in the exchange happening. Fifi huffed softly, placing a firm hand on her hip as she almost eagerly stepped up to reply to the Vidyadhara. ‘

“Careful, High Elder, you know what happened the last time someone got on my bad side?”

Hinata gulped. He thinks he knows what incident was being referred to. Deru was the one to inform him anytime something went down at the Cafe. Dan Feng did not hesitate to respond. 

“I believe that Blacksmith still hasn’t quite forgiven you just yet about that incident. You’re lucky he’s so smitten with Nagi and she helped to smooth things over. He tends to hold grudges.”

Fifi looked like she was enjoying this conversation and if Hinata looked close enough, he could see the curve of Dan Feng’s lips over the rim of his tea cup. It was Raye’s turn to speak up once she finished her bite of food. Warm, gold scales slid over cool, jade as the bulk of Raye’s tail entwined with Dan Feng’s. He went quiet for a long moment as Raye offered a soft smile that left her chubby cheeks feeling warm. 

“He jests about charging you” Raye informed. 

Fifi waved her a hand with a grin. “Oh I know. He enjoys bringing you out here for tea and snacks too much.”

Raye flustered at the response, her cheeks tinted pink. Dan Feng hummed in response as he took a sip of tea and let the flavours settle on his palate. 

“You do brew a fine cup of tea” he agreed.

While Fifi and Raye continued to converse, Hinata was leaning closer to Deru to gain her attention. She looked up from her sweet treat as she shuffled closer to Hinata. 

“Hey, Deru. Is it just me, or does Dan Feng remind you of a certain someone?” he said in a hushed whisper. 

Deru nodded her head along in response. “He does. He reminds me so much of Kageyama when I first met him” she whispered back.

Hinata nodded his head enthusiastically. “Right? Can you imagine those two in a room together?”

Deru chuckled under her breath. “I would pay to see that.”

“What are you two whispering about over there?”

Both Deru and Hinata went rigid, slowly looking up as Dan Feng stared at the pair with a raised eyebrow. They exchanged a glance between each other. 

“Nothing” they replied in unison. 

Dan Feng sighed as he set his cup of tea down. “Why do I not believe either of you two?” he muttered with a shake of his head.  

The door bell rings with a soft chime, signalling the arrival of a new customer. With a bright and beaming smile Hinata entered the cafe with a spring in his step. The door swung close behind him with a soft click. He took a deep breath, his eyes closing for a brief moment as he immersed himself in this old, but familiar atmosphere. This quaint little cafe, fondly known as the Duck Cafe, was one of the town’s well known gems. Many peculiar and strangely fantastical people from far and wide tended to frequent this one particular cafe. The owner was a delight and her ducks were just as delightful. 

Hinata was filled with fond memories as he took another deep breath, the scent of coffee grounds and freshly harvested tea leaves tickling his nose. He could remember the taste as it lingered on his tastebuds, his mouth already watering and tongue itching at how vividly he could recall it. When Hinata opened his eyes again, he was staring at the display window at the front counter. It was full of desserts and yummy treats that made his eyes shimmer with nostalgia at the neat handwriting that greeted him when he glanced at the labels. He bounced on the balls of his heels, eagerness welling up in the pit of his stomach as he breathed in deep through his nose before calling out into the seemingly empty cafe.

“Auntie Fifi! I’m back!”

His voice was a soft echo that filled the cafe with warmth, loud enough to drown out the radio playing the local music station in the background and enough to spook one of the cafe’s resident ducks. It quacked abruptly, its afternoon nap in the sun by the window sill having been disturbed as it ruffled its fluffy white feather and quickly darted through the doggy door out into the back garden. There was a brief pause before Hinata’s call was answered. 

“Hinata! I told you not to call me Auntie!”

The cafe’s owner emerged from the kitchen and stood behind the wooden counter, her cheeks puffed up and brow furrowed as she leaned over the countertop to throw Hinata a displeased look. He laughed heartily in response as he approached, waving his hands in mock surrender to placate her quick snip at him. 

“Sorry, sorry” he apologised, a wide smile still stretching his lips. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, fingers briefly pulling at his orange tuft of hairs. “I forgot you don’t like me calling you that.”

Fifi huffed loudly, crossing her arms over her chest as she shook her head. “What ever am I going to do with you, Hinata?” she mused aloud before a mischievous smile tugged at her lips. She waved her hand. “I’m kidding. Happy to see you back! When did you get back to town?”

The tension left Hinata’s shoulders as he spared himself a sigh of relief. He dropped his hand back to his side, his shoes scuffing against the polished wooden floors as he trotted closer. 

“Yesterday morning” he replied. “I’ll be here for a few weeks.”

“A few weeks? That means you’ll be stopping by plenty of times, right?”

Hinata nodded along to Fifi’s words. “Right!”

Fifi was able to match Hinata’s enthusiasm, her earlier gripe forgotten as she happily clapped her hands together. 

“Right then! The usual, I presume?”

Hinata perked up, his face lighting up in amazement. “You remember?”

“Of course I do! Go find yourself a seat and I’ll bring it out to you.”

Hinata smiled and nodded along as he went to move away. But Fifi’s voice made him turn his head and stop in his tracks.

“Oh, and tell me all about Sao Paulo later. I want to hear all about it.”

“Okay!”

Hinata went to move off once more but he stopped again. But this time, it wasn’t because of the Cafe’s owner. Someone else had stepped up to the front counter and caught his attention. He almost tripped over his feet when he abruptly stopped, eyes growing wider as he silently stared at this new face he had never seen before. He knew it was rude to stop and stare so intensely at someone. But he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Many peculiar people tended to drop by from time to time but he had never seen anyone like her before. 

