the fool

Disconnection, misaligned values, struggling relationships.

She laughs in spite of herself, reaching into her coin purse and nodding out of frustration. Was there something written on her forehead that told everyone to pick a fight with her? Was she holding some sign, only invisible to her, that had ‘IDIOT’ written across in big black letters? It surely feels like it. “Oh, okay. I get it. I walk into your store and want to buy your cupcake, but I’m somehow the bad guy.” She holds onto her frustration, not quite ready to set it free. But then Dan reappears, and she properly takes a moment to look at him. Her teeth gnaw at her bottom lip as she watches the boy toss the cupcake on the counter despondently. A wave of regret washes over her then. She didn’t know why she was feeling so soft all of a sudden. Maybe it was his face, how he reminded her of a small dog, and she found it hard to stay angry at that. Tillie exhales a sigh through her nose. “Look, you work here, right? Why don’t you ask the baker to make you an extra one tomorrow?”

.

The bad guy? Dan felt exhausted suddenly. He didn’t have it in him to fight back, not that he would have. He only had himself to blame, closing up early was a mistake. He didn’t have a right to be upset with the young woman. Yet, that didn't stop him from being irritated. He was frustrated that there was only one cupcake left. He was annoyed that he couldn't figure out how he knew her. He was disappointed that summer was over and he had nothing to show for it. He was shocked when her entire demeanor changed. Suddenly, he felt guilty. Did he do that? He looked at the box and pulled it back towards him. He weakly chuckled at her suggestion, "To be honest, the baker only makes what he thinks will be bought." He lifted the lid, checking on the condition of the cupcake. It was still intact, icing and all. Closing it again, Dan motioned to the other pastries. "He works hard to make each one a little different, so each one is kinda special, that's really the only reason he-" Dan corrected himself. "The only reason I take them home. Hate to see 'em go to waste." He pushed the box across the counter, giving it a quick pat. "I'm sorry, it's on the house."

-

Dan was a refreshing friend for Dae. While he still worried at times for him, he was just glad that he was one of his friends that he didn’t have to be on all of the time. While he loved the way he decided to live his life, there were still moments where it could get to the point of total exhaustion. His feelings didn’t matter as much as others around him, so it was nice to have a friend like Dan where he could relax and actually enjoy his time. “Food and air sounds like a perfect night for a candle lit picnic,” eyes growing wide at the idea of it. “How romantic,” he teased, laughing at how the idea sounded.

There was the issue of Meredith though. In some moments, he swear he could feel just a little bit of jealousy that exuded from the boy. Most of the time, Dae chalked it up to only being in his head. How ridiculous would it be if he could really sense other peoples emotions? He wished that he could explain how he felt about Meredith in a more refined manner rather than him just constantly gushing about her, but he could never get the words to come out right. “Eleven,” he pursed his lips for a moment in thought. “Alright, we’ll see where the night takes us. But we have class in the morning, so nothing past midnight and I’m set on that time.” The pair of them found themselves wandering toward the diner. “How about we order some take home, then find ourselves a nice bench in the park to enjoy our meals?”

.

Dan can remember a time when he was certain genuine friends were non-existing. Before Le Troadec, he wasn't sure he knew what having a friend felt like. Sure, he knew what a 'friend' was, thanks to television shows. He also knew the people who chose to associate with him were not friends. Then he left New Orleans for Lucrece and he met people like Dae. People who just wanted to be around for the company. Dan faked a gasp, "Dae-Jung, are you asking me on a date?" He covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head, "How unexpected! I'm not even dressed for the occasion!"

Dan tucked the pastry box under his arm as he locked the cafe door behind them. He frowned for a moment as he realized he was stuck with the box for the night. Meredith was...not an issue. Dae was her friend and as far as he knew that was it. He didn't dare to ask otherwise, not that it mattered anyway. Meredith was his friend too, so what if they were more? It wouldn't have bothered him. Not one bit. "Dinner outside sounds great!" He smiled as they arrived at the dinner. "Do you think extra fries is too much? I'm feeling a little devious," he mused, entering the diner. "Wait, a shake and extra fries? Maybe that is too much... What're you thinking about getting?"

//dan & natalia 

“If it’s closed why isn’t the door locked?” Natalia’s pouty pink lips turned into a little frown as the realization sunk in that her earlier daydream of her sipping on a cappuccino was not going to happen. She didn’t mean to lose track of time in the library, she had been sure she’d be able to check out the book and go straight to Topped Off to grab her signature drink and perhaps a baked good. Alas nothing went as planned, the book being a precious first edition copy that was not allowed to leave the prestigious school. So Natalia found herself consumed in the words of topics she could never let her family find out about. Half an hour turned into hours and now said coffee shop is closed.

