[I’ve had this post saved in my drafts for a while now, I KNEW I had to write something for this piece, it’s just so so so gorgeous, def has to be one of my all-time favourites from you @newtzii. Everything about it is just perfect, the expressions kill me every time, and I will never not ADORE your loose line work. Forgive me, I tried to capture half of the magic with my words that you did with your art, but honestly nothing can ever come close to how amazing your art is! I just love how you draw Blazey’s hair. Oh and all their cute silly faces!!! :3 :3]
Nine To Five / Six-Shot Espresso
Another day, another shift. And Silver could not be bothered. A yawn once again escaped him, he was so tired, yet he hadn't done anything yet, it was only a few minutes past ten. Silver the Hedgehog was a barista, and that morning he concluded that asleep was his natural state and being awake was just overrated. All that was on the boy’s mind was leaping back into his bed and drifting away to sleep once again. You know, naps are a wonderful thing, highly recommended.
The cafe was getting more and more hectic the closer the holidays were. On the one hand he enjoyed the extra hours, more specifically the extra money, but on the other he missed the lazy quiet days back in the summer time where he could have daydreamed the hours away. Luckily the first two or so hours were always quieter, so Silver was just enjoying the brief calm, while it lasted. Because he knew the chaos was coming; Screaming kids, spilled drinks on the carpet (why did we even have a carpeted area!?), crumbs along with half of the food on the floor and coffee orders the length of his arm. Not to mention the fridge was still broken and the till was now on the fritz too - Eh but it wasn't that bad. The customers were actually quite nice, and Silver was looking forward to one regular customer in particular.
“Gooood Moooorniiiiiing!!! <3 <3” Amy pirouetted onto the scene, greeting the groggy hedgehog. Always so positive, so full of energy. How did she do it? Whatever her secret all that cheer was just so darn infectious. Silver cracked a smile at the sight of her, one of his more bearable coworkers. She gently took hold of Silvie's hand twirling herself like a ballet dancer. “Aww, Silvy, you look tired.”
“I'm always tired.” He drily remarked with a small smile.
“Aw, Silver. I know just the thing!” The pink hedgehog reached under her apron into her trouser pocket and fished out one of her special gemstones, a pomegranate-coloured crystal. “Here! It's a Garnet; It grants the wielder energy and motivation! Lights a bright fire in your heart!” She blew some sparkly glitter -puff- onto Silver, some of it getting into his eye and mouth, which he coughed out.
“Hope that helps! 😊 You hold down the fort while I get the milk order done on the computer in the back... I don't think I can trust those two to take care of it... or to be left alone with each other.” She scratched the back of her head, “or... anything really...”
“You're a stronger hedgehog than me, Amesie. I'll keep hiding out here.” He gave her a thumbs up.
“Awesome.” Amy winked, a wide smile on her face, giving Silver the finger guns as she walked backwards through the two-way door into the back, which acted as a staff room, storeroom, and cleaning kitchen, all in one cramped corridor. “Now, let's get out there and be Amy-azing!” She winked and disappeared into the back. In the brief instances when the door was swung open Silver caught the glimpse of Sonic and Shadow at each others’ throats trying to choke each other out. Looked like Shadow was winning. Aaaaand there was a fire... emerging from the dishwasher... the dishwasher full of water… the dishwasher was on fire. How? That was impressive, admittedly.
Well, what’re you gonna do, this was just part of the course for the Chaos Cafe.
Silver tore his gaze away from the door back to the bar. And he almost jumped out of his skin.
There were a pair of beady eyes staring at him from the other side of the bar, a small head was poking up from behind the bar, her little nose barely making it onto the surface of the desk. The young raccoon seemed to be on her tippy-toes, and was simply quietly glaring at the barista. “You got any ghosts in here?”
“Hmm.” She scowled. Briefly looking down onto a gizmo she held in hand that Silver didn't really get a good look at. The orange and beige ghost-hunter reached over the counter's edge to place a bag of crisps and their different chocolate bars. “This, and a chocolate muffin, and one of those banana bread slices, and... is the carrot cake good?”
“Then I will take that too, ooh, and-“
“Nope. No, no, no. That's enough. You already got the doughnut and the hot chocolate. Put that back. Or, just- just pick one.” A voice interrupted. Now, this person Silver recognised. A regular. The moment he caught a glimpse of the purple cat, a wide smile formed on his face, even felt his tail wag a little bit.
“Oh, come on, B. You always get a 50% discount in here anyway.” The little raccoon pouted.
