The Perk | Friday Afternoon

[begmetwice]

Irene was, honestly, kind of thrilled beyond measure to have her regular coffee shop back after last week's hijinks. Not to offend the people of the great cities of Boston or Seattle (more than she already had, anyway), but the chains proffered last week were, categorically, just not what she had wanted nearly ever in her life.

She had a spot of work to do (actual work for once, not just people watching and vaguely illegal online activities), so after deliberating over what tea she'd like and selecting an entirely-too-seasonally-early-but-still-delicious-sounding scone, Irene found herself a cozy little table where she could sit with her laptop and go over the previous quarter's sales.

And also people watch. Old habits, dying hard, et cetera.

[open!]

Comments

[sword_chocobro]

Gladio was looking to get some reading done that afternoon but, interestingly enough, found the quiet of the apartment too distracting to focus on it. He really hadn't spent a lot of time on the coffee shop lately, anyway, so, with a small stack of books that appeared to be about the Wild West tucked under his arm, he got in and ordered the largest of whatever coffee concoction would make Iggy pout at him the most.

But, of course, he gave Irene a nod of greeting and a lift of his cup in s salute when he spotted her there, too.

"Hey, Irene. How's it going?"

[begmetwice]

"Gladio, darling, how are you?" Irene greeted him brightly, glancing up from her computer as though she'd only just noticed him. (Which, of course, was not the truth -- though to be fair, that was less about Irene's powers of observation, and more that it would simply be hard to miss a man of Gladio's stature even if you were trying to.) "Just finishing up a bit of bookkeeping for the shop, but your books look like more fun."

Was someone trying to learn more about his Halloween costume from the prior week?

[sword_chocobro]

More like studying up for a pop quiz that was sure to follow if any particularly bookish sticky fingers got a hold of them, really.

"You can borrow one if you want," he offered, only really half-joking, before giving the computer a nod. "How's the numbers looking?"

[begmetwice]

"Pre-Halloween sales and back to school seem to have mitigated the losses incurred by the 'Lion's Den' last week," Irene shared, and yes, there were little finger quotes in play there.

Though they were wrong finger quotes, Irene. That was the store's name, you can't delegitimize it by pretending it's some sort of scam.

"Heard you got stuck with a Planet Fitness; my sympathies."

[sword_chocobro]

"Thanks," Gladio snorted. "Pretty sure I set off that Lunk Alarm just by walkin' into the place, but I do kind of miss the purple."

He needed to watch out; if he kept saying it ironically, it might go full circle into sincere.

"I bet that 'Lion's Den,'" would it help if they both did the air quotes? "was just a out as classy a joint as it sounds, too."

[begmetwice]

"I think I might have caught a rash just standing in the building," Irene sniffed dramatically. (Fact: she had not.) "And you know, I don't think that purple paint is proprietary, if you wanted to revisit it for your non-corporatized gym. It was quite striking."

In a grapey kind of way!

[sword_chocobro]

"Eh," Gladio shrugged a bit with a grin, "I'm more of a black kind of guy, anyway. But, hey, if that rash keeps up, I'm sure Nell could whip you up something to help."

He was so subtle with the name drop there, wasn't he?

"I'm just glad," he said, with a grunt that suggested a return to seriousness, "all that's done and over with. Not a fan, but it got taken care of, like things usually do around here, at least."

[begmetwice]

"Between that and how she's promised me tea, Nell's going to put the clinic out of business," Irene teased lightly, lifting her cup in acknowledgement. "Your girl sounds like she can make a proper cuppa, too, but we'll see."

She was pretty sure Nell knew what she was talking about, but Nell also had an American accent and thus her tea would be mildly suspect until proven otherwise.

[sword_chocobro]

"Oh no," Gladio said, although the realization seemed to have come with a faint chuckle. "You're like tea the same way Iggy is about his coffee, aren't you?"

Ignis who absolutely did not have an American accent, either, though, so maybe it was just something about the way he and Irene did speak that made them so particular about hot beverages...

[begmetwice]

"I suspect I am very similar to your friend Ignis in a lot of my tastes that way, yes," Irene replied with an unrepentant grin. "Since I am also picky about my occasional cups of coffee, as well -- but from what I've seen, Mr. Scientia is also choosy about the things he puts in and on his person in a way I approve of."