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For a Wednesday the café was actually rather busy. The customer line went nearly past the entrance door and there was a healthy amount of chatter ringing through the air. It was one of those days where every customer seemed to want a baked good in addition to their coffee and Lace was nervous they were going to run out due to the demand. Thankfully Cole hadn’t been dawdling too much today in the kitchen, and it seemed that Sera and Dagna had decided to work together on the beverage line rather than simply flirting or goofing off like usual. All in all, it was a productive and bustling morning at The Level Grind and Lace was feeling grand.
As per usual, when it got busy this way, Lace tended to hyperfocus on ringing up clients and calling out drink orders to Sera and Dagna. It was a day for regulars and right now she was ringing up Detective Cullen’s signature Black Coffee. As if the man would ever stray from his usual.
He seemed extra tired this morning and his hair wasn’t as perfectly coiffed as it was typically worn; some of his natural curls were peaking through and Lace chuckled inwardly at the image of the man with a head full of blonde ringlets.
She was still laughing to herself when Cullen shuffled off to the side exposing behind him a petite elf. Dalish. New. This petite Dalish Elf was definitely new, Lace thought. At least, Lace had never seen her before, or she would have remembered.
The elf may very well have been the only person that Lace had seen with as many freckles as herself, despite the elf’s skin being a light tone of brown contrasting Lace’s sun-pinked ivory. Her hair was wild and curly like twisted deep brown vines growing past her neck and down her shoulders hitting just past the center of her back, her body was lithe and petite and adorable and Lace was staring.
Holy shit, she was staring and she needed to stop. She needed to do her job.
“Heya, what can I get you? Uh, get started for you,” Lace fumbled out.
“Hi, uh yes, can I please get a latte with an extra shot please?” the elf sweetly inquired.
“Yeah, yeah of course. Uhm, did you want a pastry today?”
“I really shouldn’t-”
“They’re free!” Lace blurted without thought.
She didn’t consider the words, she just simply didn’t want the woman to walk away yet. She wasn’t through talking to her, or hearing her gentle voice. She wasn’t through looking at her. She hadn’t even gotten a good look at her eyes yet. Lace wanted the woman to stay standing in front of her for even just a moment longer.
“Oh, uhm, sure then. I’ll take a croissant.” Her look of gentle surprise was so endearing and Lace had never found herself immediately smitten in this way. She took the moment while grabbing the pastry to right herself before she turned to call the drink order out to Sera and Dagna. When Lace turned her head it was to find four eyes already wide and eager watching her. Well, watching her and stealing not-so-subtle glances at the customer.
Lace relayed the drink order with a bite in her voice and a glare in her eyes. Just because Sera and Dagna found love in this café didn’t mean that Lace would as well, and she was tired of them insinuating that every customer could be her “perfect match.”
It seemed that even Cullen, who was in all honesty rather oblivious for being a detective, was looking back and watching from the sideline where he waited, putting his wallet back in order before heading out of the shop. Maker’s breath, did everyone have their eyes on her?
Everyone except for the elf, it seemed. As Lace handed over the change the elf’s eyes remained mostly downcast towards the counter. She began to hand over a ten dollar bill when Lace’s mouth ran ahead of her mind once more.
“Oh, don’t worry about it.”
“What?”
“I mean-” Lace rushed to come up with something, anything , that could explain her gigantic social gaffes but all she could come up with was, “It’s on the house.”
Which was not at all subtle or cool. Nor did it really explain why she was giving away a free order to this customer. But the fact of the matter was that she was giving this away because this customer was gorgeous and had tripped Lace up so badly she momentarily forgot how to do her job she had been performing for the last 4 years.
“Oh wow, thank you.” The soft smile on the customer made all the fumbling worth it. Her cheeks raised, showcasing the berry flushed tint underneath her freckles. ( Was that from the cold outside or from the interaction? ) Her lips lifted into a light grin and her hair tumbled gently around her as she bounced her body in contentment.
