Embarrassment

She looked down, an embarrassed smile flitting on her face. "It's...well, we watch stuff on TV. Eat food. Y'know, the typical stuff."

"What do you watch?"

Her embarrassment deepened. She couldn't tell him she watched a child's show, about ponies, no less. She fiddled with her hair.

"Oh, um, nothing much. Just the normal stuff."

Get it Together, Man!

Aden shook himself.
"uh, well nothing really. Just drawing I guess." He recovered quickly hoping he hadn't looked like to much of an idiot.
Did she really not catch that hint?
And people said guys were dense.
No! He didn't mean that.
Aden opened his book and started to draw again trying to get his head together.
"What do you guys do for a girls night?" He asked her.
His drawing quickly turned into her with the glow of a tv on her face. He frowned, really? Of all the things he could draw, it was that!

Oblivious

"I have work today," she said, stirring her coffee, then popping the lid back on. "And the Ranna and I are having a Girl's Night. What about you?"

She seemed completely oblivious, he thought, as she sipped her coffee.

She looked at him expectantly. His mouth was hanging open a little, like he was shocked or surprised, or something like that. Had she missed something?a

Hopeful?

Aden looked up as someone sad down in the tall stool across from him.
"Nora!" He said completely surprised. He had expected to need to go and sit with her.
"Hello." She smirked.
Aden put his pencil in his book and shut it, giving his full attention to Nora.
"I am glad I got to see you today." He said earnestly.
"Well you should be glad!" She blushed at her comment.
"Well I am. What do you have planned for today?" He asked her wishing she didn't have much.

Morning Java

"Coffee, stat!" Nora called out, walking into the shop. A steaming cup was already waiting for her. "Have I mentioned how much of miracle you are? Seriously, how do other coffeeshops do it?"

"I don't know, I guess some of my amazing-aura rubs off whenever I do good here."

"Keep it up. I've gotten too used to this. What am I going to do when you start college?"

"Come here earlier. I'll still be working. Just not at night all the time."

"Will we still have Girl Nights?"

"Will there still be air in our lungs?"

"But what if you and Warren are all...gross. And together. Like officially. And....kissing."

"We won't be. Trust me. Besides, if I couldn't take a breather for one night, I'd bore myself to tears. Now picture-boy is waiting for you. Bagel intervention in ten minutes?"

Nora checked her watch. "Yeah, that'll get me to work on time. Thanks Ranna, you're the best!"

"I know," she said smugly.

Averted Disaster

Aden walked into the coffee shop happy as a clam.
He had met his quota plus some for the antique shop, and it was still early in the week! Well earlier than his normal quota goal was made.
He suddenly wondered if pets were allowed in this coffee shop.
He looked around nervously, patting his pocket gently.
"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."
Ranna walked up to him.
"Keep him in your pocket." She warned and set his tea on the table.
Aden sighed, so no pets, but at least Corbin would still be safe.
He got out his Notebook and pencil while he waited for Nora to show up.

Jealous? Me? No....

"If I ever act like that," Ranna said, "shoot me."

"It's not that bad," Nora countered with a lovesick smile. "It's kinda cute."

Ranna shot her a look. "Yeah. Maybe in an alternate universe. Here? It's just gross."

"You and Warren kiss," Nora pointed out. "Don't you?"

Ranna shifted uncomfortably. "Yes," she said a bit defensively.

Nora gasped. "You don't?"

"We did once!" Ranna retorted. "He just...he hasn't since...I don't know if it's me, or if it's him, or...I don't know."

"He hasn't kissed you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Do I really look like the person to whine about all my relationship issues in public?"

"Well...no."

"Exactly."

"But you two are still together, right?"

"Well, yeah. We're just not...kissing."

"So you don't think Kagami and Yuuto are gross. You're just jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Ranna sputtered. Nora gave her a smug smirk.

"You are so jealous. It's alright. They forgive you."

Ranna sent her a fiery glare.

"Alright, leaving now. See you tomorrow. Girl's night and all. Buh-bye."

Double Jepoardy

"Have I ever had any other times I was right?"
"Perhaps a few more..." Kagami gave him a knowing smile.
"Will you tell me any of them?"
"No, but if you guess correctly, I will let you know."
Yuuto frowned in thought.
"When I sat next to you on the train."
She kissed him quickly then sat back as if nothing had happened.
Yuuto grinned.
"When I found you in the rose garden and told you I loved you."
"Which time?"
Yuuto rolled his eyes, which time... women.
"The time when we decided it didn't matter what we were."
She kissed him again. "I can think of one more."
"Only one!"
Kagami nodded.
Yuuto put his chin on his fist.
"When I asked you to marry  me?"
Kagami threw her arms around him and kissed him, not long enough to make anyone squimish, but just long enough for everyone to notice.

Them's Fightin' Words

"I hate it when you do that," he said, kissing her cheek. "You always win."

"Of course I do," she giggled. "Because I'm always right."

"No, you're not," he said, pulling away. "I'm right, too."

"Occasionally, but honestly, Yuuto, but I'm the one making the right decisions around here."

"Like when?"

"Like when I decided not to kill you--"

"It was a twist of fate that I didn't die!"

"Well, you didn't! And I'm the one that got you to help, remember?"

"And who saved you from Sakura? Hmm?"

"I did say you occasionally made right decisions."

"And that was my 'occasionally'?"

"One of them, yes."

