Sweeten My Coffee

One sugarcoated donut

Back when Espresso helped finish the Puppet show theatre, he learned that Madeleine loves sugarcoated donuts as much as him. Such a discovery was deemed unimportant and pointless back then.

With each passing second that he spends with the Knight, he feels ever so strange. The decision to be his friend perhaps has not sunk in yet. Maybe it was a foolish decision after all, executed by his long ignored desire for company. Yet, as he was sitting in that bakery, staring at the delicious donuts, it wasn't his own hunger that he thought about first, but Madeleine's.

That resulted in today's situation, him hiding some as a surprise at the bottom of the basket, despite having never been the type that enjoys or prepares surprises.

To top it off, the coffee magic enthusiast is still getting used to this whole "friendship" thing. Most of his past friends came from work or school, places where he could steadily see them in an organised environment, often without making much of an effort to arrange meetings himself. This time is very different. It is probably for the best that he and Madeleine do not share a common workplace. Espresso gets very competitive, unless it doesn't touch upon the subject of coffee magic. Athough an issue for his caretakers who worried that he would stay behind in school, he was encouraged by the vast majority to keep studying what fascinated him the most. Always, without a second thought, he did. Whatever is not associated with coffee or magic is of no real interest to him.

Even with that solid fact set in stone, here he is once more, explaining to Madeleine basic theories on Light magic that he never wanted to speak about again. The Light magician listens attentively and nods along.

His voice is heaven for my ears.

That thought came out of nowhere. Madeleine soon feels his cheeks heating up. In an attempt to hide it, he takes the finishing bite of his tasty sandwich.

'Are we done with this torturous subject yet?' Espresso lifts up his coffee flask and sips some more. In a way, he is trying to wash away all the times he said the words "light magic".

'Ah, yes! Do you wish to move into a different subject?'

'I must inquire about one thing first.' Espresso puts down the dark brown flask.

'Go ahead. You need not ask for permission, my friend.'

'Well, your outfit has really struck my interest today. It must have been quite a debacle to put it on, as far as I know.' He looks at the sleeves that tighten around Madeleine's muscles, reminding himself of one of the fancy clothes someone from a rich family would wear. 'Who tailored it?'

Espresso stares right at him, which causes Madeleine to smile in amusement.

'I am glad that you asked. The seamstess downtown and proprietor of Maison Marron tailored it to my desires. She is very skilled, although she tends to add her own details on the outfits regardless of how strict your request is.'

Nodding, Espresso has a small flashback to her trying to get him to work as a model for her boutique. She kept insisting that his body was perfect for a plethora of outfits.

'I know her.' He replies shortly, not bothering to narrate the whole story.

'Are you her customer as well?'

'No. I have no interest in her business. '

'Well, I have a few more outfits made by her back at my place. Perhaps you should come over again sometime and I can show you.' Madeleine leans back on his elbows and looks around towards the forest.

'It is not the worst idea you have suggested as of late.'

'Why, of course. The Divine has blessed me with brilliant ideas left and right.'