Coffee and Books [Open]

[Kyle Shibata]

The scent of freshly ground coffee always calmed him down. Kyle emptied the coffee grinder's contents into the appropriate box. The Arabica blend was pretty popular now, although lots of people still liked Ethiopian blend better. Kyle didn't have a favorite blend, really. He loved all kinds of coffee for different reasons.

Shakespeare and Co. was quiet this morning, even though it was a Saturday. The gloomy weather must've contributed. Not a lot of people went out of their houses when the weather was like this. Kyle leaned back against the counter, behind the coffee bar and crossed his arms over his black apron. Someone was bound to walk up and ask for coffee. In the meantime, he could do some thinking.

A lot had happened over the last few days. He'd awakened to a Persona, gotten in trouble at the cemetery, was found by Phoebe and that little punk, Tristan; he'd gotten dragged off by Phoebe to get explanations and after a long night, he'd figured out what was going on.

We're penned up like cattle, eh...? he thought, frowning. Fuck if I'm gonna sit on my thumbs while that's going on.

Problem was, he had no idea where to start. For now, he'd have to concentrate on his regular work. He eyed the clock. It was early, so he didn't expect many people to be coming in yet. Hisako Kitani really insisted that he prepare the coffee bar early though, so he got back to work with that.

[Zhou]

Outside of the warmth of the coffee shop, the weather was indeed most ferocious, as sheets of ice cold winter rain fell from the sky like tiny  frozen arrows, pelting pedestrians with an endless volley. Some sprinted through the rain as if their life depended on it, others raised newspapers over their head and made dashes for shelter, and others still lifted up high their umbrellas, having been prepared for the torrential rainfall. T'was quite the sight to behold, surely, from within the warmth of many of the district's shops and business fronts, people scurrying around to avoid the rain. However, some people were completely unaffected by the rain, those that were prepared for it, and those whom simply did not care if they were drenched, out in the cold. One of the latter folk was making their way down the sidewalk on a fast route towards the warmth of the coffee shop, a green hood pulled over their head, originating from a long coat that made it difficult to see what they were wearing beneath. The figure that was heading for the store was far from tall, standing at a mere five feet, six inches, the person seemed to take their time, doing little more than making a hurried walk for the door. The smell of rain came in with the person, fresh, odorless, yet electrified somehow in how it hit the nostrils. Standing over the welcome mat, the figure's unaffected movements soon stopped, as it started shivering indoors, moving to pull it's hood off.

Things were growing incredibly dull around the Yuan household to a point of near mind warping proportions. The tedium. Constant, gnawing loneliness and the sense of boredom had driven him out of his home, away from the lonely household. There was no fear of repercussions for his actions, for having left abruptly...everything was secure, as it should be. Bases were covered, things were put just as they needed to be...there was little for him to do, few people to talk to. No rehearsals, no further contacts, no interest in placing his neck on the line to head to the outer circle, no...not yet. Here he was, standing in the middle of a coffee shop, freezing to death out of the sheer spite of being kept alone for the longest time...what had only been a few days felt like millenia. There had to be somewhere to go, anywhere but home. Somewhere to warm his bones, get to play for a bit...well, at least in the meanwhile, he would have something to keep him going, some coffee. Not the largest fan of the brew that ever existed, the young Chinese man that had ran into the shop to slip out of the rain was no stranger to the rush of caffeine, partaking in it only when needed, or there was nothing to drink around the home. With a deep breath, he cast the hood off, turning his attention to the barista, wearing a smile upon his face.

Before young Kyle, stood a man that was the very picture of a lively youth, baring a grin, seemingly just happy to be out of the rain, away from home. With a gentle, calm voice, he began to speak, "Oh, am I ever glad you're open! It's freezing out there!" Stepping closer to the counter, he ran a hand through his own messy white hair, and rested one hand on the back of his neck as he looked up at the coffee, scanning through the menu over the bar with his hazel eyes. "I...well, I guess I'll have a mocha latte...for here." Bringing his attention down to the man whom stood behind the counter, he wormed one hand into his pocket to fetch what little money he had...the guy in front of him was certainly a gruff looking fellow, but, he didn't seem to mind as he pulled out the exact change for the latte, still sporting that smile. "Slow day, I'd imagine, but you'd think there'd be a few more people like me running in." A little small talk didn't hurt, now and then, but, the short teen before him was grasping at a few straws, it seemed. Awaiting his latte, he simply stood in place, occasionally glancing outside, and at a few items on the drink menu.

[Kyle Shibata]

Kyle'd been milling over his own thoughts when someone spoke up. Ah, customers. He'd almost forgotten. Despite the shitty weather, some people did go out and about. He pushed off the counter and collected himself. He put on his usual calm and well-adjusted exterior.

"Hey. Welcome to Shakespeare & Co. This place never closes for the weather," he said nicely. "Have a seat." He indicated the bar stools in front of the bar. "One mocha latte, coming right up. Do you want a biscuit or a croissant with it, or something?"

He started making the aromatic brew and looked the kid up and down. He looked a little bit weedy-- well, no, he didn't actually. Kyle just had this bad habit of putting people down mentally when he was worked up. The kid looked alright, except for his weird hair. Kyle supposed it was dyed or something.

