mr. brightside

“In that case, I’ll have to order a mocha next time,” Ayla grinned, taking a sip of her coffee. With no other customers currently in the store, she decided to drag out her break a little bit in order to keep chatting with the cheery barista. “So, Connor, what do you do when you aren’t making mochas? Assuming you have free time at all, of course.”

“We’re approaching peak season for them, after all.” Leaning against the counter, Connor took a swig of his coffee, thankful for the the empty shop to be able to take a quick break from the rushing around. At her question, he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling a little bit. “I’ll be honest, free time’s a bit hard to find these days. That being said, I do dabble on my guitar when I have the time. Also there might have be some 4 AM baking sessions and some Mario Kart-based butt kicking, but that just comes from my roommate having an even more messed up sleep schedule than I do.”

Jonah rolled his eyes at the mention of vampires. “They know better,” he said as he tucked the receipt and his card back into his wallet before taking a hold of the items he purchased. “Stepping foot on our side means I get to kill one or two or however the fuck many I feel like,” Jonah said with a shrug. He turned as if to walk away before spinning on his heel. “You try herbs for that?” he asked. 

Connor just nodded, knowing better than to stick his nose into the politics of the war. He was happy just serving up coffee to the residents of the town... even if he had to admit the faes had a point and he was sick and tired of dealing with the stuck-up vampires that strayed to this side of town.

  “ was that for me? ” she pulled the headphones off her head, squinting at the closest warm body.

Usually, they tried to at least look put together when they went out - even if the thin semblance of being a semi capable adult was long gone to the two am bodega cashiers near their apartment, it was still nice to pretend that, at 27, they didn’t have a secret stash of cadbury eggs and nothing else in their bedside table, and that they did their taxes on time - but tonight, even appearing in a clean shirt was beyond them. It had been a rough day at work, losing a child in their ward suddenly and without warning, only to come home to a frantic fae teen close to bleeding out after getting attacked in an alleyway, desperate to avoid the call to his parents that a hospital would give. And, true to form, Rowan had let them in, flying through a first aid kit and half of the potions in their kitchen, letting the fae go only when Rowan was sure that he wasn’t going to pass out on the way home. And if the witch had pressed a protection charm into the boys hand on his way out, well. That was their business, wasn’t it?

Of course, it had brought them to this - standing in the middle of a store, flickering lights above them, staring in blank exhaustion at the shelf in front of them, one hand exhaustedly resting upon the handle, completely unaware of the stares and whispers they were attracting as people realize the front of their shirt was covered in still slightly tacky blood. It was only when someone got within a few feet of them that Rowan reacted, all though it was only to mutter a brief apology and move back, hauling the cart with them absentmindedly, waiting for the other to pass. 

It’d been a rough day. A closing shift at the coffee shop had been even more hellish than usual, and in the middle of it he’d OF COURSE gotten a code red text from Rowan saying that they had a hurt fae at the apartment. Normally he wouldn’t mind coming home to the warzone (he’d lived with them long enough to be used to it) but between the long day, crappy customers, and the full moon fast approaching, he wasn’t exactly feeling up for the sensory onslaught tonight.

He still hadn’t gotten the all clear message yet, so he’d made his way to his usual go-to bodega to get some late-night snacks, more than prepared to hide out in the woods for a little while longer but needing some carbs to replenish his system before heading back out to the park. That was when he stumbled across the very same roommate he expected to be still in the midst of healing. Clearly they were out of it, not even seeming to recognize him as they stepped away from the shelf, mumbling an apology.

“Ro? Ya okay there, buddy?” He stepped closer to them again, waving a hand in front of them a bit. “Please tell me that blood isn’t yours.”

“Don’t you dare apologize; I’m sorry you had to deal with that. Hopefully the rest of your shift is easier.” She thought about arguing with him over paying for the coffee but then thought better of it and instead proceeded to stuff a twenty-dollar bill into the tip jar. “Thank you for the coffee, I swear it’s the only thing that gets me through the day. I’m Ayla by the way; I figured I should introduce myself since I’m starting to find myself coming here nearly every day.”

“Eh, unfortunate occupational hazard.” Connor shrugged but was very aware of her putting the bill in the tip jar. Clearly she’d just meant that for him; no need to split it with the other two starting their shifts in an hour. At her comment about the coffee getting her through the day, he couldn’t help but chuckle, reaching for the giant iced coffee he had behind the counter (no one had to know it was his third of the day). “I understand that more than I can ever say. Great to formally meet you Ayla, I’m Connor, maker of the most magical mochas this side of the Atlantic.”

The young fae released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding as she recognized the were below her. Standing, she stepped off the high branch, manipulating the air around her to let her down slowly. Pink curls floated around her as she reached the ground gingerly and let go of the breeze. “Didn’t realize it was you, sorry Connor. What’re you doing up here?”

“No worries, I’m the one who snuck up on you, after all.” Connor shrugged, stretching out his shoulders and arms a bit in an effort to break up the tension from the trek up the mountains. “Was feeling a little cooped up in the apartment; thought that getting out of the city might be good for me. Didn’t think there’d be anyone out here, if I’m being honest.” He arched a brow at Rory, knowing she can take care of herself but concerned nonetheless. “What’re you doing all the way out here by yourself?”

