[PP-F01] How Do You Like It?

[Shin Kagami 0]

Kagami sat up on her bed and rubbed the sleep away from her eyes. The first rays from the dawn and the chirps of birds hadn’t yet reached the musty attic that she awoke in but she was already getting dressed in her usual attire. She could very well cheat and just change her appearance with the «Disguise» skill but she’d grown fond of changing into her work uniform. The apron she wore reminded her that she had something to look forward to for the day.

As she finished getting dressed, there was a familiar knock on the door. A woman’s voice called for her from behind it. “Are you up yet?” Kohi was Kagami’s personal wake up call every morning when the store was open. She wouldn’t let the girl miss another day of work after the first time she slept in during the first week of her new job.

Kagami walked to the door, opened it, and smiled gently. “Of course I am. It’s been months since my circadian rhythm’s been rewired. I swear on my life that there’s no one who wakes up earlier than me.” She put her hand over her chest in mock salute. Kohi shook her head and snickered before heading down the stairs to the store so they could begin preparations for the day and Kagami followed right after her.

Un Noir. It was a quaint, tiny coffee shop on the first floor. It didn’t get much foot traffic, especially as the newer floors were unlocked and people climbed Aincrad in tow of the frontliners, but that didn’t matter to Kagami. At least, if it didn’t matter to Kohi, she also couldn’t care less. After all, it wasn’t like this shop was in any danger of disappearing from a lack of funds. It was in a safezone and Kohi was an NPC to boot. Kagami was confident when she found this safe spot that it’d never disappear.

For a while now, Kagami’s been doing menial tasks and occasionally helping to brew the roast for customers of the shop. Every now and then, Kohi would give her another task like a master to their dutiful apprentice. Taste a new blend, serve a customer, investigate beans at the market. Today was a bit different though as they flipped the signboard and advertised to the rest of the world that Un Noir was open for the day.

“Kagami, “ Kohi said. “I know that you don’t like surprises but I want you to act like the owner of the shop.” Kagami opened her mouth in protest, but Kohi cut her off. “Don’t worry. I’ll step in if there’s any major issues but you need to learn how to deal with situations you haven’t dealt with. You’ve been good at learning on the job, so I’m expecting good things.” Kohi gave a tight smile.

Kagami felt like Kohi just wanted to see her struggle, but she could only sigh before tying her hair up into a bun. “I guess I’ll do it then…” It was the start of an interesting day indeed.

@Monarch

Stats: Non-combat but starting at level 11.

[Monarch 0]

An empty field, wild hare running amuck in the grass. The sun was rising, and yet Yasuhiro hadn’t slept. A light rustle would escape as the boy emerged from the shadows. The rabbits wouldn’t even turn their gaze as a sword as black as the night sliced through them. Picking up the meat Yasu would turn towards the town so far from where he was. A little light gathering was all he needed, as his wealth grew he stepped ever closer to his goal. Checking his inventory, the boy would write in his journal everything he had acquired that night before closing the book and hooking it to his belt.

The players in the field just now getting out for the first time, mixed with stronger players taking strolls through the grasslands they once fought so hard to conquer, it was hard to believe this was all a game sometimes. How different would this experience have been for everyone if they hadn’t been forced to fight for their lives? The boy would shake the thought from his mind. Not worth the effort to think about it. The kid would carry on.

Finally crossing through the gates as the sun fully appeared, Yasu would make his way through town. He would pull his scarf up over his face as he cut through the back alleys, less people there, and made his way to Un Noir. A quaint shop with a pretty good cup of coffee. Today was different though, the energy in the place felt like it had shifted. Locking his eyes on his usual spot, Monarch would place his journal on the table and turn to the nearest person and mumble, ”I’ll have a coffee, black please.” His inventory would open once more, his finger gliding over it as he makes sure everything he had agreed to bring was there, before looking around for the owner.

@Shin Kagami

stats: non combat, start at level 6

[Shin Kagami 0]

Kagami watched the young boy with messy brown hair take a seat at one of the tables and order a cup of black coffee. She had seen the boy before and knew he was a regular at the shop, one of the rare ones, but she couldn’t recall if she had ever helped to man the front when he was here. It was probably the first time.

