--- cafe

@Hayley Atwell [So sorry for the wait. My must is hit or miss lately and I just have not been able to write. That's also why my reply won't as long. Sorry again.]

It had been a week since his last photo shoot. A week and he still was in a creative slump. Normally he'd be pumping out sketches by now, but no. This time, he couldn't come up with anything. Nothing was helping either. Not nature. Not fire. Not even his sister threatening to douse him with water. Of course the last one he didn't actually believe but he was grateful she was at least trying to help him. Downing the rest of his juice, he got up. He had a meeting this morning, so even if he'd wanted to just sit at home and sulk, he couldn't. His new line was coming out in a few days and it was the most anticipated one yet.

After putting the cup in the dishwasher, he grabbed his umbrella and his bag and headed out. He knew it wasn't supposed to rain, but when you were weak against water, you were always prepared. As he walked deeper into the city, he got lost in the throngs of people which he didn't mind. Really he didn't even notice them. The truth was he felt lonely. After some of his past deeds, he was never really sure where he fit in. It didn't help that his parents had never been there when he was learning how to control his powers. Sighing, he paused and looked around him when he felt someone observing him, but he didn't see anyone. Shrugging it off, he went into a building nearby. It was a luxury hotel, but on the smaller side. He had to talk to the manager.

@Kwon Jiyong The real estate market was drier than a desert during a heat wave but that hadn't stopped Hayley from looking for a permanent place to set up shop. Unfortunately, it was also summer and the temperature in the city was near boiling everywhere; even the Noctis District. The she-wolf had spent another day looking at what few properties they had up for sale which were zoned for both business and residential and had come up short. Now exhausted and gross, she made her way into the closest place which would offer the two things she sought more than virtually anything else: air conditioning and coffee.

A bell over the door signaled her entrance but Hayley was already moving straight for the line by the time it would stop jingling. The cold air was refreshingly brisk against her skin and the smell of the coffee beans roasting away somewhere immediately brightened her demeanor as she took her place at the end of the queue. Her dark eyes wandered up to the menu to see what they had on special even though she already knew. It was a habit that was hard for her to break but she figured the other customers would prefer it to her looking at them. Unfortunately, she could only stare at the familiar words for so long before she began to scope out the interior.

There was no telling who or what she would find in the city and she welcomed almost all of it but as she saw a face among the crowds she was somewhat disturbed even if she didn't know why. The visage was not outright familiar but something about it caught her attention as well as some distant feelings of unease. It was like a dream that had dissipated with the dawn and just at the edge of her consciousness, a mystery, and she found herself staring more than she would have liked had she been aware of her actions.

@Oh Sehun The meeting at the university was long. It was already 2pm when the meeting ended. Jiyoung immediately went out from the university as she doesn't want to be reminded about the meeting they have earlier. It was the weekend. Earlier she had a jog, now was the time for her to chill after burning brain cells from earlier. She went inside a cafe and immediately ordered a Green Tea Frappe to chill..

@Ahn Heeyeon To the caster, Heeyeon seemed like the kind of person who was quite open with her thoughts. Whatever was in her mind, was in her lips. And he could very well see that she had not intended for him to be embarrassed, by her questions. He assumed that she asked them, cause she was genuinely curious about things. He let out a chuckle when he heard her reply to his earlier statement. "Thanks for the compliment. And I'm relieved that I don't look like a murderer. But that is the truth- this is my first date ever." He answered, a vibrant smile still adorned his lips. What she said next, put him- both by surprise and humor. "Fire? Did he do something to deserve it? Just wanna make sure that I don't get in your bad book."

"Yeah, exploring new things always surpasses reading. I do enjoy an outing once in a while when the weather is sunny and favourable. They teach me new spells that I could try. Half of the magic I can do is through spellbooks, the other half- I have come to learn myself." Sehun said the second statement with a quasi-smug smile. The caster realized that the faerie made him smile, a lot, even when he was supposed to be sweating his shirt out with nervousness. "It's only a saying that means that I cannot dance at all. Just think how much worse I would be at dancing if I really had two left feet." The thought made him smile to himself as he pictured himself swaying about with two identical feet.