Badly Given Advice

"Yuuto, why do you keep looking over there? Do you know them?" Kagami asked as she laced her fingers through his.
"What?" Yuuto turned back to Kagami and grinned as he looked at her.
"Yeah, I met him a few days ago. Aden is his name. He really needed advice on how to get a girls attention."
Kagami pursed her lips. "And you decided to give it to him?"
"Well, yes, he needed help!"
"Well at least you didn't have Hayata give him advice also, he would never get anywhere!"
"What! Kagami, I totally got your attention!"
"No you didn't! I got yours!"
"No way!"
"Yes way!"
"No way!"
Kagami settled the argument by kissing his cheek.
"Nope, it was me." She whispered in his ear.

A Chance

"Sure," she said with a winsome smile. "I'll see you around then, I guess."

He left.

Nora went over to Ranna. "Were you trying to hook us up?"

"No. I was simply providing the opportunity. How did you like him?"

"He was...nice."

"Not a keeper?"

Nora bit her lip. "I don't know. I mean, he's not usually what would catch my attention. And he still might lose it. But for now...I guess I'll give him a chance."

Tomorrow?

"I don't think you were talking to much. I enjoy listening to you talk."
He grinned at her then started putting his pictures away.
"I actually feel like leaving soon. Corbin probably is lonely."
He stood up then looked down at Nora.
"May I sit with you again?" He asked hesitantly.
He really did feel like leaving, and when he felt something, he followed it. That was the only way he got anything done. But he wanted to spend more time with Nora, and he didn't get to talk to Yuuto.
Well, tomorrow would come soon.

Purses and Shopping

"That's me and purses," she agreed. "I can never find the right kind of style, and when I do, they're insanely expensive. Sometimes I don't think it's worth it. It's a miracle I found this one," she said, holding up her purse briefly. "Then again, I don't like shopping in general. Too tedious, too monotone. Unless I'm going from store to store, I'm bored. Oops, I'm talking too much again," she laughed. It wasn't a self-depreciating laugh, and again she didn't sound like she was apologizing. It was something she had found amusing.

He hadn't met a girl before who did that.

Hate looking for Bags

Aden laughed.
"Sort of. This is the one I did, same image we were working from."
He pulled out a picture of a bird flying through a large stained glass window.
"I like Corbin's version of this better, more abstract." He gestured to the scribbles and paw marks that were on Corbin's picture.
Aden started putting things back into his bag.
"I think I need a new bag... I hate looking for bags." He murmured.

Still Life

"Yes," she said, wondering why Cat never did anything like that with her. Aden pulled papers out of his torn bag, spreading them out on the table. Nora moved her drink, setting it on her lap with her fingers tapping on it.

"Wow, those are...interesting. Still life?" she remarked as he separated the pictures in the piles.

Corbin the Hamster

"Feline Royalty, huh?"
Aden pondered this while she went on.
"Yes, Cat is royalty. Do you have any pets?"
Aden finished sewing his bag and bit the string off.
"Nope. Just me and my trusty .... wait, pets? Yes actually. I  have a hamster."
Her mouth dropped open.
"A hamster?"
Aden nodded. Yeah, I know it doesn't really go with my persona, but I really like hamsters. His name is Corbin."
He looked down, a normal name... ah now she had to think he was lame.
He looked up quickly "But  I take him on walks and he does my work with me sometimes, he likes to hang out in my pocket and watch people with me. Sometimes I let him draw with ink. Want to see some of his drawings?!"
Aden always got excited when it came to Corbin's artwork.

Cat

"What's your cat's name?"

"Cat."

"You have a cat named Cat?"

"Yes, I do. And if I had a dog his name would be Dog," she said with a self-satisfied smile. "I've always wanted a cat named Cat. And so when I got my last cat, I named her Cat. It was better than what the shelter had named her, anyway."

"And what had they named her?"

"Megan. How completely ordinary. Very boring for a cat."

"And Cat isn't boring?"

"Of course not. You never meet a cat named Cat. They're all named Julio or something. Or Megan. Or Alisha. Ordinary names. People call a cat a cat all the time, but you never actually call a cat Cat, like it's a name. Actually, it's more like a title. Like princess, or duchess. Cat. She's feline royalty."

Old Fashioned.

"I don't think so. No one can be right all the time." Aden assured her.
"Because I don't think you are silly. Goodness, if you are silly then what does that make me?! The man who sits at coffee shops and draws, travels from door to door searching for artifacts and owns a pocketwatch that says it is always 2 o'clock, and does not even own a computer."
He shrugged and went back to sewing, he thought she was wonderful, not silly. And if she was silly, then he liked it.
Silly in a good way. Did that make him odd in a bad way?
"I would just say you are old fashioned." Nora confided.
"Old fashioned... I guess that would fit me."

Silly

"I watch movies. Take care of my cat. I read. Alot. When I'm not watching movies. Or taking care of my cat." She laughed. "I sound so silly," she said, not apologizing, rather enjoying her silliness. "Ranna always says that I sound silly, but I didn't think she was right until now. Figures."

Nora gave Aden a knowing look.

"Ranna is always right, you know," she told him.

Interesting

"No, not shallow. I completely understand. You have a pattern when you come here. Just like me. I wouldn't want to give up my table and move to a different one just cause someone was sitting there. I mean- " Aden cut himself off, he was chattering.
"So I don't think you are shallow, and thanks for not kicking me off of your table." He said looking up from sewing his bag.
Did she really think he was an idiot? He was acting like one.
Aden, stop getting flustered, she is just a girl, you are just a boy. We can all get along.
"What do you like to do in your free time?" He asked looking up again, suddenly very interested in her answer.

Table Talk

"Well, I thought you were asleep at first. And it would have been rude to make you leave. I don't really mind if other people sit here, I guess, just as long as they leave me a place to sit." She took a drink of her coffee. He probably thought she was shallow.

