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In a small cafe tucked away on a side street of New Delsta, away from the overbearing urban bustle, two women sat together sipping on their drinks and enjoying each other’s company. A gentle spring rain fell, giving a comforting background pitter patter to the blended murmur of patrons’ conversations.
“This is nice, isn’t it?” Castti Florenz asked her companion. “Such a nice, quiet cafe.” She sipped her coffee, savoring the bitter taste and feeling of warmth coursing through her body. “And such an invigorating blend of coffee!”
“…Yeah, it’s nice.” Castti’s companion, Throné Anguis, replied, eyes shooting left and right, covering the entirety of the cafe. “Floor plan’s a bit too open for me, though…”
“Throné, you really need to relax. You’re FREE of that life now.” Castti smiled motherly and placed a hand on Throné’s own. “You can just enjoy a simple day out with me.”
Throné sighed, and carefully sipped her drink: a non-caffeinated tea. She didn’t like caffeine, it made her knife hand jittery. “Hmm… the tea is good, I’ll give them that.”
“Try the scones, too. They’re delicious.” Castti said, sliding a plate of blueberry-laden cookies over toward Throné. “You can never be sad with a scone in your hand, that’s what I always said!”
“Mmm… these are good.” Throné mumbled, then finished off the cookie quickly, following it up with a sip of tea. “But why did you want to go here with ME in particular? I’m sure Ochette or Agnea would be better company.”
“Well, Ochette, bless her heart, doesn’t have the… palette to enjoy tea and scones, and this place does not serve meat. And Agnea… I love Agnea, but the girl is about as unsubtle as they come. I prefer to just sink into a corner table and watch the world go by.” Castti said, smiling wistfully.
“Ah… and so do I.” Throné replied, a hint of a smile crawling on her face. “We’re two grapes in a bunch in that way.”
“Exactly. I’d take Osvald, but… frankly, he’s a grouch! Not much for conversation, you know?” Castti said with a laugh, then put on her best Osvald impression. “..........................Coffee’s weak.”
“Heh. And Temenos is the sassy gay friend who’d spend the entire time critiquing people’s outfits!” Throné responded, brightening up a bit.
“See? You get it.”Castti smiled happily, sipping her coffee again. They sat together in silence for a few more minutes, watching the people as they milled about, before Castti broke the silence again. “I came here with Malaya a few times. Before Healeaks happened…” She dropped her head a bit, staring into her cup of coffee. “I still miss her.”
“Were you two… close?” Throné asked, quietly. She knew that Castti liked women, but her past had either been an enigma or a sore spot for her as long as Throné had known her.
Castti smiled. “You could say that. I think most people would consider the toe curling passion we got up to pretty ‘close’. You could also say we went at it like rabbits whenever we had the chance, if you wanted to be a bit crude.” She giggled. “I hope that doesn’t ruin my maternal facade overmuch.”
“No, I never really saw you as a mother figure.” Throné said, her mouth tightening a bit. “The only one I ever knew beat me.”
“Ah. Right.” Castti said, feeling awkward. “If only we could salve our mind’s wounds as easily as we do our body’s.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Throné said, holding up her cup. “Here’s to two screwed up ladies, trying to find their way along.” Castti clinked their cups together and they both took a sip. Hmm… eh, screw it, might as well see what she says.“Hey Castti. Have you given any thought to… you know… dating someone else?”
“Hm. Here and there. Haven’t found anyone interested yet, though. Agnea’s straight as an arrow, tragically, and Ochette… whatever her preferences are, she doesn’t seem interested in romance. And I think Hikari would be SEVERELY offended if I even THOUGHT about him as anything CLOSE to female, considering all he went through to be himself.” She took another sip of coffee. “I am glad I got to help him, though. Distilling testosterone supplements is a difficult trick. I was surprised he’d done as well as he had.”
“He’s brave, I’ll give him that. I’m still afraid of getting close to people after everything that happened to me.” Throné said, grabbing another scone. “I think I might need someone who’ll take care of me and help me heal.”
Castti raised an eyebrow. “Throné, that was remarkably unsubtle of you.”
“Hey, you know what Partitio says. You miss every deal you don’t pursue.” Throné said, sipping her tea again. “And, frankly, out of everyone I know, you’re definitely my favorite.”
“That’s sweet of you…” Castti said, then thought for a moment. “And you know what? Yeah! Let’s give it a shot! If it doesn’t pan out, we can still be friends, and if it DOES, then clearly we made the right choice!”
“Good. I was a bit nervous there.” Throné smiled a bit. “Did you see the new tattoo I got with Agnea the other day?”
“No, I never did. Do you mind?” Castti asked, curious.
“Check it out.” Throné rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm. Where before, a single snake coiled around her arm, now two snakes coiled around a healer’s staff– a caduceus symbol.“Lucky you decided to give it a try, or I’d’ve felt PRETTY dumb.”
“You were confident.” Castti said with a smirk.
“I read people pretty well.” Throné responded.
“Well, you’re not going to be seeing MY tattoo… in public, anyway. I’ll leave you to wonder where it is.” Castti replied, grinning as she saw Throné actually blush for once.
“I suspect this might be pretty fun.” Throné said, smiling at Castti.
“I hope you’re right.” Castti replied, taking Throné’s hand. “So we can make sure life is worth living.”
“Yeah. That’s the best way to honor everyone who didn’t make it.” Throné nodded.
“Exactly.” Castti leaned over and kissed Throné’s cheek, then sat back down. “So anyway, I was thinking we could try this tea cake next…”