A Grimoire Gale --- Episode 03

    The day started rather blandly for Eidaion, most of the work was already done for him before he arrived.  He tended to his normal opening duties and was sure to run sanitation and descaling solution through the espresso makers, cleaning out the drip pots, double checking the heater elements, checking the stores of coffee beans and food items and, of course, finishing the dishes that were left by the previous night crew.  Eidaion had been working at the campus coffee shop for near four years, an was a manager for 1.  He was due for another promotion about 3 months ago, but the world had difficulty making a comeback from the pandemic.
    When the first customer of the day arrived, his mood was immediately lifted as he took the order of the young woman struggling to stay awake at five in the morning, but his cheery demeanor passed to anyone with whom he was in contact.  In a short time, the coffee shop went from smelling like cleaner to smelling like the finest bakery and espresso shop that it could.  Under his guidance, morale was boosted and the location started to perform quite well.
    Throughout the day he served many customers with few mistakes and many more happy smiles leaving the counter after presenting their beverages or baked goods.  If anyone asked, Eidaion was more than capable at his work and made everyone feel just a little lighter in the process, lifting their spirits with his warm presence.
    "Alright, guys!  It's 5:30!  I'll be late to my...is...is that?  No, couldn't be!"  He cut himself off at the sight of a particularly groggy Rowan dragging her feet in his direction.  "My gosh, it is!  Rowan!  How the hell are ya?  Been damn near six months!  Hold it guys, I'll help her out."
    "I thought you were gonna be late."
    "Absolutely!  But this is miss Roanoke herself!  Our economy plummets when she leaves, have some respect!"  He jests to his coworkers who were, at this point, smiling and rolling their eyes while he prepares her customary brew.
     "This one's on the house, Rowan.  Gosh, you gotta tell me about your trip!  Been damn near 7 months, dust has been collecting on your sofa!"  He states with a wink, pointing to her ritualistic spot in the corner of the cafe.  He leans over the counter while he hands her the drink, and he can see her restrain herself from snatching it from her grasp.  "My, I figured they would make better coffee than me over there in uh...Turkey, was it?  Tell me about it, I have to know!  What did you find?  I checked the news now and again, but maybe they like to keep stuff like that under wraps until things are confirmed."
    His friendliness and gentleness never waivered while he spoke, nor did his eyes darken or his smile fade.  The highly tattooed and somewhat underweight man kept his focus on her, regardless as to whether or not his particular brand of energy or attention was well received by the patron in this moment.
    The soft familiar voice catches her attention and she lets a polite smile as he starts getting so amped up to see her. The almost too cheery boy starts to spit out words faster than her poor brain can keep up as he moves behind the counter to fix her usual drink of choice. She takes it from him with a nod and takes the first sip...mmm, perfect as always. The warm liquid slides down her throat and fills her body from the inside with the comforting cinnamon spice. The creamy milk is at the perfect ratio for the strong espresso, and he added just a touch of vanilla, not too much to overtake the drink. Damn he's good. One more sip before she finally addresses the man before her. "Hey Eidaion, it's nice to see you. Thanks for this." She holds up the unexpectedly free cup off coffee and slides a ten dollar bill into the tip jar. She sees his big excited brown eyes and feels a little flutter in the pit of her stomach. Sure he's cute but his job is to be personable, gotta make the tips somehow.
   "Turkey was great, beautiful place. I'd love to catch up but didn't you just say you were gonna be late for something?" She reminds him with a small smirk. Poor boy gets so sidetracked sometimes. Big puppy boy energy.
    "I can take a few minutes, I'm a broker for favors over there.  I'm far more intrigued to hear what happened in Turkey!"  He states, still leaning over the counter toward her.  "I bet it was quite the adventure!  Bring back anything cool or interesting?  Or was it all nicked for the museum?"  He asks, eyes as bright as ever.
    "I wonder how the girl will respond.  Seems charming, that young man."
    "Actually, I did bring you a souvenir, like I always do, however uh, I dont have my luggage back yet. Damn airlines." She says smoothly, forcing yet another small smile. "The excavation went very well, we found a few really interesting items, but you know how it goes. Anything actually cool, doesn't get to come home with me." She smirks a bit, giving him a teasing look and kinda digging on Beyaz at the same time. "Where do you have to be?  I can walk with you if you want. I'm worried if I stay in one spot too long, I'll pass out where I stand. Jet lag and all that." She shrugs her shoulders and takes another sip of the latte.
    "You know what?  I would like that!  I work at the bar down the block, seems like some caffeine would go well with a bit of hair off the dog, eh?  Help you get some decent sleep tonight."  Eidaion smiles before standing upright.  "Alright, guys.  I'm out!  Do NOT leave any dishes for morning crew tonight!"
