Tea Time in the City Without Magic

The abrasive aroma of tea and coffee drifts about the cafe. Steam, rising from cups and glasses, drifts towards the opening door. Kiku, sitting at a table with one chair in the corner of the cafe, looks to the door and sees no one of any importance to her. This day might turn out to be as boring as I dreaded... No mission, just downtime, and I've got nothing better to do than go to a crowded cafe and drink terrible coffee. I want some mayhem, I want an enemy, I just want to have some fun lighting things on fire... Can't do that here, too many guards outside. Damn Haru, why'd she have to go to that stupid island? Coffee, coffee, coffee coffee coffee. "Garson!" Kiku shouts at the boy just passing by her table. Dressed in a butler outfit with an apron on.
"Yes mam?" The boy responds hesitantly. Kiku had already sent her coffee back four times, and each time it was the boy who brought it back to the counter and explained why he had brought it back. Each time the owner, who incidentally also made all of the coffee and was renowned for doing so in this area, would get angrier and angrier at Kiku, and via osmosis the boy. "Please mam, this will be your fifth coffee, what is wrong with it? Our coffee, it's good, everyone says it's good, isn't that good enough?" Kiku stares at the boy for a moment.
"Good enough? You want me to drink coffee that is good enough?" Kiku places her hand on the side of the cup and, while maintaining eye contact, slowly slides it off the table. The cup shatters on the floor and the boy's face turns morose. "Clean this mess and get me another coffee." Kiku demands in an authoritative tone as the steam throughout the cafe once again drifts towards the opening door.

Winter sighed as she walked into the cafe. She hadnt slept for a long time. It was clear that she was very tired. She came to this cafe because she worked here part time. She came in to see the boy struggling with a particular guest. She rolled her eyes at how foolish the boy was behaving and she went behind the counter and had words with the owner. She wasn't very surprised to find that there was a difficult guest out there. Still she wasn't going to let that get in her way.

She quickly remade the order, but something about the way she did it was far more professional than the rest and she walked to Kiku's table with a small smile on her face carefully placing the coffee down on the table in front of her "Here you are madam. I am sorry for my coworkers incompetence. They have never truly been ones to serve the needs of others. Please forgive their uselessness. Should you require anything further just call me instead."

A tall, slender, ballerina of a butler walks towards Kiku with coffee in hand. The butler's long black hair drapes over the eyes, making it difficult for Kiku to get a good look at the face of this stranger. Kiku admires the professionalism that the butler shows and, without hesitation, offers "Please, sit down, I need someone to talk to that isn't going to bore me to death." Kiku says as she takes a sip of the coffee, surprised to learn that it meets her expectations. "I beseech of you, I've been to five different capitols and had a cup of coffee in each. I saw you making this particular cup and it's the only one I haven't had to spit into a hand towel. Though, I will say the only lacking feature of this cup is that it might be a bit cold for my taste." Though Kiku had said that the cup was exactly the right temperature that she loved. This was a play, a scheme to fascinate, and garner the attention of, the butler. Kiku raises the cup and breathers a bit of fire on the base. The coffee heats to nearly boiling and, though Kiku knows she will regret it, Kiku takes a sip of the scolding hot coffee. Straining to hide the pain of burning her tongue and throat, Kiku requests once again "Please, sit."

Winter looked to the boy as he scurried off to no doubt mess something else up. She took the invitation and sat down. Even as she sat the act seemed refined, elegant, and full of poise. She took the time to carefully dust the seat with a handkerchief before returning it to her vest's breast pocket. As she heard Kiku talk about the coffee she made. It was a clear and obvious bluff. Winter never failed to appease her guests and she never let a single person call her anything less than perfect.

She watched as the girl drank from the coffee that she had just heated up with flames she could produce from her mouth. Winter wasn't at all bothered, or surprised as this as her last master had been known to employ mages from time to time, and she was a mage herself. She cleared her throat lightly and spoke "Madam. I hope you won't take offense to this, but if the coffee I made wasn't at the right temperature for you then why did your muscles tighten and clench when you took a sip? It seems to me that if you wanted your coffee that hot, then it would've been steaming when you knocked the cup onto the floor, but seeing as it wasn't that means the coffee must've been either room temperature or just slightly above Luke warm. You sent it back. I returned with coffee that produced enough steam to be called hot, but still at a comfortable temperature. You took a sip and said it wasn't anything like the ones before it. It seems to me that this was a taunt of sorts meant to unnerve me. I am sorry to say this madam, but...you failed." she looked at Kiku as she moved the hair from her face revealing her very femine looks to the young girl as she folded her hands neatly in her lap and waited for the response she was bound to get.

Kiku chuckles for a moment "Did you think I intended to sully your name as the best barista in Fiore? I just wanted you to sit down." Kiku stares at the butler for a second, trying to see past the hair. "So answer me this, are you a woman or a man? Oh, and I'm Kiku." She says with an outreached hand and hard ironed grin.

Winter looked a bit appauled at herself and sighed deeply "Please forgive my rudness my lady. I meant no offense. Also pardon my oversight. My name is Winter Dornez, I am a woman. It is a pleasure to meet you lady Kiku. Might I ask what a young lady like yourself is doing in these parts, and with such an interesting magic."

Kiku awkwardly returns her hand to her coffee cup and takes another sip. Interesting... I've never thought of it as interesting. More like a curse, something I can't shake. Something I have to keep. "Yes, quite, quite interesting. What I'm doing here is absolutely nothing... A woman? Interesting. So, ever considered being a mage?"

Winter blinked as she looked Kiku over once more. She had asked a very silly question, but Winter knew that she didn't know her that well so it was a safe assumption that the girl thought her a simple person. She gave Kiku a little smile "I am a mage. I only work here part time, and that's simply because I don't get wizarding work all that often so I have to supplement my income in some other fashion."

Kiku's eyes brighten up as she hears Winter say she is a mage "A mage? Really? What kind of magic? Wait! Don't tell me, I want to see it in action! Wait... We're in a magic null zone... Well then, we'll have to go on a mission together. Whadya say? I have a job lined up with another member from my guild, she's a bit of a loose cannon but she's reliable and strong. Come with us, I have to see your magic!"

Winter watched the girl react with child-like enthusiasm. She had to admit that she thought it was cute, but to be honest she never wanted to make her magic known to anyone anyway. When the proposition was made Winter bowed her head lightly "I would love to do a mission with you. I'm currently not affiliated with any guild so I can do whatever missions I would like to. All you need to do is tell me when and where."

Kiku smiles sincerely "I have something set up two days from now in peace village at half past noon. I have a tavern in mind for the meeting place. Oh, also, my team mate and guild member Haru will be there. She's... um... eccentric. Just be cautious when you meet her. I think you can handle yourself, but her mood combined with the lost crash magic. Just... Oh! If you can, bring some rum, you'll be her new best friend." Kiku stands and folds her hand out in-front of Winter, gesturing for a hand shake. "It's been a pleasure making your acquaintance."

Winter listened to Kiku's explination of her friend and teammate Haru, and she had to admit that she was quite impressed with the description. She couldn't imagine that someone like Kiku would ever associate with someone like this Haru girl, but Winter would save her judgements for when she actually met her.

Presently she stood to her feet and took Kiku's hand in her's shaking it gently with a smile "The pleasure is mine madam, I am fortunate to have met you. I hope the rest of your day goes well, and I promise I shall definatly be there to help with that job of yours." She let go of Kiku's hand before the shake made her uncomfortable and folded her hands behind her back.