Chapter Text
Eliza POV
The winter chill nipped at her nose. She huddled further into her scarf before stepping out into the crisp air. Closing the door behind her, she looked around. The concrete clouds added a chill to the air and her breath came out in little puffs of white, which quickly faded into oblivion. Hunching her shoulders she marched towards the bus stop, the frost crunching under her feet. Smiling softly at an elderly man and his dog as she passed, she headed down the hill, crushing leaves underfoot as she went. Early December, she decided, is her favourite time of year. The chill of winter sets in which makes the weak sunshine so much more beautiful, the leaves on the ground (and the ones still resolutely clinging to the trees) are still vibrant and best of all, the specials board at her local café changed everyday. As a regular, the entire serving staff knew her order by heart, however they'd learnt that trying new things was something she enjoyed doing in the winter. She had in the past fancied herself as a member of the team, but her distinct lack of people skills made the unfortunate decision that, perhaps, she'd be better behind the scenes, elsewhere. She had decided to focus on her studies. She was currently attending Kings College University with a partial scholarship, her father paid for the rest. It was a well-known fact that the Schuyler family was a wealthy one so it came as a surprise to no one that her father could afford to send all three of his daughter to university. Despite his strange political stance he did believe in equality and in educating women- a view certainly instilled in him by his daughters. Waiting in the chill for the bus wasn't nice but the reward at the end was.
The bell jangled as she walked in, smiling and relishing the heat of the café. The freckled barista, John, was serving a short queue and she joined the back of it, stretching onto her tiptoes to see the specials board. A spiced lebkuchen latte was on offer. Reaching the front of the line she grinned at John. "Miss Schuyler! What can I get you today?", he grinned. "I'll have the, um, lebkuchen latte please. Oh, and a cake pop." He laughed, "Coming right up 'Liza!" It always managed to surprise her that he could engage in a regular conversation, maintain eye contact and simultaneously make the best coffee this side of the Hudson.
The door crashed open and the bell clanged wildly. They both turned around to stare at the short man who'd entered the café. A hurricane would be a good way to describe him Eliza thought, a natural disaster. He was swamped in a large grey sweater, his windblown hair was tied up in a messy bun and on his hands he wore odd gloves- she turned around to catch John looking as if he'd been winded.
Storming up to the counter he slammed his credit card onto it and started talking. "I need something strong, preferably with enough shots to kill me but if you can't manage that then 5 shots will do. I'm pretty sure I've got a can of red bull in here somewhere. Ah there it is! Sorry, you must think I'm mad. Well. I am, but more of an angry mad than an insane mad. You see, i was just debating with a man who didn't believe that white privilege is a thing. It's totally a thing! Oh, sorry, am I talking too loud. Sometimes i get overexcited is all, it just infuriates me that people like him actually exist! Right. Sorry. Volume. I'll, um, stop now..." He trailed off. John continued to stare at him like he'd hung the moon in the night sky. Eliza coughed gently snapping John out of his reverie. "Yes. Right. Coffee coming right up, Mister...Mister Sir... Five shots was it?"