petrichor;

Did she really not know? It had happened years ago and yet, people still still seemed to talk about it. The fastest Tournament recorded and the one with the most bloodshed. Her fingers tapped an erratic beat against the mug, betraying her anxiety. Even know, the sounds of the screams echoed in her mind, trying to pull her from the present and into the past, where the blood ran in small rivulets down her fingers.

“The Tournament,” she murmured, keeping her eyes trained on her latte and struggling to stay in the cafe, “I, uh, won it. A few years ago actually. It’s why people buy my things…they want something a Champion made.” The word sounded - and felt - like a curse, falling from her lips quietly as if said low enough no one would notice it, notice her, notice if there was still blood on her hands. It felt like it most days. 

“I’m sure all your embroidery is beautiful, don’t worry about it.” Amber shrugged, leaning back in her chair as she spoke.

Watching Eunji’s voice shake, Amber frowned at the topic, her lips pulling down into a frown, “Oh, I didn’t know. I don’t really keep up with the news, kinda ironic I know for a cafe owner since I hear so much gossip. Sorry, I can tell this is a sensitive topic. The Tournament never is easy to talk about, especially if you’re a champion.” In all honesty, Amber hadn’t known that Eunji had won and become a champion. That would explain her rapid rise to the Gold Zone and her disappearance... Mentally scolding herself for not knowing more about Eunji, someone whom she referred to as a friend, Amber did her best to put a reassuring and apologetic smile on her face.

“I’m sorry for bringing the memory back up,” Amber said softly, eyes downcast with guilt before it flickered back up to Eunji’s own.

“Oh!” Before the words ‘be careful, don’t choke’ could rush out of her mouth, Eunji’s own chair was already being pushed back. Amber hurriedly got to her feet to meet the girl’s gaze, a smile already pulling on her lips. “It was really nice seeing you again too. Please come back and visit. The cafe could use a little familiar face from time to time.”

Amber watched Eunji nod, a small nod, before she left the cafe. Sighing and turning back to the counter at the front of the room, Amber slowly made her way back to her old position, settling back into work mode.

Hopefully, she’d see Eunji again soon.

It was okay, his hyung was taking care of Eunji now. Then she’d be fine. She had the best protection this whole island had.

Sliding the mug over to Eunhye, Amber’s lips quirked up in a smile before she spoke, “I’m sorry to say, but I don’t think an umbrella’s going to help with that.”

Amber playfully tossed around a ball of water before letting the water settle back in its original place. The water fight with Eunhye had been the most fun she had had since a while. And with the recent events, a happy memory was very welcome.

“Of course not! And besides, my employees got this handled. They’re used to lunch rushes. I think everyone needs a little place to settle down and sort out their feelings... and I’m happy Cafe Legato can provide that.” Amber smiled grimly, before leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes momentarily.

The nightmares came more often now, and the lingering pictures of Jinx’s body were a common occurrence. Amber just wanted all of this to go away. 

"It’s the little things in life. I’m glad that embroidering and gardening provides you that happiness, especially when we’re all stuck on an island,” Amber gestured around them, but she smiled good naturedly, “But it’s nice here, on this island..."

At this new information, Amber tilted her head to the side. That was interesting. So all this time Eunji had been gone, and she had gotten herself into the Gold Zone. That was quite a leap from where she had been before, and Amber’s curiosity started to gnaw at her thoughts. What exactly had Eunji been doing? “Gold zone, huh? I guess you are right though; becoming a gold zone resident was probably and most definitely an adventure. Moving in general is an adventure. You’ve got a nice place to live, and you're living in luxury.”

[...] 

So he happily entered the café, disguise in place, smiling brightly as the lovely, bubbly Eunhye of The Little Penguin. He had jokingly brought an umbrella, despite the good weather, just as a preperation after their last meeting. He saw Amber busy behind the counter, so he just settled in a nice place by the window, waiting until Amber had some time to greet him – if she even still remembered Eunhye.

Cafe Legato was always open, and with the recent events, it had stayed open around the clock. Here, she provided a sense of comfort and home, a safe haven for her fellow experiments and incoming tourists. The events had shaken her to the very core, and although she had tried her best to stay away from news about the tournament, Jinx’s body and the message that had been carved onto her body was all over every single television channel. It was hard to escape from news like that, and her death haunted Amber. Jangmi Island’s peace was shattered, if only temporarily, but still. 

The cafe was busier than usual, but she didn’t mind it. There were people who needed her help, the safety of the cafe, and she was happy to provide it. When the group of people had filtered past, Amber finally stepped back to take a breather. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes before opening them once more.

Spotting Eunhye, Amber’s grin widened, and she threw a quick ‘I’ll be right back’ to her employee before moving over to where the woman sat by the window. 

“Eunhye!” Amber’s eyes shone at the sight of the older woman. “What brings you here?” 

Amber winked playfully before breaking out into a smile. “Maybe even bring a date,” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. 

“Katara? Already making nicknames for me? How cute.” She watched as Eunhye sighed. She frowned, opening her mouth again to speak, “Aw, come on! It’ll be fun. I promise-”

Before she could finish, she watched as Eunhye grabbed the water bottle she had previously given to Amber, tossing it in her direction quickly before darting away.

