It was sticky warm that day, the kind of warm that coaxed moisture from the skin and clung to you in the beads of sweat that formed. Shino wiped her forehead with the back of her arm and squinted up at the sky. Above them the bending leaves of the trees blocked the sun from the ground but the warmth managed to seep through the cracks in their cover and fill even the shadows. There was nothing more the archer wanted than to go back to their ship, grab a glass of ice and water, and lay in a cool, empty room; she was miserable.
But she didn’t dare complain. She refused to complain at least she refused to complain first. Beside her trudged her captain, sort of. While she hadn’t been part of the pirate crew for very long, she knew enough of the crew dynamics to see that leadership, at least in the not crucial moments as they hadn’t really run into danger yet, was shared between Minori and...the person beside her, Tane. She still had yet to officially form an opinion of him.
“Alright, here we go.” Shino picked out two pieces of paper she had kept in the small rucksack she carried and handed one to Tane. “The Should-be-Easy-Enough-Capture-the-Lost-Bird-for-Berry Job otherwise known as Finding the Berry Bird Mission is a go~ Apparently, this is what it should look like and supposedly it can’t fly too high or far but it has a hell of a jump.”
send me a ▲ & i will put our character’s names into this generator and write a drabble
Mysterious Snail, despite the ridiculous name, was the best coffee cafe in the entire city. It helped, too, that it was so close campus — just a block or two of walking distance. She made the trek there before, sometimes after, classes to satisfy what had probably become a caffeine addiction, and grab something light to eat. For the most part, the shop had a pleasant atmosphere, warm and inviting without feeling too peppy. She recognized many of the customers that visited for the same reasons as her, and to her shock, despite being usually busy and overworked by university students, the staff was surprisingly friendly.
Sometimes TOO FRIENDLY.
Or, really, it was just ONE of them that seemed to have that problem. He was quite obviously the playboy type, and flirted with nearly anything that breathed, but his fixation ( a near OBSESSION ) appeared to be directed at her only. She found herself running into him every time she entered the building, even when she waited outside the door for him to leave the counter. His polite smile became more of a narcissistic grin, if not incredibly SUGGESTIVE, whenever his gaze found her, and he practically bled egotistical confidence. His eyes were entirely too captivating, forcing her to avoid eye contact on most days, for she’d found herself lost in them one too many times. His voice, a rich baritone that dripped like honey passed his smirking lips, would always dip an octave or two lower when speaking to her — worming its way into the uninhabited spaces of her mind and staying there for the rest of the day. He was an absolute irritation, an unfortunate DISTRACTION.
She kept coming back, though.
❝ What’ll it be today, beautiful? The usual? Or maybe you’re like to try something… new? ❞
Smiling at her in that indecent way of his, tone lilting into a question that spoke of the many vulgar things he might’ve liked to suggest she try, Tane grabbed a foam cup and began scribbling on it without even asking for her name. It wouldn’t have mattered if he did or not, anyways. He’d asked for her name only once, the first time she came in, and even then he hadn’t written it down like he was supposed to. It was always something horribly cheesy like ‘GORGEOUS’ or ‘BEAUTIFUL’ and sometimes simply a number — HIS, specifically. She told herself she wouldn’t check, but she always did, feeling immediately foolish and guilty as if hearing a secret that wasn’t meant for her ears. Those words never seemed to belong to her, and yet she was the only one receiving them.
Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose before responding.
❝ The usual. Black — no cream or sugar. Grande. You — ❞
You know how I like it, she was about to say before stopping herself, cheeks taking on an embarrassing shade of red at the implications of those words. Surely, if he’d heard them, he would’ve understood too. Clearing her throat, she appeared casual, watching him as he was already finishing up with her order. Honestly, she hadn’t even needed to say it. He knew, from the moment she walked in in the door. He always knew. He seemed proud of this fact too, because as her eyes browsed the small display of pastries, he’d grabbed one before she could even open her mouth and ask.
With a shit eating grin, he presented the coffee and a cheese danish on the counter before adding her total up. Staring at the items before her, she scoffed, feeling both annoyed and flattered. The butterflies in her stomach were entirely out of place, and she made an effort to ignore them as she spoke.
❝ You know, I actually wanted a bagel. ❞
A lie, and he knew it, if his quiet laughter was anything to go by.
❝ Sure, babe. That’ll be $4.55. And hey, maybe I can fix my mistake by treating you? How about it? It’ll be a da — ❞
Leaning over the counter in her direction, he spoke with a practiced calm, charismatic but nervous beneath the surface, interrupted only by the action of shoving bills into his face.
She avoided looking at him, heart hammering rapidly in her chest at his close proximity and his offer. Clearly flustered, she could see him smile genuinely in her peripheral vision before he accepted her money, their hands brushing a little more than was necessary, his warm touch lingering even after he’d pulled away. Swallowing down her nerves, she was a little disappointed as change was dropped into her palm rather than directly given, but pocketed it nonetheless in order to grab her purchases.
❝ Well — uh. Thank you. I have to leave now… so… I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow, Tane — that is! If you’re working, of course. And if I come in at the time you are working! There is no guarantee that we will see one another, of course, so… ❞
Gripping her cup tighter, taking a step back, she nodded once before making her escape, his voice shouting ‘It’s a date!’ after her retreating form. When she did see him tomorrow she would, against her better judgement, give him an affirmative answer to the request written on her container of coffee the day before. She would surely regret the eagerness with which the word ‘yes!’ left her lips the moment she saw him, and how she would leave, a flustered mess, immediately after, forgetting to grab her drink because of his equally enthusiastic response — kissing her right there in front of everyone.
Of course, she wouldn’t tell him how to kept the cup either. After all, it was his first genuine proposal.
❛ Lookin’ good today, Beautiful ♥ Will you go out with me? ❜