@Oh Sehun Reading expressions wasn’t always Hani’s forte but she guessed that her line of questioning made him feel at least a little bit uncomfortable, something she often did without intending it. She felt guilty for fumbling so much with what should be simple things but she wasn’t very good at stopping herself from speaking either. An apology was on the tip of her tongue as she heard his confession and blinked at him almost in disbelief. “Really? But you’re very good looking and you don’t seem like a murderer. Why no dates?” Came the questioned before she could even think enough to keep it to herself and it didn’t end there. The faerie shrugged her shoulders as she looked at him, somehow not at all embarrassed by what she was about to say. “I’ve only been on one date and I set him in fire so...”

“I don’t read much because I’m usually out trying to do something. Do your magic books just teach you things?” Hani asked glancing at him with her usual warm smile “I do love to dance. Don’t know if I’m any good at it but I like to do it and that’s enough for me. Are your feet really both the same way? That must be confusing when buying shoes.”

@Ahn Heeyeon Sehun gave out an embarrassed smile as he heard her question. He hadn't really thought it through as he spoke out his mind. To be honest, he really had no idea what people did or did not do on dates, nor did he know if they got what they wanted most of the time. This was his first date ever and now he wondered if it was botched up already due to his quirky self. "I wouldn't really know." The caster confessed, coyly. "I have never been on one before." His ears turned pink as he gave her that piece of information. "It's not just lettuce in particular. I have never liked green leafy vegetables, even as a kid. My mum always said, that's the reason I look so pale." Although his cheeks had picked up a light shade of red at the moment.

"I love reading. Probably coz books were the only company I had most days, growing up." He replied in a soft tone, accompanied with a small smile. "Usually I read books about magic. But I do enjoy a good story." Looking at the bright smile that she gave, he got the motivation to speak up and put his anxiety aside for a while. "Not really. I've been told that I have two left feet and couldn't dance to save my life. What about you? Do you like dancing?"

@Oh Sehun “Is that lucky? Don’t most people generally get the things they really enjoy when out on these date things?” Hani inquired earnestly, genuinely curious if such a thing was truly that rare. She was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the whole concept of doing something together even if neither really enjoyed it. “What is it about lettuce that you don’t like?”

The faerie nodded and smiled warmly at the waitress as she came over and took their orders before disappearing into the back with them; leaving Hani and Sehun alone once more. For some reason she began feeling a bit more nervous again and tried to hide it by folding her hands in her lap as they spoke. “So you like to read a lot or do you look at pictures or something? What kinds of books do you read?” She asked brightly, doing her best to try and get to know the young man. He had some interesting suggestions about the city but she wasn’t that interested in branching out just yet. “So you don’t like dancing if you don’t go to the club?”

@Ahn Heeyeon Sehun watched as the faerie grinned when he suggested waffles. She must really love it, he deduced looking at her happy face. "We must be very lucky then. I get my favourite treat and you get yours." He listened attentively as she talked about the variety of food she'd had so far, and it was a lot, he thought with a smile. "I'm fond of bacon myself. Lettuce, not so much."
He gestured the waitress to come and take their orders, "Let us start off with our favourite treats, and later we can decide if we want anything else." The caster gave their orders to the girl and brought back his attention to the faerie in front of him. "That's good to hear, except for the heat and the smoke part. I certainly hope that it gets better with time." He provided an assuring smile to her and answered to her query, "At the risk of sounding too geeky, I would say, the library is one of my favourite parts of the city. It has an amazing collection of books. The promenade is a wonderful place to be, then there's the beach. If you are like dancing, the club seems pretty decent too, however I haven't been there myself." The male paused to think of places he might have missed. "The drive-in theater and I have a feeling that you would like the amusement park."

@Oh Sehun Sharing the apple pie seemed reasonable because she didn’t yet know if she liked it but it was the waffle suggestion that made Hani grin from ear to ear. “That’s a good idea! I am surprised they make waffles here since waffles aren’t like these other things.” She answered with a nod of her head before returning her attention to the question he posed. “You mean like food? It would take me a while to name everything but for you, I will try! I have had France Fries, hamburgers, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, eggs, toast, bread, and ummm those little bread things that go on the lettuce.”

“So far everything is good. It’s different from home but not terrible. Except when the heat and smoke happens.” Hani replied somewhat vaguely even if she knew what she meant. “Do you have any favorite parts of the city I should see first?”