“How dare you!” She shrieked, easily reversing the water to splash Eunhye back. Luckily, or rather unluckily, Eunhye managed to duck away in time. Ah, a challenge! 

He came with only one goal on his mind, one book that he had wished to purchase as, not only was it new, but also a deluxe edition of a series that he held close to him. It was almost as if he were on auto-pilot, his body naturally taking him to a certain shelf in which his treasure lied. It wasn’t until he felt another hand on the book that the champion snapped out of his automatic trance and directed a nasty glower from behind his shades.

Anger consumed her senses, and she threw all politeness to the window. He was wearing a mask and big ass sunglasses, covering his face from view, but she knew underneath those sunglasses, he was probably glaring at her, just like she was glaring at him. The tone of his voice was enough for her to guess his distaste.

She narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her, tilting her head up and raising a brow threateningly. Resting her hands on her hips, she spoke, matching his tone easily, “Really? Well, I’m in the same boat as you. I’ve been watching this edition for a while now, and I was planning on getting it for a friend. Grimy? Well, if we’re throwing insults here, might I tell you to go fix your attitude? What’s got your panties in a twist? I’ve done nothing but ask you a simple, and might I say polite, question.” 

She glared at the offending man before letting her own lips curve into a smirk, “And you know what?”

Amber huffed, snatching the book straight off the shelf anyway, despite his protests, “You can definitely wait another week then for the lovely old couple to restock. In fact, maybe you can even ask them if they have any in the back? Seeing as I was here first, I think I deserve this. Thank you very much.” 

“And of course there’s you, my sweet RoRo, I wasn’t forgetting about you.”

He looked back up at the young girl and pointed at her camera, smiling.

She blushed at the compliment, running a hand quickly through her short hair as a sign of nervousness, “Aw, please. If anyone’s cute, RoRo is the cutest.” 

Amber nodded in agreement, blushing redder as she spoke “Yeah, I can definitely understand being in the food industry. Lunch rushes are the worse, but there’s a sense of satisfaction for getting through it all? And plus, it doesn’t help to put a smile on others and... yeah, talking to sweet (and pretty) people like you, Eunhye, is definitely a plus side. It’s nice to see the festival; it kind of lightens the mood on this otherwise dreary island.”

“Oh, this?” Amber gestured to her camera, looking at it fondly, “It’s just something I like to do in my spare time, so yeah, a personal project. I’m always so busy; I never find enough time to just relax and see everything.” 

Amber’s eyes lit up mischievously, and she hummed before speaking, “You know what would be really fun, after such a long day?”

He shook his head, gently.

Watching the water bottle she placed on the counter, Amber smiled before blushing again, “I got so lost in the crepe that I forgot to pay you for the crepe. How much is it?” 

Watching the adorable little penguin, Amber laughed at RoRo’s cute antics, head tilting to the side at the sight. “RoRo is so cute. It must be nice to have such an adorable presence by your side all the time.” 

Amber took the business card, pocketing it and making a mental note to visit the Little Penguin more often. If a single crepe was like this, she couldn’t imagine what the actual food would taste like. Her mouth watered at the thought of it all, and she nodded, “I definitely will! With food as good as this, you can bet I won’t be missing it at all.” 

He glanced up, smiling brightly, watching the girl fidget. “Special effects?” He glanced back down to cutting up some fresh fruit for in the crepe. Was she an experiment then? With that camera, he had assumed she was human, a tourist coming to take in the sights. Well, he was interested to see what she could do. Information was never a bad thing.  “That sounds fun.”

She watched the woman make the crepes, her mouth practically watering at the sight. Watching the batter sizzle and the colorful fruit getting cut was more than tempting, and she honestly couldn’t wait until she could get her hands on the delectable treat. 

Amber nodded, “Yeah, if it has anything to do with water, I’m your girl.” Nibbling on her bottom lip, Amber looked around for a glass of water. Sure, she could probably use the water from the sewers and the pipes, but she didn’t think she needed to wreck something just to showcase her talents... Besides, a little sneak peak would definitely draw the interest more than a grand show. 

Spying a half full cup of water, Amber raised her hand, and immediately, the water flowed quickly to rest at her fingers tips in a ball of water. Tossing the water back and forth a few moments, she molded the water into a heart before letting the liquid settle back in the cup at the sight of the finished crepe. 

Also. It was just so. much. fun.

“Oh, there’s just so much to choose!” Momentarily, she became distracted by the little penguin moving through the menu, “How cute!” Her eyes slid back to the woman’s own kind ones as soon as she had decided on something. Amber’s sweet tooth was calling to her, after all. She’d deal with an actual meal later. 

“I’d love a crepe, but perhaps after that, you can tell me about your little...” She trailed off, unsure what to call what the woman was projecting. It was too cool and beautiful for words, “display?” 

“Well, welcome to Cafe Legato. I hope you drop by more often then, especially since you’ve got some money now,” Amber winked then laughed, shaking her head, “I’m joking, about the money part. I’m serious about you coming by more often.” 

She gazed at the cafe, eyes softening at the memory of the place when she had first acquired it. It wasn’t in that bad of a condition, but it was definitely plain and boring. She had worked hard to pretty it up into the Cafe Legato it was known as today, “Ah, yeah, I was hoping to choose colors that calmed and wasn’t too flashy. Thank you for the compliment.”