It was one of those days where everything was going wrong. Clients were being irrational, coworkers incompetent, and her father was being…well, his usual self. All of which meant one thing: she needed coffee asap. As desperate as she was for that sweet shot of caffeine, she could never have imagined being as rude as the customer ahead of her was; it was hardly the poor barista’s fault. Her initial plan to treat herself to some decadent caramel concoction was rapidly replaced by the desire to cut the guy some slack. “No worries,” she said with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll take just a cup of black coffee please.” 

“You’ve got it!” Forcing his standard customer smile back onto his face, he stepped away from the counter and grabbed a large cup, taking a second to take a few deep breaths as he filled it with coffee. Needless to say, it was going to be a hell of a time getting through the rest of this shift.

Topping off the cup, he capped it and brought it over to where she was still waiting. “Here ya go, no charge or anything. I still feel bad you had to witness that mess, plus something tells me your day’s been going just as well as mine. Hope this helps.”

“Right, well, I just want a green tea,” Jonah said. “Please,” he added as an after thought. He glanced back towards his iPhone and frowned. A slew of uncomfortable text messages he truly didn’t want to respond to lit up his phone. He gripped the side of the bamboo case with taunt red fingers and bit the inside of his cheek (a nervous tick he developed after college–one he couldn’t shake).

“Two bagels too. Vegetable cream cheese if you have it. If not, onion or whatever,” He said with a shrug and wiggled his phone-less hand  in dismissal. He slipped his phone into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet. “You get a lot of witch bitches in here normally?” Jonah said in reference to the disgruntled customer that walked out. He glanced around at the small coffee shop. “Would have thought they’d stay on their fucking side,” he pulled out a credit card and waved it around between two long fingers. His normally smooth and comfortable morning had been disrupted by a traffic jam and a few annoying phone calls he had to make to the other leaders. 

Well, at least he’d said please. Connor nodded, still seething a little as he busied himself with preparing the tea. Scooping some loose leaf into an infuser, he dropped it into a cup of hot water, setting it aside to steep while he moved over to grab the bagels and two cups of vegetable cream cheese.

At the question the man posed, he paused momentarily. While it usually pissed him off to hear something like “witch bitch” come out of anyone’s mouth... He had to admit, for Miss Pumpkin Spice it’d been an apt description. He shrugged, figuring it best to not anger Mister Green further. “I think we’re close enough to neutral territory some don’t really care. They’re not exactly common, but every once and while we get some witches in. Vamps steer clear pretty much entirely, though. Good thing, too.” He took the tea infuser out of the cup and capped it, putting it on the counter along with the bagels and cream cheese. "Whenever I cross paths with one it takes a damn week to get the stench out of my nose.”

Lorelai wandered through the woods, stepping on leaves that looked crunchy. These parts of the mountain were rarely visited, and they allowed a nice breeze, allowing the young fae to feel at home. Finding her favorite spot, Rory was about to settle down to read when she heard another crunch somewhere around her. She may be small, but Rory wasn’t stupid. She knew what was happening in the world around her, and her heart began to race. Using a strong gust of wind, the girl propelled herself into the branches of the tree and watched, waiting.

Connor had been dealing with a serious case of wanderlust, drawing him out into the mountains in an effort to get some dirt under his paws. On his way out, he’d caught a fae scent trail and had gotten intrigued; this wasn’t an often tread area and he was concerned about anyone being out here on their own.

Following the trail, he tried to be as stealthy as he could, but stupidly let a branch crunch under his paw as he got close enough to the source of the scent. He could see Rory look around, but before he could make his presence known she bounded into the trees above. Phasing back, he slowly stepped into the clearing, keeping his hands in full view as he looked up to her perch. “Hey Rory, it’s just me. Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

Smiling, Rory slid the croissant back to Connor. “For you,” she said with a small smile. She couldn’t erase the bad customer, but she could help make his day better. At his question, she shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I was thinking I would go dance, but I do that everyday. What about you?”

When she slid the croissant back to him, Connor couldn’t help but grin wider, feeling his stomach grumble. “Remind me that your next mocha’s on the house.” Taking a bite out of the pastry, he leaned against the counter with a bit of a shrug. “I’m still here for a couple more hours, but I thought I might go out for a run; it’s been a while since I made it out into the woods. Or might just go to the park and get some practice in.”

Lorelai frowned at the rude stranger, tempted to manipulate the air a bit so they would spill whatever they got instead of the cold brew. But that would be just as rude, and the world didn’t need any more negativity, especially after….a voice broke her train of thought. Smiling up brightly at the barista, the young fae said, “I’ll have a grande iced skinny mocha, please. And a chocolate croissant.” 

“Comin’ right up!” Connor nodded, plugging the order into the register and stepping back to the counter to begin prepping the drink and put the croissant in the oven. Being such a small area, most of the folks who stopped into the shop were regulars, and the fae in front of him was no exception. He was thankful to have a friendly face after the previous customer encounter. “So, any fun plans for the day?” He asked, finishing the drink and sliding both items across the counter to Rory.