Blaze scoffed at the remark, “I do not, always, get a discount. Only sometimes.”
Silver chimed in, “It's okay, it's no problem.”
“No, no, honestly she's got enough of sugar already.”
“Then how about a smoothie, the mango, pineapple, and passion fruit one is really popular, and really nice.”
Blaze considered the offer. Silver was always so nice and generous. She turned to face her little troublemaker, who was rocking back and forth quietly chanting ‘yes, yes, yes’. Blaze rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. “Oh, fine, alright. One smoothie please.”
“Yes!” The girl air punched in celebration.
Silver put the order through on the tail and turned back to Blaze with a knowing smile and a raised brow, “And for you? The usual?”
Silver knew it well, as it was quite... distinct, it’d be tough to forget in all fairness. “Right, got it. Six-Shot Espresso. Coming right up.” He gave her a bright cheesy grin as he stepped up to the coffee machine on his side. He saw her smile back and give a little nod, but what he didn't see was the ever so slight blush on her cheeks as she dreamfully watched him work from behind.
And she immediately caught herself, Marine did too - giving her an inquisitive look up and down. Blaze cleared her throat. She scrunched up her face and looked away. “Anyway, we’ll be at the back window seat, you know the usual.” She didn't know what to do with her hands, eventually ending up with it combing through her face and swiping the single bead of sweat on her temple away.
“Oh, yeah, no problem.” Silver answered absent mindedly.
Blaze had to create some distance between them lest she was forced to face or acknowledge the fact that she often enjoyed watching over him, drink up all of his little characteristics; his black eyeliner, his cute small pointy ears, his soft poofy quills tide back and held down by a red headband, his soft mushy and goofy, silly smile. Little did Blaze know that Silver didn't feel too differently, as she strolled off he couldn't help but admire her indisputable beauty. From her leather boots; beige and pristine, to her hair tided up in a ponytail; fluffy and fleecy, dancing elegantly like rose petals in the wind. She was so pretty. Though he'd rather die by the sword than admit it out loud. Ripped jeans, purple trench coat, a golden heirloom necklace, she wore it all so well. Then again, she made anything look good. He was so transfixed he hadn't noticed the coffee finished pouring into the takeaway cup, or a very curious Amy watching over his shoulder.
“You should ask her out.”
“AH!” Silver fully jumped this time, “How do you do that?!” Silver asked half scared to death due to the surprise and half due to what she proposed. She gave him a cheeky smirk, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. “What- no, no, I can't. I smell like coffee and sweat. I've got sleep in my eyes, and I didn't wash my face this morning, and I didn't even get to put my earrings on, or brush my fur...” He grew more and more flustered, “P- Plus what makes you think I like her like that? Just because she's funny, smart, inspiring, pretty and could probably snap me in half like a little twig... But that's irrelevant!” He was practically tomato-red by the end. “And also, she wouldn't be into someone like me. Plus, she's like a super busy businesswoman, she doesn't have time for stuff like this, she says it all the time.”
“Oh. My. Gosh. You do like her!” Silver urgently attempted to hush her. Amy just giggled mischievously. “I mean I knew it, but I knew it!” Silver twirled his one of his head quills nervously, looking away. “Oh, come on, Silver, I see you chatting it up with her every day, she clearly likes you. She obviously does circles around the Centre just to see you. Last Sunday she was here five times, for coffee, and only when you were at the bar.”
“Nnnoooo, no, that could just be a coincidence.”
Amy nudged him playfully, “She likes you, you goof!” She took hold of him by the shoulders and shook him like a bobblehead.
“No, no, I'm gonna finish this order, and I'm gonna serve them normally, and be totally normal.”
Over at the far table across the cafe Blaze and Marine had just settled themselves in, with Blaze setting up her laptop and crafting one of the twenty-six business emails she had to finish by the end of today, while the smaller raccoon fidgeted with her ghost gizmo, though she managed to tear her eyes off of it and stared over at her older sister. “So, what was all that about?”
“You know what. That look. Who was that guy?” She quirked her brow, a cheeky grin forming on her face.
“I- don't know what you're talking about?” She seemingly deflected and hunched over and hid her face behind the laptop screen, pretend to be focusing harder, on… something.
Marine inhaled, “Oh my Goddess, do you like him?!” The small gremlin jumped up on the leather couch seat. Blaze wasted no time covering and clamping her mouth shut with her hand, shushing her. Blaze was mortified.
