{~*Corner Sweets*~}

Started by Spa O o fey, October 15, 2008, 12:21:42 PM

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Avis habilis

To his great relief, this time Dave managed not to make a sound while coughing coffee into his nose. He reached over to the bright chrome napkin dispenser and pulled out a half dozen or so. "Damn allergies," he muttered, blowing his nose. "Seems like the pollen starts flying earlier every year." He wadded the used napkins into a tight ball and lobbed them over the counter into the waste basket that stood near the gleaming brass and copper cappuccino machine.

"I blame global warming," he added as he extracted a couple more napkins. That done he nudged the dispenser to one side to make room to lay open a small notebook on the counter. It must have been sheer coincidence that the gesture positioned it so that Dean was reflected in its surface.

XxUnDeAdMiStReSsXx

Aoi nodded to Dean, "Sounds interesting." She commented, going over to help Dave clean up the mess. "Sugar, dear, can you help me?" She asked the kitten, who rolled in the mess and turned from pure white to a milky coffee color.

Avis habilis

"Egh. Sorry about that." Dave, whose complexion already tended toward the orange, blushed a momentary beetroot at Aoi's ministrations. "Hate to make a mess all over everything. Especially since you keep this place so clean!"

The kitten's ability - and willingness - to soak up the puddle might have gobsmacked Dave yesterday, but any preconceptions he had had about the shop had long since gone out the window. He leaned down to look her in the eye. "Thanks, cutie. That's a great color for you."

A moment's fishing in yet another pocket yielded a stub of pencil, and he began to sketch a rough outline in the notebook.

XxUnDeAdMiStReSsXx

Aoi laughed, a tinkling bells sort of laugh, "Don't worry about it. It's no problem." She smiled at him warmly. "What are you doodling?" She asked curiously.

Avis habilis

A quick glance in the napkin dispenser showed Dean engrossed in his tea. Dave leaned foward slightly and dropped his voice low enough to be hard to follow at a distance but not so quiet, he hoped, as to be suspicious. "I'm trying to map intersections. Judging from the state I was in when I arrived, I lost about three days in transit. If Corner Sweets and that house are that far out of sync, the return trip is going to take careful planning. Otherwise..." His eyes unfocussed slightly as he worked through the problem in his head. When he finally arrived at an answer, it sent his eyebrows leaping for his hairline.

"Bozhe moi. I could be out by months. Or leagues. Possibly straight up."

XxUnDeAdMiStReSsXx

Aoi just smiled and shook her head. "You really are concerned about getting lost ain't you?" She whispered, an amused smile playing on her lips.

Avis habilis

Dave flushed again, then shrugged and returned the smile. "Maybe I am being a little paranoid. But I'm ... well, I'm duty bound. I just want to make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be, you know?"

He jotted down a short series of figures interspersed with peculiar symbols; some sort of calculation, and the result wasn't a happy one. He grimaced.

"That and I don't like the idea of reappearing six miles above the ground."

XxUnDeAdMiStReSsXx

Aoi giggled, "You sound like my family when they are doing something like that." She created another sheet and started jotting down a second equation. "Where exactly are you headed?" She asked, halfway through her new equation. "Since I can't very well send you back to my parent's home."

Avis habilis

"Good point. I'm gonna have a hard time keeping this investigation quiet if I suddenly pop up at the scene. And I've got to steer clear of the Moot."

Dave scowled.

"This'll take some thinking about."

XxUnDeAdMiStReSsXx

Aoi cocked her head sideways, curiosity racing across her face. "Why do you want to get back there so fast? Aren't you even curious about what this world holds?" She asked, waving her hand around the shop.

Avis habilis

Dave blinked hard at that. He opened his mouth to reply, then stopped. Turning a bit on his stool, he took a long, slow look around the café as if seeing it for the first time. Mellow afternoon sun was spilling in the massive windows to the courtyard. The blaze of copper, brass, chrome and diamond-bright polished glass of the counter, tables, display cases filled the room with color and warmth. Even the enigmatic and vaguely menacing commando managed to look positively convivial.

"You know, sister ... you may have a point. This place could use some looking into. After all, who knows who else could wind up here?"

Dave turned back to his coffee and scratched Sugar between her ears.

"How about a refill to start with? And maybe today's paper too. Looks like I'm gonna need to find work."

XxUnDeAdMiStReSsXx

Aoi smiled, she loved spending time in the shop. "No problem." She said, handing him the requested items. "This place has amazing opportunities."