Work Text:
Treading onto a local cafe may have seemed like a good idea at first, but it's quickly becoming one Columbina is regretting.
She's heard this place before, of course. Supposedly, not many people come here in the first place due to its strange staff and even stranger location. She's no stranger to eccentricity--that's hardly the issue. She's not even one to drink coffee that much anyways, so the quality hardly concerns her.
It's just that after a full week stressing over her midterms and desperately wanting to rest despite needing to study, being faced with a new environment is overwhelming.
The door jingles as she steps in, and immediately her mind points out all the differences between this place and Lumine's home. Her shoes click against tile floors instead of wooden ones, and the air feels heavy with the scent of fresh pastries and coffee instead of fresh, open air. Unfortunately, as much as she craves for a familiar place to study and destress, it'd be rude to intrude in Lumine's home when her friend is away on some invitation to a Fontanian research conference. So, steeling her resolve, she stumbles between a few tables along her way and goes up to the counter.
She can make out the small hat atop a head of brown hair and the almost furious scribbling the person does on a notepad on their palm. They seem to have their back turned to her, so she calls out slightly awkwardly, "Good day."
"Oh. Good afternoon." They turn to Columbina. Their voice is pitched high enough for her to note it as a woman's voice, and is tinged with absolute boredom. "What can I get you?"
At that...Columbina hesitates. Biting at the inside of her cheek, she squints at the menu for a hint of an idea. She doesn't quite know how to describe lazy mornings with the scritch-scratch of a pen against paper from her good friend, much less on how to condense that into a cup.
She also doesn't know how to describe the kind of brew Lumine often makes for her when sleep threatens to catch her--it's something somewhat mild, with a mellow kind of sweetness that doesn't overwhelm her as much. But she does know it is a type of 'coffee'. She settles with ordering that instead.
The barista notes down her order and her name with a harrumph. Then, she jabs her pen to the side. "There's a free table that's a few steps to your right. Try not to trip while going there."
She pauses. "Um...thank you."
Still, seeing as there's no one next in line to her, Columbina decides to linger near the counter anyways. The barista gets to work, her movements flowing smoothly as she fiddles with a few tools and a cup. It doesn't take long for a steaming cup to be placed on the counter. "You seriously had nothing better to do?" she says. "Well, here, take it."
Columbina takes a small sniff. The cup emits this strong and heavy scent to it, but it also smells...warm. Like the essence of the earth with the warmth of sunlight. Or maybe it's a hint of caramel that she's smelling. It's quite pleasant, but the drink itself has a dark color that borders on threatening. She carefully lifts the cup to her lips and takes the tiniest sip.
It's bitter.
She coughs into her hand, gingerly setting the cup back down. "Can I return this?"
"What?" The barista, who seemed to be busy with her notepad again, turns back to her and crosses her arms. "What's wrong with it?"
"I...don't like it."
"Why not?" She picks up the cup and inspects it closely. "It's not like you gave me much detail on what kind of coffee, so this is regular drip. What, did you want it brewed with a Fontainian press, a pour-over, an espresso..?"
Columbina tilts her head. Is coffee supposed to be that complicated? None of those words in that order made any sense to her at all. "I mean, it's bitter," she says simply.
The barista...stares at her.
"It's bitter," she says, setting the cup down. She takes a deep breath in. "You walked into a cafe, ordered a coffee, and you complain that it's bitter."
"Yes. Is there something wrong with that?" She remembers saying something similar to Lumine, and it was quite a simple fix back then. "Or do you simply not know how..?"
"Hey, I know how to do my job, lady."
"Oh." That made sense. At the very least, she seemed to have a better idea than Columbina has in terms of coffee. So, she gestures back to her cup. "What do you think about this, then?"
The barista keeps staring at her. "I think," she says firmly. "that you need to reconsider your life choices."
Columbina is still troubled. She knows that she should be more responsible about her sleep and study schedule, but alas she's on her last stand on how to keep awake to get through the boring ordeal of actually studying. Lumine probably has her phone turned off for the conference, and with no other idea in mind, she walks back in the same coffee shop.
