always up or down, never down and out

basics

name: Tashiro Haruto; (Haruto Tashiro)

nicknames: Harry, given to him by his first grade teacher

birthday/age: February 12th, 1989 | 31 years old

gender/pronouns: Cis-Male / He/Him

sexuality: Straight

relationship status: Single

zodiacs: Aquarius ☉ ; Taurus ☽ ; Sagittarius 🡕

occupation: Barista

hobbies: Bike riding, video games, 

length of time in crescent harbor: 31 years

place of birth: Seattle, Washington

current neighborhood: The Docks

height: 6′1

moral alignment: neutral evil

pets: none

scent:  Eternity Aqua by Calvin Klein

open starter (0/3) location: brews brothers

Why the local coffee shop is the place for everyone. Even though he was typing away at his laptop, Octavian’s eyes surveyed the patrons of the specialty shop. Some were like him, also on their laptops, alone or with others, likely hard at work. Others were engaged in chatter with their friends, teen girls coming in together to order multiple of the same fruity beverages or pairs catching up over lattes after work. Then there were those alone, whether spending an extended period of time or simply needing a quick pick-me-up before going to their next destination. 

Pausing mid-sentence as his fingers hovered over the keyboard, Octavian slid his blue-light glasses off and looked over at a person sitting at the table next to his who didn’t seem awfully busy. “If you’re down to answer a few questions for an article I’m writing, your next drink is on me. Maybe even a croissant too. It’s for research, about why people enjoy coming to coffee shops and hanging around.”

No one truly enjoyed hanging around their workplace, but Haruto thought he deserved some time to rest his feet before heading home. That was the downfall of riding his bike to work-- he had to ride it back, after his body had been beaten down by the task of standing for eight hours. Finally, he had a chance to enjoy an iced coffee and to come down from the day. 

Until a well-dressed man spoke. Considering he was also in the shop, Haruto considered that he wasn’t a solicitor. “I-- uh,” often his co-workers gave each other their drinks for free, but if this guy was willing to get him a croissant... “Yeah, I’ve got time,” Haru finally uttered out. Pulling his chair over he asked, “What journal is this for, Coffee Drinkers monthly?”

A small smirk fell on her lips as she watched the rookies tremble into their stations before she retorted back to her dearest coworker, “Susana knows I’ll quit on the spot if she even dares to mention the “P” word to me,” There was a slight rush within the next 20 minutes but thankfully it was from regular customers some of whom Cataleya could be cordial with, others who she left to Haruto’s natural charm. But her interest was on the regular who was admiring both of their works of art, taking Instagram photos while explaining to those who were asking what it was the elements of their design. She placed a hand on her hip, leaning closer as she awaited the results and grinned broadly when she was announced victorious much to Haruto’s disdain. “Please, what’s the tally now? 40 - 8?” 

Then before she knew it, it was finally closing time at least for her. Her feet were feeling the effects of standing and rushing around for over 8 hours and all she could think of was stumbling back to her place in the Docks and passing out until the night crawled by. As she cashed out on her tips, she split half of the total and gingerly placed it in Haruto’s apron. “I won’t take no for any answer, you really saved me earlier today and then on top of that did it while I had to kick your butt? Consider this a salve for your dignity.” 

He sighed and scoffed at her cocky attitude. Art was in the eye of the beholder, he supposed, “Yeah, it was real nice of them to get you up to 8,” he shot back, though he couldn’t resist smirking. Haru moved to clean the steam wand as if he was making a point, but frowned as she removed her apron and clocked out for the day. They might’ve argued and ripped on each other, but he truly enjoyed working with Cataleya. “Hey, hey! No way!” he pulled the cash out of his apron and attempted to push it back into her hand. 

“You haven’t ruined all of my dignity,” he informed her, leaning hands clasped over the coffee bar. “Besides, if I keep this cash I’m just going to use it whenever we hang out. Drinks, weed, mozzarella sticks... your call.”

.

