"Wait, you know me?"
Hal Jordan looked utterly baffled when he heard his name. He was certain this was his first time meeting the Asian man before him, yet the man had recognized him without the slightest hesitation. It was downright strange.
Could it be... he's really a wizard?
At that thought, Hal clenched his fists, crumpling the flyer in his hand.
"Your face is far too recognizable. It'd be stranger if I didn't recognize you.
Anyway, come inside with me.
Oh, right, Victor, once you've parked the car, you can clock out. There's nothing else to do today."
"Okay."
Without dwelling on the actor joke, Zuo Ci took care of a few miscellaneous matters, then led Hal into his little shop.
The moment he entered, his executive chair came over to greet him as though it were alive, dutifully settling him onto its seat.
Meanwhile, the few Black Essences left minding the shop had the good sense to bring over another chair and place it behind Hal.
"Th-this is..."
Watching the little black monkeys bustling about on the floor, Hal was momentarily dumbstruck.
He hadn't noticed Black Essence outside earlier. Now, seeing that almost-human-but-not-quite appearance left him thoroughly shocked.
Seriously, did all wizards keep such bizarre pets these days?
"Relax and sit down. Want something to drink?"
Zuo Ci accepted an ice-cold cola from Black Essence without rushing Hal. After all, Hal wasn't Green Lantern yet. He needed a little time to process all this weirdness.
Before Hal could even figure out what was happening, another Black Essence wearing a bow tie elegantly carried out a cup of black tea and placed it before him.
"Dear guest, please enjoy your tea."
"Oh, okay, thank you..."
Hal accepted the black tea with his gaze wandering. And sure enough, the moment