NOVEL NEXT 37: Crab Cafe
Bidding farewell to Adelyn and Elyse as they left to continue their date at the movie theater, Valencia continued running the store alone for the rest of the morning as Astrid slept in. Without too much to do, Valencia just advertised the pastries while serving tea and making some idle conversations with the more mundane customers.
By noon, Valencia had sold each and every one of her pastries bar two. She was satisfied! The two leftover pastries were for her and Astrid, so she'd pretty much sold all of them!
Because they had disappeared like fish in a lake of alligators, Valencia added it to her recipe book of successful, ‘would-make-again’ pastries. Munching on some lunch, Valencia totaled the profit for the day before entering it in her phone.
She didn’t have to keep track of how much they made or spent, but it was a nice hobby for her. In fact, they were in the green somehow! Of course, it helped that any deity that came to the store always tipped close to 100% of their bill, but even without it, the store was building a bit of a customer base.
Closing her document with a satisfied sigh, Valencia perked up as tired footsteps began making their way down the stairs.
Not a moment later, Valencia laughed as she felt a hug wrap around her from behind. “Hey there, love~ How are you?”
“Sleepy...” Astrid yawned, squeezing Valencia as she reached forward to steal Valencia’s cup of tea. “So warm...”
“Who? Me or the cup of tea?” Valencia smiled, turning around to return Astrid’s hug. “Also, I left a plate of lunch over there for you if you want it. There’s also a cup of tea with your name on it.”
“Thanks for the lunch,” Astrid murmured as she rested her head against Valencia’s shoulder. “I’ll get to it once I recharge on Cianium. Also, I meant both of you and the cup with the ‘warm’ comment. Mostly you though.”
Brushing Astrid’s hair back and out of her face, Valencia nodded, replied with an “mhm,” and tilted Astrid’s chin up to give her a kiss. “Well, I’ll be here no matter what, the warmth your food has though, will dissipate with time. So why don't you head over and start eating?”
“Alright, Cia...” Astrid trailed off, detaching herself from Valencia and dragging herself over to the counter and the food. “I’ll want extra later, then.”
“Have as much as you want, my dear,” Valencia sang with a laugh. “Are you fine with customers seeing you like this though?”
“Mhm, totally fine,” Astrid shrugged while warming her hands with the teacup. “I did my morning routine and neatened up a little. It’s fine if they see me in my pajamas. I made sure to put on a jacket anyways to not get a cold.”
Given Astrid, herself, was fine with being seen in a messier state, Valencia had nothing to worry about either. Returning to the kitchen with her empty plates in hand, Valencia waved to Astrid. “Keep any customers that show up busy for a bit. I’m going to wash my plates and the other dishes that the morning customers left behind.”
“Sounds good~,” Astrid nodded, giving a thumbs up as she dug into her food. “I’ll just keep them company with some boring, sleepy conversation.”
Resolving to not yawn at any customer, Astrid sat there eating in slow bites as she watched the spectacle of Valencia washing the dishes. First, all the plates, cups, and pots floated up from the collection spot in the cafe. Then, they all zipped into the kitchen, stacking and organizing themselves into neat little piles.
They only had two sinks though, so Astrid turned away as Valencia began hand washing in one sink and telekinesis washing in the other.
Astrid wondered if those washed by Valencia’s powers would turn out any different from the hand washed ones...
As she was about to continue pondering the thought, Astrid was cut short by the sound of bell chimes from the door being opened.
“Welcome,” Astrid waved, motioning towards the kitchen behind her. “The main barista is washing some dishes. She’ll be out shortly. I can make some conversation and also do some basic menu explanations though.”
“Why thank you.” The middle-aged gentleman acknowledged as he surveyed the store. “Nice place. I quite like this wooden interior. It’s both cozy and open. Well-lit and private.”
“Tell that to Valencia later,” Astrid shrugged while reaching over for a menu. “I didn’t help design anything.”
Handing the menu to the gentleman as he took a seat across from her, Astrid continued eating her food with slow bites. Trying to avoid staring at him while he perused the menu, Astrid noticed a couple things.
Well, one he was kinda middle-aged which was weird to see. Most people in the city looked like they were in the prime of their lives or just a bit past it...
He was balding for heaven’s sake! Balding!
Astrid didn’t want to make fun of bald people or anything, but... it wasn’t exactly something young people were known for.
Admiring the man’s commitment to the comb-over, Astrid also noticed his outfit. It was well put together for sure. But the highlights were what drew her attention. They were... quite red. A certain shade reminiscent of the plaza attackers who were put down during her and Valencia’s dinner.
“Do you serve any crab here?” The man asked, flipping the menu on the back to take a quick look. “It doesn’t seem like it...”
“No, we do not. Mostly tea, sometimes pastries.” Astrid answered as confusion swept its way through her mind.
Leaves of Dawn was a cafe... and what kind of cafe served crab?? Well, she was sure some cafes did, but she didn’t see it often.
“I apologize. That was not the best question to ask.” The man murmured as he used a finger to trace the menu while reading.
“No worries,” Astrid chuckled while taking a sip of her own tea. “So, what do you do for a living? Rare to see people come by around this time.”
“Ah, my working hours are quite relaxed.” The man smiled, looking up and extending a handshake. “I’m Kieran. I... how do I say it... run my own organization let’s just say. A business of sorts. We’re planning something big, but it’ll take a while. That’s why I came here. I want to relax a bit before getting back to work.”
“Nice to meet you, Kieran, I’m Astrid. Hope you enjoy your time here. Based on what you said, I’d recommend my favorite tea, though, Chamomile, people usually say it helps you calm down.” Astrid reached over, pointing to Chamomile on the menu. “And what type of ‘something big’? If it's not confidential information, of course.”
Chuckling, Kieran checked his watch. “You’re not in the business. I can share some vague details. We did some deceiving and managed to plant a foothold in another company’s area recently. We’re planning on doing it to another company soon enough.”
Hesitant to get too excited, Astrid just made some slow nods. “Good... luck then.”
The world of business sure was harsh... Deception was talked about so casually...
Valencia, meanwhile, just put her head down while washing the dishes. Based on what she had just heard, she was close to one hundred percent sure this “Kieran” fellow was the leader of the stupid Crab Cult...
How was Astrid so good at attracting powerful figures? Was it some unconscious luring ability?
If Astrid ever went out, Valencia was going to ensure there was at least one powerful person with her...