Nodding as her line of sight bounced between Haruto and said new guy, behind the counter. Briefly an empathetic expression took hold of her features, at least it looked like he was trying, despite fumbling the cups in hand a little. ❝ Probably not — don’t blame him for using it as a scapegoat through the little mistakes. Might just save him from the full wrath of Karens or wild coffee lovers. ❞ Though she’d never had to make coffee for a ton of people, during her time as a PA she had to take and get plenty of orders among other tasks, so to a point understood. 

The question caused a lighthearted roll of her eyes. ❝ No, my fourth.. actually maybe my fifth, either way you’re still wrong. ❞ Sticking her tongue out then jokingly, while finally moving up a spot in queue, any guess though to how long till she was next. Brows furrowing slightly confused at the offer that came with his following words. ❝ Wait really, you can just go back there and make it, like that ? ❞ Didn’t exactly seem like standard coffee shop policy, then again who would she be to really question it, especially if it meant getting her drink, generously, faster. ❝ Mocha latte, please. ❞

“Fair enough,” Haru agreed, “but it’d be nice if he learned how to leave a conversation. Especially with our beloved elders.” He stifled a small laugh, though he also found himself learning about peoples entire families sometimes. With a soft eyeroll, Haru said, “That’s still a ton of caffeine,” a playful tone in his voice. If Haruto had a vice, it was definitely coffee-- especially when he was on shift, when it was free. 

His brows furrowed, slightly confused. “Well, yeah-- I work here after all,” he chuckled. “I mean, I’m sure I’m not supposed to do shit like that, but I’ve put my time in here I think. They’re not gonna fire me for making a latte without my apron on,” he grinned before stepping behind the coffee bar. Haruto patted the new kid on his shoulder and walked around him, grabbing the necessary equipment to prepare Emine’s mocha latte. “Some stars for your art,” he showed her the art he quickly did before capping. “How’s that for a latte?”

Amy folded her arms together as she took in Haruto’s current situation, not being able to help herself from shaking her head as thought about the motto for the docks. If one came from there it was just a part of you no matter where you went, and that rang true especially since she had since moved on to some decent digs in the downtown neighborhood. “Did you have the whole thing redone?” Amy asked incredulously trying to imagine how someone of his stature could fit down there without having to crane his neck downward. Though knowing he was with his family and getting on, that was something Amy appreciated. 

Eyes glanced over at the elderly duo doing just as Haruto had proclaimed, eating pears while giggling at passerbys. “I should go say hi huh, maybe after we finish with catching up.” She said with a smile before she playfully pushed his arm. “Yeah I work for this non-profit mostly virtual based company downtown. I also do freelance through BetterHelp and TalkSpace when I can. There’s been a lot of smaller case files for me too with the school system and the hospital, I basically kind of go wherever duty calls,” She explained, before she paused for a moment. “Emine was somewhere not in Washington last I checked, Mom’s still living at the docks and I’ve been visiting daily.” 

“Define redone,” he chuckled. To him, redone meant knocking down walls, having flooring installed, and even rewiring the electric to prevent a fire. “I don’t have my own bathroom down there, and the washer and dryer are still down there but uh, it looks pretty nice. It’s basically a studio,” Haruto explained. “It does have its own entrance though, so that’s pretty sick.”

Haruto snorted, though he knew just how thrilled his grandparents would be to see her. “Only if you want them to invite you back for dinner,” he laughed before furrowing his brows. “Actually...if you do that there’s a high chance of them cooking a nice meal...I wouldn’t have to buy a Whopper,” his grin stretched from ear to ear, thinking about the seven dollars and indigestion he would save. Haruto’s eyes widened as she explained where she had been and what type of work she was doing, not surprised in the slightest. “That’s...a lot,” he admitted with a small smile. “I’m not surprised though. You’ve always been about helping people.” A hand reached out and touched her shoulder gently. “Oh,” he felt a bit better about not seeing her sister around town, “is she alright?”

.

“Exactly. Sometimes it’s just easiest to keep it simple. If the brew is good enough you don’t need any of the extra stuff,” Leia agreed warmly. She wasn’t opposed to any of the extra add-ins, but for time and calories sake she typically just stuck to the basics. “Do you know a lot about different coffee beans and production and all of that?” Leia was curious, it wasn’t something she’d ever looked into herself. She just accepted whatever was put in front of her, not spending too much time thinking on it. As long as it tasted mostly good, she wasn’t going to complain. 

