dualislogs | August: Caffeine and Cohabitation

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August: Caffeine and Cohabitation

WHO: Billy Kaplan + you!
WHAT: August non-event stuff
WHERE: Around the city!
WHEN: First two weeks of August
WARNINGS: Nada

[Open: coffee shop shenanigans]

[All in all, this whole barista jam? Not too bad. Billy basically feels like he's been getting the college experience without the actual classes. Not to say that there's no studying; he's been reading everything he can find both on the Dualis internet and in the (very outdated) print library near the dorms, trying to do what he can to help figure out just what they can actually do to help. Or what he can do to help. He's been spending time with his brother, Seifer, Nida, Tim; he's made friends with his co-workers, who feel like your stereotypical coffee shop crew. All in all, it's pretty good.

He's comfortable. And maybe that should be weird, this place being what it is, and with that explosion and the weird broadcast and all, but honestly? It feels like home in a way even home hasn't in a very long while. So yeah. He's comfortable.

And it shows, the way he whistles cheerfully behind the counter, all but dancing as he restocks biscuits and wipes up sugar spills, eventually swinging out from behind the counter and cheerily greeting patrons:]

[a]
[To a customer at a table, drinking a cup of coffee and reading a paper:] Hey, need a refill?

[b]
[To the person bending over to read the sign on the window that reads 'Now Hiring:'] Looking for a job? Usually the job fair handles that, but the boss likes to do things the old-fashioned way, too.

[c]
[To the person waiting to place their order, making some Bold Fashion Choices:] Wow. That outfit is absolutely killer.

[Rinoa: new old friends]
[Billy's been roommateless for so long he'd just kind of assumed he'd gotten stuck in a double all to himself. Not that he was complaining; it was nice to have the space. A little lonely sometimes, after how close he'd gotten used to being to Tommy, but not bad at all.

But apparently that's changing, as he hears the beep from the doorway that signals an authorized user entry. At least he hopes it's changing, as he leaps up from the bed, looking startled; the other option would be much more nefarious, and a roommate would definitely be preferable to, say, an axe murderer.

The door opens, and he opens his mouth to speak--and then doesn't, his mouth hanging open for a very different reason as he sees who exactly it is. After a long second or two, he finally manages to get the question out:]

Rinoa???

[Nida: just because]
[Hey. Hey. Hey. Guess who's texting you, Nida? That's right, it's your boyfriend.]

Hey, you❤️

Wanna go for a walk?

[Tommy: diner days]
[Some things don't change no matter what dimension you're in. No matter where you go, sometimes you just get a serious craving for pancakes at 2am, and there's only one place that satisfies:]

Blue Billy needs food badly. Wanna hit Spenny's?

[It's no fun if you go alone, right?]

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Walk? Walk. Hmmmmm... Do I have the ability to go for a walk?
Yeah, love.

I'd be glad to.

Don't get cute

Oh wait, too late :P

Meet me outside in 5?

Damn, only cute? My youthful good looks are fading. Clearly I need more hair product.

I’ll be there in three, beloved.

You can never have too much hair product :P

Waiting outside

[And he will be, slouching against the wall outside the building like a proper delinquent, hands in his pockets and messenger bag slung over one shoulder.]

[It is even a good wall choice, close to the window Nida climbs out of. What? Doors take so much more time. Once he’s out he slips over to his boyfriend and moves to pull the other man into his arms, stealing a very light kiss.]

Ah, my boyfriend, supporter of buildings. Maker of coffee. Wooer of miscreants. Nice to see you.

[As if they don’t already spend plenty of time together.]

[This afternoon David hadn't managed to find the coffee shop he normally went to, where he could spend some time with Aqua and still have some nearby businesses he wanted to hit up. So instead he'd come to the next place he could find, had even come in during Billy's break so that he'd missed the witch the first time.

At least the coffee was good and reasonably priced. He settles down to enjoy his paper, making notes on a pad of paper. And then the voice. David lets the paper fold over in his hands, leaving him looking up at Billy Kaplan.]

Yeah. Still like it black.

[There's still a small part of him, a small, weak part, that even after all this time still holds a grudge against David. It wasn't entirely his fault, of course; just one kiss wouldn't have made Teddy leave if there hadn't been other underlying issues, but still--even now, a year later and with him already having moved on, it's still...hard.

And yet, David had been Tommy's friend. David had known Tommy for all of like. Two weeks, and he'd still come to Billy to let him know about Tommy vanishing, he'd stuck around to help, and that means something. So, he's making an effort. Which means David gets refills, and even a question that sounds more or less friendly.]

Find anything interesting in there?

[If it helps, this meeting is awkward for him too. Especially because he hasn’t had as much time as Billy to get past things. Especially because everything Tommy had told him hadn’t really helped him prepare for the inevitable meeting. Especially because a lot of things like he knew this boy’s future, if this really was the Billy Kaplan of his world.

Small talk. He needs small talk. Because this is awkward.]

There are people looking to put together a hockey league. Sort of like high school intramural style. I wish them luck.

[Excellent, they can both be awkward together. Perfect. Totally Billy's favorite thing.]

I guess some sports are universal. Kind of disappointing to not see something more interesting out here, like anti-gravity handball or something, but hey.

[God, he sucks at small talk, too. Time to abandon this and go straight in, apparently.]

...This is weird, isn't it.

I mean, it’s not ‘Tango Maureen’ levels of weird, but it definitely warrants an awkward. I’m going to presume that, like Tommy, you’re a bit behind me temporally.

