Coffee And Conversation

-Lucia's Room, 8:00 A.M.-

Having woken up early due to the neighbor to her right playing loud rock music, Lucia frowned deeply as she sat up and sat on the edge of the bed. She then forced herself off of the bed and stood up. Lumie was still asleep, so there was no need to wake him up for what she was about to do.

She was going to read through the apartment brochures again and try to find a different place to live, somewhere where the neighbors were a lot farther apart and did not play loud rock music at unreasonable times in the morning. However, there was no guarantee that moving someplace new would eliminate that problem. She could be exchanging her current place for something worse.

Lucia frowned as she reached the front of the nightstand, then carefully and quietly opened the drawer where she had stashed the brochures. She took them out with her right hand and quietly closed the drawer, then walked over to the square table positioned next to the window. She opened the blinds a little to let some sunlight in and then spread the brochures on the table. She then sat down in the chair with its back to the wall and began to review them.

She quickly tossed aside the brochure for Windsor Estates and heard a soft sound of paper rattling as it landed on her bed. There were a lot of hoops she would have to jump through like a credit check and full background check just to be able to rent a place, but the biggest problem was that the starting price for a rental was 175,000 Jewels per month and only went up as one got into the more expensive areas. Still, it was a gated community that not just anyone could walk into any time they felt like it.

The next brochure that caught her eye was the brochure for Ryan Tower. Lucia skimmed it briefly before tossing it aside as well. That towering tribute to Art Deco architecture was somewhat appealing in that it had basic rooms for 10,000 Jewels a month and penthouse suites for 120,000 Jewels a month plus room service for all floors. However, Lucia's budget could not handle her longing for the high life she had enjoyed until four years ago, so Ryan Tower was not a feasible option.

The next brochure was the brochure for Olympus Court. Lucia re-read the brochure for that gated community and soon decided that it was not for her. While she appreciated the security of a gated community, the luxury of the place, and the theme naming of neighborhoods after Ancient Greek gods and goddesses, the lowest price was 50,000 Jewels a month for Hephaestus Lane. Like with Windsor Estates, the price only went up the more desirable a property one wanted to rent.

Lucia casually tossed it onto her bed until the only one remaining was The Enclave. With no other real options, Lucia unfolded the brochure and read it. She learned that the average apartment cost 10,000 Jewels a month with the option to rent a penthouse apartment for 50,000 Jewels a month. She could also decorate her apartment within reason.

Those were attractive perks, but again her old concern about abandoning the sure thing for something unknown held Lucia back. She would need to think carefully before committing to moving from where she was to a new place. Lucia kept The Enclave brochure right where it was and stood up from the table. She quietly closed the blinds back and walked away from the table towards her nightstand to retrieve her iLac so that she could see what time it was. As she approached the nightstand where her iLac was resting she could hear the rock music blaring through the walls... it was still going with no signs of stopping.

Lucia frowned again as she picked up the iLac and tapped the screen to see what time it was.

It was only 8:06 A.M.

It was only 8:06 A.M. and that loud music was playing.

Lucia set her iLac down on the bed and was about to do something else when her iLac gave out a "text message received" tone. Curious as to who it was, Lucia picked up the iLac again and tapped the screen. She learned that the sender of the message was Angela Helton, her contact in Capital Crocus.

"Would you like to meet for coffee in Capital Coffee around 11:00 A.M.?" the message asked. Lucia wanted to get away from the dreadful rock music and wanted to get away from Talonia for awhile, so she eagerly accepted the invitation. She quickly dashed out a reply.

"Certainly. See you there!" Lucia answered and sent the text. Now that that was done she went to take a shower and get dressed for her trip to Capital Crocus. She would need to leave Shining Light and Lumie behind since she was going to a coffee shop. She would also need to leave early to take the train to Capital Crocus so that she could get to the coffee shop on time. Thankfully Lucia had plenty of time to get there if she started getting ready now, so she wasted no further time in getting ready for her trip to Capital Coffee.