But she wasn't, not really. It was just that sitting here meant so much for her. And she had been sitting here for three years. That was long enough to claim a table, she thought.

"You probably think that's shallow," she said dismissively. She didn't really care. At least, she thought she didn't.

She-Thinks-I'm-An-Idiot!

Aden looked up from his spot on the floor where he was drawing.
"Oh... Your table?" He looked around to spot an empty table which his eyes automatically drawn to.. because that was where Nora usually sat.
"Yeah. Table would be good."
He took a deep breath. He was a little to flustered for this. Nora was just a girl... right?
He really needed to talk to Yuuto.
He gathered his things together and smiled his bright, beaming smile at Nora as she helped him pick up the miscellaneous papers and transfer them to her table.
When he sat down he started to sew then noticed the tea in front of him.
His eyes lit up.
"Thank you!" He said happily. "Just what I needed!"
He took a sip and sighed.
Instantly he began to feel better, nothing mattered as much as he thought it did.
He set his cup down and went back to sewing.
"so, Nora, what made you feel gracious enough to share your table with me?" He asked in a confident tone. A  tone that masked his true feeling of oh-my-goodness-I-am-talking-to-her-and-I-have-now-dropped-nearly-everything-I-own-in-front-of-her-and-she-thinks-I-am-an-idiot!

In Which Nora is Flustered (But in a Good Way)

"He likes tea, not coffee," Ranna informed Nora as she handed her a cup and a glass mug for Aden.

"You're a lifesaver," Nora smiled gratefully, then turned back towards Aden. She panicked at the last minute and whirled around to Ranna again. "What do I say to him?"

"Whatever you do, don't mention the ponies," Ranna said, turning Nora back around by her shoulders and giving her a little push towards Aden. "Now go. I gave you the chance. Take it. I may not feel so gracious later."

Nora could hear the laugh in Ranna's voice.

"Alright, but that means tomorrow you're buying the snacks," Nora laughed back. She took a deep breath, remembered her friendly smile (not the scary smile that she had always thought felt friendly on her face, but the one that didn't chase away people) and walked back to Aden.

"You know," she told him as she bent over, handing him his tea. "We should probably get a table. Mine's open."

Oh, no. Was that flirting? Was she flirting? She hadn't meant to be flirtatious, only to offer a table, or suggest a  more comfortable seat. And now he was going to think she was hitting on him, and that wasn't her intention at all, and she prayed to everything above that he knew she wasn't trying to flirt, the words just slipped out.

When in Doubt, Draw

Blink.
"Oh, coffee. Yes. Please. Thanks."
Aden cursed himself mentally. How come he couldn't form a complete sentence?
Maybe he should talk to Yuuto again.. or maybe Topher. They would know. It would be best to not ask Krister, he could tell Krister and Chante loved each other very much, but that was not the sort of relationship he wanted.
He sat at the table while Nora left to the counter.
Once she got to the counter he realized, he didn't like coffee. He hated it. So why had he said yes?
Oh well, he would drink that stuff for her.
Why? Why would he drink it for her?
His head was all jumbled and he couldn't think.
So he pulled out a sheet of paper and a pencil and started to draw. That was what he did no matter what the situation was.

Offer

She smiled at him, then finished handing him his stuff. "I'm going to get me a cup of coffee," she said, still crouching in front of him, her scarf loose and hanging on the floor. "Do you want one, too?"

She looked up at him, and he saw the dark of her eyes, the color of melted chocolate, framed by a curl of eyelid lined thinly with black. Her hands held each other in purple half-fingered gloves, hiding under the dark brown of her coat.

"Is that a no?" Her eyebrows made little angles as they furrowed down, a little bit in confusion, a little bit of what he thought was worry. "Because really, it's no trouble."

Forced Companionship

His hands darted around the floor, snatching up his things.

"What? Oh, I have to, what if I see something and I don't have a sketchpad? I can never draw things from memory well." except you he thought.

He looked at his bag and sighed. He would have to sew it back together.

"Well... I guess I am staying for a while." He said as he gathered his things together on a table and found a string and thread on the ground that had fallen from his bag.

"Thanks for helping me, Nora."

A Look-See in the Bag of Tricks

"I know that smile," Nora whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Helping things along. No, not ideal, I admit it. But how else was I gonna get the guy to talk to you? He's been dying to, and quite frankly, he's head's getting annoying. And I still expect pony night tomorrow."

Nora shot her an amused grin, then shuffled over to help Aden pick up his things. There was so much, little knick-knacks she assumed were from his store, pencils and charcoal and erasers, and two sketch pads.

"Wow, you really come prepared," she remarked.

Seriously?

Aden felt his face go red.
"Uh, just... here and there. When I saw you... and other places." He added quietly
He picked all of them up.
"I have one for you, if you want it, that is." He said finding the picture at the bottom of the scattered pile.
He picked it up and handed it to her not looking at her.
Shoving the rest of the pictures in his folder he stood up quickly.
"Yeah, uh, I have to go. Bye, Nora!"
Aden sped toward the door only to stop in despair when his bag ripped open and everything inside cascaded to the ground.
He looked around in awe, how could so many things go wrong today! Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ranna walking to the counter with a sly smile on her face.

Pictures of You

She bent down anyway, picking some of them up.

"Wow, these are really good. Wait...are these...are these me?" She glanced up, a shy smile on her face, then back down at the pictures. "These are so...beautiful. When did you do them?"

She was so...she didn't know the feeling to describe it. Flattered? No, that was too distant. There was a certain level of connection that she felt as she looked at the drawings. No one had ever seen her, not like this. Not with a cup of coffee in hand, smiling at the world, her scarf on but her coat off because she forgot her neck wasn't cold inside. And he had just met her, and she had just met him. When had he done these?