Kagami glanced at Kofi with a glint in her eyes and Kofi shook her head and looked away. The real owner of the coffee shop had seen that look before. Last time Kagami wore that expression, she kicked someone out of the shop without any hesitation. Kagami got an earful that day. Sure, she couldn’t deny the customer was being disruptive but she couldn’t pick and choose her customers. With how few they get, a bad customer isn’t necessarily a customer they don’t want. So Kofi contained her sigh and thought a silent prayer.

While Kofi was beginning to regret her decision, Kagami had already gotten to work at making the coffee. She couldn’t tell what the young boy’s regular order was, just that he didn’t want sugar or creamer, so she took a crack and guessed what he would enjoy. Kagami grabbed a few of their more lightly roasted ground beans, wanting to make sure that the charred taste wasn’t very overpowering for the young boy. She focused on creating a blend of beans that gave an earthy and nutty flavor profile for the gloomy customer. The smell of the coffee beans began to waft throughout the shop. And then she took her time with the French press, though that was pretty standard since Kofi always taught her to make sure every drop was quality and deserving of the customer.

Soon enough, it was ready. Kagami prepared a cup and saucer and enjoyed the earthy and nutty smell of the coffee as she poured a cup. Ever self-indulgent, even if the customer didn’t enjoy the coffee, Kagami was content with knowing that she would have. Not a moment later, Kagami delivered the cup of coffee to the customer.

“Good morning! Here’s your black coffee.” Kagami crouched down at the edge of the table and looked towards the boy. “Tell me if it’s to your taste. I’m Kagami and the owner isn’t working today, so I’m sure what your normal order is.”

@Monarch

[Monarch 0]

Yasu would watch as the player who had taken his order walked back to make it, taking note of the care she would put into the brew. As she worked on the press, the player would flip his journal to a blank page, sketching out the general shape of the player and the press. As Kagami continued to work, Monarch would add more and more detail to the drawing, adding more detail to the french press than anything else, like that’s what he cared about the most. Kagami’s form would appear rough but still recognizable, the rest of the shop would be just general shapes. But the press had almost every detail, and in the glass of the press, a reflection of the shop took form, distorted yet detailed.

As Kagami approached the kid at the table and placed his drink in front of him, he would turn to face the woman, taking every word she said into account as his plan for the deal had altered and he tried to figure out how to proceed. Taking a sip of his coffee, Yasu would gently set the mug down and say to the girl. ”It’s good. Since you’re in charge, I’ll be dealing with you.” His voice was quiet and raspy, as if he rarely ever used it. He would flip the journal to the deal he had made with Kofi, pointing to the amount of materials he owed the owner for the day, and a pouch of roughly the same size as his journal would appear in his hand.

”This should be enough.”
 

@Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

Kagami took a peek at the boy’s journal when he flipped through to find the page with the details of his and Kohi’s deal. Notes and sketches were scrawled across the pages, and Kagami wasn’t able to catch anything except the sketch of her making Monarch’s coffee. Or should it be the french press making coffee since there was an admirable amount of detail in it compared to the rest of the shop, including her. Kagami opened her mouth to speak, then closed it and wore a polite smile. She thought it would be impolite to bring up a customer’s personal matters, as much as she wanted to. But she couldn’t help her meddling. “By the way, I like your drawings.” She could almost imagine Kohi’s eyes staring a hole into her back.

As Monarch brought out the coffee beans, Kagami gingerly took the pouch and began inspecting its contents. She was half-expecting there to be different types of coffee beans in the pouch, so she was surprised when she found only a single variety. “I’ll just sort these out and store them. I’ll be back in just a second, “ Kagami said before she turned around and disappeared around the corner into the area where they stored the ingredients.

She worked quickly, trying not to let her customer and supplier be by himself for very long. Grab a bean from the pouch, make sure it’s of good quality, and store it with the rest. Kagami repeated that process dozens of times until the pouch was empty. It took her only a couple of minutes before she rushed back to the front of the store and tending to Monarch.

“Sorry about that.” Kagami rubbed the back of her head. “Anyways… What do I owe you for the beans?”