Realizing her words came off a bit harsh Natalia bites her lip, “Lo siento precioso, being allowed in just offered a girl some false hope, I was really looking forward to a cappuccino. No one else can make it like you guys.” Natalia takes a deep sigh and tries to mentally calculate where to go next, she wasn’t quite ready to go home just yet.

.

“Well, that’s because I also have to leave out of that door, so I usually just keep it unlocked...” As the words left Dan’s mouth, he realized how silly that sounded. Just lock it at closing and unlock it to leave. Damn, maybe that would help with the last minute customers. “Next time...” he whispered to himself.

Dan was a little thrown off, was that Spanish? He wasn’t good at any language but English, and then, barely. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up,” Dan frowned. He honestly didn’t mean to put her out. He could tell by the sigh she needed a coffee, and maybe a danish. “Look, if you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll take your order. But you have to keep it a secret, my regulars can’t find out. Otherwise, they’ll think you’re my new favorite and not them,” Dan winked. He didn’t really have favorites. There were a few customers he enjoyed seeing, but those were special occasions. “What’ll you have?”

Acacia rushed into the first building where lights were still on. There was something that chilled her to her bones, a sickening sound of metal crashing into metal, followed by a weird presence that just seemed to surround her and almost suffocate her, the poor girl rushed to the first sanctuary she could find. “Oh, no. I’m just, uh,–” she was quick to access her surroundings, seeing the emptied out display case and the lingering smell of stale coffee. “I was hoping for a cup of coffee,” she played off.

All she had wanted was just some fresh air, to be out of her single-apartment and away from a place where it felt like all she could do was face her own mind. At least outside, she could breath in a lung full of fresh air, the summer heat gone for a cooler night. A weeknight where not many students were still lingering about in fear of being late for morning lectures and the only people out were young couples taking a night stroll before retiring for the evening. It was a startling experience and she wasn’t sure what exactly happened, but something in her feared the worse and instantly felt better in the presence of another. A face she actually knew from one of her classes.

“You’re cleaning up, though. I apologize. I kind of rushed in here thinking I could make it in time,” Acacia continued to say, the lies flowing easily off the tip of her tongue.

.

“Uh...” Dan didn’t mean to stare, but something about the girl seemed off. “A cup of coffee?” He awkwardly glanced at the clean coffee machine behind him, then back to the girl. “Right, well-” he scratched at his cheek, trying to make a decision. Acacia, he knew her from Advanced French. Actually, he knew her before they shared a class. One of the shining fourth-years, Acacia was someone he heard about the moment he entered Le Troadec. He never actually met her, just saw her in the halls, heard praise about her. Maybe it was her reputation, but suddenly he was reaching for a fresh bag of coffee beans. And maybe he should have told her ‘no’ and closed up as he planned. He wouldn't know, he just began instinctively filling the coffee machine. "Want sugar in it?" He asked her over his shoulder.

"It's fine, not the first time," Dan smiled to himself. He grabbed a clean coffee mug from the cupboard, then grabbed the coffee decanter. "Funny enough, I'm pretty sure we have a class together," he spoke idly as he placed the decanter under the machine's nozzle. Once the machine began to warm up and a few drops of coffee leaked into the decanter, he turned around and leaned against the counter. Folding his arms across his chest, he smiled warmly at the young woman, "You wouldn't happen to be in Advanced French with Dom, would you?"

Even though there was no coffee brewing, the stale scent hung in the air of the shop. He took it all in for a moment, loving the charm of all of the shops in town. While he didn’t always like the south, he found solace in places like these. He pursed his lips for a moment deciding what it was exactly they were going to do. “That’s a good question. Well we could grab something to eat, or we can just walk around town,” he knew it was boring but there wasn’t much to do around Lucrece, but the pair of them never really needed anything more than each other to have a good time.

Dae sauntered over to the pastry box, glancing over the days pastries that were left behind. While Dan was out back, he wrapped up a danish to save for the morning. There were times that Dae watched out for throughout the day, little moments that made life worthwhile. And getting free pastries was in the top five. If he were a malicious person, he would use Dan as a means to get them, but to Dae it was just an additional bonus to their friendship. “Oh! Make sure to grab one for Meredith. I’m sure she’ll really appreciate one,” he smiled at him before they started out the door. “I’ve been ready, Mercier. So, it can be up to me if you want it to be, otherwise you can pick what we’re doing. I’m flexible, just so long as I’m in bed by ten.”