She has...a plan, of sorts. Though whether or not it actually works is up to chance.
As soon as she walks in, she hears the barista at the counter greet, "Good aft--oh." Then her tone of voice shifts from cordial customer service to tense. "It's you."
Columbina smiles at that and approaches the counter. At this point, her plan seems to be halfway guaranteed to working. "Good afternoon to you too," she says. "It's nice to see that you remember me."
"What, and that means we're friends now? I'll have you know that you're probably the customer with the most audacity that I've met."
She leans against the counter. "But you do remember me."
"Unfortunately," she mutters under her breath. Then, louder still, "What is it this time? Are you going to order a glass of water and complain it's too 'bland' this time?"
"No."
The barista raises an eyebrow at that. "No?"
"Instead," Columbina says. "I need your help to find a cup of coffee that's...tolerable for me to drink."
She scoffs. "And what makes you think I'll--"
"Unless," she tilts her head. "you don't think you can do it?"
"I'll do it," she snaps. "Go sit down and don't disturb me. It's time for your taste buds to actually be cultured for once."
Columbina takes a seat. It doesn't take long for a steaming cup to be set down in front of her, emitting the same heavy scent as before, but this time with a slightly sweet undertone to it. As she moves to pick up the cup, she notices something drawn on the surface.
"Oh," she says. "It looks pretty."
The barista crosses her arms, lingering by the table. "Well? Go on, try it."
She takes a careful sip from the cup. It tastes slightly creamier, but the strong taste still weighs heavily on her tongue. She gingerly sets the cup back down, a small cough on the palm of her hand. "It's nice, I think."
"'Just nice'?"
She shakes her head. "Sorry. It's...a little too strong for me. The drawing is very pretty though."
"Of course it is," she says, sounding a little proud of herself. It's a little cute. "Latte art is hardly a challenge to pick up anyways. Though, can I ask you a question?"
Columbina tilts her head, pretending to weigh her choices. "Only if I can ask one in turn."
The barista scoffs. "Why even order coffee if you obviously don't like it?"
"It's not that I don't like it. I do drink it sometimes but...I think my friend just makes a very specific blend," she says.
"Must be nice having a personal barista."
She smiles, amused. "Unfortunately, my 'personal barista' has business of her own, and I'd like to be awake while tending to my projects," she says. "Can I ask you a question now?"
The barista raises an eyebrow at that. "You can ask." The 'doesn't mean I'll answer' is left unsaid.
"Is it alright if I keep troubling you like this, Miss..." She squints at the name tag. "Soldron?"
"That's Sandrone to you." She scoffs. Then, she thinks about it. "...You do realize that it's your own money that you're wasting anyways, right?"
"Of course," she says.
She nods solemnly. "Then we have a deal."
The next time Columbina goes to the cafe, she finds a dog resting by the door. Even while sprawled out on the ground, the absolute fur ball blocks almost half the pathway to the shop. He raises his head when she slowly approaches him, his floppy ears perking up the slightest bit.
Fluff, is all she thinks before crouching down and offering her hand for him to sniff.
A few minutes of head pats and ear scratches and belly rubs later, Columbina opens the door. Strangely enough, more people are seated inside but, as usual, a very bored-looking Sandrone mans the counter.
"Whose dog was that outside?"
"Huh?" She blinks slowly. "Oh, that's...Pulonia. He's my dog. Kind of."
"He's a very good boy."
"He is." Then she moves to reach for a few things and starts getting to work. "And he probably asked for a few pets if you passed him. Go wash your hands. As much as I take care of him, I do not want his fur anywhere near the coffee."
"Okay. I'm looking forward to what you're making."
Sandrone only responds with a grunt, already busy fiddling with the buttons of some machine.
After walking out of the bathroom with cleaner hands, Columbina finds a cup waiting on the counter for her. Or at least, she assumes it's for her. The slip of paper that's written with Sandrone's chickenscratch handwriting merely says 'Customer: Columbia' as a small hint.
"I wasn't aware that you serve coffee to entire countries now," Columbina says amusedly.
"No." And she can practically hear the eyeroll Sandrone gives her. "Only to bumbling idiots who are too thick in the head to know what coffee they want."
