Study Study Study

[Aszräl]

"Almost done..." Leon's mind spoke as he frowned in his usual haunt of a café.

His cup of Caf sat to the side, resting on a saucer as a paperweight to hold down a large pile of documents he'd garnered permission to print out. This last section of his assignment was particularly in-depth, and he had to make sure not to make any errors in the code. The slightest slip could turn this simulated artificial intelligence into a death machine that would destroy the little contained space it was in within the moments before it was purged. At that thought, he sat back for a moment to sip his drink, remembering news holos about some entity named Red Queen. He wondered if she was poorly coded, too.

"Hmm..." his mind wandered before he shook his head and got back to work.

Being easily distracted by wayward thoughts was one of the reasons he hadn't finished yet. Always wandering off into thought about theories, or about that Force sensitivity thing, or something as simple as what he'd have for lunch after he was done. Or what time of day it was. He shook off the wayward thoughts again and tried to focus. Just one more line of code...

"And done!" he announced to nobody in particular.

For some reason this little on-the-corner café was nearly always uninhabited, but it suited him well. If he had to guess, he'd say people in this day and age were more interested in the alcohol served at the cantina across the street than a sandwich or pastry and a cup of Caf you could get here.

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

Home sweet home!

Una had been away for such a long time she had almost forgotten what it was like. Walking down the street held so many familiar memories it was almost over whelming. Her long black hair had been pulled back and plaited, then twisted till it rested at the back of her head in a neat bun. Just like she used to wear it when she was allowed out, which was very seldom to begin with. The particular road Una was strolling down held an intimate relationship with the young woman. Not to far from where she currently was was a little cafe. A place she used to frequent when her mother had given her a particularly difficult subject to study. Now returning to it she felt quite different.

The door was the same, she remember the creak as it swung from it's hinges and found its resting place against the wall. Then the smell hit her. The sweet smell of caf and freshly baked goods. She inhaled deeply, her eyes fluttering shut as her brain flooded with memories. As usual, it was rather empty, apart from one soul who seemed to be working intently on something. The only thing that had changed was her table by the window. For some reason it didn't seem to be there anymore. But she could still picture it. She had spent many a day sat at that table, watching a whole manor of people pass by. There were days when she'd completely blow off her work and think up stories that went with her first impression.

She shrugged herself out of the daze and walked toward the counter, where she ordered a caf and a cheese pastry. As the server busied himself with the menial task Una asked out of curiosity. "Do you mind terribly, if I move a table and chair by the window?" The server was nonchalant in his reply and simply shrugged as he poured liquid into a ceramic white mug. She squealed with delight and immediately went about recreating her childhood. As she dragged the table over to the window the wooden legs scraped against the wooden floor, screeching loudly in protest. Una winced and glanced toward the only other patron of the cafe. "I'm sorry... I'll be done in just a moment!" She returned to get a chair and repeat the process.

[member="Leon Heath"]

 

[Aszräl]

Leon heard the door open and turned to see who entered, to be greeted by the sight of quite the cute girl entering the little establishment. He gave her an appreciative glance up and down to take in her features, then turned back to what he was doing since it was impolite to stare. He was vaguely aware of her making conversation and, his right ear jumped slightly at her little squee of delight. And then...

Cringe. That was about all Leon could do as the screeching, groaning scrape of the table on the floor assaulted his poor ears and made him spill some of his caf on his shirt. Just a few drops, but the heat was the pain rather than some vain 'you got caf on my shirt'. He forced a pleasant smile and nod at her apology, and took a sip of his drink. He cautioned a glance over to what the girl was doing, only to see that she was about to drag a chair across the floor, and if only to spare his aural nerves from more abuse, he quickly stood and briskly walked to her to politely snatch the chair from her hands.

"Ah, let me help you with this," he offered his explanation as he was already lifting the chair up and setting about moving it to the table.

Heath's expression was initially pleasant, but as the weight of the solid wood chair made itself known his face hardened slightly from the extra effort. He set it down by the table she'd moved, then dusted his hands off on his pants and turned to face the girl.

"There you go! No noise necessary." he said cheerfully, his mouth curved into a friendly smile. He shuffled slightly to one side, unsure if he should hang around for conversation or go back to his own table.

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

Una withdrew her hand from the back of the chair the second the stranger offered to help. She had realized that the noise might have been slightly annoying and discomforting to ones ears, but it wouldn't have lasted long. Still, she smiled sweetly and nodded her head in response, stepping out of his way as he lifted the chair. She could see it all now, it was almost too perfect. The light shone down through the window and illuminated the table top, catching any caf stains that might have embedded themselves into the grain. It was picture perfect the second the chair settled into its usual place. Her hands clapped together and an expression of delight made its way across her face.

With two quick steps, she made her way over to the chair and lowered her weight into it. She shuffled on the upholstery for a few moments, before smoothing her fingers out across the table. "This is where I used to sit when I was younger..." She said it out loud, though she wasn't speaking to anyone in particular. She wasn't even sure if the male was still standing beside her. Lost in her own little thoughts she continued to talk obliviously. "The sun used to shine just the way it does now, people used to walk by and I'd watch them and come up with my own little stories for their lives. I remember it like it was yesterday..." Her train of thought was interrupted by the clash of her mug and plate against the table.