Marine retaliated by licking the cat’s palm, causing Blaze retracting her hand, recoiling disgusted, “Eww! What's wrong with you?” Marie just cackled. She fell down back onto her seat. “I do not like him! I mean I do like him, but not ‘like him’ - like him. He's a friend. Or rather just friend-ly. A friendly... person. A person I know... and like.”
“Oh my gosh, you should ask him out, you could use it after the last goofy, plus it be so fun, seeing you squirm.”
“Wow, thanks.” Blaze rolled her eyes. She dove back into her work, furiously clickety-clacking away. After a moment of silence she looked back at Marine, “So what if I do? It's not like I have time for... Whatever dating-people do. Plus, we both know, painfully, that I'm not good at this sort of stuff.”
“Oh, come on, B. The only reason you think that is because you flubbed that one date with the weird microwave guy who always rummaged through garbage and always had greasy hotdog hands. And honestly, you dodged a bullet.” She spoke behind her hand in a judgmental murmur. A little rude, but was she wrong? Eh? He was nice, and cute, B always fell for the goofies, but... yeah, she wasn't wrong, that date was... Yikes.
“Even so, it wouldn't work, for one person or another, I mean I was the one who lit that waiter on fire - I bet he wouldn't even like a hazard like me. ☹”
“Who wouldn't like you?” Silver questioned curiously from behind her, only catching the tail end of the conversation. B almost jumped out of her seat, her ponytail bursting aflame, and an ember or two catching onto Silver and his notepad. Blaze immediately and apologetically patted out the flames furiously, “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.”
“It's okay, it's okay. Hehe. Believe it or not I've dealt with worse, both customers and coworkers. That's so cool, I had no idea you were a pyromancer.”
“It doesn't come up often or rather I don't bring it up very often. It tends to frighten people... you... don't mind it?”
“No, not at all, I think it's really cool too, it takes a lot of restraint and will to master powers like that. And bravery; people can be narrow-minded about people like us.”
“Yeah, I'm a telekinetic, pretty useful when serving tables. Speaking of which, your drinks; A smoothie for the young genius, and an espresso; six shots, for our favourite customers.” He floated the drinks over with his mind. Marine eagerly grabbed her drink and proceeded to vacuum the contents right up with an ecstatic ‘Gimme!’ resulting in, of course, a dramatically overreacted brain-freeze which had her make all sorts of faces and death noises, rolling around on the couch in pain. Silver just watched on in concern, while Blaze, used to the antics, remained deadpan and unamused. “Sooo, what were you two talking about before?... is she going to be okay?”
“Oh nothing, nothing important. Just some-”
“-Dating stuff!” Marine cut in with a toothy grin.
“Oh.” Silver instantly got a little red in the cheeks. Blaze scowled at her younger sister with a face that silently spoke; ‘I'm going to kill you’. (Breathe in, breathe out. Be strong Blaze, be strong.) “Oh, is this serious, should I go?” Silver offered worried.
“Noooo, don't mind Marie, she’s just suffering from an aneurysm because of all of that ice, she's delusional.” Now it was MarMar’s turned to scowl daggers. Blaze attempted to play it off cool. She shrugged, “I was just saying; I'm done dating goofies.”
What just came out of her mouth? Blazer wanted the earth to swallow her up hole. Her face somehow remained composed whenever she felt like she was trembling. (Oh Goddess, he probably thinks I'm crazy, he hates me, he thinks I'm a freak.) She dared to open her eyes and stole a look at Silver, who seemed... catatonic. His face was frozen in an expression she could only describe as ‘stroke’. Mouth agape. Eyes closed, eyelids twitching. His pen snapped in half and leaking ink, hands shaking.
His voice hitched and cracked a little, “Uh-huh.” was all he said. Though in reality he was motionless, within his own mindscape – he was in a foetal position, banging fists against the floor, weeping and red eyed;
‘NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’
“iS theRe ANythIng eLse i cAn gEt yuuu???” He sounded like he was just punched in the gut at full force.
Silver and Blaze just awkwardly stared into each other for a moment, lips sucked in as if they each tasted a lemon. A single bead of sweat rolling down their respective temples. Neither one of them saying anything for what felt like an eternity. The dumbass force and the immovable idiot, truly had collided.
It was Marine who broke the painfully awkward silence by nudging B with her foot under the table. It shook Blaze out of it, and led her to look back at the raccoon. Marie gestured with her head over to Silver and mouthed to Blaze to make her move and salvage the situation. Blaze shook ‘no’. Marie nodded ‘yes’. Blaze cringed and dug her claws into the table, and inhaled through her clamped fangs. She cleared her throat and summoned all the willpower available to her, centring herself.
