Akai had not even noticed the other at the time, fixated on his cell phone while sitting cross-legged in the chair that was far too large for any normal Mobian to sit comfortably. He didn’t mind, accustomed to dealing with more human-centric buildings having worked in the human sector in so long.
He seemed to be reading some sort of news article halfheartedly as he waited to be served, not interested in what he’d been reading so much as he was waiting to pass time. He’d asked locals where he could find the best coffee in the area and had been directed to Soleil Cafe.
He didn’t realize that the other approached him until her voice rang out, snapping to attention as he bolted upright, looking at her with a dazed expression. “Ahh–” He started out, not placing the similarity at first, but to the other, his hesitation may have seemed like an instant recognition and uncertainty on how to handle it. Noting her mistake made him focus on her more, the inner workings of his mind piecing together the puzzle before something clicked.
“Yyyes, I–” He gave a false start, hesitating before glancing back down at his phone, turning it off, and placing it into his pocket before returning attention to the female. Brow furrowed ever so slightly as he debated addressing how similar she’d looked to his old friend, but decided to hold off for a moment to at least get his order out of the way.
“Coffee, please. Soy, no sweetener.”
Aaaaand he had the same voice. Or was it really the same, she wondered? Perhaps it was only vaguely similar. It was enough for a chill to run down her spine, and she stared at him as though inspecting. The look in his eyes was different, the way he carried himself was different -- she was surely wrong. When she saw Sonic on the news for the first time, she had to look twice as well (but he was also blue and she did not need to look again after that). Maybe it was just wistful thinking in the end.
“Of course, one moment,” Maria replied with a warm smile, brushing off all of her previous worry. After writing the specifics down on the notepad (and violently shaking the pen as it refused to work correctly), she went to retrieve his order.
She soon returned with a freshly brewed cup of coffee placed carefully on a small plate. “Here you are -- unfortunately my coworker is the one that’s good at adding cute art in coffee, so you’ll have to deal with it looking plain. And here,” she first placed a menu on the table, “I should have brought this in the first place. I’m really sorry! At first glance, you kind of look like someone I know, so I got scatterbrained all of a sudden.”
After setting down the cup of coffee, Maria laced her fingers behind her back and glanced down at the menu she gave him. “If you are just looking for a treat, we have desserts at the back. The cheesecake here is very good! Unless you’re just here for coffee?”
janainaart
theartofmadeline
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