[Open] Taking orders and breaks;

[moribound]

WHO: Minato and you!
WHERE: Expressive and the park
WHEN: End of February and beginning of March
WHAT: Life as a barista and as a student who sometimes takes way too much of a break
WARNINGS: None

I. Expressively Espresso-less, afternoon

[It's a relatively quiet day in Expressive for once and Minato's glad for it since he still doesn't deal too well with crowds, even if the coffee shop can hardly accommodate anything close to what a normal person would call a crowd.

The only problem is that he's the only barista on duty since not many customers are coming, and that means having to look each of them in the eye. Glasses can only help so much with obscuring his expression, not that there's exactly a lot to see when he's as blank as an order that hasn't been decided and his tone is similarly dry, as if he were an old librarian instead of a twenty-year old barista.]

...May I have your order, please?

II. Park, morning

[The park's usually silent enough in the morning that Minato prefers to be there before people start milling in, especially the children. Not that he has anything against them, children are simply too noisy for his own liking and they'd interfere in what he's trying to do today.]

Here, kitty, kitty... [He doesn't come here too often, but Minato tries to always bring food for the tiny group of stray cats living at the outskirts of the park, lips curling into a smile when one comes running to him mouthing a fond meow.]

You're Kuro, right? You look great today. [The black cat purrs, letting Minato rub its soft fur while it paws at the treats in his outstretched hand. The scene could go on for minutes with how blissfully content the pair are only to be interrupted the moment someone approaches from behind, causing Kuro to retreat into the bushes and Minato to look up from where he's sitting as if he's trying to explain what was he doing.]

Ah...do you like cats? I just happened to be passing by and I thought they could use some food. [Why is he asking that when he was clearly feeding one earlier?]

Comments

i

[appraiser]

[ Any other day, Ryoji might have been an easy customer, in and out in five minutes with his order of apple cider during the winter months or some sort of fruity iced tea when it's warmer, but too bad Minato has to deal with him today while he's on a Mission. This mission consists of frequenting all the coffee shops around Recollé, sitting quietly at an empty table or vacantly milling around the room like he's trying hard to remember something but cannot... at least until one of the employees calls him out on loitering and asks him to buy something or get out.

His thoughts are broken when Minato speaks up, and Ryoji nearly catches a wisp of familiarity before it's gone in a blink, washed away like waking does to a dream. Oh. Well, "whatever," right? He makes his way to the counter to prop his elbows up on the surface and lean in slightly, shifting the glare of the overhead lighting off Minato's glasses. ]

Could you recommend me something? What's your favorite drink?

[ Something... warm is all he could remember from that dream, incredibly vivid but with so many blanks it can't possibly be anymore more than a dream. And yet it clings to his mind: a very distinct smell to a coffee blend he's unable to find anywhere in the city, a taste he can't recall but is certain would bring the memories back the moment the drink touches his lips, a certain somebody he needs to find, and coffee is his only clue. ]

expressively expresso-less

[complementing]

[It's that unnervingly familiar boy again. Minako comes to a full stop and outright frowns at the barista across the counter, brows furrowed and expression twisting in confusion for a good ten seconds before she comes back to herself with a gasp.]

Oh! Um. I'm so sorry, I really spaced out just now. You're the boy I met at my work place before, right? The cupcake bakery?

[Unlike last time, when she was so flustered at getting caught writing letters that she didn't get a good look at him, right now she's the customer, and can get a good look at his face. Or at least try to, he's got a slouch that would rival an old grandma's.]

Nice to see you again! I swear I'm not this much of an airhead usually.

II it's a l w a y s cats

[korekara]

[ Honoka's out jogging. Honoka does not particularly want to be out jogging, but if she's going to be dancing then she has to make sure she's keeping fit somehow. And jogging seems like the easiest way to do it even if she hates it and wants to die the entire time.

She comes to a halt once she hears a meow and her first thought is is he in a tree again before realizing no, that's a real cat. And cats are as good an excuse as any to ditch her jogging and come wandering over to investigate.

She only gets close enough to peek over his shoulder and get a glimpse of a criminally cute little cat before it skitters off and she puffs her cheeks out. There it goes... ]

Yeah, I heard him meowing so I came over to see but I guess he had somewhere to be... geez, I wanted to pet him too, he's a cutie!

[ HEY MINATO, IT'S THE WEIRD CAT TREE GIRL AGAIN ]