Had she not seen him?

NOT a Crazy Stalker Guy

Aden struggled to get the picture out of the folder.
He bit his lip as he grew embarrassed.
Why couldn't he get the picture out?
He tugged on a sheet of paper then the whole folder flew out of his hands.
His eyes went wide as he saw the papers float to the ground.
He bent down quickly to pick them up.
Nora bent down as well, but he put his hand out.
"No, No. Thanks but I can pick them up on my own."
What if she saw all of the pictures he had draw of her and thought he was a crazy stalker guy!

A Simple Introduction Will Do

"Long name," she said, "but nice. I'm Nora." She held out her hand for a handshake. He fumbled with his folder a bit.

"No, no," she smiled. "Handshake. I'm not mugging you or anything."

He kept glancing up at her, and she saw a tiny bit of sweat starting to bead on his forehead. Was he nervous? Why in the world would he be nervous. She looked at Ranna, her face crooked with a questioning look. Ranna just shrugged and looked pointedly at Aden, directing Nora's attention back to him.

Introductions

"Monstre! Hypocrite! Mal, homme vil! Pourquoi tu ne peux pasagir comme vous garde!"
"Je ne garde! Chante, écouter moi faire! Non, Ouch!" Krister said as she threw the chair at him.
"Chante, je voulais juste - OW"
Aden walked into the coffee shop and smiled.
Either they were still at it or they had started another argument... either was plausible.
Yuuto waved from his seat next to Kagami and their friends.
Aden glanced at them, then at the girl who was talking to Ranna.
Should he talk to her or go sit with Yuuto?
He did still need to give her the picture.
"One minute." he mouthed to Yuuto then took he drawing out of a folder ( that was actually filled with all the other drawings he had done of her, quite a few) and walked toward the girl.
"Uh, excuse me?" He said, interrupting her conversation with Ranna.
He held his hand out. 
"I didn't introduce myself last time, I'm Aden Tristan Kingston."

Family Night

"You aren't going home yet?"

"No. I didn't realize how fun it was here at night. Chante and Krister are having another fight. It's better than cable."

They watched as Chante shoved her chair back, finger in Krister's face, as she shouted in rapid French.

"See? You couldn't buy that kind of bonding." Nora grinned.

Friend

She ran from the shop.
Aden watched her go then stood up. "Wait!"
He was way to late... she was half way across town by now, and he didn't even know her name!
And as if that weren't enough he hadn't given her the picture!
He sighed and opened a blank page and started sketching again.
as he formed the lines into a figure, he realized it was her again.
He turned to the next page and started again. Her.
Her.
Her.
Her.
"Uh... Are you ok?" a strongly Asian accented voice asked.
Aden looked up to see a young man with brownish hair and a very muscular build, though he tried to hide it.
"Well, yeah, I just can't seem to draw right now." Aden said gesturing to his drawings.
The man looked over the picture that Aden was working on right now.
"This is good. So why are you upset?" He asked obviously confused.
"I can't seem to draw anyone or anything else."
The man leaned back a smug smile on his face.
"Ah, I see."
"What? What do you see!"
"You like her."
"what! I don't even know her!"
"You don't have to know someone to like them, trust me, I would know."
"And why is that?"
the young man sat back up and picked up the sketchbook.
"May I look through this?"
Aden shrugged.
He started flipping through the pages.
"When I started my third year of secondary school I met a girl. Only for an instant but I was hooked the moment I saw her. 5 years later, we are married. When you see someone and you like them, it is like your heart is telling you 'hey, this would be a good person for you to get to know better.'"
Aden thought that over, pursing his lips as he did so.
Perhaps that was true, but how did his heart know?
The young man put his hand on the table, his eyes were wide.
"You drew this?" He asked turning the book around so Aden could see a picture he had drawn of the Japanese girl who sat at the window. She was running her hand through her dark hair as the sun bounced off of it and her eyes were fixed lovingly on the person sitting across from her. Come to think of it, this young man was always next to her when they were in here together.
"Yeah, I did. I drew everything in that notebook."
"This is amazing." The young man said turning the notebook back to him and running his finger gently over the picture.
"Do you want it?" Aden asked, he already had it scanned and he wasn't going to use the hard copy anyway. Besides, he enjoyed giving people things they loved, part of the reason he liked antiques so much.
"Yes please!" The young man said.
Aden tore out the page and handed it to the young man who was captivated by the picture.
"You have portrayed her almost perfectly!"
Aden grinned at the compliment.
"Thanks. Do you know her name?"
"Kagami." he said.
"Ah, and what was yours?"
"Yuuto."
"Yuuto, nice to meet you, I'm Aden."

Very Unique, Very Steampunk

"Antiques? Wow, that's impressive," she said. "I mean it. You always get the good stuff. And they have the best jewelry at antique shops. Very unique. Very steampunk. I got my bracelet-watch thingy at one."

She looked down at her bracelet of watchheads. "Oh, I'm late. I'm sorry, I have to go. Nice meeting you!"

She ran out the door, snatching the bagel in a bag that Ranna held out for her, then tossing her empty coffee cup in the trash.

Opening

Aden shook his head.
"No to all but the pocket watch." he pulled it out and let her see it, it was a tarnished silver with green numbers and an engraving that was no longer legible.
"I have been coming here for... a few months. Wow, longer than I realized!" He flipped back through his book and was impressed at how long he had been here, he almost needed a new sketchbook!
He cleared his head by swaying it back and forth a few times.
"Sorry... and I wish I could draw for a living, but instead I collect antiques for a dealer. And I actually quite enjoy it... when it goes well." He could feel his gloom flowing back into him. Why did he have to  have a bad day today!