.

Dan appreciated how simple things were with Dae. The young man always seemed to find joy in the little things, and sometimes Dan needed that. He had a habit of getting stuck in his thoughts, his paranoia. Having a friend who didn’t ask him for much was...more important than Dan probably realized. He cherished Dae, even if technically he was Meredith's friend first. "Well, we could do both? I'm starving for food and some fresh air," he grinned.

Dan grew up fairly well off. In fact, his father was paying for his college tuition out of pocket. But there was a time when his family struggled. While it was short, Dan still remembers the feeling of uneasiness that hung over their home. When he got something small, it meant something special. He still believes that. "Oh, she's got first pick once we get back to campus." Dan grabbed his jacket from by the cash register, before heading around the counter. "By ten? Come on, Dae, live a little. Give me at least until eleven," he laughed as he fumbled with the shop keys. A sharp ding rang out as he held the cafe door open for his friend, "Let's see where the night takes us, okay?"

Eve was confused by this boys confusion. Her eyes followed him as he sat, uninvited. She said she was fine, why did he still look lost. “Talk about it? Talk about what? Me losing my mind?” Eve needed to calm down. Clearing her throat, she started over. “I am perfectly fine, Dave? Donny? I’m sorry. My name is Eve, and I know I know you, but I forget how.” Her word vomit was astonishing.

“Yes! The strawberry is my favourite, they blend real strawberries into it.” She gushed. “Topped off? Yes!” Light bulb moment, “That’s how I know you, you always remember my order.” She smiled weakly. “I’m Eve.”

Dan took another sip of his milkshake as the girl gave him a confused look. "Oh, uh..." Her mind? That was not what he had expected. "I mean, sure, if it would help, why not?" For the first time that week, he genuinely laughed aloud. He almost wished his name was Dave, it definitely sounded cooler. "It's Dan," he smiled, before stretching his arm across the table and offering his hand, "It's nice to meet ya, Eve."

"Really? That sounds neat, didn't know they put real fruit in shakes." He hummed in thought, what if he put pieces of things in his sculptures? Filing away the idea, he smiled, "The chocolate is my favorite, can't go wrong with a classic." His eyes widened, how could he forget her? "Oh, wow, yeah! Hot chocolate with whip cream!" His cheeks reddened in embarrassment, "It's nice to properly meet you, Eve."

Tillie lets out a groan in an attempt to tune him out. This visit should’ve been easy, but of course her luck would not have it that way. She can’t understand why everyone had insisted on causing her grief today. “Look,” her eyes scan his name-tag, “Dan.” She inches closer to the counter, eyes locked intensely on his. It didn’t take much to see that he was tense, his pokerface was pretty much non existent. She doesn’t know if pushing the matter will yield the results that she wants, but she was angry enough to try. “Quite frankly, the details of your personal life do not interest or involve me. I don’t want a danish, or a cookie, or whatever else is left. I want the cupcake. How is this a hard request?” She gestures over to the pastry, solitary and waiting for her. “Should I just go behind there myself? I mean, fucks sake!”

Dan tried hard to swallow the lump in his throat, but it didn’t help much. This girl...was very forward. Geez, why couldn’t he place her? “Yeah, it’s Dan...” he sighed, placing his tea towel onto the counter. He would be fired if his boss heard about a customer going behind the counter. And, frankly, regardless of her attitude, that was what she was – a paying customer. “I, um, what I mean to say is okay,” he opened the pastry case and grabbed the last cupcake. “It’s not a hard request, by the way. I was going to give it to a friend, alright?” He kneeled down below the display case and snatched a pastry box, before reappearing again. “Here’s your cupcake,” he plopped it into the box and placed it on the counter. At this point, he just wanted to close up and leave with what pastries he had left. “Sixty-nine cent.”

“No.” Dominick said matter-of-factly “The French would never leave French to just them, that’s why twenty-nine countries have French as their official language.” Colonialism was one hell of a bitch. “The folks in Louisiana do know English but many of them know French, too. And then there’s French literature, French music, French women. You really want to miss out on that?” He cocked his head to the side, left eyebrow raised. 

“Just call me Dom, I don’t care for formalities.” Dominick could tell Dan was struggling with his refusal, but he had made up his mind before the boy had even entered the room. He liked that he wasn’t pompous, and that he could admit when he was bad at something. Dan was an unusual specimen for a liberal arts undergrad. “You won’t hold up the class. I won’t let you.” Letting out a breath, his amused smile turned to a frown. “You’re not stupid, Dan, if you were we wouldn’t be having this conversation, you would’ve convinced yourself that French is your strongest course.” 