Lips twisting, Leia thought for a moment before nodding her agreement. “I guess I don’t really. Once in awhile I’ll do sweets, but I’m more of a savory girl.” Leia ate fairly clean most of the time, but she would indulge on occasion. “Sold, two pumps of hazelnut it is. I’m willing to try anything once. What are you getting for yourself? I’ve got yours covered too, as a thank you.” 

He bobbed his head while he thought for a moment. Technically, he knew some stuff. And by some stuff, the FAQ in the back of his training manual when he started the job almost six years ago. “I know enough to keep customers happy,” Haruto finally said. “If you were to put me up against some of the intense coffee gurus... they’d embarrass me,” he added with a laugh. 

“Oh no, don’t worry about it!” He threw his hands up, waving her off. “I go on shift in about fifteen minutes and I’ll get to drink all the coffee I want then,” a roll of his eyes. A bigger paycheck would be appreciated, but he’d take what he could get for now. Haruto gave the woman’s order to his coworker who desperately looked like she was ready to clock out. “Here,” he offered, “take a sip and tell me what you think.”

At Haruto’s remark, Cataleya made sure she wasn’t within frame of the security cameras or a curious customer before she promptly flipped the man off. “Bite me, Tashiro.” She said as she bore a sickly sweet grin. She could hear some gasps coming from some of the new evening staff and she couldn’t help but shake her head. “What are you guys standing around here for? Go memorize some recipes.” She curtly retorted before she found herself winding up to service a few patrons who wanted specialty orders that weren’t on their menu. All while she could hear Haruto attempting to press every button he could push when it came to busting on her. “You’re going to enter a very early expiration date, old man.” She warned, before she found herself entangled in yet another battle. 

When Haruto worked on his sunset art, her idea to outshine him was already in the horizon, or at least she thought it would be. To outdo her superior, she went for the opposite thing, a night sky with a full moon. She was particularly happy with the way a constellation had turned out and she gleamed over with pride before she beckoned a prolific customer who loved to take pictures of literally every order they ever had. “Wanna judge for us whose is better sweetheart?” 

“Don’t give manager direction if you don’t want to end up a manager,” Haruto said under his breath in a sing-song fashion. He watched as the evening staff practically cowered under her wrath, though she had no actual power over them. “It’s insane what power goes to your head when you make an extra fifty cents compared to your peers,” he threw out at her. 

Smirking as one of their regulars came over, Haru turned the charm on. A nice hello, some small talk and an explanation of what they were doing, plus a playful jab at Cataleya while he had the guest under his spell. Pictures were taken and shared to Instagram but Haruto’s face dropped as the customer admitted he liked his co-worker’s art better. “Wow!” he gasped in mock offense. “The least I could do is allow you to take this for free,” Haruto watched as a generous tip was dropped into the jar before turning to Cataleya. “They’re reallly starting to feel bad for you,” he stated, “claiming that your work is better than mine. It’s nice that they let you feel what it’s like to win for once though.”

The cynical banter would have been enough to get Cataleya through the rest of her shift she was sure of it. Checking the time she saw she had about 45 minutes left, that was until Susana tearfully requested her presence in the backroom. She requested that she stay for an extra hour while she got herself together to which she vehemently denied. Her days in the cafe were very slim and if anything she was just keeping up with the job until she got bored of it, but with how wiped out she felt from the inadequate team, the last thing she wanted to do was continue to pick up the slack. Easily avoidable slack! Despite the daggers she was glaring at the woman, she found her hands were tied and she huffed back to the counter. 

“Fucking get over it,” She mumbled under her breath, before her eyes laid on her coworker once again. “Guess what we get another glorious hour together.” She said with a bitter disdain. “I swear to god I’ll find the guy and force him back to her if that’s what it takes.” She sighed, before she fully listened to Haruto’s banter about her skills. “Never mind that most of the customers ask for me to decorate hmm? You’re on.” 

