[ OPEN ]

[lethechained]

Who: lethechained and OPEN to passersby/latte lovers/coffee buffs/just about anyone, really
When: Any day (or multiple days!) between or including IC date 6/11 to 6/16
Where: A coffee shop in the Shopping District
What: Latte foam art and coffee shop AU shenanigans, mostly. Someone’s gotta keep Naminé busy at her new job, right? Feel free to request specific subjects for said art or let her think of something on her own.
Rating/Warning: None!

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[ A. ]

[The shop is cute, cozy and pleasant with the smell of coffee so thick in the air that it’s nearly enough to give one a caffeine high all on its own. The sign says there's a special on lattes with a little side note about them including custom art, whatever that means, and plenty of space to sit and wait should one decide to order said beverages – or any other, for that matter. There’s a young blonde girl who can’t be much more than five feet tall bustling around behind the counter, so surely it won’t be long before--]

[Ah, there we go, she’s turned to read off the name of the owner of the most recently made drink. Her voice might be a little quiet for it, but surely one would recognize their own name, right? (Or whichever one they happened to give.)]


[ B. ]

[It’s gotten a bit slow lately, so instead of wandering around in the other part of the work area, that same blonde girl is at the register, regarding anyone who looks even remotely likely to come and order something with a passive sort of interest, whether they’re inside the shop or outside of it.]


[At least she’s attentive? Even if she might be staring a little. (A lot.)]


[ C. ]

[Everyone’s gotta take a break, right? That’s what this young lady seems to be doing – she’s still dressed for work – while sitting at one of the tables, sketchbook laid out in front of her as she draws away with a set of colored pencils. She might, in fact, happen to be sketching several of the customers. She also appears to have an only lightly sipped at drink in front of her, and it’s… actually water, ironically enough.]


[ D. WILDCARD ]
[Choose your own (coffee-related) adventure?]

Comments

[lethechained]

Really. I'm... starting to think maybe the worlds that I know are smaller than usual, if there are so many different people in yours. [As for that other bit--] Oh...! [That is pretty romantic, or something, but Naminé probably wouldn't recognize it even if it were. Still,] That... actually makes a lot of sense. [Theoretically dead things, underwater, it works. All the mermaids she knows of weren't exactly supposed to associate with humans or go near the land, which probably excludes most ghosts, too, though now that she thinks of it perhaps that's different in Sirena's world.] I wondered what sort of place they'd have in common, but I see it now. Did you grow up underwater, or...?

[And gosh, the compliments are fast and furious today, aren't they? Flushing slightly, Naminé can't help but smile. Warmly,]

I think I like your reason better than the real one. [What a sweetie.] Yours is beautiful, too. I-- imagine it would look nice on paper, if it were spelled right. [Guessing at the spelling since it got botched earlier (which is why it comes to mind at all), but she's pretty certain of her assessment.]

[iseaghosts]

You fin so? It's not round where you're foam? [ She doesn't think of the possibility that the globe might actually just be smaller. ] Yeah, I did, at least half the time. The ghost side of my family and the mermaid side doesn't get along very well except for when we're swimming.

Yeah, it's from the sirens that drowned normies at sea.

[ That's totally cute, right? ]

[lethechained]

Round? Mm.... [She tilts her head, as though this requires some consideration. What must her worlds look like--?] Some of them are sort of round? But not all of them. [A beat.] One of them's inside a giant whale, so it's a little hard to tell. I don't think he's round on the inside.

[Or would the outside whale bits count as it automatically not being round? Questions for the ages. Anyway,]

Really...? That's a shame.

[-- Wait. Wait. That last sentence seems to catch up with her all at once and she blinks, looking momentarily-- puzzled.]

... What are 'normies'?

[That's the part you catch onto, Naminé?!]

[iseaghosts]

Ooooh, inside a whale? That sounds like fun!

[ Honestly, she really thinks it does. ]

Aren't you one? Someone who's not a monster.

[lethechained]

It might be if you don't mind stomach acid and the squishy floor. [A beat.] Or getting eaten.

[Dead serious, though she says it idly enough. (In retrospect, that probably means it would be fun for Sirena, since it's unlikely that the floor would be an issue for her.) It's that other bit that seems to trip Naminé up, however, and for a good moment or two she looks completely unsure of how to answer. Does a Nobody count as a monster? Admittedly, she's tempted to say it would. But that doesn't matter much when she's not eager to explain what a Nobody is in the first place, so she lets out a late, slightly pitchy,]

Oh. [Her recovery time has been getting better - she doesn't falter long before saying,] Sorry-- I wasn't sure what you meant. I've never heard them called that before. [The rest of it beginning to catch up with her, her voice is more bemused than it otherwise would be when she continues,] That's... sad, then, that a bunch of people drowned.