    "Yea boss!"  They said with fake enthusiasm, grumbling more than exclaiming.  None of them looked up from their tasks, some cleaning, some lounging near the machines.  This time of night was a rather slow point in the evening, so they had the luxury of standing idly.
    Eidaion removed his apron and folded it, leaving it underneath one of the rear counters in a cabinet before returning to Rowan.  He offered to lead the way as he motioned for the door, and she only nodded, slightly surprised that he worked two jobs and both of them dealt in beverages.
    It was a short and pleasant walk in the gentle night, and Rowan was mostly silent as she young woman enjoyed her beverage.  Eidaion gave her a truncated form of news around the coffee shop and around the campus, none of which was particularly new or exciting, but felt that still air on their short gant was slightly uncomfortable, even though she was a better listener before she had her coffee.
    In just a few minutes of walking, they reached the bar together and he led her inside.  A few cheers and waves at his presence startled Rowan, but Eidaion seemed accustomed to the rouse as he pointed to a particularly comfortable seat at the end of the bar.  When she arrived, and he put on another apron from behind the bar, he walked to the end to face her.
    "What can I make for you, lass?  First one's on me."  He stated, wiping the counter down and disinfecting it before she rested her elbows.  "I could make you an espresso rum-chata if you'd like a bit more caffeine, but a young night is still night if you don't want to be up so late."  He states.
    "He is a particularly thoughtful fellow, isn't he?"  Beyaz asks her.  "He appears to be the town-favorite, as well.  Perhaps you could trust him with mana restoration?" The book chuckles lightly in Rowan's mind.
    Rowan blinks a few times, not expecting such a warm welcome to the man who let her in before him. She follows his lead and gets into the suggested seat and crosses one leg over the other. As he puts on his apron and say hello, she takes a moment to give him a once over. Really not a bad looking guy. Plus, the tattoos are hot. He goes to say his hellos and take mental inventory of the well. She hears the newest familiar voice and jumps at the sudden intrusion. "Beyaz I barely know the guy and that's...a lot." She whispers and Eidaion walks back up with his question. Rowan finishes her coffee and sets it aside.  "Make me whatever your favorite is. No Jager. How long have you worked two jobs?" She asks curiously.
    "Coming right up!"  He says with a gentle smile and tap on the bar.  He begins assembling the items necessary to make her drink when he is caught off guard be her next question.  "Oh?  Man, since I was about 17, actually."  He states before setting her cocktail in front of her.
    "Winter Orange!  I'll admit, it isn't actually my favorite, but I really like it.  My favorite drink would be an awful pairing against your coffee.  This is a nice little contrast."  He winks before tending to others at the bar.
    "Exceedingly thoughtful.  My my, it's almost surprising that he isn't swarmed with people every waking moment."
    "Winter Orange."  She smirks a little bit at the cute yet elegant drink before her and thanks him as he walks off to take care of the other patrons, most wanting his attention to shoot the shit. She takes a sip and is pleasantly surprised at the taste and how correct he was about pairing well with her coffee. He needs to stop winking at me. She thinks to herself as her cheeks flush a pale pink and then quickly shakes her head. He's a bartender, of course he's versed in flirty banter. She reminds herself and then Beyazs' voice rings in her head once again. "Isnt he though? Think of the jobs he holds down. Constant contact with people...poor guy." She mumbles to the book in the messenger bag draped on the chair and takes another sip. Eidaion walks back over and she gives him a nod of approval. "This is lovely, thank you." She smiles. "So why 2 jobs so early? Wanted a car or spending money in high school?"
     "Glad you like it!"  He smiles back, tending to the last of the orders behind the bar.  "Oh, y'know how it is.  Things are expensive, saving for college and the like."  He says with another smile.  His speed is furious and precise, but remarkably spill-free despite the near frantic pace at which his hands move.  His smile only fades when he focuses on a drink, but it is quick to return when speaking with anyone.  After completing his last task, he throws the towel over his shoulder and returns to Rowan who sits nearby.
    "So, how long are you in town this time around?  Long enough to work on those papers you were writing?"  He asks.
    "Seems to care enough about you to remember things you said in passing.  Quite the intriguing man."
    She nods, setting her drink down and giving him her attention. "Saving for college? You work at a college establishment, don't they like give you a discount or something for making money for them? The coffee shop you run is the most profitable one on campus. While yes, your drinks always come out perfect, I think the little sorority girls come around for a little more than coffee." She raises her eyebrows and puts her tongue in her cheek, before taking another sip.
