The Perk, Friday Morning

[future_sandworm]

A visit to Fandom was something Leto always looked forward to, for several reasons. This time he had been curious to stop by the new tea place, but deciding to give Sparkle some space, he had chosen the Perk, as usual.

He liked their coffee, after all.

Hania had pouted when he had told her she couldn't come along, so Alice had distracted her with a newly invented three day celebration of... something. Leto had noted that it involved funny shoes. That kind of thing usually meant the court would be on edge when he got back and maybe he should offer Ghanima to share having some fun with that.

But for now, he was sipping a coffee by a window table, watching the passers-by.

[Open! Leto needed to get out more. Please come and say hi!]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

One of the passers-by was a young, stern-looking woman in warrior leathers. Except she turned from a passer-by into a fellow customer, as it turned out.

Because, while Octavia was probably never going to tell Magnus this, the pumpkin spice latte had actually been something she liked. Enough that on this Friday morning - in the middle of her customary patrol across town - she stopped by the Perk to order one.

"What is pumpkin spice, anyway?" she asked the barista, while he was making her order. He didn't seem all too interested in answering questions, but she figured she could get it out there anyway. (Wasn't as if she was the most social of people, either.) "I only know about pumpkins."

[future_sandworm]

Leto looked up, smiling a little.

"It's a very reasonable question," he said, before the barista had a chance to reply.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had just the chance to glance back at him before the barista sighed and rattled off something she couldn't really follow. Something about it being a spice mix, for pies, except that wasn't really what they used here? Useless.

She shook her head, then said, dryly, to Leto, "I thought so too."

The barista did not look like he agreed.

[future_sandworm]

"Are you new here?" Leto asked. "No, wait, those are seasonal, aren't they. First pumpkin spice season?"

Regardless of her answer, he liked being able to ask that familiar Fandom question. It always evoked a feeling of nostalgia.

[okteiviakom]

"I was already on the island last fall," Octavia said as she picked up her drink. "I just didn't come here."

She'd considered the Perk kind of a pointless institution. Still did, up to a point.

[future_sandworm]

"New habit?" Leto sipped his coffee.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Well, it was pumpkin spice season and, as a social media instructor, Summer felt she would literally not be doing her job if she didn't take every opportunity to get herself a PSL and tweet/snap/insta that shit like it was going out of style, which it never would, because PSL was timeless. But that did include a stop at the Perk as she headed into the store that morning; it was practically on her way, anyway.

And it seemed it was a good week for new faces (new to her, at least), too, as she noticed a new one sitting by the window. She offered a nod and a smile and a "Good morning" as she waited for her order, one for here in a fancy mug that made it more picture-worthy, and one to go, which would be offered to Apu when she got in, even though she knew he didn't care for pumpkin spice, so, oh, well, guess she'd have to drink it anyway, but it was the thought that counted, right?

[future_sandworm]

Leto turned his head and looked at the girl. He didn't recognise her, but that was true of most people here these day.

"Good morning. So you are one of those who appreciate the seasonal flavour?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

Whoa. Well, those were some eyes on this guy, but at the same time, Summer had a weird feeling she'd seen eyes like that before but couldn't quite place it. Just on the edge of something, but never quite getting there...

So instead she smiled and nodded, lifting up the to-go cup as it arrived. "Guilty as charged," she said, then carefully picked up the drink in a mug to carry it to a table nearby, one that seemed to have pretty good lighting for the shot. "It's practically tradition, really." She turned the cup in its saucer about a quarter of an inch to the left, pulled out her phone, and snapped a shot, all in one fairly fluid motion, before turning her attention back to the company.

"I'm Summer," she offered. "I don't think we've met?"

[future_sandworm]

Leto watched as she took the photo, amusedl.

"Hello, Summer. No we haven't. I'm Leto Atreides. Once a student, now occasionally visiting."

[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer took a moment to see how the picture turned out, wrinkled her nose slightly, and went to try again before she responded, this time bending her knees a little and getting a little closer for a better perspective.

And she knew she'd definitely heard that name before. And figured out where she'd seen those eyes

"Atreides?" she asked, head tilting. "Do you know Lady Ghanima, then?"

God, Summer, not everyone who had crazy blue eyes named Atreides knew each other, geez!

For all she knew, it was practically some other planet's Smith.

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan got Kanan's text and noped right out of the park part of the plan. He did his daily due diligence at the war against attrition on the agoraphobia front and went to get coffee instead.

He gave a polite nod to the new dude with the blue-on-blue eyes and idly wondered if he were from Zack's galaxy. Heading to the counter, he chatted for a moment with the barista. The resulting beverage was not pumpkin spice. He'd gone for hazelnut and wound up with a coffee confection that smelled like a newly opened jar of Nutella.

[future_sandworm]

Leto had nodded back, and then smiled as the stranger placed his order. When the coffee arrived, he said:

"Is plain old coffee out of fashion?"

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan gave a rueful smile, "No, people still drink it that way. I don't really like the taste of coffee, more use it as a carrier for the caffeine, so I get it flavored. Every so often, I'll get a plain coffee but all it really does is remind me how little I like the taste."

The barista shot him a look. They felt so betrayed when Kaidan came in and didn't tell them to surprise him.

[future_sandworm]

"I see," Leto said," Yes, caffeine is a surprisingly powerful drug in a way."

There was no judgement, obviously. He preferred spice coffee.

[spectre_alenko]

"It's a stimulant," Kaidan agreed, "I don't always need it but it's been a busy week." He gave Leto a curious look, "Haven't seen you around before. Are you one of the new people?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"Good morning, my friend. You are well?" Hernando asked, blowing on his coffee. He took a seat near his friend.

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan gave the mug of coffee in Hernando's hand an amused look. "I'm telling your store, Hernando," he teased. He took a sip of his own beverage. "I'm as well as can be expected. How's tricks?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"My store and I have an agreement," Hernando said easily, "I do not ask it to do that which it does not like, it does not sulk at me when I obtain coffee from other places. It is a very good store."

He took a drink and made a rueful face, "Dave still nips me if I bring in a cup branded from another store so I am forced to drink my coffee here."

Kaidan received a quick grin, "At least I have good company this morning."

[spectre_alenko]

"Not yet," Kaidan answered wryly, "but after more caffeine, sure, I'll be great company."

He considered Hernando for a minute. "You busy today? I have some errands to run over on the mainland in prep for tomorrow. I could use the company."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando considered it good business sense to visit the coffee shop every so often. His own shop was not very good at coffee and some mornings simply required roasted bean water instead of hot leaf water.

He smiled at the barista while he ordered a simple mug of black coffee. It was amazing how much one could miss such a simple thing, when one had a store that had not yet learned, or possibly simply refused, to make it in drinkable fashion.

Spotting Kaidan, he headed in that direction.

[future_sandworm]

Oh, so someone here ordered plain coffee. Leto took a sip from his own cup while he watched yet another stranger enter. Apparently, he had noticed a friend.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando met the very strange eyes of the watcher and gave a polite nod and smile of greeting.

[future_sandworm]

So Leto smiled and nodded back.

"No flavours for you either," he said, before taking a sip from his cup.

[hernando_fuentes]

"Not today," Hernando agreed with a smile, "I simply wanted a cup of coffee. You are not a fan of the ubiquitous PSL?"