◗ cafe

@【 ᴄ 】chittaphon l。 He took a small slice using the silver ware provided with his treat, chewing on the soft yet sour substance that collided on the base of his mouth while waiting for Ten to arrive. There may be a mishap with the beverage, but at least the man got his cake right.

Brown pupils set on the cup of tea from the table and for a moment, he stared back at the man's eyes. Not from anguish, but in a way he felt guilty of almost snapping at the man a few seconds ago. "It's alright Ten. Although, I do hope you receive many hours of rest even in this busy life style. Standing around, creating different drinks could really snatch away all that energy stored inside of you."  Blowing off the steam from the cup, Joshua took a sip before settling on the slice of pasty on his plate.

After his short treat, Joshua left his payment and tip on the table, underneath a cup's saucer for any of the waiter's to take.

@【 ᴠ 】joshua h。 The sigh may have surprised Spring more than it should — the poor boy flinched upon hearing the sound.

Fortunately, the customer was patient enough to explain the situation to the boy. Spring blinked, glancing at the cup of coffee he brewed. A soft ‘oh’ left the alter as he realised what the problem was.

“I see,” murmured Spring, bowing his head in apology and embarrassment. “I’m very sorry about that. Please give me a moment to correct the order.”

Spring took the cup of coffee and left. The boy turned to the collection of tea bags, and nervousness instantly settled. He just realised the customer may have ordered a specific kind of tea, but he had no idea what it was.

“Cheshire, I need help,” whispered Spring, hoping the Gatekeeper would at least have an idea on what the stranger asked of Ten.

There was a moment of silence in which Cheshire came near to front to inform Spring the tea blend he was supposed to make. It took a few minutes, the boy drumming the table as he waited for the gatekeeper’s response. Soon though, he nodded to himself and started to brew a cup of earl grey.

“Your cup of earl grey, sir,” stated Spring softly as he returned with the correct order, settling it on the table. “I apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

Spring, being introverted and socially awkward, met the stranger’s eyes for a grand total of one millisecond — then, he was looking away again, gazing at anywhere but the customer.

@【 ᴄ 】chittaphon l。 Joshua couldn't lay a finger whether this man was playing games with him or not, but if that's the case, he'd like to be repayed in full for switching his drink. Wasn't his voice modulated enough for the man to jot down his order? All waiter's keep a notepad and pen in their pockets to remember a customer's order, right? The sudden shift on his candence and personality made him wonder if these are signals to mood changes. It wasn't like he was a professional psychiatrist. The action made him sigh, trying his best to not blow a fit in the cafe and the man.

"I believe you got me the wrong drink. My order is a cup of tea and a slice of strawberry cake." He explained calmly before staring at the man before him, allowing the silence to take over for him to understand. Maybe he's just tired and lost thought of the exact order he needs to fulfill. It's a guess that he'll let go for now.

@【 ᴠ 】joshua h。 Hearing the statement of appreciation, Spring released a sigh. The boy bowed politely before excusing himself. Turning on the balls of his feet, he returned to the counter.

The reaction was not immediate.

Spring did not respond to the call. How could he? After all, that was not him the customer was calling.

It was not until Spring reached the counter did he realise — that was the name of the host.

The customer had been calling for him.

Fidgeting nervously, Spring put away the tray and returned to the customer’s table. He only dared to meet the man’s gaze for a brief moment before looking away again. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

“I apologise. Did you call? Is there something that I can help with?”

He kept his tone soft and polite, volume just enough to be heard. Compared to Ten, he was reserved and quiet. There was no smile on his face like the geniality of their host, only a straight expression.

@【 ᴄ 】chittaphon l。 His phone lied idle on the wooden table, a hand added to the screen with his thumb scrolling down each content he saw. Devices sold across the world and nearby the city he is currently in, brought a certain kind of attention to the man. Joshua could admit that he felt rather bored at the items listed before him. All similar in a variety of prices that looked too expensive for it's own quality. A sigh left his lips, turning the phone off and flipping it over to cover any incoming messages that could appear on his screen.

After the final moments of his brother, Joshua sought for no companion in regards to the life he chosen as a villain. Working alone and taking the victory even if it takes a few splatters of red on his suit, would always fuel the joy inside him. Although, there was one who always appear to be available under his favor, he rarely converses with the man and prefer to keep it on a business level.

"Ah, thank you." Once an empty table, it was soon filled with a slice of cake and something warm in soft colors of brown mixed with white. Are all tea beverages blended this way? Joshua took the cup, sniffing the contents before taking a small sip. His face scrunched in curiosity and disbelief. Did it taste good? Why is it that bitter? "This is not tea... Wait, I think you've mistaken my order-, Ten?"