   She flips her hair to one side and gives a shrug, "I think I should be around for a while but you never know. A few months at least, until they get their next funding approved and grab the team that they want. Hopefully I can get those papers done. The course load for getting a doctorate is bonkers but it'll be worth it in the end. Whenever that gets here."  She hears Beyaz and replies on instinct "Oh shut up.." She sighs and says it a little louder without thinking.
    "I don't really run the coffee shop, I'm just a shift manager."  He says with a warm grin.  "As for the sorority girls?  I wouldn't know!  They don't talk all that much, so I wouldn't be able to say."  He smiles and listens to what she has to say, absorbing her answers to his questions with an apparent interest and enthusiasm.  Rowan notices that she is mostly nursing her cocktail and raises an eyebrow.
    "Oh, is the cocktail not that great?  I can get yo--"
    "Oh shut up..."  Eidaion furrows his brow, a bit confused.
    "Oh, uhm ya, sorry!  Just wanted to make sure your drink was alright."  He smiles a bit awkwardly, laced with concern.
    "You'll have to take better care not to speak to me so loudly; the poor boy thinks you were admonishing him."
    "No no! Sorry, not you! Sometimes I catch myself just droning on about the whole doctorate thing and I sound so pretentious or whatever." Rowan tries her best to cover her tracks and feels bad about the interaction. "The drink is great, really lovely! Just pacing myself a bit with all the travel and time differences and such. I don't want to overdo it just yet. But now that I know this bar is here, maybe i'll come around here more often." She smiles and takes a larger swig. Yeah yeah, I know She thinks aloud in her head and fidgets with the glass in her hands. The condensation dripping down onto the cocktail napkin under it.
    "Well you're more than welcome to come any time you'd like!"  Her companion states coming to a full stand.  "Come during my shift and I'll give ya a student discount, how's that?"  He asks with a soft smile before wiping down the bar once more.
    "He's the forgiving sort, isn't he?  Some people wouldn't take the apology even if it was honest.  I wonder what it is he's hiding behind that shining armor."
    "Can I get you anything else, perhaps a snack?  I can pop a fresh bag of pretzels, if you like.  Otherwise it's just bar food, y'know?  So if you want protein of some kind, it'll be covered in grease.  Good luck with greens."  He states.  He thinks to himself that it doesn't appear that she's enjoying the environment, and he feels bad that he encouraged her to stay here with a drink; he's worried because the bar is abnormally quiet this evening and he's unsure if she's likely to return.
    "Well isn't that kind of you. I don't want you to think i'm using you for drinks." She teases, first free coffee and now this? Geeze, this guy is just so...nice. She finishes the first drink and thinks for a second. "Hmm...You guys have fries? I'd honestly love some right now. Besides, I desperately need to go grocery shopping. Always purge the kitchen before I leave for a dig so I don't come home to anything alive inside my fridge." She lets out a small chuckle, trying to lighten the mood after the whole shut up incident. She actually likes how quiet and lowkey the bar is, no hooting and hollering and drunk frat boys trying to make lame passes at her. For the night at least. Which wouldn't be so bad. It's been a while since Rowan has had a good romp, but hey, her work comes first and after the past 24 hours she has had, her poor brain might just explode.
    The bartender smiles and nods, retreating to a sectioned-off room through saloon dividers behind the bar as he leave to make her some fries.  The rest of the bar continues without too much incident, a few loud laughs behind Rowan, a few older patrons sitting at the bar, a few younger occupying tables with several pitchers to their small groups.  If she decided to pay attention, she would remark upon the relative diversity of the bar in which she resides.  There wasn't any particular demographic to which it catered, and the atmosphere was rather ambiguous.  It was true that there were more young people than elderly, but the spread was fairly even despite the location being so close to campus.  The music was playing at a gentle volume and it wasn't particularly offensive to any discerning ear.  It was one of the least remarkable bars one could enter, and that, itself, is what made the bar remarkable, and even more inviting.  It seemed that all walks of life would find sanctuary in this warmly-lit abode.  Besides a few loud vowels in otherwise in-discernible conversation, it was a very peaceful place to grab a drink, even on a weekend evening.
    "The boy has returned, you might want to quit looking so inaccessibly deep in thought."  Beyaz interrupted.
    "Here are your fries, miss!"  Eidaion says, sliding over a generous basket of seasoned crimp-cut fries.  Out of his apron he pulls three plastic cups of condiments, one ketchup, one ranch, and one sour cream and onion, sliding them to her before leaning on his elbows.  "Anything else I can get for you?  Need a refill, or maybe a different cocktail?"  He asks, a gentle smile and raised eyebrow decorating his expression.

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