@Ahn Heeyeon Sehun had gone through the entire menu card and decided that he might as well get himself a chocolate pastry. Come to think of it, he really had a sweet tooth, when it came to delicious desserts. When the faerie asked him if she should get an apple pie too, he was delighted that she had wanted to give it a try. "How about we share the pie and you can also get some waffles for yourself. Like that, if you don't like it that much, at least you will have something you like too. What else have you tried since you've been here?"

Her statement put his mind at rest and he couldn't help but chuckle as she shrugged off his worries in an amiable joke. "I'm relieved you feel so. Although, if you need any company while you decide to explore different places that Atlantis has to offer, I'd be happy to offer my service." He said, giving her a friendly smile. "How'd you like it here, so far?"

@Oh Sehun If Hani was being honest, she had no idea where they were going and about five minutes after they left the museum she was completely lost. He seemed to be in good spirits though and so she did her best to not let him down, making sure she stayed beside him as they walked through the city. Eventually they made their way to the cafe and the faerie could practically taste the sweetness as she smelled the delicious baked goods withing, making her smile brightly. "So I should get an apple pie then?" she asked as she followed him to the table and sat down, looking over the options he had presented.

The apology he offered was almost lost as she tried to sound out all of the words on the menu but she paused to offer the caster an encouraging look. "That's okay. If I need a tour about boring stuff I can do that on my own." she reasoned with a nod. "No need to drag you along too."

@Ahn Heeyeon When they finally reached their destination, Sehun's face emanated a huge grin, thinking about the sweet concoction he had to look forward to. He looked at the faerie with a bright smile and opened the door to the cafe for her, letting her go before him. Finding a table for two, both got seated facing each other, as the caster looked around the place. "I have been here only a couple of times before. They serve very good apple pies." The male informed his companion, giving a pause before speaking again, "But, I think their waffles are also quite delicious if you'd like that." He gave a look at the menu card- giving her time to do the same- hoping to find something extra that he could have.

Sehun hoped that the faerie was having a good time, feeling regret that he couldn't give her a complete tour of the museum. Their trip had been cut short and he wondered if she had wanted to look around some more. "I'm sorry that we couldn't take the entire tour to the museum. Perhaps, you had wanted to do that." He said, in an apologetic tone.

[post deleted by owner]

@Wong Yuk-hei "Oh, good." The angel was relieved, and that was evident in his expression, even from the light that caught in his eyes. It was only that relief which kept him from ogling the man he had come to meet with-- even though he knew that was far from proper for a first official meeting. He slid the offered chair back enough to seat himself at the table and rested back only slightly. The muscles in his back tightened and twitched, as if a flurry of sinew, hollow bones and muscled dressed in dove gray feathers might manifest themselves if he were to breathe wrong. That would take the moment from not ideal to some untold sub-basement he wouldn't think into existence.

"Oh, of course." He bowed his head, revealed the length of his coiffed hair where it lay at his nape, and looked across to Yukhei as he lifted his head. "I am Jungsoo. Not the prettiest name, but it does the trick. And," when he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled, revealing the fine age lines of his face that so easily hid beneath his makeup otherwise, "the pleasure is all mine. You haven't happened to order already, have you?" His groomed brows rose as he turned his attention to the chalk menu board hung high behind the counter. "It wouldn't really be going out for coffee if we didn't order something. Then it would just be... going out."

@Park Jungsoo When Jungsoo waltzed inside the cafe, it seemed as if the world had halted to witness the male's entrance with bated breath. Every creature, regardless of how gigantic or minute, was deemed as God's children. However at this moment Yukhei understood what humans meant when they said that the Creator in heaven had his favourites. The existence of this celestial being was substantial amount of evidence. The mellifluent voice poured like warm honey inside his eardrums, almost like casting an enchantment. His inky orbs follow the movement was Jungsoo's perfectly manicured fingernails taking a plunge inside his soft brown hair that looked golden since it caught sunlight cascading down the strands. 'Come back to your senses, you idiot!' sneered his self-consciousness, finally breaking the reverie and seconds later his composure gradually crumbles. Promptly, he got back on his feet and greeted the male with a small nod while his right hand clamped around his nape as a sheepish smile slips from his tiers.