She tilts her head. "Is this because I read your name tag wrong the first time?"
"No," she says firmly, in a tone that betrays exactly how petty she's feeling at the moment. "Shut up and drink it."
As she picks it up, she finds that the drink itself is cooler than she expected. Columbina gently cradles the cup in her hands as she seats herself at the table closest to the counter. Upon taking a closer look though, describing it as a 'drink' might be slightly inaccurate. The cup itself holds a generous heap of something white on the middle, surrounded by a moat of brown coffee. Curious, she picks up the small spoon set on the side and pokes the white mass.
And it's...ice cream?
"Well? How is it?" Despite trying so hard to feign nonchalance, Sandrone still looks over to her table anyways.
Her lips quirk the slightest bit, amused. Then, she carefully scoops up some of the ice cream and eats it. "It's nice," she finally says, savoring the sweet and simple flavor of vanilla.
"You're literally just eating the ice cream. At least try it with the coffee."
She scoops up some of the coffee and brings it to her lips--and almost recoils from the taste. It feels spicier and more smoky, for some unknown reason, and the taste is heavier, almost overwhelming her taste buds. She lightly coughs into her hand and tries again. It tastes better when she samples a bit of ice cream and a bit of coffee on her spoon. The coffee mellows out and doesn't feel as heavy as before, and the simple sweetness of the ice cream has an added depth to it.
"I like it," she finally says, going for another scoop.
"...Good. That's good." Columbina pretends not to hear the small sigh in relief in Sandrone's voice, and tries not to react when she comes closer. "Though, it's probably not what your friend makes for you."
"Definitely not," she says. "But it's nice all the same. Are you not going to explain this one to me this time?"
Sandrone blinks at her. "It's called an affogatto. It's just...coffee and ice cream."
Columbina hums, not quite satisfied.
"The coffee itself is made from a dark roast of coffee beans from Sumeru. And even I find it a bit strong sometimes." She harrumphs. "Thats what happens when you have a huge student population trying to stay awake for 72 hours."
"Hmm. I see." She idly swirls her spoon around the cup, watching the coffee turn brighter as the ice cream slowly melts into it.
She watches through a window as the sky starts to cloak itself in gray clouds. Then a heavy raindrop slams against the rooftops. Then another. Soon, it transforms to an actual rainshower.
Sandrone mutters under her breath and rushes out the door. Columbina tilts her head curiously at the sight, and soon enough, the barista comes back inside with Pulonia in tow, his tail a blur from how fast it wags.
Dog, is all Columbina thinks before she's on her feet to approach the dog. But, just as she was about to pat Pulonia...she stops. And watches.
Sandrone is crouched by his side, still brushing off the bit of dampness caught on his fur...with the softest expression Columbina has seen. Her face is usually pulled up in a small and sour scowl, probably from all the coffee she drinks, but now her gaze is tender, her guard let down with a small smile on her face. She looks relaxed, youthful even.
She looks beautiful.
Columbina...blinks. Then she awkwardly clears her throat. "Hello," she says, shuffling closer. "can I pet him?"
Sandrone looks startled out of her daze, before she nods curtly. Pulonia whines a little bit when she pulls her hand away, but then his tail wags again when Columbina scratches behind his ears. He noses at her hand, scooting a little closer, and looks at her with those big, puppy eyes.
That earns a small laugh from Sandrone. "He likes you," she muses, and for a moment her voice almost sounds as warm as the coffee she makes.
Strangely, Columbina's heart stutters in her chest. "I'm glad."
Then, Sandrone sighs. "And he usually isn't allowed in here. Damn it." She turns slightly away, muttering almost to herself. "It's bad enough to not find a pet-sitter, and now it's raining too..."
Columbina hums, and she crouches down for better access to belly rubs. "Well, it's not so bad," she says. "I'm sure no one is going to complain to having him here."
"What if he disturbs someone else, or goes in the kitchen because he's finding me because he's bored?"
She tilts her head. "If that's the case, then I can entertain him. Surely that's reasonable enough with how I'm going to be here frequently, right?"
