ℂ𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕖 𝕋𝕒𝕝𝕜 // ℝ𝕠𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕥 𝕄𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕆𝕟𝕖

Contrary to what the weatherman had said, it was raining cats and dogs. The rain felt sharp on the skin of people rushing through the streets. Not many had umbrellas since they didn't prepare for a storm. People held books, coats, anything they could find over their heads to shield them from the weather.

The weather outside was in complete contrast to the atmosphere inside the coffee shop where the lights had just flickered on. The shop laid in a quaint corner of a rather busy street. In fact, another coffee shop with regular hours was just five shops down. Night Owl was only open from 9 PM to 1 AM, which wasn't too amazing for business, but it helped that the owner (aka the only employee) had enough money to keep it open.

People outside didn't seem to notice it was even there. They hurried past the quiet building, even though it was more than adequate shelter from the pouring rain attacking them. The woman inside didn't seem to mind. She calmly moved around behind the counter in the back of the shop, occasionally humming to the lo-fi music coming from the speakers. She wasn't in any sort of hurry to set up all the coffee machinery. She dawned unnaturally blue hair that was tied into twin braids, both of which fell in front of her chest. She twirled one around with her finger, observing the people running around out in the rain. She didn't seem upset at people walking by. Someone would come in if they needed to.

Someone did, eventually.

The door was pushed open, the bell above it chiming out to prove it. Quiet curses were mumbled by the young man who had walked through the door. He was dripping wet from the rain, hugging something close to his chest which was hidden by the flannel he had on. He ran a hand through his sopping wet brown hair, before taking in the aura of the coffee shop.

The woman behind the counter smiled at the man, even though he hadn't entirely noticed her yet. She chuckled softly as he slowly walked to the counter, grabbing a white towel from under said counter. She wordlessly held it out to him. It took him a moment, but he eventually noticed.

"Oh- thank you." His Australian accent hit the woman's ears. Music to her ears, she would never admit. She had a thing for accents. His cold hand brushed against hers as he took the towel. He pulled out the mystery object from the inside of his flannel after drying off his hands a little. It was a rather large pack of paper. The woman couldn't read the words on the first page, but she didn't try to either.

She nodded in response to his gratitude, going and skipping a song that came over the speakers that she simply didn't like. The young man took a seat on a stool in front of the counter, using the towel to lightly dry his hair. The woman came back over and held out her hand, and the man returned the towel (thanking her a second time).

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Her voice was soft and smooth, but there was a slight pep to it. She was excited to have a customer.

The man seemed to realize he was at a coffee shop. "Oh- um..." he pondered for a few moments. "I'm not sure. Would you mind surprising me?" He requested.

The woman smiled. A surprise? "Alright then. One surprise coming right up." She turned her back to him, looking at the rack of ingredients. She would occasionally turn to glance at the man, trying to get a read on what he would want. She soon enough got to work.

The young man opened the packet of paper, pulling out a highlighter from his pocket and going through the packet, occasionally highlighting some words. He suddenly jumped, looking down at something unseen to the woman.

"Ah...ma'am? There's...a cat in here." The man pointed out.

"Yeah?" She laughed softly, having a good idea of what he was talking about. "Is it a beige Maine coon? Hazel eyes?"

He blinked. "Yes, actually. Is it here a lot?"

"She's mine." The woman laughed again, the sound somehow able to be described as audible honey. She noticed the man's face flush a slight pink in embarrassment. "Her name is Tiffany. Would you like me to shoo her away?"

"Oh, no, that's alright, ma'am." The man looked down at Tiffany rubbing against his wet shoe. "I just wasn't sure if she was supposed to be here."

"You don't have to call me ma'am." She smiled. "My name's December. Dess is just fine."

"December." He tried it out. "I like that name, Dess."

"Much obliged, mister." She hummed, finally finishing his coffee. "A sweet coffee for the stranger with the pretty face." She joked, sliding the cup over to him. He returned the joke with a laugh.

"Thank you." He nodded with a calm smile, taking a small sip of the drink. He seemed a little surprised, but it was in a good way considering the manner of how he continued to drink the coffee. He'd pause every so often to look at the paper in front of him, and quietly mumbled in an American accent to himself.

"What're you reading there, if you don't mind me asking?" Dess inquired, letting Tiffany come behind the counter instead of bothering the man. She picked up the cat as the man began to talk.

"Oh, it's a script, actually." He said. "I'm apart of this sort of like...theatre company. I'm an actor in the newest production." He explained.

"An actor?" Dess blinked, almost astonished. "Well, does this actor in front of me have a name?"

"Manion. Robert Manion." He smiled, getting comfortable even though he was still dripping wet. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same to you, Mr. Manion." Dess leaned down and picked up Tiffany. "Am I allowed to know what this show is about? Or is it all top secret?"

Robert debated it for a few seconds. "Have you heard of The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals?" He questioned. He continued when he got a blank stare from the blue-haired barista. "It's a show that connects to the one I'm doing now. It's a good introduction to the company. It's called Starkid. Maybe give it a watch. I'm in that one too."

"The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals." She repeated. "Where can I watch this show, Robert?"

"YouTube. For free." He replied with a smile. "Maybe if you watch that, I'll be more inclined to tell you about the show."

"So you'll see me again tomorrow night?"

"Most likely. Rehearsals, y'know?" He chuckled, already done with his coffee. "Thank you so much for the coffee, Dess. I should probably get going." He stood up.

"Alright then. It was a pleasure meeting you, Robert." December smiled as he paid for his coffee. "I'll be sure to watch that show. And keep an eye out for you." She added.

He chuckled, hiding his script in his flannel. It wasn't raining as hard as before, but he still didn't want to get it wet. "It was nice meeting you too, Dess. I'll stop by tomorrow." He went over to the door. "Have a nice night."

"You too." She smiled as he left the coffee shop. Her eyes followed him as he walked down the sidewalk until he was out of view. She smiled down at Tiffany. "Well that man sure was charming, wasn't he?" She crooned, cradling the cat as if she were a baby. She went ahead and fed Tiffany, humming as Enchanted by Taylor Swift started to play on the speakers.

A couple other customers came in that night. Most were regulars that Dess was used to seeing, such as Oliver, Josslyn, Aiden, and Amelia. Dess made happy chatter with them all, but she couldn't stop thinking about the actor that had walked in earlier.

Robert Manion of Starkid? She made a mental note to check out The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals.