DUM DUM WONDERFUL SUBJECT LINE ABOUT COFFEE

[amoray]

WHO: Eridan Ampora and Ruka.
WHERE: Some fancy shmancy coffee shop somewhere!
WHEN: Tuesday, 9/6.
WARNINGS: Eridan......,.
SUMMARY: Back in the city, Eridan decides to have delicious coffee that isn't from New Jersey! Ruka decided on the same thing. Then there was awkwardness.
FORMAT: Para to start, whatever Olesia wants after!

Eridan had been waiting on this.

Over the weeks or month or something (he stopped counting days) out in hiding from no apparent enemy whatsoever, he had missed quite a few things. These included proper feelings jams, hip hangouts that recognized him on sight, and good coffee.

So he strolled into his favorite coffee shop, strutted up to the counter without regard for any other customers, and started reciting his order. It was long, precise, and repeated three times in a patronizing tone of voice.

Comments

[dragony]

It garnered him a deserved share of strange looks from other patrons in the coffee shop -- didn't kids these days know caffeine would stunt their growth? -- the darkest of which came from the barista at the register. Her fingers hovered over the keypad on her register, making no move to punch in any of that. She looked far more likely to punch this kid in the face.

"It's fine," piped in a voice from Eridan's left, coming from the girl he had so rudely cut off in line. "He's with me, so you can just add it to mine."

For, lo and behold, Eridan had the good fortune of cutting off one of the small number of humans who knew who he was in the City, and didn't want to kick his ass. The barista huffed out a breath and quickly began punching in Eridan's order.

Ruka smiled awkwardly. "Hey."

[amoray]

Eridan was just about to begin another breathless tirade and demand the manager when Ruka cut him off. He glanced back, surprised.

"Oh, uh... hey. How's it goin', Ru?"

A pause. He turned back to the barista, smothering the moment of awkward unsureness with a bark. "Extra foam."

[dragony]

Ruka gave the barista an embarrassed smile, quickly paying (with an extra ten for the tip--which still probably wasn't enough to make up for Señor Foam).

"Oh, alright, I suppose," she said, trying to hustle herself and Eridan away from the counter before someone got the bright idea to throw scalded milk at them to make them leave. "What about you? I didn't know you were back in town."

[amoray]

Eridan hustled along with her, shooting one last dirty look at the barista over his shoulder. He was going to call the manager later anyway.

"Just got back in the last couple a days, actually." He located the table with the most ideal view, and quickly took a seat before another hipster could. They shot each other dirty, wordless looks, as the man strolled past to another table. It was certainly fun, being in public with Eridan Ampora.

"I'm doin' fine enough, I suppose, aside from Ed's usual fuckin' drama."

[dragony]

Ruka slipped easily into the seat opposite, sparing a glance to the other, taller hipster, before folding her gloved hands onto the table. The whistle and howl of the espresso machine drowned out most other background noise, and if nothing else made it easier to speak without being overheard. Even so, she pitched her voice a little lower.

"Is it getting any worse?"

[amoray]

"Aside from his bein' shady about goin' fuckin' crazy and bitin' folk? Some of 'em quite goddamn royal? Not much different from usual, no."

He leaned his chin onto his fist, leisurely. Spreading around Eddie's unfortunate biting incident never lost its charm.

"Pissin' me off, same as ewer."

[dragony]

As expected, she reacted to the most important thing first. "He bit you?"

Well. It wasn't like the man was rabid or anything, and Eridan didn't seem to be missing any fingers or facial features. She wasn't sure she could imagine Edward Nygma biting someone and taking a chunk of flesh with him as he left. (Except maybe from the person who put him in that hospital, but even then...)

She shook her head to clear the mental image. "Though, it's not surprising he's being secretive about it."

[amoray]

"Take a look for yourself."

Eridan pulled the sleeve of his coat back and showed off his bandaged hand. He'd actually been fine for a long while, which was the secret, but kept the bandage on anyway to be pitied for it.

"A course he won't be glubbin' too freely about it. But that's what he's got me around for."

[dragony]

A tactic that was, unfortunately, very successful. Ruka leaned a little on the table to get a closer look at the bandage, frowning in sympathy. He wasn't (yet) pushing it to the point that she'd grow irritated with a sissy, unboyish attitude, so Ruka had no reason to, for example, jab at the bandage to determine just how bad the injury was.

But she wasn't a healer, either, so there was not much other comfort she could offer besides her expression and a quiet, consolatory apology.

"Of course," she said, looking up once more from his hand. "You figured it out, too."