Yukhei gestured towards the empty chair adjacent to his own and waited until his companion to take his seat. "Oh no, you weren't late." He replied in a low tone with a hint of raspiness (his throat felt parched for some reason), clearing his throat again, he added, "Please don't worry. I only arrive a a few minutes early. Although, we have been acquainted, I'd like to have a proper introduction. Pleasure to meet you, I am Yukhei."

@Wong Yuk-hei "Just breathe," Jungsoo consoled himself as his slim but short fingers wrapped around the door handle. The moment the door moved within its casing, the strong, warm but acidic smell of freshly brewed coffee intermingled with the scents of late spring that had wreathed his path. He took the first step inside, head slightly bowed, making his diminutive stature all the more apparent in spite of well-formed limbs and the purposefully simple clothing that he wore. It wasn't until he stood upon the polished floor of the cafe, the faceted tiles catching the natural light that still spilled through the plate glass, that the aesthetician caught sight of the man he was meant to meet.

"Yukhei," he breathed the name out, and breathed in the scent of the cafe. Though he had only seen a still photo to place with the name, it was enough for the angel to identify him. The only discrepancy he could find was that he looked far more regal in person than a single picture could convey. He knew in an instant that he should have expected it.

Smile. Not too wide or else the wrinkles will show. Stand up straight. Should have worn inserts. Don't. Just. Stand there. Jungsoo chastised every facet of himself before he took the first step toward that table situated near the window. He could have offered himself another dozen complaints if he took a second longer, but self-loathing could wait. He lifted a hand. The light caught his neatly manicured nails, reflecting shades of purple, green, and blue from his oval shaped talons before he buried the digits in his hair, combing through blonde highlights scattered amongst his soft brown locks. He smiled and a single, deep dimple appeared beneath the corner of his mouth at his left cheek. "I'm not too late, am I? I mean, I didn't keep you waiting tok long, did I?"

@Park Jungsoo Semblances of discomfort contorted the chiselled countenance as he sauntered atop dark concrete pavement, bespeckled by the light drizzle which had poured thirty minutes prior. Ah, but there was a reason for his uneasiness. The long-calloused fingers self-consciously plunged within the thick mane who natured midnight black had been lightened and frosted with shiny sliver, seemingly earning some attention while the Phoenix's neck swooped down further as possible. Sable orbs held lambency of the sunshine reflected from the passing stores' windows. They trained towards the weathered state of the path beneath where a spurt of flora arose from the cracks in between the grey tiles. With the earphones plugged in- the humdrums of surrounding liveliness is muted by the songs of his choice of artists complied meticulously in his personal music library, of course, with the help of his co-worker since the concept of smartphones are far more complex for his simpleton brain to retain.

Initially puppeteered by his modelling mentors, the male has adapted a somewhat of a poised aura however, that certainly doesn't avoid a stumble nearly colliding his nose with the cafe's door. Clearly his throat to swallow his awkwardness, Wong Yukhei stepped in his favourite outfit comprising of his self-tailored kimono jacket with a border of embroidered white swans, plain t-shirt and pleated wide pants paired with leather loafers. He looked around, filled with anticipation and dread in equal measures. When he didn't spot a familiar face his lungs deflated to release a relieved sigh knowing that he'd arrived in time, maybe even earlier than promised hour. Welcomed by the succulent aromas, Yukhei finds himself a vacant table near the window where one could catch the clear views of recently installed vibrant yellow and pink blooms. Minutes later, his person of interest visible behind the glass door. Yukhei simpered, the seam of his ripe lips tugged at a corner while he watched his companion in amusement. Fingers weaved together and elbows propped on top of the circular wooden table while resting his chin on back of his hand, he waits.

@Wong Yuk-hei Coffee was not the top of Jungsoo's list of favorite things. But a handsome man asking him for the pleasure of his company with coffee featuring in the plans? For that he would do anything. He left the spa early in order to make sure he didn't miss Yukhei, rather than wait for a walk-in to magically appear. His painted nails plucked at the fabric of his shirt, fussing with the drape of one side as he tried to look casually cool. Casually cool, unfortunately, was not something that applied to an angel who had witnessed half of recorded human history. If he ever told the truth about his age, at least. "Stop, stop," he muttered to himself as his hands smoothed over the front of his jeans, adjusting the thick denim while trying not to chip the holographic finish he had painstakingly applied the night before. He stopped before the door, his hand shaking as he reached for the handle. "Pull yourself together, Jungsoo. It's just a coffee."