Haruto watched as Cataleya begrudgingly walked to the back, shaking his head. He continued to prepare the garnishes, teas, and whipped cream whilst helping out customers to the best of his ability. There was rarely a long line in the evening, though when there was a bit of a back up he just blamed it on Cataleya probably getting fired-- it made a few people chuckle. 

There was a glint of humor in his eyes when Cat reemerged from the back, looking more annoyed than before-- if that was possible. “You know, it’s okay if you begged Susana to stay an extra hour with me,” he grinned, “I get it. I’m fun to work with and easy to look at; I’d want to spend all my time with me too!” Busting her chops was the easiest thing he did at this job; not many other of his coworkers enjoyed it or fought back. “They ask for it because they think it’s the only thing you can do,” Haruto rolled his eyes and began to make a latte. A little flash never hurt anybody; he pulled his pour higher and higher as the milk steamed, and laughed as a bit spilled onto the counter. Another minute later and Haru presented a sunset in his latte, pleased at how the rays came out. “C’mon, you can’t do that!”

As her vision adjusted to view who she had run into, her frantic panic turned into one of general relief. It’d been easily over a decade since she’d last walked the hallways of Crescent High, and of the familiar faces she wouldn’t have minded running into Haruto. Though he’d been a year her senior, they had been relatively close, but had lost touch once she had thrown herself into her studies for undergrad. She smiled broadly as she pushed her cart safely away to not cause any further trouble, arms outstretched to embrace him. “It’s been so long,” She agreed, though Amy knew logically one couldn’t plan a days hurdle, there was only control in certain things but not everything. “How have you been? I can’t believe it’s really you either.” She chuckled. 

Amy tucked a strand of brunette hair behind her ear, eyes glancing over to where Haruto’s had briefly darted. “Are your grandparents here?” She questioned, before her shoulders tensed slightly. “I’ve been here for a while, I came home for work and for family things.” She hoped her voice had remained even as the topic was still heavy. 

Arms embraced her tightly, unsure if he had accidentally cracked her back. If so, it was only out of love. “I’m good, I’m good,” he murmured, finally releasing her from his hold. “Still at the docks with my parents and grandparents, but I turned the basement into a little apartment,” Haru told her with a grin. He had no shame for being in his thirties and living with his parents, but he knew that people judged him. 

“Yeah, over there. Those two old people eating pears on the bench,” he shook his head and laughed. Why pears? They were objectively one of the least desirable fruits, but to each their own. “They’ll probably give you a hug and kiss if they spot you, you know they adore you,” Haru smirked. “Oh yeah? You got a job here?” he sounded surprised, though he shouldn’t have. Amy adored her sister from what he could remember. “Did you and Emine get a place together?”

.

The drawback to transferring work was being uprooted from the cohesive rhythm and rapport she had down with her team and the company in general. Being essentially thrusted with the snap of a finger into slightly uncharted territory among the beginnings of a new project. Luckily as knowledgeable in her position as Emine was, it shouldn’t take too long before she found a confident footing. Although — pulling a late night stream of finally hundred percenting Resident Evil Village when she had a full morning of meetings, plus scripts and budget allocating to go over, probably didn’t aid in that happening any quicker. Nevertheless once she managed to fully pry herself out of bed, getting through the day had been a matter of auto-pilot and caffeine. 

With a slot of free time she found herself heading into the Real Bean for another pick me up, which number this was, four at the very least, before going to visit her mother. Two customers away from being at the counter, she peered over the menu, though likely would settle for a iced mocha, attention grabbed by an inquiry then. Bright blue hues shift to the man, taking a brief glance at the capacity of the café, with a light hum emanating out. ❝ Personally I’ve only been here like, five minutes or so, I’m not entirely positive. From the frazzled expression on the barista I’d go with maybe, but the line’s been moving steadily and it doesn’t seem like to many others came in after. Mid-day coffee rush could be slowing down now, or it’s just the eye of the hurricane. ❞

He smirked as Emine gave her extremely thorough run-down. Keeping a good poker face was part of the job, and from years of playing the card game, he had mastered the art. “He’s a new guy,” Haru informed her of the person struggling to get everybody’s order into the system. “Doesn’t mean he needs to keep saying it every five minutes, but...,” he chuckled to himself. Ninety percent of the job was to smile and be pleasant, the other ten percent was to make the damn drink. 