Caffeine Rush

"Of course it's been me. This is my table," she said as if this were common knowledge, then took a swig of coffee. "You must be new here. Are you? Do you draw for a living? I guess there's not much money in that, but still. Oh, is that a pocketwatch?" She pointed to a chain on his jacket. "It must be beautiful! I love pocketwatches."

Another swig of coffee.

Stammering

Aden squinted down at the picture and  his eyes lit up.
"You are right!" He grabbed an eraser and smudged off his nose then thought for a moment and with his tongue between his teeth drew his nose in.
"Awesome!"
He held it up to the light smiling at it.
"Thanks!" He held his hand out to her, still beaming then it hit him.
He was sitting next to the girl.
He blinked.
"Uh, You've been here the whole time right? I wasn't talking to someone else just now?"
What if he was going crazy... he had to be to sit right next to her!

The Nose Knows

"Um, you?"

He gave her a look.

"Well, it does. Kinda. You nose is off. I mean, it's still on your face. But on your picture. It's wrong. I mean, it's right, because it's a nose. But it's not your nose. On the page."

Cheer?

He looked up from his frustration to see her stick figure that was a rather sorry excuse for a stick figure.
Aden gave a  little smile.
"I guess... you are right... But it still doesn't look like it did in my head." He muttered as he smoothed the page out to look at it again.
"Can't even tell it is me..."
He wished he could glare at himself, but he settled for rolling his eyes.
"Can you tell who it is?"

Cheese!

"No, no, that one was actually good," Nora said. "I liked it."

She showed him the napkin she had been attempting to draw a stick figure on. "See? Especially compared to this." She gave him a big smile, both laughing at her own efforts and attempting to cheer him up.

Forgetfull

He finished his rough sketch in 10 minutes then sat back and looked down at it.
The smile that had grown on his face as he drew fell.
He glared at his page then crumpled it up and threw it at the wall.
It bounced off of the wall and hit his head. He groaned and let himself fall forward so his head was on the table.
"Stupid." he muttered.

Mouthy Mouth

She leaned over her cup of coffee, watching him. Her eyes were wide, pushed down by her eyebrows, her lips in a pursed line.

Subconscious concentrated curious look.

She looked over at Ranna. "Scribbling! He's scribbling at my table!" she mouthed. She glanced at what he was doing again. "It's kinda good," she admitted, still mouthing.

Ignorance

Aden  put his head back on the table.
"okay." He murmured.
He closed his eyes envisioning the picture he would draw to make himself feel better.
Suddenly the picture came into his minds eye.
He was sitting on a white bench swing that had a trellis covering it with climbing roses. The sun was setting behind the swing and he looked so happy. His face was radiating joy, one of his hands was extended, as if he was waiting for someone to accept his offer to sit next to him.
He sat up suddenly and pulled out his sketchbook and a pencil and started drawing on the first page he came to.

Hand Me My Coffee, He's at My Table

"There's a man at my table."

"What?"

"A man. He's at my table."

"So?"

"He's at my table!"

"So pick another table!"

"I can't! I've been sitting at that table for three years, ever since I found this place, and I can't break tradition! I've got a streak! I can't break it now! Not after so long!"

"Then go sit down with him."

Nora's mouth, opened, then closed. "Oh. Okay."

She walked over, put her cup on the table, and slid into her seat.

"Hi." she said, glancing awkwardly at him, then away, then back to him. He looked up.

"...Hi," he mumbled.

"You're at my table," she informed him. "So I'm going to sit here. You can, too. But I'm going to."

Could Be Better

Aden dragged into the shop, his eyelids heavy and his bag sliding off of his shoulder.
He had not had such a bad day in ages.
Every single appointment canceled, his neighbor had had a nervous break down at 3 in the morning and Aden had rushed him to the hospital, then he had found out the vase he had collected yesterday was a fake.
He didn't even bother to go to his usual table, he just slumped down on the closest seat and let his head fall to the table.

Ponies

"You didn't."

"I did! I'm so sorry! I meant to go home and go to sleep like a good working girl, but we had talked about the ponies and I just got on my computer to check my sites, and it sucked me in! Sucked! Like a black hole in space! A black hole with a vacuum!"

"Isn't a black hole already a vacuum?"

"This one had an extra vacuum! That, by the way, refused to get rid of my crumbs."

"Right. And this vacuum couldn't wait two more days?"

Nora gave a comical pout. "It was sucky. Shlooooooooop."

Lack of Planning

"I..."
The door swung shut after her, the little bell above it tinkling gently.
He felt his mouth fall open slightly.
Seriously?
Gone again?
He sighed and turned back to his table. He didn't feel like waiting all day for her again, so if he happened to come across her he would give her the drawing.
Aden gently slid the drawing in between some other pages in his notebook then put it in his satchel.
He swung it over his head and drained the last of his tea.
He took the cup to the counter and gave Ranna a parting nod.
He would be back tomorrow, but he didn't know when. He had some people to visit, for work and for pleasure. But he didn't know when he would feel like showing up.
That was the problem with 'going with the flow.' It was hard to plan anything.

Visual Crack

"I guess I should go," Nora sighed, standing up and handing Ranna the money for the soup. "Cat's probably hungry."

"And how is Cat doing?"

"She's fine. Still hates me for giving her a bath yesterday. Oh,well. Maybe she'll love me if I read her favorite book to her."

"Or maybe you should just give her the fluffy pillow."