The elf said something about ‘have a great day’ or ‘appreciate it’ but it fell on deaf ears as Lace’s mind reeled from the last minute and a half, still trying to catch up.
The customer behind Lace was a Tevene man who had stopped in the store a few times. She didn’t remember his name but she did recognize his elaborate and immaculate outfits.
“Hello again, a large iced almond milk mocha,” there was a smile of formulating mischief between the words, “if you would be so kind,” he added. His voice nearly crooned and Lace was drawn to him but for a wholly different reason.
“Of course.” Numbers were punched into the antiquated till that Charter supplied the store with and the bell clanged with its homey chime.
“That will be $4.45 today, sir,” Lace smiled.
“Ah, you don’t give out complimentary pastries to just anyone then? A shame,” The man’s voice dripped with amusement as he chided her with no true ire.
“I uhm- I-” Lace panicked, at a complete loss for words with a blank mind and a plummeted stomach. She watched as the elf moved through the café with ease until the bell sounded indicating her departure, back into the chilly Umbralis air.
The man laughed, jarring Lace back to grounded reality, and his flawlessly groomed mustache tugged across his upper lip as he threw his head back in humor. “Oh, to be a beautiful and enchanting elf earning her free drinks,” he sighed. “Ah well, worth a shot regardless. Here you are.” He handed over the money and went to wait for his drink, the smile still lingering on his face.
Today was going to be a long day if Lace couldn’t snap back soon.
***
Lace was completely zoned out staring blurrily at the twinkling lights that adorned the café. It was the eve before Satinalia and instead of being with her family she was here in town working. Her family had all decided to go back to Orzammar and see her grandparents, but Lace wanted to continue saving up for her own place, and both Charter and Dagna wanted to go out of town for the Holidays so Lace agreed to stay behind and help the café.
No one had stepped foot in the store in almost an hour. Lace had already sent Sera and Cole home for the evening about half an hour ago, insisting they go and spend time with their friends and family. Now it was 5:45, completely dark outside, and Lace was considering closing up 15 minutes early to go home to some cocoa and movies when the bell rang and the door swung open with a gust of frigid wind that entered the store. Lace shivered behind the counter, momentarily annoyed at the customer for letting in the chilled air.
She looked up to see a mass of hair and freckles, with tawny pointed ears peeking out. Immediately she righted her posture and sharpened her vision, wanting to see the image now standing in front of her with full clarity.
The elf’s hair was still wild and curly but now was sparkled with snowflakes on every strand, looking very much like stars against a deep background. She cursed under her breath as she stomped her feet on the small mat, ridding her slim boots of the snow, and shook her head, swaying her hair all around her head before she carded her fingers through it, pushing it back revealing in their entirely her multitude of freckles and her green face tattoo.
“Fenedhis lasa, I’m so sorry to be that customer I swear. I know you guys are about to close and it’s fucking Satinalia I promise I won’t be a huge bother.” She stopped to take a quick, sharp inhale and looked up, recognition shining on her face. “Hey, you were the one who gave me the croissant! That was so good. I was actually hoping you had some left for me to pick up today... I have to go to this family thing and my parents didn’t tell me to bring something until the last minute, of course. Well, my mom heard me raving about the drink and pastry so she told me to come and pick them up and ugh, here I am. I am so sorry again.”
Lace really tried to listen, lost as she was admiring the woman who was babbling in front of her. The woman seemed to go through every emotion during her story and Lace was quite frankly intrigued, enchanted, and all together lost to the rest of the world.
“No, no, you’re totally fine. We actually have some left. How many did you need?”
“I’ll take whatever you have. Seriously.”
Lace paused for just a beat.
“You probably think I’m joking, but I’m not,” the elf followed up with all the seriousness that her words suggested.
Lace laughed out loud at that, shaking her head in fond exasperation. She didn’t want to focus on how familiar it felt, how the gesture was as natural as walking home after a long day.