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-Capital Coffee, Capital Crocus, 11:00 A.M.-

Wearing her usual casual outfit with black shoulder bag, Lucia walked briskly into the busy coffee shop just as the clock struck 11:00 A.M. She had made it just in time. The blonde looked around the coffee shop for Angela and found her seated at a table in the center of the shop. Angela spotted the blonde and silently waved at her. Lucia, having spotted the waving brunette, quickly and carefully made her way over to the table and sat down in the seat opposite Angela.

Angela was wearing a pink short-sleeved Crocus Magicka University t-shirt with the school's name spelled in bold black letters. She also wore a black skirt and white tennis shoes, so she looked every bit the part of a young university student.

"Hey Lucia! How's it going?" Angela asked Lucia.

"It's going all right. Just taking a break between jobs." Lucia answered, deliberately omitting the loud music that had played starting at 8:00 A.M.

"Great! Listen, I appreciate what you did for my friend Jen the other day. She's in class right now, but she told me to tell you thanks for spending time with her even though it was cut short." Angela thanked the blonde for taking time to hang around with her roommate and friend Jennifer Courtenay, the recent arrival from Oak Town.

"She told me that she had a Biology test that she needed to study for." Lucia cited the reason Jennifer had cut short their time together. Angela nodded.

"Yeah. It was a tough Biology test too. I made an 80 and Jen made an 88, so she obviously had the right idea by starting to study for it early." Angela confirmed Jen's alibi and told the blonde how they had performed on the test. Lucia was glad that Jennifer had not lied to escape a boring day out. The blonde was not the best company, but she hoped that she was not so boring that someone would lie about having to study for a Biology test to get away from her.

"I'm glad that you both passed." Lucia commented in order to make small talk. Angela nodded.

"Yeah, me too. Unlike Jen I waited until the night before the test to study, so I scraped by... according to my parents, anyway." Angela admitted that perhaps waiting to study for the test until the night before was not a good idea. She also implied that her parents were disappointed in her making an 80. Lucia remained silent on the topic of grades and simply let Angela talk.

"They're not happy with anything less than a 90. They won't budge on that no matter what. Even if the smart students have trouble pulling above 86 and I make an 80 they act like I made a zero on the test." Angela groused about the unrealistic expectations of her parents. Again Lucia kept quiet and let the brunette talk.

"They'll just have to be disappointed in my grades because I want to do something with my free time other than study. It's not like my grades are gonna suffer that much if I make 80s on my tests. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be a professor myself. My life is my own, not theirs. I'm not their property!" Angela stated that her parents would just have to be disappointed in her grades because she was not going to bend over backwards to make them happy. On the surface it sounded like Angela was just being lazy and looking for an excuse to justify it. Maybe she was just being lazy, but her reason for doing so resonated with Lucia.

Lucia knew what it was like to have someone try to mold her into what they wanted her to be instead of accepting her for who she was. That "someone" was her mother Elizabeth. Elizabeth wanted her daughters to be perfect replicas of her and would not tolerate any deviation from her plan.

"But yeah, we got through the test OK. Sorry for going on and on about it and throwing in a lot of useless background information." Angela apologized for the lengthy tangent. Lucia did not mind sitting and listening. It was not like she had anything terribly important to do today.

"So, have you managed to make contact with Diana yet?" Angela quickly changed the subject by asking Lucia a question which the blonde was not able to give a satisfactory answer to. There was no point in lying about it, so Lucia decided to answer the question truthfully.

"Not yet, Angela. Diana and I just can't seem to get in contact with one another." Lucia answered truthfully.

"Have you tried using your iLac to communicate with each other?" Angela  suggested an obvious solution to the problem. Lucia nodded.

"We've both tried to communicate with each other with text messages, but Diana hasn't answered me lately. Maybe she's just busy." Lucia replied. At first Angela frowned like she was not buying what Lucia was saying, but then her facial expression lightened.

"Well, your sister's a busy mage. I'm sure she's got plenty of clients who want her to help them with their problems. I can see her not checking her iLac while working." Angela came around to Lucia's way of thinking with surprising speed. Lucia nodded.