"I should just give her the fluffy pillow," Nora laughed. "See you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early. Don't be late. And don't stay up all night watching that pony show."

"But it's my show, my relax time, my--"

"It's what's keeping you up all night. A sleepy worker is a sloppy worker, and a sloppy worker ends up being a jobless worker. Which isn't really a worker at all. Sleep first. Pony on the weekend."

Nora sighed dramatically. "Fine. Weekends are for Pony. Marathon at my place?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

"You know, I'd never peg you for someone who would like that show."

"Are you kidding? It's like crack. Visual crack."

"Don't go into withdrawals without me, okay?"

"Deal. Now go. Feed Cat. Then sleep. If you're not here tomorrow morning, I'm not letting you in for the rest of the day."

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Nora tossed a grin over her shoulder. "Bye, Ranna!"

A Gift

The drawing flowed out from his pencil.
Aden found himself grinning.
this picture was working much better.
She was gazing out the window laughing as she flipped her hair out of her face.
He scratched his name on the edge of the picture and sat back, holding it in front of him.
He looked from the picture to her and found himself very, very pleased with the result.
He set the drawing back down and snapped a picture of it. He could change anything he wanted to on his computer later, but a drawing this good... it had to be given away.
So he gently tore it out of his notebook and walked over his model.

Not There

Ranna didn't mind that Nora stared off at the people outside the coffeeshop.

Nora didn't mind that Ranna read her mind as she stared off at the people outside the coffeeshop.

"One day we'll be old ladies and still doing this," Nora mumbled with a grin.

Ranna looked out the window with her. "You really wouldn't want this to change?"

"Nope. Not for a minute."

"What about 'true love'?"

"Forget it."

"He's not there, you know."

Nora sighed, and her smile wavered. "I know."

Distraction....

Aden took a deep breath and a long drink of his Tea. Peppermint Raspberry. How did she always know exactly what he needed?
He gave a content sigh then turned to a blank page and began sketching. He decided to look at her once, then draw from memory, maybe that would work better.
So he looked at the girl, Ranna was talking to her and she was leaning forward sipping from her steaming cup.
She brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled widely at something Ranna said, then she looked down into her cup and out the window, like she was looking for something.
Aden shook his head, one look! Now draw.
He leaned over his paper and began his sketch.

Cheerio

She was all smiles now, with the caffeine kicking into her system.

"Soup!" she cheered as Ranna handed her the soup cup.

"And we are back in business," Ranna said with a self-satisfied grin. She looked over at the drawing boy.

Relief in a Cup

Aden closed his eyes then ripped the page out and finished crumpling the paper in his hand. He stood up and walked over to the garbage can and threw the paper in.
He walked past the girl then over to the counter, he needed something more today.
Ranna was already there, a hot cup of sweet tea on the counter, waiting for him.
"$2." She said. "No need to thank me."
Aden smiled at her. "How do you do that!" He asked for probably the 1,000th time.
"Trade Secret. Now go finish your drawing."
Aden rolled his eyes and picked up his tea, walking over to his table and picking up his pencil off of the floor.

Pat, Pat

Ranna patted Nora's hair. "Well, you have your coffee now. And we've got two hours til your bedtime. How about some dinner."

"Mmph."

"I'm not trusting you with a knife and fork. Stay here. I'm getting us soup."

Frustrating Efforts

Aden finished his sketch of Trea and was almost pleased with the result. He thought he captured her expression in that moment almost perfectly. But he was a little disappointed. No matter how many times he drew Trea, he didn't feel he caught her essence. He could catch her emotion, but not her.
He sighed and turned to a new page then looked up, scanning the room for a new muse.
Then he saw her.
That girl he opened the door for.
He looked down quickly putting his pencil on a starting point then looked back up to get her likeness to move down through his pencil.
He kept looking down to make sure he was on the right track but the third time he looked down he dropped his pencil in horror.
He had gone horribly off track.
It didn't look like her at all, it was awful.
He looked at his picture then shook his head and groaned placing his hand on the picture and clenching his hand into a fist, crumpling the paper as he did so.

After Work

Skipping her morning coffee was a horrible idea. First she was tired, then she was cranky, then she was murderously mad, and then it started all over again. But work was over now. She managed a smile.

"Table three already has your coffee, no need to thank me," Ranna said as Nora pushed the doors open. "I'll be there in ten minutes to talk."

"You know, it used to freak me out when you did that," Nora said as she slid into the booth, leaning against the wall.

Ranna walked over a few minutes later. "Talk."

"No coffee. No energy. No patience. No smile." Nora let her head fall to the table in stress-out mode.

"Hm, usually that mix perks you back up. Maybe we need a stronger java for you," Ranna said.

"Mmph," Nora grunted from under her hair.

Anxiously Hearing News

Trea bounded into the Coffee Shop.
"RAAAANNAAAA!" She practically screamed.
Aden looked up from his drawing of the Japanese couple in the corner.
"Ranna! Look!" Trea waved her hand in Ranna's face.
"Topher proposed!"
Aden turned the page in his sketchbook, starting a new picture of Trea, her hand in Ranna's face, a look of elation on her own face.
He sketched quickly while the picture was fresh in his mind, starting with a rough outline, then adding in the details.
Trea turned to Aden.
"Did you see! Did you know about it? Topher told you didn't he!"
Aden looked up from his drawing, startled.
"No! I didn't know, promise! He didn't tell me anything!"
Trea pursed her lips. "fine, I believe you." the she jumped up and ran out of the store, after hugging Ranna.
Aden quickly added in more of the details he would not be able to do later.
So much went on in this shop.
But the thing that seemed best to him was seeing the new people come in.
Well, she wasn't really new, Aden was fairly certain she came to the shop quite often, but he had only ever seen her leaving.
Today he was determined to see her, so he had been there since 5 am when the shop opened.
It was noon, and she had not come in yet.

