inbox | The City 🌆

[nerine]

USERNAME: NERINE "MONTS" ORIGINAL TEXT • AUDIO • VIDEO • ACTION • OVERFLOW

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[gradenine]

see i was planning to surprise you but
i don't really know what girls like you are into
usually the women i work with don't really fuss over this kinda stuff

[nerine]

I guess I'm a lot more girly than I thought! I love cute things. Maybe not overtly cute but I can't say no to cute!
It's probably easy to assume if you saw me in person though.
Still thank you again! This will net you lots of good cafe drinks.

[gradenine]

can't say no to that
speaking of, are you working right now?
not that we don't really need to
but i get wanting to have some kinda routine while we're here

[nerine]

I wasn't do anything important so I can just open up right now
It's okay, irregular cafe hours are the norm for me.

[gradenine]

i mean i don't wanna pressure you to open shop on my account
this is embarrassing enough as it is
but if you insist...
and ig i do want actual coffee this time around

so where is this shop of yours?

[nerine]

[She sends him the directions to the coffee shop c:]

East of the train station! Just look for a corner that's lit up and says 'Coffee Shop.'

-> action

[gradenine]

all right got it
see you in a bit 👋

[ give him like ten minutes or so to book it, peeking his head around the corner to check if she really did set up shop on her own here. ]

Helloooo... Monts? You here?

[nerine]

[Behind the counter of the corner coffee shop, a young lady with short fluffy hair and a tan complexion looks up from pouring coffee beans into the grinder. She lights up and waves at Roland.]

Hello! Roland, right?

[The way she talks and greets him does seem to match her tone over text. And really, it's hard to imagine anyone else being called Monts. It's a weird nickname that suits her.]

Glad you could make it!

[gradenine]

[ oh, she's rather petite. roland returns her wave with one of his own before sauntering inside. ]

Yeah, didn't take me long too find. Uh, here.

[ slides over the cute journal in question. ]

Coulda sworn I had people turn their heads while I was making my way here... Ah, well.

[nerine]

[Monts happily accepts the journal and picks it up to turn it over in her hands.]

Thank you again. This is a really nice journal. It'll be good to record what happens here.

And it's nice to meet you in person.

[gradenine]

Mm. Likewise.

[ gonna slide onto a barstool for a bit. ]

So... you just set all of this up by yourself?

[ he's. not good at small talk but by the wings he is Trying ]

[nerine]

Well, most of the equipment and ingredients are here already. Anything I'm missing, I just browse the grocery or convenience stores to fill in the gaps.

[This is why Monts is a barista, she's great at small talk.]

So what are we feeling today? Hot or iced? I'm going to assume sweet too based on our last conversation.

[gradenine]

[ oh, right. no need for assembly at all if everyone just booked it prior to their arrival... still freaky, though. ]

Yeah. Frappucinos are iced, right? I wanna try one of those. Might not even get this opportunity again.

yells why did i miss this tag

[nerine]

Alright then! I think for you... Alright give me a minute and I'll whip it up!

[And so Monts gets to work. The espresso is ground up and while the machine hisses with hot water strained through the grounds, she takes out some ice, milk, chocolate syrup, and some whipped cream. Oh speaking of.]

Are you okay with whipped cream? Personally, I'm either or but I think it's tasty without it.

it happens 😔

[gradenine]

[ watching monts work the coffee machine... yep, it's like he's back at the floor of social sciences again, chatting it up with chesed. it's rather nostalgic. too nostalgic, that he spaced out a little until monts spoke up again. ]

H-Huh? Uhh, I'll try without it this time. Next time I'll be a little more adventurous.

[nerine]

Haha! Sure thing. Don't want to overindulge on the first try.

[Espresso, syrup, ice, milk, and chocolate chips are put into a blender and with one press, the mixture quickly comes together. She pours it out into a tall glass and as a final touch, just to make it look nice since it will be without whipped cream, just a sprinkle of espresso powder.

The drink is slid over to Roland and Monts proudly gestures at it with her hand.]

There you go! A java chip blended ice coffee. I hope you enjoy it!

[gradenine]

[ whoa... this is nothing like chesed's blends. roland gives it a thorough once-over first, before taking his first sip.