No response. Columbina turns her attention away from Pulonia for a moment--and finds Sandrone staring at her.
She breaks the eye contact first. "Unfortunately," she says with no real heat behind it.
Columbina smiles, and Pulonia nuzzles more into her hand.
When Columbina goes back again, the counter seems to be empty. She can hear two voices chatting in the back room, one she recognizes as Sandrone and the other being her colleague she assumes, who are chatting loudly about going to some social event one way or another. It's the only reason why Columbina lingers awkwardly by the counter, waiting for Sandrone to pay attention to her.
But, this time, another woman pops her head out first. Although donning a familiar uniform, she's much more taller and much more...generous in proportion.
She smiles widely then calls out to her back. "Sandrone, isn't this the--?"
"Alright, that's enough out of you." Sandrone shoves the woman out of sight. "Go away. You were just whining about how long your shifts are."
"Aw, but surely I'm benevolent enough to help you refill the--"
More yelling and some cackling from her colleague later, and Sandrone finally appears by the counter, retying the apron around her.
"You look more haggard than usual, Sandrone," Columbina muses.
She lets out a sigh. "It happens when you work with an idiot who chooses to work in high-heeled shoes for a shift, but then, who am I to judge?" she finishes with an eye roll. Then, she nudges a cup and a saucer already placed on the counter. "Anyways, here. I happened to see you walking to here, so it should still be warm."
Columbina picks up the cup and scans the small slip of paper placed on the saucer. It simply reads, in horrendous chickenscratch, 'Customer: Clbna'. Or at least, she assumes so. It's amazing that she can even make out some letters out of the small, tight script. She giggles under her breath, before seating herself in the nearest table.
The drink is a lighter brown today, with a few chocolate sprinkles on it. It smells a lot more like hot chocolate too. As she takes a sip though, there is the familiar bitter taste of coffee, though less heavier as it's rounded out by the chocolate mixed in. She hums. It's certainly less heavier than the previous ones she tasted.
"It's nice," she says. She already knows Sandrone is listening in anyways. "I'm not quite sure if I'd drink it again though, since I can simply just drink regular hot chocolate."
Sandrone snorts. "Well, mocha is basically just an adult-version of hot chocolate. I wouldn't say you're wrong for thinking that," she says. "Still, I thought this would be the one. You seem to like your drinks sweeter than I'd take them."
"True. I do like this better than the previous ones." She takes another sip to prove her point. "But the one Lumine...the one my friend often makes for me, it was...lighter? And it tasted a little bit like flowers too."
"Huh...I think I know what you're talking about. I chose a medium roast coffee this time, but I could probably try something else..."
She tilts her head. "I didn't know things like that mattered. Roasts and flavors and all. How come you know so much about coffee?"
She looks at Columbina incredulously. "Would you rather I don't know how to do my job?"
"Hmm. Well, that'd certainly be interesting at least--a barista who doesn't know how to brew her drinks. It's quite ironic."
"Almost as ironic as a woman not liking coffee but ordering it anyways?"
Columbina smiles wryly. "Touché."
But this time, something seems to have changed, something that makes her linger longer than usual. Maybe it's the coffee and how she can almost tolerate it this time, already having taken a few more sips from her cup. Or maybe--most likely, really--it's this woman who intrigues her every time, who makes her look forward to going to the cafe almost every week. Not just for the cup of coffee, but for the company as well.
Sandrone crosses her arms. "What are you smirking at me for?"
"Nothing," she says, raising her cup to her lips to hide her smile.
It almost seems natural, how easily Columbina walks back into the cafe.
The warm smell of pastries and coffee welcomes her as the door jingles when she steps in. The sound makes a familiar furry friend laying on the foot of the counter perk up, and Columbina smiles. Fluffy dog, is all she thinks, before she's coos to him as she comes closer to--
"Please don't give him any pats yet. Your coffee's going to get cold at this point."
Sandrone's voice is familiar now too, though the bored drawl laced in her tone seems to be replaced with something newer. Her version of annoyance, definitely, but something softer as well, something that doesn't quite put that much heat behind her words. Still, Columbina relents even as Pulonia noses at her legs and whines for pets.