Sleepy Smile

"I need something strong. Super strong. Extra super strong. I need it to make me as lively as Trea," Nora mumbled. She didn't understand how Ranna could be so awake right now. The concert last night had gone so late, and Nora didn't do late.

"Coming right up," Ranna said. "Chocolate bagel?"

"Only if it'll wake me up," Nora smiled, then sluggishly went to her table, laying her head down on her arms. She hadn't realized she'd dozed off until Ranna tapped her shoulder with the coffee and bagel to go.

"Ten minutes to work. Run," Ranna said with a smirk, then turned and watched Nora frantically flee across the street with her breakfast. If adrenaline wouldn't wake her up, nothing would.

Simple Actions

Aden pulled a rather large bag with wheels behind him. He had found a large vase that he had bought for a deal, mostly because the owner had wanted to get rid of it. Mrs. Roberts had seemed to think the vase brought bad spirits. And that was why Aden loved her. She was his best source for antiques. She would buy something old to say she owned it, but then she would freak herself out over it for no reason. And that was when she would call.

"Mr. Kingston?! Thank goodness you answered your phone! I have a vase." "I have a book." "I have a necklace." "I have a suitcase and it has something wrong with it!"

It was never the same thing and always something that couldn't actually happen.
He always tried to give her more money than she had paid, but she would never take it. "I just want it out of my house, Aden!" She would say and take $50 or less.
Which worked for him, so he wasn't complaining.

He came to an intersection. He looked down the right fork then down the left. The antique store was down the left fork... the Coffee Shop down the right.
And he didn't feel like stopping by the antique store just yet, so he walked down the right fork smiling up at the angry, black storm clouds. Nothing could upset his mood today.

He suddenly wanted to walk a little faster, weird, but he did it anyway.
He sped up, not to much, but enough for him to feel the wind pick up and pull his dark curls away from his face.
He slowed down as he came to the door of the Coffee Shop. A girl was leaving, one he hadn't seen before. Odd, he had come here as often as he could since he discovered it, yet this girl gave a vibe of a regular.
He opened the door and stepped back so she could walk out.
"Here you go, miss." He said with a generous smile waving his hand for her to walk through the door.
She nodded to him, a smile of her own on her dark skinned face. "Thank you."
He watched her walk across the street and into a tall office building that Aden personally thought was a detriment to the street. Though he felt his opinion shift as she walked into it.
He frowned as he thought. Then shrugged and walked into the shop.

The Girl at the Window

Nora Sanders was watching the people outside the window, a styrofoam cup of coffee cooling between her hands. A yellow-paged book, worn with use so that the title on the spine could no longer be read, lay forgotten on the table. Her purse was slung across the back of the chair with her coat.

If Nora were to be defined in a moment, this would be the one.

Nora's leg was crossed over her knee, and now and again she would smooth her skirt, a long flimsy thing that only helped to create a boho-style feel. It was brown, as deep and rich as her coffee. Tucked into it was a sand-brown shirt, covered loosely with a green cardigan that stretched to her elbows.

She blinked as a dog lunged on his leash after a bird.


Her chin rested on her hand, elbow smudging the table, with a silly smile on her lips. Her light-dark coconut skin wrinkled at her eyes when she smiled, fringed by the curls of her black hair held back in a headband.

The chair across the table from her screeched as Ranna pulled it out, sitting down with a relieved huff. Nora turned her eyes from the window to Ranna.

"Day 362, and you've still got that smile," Ranna joked with a wry grin.

"Day 362, and you still can't smile right," Nora teased back. "When do you have school?"

"After lunch. Gotta catch the bus to the Atlantis pickup."

"Ooh. Wasn't Trea going to give you a ride?"

"She and Topher are sluffing class to go to a theme park. I think he's going to propose. Could be wrong, though. His head was a mess."

"And Warren?"

"Study abroad. He'll be back in a month."

"Did you look up that music I told you about?"

Ranna tapped the bulky headphones around her neck. "Ready to go for the bus ride."

Nora smiled wider. "So you liked it, then?"
 
Ranna shrugged. "It's not my normal sound, but it could grow on me." Which meant, in Ranna-speach, that she had really liked it.

"Thought it might." Which meant, in Nora-speech, I-told-you-so. And that's what Nora's smile said, too.

"When does work start?"

"Nine-thirty. Which means I have fifteen minutes left." Nora stuffed her book into her purse, then got up and pushed her chair in. "Is there any chance that I could coerce you into bagging me a bagel?" she asked Ranna with her fake-begging smile. Ranna rolled her eyes, amused, and got up to get the bagel.

"So we're still on for tonight, right?" Nora asked as she rummaged for the money to pay for the bagel.

"Meeting at seven-thirty here. I didn't forget," Ranna reassured her.

"Great! Thanks again for going to the concert with me."

"Anytime," Ranna said, then waved at Nora as she walked across the street and into the tall office building that mirrored the coffeeshop in its glassy reflection.