“So what is this, your sixth cup today?” he teased her as he watched the new guy leave a shot of espresso out for over a minute. Had he been on the clock, he would’ve tossed it and explained why he can’t leave it out that long, but instead he watched the customer finally pick it up, throw it back, and face contort at the taste. “If you tell me what you want now, I’ll go back and make it for you, free of charge.”

“Who cares about academia when love makes the world go round?” Cataleya quipped easily, before she shook her head. She never understood how people could be so jaded, it only further cemented her rationale that feelings weren’t worth it. For her, most of the time when she met a new person she gauged out what she could take from them whether it was monetary or physical. For Haruto’s case, she could easily note how attractive he seemed to anyone who laid eyes on the man, but begrudgingly having to know him, she could only conclude his street smarts left something to desire. She wasn’t easily persuaded to view him with rose-colored glasses and it seemed he had the same view on her. She’d never openly admit however that she had a soft spot for him. 

That was until he became a competitive asshole. She scoffed in his direction, letting her latest latte art drop into a cup before serving. “You hold yourself so highly for a man who forgets to clean the steamers at least once or twice a shift.” She said amused. “Don’t tell me you want to battle again today, aren’t you tired of me whooping your butt?” 

He had to laugh before he got called over to the register. A macchiato as well as a croissant with tomato and pesto. “You didn’t know? If you’re in love you’re absolved of having to pay property taxes, as well as any other bills,” he replied in jest. Love was nice in theory, but it had never been a point of interest for Haruto, despite his parents plea to give them a grandchild. He watched as some of the earlier shift finally clocked out, annoyed that he would have to finish cleaning up their mess but knowing that they wouldn’t do it correctly anyway. 

“Whooping my butt?” he asked, mouth agape. “That’s pretty confident for a girl who is only good at making flowers in her art.” Haru passed the drink and sandwich over the counter, wishing the customer a great afternoon as he did it. “I don’t forget about the steam wands,” he turned to face her with his arms crossed. “I’m more focused on delivering unmatched customer service. But if you’re challenging me, I guess I could knock you down a peg or two.”

Place: Crescent Harbor Market With Whom: Open/All

Though Amy had been back in town for quite some time now, there was a sense of adventure that still welled in her system. California was a culture shock, filled with less homely feels, and a lot of nonsense that wrapped itself up in protein shakes and kale in any way one could ingest kale. That was why she was when she saw the flyers plastered around town about the official opening of a year-round farmers market, she couldn’t help but be intrigued. She wondered if the spot just happened to have seasonal fruits and vegetables, would they attempt to keep stocking cara cara oranges this close to the beginning of summer time? Walking through the market was also a nice reprieve from the careful schedule she had set for herself. Now that things had the possibility of being moved to virtual settings, she found she was a hot commodity for clients who wanted the option to see her for virtual sessions. If she didn’t have any sessions to tend to in that realm she usually was making her way to good vibes inc. attempting to use one of the smaller offices as an oasis for those who preferred face to face, and then if work wasn’t completely consuming her, she found herself being a caretaker for her mother who was slowly forgetting how to go about daily tasks. Grocery shopping was on that list. With a cart in tow, her mind tried its best to focus on the items she’d need, though the weight of everything had caused her to crash her cart into another’s. She blinked slightly before she shook her head in embarrassment.  “I’m so sorry, I kind of blanked there for a second, are you okay?” 

Family was a big part of Haruto’s life, which is why he was spending the morning with his parents and grandparents shopping together at the market. Throughout the week, he would pick up little things here and there, but at the market his grandparents were able to get out and walk around for a bit and socialize with the other elders of the town. His parents were able to restock the necessities that every kitchen should have, and Haruto enjoyed the atmosphere. He  was watching his grandparents from across the street when he felt his cart ricochet into his waist. 