“Uh, wha- uhm- Are- Are you on the menu?” It took her a few tries to position her elbow on the table, once successful she placed her chin onto her palm. She pointed to the hedgehog barista, her pointing finger shaking. She put on her best smirk and flirtatious look, which just looked like she was stung by a bee.
Silver was genuinely confused. He was not reading the room, he wasn't even in the room. The boy had never felt more like an alien in his whole life. He wasn't even thinking the words through when he said them. “Uh. Um. Let me ask the chef.” Silver turned on his heel and retreated back to the staff room as he bounced away.
Blaze was stunned once more, her mouth wide open in the shape of rectangle, eyes squinted half-shut, brows horizontal and high, she turned back to Marine. “How did he- What?” She was flabbergasted.
“Wow, you're both hopeless.”
A moment passed by, Silver had not returned. Blaze drank her six-shot espresso, chugging it like an alcohol shot. No milk to drown out the taste, always waking her up in the morning - it would seem she needed it today more than ever. Not just to chase away the sandman who’d been chasing her ever since her streak of late nights began, but to shake her unbearable embarrassment off. “... Gods that's good.”
“You're a freak.” Marine looked at her in disgust, shaking her head in disapproval.
Meanwhile, over at the staff room Silver had just re-told the entire counter to Amy. Both of the hedgehogs at the back room set on a pair of crates with their heads in their hands. “... she was... flirting with me...”
Silver wanted the earth to swallow him whole, but it was only the beginning of his shift, and he was already pre-emptively tired. But the day rolled on, and the hedgehog pushed through. Luckily, the rush started soon after, Silver was ensconced in a queue of seemingly endless customers and was too busy to look at or think about Blaze. He didn't even notice her leaving but when he ventured out onto the floor to collect dirty dishes, they were already gone. The day dragged on, like it always did, but it wasn't all terrible - Gold had stopped by. Silver made her a coffee, they talked, shared their embarrassing stories, Gold lend an ear and empathised with her friend. She asked how he was holding up, he said he was fine, he lied, she knew, and she offered some words of encouragement. “If you see her again, ask her out, why not? The embarrassing part is over now. I mean, I've rarely seen you happier than when you're with her. Unless you want me to snatch her off the market first.” She chuckled, he pouted. She paid full price for that one. But he considered it.
Silver was lucky enough to finish at 5:00pm, so he didn't have to close up. Thank Goddess. He got his coat, signed out, and said his goodbyes to the others, though he doubted they heard it over Amy disciplining them.
His apartment was about half-an-hour away on foot and when he made his way out of the Mall it was raining like crazy, so he decided to stick around town, and as a result hopefully stay dry-ish and wait out the winter rain. And maybe get some ‘dinner’ while he was looking around. There was a small Indian street food place he really loved just around the corner. He could’ve used a treat after today. He made his way in and took a seat while perusing the menu at the bar, which he already knew off by heart.
Once he settled on the particular kebab he wanted, he placed down the laminated menu and drew his eyes up to his server, and wouldn't you know it...
A familiar cat was staring back at him. Eyes wide, body frozen in place. The two of them somehow managed to get their awkward greetings out, “Hi.” They said simultaneously. Sharing weary, wavering smiles.
Silver asked first, “What are you doing here?”
“I work here. Well... I own it. Family business.”
“Your dad's ‘Gardon’s’ Gardon?!... the koala!?... How did I not know that? I love this place!”
“I know, I know, the resemblance is uncanny,” she waved it off with a humble smile, “I usually do the paperwork, from home, don't come in often. I was babysitting my little sister this morning before I was called in to sort out a clerical issue. I'm sorry I had to leave, it was an emergency, otherwise I would have stayed... And apologised.”
“No, no, no,” he protested, “Please, don't, you didn't do anything wrong! I should be the one apologising for being so clueless... You're always so lovely, and I always have such a great time talking with you. Talking with you is always the highlight of my day, every day.”
Blaze blushed at the kind comment, “Thank you, Silver. I feel much the same... Well, you seem to know my order off by heart, how about you?”
“I'll take a mixed kebab with naan, with a side of vegetable pakora, please.” He looked down at the menu and a different thought came to his mind - a consideration of Gold’s words, and of his own feelings. He looked up at Blaze, and took a deep breath in – (here goes everything), “Speaking of questions; Can I ask you something?”
Speaking from experience, you could say. Fellow baristas sign off in the comments! wooo… I need a raise.
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