Dan stifled a laugh, maybe Dr. Koenig wasn't so bad. "Well, while I do enjoy the occasional read, French music is pretty easy on the ears." Dan didn't mention anything about French women, but he certainly didn't want to miss out on that either. "I guess French could come in handy when I head back to New Orleans..."

Sighing, Dan walked over to Dr. Koenig's desk. "Please, don't blame me when we're three assignments behind," he shook his head as he grabbed the syllabus. You're not stupid... Dan wouldn't admit it out loud, but Dr. Koenig might be one of the only people to tell him that. Huh? Maybe Advanced French would be okay. "Actually, Entrepreneurship is  my strongest course," Dan smirked as he headed for the door.

He lingered in the doorway for a moment longer before he nodded towards the Venus flytrap, "Does it have a name?"

Heck. The sun tucked away behind the bayou, leaving nothing but a dark purple hue in the sky. Dae hadn’t even realized the night had settled in Lucrece, that was what he got for never breaking his gaze from the book he had been reading. He had plans he was no almost certain he was going to be late for. Though it was almost tempting to fall back into the story and forget about his commitments, but he wasn’t going to let his friend down— he couldn’t.

Shoving his book in his bag, he started a brisk walk to Topped Off. He hoped that he wasn’t going to show up too late to catch Dan. The thing about Dae’s plans were that it was something he had planned without informing the other person. So if he were to miss him, then only Dae’s plans would be ruined. As long as he got there before Dan closed the shop completely he would be set.

Some of the lights were turned off, but he could still see movement as he peered into the windows of the shop. Dae pushed open the door, chuckling to himself knowing that Dan was in work mode. “Perfect, I’m glad you’re closed,” he smiled walking up to the counter. “Would you mind closing a bit faster before any loonies come in demanding for your services? Plus, you have plans, with me. Hope you’re not busy after this.”

A wave of relief washed over Dan when he saw Dae. He was thankful it wasn't a last-minute customer or someone trying to steal food. Chuckling, he raised his hands defensively, "Okay, okay, I'm going. I should be done soon." Actually, he was very grateful it was Dae-Jung. Dan wasn't very popular, he had never been, but the few people he considered friends always brightened his day. Dae was no exception.

"Plans? Go on, what exactly are these plans?" He smirked as he finished cleaning out the display case. "Oh, hey, you want any of these?" Dan placed an open pastry box on the counter before heading towards the backroom. Inside were a few danishes, a bagel, and two croissants. "Have as many as you want, just leave a danish for me, okay?" He shouted as he began to change into his regular clothes. He quickly tossed the trash into the dumpster in the back alley, before jogging back into the coffee shop. "That's it! All done!" He smiled as he grabbed the store keys. "Ready, bookworm?"

Eve was suddenly embarrassed at the scene she had somehow created. I guess if she didn’t want any attention she should’ve just stayed home in the first place. She looked up to see the boy. He looked kind, but also lost? She recognized him, or maybe he just had one of those faces. Huffing and relaxing her shoulders, Eve sighed, “Yes, well, no. But I’m fine, well I will be fine.” She was rambling, mental exhaustion had gotten the best of her. “Thank you though, um, I’m fine thought.” She laughed nervously.

“I’m just hungry, probably.”

“You sure?” Dan questioned as he took the liberty of squeezing into the empty side of the booth. He took a sip of his milkshake before sitting it on the table. "You know, something it helps to talk it out. Not your feelings necessarily, don't know you like that..." he mumbled his last words, awkwardly looking away. That's the rumor, he thought, lesbians. "I mean, talking out the problem for a solution. Did it a lot in math when I was in high school," he shot her a wink, before looking down at his hands. So what? People like who they like, right? Ain't no crime...

Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he smiled at the girl again. "They've got great shakes here," he motioned to his almost empty glass. "And fries. Can't go wrong with the fries." He then pointed towards the parking lot, "I work at a coffee shop. If you're ever looking for dessert, that's the place to go.”

Tillie dashed down the street with pastries in mind. Her day had, by the hour, grown too hard to bear. Now, with the sun setting and the thought of defeat rattling around in her brain, she wasn’t sure what would make her feel better. And then it hits her - Topped Off. Any baked good from that place was a surefire way to boost her mood. So she jogs there, narrowly making the time before they closed. And when she bursts in, slightly out of breath, she almost screams when she hears a voice tell her that they were closed. But she wouldn’t take that for an answer. She simply ignores him. And when a slightly familiar face rises from behind the counter she smiles, though not because she was glad to see him. She does it because right now she means business and he was obstructing her path to a happy evening. “Yes, actually.”  She points to a glass that held the last of the pastries. “You can reach into that display case, grab the cupcake, put it on the counter and let me pay for it.” She smiles again, her voice in a scary whisper. “There’s two minutes left on your clock. And I need that cupcake.”

