Chapter Text
Jessa slumped into her office chair. The emotions of the characters were reflecting back into her, becoming a drain on her energy to work. Only a few more pages and the fans may finally stop hounding her about the MC’s canon love interest. She rubs her face to rustle up and berate the past self that thought a reverse harem story was the right way to go, especially in THIS genre?!
“I need a coffee.” She breathes out, splaying her arms high above to stretch her shoulders and back. She is rewarded with some satisfying joint cracks and tension releasing. The cafe she was planning to go to wasn’t too far away, so she didn’t need to get completely dressed up. A quick squeeze into some jeans, and warm half-zipped up hoodie was the outfit additions she settled on, along with her snug wrist support she wore to prevent carpel tunnel. Purse, keys, phone, and head full of fictional drama and world building. Time to go!
The cafe was moderately busy, though with mercy was staff accordingly. Jessa could tell the queue was moving at quite a pace, soon finding herself at the counter. The slim fox behind the counter gave a polite but tired smile.
“Hey Jacob, I’ll have my usual please.” She already had her reward and bank cards at the ready. Jacob grabs a disposable cup and sleeve, scribbling her name down as well as a few quick ref notes for the drink.
“Coffee with milk, caramel and a choc dusting.” He responded in a monotone voice of the hard worker, punching in the selection, swapping the rewards card and setting the reader to payment. “Shouldn’t be too long, Kraol is on fire today.” Kraol is the tall Hyenid further along the counter, managing to juggle two different orders simultaneously. Jessa thought she spied the yeen trying to squeeze a third order into the routine.
Jessa Joins the small crowd at the end of the counter, heads bowed in prayer to the rectangle of captured attention everybody owned. She used her time to glance through her socials. A couple fellow artists were having an intentionally bad art throw down, filling up most of her Hootling timeline. She came back to the present hearing Kraol calling an “-essa” to the counter. She had a moment of tunnel vision, nearing bumping into another woman.
“Ye, that’ll be me!” “Thanks darling!” Jessa and the other woman stop in pace with each other, looking to each other in confusion.
“Uhm, Tessa?” Kraol looks between Jessa, and the sheep anthro. Her face is a deep brown, with fluffy white wool framing her face, Her eyes are a mustard yellow with the recognizable Caprinae shaped pupil. Cascading down the back of her was straightened lavender dyed wool from the top of her head, a few bangs intentionally resting over her forehead. She is dressed just as casual as Jessa was, with a loose for a wooly sheep t-shirt with an indie band logo and navy blue tracksuit bottoms, with matching tracksuit jacket tied around her waist. Kraol had put the drink down on the counter to not lose her rhythm.
“That’s me.” The sheep woman picks up her drink, making her way to a table. Jessa couldn’t hep but blush over the moment, inwardly screaming to herself to pay more attention, but also marveling at how pretty the woman before her was.
“Jessa!” Kraol was back with Jessa’s drink. She is shaken from her second zoning out, collecting the drink from the yeen. As she turns to leave, the sheep waves for her attention. Jessa falters for a moment, feeling the blush on her face again. “Tessa” seems to notice, giggling softly as Jessa approaches.
“So, ‘Jessa,’ you come here often?” Tessa has a playful smirk on her face. “All’s wool that ends wool, as they say though.” She leans forward, resting her muzzle in one hand, using the other to sip from her beverage. Jessa notices the ref notes on the sleeve are identical to hers.
“Well, ‘Tessa,’ I come every other day or so.” Jessa can’t help her attention be drawn to Tessa’ eyes. She also feels like she’s being a dork of nerves, so attempts to go on the offensive. “I must really need more caffeine to miss you walking around.” Give her a wink, that’ll be the right signal, right? Jessa shrinks into herself internally, recognizing that she is completely up a paddle without a creek. Tessa smiles more, holding back a small laugh.
“I’m Theresa, lovely to meet you.” She set down her drink, and offers Jessa her hand for a shake.
“Jessica.” She takes the hand, and politely shakes it. “I am surprised we haven’t crossed paths before if we’re both regulars here. I see we also have the same taste in coffee.”
“Always best to keep it simple, I find.” Tessa examines the cup, returning to regard Jessa. I’m normally here in the afternoons. Need to get a boost to keep up with my friends online after a long day of staring at a screen with line after line of text, and seeing the same clips over and over again.”
“Oh I know the feeling.” Jessa leans forward, nerves set back to speak more calmly with a kindred creative. “I needed a refill today because the scene I’m working has got so much drama up in the air, it’s intense.” Tessa’s eyes flick over to Jessa’s wrist support, a moment of worry on her face.
“Ooh, you’re an artist? Sadly I’m more somewhat the enemy of the artist, being a reviewer by trade.”
The two women settled to chat as they slowly drank through their beverages. Tessa finished hers, but Jessa’s managed to go unfinished and cold. The unsavory taste made Jessa check the time, coming to the forlorn conclusion that she had spent nearly two hours in the cafe. It saddened her hat she’d need to leave.
“So listen, I know we only just met, but seem a lovely person to get to know.” Jessa started, Tessa giving a knowing but polite smirk. “Maybe I could get your number, and we can maybe plan to bump into each other another time?” The heat returned to Jessa’s face as she spoke.
“That sounds lovely. Trade phones a second?” She pulled out her own phone, and loaded up the contacts list for Jessa to add hers, and Jessa did the same. She briefly gets cold-feet, but having the other woman's phone in hand made her keep going. ‘The Other Coffee Shop ‘Essa’’ is what she put down as the contact name.
They traded back, both getting up from their seats to dispose of rubbish and make their way out. Jessa’s phone was already locked when she got it back, which she hadn’t thought to do herself. It meant she would have to wait to see what Tessa had put in her contact field. They stepped out and to the side of the cafe door.
“Well I’m going this way, how about you?” It was only now that Jessa noticed that Tessa was roughly the same height as her, maybe an inch taller than her 5’9” self. Following behind her, she had noticed Tessa’s lavender hair reached just below her shoulders.
“Sadly I’m the opposite way.” Jessa fidgeted a little in the street. “It was lovely to meet you, perhaps properly since we both come here.”
“Don’t keep a girl waiting, would you?” Tessa gives her a smile and a wink, and turns to leave. Jessa takes a moment to watch the sheep walk away before turning herself home. Somehow home felt further away now.
*Kuh-thunk* The door closes behind Jessa, and she lets go of the breathe she has been holding the entire time. She feels weak in the legs, flumping against the door and sliding down to the floor.
“I’ve never looked at anthros for attraction before, but goddamn she was soo pretty.” She speaks out to no one in her single occupant apartment. Her gaze falls forward as she goes a little more limp, and notices something horrific. “Oh god, nooo.....” She clutches the top that she was wearing on full display in the cafe. Scattered around the edge, were a dozen splatters of sauce. Food medals. The realization sinks into her core and weighs her down like the gravity of Jupiter, making her flop to the side and curl up into a ball. “I’ve been talking to a beautiful woman this afternoon covered in the food stains of the past couple days...... aaaaaaaAAAAaaaaHHH!!”