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Skulduggery’s response to her newfound occupation had simply been “At least it’s not Starbucks!” and Tanith had never wanted to kill him more in her life. After all, how hard could it be to kill a condescending skeleton? The only thing stopping her was that Valkyrie would (probably) be upset but she’d get over it. Eventually. Maybe. Her murderous thoughts came from the most justifiable place; a day job. As it turned out, spending a few years as a remnant didn’t look very good on a CV and like all people, Tanith needed money. So she found herself stuck with a boring mortal job. A barista at Costa of all places! But Skulduggery had been right. At least it hadn’t been Starbucks.
Regardless of the enemies they had faced over the years and the dedication she had put into training, nothing had prepared them for customer service. To say it was hell would probably be an understatement. They had never encountered such an overwhelming wave of sheer entitlement. Most customers were fine, but some had Tanith grating her teeth as they treated her as if she were merely a cog in a machine; as if she wasn’t a worker but someone at their beck and call. Though, the worst customer had yet to come.
Tanith heard China before they saw her. It had been a quiet day with the only customers being regulars or a small trickle of foot traffic. Her favourite days. She’d been fixated on cleaning up when a crisp voice cut through the air. “One black coffee. As dark as my past and my soul.” She quickly turned to find China Sorrows of all people watching her with an amused smile. Had...Had that been a joke ? “Medium, preferably. Quickly too.”
“Is there anything I can actually help you with or…?” China didn’t seem the type to interact with other mages out of courtesy. Usually, it was when she wanted something much more than a single black coffee. And out of all the coffee shops in the city, Tanith doubted it was even remotely coincidental that she had chosen this one.
China’s smile widened. “You can help me by making me my coffee, Tanith. Or am I mistaken about this being a coffee shop?” She stepped closer to the counter - far too close for her liking. Tanith tried not to pay attention to her as she worked. The sooner they finished, the sooner they didn’t have to deal with China or her smile. She didn’t know what it was about the smile that made their heart beat just that little bit faster. Something it hadn’t done since Ghas- No. It wouldn’t do them any good to linger on the past. It was then that she remembered something about China and the brand of magic she used. Everyone fell in love with her . This was normal. It wasn’t any suppressed emotions. It was just China being China. “Unless there’s something else you want from me?”
Tanith cleared their throat as they worked. The sooner this was over with, the sooner she would leave. “What I want is to just get on with my job considering it’s what I’m paid to do.” She paused for a moment. “Is the drink to take away?” Her shoulders drooped as China shook her head. Just great . When she finished, Tanith set the coffee cup down on perhaps a little harsher than necessary. “Now if you’ll pay then we can both get on with our day.”
“And here I was hoping I might get you to join me whilst I drink. It’s not as if there’s anyone else around.” It was only when China reached over to rest her hand over Tanith’s that she realised there was no one else inside the cafe. They were utterly alone . “Just...humour me. Please?” Well, it wasn’t often that Tanith got any sincere politeness from China and honestly, it wasn’t as if they had anything better to do.
Sitting with China was...odd. Tanith had been quick to brace themself for the inevitable questions; What was it like as a remnant? How was she recovering? Did she miss Ghastly? What was it like working amongst mortals? But not a single question came. In fact, China didn’t say anything at all. She just sat there and drank her coffee, occasionally glancing over at Tanith with an utterly unreadable expression. But the silence wasn’t unsettling. It was oddly...comfortable - like being held in the arms of someone you cared about. A single moment where Tanith felt as close to peaceful as someone like them could get, and they were sharing it with China Sorrows of all people.
What felt both like an eternity and far too soon, China finished her coffee. “Well, this was lovely.” For some odd reason, Tanith found themself in agreement. “After all, I spend all day talking and enchanting. It’s nice to just...enjoy the company of someone that most definitely deserves it.” Tanith watched as China sat something down on the table. A business card with both her name and phone number handwritten nearly across it. “I do so hope we can do this again.” Her voice was far too sincere for them to be comfortable with.
Tanith picked up the business card with a certain degree of skepticism. Part of her wanted to commit the number to memory and the other part of her was convinced it wasn’t even a real number. She held it tightly all the same. “Is...Is this some kind of joke?” There was no way for her to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice. After all, why would China of all people be so eager to spend time with her? “A way of mocking me for being stuck with a mortal job? Because it’s not funny. Not all of us have a nice business to fall back onto when the world falls apart.” They watched as a bemused smile crept onto her face. From what they knew of China Sorrows, that was never a good thing.
“Mocking? No, my dear Tanith, none of this was mocking. It was flirting .”