[Which means that Billy doesn’t know he saves the day in a perfect fairy tale prince sort of way. Or that maybe there was a bit of a threat against David’s person that was probably completely deserved. But he does fold his paper up and set it aside.]

I am certain there is probably some strange hoverbike street racing, if you really care about terrible sports.

[A person strolls in with a tool box. A very blue person, who has all the signs he's spent his morning working, comes in carrying a tool box. He checks a work order in front of Billy, squinting down at a mechanical tablet.]

Was it y'all who had the repair order for the ice machine or did they mess it up an' get the addresses bass ackwards again.

[He's going to have to angrily call his manager again if that's the case. Damn this having a manager, man. He misses being a captain. At least he knew where the hell he was going.]

[Well, that's new. Billy stares just a little, but more because the blue guy sounds like he's from the Deep South than because of anything else. It's a little jarring, okay? You don't expect native dialects to translate quite that way...

It only takes him a second to blink and snap himself out of it, though, at which point he trips over himself to respond.]

Uh, yeah, yeah that's us. My manager left me a note this morning, said someone should be showing up today. Here, you can come around this way--

[There's a door to the far left of the counter that leads to the other side of the counter and allows access to the kitchen, and that door opens briefly to let Yondu back in and through. Billy leads the way to the ice machine, chattering away as if to make up for his original lapse.]

I'm glad you showed up this early, it's pretty warm out there and like all of our new specials are iced drinks. It's been kind of a killer these last few days, honestly. Can I get you some coffee or water or anything while you're working?

Aright. [Yondu says casually, following Billy through. He takes a look at some of the snacks as he goes, but doesn't ask for anything. It might make his stomach growl a little bit.]

Yeah, I reckon they'd have somethin' to say. It's been hot as hell. [He stoops to one knee beside the machine, opening up the tool case and laying out a bunch of tools, as well as unboxing a part.]

An' sure, you can get me somethin'. I'm just gonna be right here. Black's fine. Still gettin' used to Terran or almost Terran style drinks. Ain't nothin' I'm too familiar with around here.

[It's not as though she's come with much on her. The truth is, Rinoa is still trying to wrap her head around what little she's been told. And she's still partially annoyed that the questions she has are the kinds that weren't inclined to be answered.

But in the end, she decides that the best option is to... Well. Make the best of it. At least she gets to have a roof over her head. They could have simply made her sleep out in the street and it doesn't sound like that's the kind of thing she actually wants to do.

Billy's greeting, however, and the fact that he... knows... her name... is beyond puzzling. She could get it if someone in passing said it and he was just verifying it was her, but there's an inflection in his tone that denotes otherwise and for several moments, she simply pauses in the doorway.]

...What?

[Because that's the best she can come up with on such short notice. And inwardly she kicks herself. Maybe she just misheard him?

She sticks out a hand to make up for the moment's confusion and grins widely.]

Yep, that's me! I'm Rinoa. It looks like I'll be staying with you for a while. Hope you don't mind!

[Oh man. Judging by that look on her face, she's another one who's fresh from home, doesn't remember anything from before. Maybe she's from before she ended up in the village, or maybe she's just from another dimension. It'd honestly be weirder if she was the Rinoa he knew, really.

Still, that doesn't make him any less disappointed when she looks at him without any recognition at all, though he does his best to shake it off as she offers a hand in greeting, smiling back at her as he moves forward to take it.]

Hi, I'm Billy. And I definitely don't mind, it's actually been kind of weird rooming alone. Did you just get here?

I wouldn't say 'just.'

[Rinoa shakes his hand the moment his comes into contact with her. Wearing something of an awkward half smile, or maybe it's the real deal, she lifts her free hand into her hair.]

I've been here long enough to hear the bare-bones situation, but not here long enough to really know what's going on in detail. But it seems like they don't like that question, so... cool.

[She raises an eyebrow at Billy.] But not here long enough to get comfortable! That's where you come in! Show me around, tell me about yourself, and tell me: do you like cooking?

[ Yes, it's true, Steph reads the paper sometimes. Given that's mostly because she doesn't have embedded sources of intel here, but it's also nice to see what sort of trouble reporters are trying to stir up on a given day.

She looks up to smile at Billy like a woman in love. ]

Always.

[ It's the coffee she's in love with, in case there was ever any question. ]

[It's okay, Steph, he knows how important a good caffeine source is! He's happy to be bestowing the grace of the gods, honestly. But that dreamy smile does get her a grin in response as he tops her cup off, a laugh in his voice as he answers.]

Honestly, no matter what's going on here, at least it's got coffee. So much better than foraging for herbs to make tea that always kind of tastes like leaves no matter how much you try and pretend otherwise, or waiting for whoever's watching to decide you've earned a cup. Anything interesting going on out in the city?

[He nods at the paper she's been looking over. Of course, media's probably not gonna say too much, but it's worth a shot.]

Amen to that! I still haven't fully recovered.

[ She had plenty of coffee available at the end there, and three years later she's still grateful for the buzz. ]

If the cops have gotten anywhere with their investigation of the 'heart' people they're keeping it to themselves.

[ She points out an article titled "Still No Suspects In Terrorist Attack". ]

Shocking, I know.

[does he want to hit spenny's. a speedster's metabolism means tommy's pretty much always hungry, so ... yeah, even at 2am, tommy is down for diner food. a few seconds after billy sends the text, there's a knock on his door, because tommy didn't bother texting back, just zoomed on down to the next floor.]

You really gotta ask? [he gives his twin a lopsided grin.] Have you met me?

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August: Caffeine and Cohabitation

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