Sandrone ignores the poor dog's plight and snorts. "Ignore him. Five other customers already patted him today. He's too spoiled for his own good at this point."
"He deserves it."
"Whatever. Are you going to get your drink or not?"
Sure enough, a cup is already waiting for her at the counter. As per usual, Columbina picks up the small slip of paper, that simply reads 'Customer: Comb'.
She giggles. "At this point, you're not even trying to get my name right anymore."
Sandrone rolls her eyes. "Who said that I ever put some effort on you?"
Columbina smiles amusedly to herself, and wisely decides not to bring up how Sandrone has been willingly concocting various different drinks to help her find the right taste. She seats herself on a table that's exceedingly familiar to her at this point. Pulonia decides right then to rest his head on her lap, and she's more than happy to indulge--though she's careful to keep her drink far out of his reach. The drink itself is a much lighter brown this time, with an almost tea-like scent to it. She takes a careful sip...
...And pauses.
"Oh."
Sandrone immediately perks up behind the counter. "What?" she demands. "You don't like it?"
"No," she says. "I mean...this is it. This is the one I like."
She takes another sip from the cup. It tastes sweet and creamy, with only a hint of bitterness as she swishes it to the back of her mouth. There's even a light floral aftertaste to it. It reminds her of so many afternoons spent with Lumine studying side-by-side.
"Oh. That's good."
Silence. The murmur of conversation from other customers fill the air between them.
"I used a light roast this time," Sandrone finally says. There's none of the snarky tone or rush in her voice when she talks about this information. It makes Columbina furrow her eyebrows together. "I even added an unholy amount of cream and sugar to it. It's way too light for me, but I figured you would like it."
"You're right in thinking so," Columbina says.
More silence.
"So," For once, Sandrone's voice holds a certain edge to it. Hesitance. That's...a first. "now that you know what that taste is, I'm guessing you won't be coming by anymore?"
Columbina stares at her cup. The empty cup stares at her back. She swallows the last of that coffee, and somehow it leaves an even bitter taste in her mouth than before. "I guess so."
"Hmph." She busies herself with wiping off some non-existent dust on the counter, muttering to herself. "Pulonia was just getting used to your company. He started looking forward to coming with me here."
As if on cue, Pulonia lets out a small whine on her lap. Columbina smiles sadly, gently patting his head to make up for it. Then, heart lodged in her throat, she looks up at Sandrone and asks, "And you?"
Sandrone simply...stares at her.
Then a sigh. She takes out her notepad, taking a few minutes to write something down on it, before she offers it out to Columbina. "Here," she says. "If you're going to save some mora, you might as well stop pestering your friend for a cup of coffee."
Their fingers brush together as she takes the piece of paper, and that bit of warmth is enough to send tingles through her entire body. She doesn't know what she's expecting on the paper though--just that, when she does read the details about ingredients and preparation, she can't help the disappointment that weighs heavily on her. "...Okay," she says, and tries to offer a small smile. "Thank you."
Sandrone doesn't say anything, do anything, or even look at her as she leaves.
Columbina hasn't gone to the cafe in a week. She reasons that all the caffeine was starting to mess with her sleep, leading to her dwindling energy at all. In the corner of her mind, she suspects that it must have something to do with a certain someone--someone with terrible patience, with a great breadth of knowledge, and softness lurking beneath her spiky exterior. All the things that Columbina gets intrigued by, damnedly so.
Luckily, Lumine is able to have access to her electronics this time, and thus led to their first call in quite a while by now.
"Oooh, you're brewing coffee? That's a first for you."
"I know," she says, carefully measuring the grinded coffee beans. "You could say that I was recently inspired by a...a new friend I made. I hope you don't mind me using your equipment for now."
"Not at all! I'm just glad it's not sitting there, collecting dust and all," she says. "Though, are you talking about the same woman you kept chatting me about?"
"Yes." Out of boredom, she's quite literally turned her text conversation with Lumine as an online diary while the woman was offline. Thankfully, she doesn't seem to mind.