A woman stepped up to the counter while the owner had her back turned. She politely cleared her throat with a soft voice and a quiet “excuse me?” Fifi spun on her heel and turned back around to address her customer.

“Yes?~” she sang in a bright voice. 

The woman was taken aback a little, long lashes fluttering over the round swell of her cheeks as her bright, golden gaze nervously flickered away for a few, brief seconds. She was able to recover quite quickly from her falter as she stepped up to the counter. She placed a tea cup on top of the counter, her fingers lingering over the intricate patterns as she traced her fingertips over the porcelain rim. 

“May I please have another cup of your tea, Miss?”

Fifi grinned from ear to ear, tickled pink at how politely she was being addressed. She gladly took the cup off the counter. 

“Of course” Fifi replied with a hum. She then leaned over the counter top, directing her gaze at Hinata as he still stood in the same spot, feet glued to the floor and eyes a little glazed over as he continued to stare. 

“Oi Hina, she’s new in town. So be nice to her!”

Hinata found himself dumbly nodding along to Fifi’s words, even as she disappeared from his line of sight and made her way back out to the kitchen. The stranger tipped her head in Hinata’s direction and finally noticed him. And he was still staring. When she finally registered that his full attention was directed at her, she was unsure what to do. Her golden gaze was nervously flitting about again as she raised her hand, the sleeve of her intricate robes slipping down her wrist with a dramatic swish of fabric. In Hinata’s opinion, her clothing reminded him of what he saw shrine maidens wearing when he visited temples. She tucked a long strand of her brunette hair behind the curve of her pointy ear and Hinata’s eyes naturally followed the movement until he was staring at the top of her head. 

The two golden horns sitting on top of her head was what initially caught Hinata’s attention, followed by the accompanying golden tail that trailed behind her. The golden light reflected in her horns matched the same gold of her long, serpentine tail. It swished gracefully behind her, the fur lining her tail matching the gentle sway of movement as it swept over the floor and flicked to and fro. Hinata’s jaw was slack, his mouth forming an ‘o’ shape that continued to grow the longer he stared at her draconic features. He had heard of Vidyadhara before from a friend but he never thought he would ever meet one of their kind in person. His nerves were buzzing with excitement and his brain felt like it was short circuiting from the overload of information he was trying to process. 

The woman standing before him finally decided to break the silence. She politely cleared her throat like she had done earlier, folding her hands neatly by her plump waist as her lips finally parted around words. 

“Can I help-”

“RAYE?!”

She was taken by surprise when Hinata abruptly cut her off. He hadn’t meant to shout so loud and scare her like that. It’s just when the light bulb in his head went off, he couldn’t contain the outburst. He gave her a beaming smile as he took a step forward. She did not retreat but she fidgeted on the spot from his rapt attention, the fur on her tail standing on end from the earlier surprise. 

“How do you know my name?” she asked. 

Hinata could have kicked himself from how slow his brain had worked. He started to nod his head vigorously. 

“Deru has mentioned you before” Hinata replied enthusiastically. “She texts me all the time and she’s told me about you!”

The tension in Raye’s shoulders relaxed at the mention of a friend’s name. She blinked owlishly in surprise, a hint of pink creeping up on her cheeks as she fidgeted again, but now for a different reason. 

“So, you’re a friend of Deru” Raye surmised. “And she has mentioned me?”

Hinata nodded as he continued to slowly inch forward, excitement buzzing so intensely in his system as his eyes shone with the same brightness and intensity of the sun. His friend, known as Deru, was another visitor to this humble cafe. She would always text Hinata to keep him up to date with what was happening around town while he was off playing Volleyball around the world. He now recalled Deru texting him only a mere week ago about new regulars to the cafe, seemingly excited to be able to make new friends in the neighbourhood. She had briefly described what Raye had looked like but Hinata didn’t particularly believe it. Not until he was staring at her face to face. He examined her one more time and was in awe at her draconic features. 

“So cool!” Hinata fawned. “Deru described you perfectly!”

A small smile tilted Raye’s lips and she preened with the knowledge that only nice things had been said about her. Her tail swished happily behind her and the movement caught Hinata’s eyes.

“Thank you” she replied.

Hinata continued to press forward, itching to get a closer look at her horns and tail. Even though she had been in this situation countless times before, Raye wasn’t sure she could ever get used to it. The highborn, female Vidyahdara was used to seeing that same sparkle of intrigue from excited children whenever she passed them by. They always made grabbing motions with their hands, eager to touch her horns and pull on her tail. 

“Hey, were you born with those horns and tail?” Hinata asked excitedly. “Did they grow with you? Do you shed your scales? How many others are like you? Can you turn into a full on dragon? You know, ones that breathe fire and everything?”

The sudden bombardment of questions almost made Raye’s cross from how fast they were coming. Hinata was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet now, unable to stay still any longer as he seemed to bounce around her in a buzz. She held a patient smile, unable to think of where to begin to even answer all of Hinata’s questions. She quietly raised her hand and Hinata stopped buzzing for a moment. 

“Hinata, was it?” she inquired. 

Hinata nodded with a soft hum and a bright smile. Raye tried her best to match his easy going smile. 

“Are you here to meet with Miss Deru?” When Hinata responded with another nod, she continued. “She’s out in the back garden at the moment. She should be back shortly. Would you like to wait for her with me?”