"To be fair to her, it's not all Diana's fault. I've been kinda busy lately and I don't exactly have time to check my iLac every five minutes to see if she's replied to me." Lucia defended her younger sister by citing that the older Winchester had been busy too and thus bore part of the blame for their inability to communicate regularly.

"That's nice of you to say, Lucia." Angela said approvingly. Lucia let the remark pass without comment. Diana was her own person and had her own life. Sometimes that life did not include Lucia, which was an unpleasant truth the older Winchester sister would one day have to come to terms with.

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-Forty minutes later-

Forty minutes ago Angela and Lucia had finally gotten around to ordering coffee. When they got to the counter after a forty-minute wait due to a sudden influx of customers Angela had ordered black coffee and Lucia had ordered a double espresso. Now they were waiting on their drinks to arrive, but mere moments after they had placed their orders another influx of customers came in. Now they were waiting for their drinks.

"So, Lucia, what do want to say to Diana once you two meet again?" Angela asked the blonde. Lucia did not have to take very long to come up with her response, but it took just long enough for Angela to show a worried look on her face.

"I know that what I'm asking is intensely personal, Lucia. If you don't want to talk about it, that's perfectly fine." Angela gave Lucia the option to decline to talk about the matter. Lucia briefly considered shutting down the discussion but decided to allow it to continue.

"Once we meet again I'd like to ask Diana if she's doing all right. We haven't spoken in person in over four years and I want to know if she's been doing all right since we last talked." Lucia admitted. Angela listened attentively as the blonde continued to talk. Lucia paused for a moment before continuing.

"I worry about Diana quite a bit. She's more than likely able to take care of herself, but I still worry about her. Being a mage can be a tough job at times." Lucia continued. Lucia had taken a few tough jobs like going to Silent Cemetery to retrieve Simon Wright's camera and returning the book to Haunted Guild, but those were walks in the park compared to the kinds of jobs that some mages took. She was not sure what kinds of jobs Diana took and was worried that her sister was taking awful risks. Soon the blonde realized that was her own perspective.

Diana was her own person.

She knew what risk level was too much for her to handle.

Before Lucia could continue the conversation a waitress arrived with their drinks. She sat each drink on the table in front of its intended recipient and departed, leaving them to enjoy their drinks in peace. An amiable silence prevailed as the two waited for their beverages to cool down. They listened to a smooth saxophone solo play over the speakers.

Lucia was glad that there was a pause in the conversation because she was running out of things to say about Diana. It had been over four years since they had last met and she knew nothing about her sister past that point. She highly doubted that Diana had remained the same person she had known four years ago. She hoped that the topic would be changed soon because it was getting more and more difficult to discuss.

"So, Lucia, when you're not working, what do you do in your spare time?" Angela asked Lucia out of the blue. Lucia was glad that the topic had changed from Diana to what she did in her spare time.

"I like playing the piano, but my current living space won't allow me to have one. I also haven't had a chance to go buy a good keyboard yet, so I'm unable to play anything until I buy one." Lucia started off by discussing one of her favorite activities, which was playing the piano. Angela smiled.

"So you can play the piano?" Angela asked Lucia. Lucia nodded.

"I learned to play it when I was a child. I like the works of Mozart and Chopin in particular. I'm looking to learn some new pieces, though." Lucia added the names of her favorite composers to the conversation. She knew some pieces by Beethoven as well, but it was mostly his "greatest hits" that a lot of people were familiar with. Still, in her opinion Moonlight Sonata was a very good piece and one of her favorite compositions by Beethoven.

"Me, I don't really care for the piano. My mother wanted me to learn how to play, but I refused. I'm tired of her trying to live through me." Angela groused about how her mother wanted her to play the piano and how the brunette put her foot down. Lucia would have learned to play whether she wanted to or not because once she planned something for her daughters Elizabeth Winchester would not take no for an answer. Fortunately for the blonde she liked to play the piano and she was good at it, but not quite as good as her younger sister Melody.