Dan’s eyes widened, oh. He knew this girl, she went to Le Troadec. Had they had a class together? "Uh..." He ripped his eyes away from her face, glancing down at the cupcake in the display case. It was the only one left. He was going to surprise Meredith with it, a 'thank you' gift of sorts. "I..." his eyes snapped back to the girl before him, his palms sweating. "I was going to take that one actually. Home. With me." He instinctively wiped his hands on the tea towel once more.

She made him nervous. He wasn't scared of her, per say, but there was something else. Maybe he thought her eyes were nice? Or maybe it was the way she pointed to the pastry that made him squirm. Either way, he didn't want to anger her. "Maybe you would like a danish or a cup of tea?" He offered, his voice wavering slightly. "The cupcake though, I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

“Maybe German!” Dominick laughed aloud, leaning forward in his seat. “Leave German to Germans, it’s a dying language anyways.” A joke about his own mother tongue, it was worthless anyways, unless the boy planned on going into politics, but Dan didn’t strike him as a diplomat. “Listen, kid, you’ve made it this far? There’s no point in quitting, otherwise you’ll spend the rest of your life knowing half a language and what good is that?”

The plant didn’t respond to Dan’s sudden closeness. Dominick was holding his breath, waiting for it to bite him, which it never did, thankfully. "Then don’t fail it!” He laughed at his southern pronunciation of König, it was both charming and grating. He made no effort to correct him. “I promise you, this will not be difficult, so long as you care about it. Anyways,” he produced a copy of the syllabus “our first reading is Candide by Voltaire, so you ought to get your hands on that before class tomorrow. You just have to read the first ten pages, for now.” 

"In that logic...shouldn't we leave the French to the French?" Dan weighed the idea, then eyed his professor. Last he heard, Dr. Koenig wasn't French... Dan almost laughed at the older man's argument. Shaking his head, he sighed, "Knowing half is better than none. Plus, the folks in Louisiana know English just fine." He walked back towards the door, choosing to lean against the wall.

Dan stared blankly at the syllabus. He crossed his arms, trying to find some comfort in his stance as he realized Dr. Koenig was going to take some convincing. "Mr. Kay-nig," Dan winched at his own pronunciation, "Can...can I just call you Mr. K or something?" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "There's no point, just let me drop the course. I'll be doing you a favor. I'll only hold up the class, no one wants to deal with that. Plus, everyone knows I'm dumb, so it won't look bad on your part, okay?" Dan pushed himself off the wall, giving Dr. Koenig a feeble smirk, "Can't teach stupid, right?”

The boy who entered the office was a shock to look at, it was almost as if his anxiety were physically oozing out of him. Dom thought to himself that this must be Dan. The way he dressed and his thick southern accent did make him seem a little simple, he thought this must have been one of those born and bred types. Perhaps a legacy. 

“You’re dropping my class?” He raised an eyebrow at him. That was something that just wouldn’t do. “Well I know it’s not me,” He said, arrogantly “but it’s not you either. It was probably that corpse that taught you last year.” Professor Baker? Baxter? Something American and stupid, that’s what Dom remembered. He had met the man only once, to aid in the transition. The man was fluent but barely coherent, Dom had no idea how he could’ve taught a class an entire language. “You’re not dropping my class.” He said affirmatively, making the decision for him. In order to drop a class after the registration period closes, a student needed the professor’s signature, but that was not something Dan would be gaining from him any time soon. 

Dan frowned, what? He shoved his hands in his pockets, he didn't expect Professor Koenig's response. At the mention of his old teacher, Dan looked down at his shoes. “Mr. B? After the first day of class, he told me I should’ve quit before I started,” Dan lazily kicked at the ground, thinking of the dull man. “‘Son, you should take up another class...maybe German’ he said,” Dan mimicked his old professor, trying his best to imitate his southern accent. Then he sneered at the memory, what an asshole.

Suddenly pacing in thought, Dan found himself closer to the Venus flytrap. He bent his knees and squatted, becoming eye-level with the small plant. "Look, Mr. Kay-nig, while I appreciate your dedication to your craft, I refuse to fail your class." Dan straightened back up, this time looking Professor Koenig in the eyes, "Matter of fact, I can't fail any class. So, I would like you to sign whatever forms you need to, so I can leave you and your plant alone."