Shaking his head with a smile, he started to speak, “I was in the way, I--,” he looked down and his brows rose in shock and confusion. “Amy?” Hadn’t she moved? Out of the state? It wasn’t completely out of the ordinary to spot her here, considering she still had family living in town, it was just... “Seeing you definitely wasn’t on my agenda today, but I can’t say I’m upset. How’ve you been? You here for a week, or the weekend or something?” 

.

“Secret’s safe with me if you have anything bad to say about the place,” Leia promised with a soft laugh. She didn’t want the guy to get in trouble for sharing his opinions on the place with her and she was sure there were managers floating around somewhere that could overhear it. Fortunately, he seemed to have a positive outlook on the shop. Anyone that loved their job enough to say they enjoyed it was something that stood out, at least to Leia. A good work environment led to a good product most of the time. 

A smooth cup of coffee was really all she needed, so if they could make that and it didn’t taste like sludge, she was pretty easy to please. “Lucky for me, a smooth cup sounds perfect, so I’m in,” she smiled back, face twisting up. “Usually I stick to just straight black. I look at menus and the options are a tad overwhelming, so…I just stick to the classic. But, if you have any suggestions, I’m not opposed to spicing things up either.” She’d drink anything that had the caffeine in it at the end of the day. It was easiest to just stick to the classic black cup of joe, but since she had a somewhat more expert opinion at her side, maybe it would be a good day to change it up.

“Yeah, I get it,” he snorted. “Back in the day it was just black coffee, or with cream and sugar, nice a simple. After years of cultures mingling we’ve had to get used to different coffee types and styles,” Haruto grinned. He wasn’t a coffee snob by any means; his family still drank instant coffee despite Haru bringing home different types to sample. “Like almost everything else we consume, coffee is about where it grows, how it grows, and of course what kind of grind you’re using.” At least, that’s what it had told him in his handbook that he received three years ago. 

Haruto stared at the menu as well, trying to figure out what the woman would enjoy. “If you like black coffee, I guess sweet isn’t really your thing, right?” That would eliminate any of the extremely sweet flavors, such as caramel or raspberry. “How about black coffee with two pumps of hazelnut?” he asked. “It’s not too far off the beaten path, but it’ll be a softer introduction to flavors.”

With the man disappearing without another word, Cataleya knew it was foolish to have any type of hope, but she couldn’t deny she felt a tiny blip of it. That was until she heard a huge crash coming from behind her, another rookie dropping glasses like clockwork. “Just get the broom and sweep it up!” She offered as she grinned so hard she was sure her cheeks were going to break. She took in enough orders to cut the line in half and hopped off the register to take on the preparations, bumping into Haruto by chance. “I heard she was losing it but god I can’t believe it’s confirmed now. Sean over here was saying her boyfriend broke up with her something stupid like that.” Her nose wrinkled slightly, her ability to connect personal scenarios and letting it bleed into a somewhat professional setting being foreign to her. “It’s been a half hour though, she’s gonna get hypothermia if she stays in there.” Three pours and a few pumps, Cataleya spun her finishing touches and called out name after name. 

Eventually the line had died down to being a person or two every couple of minutes rather than every other second, she could feel sweat brimming on her brow and had gone to wash a few canisters in the sink. “You’re a lifesaver, Haru.” She said sweetly. “I don’t think I did anything to piss off the managers, I’m always on my game.” 

“Her boyfriend? I would’ve bet my money on finals,” he chuckled softly. Haruto began filling up the three bay sink, one side with hot water and the right side with sanitizer. He tried not to get too involved with his coworkers, but it was difficult to not grow fond of them and look out for them as a brother would. That’s what happened when people were forced to work together for thirty to forty hours a week. He began to toss the empty, berry stained containers into the hot water, along with empty whipped cream aerosol cans and mugs form the dine-in customers. “I don’t think the walk-in is cold enough to reach hypothermia levels,” Haruto laughed, looking over at Cataleya, “but she’s definitely cold, that’s for sure.” 