...! ]

Whoa, that's... That's pretty cold.

[ duh, roland. he takes another. ]

Mm, that's pretty sweet. Just the way I like it. Like the chocolate on top.

[nerine]

Well, yeah. It's got ice.

[But she looks and sounds more amused than not at Roland's reaction.]

Hopefully, the coffee is coming through too. It should work with the sweetness not be overpowered by it.

[gradenine]

[ LISTEN it's been a while... ]

Mhm, I know my caffeine. Usually the coffee where I'm from is overly sweet to cover up the low-quality ingredients, but this one tastes just right to me. Thanks.

[nerine]

You're welcome! I think true skill in making coffee is being able to blend different elements together to make it work with different kinds of roasts. If the base isn't good, the rest of the ingredients will just cover it up.

[She'll just start cleaning up the tools she's used now.]

I gotta ask Roland, are you here with anyone else you know?

[gradenine]

Mmm.

[ he hums thoughtfully, taking another sip off the iced coffee. ]

Yeah, I do. She's a coworker of mine, Gebura. Then I met other people here from the City we're from, but I don't know much about 'em.

[nerine]

Really? That sounds like it could get confusing. Like, maybe if there's someone where I'm from, but I wouldn't be aware of it until it came up. I guess I shouldn't worry about it too much.

Does Gebura like coffee?

[gradenine]

I'd say she tolerates them, just... not the guy who makes them. Mostly. They got a real complicated relationship. [ their million-year slowburn... ] I do know she also likes 'em sweet like me, since we came from the poorer side of the City and all.

[ takes another sip. oooh, that is sweet. just the way he likes it. ]

And you can kinda tell who came from our City or not. Not every world out there is as horrific as ours, apparently. Still hard to wrap my head around.

[nerine]

Duly noted! Sweet cafe drinks for the coffee tolerator.

Would you mind giving me a rundown of where you guys are from? The bits and pieces you did mention did sound really grim.

[gradenine]

Man... I don't even know where to begin.

[ except he totally does because that's literally his job in the entire game - to provide exposition. ]

It's a little depressing, y'know? How 'bout you tell me about your world for a change? I wanna know how better other people in different worlds have it.

[nerine]

Hm. Well...

[How do you describe a world that you've only just discovered that there was more to recently?]

Basically, there are several continents, many countries, and many cultures and subcultures. I live in a relatively prosperous place, but based on your background, that's up in the air. But I'm fortunate even if I'm not part of a wealthy and upper-class family.

And then I suddenly found out that magic and psychics existed and then not only that, other worlds outside my own. It's been a lot to take in. So I might sound casual about a lot of things but I have plenty of room for shock and awe.

[gradenine]

[ ahh. a nest kid, in other words. she's more and more like chesed... must be the coffee. ]

Magic? That really exist?

[ he actually sounds a tad surprised, that. magic is almost unheard of in his city, and all the weird abilities that a select group people can do is only possible through the power of the mind. ]

[nerine]

It exists on my world. But most of the non-supernatural population aren't aware of it or they think it's stuff of fiction.

For me, I found out when I met my current boss, the owner of the cafe.

[Iona is rather odd for a witch in that her spellcasting isn't all up to snuff, but she packs one hell of a magical punch.]

I became friends with her and she hired me on since she knew I would be able to keep all the magic stuff a secret.

[And of course her own secrets as well.]

[gradenine]

Ahh, I get it. It's hard for most people to wrap their head around, but you're different from the others, right?

[ he hums in acknowledgement. okay, okay. so it's kind of like keeping company secrets, or the fact that you can wield E.G.O easily. either way, that's cool. ]

So... Can you use magic? I've never really seen anyone use it up close before.

[nerine]

[She dismisses the notion very quickly. ]

Me? Oh no, I'm not a witch. I can't do any kind of magic.

[And really, nothing stands out about Monts, save for being a pretty young lady but one can find pretty anywhere.]

I just have excellent customer service skills that are applicable for any customer from any world!

[gradenine]

Well, can't argue with that. Better a barista than a Fixer, in my opinion.

[ he chuckles, takes another sip of his coffee. ]

At least everyone here seems nice so far. Sure, there are some prickly types, but no one violent enough, I figure.

[ hahahahaha ]