Aden Tristan Kingston

Aden walked down the street, hands in his pockets whistling a happy sporadic tune.
He wore blue jeans, white boat shoes, a light yellow t-shirt and a dark blue jacket.
He didn't really need the jacket, but he liked to have somewhere to put his hands.
He glanced into the shop windows pausing if he saw something interesting, as he had done for the past hour.
He was on his way to his next appointment, but it was not for another 2 hours. So he went just a few blocks away to the main hub of the city.
Shops lines the small roads. This had always been his favorite part of any city, the old classy part. Sometimes he thought he didn't belong in the 21 century. Maybe in the 1940's... or the 1640's. A Slower, more romantic time in history.
He enjoyed sitting. Watching. Waiting. Getting somewhere when it seemed to fit.
Perhaps that is why he had found it hard to keep regular jobs. The times his managers wanted him to come in never seemed to correspond to how his life was going that day. So he came in a little later.
He did try to be on time. He worked to make his mood, his life, and his activities fit into work, but when he did that he felt fluster, upset and irritable. Money was not worth feeling horrible all the time.
Sure, apparently the world revolves around money and money is what makes everything go. But there were easier way to get it.
Such as the job he was at now.
He had started to work at an antique store, but his job was to go through town and find antiques, pay for them with the store's money and bring them back. Then he drew them in as much detail as he could. As long as he had 20 at the end of the week , he got paid a full weeks wages.
He smiled at the thought of this catch. How many other people could say that they loved their job and it loved them! First of all it was antique! And he loved that stuff! Second, it was on his time schedule! And third, he got to draw, his favorite thing (other than old movies)! Can't get much better than that.
As Aden thought about his luck in life he happened to glance across the street into the window of a very interesting shop.
He did a double take.
On the outside it was a regular Coffee Shop.
He found his feet walking across the street with his mind still reeling back on the sidewalk.
Once he caught up with himself he was opening the door.
A small bell chimed as the door hit it
Aden's face slowly molded into a smile of pure joy as he looked around the small shop.
In one corner arguing speaking in their quick language were a group of 4 oriental students. Next to there was a girl with bright orange hair sitting next to a boy with earplugs, nose plugs, gloves and a blindfold.  Across from there was a boy who was dark, no other way to describe it. Dark with red highlights. It reminded Aden of Fire.
On the other side of the store a couple was sitting as close as the table would allow them, though they looked as if they were from the 18th century and she was pulling a long silver knife from her golden hair. The man didn't seem to mind though, he was admiring her face.
"J'aret, look at my new knife!" She was telling him.
Aden's eyes darted to the next table.
Another couple, this one dressed in circus gab. The male was very pale and the girl very small. They looked like complete opposites, yet the meshed together so well... maybe that was just the matching costumes.
His chin had dropped to the floor as soon as the small bell had tinkled. And Aden made no move to close it.
He loved this place!
He hadn't even tried the food!
"Are you going to get something?" The waitress behind the counter asked him.
Aden looked over toward her voice his eyes still wide and his mouth still open. He was almost upset she had talked to him, there were still more people he wanted to look at. He wished he had brought his drawing pad, but it was back at the antique shop.
"Trying to catch the fly's?" She asked dryly.
This girl, her name tag said Ranna, was just as Dark as the other boy, perhaps a little more.
"Uh..." He shook himself mentally, putting on his dashing smile. Not that he had another one, his dashing one was his natural one.
"What do you have?" He asked walking up and leaning on the counter looking up at the signs.
"Coffee."
"Ah. so you do, but I see you also have some delicious pastries and other baked good. Along with lunch specials!" He said happily.
"Yes."
"So I will have the lunch special along with a cookie!"
Ranna punched some buttons on her cash register. "Seven Dollars."
He dug in his pocket and handed her the money, trading it for a receipt.
"Thank you, Ranna." He said, making sure to use her name.
She nodded and pushed open a door, disappearing behind it. Probably to get his food.
He turned back around and grabbed a tall table by the window, but not before picking up a pen and some napkins. He couldn't let these people get away from him! When was the next time he would have the opportunity to have such great variety of people in one place!
He hunched over his napkins and started sketching quickly, looking up more than he looked at his paper.

Storming

"There are some interesting characters in here." Henry the fourth said as he opened the door for Ava.
Ava walked into a mesh of different cultures, time periods and civilizations.
She looked up at the barista to see a girl with blacck hair, but with a red streak in the front.
"Hello, what can I get you?" She said, her name tag said her name was Ranna.
"A Decaf with extra cream please." Ava ansered.
"I'll have a donut." Henry said simply.
They left the counter to find a table after Henry paid.
"Do you see anywhere?" Ava asked him.
He looked around, all the tables seemed full. He shook his head.
"Oh, how about there!" Ava said pointing to a small table next to what looked like a pirate and his wench.
Henry shrugged and they went to sit while they waited for their food.

"Krister, how could you do that! Here we don't know where we are or how we got here and you go trying to make friends with complete strangers showing me off like some prize stallion." Chante fumed in her rapid french.
"My by love, if in comparison to a stables, you would be my prize stallion! It was meant to be a compliment!" Krister retorted leaning back against his seat, eating some of this bread they called bagels.
"Krister, my love," she said sarcasticaly. "I don't appreciate being compared to horses to complete strangers!"
"Chante!" Krister protested as she got up and stormed away."
He sighed and stood up to chase after her. He saw a young couple staring at him. They looked away quickly but he didn't mind.
"And to think we have been married for 3 years!" He said then left after Chante.

A Stuttering Entrance

Krister stumbled against the door after Chante pushed him forward.
He looked around and blinked.
"Uh.. Chante? where are we?"
Chante laughed as she followed him in.
"What are you talking-- about." She looked around with wide eyes.
A high counter was full of different foods to order and a large board on a wall just behind had words everywhere and prices.
"A shop..."
Krister turned to look at her. He put his arm protectively around her waist.
"Welllllll." He said "If this is a shop maybe we should buy something."
He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "What sort of money do you think they use? Maybe I should call Rat."