He moved down the way and began to hang the newly sanitized items to dry. “What can I say, I’m a latte-making, coffee-brewing machine,” Haruto grinned, extremely pleased that she never resorted to calling him Harry like some of the other workers. “Cat, did you forget that I was here five minutes ago? You were on your game, but no one felt it necessary to listen to you,” he reminded her with a shrug. “Then again, not everyone can be like me.”

She’d been used to getting herself through situations on the fly, but the art of working through a rush hour where the droves 100% of the time demanded their caffeinated beverages to be crafted by the hands of God themselves was starting to weigh on her nimble hands. Ticket after ticket printed out and she was doing her best to bite her tongue and not chastised one of the teen hires when she saw the line was rapidly building up just as fast as they were dishing out the orders. “Can I get someone to refill the ice tray here please? I’m dying here!” She exclaimed. “And where the fuck is Susanna? Wasn’t she on register? What do you mean she’s having a nervous breakdown in the cooler?” Cataleya had no time for the games, but it was seriously concerning to know that the shift manager was breaking down when they needed her the most. 

Attempting to stay cool, calm, and collected, she splashed a shit-eating grin across her features as she made her way back to the register to try to get ahold of the line and the restless guests. That was when she saw the familiar face, her eyes glowering over at the people behind him. “Can you clock in early? I’ll literally give you half my share of the tips, this is hell.” 

Clock in early? His brows furrowed and his lips curved upward, thinking about the extra two dollars clocking in early would allow him to earn. It definitely wasn’t worth it, especially since he biked all the way here. His legs needed time to rest! “I don’t need your tips, Cat,” he chuckled. “Gimme a second...” Haruto stepped behind the counter and into the back room to throw his apron on and enter in his ID number. Was that crying? He peered into the cooler to see the shift manager, a full-time college student who worked too many hours, crying against the various milks. 

“You know Susanna is crying in the cooler?” he smirked at Cat as he made his entrance to the coffee bar. “Anyone know what’s wrong with her?” Haruto washed his hands and began working on the two pour overs that their coworkers conveniently looked over. “What good is being able to make lattes and cappuccinos in record time if you can’t do a simple pour over guys?” he yelled out. With a scoff, he looked over at Cat and shook his head. “They really set you up with the D-list crew this morning. What’d you do to piss the manager off?”

.

Moving to a new town was simultaneously exciting and exhausting. Leia had finally gotten things up and running for her new job at the local veterinary clinic, gotten things moved into her apartment, and was now just starting to learn her way around the town. As someone who didn’t sleep much, coffee was her life blood, and she was starting to make her rounds through all of the different shops to see which one stuck out as her new go-to. She’d tried one downtown by her apartment that morning and was now giving The Real Bean a shot on her way back from work. 

Leia was in line waiting, biting at her lip as she looked over the menu, even if she knew she would end up with just a black coffee. Her head lifted as someone spoke, fixing the man with an apologetic look. “I’m afraid not, I’ve only just gotten here. Is it usually this busy here?” she asked with a tilt of her head. The line was definitely longer than she would have wanted, but if the coffee was good enough to be worth the wait, she could work with it. “First time I’ve been here, but…if there’s this many people here, must be worth the wait?”

Ah, so she still hadn’t ordered. A common mistake, given that everybody tended to look like they were stuck in a daze, regardless of if they had ordered or were waiting. People were fickle; most of them didn’t like to converse once they placed their orders and their eyes became fixated to their phones or the menu that hung above. “It can be,” Haruto shared a smile with the woman. He never understood people that drank coffee past 2pm. Logically, he was aware that people worked into the darkest part of nights, but something felt so wrong about serving guests large lattes with double shots added. 

“Since I’m off the clock, I suppose I could give you the truth...,” Haruto looked around, as if his manager was going to jump out any second. “It’s pretty good. I mean...the prices could be lowered a bit, I think, but you’ve got people that really enjoy their job and creating smooth cups of coffee.” It was a long-winded way to inform her that she would be pleased with her selection, but that was how he operated. “Were you thinking of straight black, or are you the kind to spice it up a bit?”