As Columbina carefully works through the steps and instructions written on the torn-out page, they chat with each other and catch up on life. Lumine describes all the amazing innovations and people she wants to work with over there. Meanwhile, Columbina...really, she only has her time with Sandrone to talk about. And somehow the thought makes her heart heavy. So, she's more than happy to simply sit back and listen as Lumine talks and talks and talks.
Soon, her cup is filled and a sweet aroma fills the air.
"Oh, let me see, let me see!" Columbina giggles to herself and obliges, turning her phone camera so that Lumine can see the cup. "Wow, that actually looks legit. Pretty amazing friend you have there, huh?"
"Yes," she says, without really thinking. "She is."
She sets the phone down so that she can take a sip from her cup. Really, it tastes almost as well as the last time she tasted it. It's just as sweet, just as creamy, with just the right amount of bitterness. But somehow, after a few more sips, the taste soon falls flat, and Columbina is only really mechanically drinking her coffee instead.
Clearly, her silence is taken note of. "Columbina?" Lumine asks. "You good? How are you feeling?"
She bites the inside of her cheek at the question. "I don't know how to...put it in words." She doesn't quite know how to describe languid afternoons spent playing with the loveliest dog by her side and chatting with a hot-tempered woman with the loveliest smile, much less on how to condense that into a cup.
Columbina fiddles with her cup handle and takes another sip. It tastes sweet, warm, perfectly bland.
It tastes...like something's missing.
"I think..." she finally says, treading on new territory. She fiddles with her cup. "I think I like her. And I miss her."
Lumine, bless her heart, already knows who and what she's talking about. It seems she's noticed that Columbina wasn't fully present in their conversation earlier. "So?" she says, not unkindly. "What are you waiting for?"
And somehow, Columbina ends up back here.
It took some more time walking back to the cafe, with how she got caught up with the lunch hour rush. But soon, she's out of the harsh heat of the sun and steps back into the welcoming aroma of coffee in the cafe. There's certainly more people here as well, with a considerable number of them lined up by the counter. The one on the counter is that colleague she barely got a glimpse of, now stressed with the massive influx of orders.
Columbina lingers by the doorway. Where's Sandrone? Was she too late? Though, maybe it's ridiculous to be here. Maybe she's already forgotten Columbina by now, remembering her as just another face in a swarm of customers.
Someone clears their throat loudly behind her.
"Excuse me," a familiar, very dreaded, and very beloved voice says. "you're blocking the way."
Columbina steps away and looks.
Sandrone looks back at her. It's almost strange seeing her out of her usual uniform, but it's not an unwelcome change. A brown turtleneck fits snugly around her neck, tucked neatly into a dark miniskirt with frills and all. "You're back," she simply says. "What, here for another round? Or did you lose the instructions I wrote to you?"
Columbina blinks, now aware that she was staring. This...is really happening, isn't it? Then, Sandrone's question registers in her brain. "No, I followed everything to the letter."
"And..?"
"Well, I did make it. But drinking it without you there...it didn't taste right."
Sandrone stares at her.
Then, the woman scoffs and takes a notepad out from her bag. "You probably messed it up then. Then again, prepping light roasts is hard..." she mutters under her breath, scribbling on the paper.
Columbina stares, a little bit confused, then is startled when another piece of paper is shoved towards her. Is this another set of instructions? she thinks to herself, and she scans the writing on it. At the top, it simply reads, in a much more proper cursive handwriting now, 'To: Columbina'.
Despite her nerves, she can't help but smile amusedly at it. "So all this time, you could've spelled my name right, hmm?"
Sandrone huffs, and...Columbina spies a touch of red on the tip of her ears. She's...blushing? Cute... "Just shut up and read the rest of it."
Columbina hums and does so then...she pauses. Looks back at Sandrone. Looks back at the paper. Then Sandrone.
A date. The piece of paper is an invitation, to put it simply, to a date. Or a hang out. Or--or something of the kind. Columbina folds it carefully, holding it close to her chest, trying not to vibrate from excitement.
"Don't be late," Sandrone says.
Columbina smiles, more genuine this time. At least they'll be seeing each other soon after all.