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Vira exhales, her warm breath a gray-white huff in the chilly, winter, air. Drawing her coat more tightly about her, she hurries along down the street, hoping to grab something warm to drink on the walk back home. Winter had settled down upon Albion, snow stacking up along the sides of the streets, white and luminous in the golden glow of the streetlights all around. Alongside the sidewalks, Vira watches other pedestrians still hustling and bustling about in the late evening, all of them no doubt finishing their holiday shopping.
When she turns around the corner, the wafted scent of warm coffee and sugary sweets gently envelops her, catching her by surprise; she glances up to see a coffee shop tucked neatly in between two larger storefronts, and curiosity draws her in.
A coincidental blessing, perhaps. She had been looking for something warm on the way home.
Vira pushes open the door, and a wave of warmth washes over her, complete with the added scents of coffee and a hint of cinnamon, and a dash of peppermint. Lovely, all in all, and it combined well with the green wreaths and red ribbons adorning the walls of the small cafe, all bundled up in holiday cheer.
When she reaches the counter, she finds a young woman standing by the register, a cheerful smile framed by the cute bob of blonde hair around her face.
“Hello! Welcome to Cafe Grancypher. What would you like today, ma’am?” the barista asks brightly.
Vira glances at the nametag pinned a little crookedly on the young woman’s green apron; Djeeta.
“What do you recommend?”
Djeeta blinks in surprise, then taps a thoughtful finger against her chin. “We do serve a really nice peppermint mocha! Or, if that’s a little too sweet, an earl gray is always nice, as well.”
Casting a cursory glance at the chalkboard menu hanging above Djeeta, Vira gives a careful nod. “An earl gray, it is, then.”
Djeeta nods with a smile. “Of course! Feel free to sit down anywhere, and I’ll bring your order to you right away!”
Vira gives a curt nod in acknowledgment before making her way to a small table by the window, where she sits down and clasps her hands atop the mahogany surface of the table, watching a light fall of snowflakes drift through the night sky outside. She glances around her, and sees other couples eagerly talking about their day with their partner; none, she found, were alone, as she was.
Her hands tighten, nails digging into the backs of her hands. Breathing in deeply, Vira leans her head against the windowsill, the glass cool against her skin as she listens to the soft murmur of the voices around her. As cheerful as the holidays were meant to be, to Vira, it had never been anything more than just another season, another time of the year, and nothing more. Her parents had never really made the effort to celebrate it, let alone even offer her time to, and she’d never quite made the effort to fit in with the others at the academy; not like she could or would, anyway, when she was certain they would all stab her in the back given the chance.
Albion, in a nutshell.
The soft clink of a plate startles her out of her thoughts, and Vira glances up to see Djeeta at her side, gently placing a steaming cup of tea in front of her. What catches her by surprise, however, is Djeeta sliding a small plate of strawberry cheesecake towards her as well.
Djeeta notices her looking, and says, “You looked a little bit down, miss, and I know cheesecake always cheers me up.”
Vira’s first kneejerk reaction is to rebuff Djeeta’s kindness, immediate suspicion and caution clouding her thoughts, but when she looks up into Djeeta’s face, sweet and kind...her armor crumbles a little. Something about Djeeta; the softness of her cheeks, or the brightness of her eyes, it was all disarmingly charming.
“Thank you,” Vira says quietly; she’s not quite sure of why Djeeta’s being so kind, considering they were nothing more than customer and server, so as she raises the glass of tea to her lips, she expects Djeeta to leave. Instead, Djeeta glances back at the counter before looking back at Vira with a sheepish expression. As Vira takes a careful sip -- and notes that the tea tastes wonderful and the warmth sears down her chest -- she notices Djeeta’s hesitation, and she says, “...Is there something else?”
“Um,” Djeeta says, a little pink in the cheeks, tucking her hands behind her. “I can actually go on break right now, would you mind if I sat with you?”
Again, Vira pauses, but Djeeta’s hopeful expression and her rosy demeanor chips away at her walls. They were in a public coffee shop, of all places, and Djeeta didn’t seem like she could do any harm. Not like Vira had anything to lose but time anyway; loners never really had plans for the holidays.
“Sure, Djeeta.”
“Y-you know my name?” Djeeta blurts, sitting down across from Vira with a wide-eyed look.
Vira chuckles, her breath casting ripples across the surface of her tea. “It is on your nametag, you know.”
“O-oh, r-right,” Djeeta says, face flushed pink. “May I know what your name is?”
Vira hesitates; giving her name normally came with a whole weight of connotation, what with her family and her status at the academy, but she also felt loathe to lie too. Then again, not like Djeeta had recognized her or anything when she’d walked in. Maybe there wouldn’t be any harm in telling this cute barista her first name, at least.
“My name is Vira.”
“Wow,” Djeeta says. “That’s a really pretty name, Miss Vira.”
Vira can’t help but chuckle again. She’s never heard someone say that to her before. “Thank you.”
“I, um, also wanna say,” Djeeta says, and this time she can’t quite meet Vira’s questioning eye. “You’re really pretty too.”
