Looking For Group

Part 3

"Oh Hylia... look at the size of that line."

The coffee shop, Arbiter's Coffee Ground, was filled to the brim with bustling college students. There were only five tables outside on the patio, all taken, and the line leading out from the door was twenty feet long and growing by the second.

"Ugh..." Warriors groaned. "I'm not sure the coffee is worth the wait. You guys just wanna hit up Starbucks?"

Two young women exited the building. They had coffee in hand along with the fattest chocolate donut Twilight has ever seen in his life. Seeing this, he immediately walked over.

"Excuse me," he called out to them. "We're thinking about trying this place. How's is it?"

The both of them startled, their eyes growing wide at the sight of him. Blush bloomed on their cheeks and they immediately started giggling shyly, one girl trying to hide her face behind the donut. Twilight was used to this response. He didn't advertise himself publically as a Hero, but people recognized him regardless. He waited for their giggles to subside.

"It's great!" Said one gal. She still couldn't look at Twilight in the face. "Everything is so good. I even like the almond bread, and I hate almonds!"

"It is truly amazing," said the other girl. She a little braver, able to keep eye-contact. "The wait is long, but it is really good."

Twilight smiled. "You've convinced me. Thank you."

As he turned to walk back to the others, one of the girls called out, "Oh, and don't be startled by his appearance!"

"What do you suppose that means?" Sky asked as Twilight joined them.

"Who knows. But did you see the size of the donut she was eating? I want that. I'm willing if you're willing."

"We're already here. Might as well."

They joined the line.

It was late March, the air still tinged with chill. It wasn't cold enough to be uncomfortable, but as the minutes ticked by, Twilight's nose began to ran. As he watched others exit the coffee shop, steaming cups in hand, more and more eager he was to get inside. He was hungry at this point. The smell of fresh bread and delicious coffee teased his senses.

"Finally!" Warriors breathed once they walked through the doors. The blast of warm air had them sighing in relief, and Twilight quickly wiped at his nose with a handkerchief.

The shop looked small on the outside, but inside was a hustling hub of activity. There were at least fifty people inside, taking up tables and chair, talking eagerly over steaming tea cups and toasted paninis. The heroes paused and took an appreciative smell at the delicious scents tickling their noses. Chocolate, hazelnut and cinnamon.

"Now I'm glad you decided to talk me into staying," Sky said, looking over the pastries in the glass display. "Everything looks amazing!"

"The price isn't half bad either..." Warriors said. "If the food is as good, I think I found my new hang-out."

Twilight studied the menu. So many choices. What was he in the mood for? Did he want a full meal or just something to take the edge off? He planned to put in some training later on today and didn't want something heavy holding him down. Perhaps just a cup of coffee and maybe something sweet...

He got to the front of the register, his eyes still on the menu.

"Can I take your order?" Asked the employee.

"Uh... yes. May I have the... er... black coffee and-"

He finally looked at the employee. His next words died in his throat.

The person in front of him was a young man that looked barely twenty years old. He had giant blue eyes, his golden hair pulled back in a tight bun, and amber earrings hanged off of his lobes. He wore a green apron bearing the shop's name and a short sleeve white shirt. But that's not what startled Twilight into silence. It was the thick, burn scars covering half of the young man's face.

The burns engulfed his entire left cheek, half of his forehead, the majority of his chin, just grazing at edge of his nose. His entire left ear was severely deformed, the burns looking more like red play-doh than skin. There were burns on the young man's neck, arcing across his throat. His left arm suffered the same fate. At some point in this young man's life, he'd been caught in a horrific fire. Twilight couldn't imagine the immense pain this guy went through.

The young man snapped his fingers in front of Twilight's eyes, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"Hey," he said. "I know I'm very handsome, but there are customers behind you."

"Oh...! I'm sorry... I didn't mean to stare."

"No worries, man. I'm used to it. Now, what would you like?"