@【 ᴠ 】joshua h。 “Very well,” chirped Ten as he jotted the customer’s desired drink, smiling sweetly. “I will have your order out in a moment.”

Ten returned to the counter and found a small plate. Approaching the cake display, he knelt and slid the door open. The coolness from inside greeted him in a rush of air.

As Ten was balancing a slice of strawberry cake to the plate, his vision started blurring. The strength in his arms disappeared briefly, forcing him to put down the plate and spatula holding the cake slice. A gasp left the barista.

“Right now?” Ten whispered in disbelief, fishing the notepad still in his apron pocket.

Before he could finish writing all the necessary tasks his alter had to do, the pen rolled out of his fingers and his eyes slipped shut.

✧ﾟ࿐ྂ

Spring blinked a few times as he gained his bearing.

A quick glance at his surroundings revealed to the boy of his whereabouts. He had seen this place a few times, when he switched with Ten while the latter was working. He is quite familiar with this cafe.

Noticing a notepad in his hand, he read what was written upon it. His brows furrowed as he noticed the writing trailing off, connected to the pen lying idly on the floor. There was something additional missing.

Spring tried not to think about the absent notes. Seeing as the customer at Table 4 wanted a strawberry cake, Spring could only assume the person wanted a drink to go along with the treat. With that in mind, Spring got to work preparing the order.

Plating a slice of strawberry cake and brewing a cup of coffee, Spring brought the order to the allocated table. He nodded his head in acknowledgement to the customer as he served the dish and beverage. Holding the tray to himself, the boy murmured just above a whisper.

“Here’s your order, sir.”

Spring kept his eyes lowered the whole time, anxious and shy to meet the customer’s gaze.

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@【 ᴄ 】chittaphon l。 Would it be odd for a person not to order coffee nor tea in a cafe? They're one of the main items under the menu, but Joshua doesn't seem to harbor any interest of the choices that the barista gave him. "In that case, maybe earl grey? I'm not really a fan of coffee." A gentle tap sounded on the wooden table before him, offering a small, but apologetic smile towards the man once he made his decision. He has never tried tea before, but perhaps this shop would make him enjoy the essence of each flavor that could potentially burst in his mouth.

"I believe that's all, thank you... Ten." Eyes averted upwards to meet the man's name tag, Joshua made the effort to extend his gratitude over the man for such little acts of kindness. He was patient and gave the time to suggest different items listed under their beverages that Joshua could never take his final decision on. If it were any other barista, they probably would've thrown a fit on him now.

@【 ᴠ 】joshua h。 Ten diligently wrote the customer’s order on the notepad, humming in acknowledgement.

He waited, expecting a continuation.

When none came, the barista glanced at the guest.

“Would that be all?” Curiosity and surprise laced Ten’s voice as he raised a brow, intrigued.

His pen stayed in its hover position on top of the notepad, ready to jot down any additional order.

“Would you like any drinks to go with your cake?” The barista suggested instead, listing off a few recommendations from the top of his head. “Perhaps coffee? Or tea, if you’re not into bitter drinks. Personally, I’d suggest earl grey. It’s a popular option to have with treats like cakes and biscuits!”

@【 ᴄ 】chittaphon l。 Even a chef requires a moment of leisure from their bustling restaurant before resuming the work they spend filled with hearts of passion.

It was unlikely for the man to step down from his office and order his favorite desert by himself. He had a secretary to ask this favor to fulfill, but he desired none of it and took the elevator down to reach his car, driving to the cafe himself. Fear struck the eyes of his employees upon this decision, some tried to convince him to take an just in case any mishaps would occur on his journey. The news of his late brother never forgotten, but the man simply waved his hand dismissing them. Sometimes it made him wonder how it would be like to feed on the fears of others and how powerful it could make him.

Once he parked his car, Joshua immediately took an empty table nearby the window. Eyes glued at the items displayed before averting his attention towards the waiter. "If you have strawberry cake I'd love to grab one slice of it please."

@【 ᴠ 】joshua h。 It was a tranquil day.

Although there were times Ten zoned out, he did not switch. It was fortunate since Ten did not want any of the alters behind his station. He was the only barista for this shift, so he had to work until his shift ends.

The bell chimed as a guest entered.

It was noon. Some staff had left for lunch. Only a few workers plus Ten were left to take care of the cafe.

Seeing as the servers were short of hands, Ten left his station to help. Grabbing a notepad and a pen, he approached the table in which the new arrival sat at. He stopped in front of the table and wrote down its number, beaming at the customer genially.

“Good day, may I take your order?”