[iseaghosts]

It's okay, I fin it sounds cozy.

[ That's. Only Sirena who thinks that though. ]

Then, what do you call those who aren't monsters?

[ Hmm? ]

Well, we don't do that much anymore, it's kind of mean since we're trying to get along better.

[lethechained]

[You know? At this point, Naminé's not really surprised.]

Maybe it would be, for you. There's even a shipwreck inside his mouth - although there isn't very much water, and I'm not sure it would be any fun to swim in.

[Humming thoughtfully,]

We don't... really have a word for that? At least, I don't think there's one. Most people where I come from aren't monsters. There's one world I know of with skeletons and ghosts and zombies, but I never heard them call non-monsters anything specific.

[Not that they don't, necessarily - she just hasn't heard of it. To the last part, she falters like she might say something else, then just tucks it away and says instead,]

I'm glad, then. That does sound like it would make getting along harder. Why... did it happen in the first place?

[iseaghosts]

[ She nods enthusiastically at the thought of the shipwreck and the swimming. She's been swimming a lot in her life, she can swim in anything. ]

Beclaws we all used to hate each otter. That's why it's still difficult to be a hybrid like me.

[lethechained]

[(Including whale spit?) Looking genuinely taken aback, Naminé blinks at her. The 'difficult' bit is concerning, but that's hard to investigate without first asking about the other part.]

Why would you all hate each other--?

[iseaghosts]

[ (Probably) ]

Ummm, beclaws everyone didn't understand each otter.

[lethechained]

[(But would it be enjoyable or just really gross? That's the question.)]

I... suppose I can see how that would happen. [Not that it makes it any less awful, and she frowns.] Still, that's-- unfortunate. But it's better, now? What changed?

[iseaghosts]

[ (Not gross to Sirena) ]

Yeah, it's better. But ummm, I don't know.

[lethechained]

[(No accounting for taste - but more power to her.)]

Huh. [Admittedly she's curious, but that hardly seems like a good topic to delve into.] Well... maybe it doesn't matter as much now that we're here, but I'm glad that it is.

[iseaghosts]

Fright? Maybe in the future no one will give us weird eyes for being hybrids.

[lethechained]

[A little smile.]

I hope so. [She counts herself lucky that no one can tell that she isn't normal; it's easier that way, even if it does feel a little dishonest at times. There are good reasons, though, for her to keep her mouth shut.] ... People don't give you trouble here, do they?

[iseaghosts]

No, it's been good here so far.

[ Speaking of good, she's not feeling too hot right now.

Caffeine crash in 3... 2... 1... ]

M jus' gonna take a lil' nap for a min...

[lethechained]

[Naminé looks relieved to hear it.]

Good. You--

[-- Oh. Blinking,]

Sirena? Are you okay...?

[Impromptu naps are generally Not a Good Sign.]

[iseaghosts]

[ She sinks down on the counter to lie on it, her coffee about to spill next to Naminé as she blinks tiredly. ]

Hmmm...? Yeah, m, bookay...

[lethechained]

[-- Naminé reaches to steady the cup automatically, careful not to let it spill, though she continues to regard the other girl with open concern.]

'Bookay' people don't usually take naps in the middle of a coffee shop...! Did you get enough sleep last night?

[Coffee, Naminé, coffee--]

[iseaghosts]

[ Naminé is pretty much holding one of the culprits in her hand. ]

Yeah...? I slept plenty...

[lethechained]

Then what...?

[Pretty much. She doesn't seem to realize that, however, until a moment later, when it occurs to her--]

-- You might have had too much to drink.

[iseaghosts]

But I've only had... [ She tries to count on her fingers, which means she's letting go of her coffee again. ] How many's it again?

[lethechained]

[WELP good thing Naminé's there to keep hold of it, lifting it up a little so she can get a better grip and keep Sirena from drinking it.]

'Like three', I think. [If she recalls correctly from earlier, which she likely does.] ... But if you can't remember, that probably means you should stop.

[iseaghosts]

Mmm, m'jus gonna sleep for a bit, 'll be fine...

[ Her tail moves lazily as she hangs over the counter. ]

[lethechained]

[Yeah okay people are definitely staring--]

Maybe not on the counter--? Let's-- get you to a seat, or something, and then you can sleep all you want...!

[Please Sirena don't make her carry you, she probably can't.]