“Oh, I can see that you mean business. All the croissants we have, coming right up! I already turned off the milk warmer, otherwise I would make you a hot cocoa for the road.”
“You don’t have to do that. You didn’t have to give me the croissant the other day for free either, y’know.”
Lace couldn’t help but admire how good this woman seemed, even from the small interactions they had shared, Lace knew without a doubt that this woman was truly kind-hearted.
“I just like doing things for people who seem nice.”
“I hardly said anything, I’m not sure how nice I seemed.”
Lace was looking down into the case, fiddling with the tongs, trying to grab and carefully arrange the pastries in the box so they wouldn’t become damaged. She considered deeply before replying, “You said please twice.”
She only remembered because she played it over in her head on repeat for days, trying to remember every moment of the interaction, accidentally memorizing it and burning it into her mind forever.
“Did I?”
“Yeah.” Lace looked up to meet the elf’s eyes. “I remember.”
The look on the elf’s face warmed into something tender and Lace was entirely overwhelmed by it. She had no other choice but to look away and begin placing the pastry boxes into a large bag for transport, lest she make even more of a fool of herself infront of this gorgeous person.
“Hey, I’m uh Marin by the way.”
Lace jolted her head up, having misheard. “You’re married?!”
“No, no oh my gosh. Uhm, I’m Marin. My name is Marin and I like mumbling apparently.” The elf, Marin, gave a clearly awkward wave and Lace couldn’t help but be utterly charmed. This woman didn’t even have to attempt to be charismatic and Lace felt like a true hopeless romantic in that moment.
As the bag transferred hands, fingers brushed gently. Lace’s fingers warm from the coffee machines and cozy café atmosphere, Marin’s fingers chilled from the winter weather, joining together to create a juxtaposition that sent a shiver up Lace’s entire arm.
“Thanks again. Maybe this way my mom will be happy with something that I’ve done for once!” Marin laughed sharply, a contrast to her self-deprecating words. Lace felt her heart drop towards her stomach but at the same time worked on formulating a reply that could not only ease the conversation, but potentially create a positive turn of events.
“In case you need a distraction from your parents tonight I could give you my number and you could vent to me, maybe?” Lace offered. She likely sounded desperate. It was Satinalia afterall, and she was alone and this stunning elf was going to spend time with her family and probably a partner, considering how gorgeous and kind she was and Lace began wondered why she had even bothered-
“Actually, that sounds lovely! They really can get to be a bit… much.”
This time Lace noticed a new emotion in her, something much more somber. Her face must have reflected her realization because Marin immediately changed her demeanor into a more defensive stance.
“No. They’re great! I mean. They’re my family. I shouldn’t complain. It’s Satinalia and it’s horrible to complain when I’m fortunate enough to be able to spend time with them and-”
Lace cut her off. “Hey. Don’t apologize.”
She leaned over the counter to pull a short strip of receipt paper from the till and a permanent marker from the cup and with careful handwriting she wrote out her name and number and tucked it securely inside the bag next to the boxes.
“Not all families are great and perfect. And every family has got their stuff. However you feel about it is valid. And like I said, I can provide a distraction at least,” Lace replied.
Lace offered her what was, ideally, a reassuring smile. Reassuring, and pretty, she hoped.
“Well, a distraction, and croissants.”
“Hah, of course, yes. Thank you so much again.” Marin pulled out her phone just to jolt, causing her hair to bounce around once more. This time, a smell wafted off of it and reached Lace’s nose, even over the faint lingering scent of coffee and bread. It smelled of patchouli and warm musk and something like velvet, Lace thought. It was the perfect compliment to the scent of the café and she missed it as soon as it dissipated.
“Fenehdis look at the time! It’s 5:57, I can’t believe how long I kept you. I’m so sorry! Please, go home! Enjoy the rest of your evening! Oh, Happy Satinalia, of course!”
She left the store with a glance back and a wave and this time the chill of the door didn’t bother Lace quite so much.