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Tendo Choi is not a fussy man.
He's a man used to taking orders, used to running around after people, and used to dealing with an unfortunate amount of incompetence with the skeleton crew of technicians they have left in the Shatterdome after the budget cut. He's used to doing many things at once, of having to be in two places at once because everyone needs him to do everything and--you know what?--he doesn't actually mind all that much.
No, generally Tendo is not fussy. There's usually no time to be fussy. But there is one thing that he absolutely won't have, not with all the things he already has to deal with.
That thing is bad coffee.
'Now what you're used to,' he explains patiently to an uninterested looking Herc Hansen, 'is that slop they serve you in the mess hall. Mud water.' Tendo raises a finger and an eyebrow at the same time, stopping Herc who had opened his mouth to say something. 'Don't try and tell me "it's not that bad" you and I both know that is a heinous lie.'
Herc assumes it's easier to get this lecture over and done with rather than interrupting and crosses his arms over his chest expectantly. He had come to Tendo to run over some evacuation protocols to ensure they were still up to standard. He had expected to be in and out of the LOCCENT fairly quickly, so when Tendo has asked him if he had wanted a cup of coffee while they spoke he had absently answered that that might be nice.
Well.
‘The secret to a good, proper cup of coffee is the beans. Freshly ground beans. And the beans themselves have to be fresh, too.’ Tendo goes on, with the flair of an academy lecturer. He holds up a bag and grins like a child on Christmas day. 'Fresh beans.'
Herc can't help but smile slightly as Tendo turns away to pour some of the beans from the bag into the grinder. Few people were able to raise spirits quite as well as Tendo; he often did it unintentionally, simply with a cheerful smile or an idle compliment or joke. Now, Tendo whirls to face him again, turning the handle on the ancient looking grinder as he grins. 'After this you'll never want that mess hall muck again.'
'As long as once I have this magical coffee we can get down to business.'
'Mmm, don't scoff until you try it.' replies the technician as he turns away from Herc to presumably do something with the ground coffee and the vintage piece of machinery by his desk that he's so proud of. No dinky percolator for Tendo Choi, oh no, he has a machine that looks like it could spit out fifteen coffees at once. Herc doesn't doubt that it can. 'I offered the Marshall a cup of coffee once and you know what he told me? That he preferred tea. I suppose some people do like their flavours watered down after all.'
The coffee machine by Tendo's desk--not the main terminal of the LOCCENT which the man so often occupies, but the smaller, nondescript desk in the corner scattered with papers and scribbled notes and more than a couple of coffee cup rings on the surface--makes an alarming whirring noise that has Herc sit up a little straighter in his chair. The thing honestly looks ancient, and he wonders if it even still functions properly. It goes from whirring to making a bizarre gurgling sound, and Herc becomes more concerned that it might blow up in Tendo's face.
But the machine doesn't, and Herc has to admit that the smell wafting from the steaming cup that Tendo produces when he turns to face the Ranger again is very enticing.
'Cream? Sugar?'
'Black's fine.'
'Good. Ruins the flavour, anyway. Here you go.' Tendo hands him the cup and crosses his arms over his chest, staring expectantly at him. Awaiting his reaction, his approval or disapproval.
Herc feels uncomfortably under pressure.
He lifts the cup to his lips and takes a careful sip, wary of the temperature. It does indeed feel almost... somehow more substantial than the coffee from the mess hall, and the flavour is rich and strong. It even looks better, the liquid dark as ink. Herc's brow arches slightly in surprise--a pleasant surprise--Tendo might have a habit of exaggerating some things to get a rise or a laugh out of someone, but in this situation there may have been some truth to his boasts.
Unfortunately for Tendo, Herc has spent most of his years being an awkward military dad who doesn't really know how compliments work so he clears his throat and nods slightly, raising the cup in Tendo's direction. 'This is... yes, it's a pretty decent cup of coffee.'
The technician wilts slightly at the response, or rather, lack thereof. 'Would you prefer tea?' he asks, his tone slightly barbed, a little hurt.
'No, I just... we really need to get to work on these protocols and, uh...' Herc feels a little out of his depth and takes another sip of coffee to avoid having to come up with an ending to that sentence, too quickly this time, flinching as he scalds his tongue.
Tendo frowns at him for a moment, then offers him a plate of bagels. Herc gingerly takes one and the technician sets it down again before turning to the antiquated coffee machine to make himself a cup too, sighing. 'Sure, sure. Let's get to the evacuation protocols.'
Evacuation protocols are boring but straight-forward, and the two men work through them in record time. Tendo is pleased to see that by the time Herc is tucking the papers back into the file he pulled them from, his cup stands empty on the desk beside him. Herc may not know how to praise a good cup of coffee, but Tendo feels that a cup of coffee, emptied over the course of a conversation--though certainly not after it has gone cold--has done its duty.
Still, he feels a little miffed about it even after Herc leaves, and he fixes himself another cup.
'Hey, Tendo?' he glances up at the sound of Raleigh's voice, seeing the blond leaning in the door. 'Seen the Marshall?'
'He's down on the main floor at the moment,' Tendo replies, then 'hey, Raleigh!' he holds out the cup he has just refilled and grins slightly. 'Coffee?'
Raleigh lights up; he's been exhausted since arriving at the Hong Kong Shatterdome and coffee is just what he needs. 'Thanks, man.' he takes the cup and downs an appreciative gulp, not seeming to mind the temperature and letting out a low groan of satisfaction. 'Whoo, some things never change. Tendo Choi still makes the best damn coffee I've ever had the pleasure of drinking.' he winks and carries the cup off with him as he goes looking for the Marshall.
Tendo grins broadly, and turns to give his coffee machine a fond pat.
'Damn right I do.'