She grinned brightly, rubbing her hands together and sliding her tongue along her lower lip. "Mmm.. and this is what I used to eat." For the first time since her little day dream she turned to check the kind stranger was still standing beside her. She offered him a soft smile, that only just curled the tips of her lips upward. "Thank you for your help! You're welcome to join me.. If you're on your own of course."

[member="Leon Heath"]

 

[Aszräl]

Leon watched with an interested gaze as he wanted the girl nearly revel in her moment. It was apparently she had some very fond memories, and he could appreciate nostalgia. He watched her soft movements as she walked memory lane, and he looked up out the window to see people walk by, and he had to say he appreciated the spot. He may have to maintain it whenever the girl wasn't around. He was broken by his thoughts when she spoke up to him.

"You're welcome to join me.. If you're on your own of course."​

​

"Oh, really?" he questioned at first, then shook off the internal dilemma and continued, "I'd love to. Give me a moment," he finished, then slipped beck to where he was.

He packed his papers and datapad into his black messenger bag and carried it, and his jacket-draped chair over to the other table. He set his bag in the seat and went back to fetch his cup of caf and toasted sandwich. Both these things he brought back to the table and set them, neatly positioned, on his side of the surface. Afterward we slid his bag off and gently laid it on the ground to the right of and slightly under his seat, and took his seat. He punctuated the line of activity with a sip of his drink. He considered what to say for conversation, but drew up a blank. Without anything better to say, he figured manners and generic lines were better than trying to force a subject.

"Hi," he introduced himself, "I'm Leon."

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

Her head nodded at his words and she took a moment to turn her head and watch the window. She cupped the mug of caf in between her fingers and let the warmth seep through her skin. "The man with the purple jacket is on his way to see his mistress after a large argument with his wife. He misses his children but he can't handle the stress of it anymore." She thought as she took a sip of the sweet brew. She was saving the pastry, that was the best part. Half a cup of caf, a stringy cheese pastry, then the other half of her caf. It was like a routine, and even after years of not putting it into practice it only felt natural. "That young woman is late for a meeting wi-..."

Her thought was cut short as the male seated himself down opposite her. She hadn't had the time to properly look at him since her entrance, but now he was up close, he was certainly rather charming. He had a certain glow about him that made Una feel... well. She didn't quite know how it felt. He was attractive to boot. She flashed him a wide toothy grin as he finally settled into his seat. "Leon. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you very much again, for your help with the chair. I apologize if it annoyed you, but I'm happy to have your company. I'm Una." She reached her hand across the table and offered it toward Leon.

[member="Leon Heath"]

 

[Aszräl]

Leon was nibbling on his sandwich and enjoying the sliced meat and cooled-but-still-kind-of-melty cheese in the bread, when the girl, Una, spoke. He started chewing with greater intensity to hurry up and swallow it down, but it seemed like in his hurry it was only getting harder to swallow. He gnawed while he listened, hoping to be done before he had to speak.

"Leon. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you very much again, for your help with the chair. I apologize if it annoyed you, but I'm happy to have your company. I'm Una."​

He still wasn't done yet, and when he finally swallowed, he waved his hand for just a moment to take a drink from his cup, before dabbing his mouth with a napkin and grasping her hand in a firm, but gentle, handshake.

"Sorry," he apologised for his awkwardness, then continued, "It's nice to meet you, too, Una." he finished, then released her hand and slouched slightly against the chair back.

"And it wasn't so much annoying as it was... well, painful," he said, "But you don't have to go. It's done with now." he offered a friendly smile and took another drink of his caf.

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

Una let her jaw hang open for a few moments as she locked onto someone drifting past the cafe. She let the silence ensue for a moment more before she turned her head to smile toward Leon. "So. When did you start coming here?" She motioned lazily with a finger as she took another sip of caf and set the mug down onto the table. Wrigging her fingers lightly, she slid them under the pastry and inhaled deeply as she brought it to her nose. The savory smell of the flakey pastry and the warm cheese that had begun to seep through it was again, just how she remembered. Una was almost too nostalgic to eat it. It didn't take long for her to get over it and soon enough her white teeth were sinking into the golden brown pastry and her eyes refocused on Leon.

[member="Leon Heath"]

 

[Aszräl]

Leon lazily watched the same person, letting his mind wander as he stared off into the distance. He hadn't really had sufficient time for a mental break lately, and this reprieve was welcome. It felt like a lot had happened recently, what with that Force sensitivity revelation, accelerating to his next section of classwork ahead of schedule, and, well... everything, really. This café had been his home more than home was, and truth be told it was starting to get to the poor young man. His thoughts drifted even further, but he was yanked back into reality, mostly, when [member="Una Gal"] spoke.

"Did come here?"​

So lost was he in thought that he didn't catch all of what she said, and what he thought she said didn't make any sense. He blinked himself fully out of his strange distant trance and brought his attention back to reality, where he searched her face for some sort of cues as to what she said. Instead, he just found her rather attractive, even in something as simple as eating a pastry. He mentally brushed those thoughts away, sure that even if he were to pursue anything, that the girl would likely already have someone special out there. Lost for a proper response and already taking a little too long to speak up, he finally had to make himself look silly.

"Sorry, what did you say?" he asked, a whisper of pink touching his cheeks from the perceived awkwardness of his question.