margot goretti

Lori would never consider herself a singer. Sure, she'd been a part of her church choir as a child but so did nearly every kid in her congregation at that age and she still sings along to her favorite songs on the radio but it wasn't something she actively did even if she was told she had a nice singing voice. She didn't even intend to sing tonight but after a couple of drinks in her system the group of friends she'd come out with, her girlfriend included in the mix, had encouraged her to get up there and sing something. Lori had been tentative when she approached the karaoke machine. She had to follow up after a particularly passionate rendition of Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison and had decided to sing Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper.

Lori finished the song and felt like a great weight had been lifted off her now that she was no longer the center of attention in the room by the people actually paying attention to the karaoke happening. Instead of returning back to her friends immediately Lori made a beeline for the bar. She felt she deserved another drink after getting up and singing. Lori got in the short line to get a drink when she spotted a familiar redhead in line. "Margot!" Lori called before she stepped out of place in line to approach the woman at the bar. Lori didn't work today so she didn't know that Margot was planning on going out tonight as well. "Hey," she greeted her more properly with a warm smile. "I didn't know you liked karaoke," she stated. "How are you?"

margot didn’t usually go to the bar alone, but tonight was an exception. her roommate had called earlier, telling her about karaoke night and how they absolutely had to go. and as per usual, they turned out to be terribly late. so now there she was, sitting at the bar with a half empty cup of gin, patiently waiting for them to arrive.

"You know, I have a little time today if you want to practice," Eve told Margot as they finished cleaning up the counter. They were happy when they made time to open and close, to help make sure everything was ready for the next day. They enjoyed it even more when they got the chance to connect with their employees and see how they were experiencing the day to day. They had taken a certain interest in Margot when they had come to realize she was a witch. "My house is empty, the cafe is closed, I'm not exactly eager to go home and eat dinner by myself." Which was sort of a lie because Eve loved being alone. And either way, Amory was always with them. "Up to you, we can start simple. Start with whatever you're curious about. Up to you."

"I won't keep you or have you make me a drink," Vale promised. Now that he knew they were closing soon, Vale figured the coffee makers were all probably cleaned. "Do you have any pastry left though. I could really use some sugar." As he stood there, Vale thought about how he knew all the baristas at his favorite coffee shop back in Seattle, and it made him miss the easy dynamic he had with them. So he introduced himself, saying, "I'm Vale. I just moved here."

margot tilted her head slightly at his answer, a small smile plastered on her face. “every day being long… yeah. i get that,” she really did, a bit too much actually.

she gestured toward the pastry case with a slight nod. “you’re in luck. there’s one cinnamon roll left. it’s either that or a cranberry muffin that has been sitting there since opening.”

Yasmina sighed in relief. From what they could pick up, Margot was neither annoyed nor secretly wanting them to leave. The initial surge of energy died down a bit so that it matched hers better as the witch paced in, arms crossing, holding their small bag to their side. "Oh, god. What's happened to you today?" Concern immediately flitted across their features, replacing the previous insecurities, before they waved their hand. "No coffee, nooo. I'd decline anyways, I'm wired as usual. But tea sounds good. Very good. I'm worn thin." And they would be keeping it secret that, in fact, they hoped for coffee. There were worse things in life to be denied.

margot let out a quiet breath, the corners of her mouth opening the smallest smile as she turned back toward the shelves behind the counter. “just the usual long day. customers and… stuff.” she said it quietly, deliberately vague, attempting the kind of brush off that left no room for a follow up question, but not in a rude way.

she reached for the kettle and started heating up the water. “there’s black tea and chamomile left,” she added looking over her shoulder. “i’d offer peppermint, but someone cleaned us out already.”

“mhm,” margot hummed, slowly turning back to the espresso machine, “you don’t look like the kind of person who’d be a bother.”

she said it jokingly, but there was some truth in it, something about his apology felt honest, not just polite.

the apology made her expression soften.

she didn’t move from behind the counter right away, just watched as he took a few steps back. tired people could spot each other, even in the dark, and margot didn’t want to be the kind of person that would deny a cup of coffee to someone who clearly needed some.

“it’s fine,” her voice was quiet, “i haven’t finished locking up yet. if all you need is a drink, i’ve got time.”

Time ticked away, no matter how adept the witch became at managing it. They thus quickened their step, holding their plaid shoulder bag against their waist, gritting their teeth. Their last client could not decide what the heck kind of design she was in the mood for, which had led to the entire appointment except the last five minutes being that discussion. It also involved gossip, but that was neither here nor there. What was there: Yasmina had missed getting off on time, which meant the personal ritual of their coffee after work was going all wrong. Their Mary Janes smacked into the door of the Ceramic Cup as they nearly burst it open.

margot watched them with a some sort of patience, like she hadn’t decided whether she wanted yasmina to leave or to help her. she was tired, yes, but not cruel. especially not to someone who looked and sounded, just as tired as margot was.

“you’re fine,” she said calmly, her voice softer than the tired expression still lingering on her face. “you’re not the worst thing that’s happened to me today.”

she glanced toward the machines, already wiped down and turned off, then back to yasmina. “there’s no more coffee,” she offered, “but i can make you some tea, if you’d like.”

Located in the streets of Cardinal Hill

the short walk to the ceramic cup was one margot was long used to. ten quiet minutes of peace before the buzz of the café took over. well, not today. she was so lost in her thoughts that she practically jumped when someone called out to her, but she turned back with a polite, slightly flustered smile, it took her a second to register what was happening. her journal. the one that was supposed to be in her jeans pocket. the one she knew better than to carry loose but did anyway. at least she hadn’t lost it.

“shit, thanks for that,” she said softly, accepting it back.