He kind of wished someone was around to deal with the kid as a customer. If the kid asked him about books, he'd be a little lost. He didn't have the gift of gab, really, and he wasn't good at recommending books. That was Phoebe's department. She picked out almost perfect books for people and Kyle had no idea how she did that.

Trifles, Sitri snorted.

Shut it.

He could manage some small talk. "Eh, sort of slow. It's early," Kyle sighed, operating the coffee machine. "People don't usually go out in this weather. Anyway, we don't really get people coming in until after lunch. You here for a book or something, by the way?"

He spoke in a friendly way and tried to keep himself relaxed. The kid seemed like he was just out for a little conversation and interaction. He poured the mocha latte in the shop's signature black mug and topped it off with a little whipped cream and chocolate shavings. It was, as usual, another masterpiece. If there was one thing Kyle could always count upon to help him talk, it was coffee.

"Mocha latte."

[Zhou]

As the barista went about brewing the latte for him, the boy slipped off his drenched coat and gladly followed the older man's suggestion of taking a seat. Placing the coat on a stool to his right, he leaned over a bit, obviously cold from having spent hours out in the rain soaked streets. Whilst his attention occasionally drifted back to the fierce weather outside, he mostly found himself looking about the room, resting his gaze upon the books now and then, when his train of thought was apparently interrupted by the barista speaking to him. Snapping back to reality, he soon spoke back "Sorry, I...well, I'm not too hungry at the moment." Seemingly embarrassed due to the fact that he hadn't been paying attention, he scratched the back of his head, smiling nervously for a moment, before returning to a grin that seemed to always be fixed upon his face. Placing one hand upon the bar, the boy seemed to have his gaze drift over towards the books, but, that was a given...the shop had quite the selection, apparently, as the boy almost immediately knew what to pick, when asked.

"Heh...actually, yes, I'd like to see the 'The Art of War', if you don't mind...and yeah, I can see why. Personally, I didn't even want to be out in that mess, since the weather's just plain awful." Having warmed up enough to stop shivering, the kid's jovial attitude had calmed down somewhat, though, it didn't completely die off. Relaxing at the bar, he grasped the mocha in one hand, taking a sip before his eyes lit up brighter than a neon sign. "Oh my god...this is fantastic!" Chocolate, caffeine, and the wonderful aroma of the brew had gone to the boy's head for that wonderful moment. With his smile getting a bit wider, he continued to occasionally sip on the brew, only stopping to speak once more. "Sorry for getting excited, but wow..." At that moment, the boy realized he still had some whipped cream on his upper lip, quickly, he wiped it away while looking away for just a moment. "S-So...I've never really been to this district too often." Initial embarrassment aside, he did seem rather relaxed.

[Kyle Shibata]

Kyle smiled a little proudly. Of course the kid would react that way -- everyone loved his coffee because it was always a damn good cup of coffee, whether it was a humble espresso or a mind-blowing caramel macciatto with hazelnut sauce. As far as Kyle knew, he ruled coffee in Mosaic City.

"No worries, kid," he said and chuckled. "I make good coffee and I know it. Eh Golden Alice is pretty solid overall. Decent if you're after some diversion but it's better when the weather isn't so crappy. Anyway, the Art of War, eh? Hang on a sec."

Kyle went to the far side of the coffee bar and hailed over one of the clerks. Pity Phoebe wasn't around. She was good at dealing with books, he was best sticking with the coffees. "Hey Taka, go get the kid a copy of The Art of War, Sun Tzu. I think Hisako-san brought in a shipment of annotated copies last Tuesday."

The clerk shrugged and nodded, then headed off to fetch the book for the young man. Kyle returned to his post and went to take the order of a pretty girl who'd just come in. He smiled a little. At least she was polite enough. "Hey miss. One espresso, coming up," he said coolly and got the espresso machine going. The smell of Arabica coffee wafted in the air as the machine hissed and chugged a bit, before sending forth a stream of aromatic, dark coffee. It would be a perfect, rich blend with just the right kind of bitterness and the proper amount of 'kick'. "Can I get you anything else?" he asked, while serving.

[Deleted]

"Nothing else, sir. Just a cup of espresso would suffice." she responded. Another guy named Taka was getting Zhou his book about some kind of Chinese philosopher. While Kyle was serving the espresso, she took out one of her novels she got from home and read silently to herself. At least, the man had thought her to be polite unlike any street punk that happened to stumble upon the shop. She wondered where was Phoebe in all this. Maybe she was working somewhere in the bookstore. From what she heard, the shop was right next to the bookstore as if she didn't know already. Interesting turn of events so far with the librarian and the barista working together at a bookstore and coffee shop.

[Kyle Shibata]

Kyle eyeballed the girl a little. Yep, she was looking around, probably looking for someone. He could guess, a little bit. Most people who wandered in came looking for Phoebe, for her famous 'Perfect Book Recommendations'. Heck, even he appreciated her picks. Phoebe knew her stuff about books. She was way better with dealing with customers than he ever was -- not for lack of effort. Phoebe was cripplingly shy sometimes but she did her best and pottered around the shop taking orders and fetching books. She had to hide behind stuff like that to get on with people. He mostly had to hide how angry stuff made him.

"If you're looking for Phoebe, she's not in today," he offered to the girl helpfully. "She's stuck at her other job. I don't have her gift for book-pickin' but if there's something in particular you're looking for, I'll be happy to have a look."