Vira lowers her cup of tea, half in disbelief, half in amusement. “Thank you, again. So, Miss Djeeta,” Vira says, noticing how Djeeta perks up a little when she hears her name. “I must tell you, your tea tastes wonderful.”
Djeeta beams at her. “Thank you! I’m glad you like it! I only started working here recently, so it’s good to know I’m doing well.”
“Oh? Did you move to Albion recently?”
Djeeta nods, and explains to Vira how she and her family had only moved here just a few weeks ago for her family’s business. She herself was attending the local university nearby; not as prestigious as the academy, of course, but nonetheless Vira learns that Djeeta enjoyed her studies immensely, especially her geography classes.
“I see you’re quite an adventurer.”
“Oh, I like to think I am!” Djeeta says excitedly, sparkles in her eyes, and it warms Vira’s heart a little. “I’ve always wanted to go explore the world, and see new places. There’s just so much out there, you know?”
Vira purses her lips, raising her cup of tea so that she could have a second to control her expression. As a child, she had most certainly dreamed of the bigger, wider world outside the confines of her parents’ grand mansion. That dream had been snuffed out quickly enough, what with her parents fierce and rigorous training regimen and repeated words that she would carry on their household’s legacy.
Albion, in a nutshell.
“Have you ever wanted to travel anywhere, Miss Vira?”
Stirred out of her thoughts, Vira looks up at Djeeta’s open and friendly expression. “No, not really.”
“Really?” Djeeta asks, surprised. “There’s no where you wanna go? Not the mountains of Valtz Duchy or the beaches of Auguste Isles?”
Vira shakes her head; those were the opportunities that she’d long since accepted she’d never get to have. “I have to admit, Djeeta, that just coming to a new cafe in Albion like this is one of the much longer excursions I’ve had.”
A flicker of sadness crosses Djeeta’s face, but she recovers as she says, “Well, I’m glad you came here, then! If you ever come here again, you can try some of the red velvet cake we have too. Or, even--”
Djeeta talks more about the other delicacies the cafe offered, and Vira found herself smiling a little at Djeeta’s enthusiasm; she was wholesome, radiant, and warm with her exuberant and joyful personality. Djeeta was more than a welcome change of pace to the cold demeanors of her instructors, or the arrogant snideness of her classmates. It was...nice, Vira had to admit. She wasn’t one to have ‘friends’ in any way, but...it was the holidays. She could offer herself this one opportunity for companionship.
Vira and Djeeta talk some more about their favorite foods, which then translated into some of Djeeta’s favorite restaurants.
“Well, if you’re ever free after your classes at the academy, I’d love to show you my favorite place to get fries,” Djeeta says.
Again, Vira’s first instinct is to politely decline, but she mentally shoves herself a little in the opposite direction. “I wouldn’t mind that at all.”
Talking with Djeeta, Vira learns, seems easier than holding conversations with anyone else she’s ever known. There was an openness to Djeeta that made talking to her easygoing and for the first time, Vira finds herself relaxing her posture a little, leaning back into her seat and listening to Djeeta talk at length of her favorite things to make at the cafe.
Just when Djeeta’s telling Vira about her favorite tea blend, they hear Djeeta’s name get called; they look over at the counter and see Djeeta’s manager tapping the watch on her wrist, eyebrows raised.
“Oh, shoot! The end of my break, ah, sorry!” Djeeta calls to her manager, who gives a good-natured roll of her eyes as Djeeta hurrieldy makes to stand. “Ah, Miss Vira, I’m sorry, I lost track of time--”
“As did I,” Vira says smoothly, setting her now empty cup of tea back on its saucer. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love another cup of tea.”
“Of course! Is there anything else you’d like?” Djeeta asks, standing at Vira’s side and smoothing out the front of her apron.
Vira bites her lip, torn between wanting to do what was logical and what was maybe a little stupid, and she fell to the wayside. “...I wouldn’t mind talking some more, if you’re free after this.”
Djeeta beams at her, so brightly that Vira almost raises a hand to shield her eyes. “Oh, totally! If you want, we can go back to my place! I’m having a little holiday party with my friends!”
Vira almost bites her tongue; she’d infinitely prefer if it was just her and Djeeta, tucked away in a corner of the cafe like they were now, but…
Sighing, Vira gives a slight nod. “I can do that. I’ll wait here, then, until your shift is over.”
“Sounds great!” Djeeta shoots her a thumbs-up and then skips away back behind the counter, leaving Vira to once more straighten up in her seat and look out at the snowflakes drifting around outside. Djeeta returns a moment later with another hot cup of tea and another slice of cheesecake, and Vira manages a small smile of thanks at her before Djeeta once more returns behind the counter. It gives Vira some time to sip at her tea, letting it warm her chest, comforting and relaxing at the same time. It’d been quite some time since she’d felt like this; rather, now that she thinks about it, she can’t quite remember the last time she’d been able to...sit back, and enjoy what was in front of her.
Vira glances at Djeeta, heartily laughing with one of her coworkers, and she wonders if Djeeta had that effect on just everyone she met. Her disarming smile, the wholesome light that radiated from her entire being.
For once, Vira thinks she wouldn’t mind spending the holiday evening with someone.