Angela and Lucia took another coffee break and amiable silence filled the air again as they drank their coffee. The music overhead was an upbeat pop tune with synthesizer backing and syrupy vocals about vacationing on Crescent Island with friends. Lucia sipped from her double espresso as she waited for Angela to speak again.

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-Twenty minutes later-

"Hey Lucia, you said that your place wouldn't allow you to have a piano in your room. If I may ask, where do you live right now?" Angela asked Lucia as the two finished their second cup of coffee apiece.

"I live in a hotel in Talonia." Lucia replied before draining the last of her second double espresso. Two was her limit. Any more and she would go on a powerful caffeine rush that would end in an unpleasant crash.

"Really?" Angela asked.

"Yeah." Lucia replied laconically.

"Living out of a suitcase has to be such a drag. Have you considered moving to somewhere like an apartment complex or something?" Angela asked Lucia. Lucia nodded.

"Yeah, I've considered doing that. I've been collecting brochures for different places in Talonia, but I haven't found anything decent that's also within my budget. Right now my budget's not very big... I can spare about 10,000 Jewels a month for rent." Lucia explained the situation in which she found herself.

"What are you looking for in a living place?" Angela asked Lucia.

"I'm looking for somewhere in a decent neighborhood. I'm not too worried about crime, but I'm looking for a reasonable degree of safety for me and my belongings." Lucia started off. How safe the neighborhood was was one of the most important criteria for Lucia when she looked for a new place to live.

"I'm also looking at a gated community for the security, but I'm willing to forgo living in a gated community if I can find a safe neighborhood at a good price." Lucia added. Her desire to live in a gated community was motivated by equal parts security and aesthetics. However, that was not something she had to have if she could find a good place in a good neighborhood.

"Would you want an apartment all to yourself or would you mind having a roommate?" Angela asked Lucia another question. The blonde had to take a moment to think about that. She had not considered having a roommate before.

"To be honest, I don't know yet. I haven't really given it that much thought. I grew up in a large household, so a roommate doesn't really bother me. But I kinda want a place to call my own." Lucia admitted that she was having a hard time deciding which course of action to commit to. Angela smiled.

"If you want me to, I can keep an eye out for apartment complexes here that have vacancies. I can look for both private apartments and apartments with people looking for a roommate." Angela offered to help Lucia with her search for a new living space. Lucia smiled.

"I'd like that, thanks." Lucia gratefully accepted the offer. Lucia felt reasonably certain she had found every place in Talonia that met her criteria, but none of them were really affordable except for The Enclave, so she might need to expand her search and consider possibly moving to a new city. Having someone help her with her search was never a bad idea.

"If I happen to see Diana before you two meet up, I'll let her know that you've been trying to reach her. Maybe she just needs a reminder to get in contact with you. If that's the case, I'll be happy to provide it." Angela made another offer.

"I'd like that too, thanks." Lucia accepted that offer as well.

"It's no problem, Lucia." Angela calmly replied. The brunette then finished her cup of coffee and stood up. Lucia stood up as well and both young women pushed in their chairs.

"Well, I'd better get going. I need to get back to Crocus Magicka University in time for Algebra class. Good luck getting in contact with Diana!" Angela stated that she needed to leave and wished Lucia luck in getting in contact with Diana. Lucia nodded.

"Thanks, Angela. See you later!" Lucia bade the brunette farewell. Angela waved goodbye and left the coffee shop. Lucia, having nothing else to do here, decided that she had better get going herself. The coffee and conversation with Angela Helton had been a pleasant diversion, but now Lucia needed to return to Talonia. She had plenty to do there.

She would try one last time to find a place to live in Talonia before expanding her search to other towns and cities in Fiore. She would also try to contact Diana again. Finally, she would begin looking for more jobs to take so that she could begin saving for a possible move to another town or city in Fiore.

Lucia then left Capital Coffee to begin her trip back to Talonia. She had a lot of work ahead of her. She had a lot of things to do, but now she had help with at least two of them.

[Post Word Count: 806]
[Total Word Count: 3,536/3,000]