elisechangs replied to your post: You hate birds? How do I tell you that I have a...
START TALKING, JIM.
I MEAN I guess I’ll put up with your bird if I have to, so long as you never let it out of its cage in my presence and also are able to deal with me hating your bird and envisioning throwing it out of the window.
WHAT: After a long few days, Sydney finds herself in a small cafe just off campus that Elise happens to work at. They know each other, but not terribly personally. But when Elise notices Sydney’s demeanour, she takes it upon herself to brighten the blonde’s day.
WARNING: Depression TW.
Elise: Honestly, a shift at Java Jive was not something that Elise was going to choose to look forward to, especially after the more recent shifts she’d been having. She was getting more and more exhausted, more and more frustrated, and definitely was contemplating on joining Luna in her quest for a rich person to magically make all of her financial problems disappear. While the prospect of a fairy bankperson was slim, Elise was still pleased to know that she could, at the very least, make someone else’s day better by means of over priced coffee. She had the prospect of visitors, which was always something exciting, but her qualms lay mostly in the fact that she downright hated her job. So when a customer came up to the window, Elise did her best to paint on a bright, sunny smile, while she tried not to think about the fact that they were out of skim milk and one of the milk steamers was broken. Smoothing her hands over her blue apron and visor, she did her best customer service voice. "Hey there! Welcome to Java Jive. What can I get started for you, today?"
Sydney: The last few days had proven to be surprisingly difficult for Sydney, despite the fact that she had skipped her classes two days in a row and barely paid attention to any of the ones she had gone to since. But ever since that night when Stevie tried to kiss her, Sydney had been feeling herself spiralling toward the dark and gloomy pit of depression she had clawed her way out of not long ago. It was long after she usually stopped by the cafe, but she knew that the pick-me-up that a good cup of coffee provided would hopefully help put her back on the right track toward feeling like her usual self. Fortunately the line wasn’t too long, and once she made it up to the front of the line, Sydney smiled warmly at the greeting - though anyone paying close enough attention could tell it was painfully fake. “Hi. Can I just get, like...a cup of your strongest coffee, please? Kinda need a bit of a boost,” she said, offering up an awkward chuckle.
Elise: Normally, Elise was a switch-on, switch-off kind of girl. She tried to be happy most of the time, but there was an inherent darkness in her. Her life hadn't exactly been easy, despite being surrounded by people of privilege, and it had made her quite bitter. Once she saw the look on Sydney's face, though, her smile went from "let me please my boss by being as chipper as humanly possible" to one of genuine concern. Clearly, someone was having a worse day than she was, which immediately caused guilt to ebb at her conscience. "You got it," Elise began to type the order into the register, nodding her head. "How do you take your coffee? You can go ahead and sit, I'll bring it over to you."
Sydney: “Perfect, thank you,” she replied softly as Elise began to punch the order in. Being out in public in this sort of state always made her feel incredibly awkward, as though people could sense the depression, or something. Even though logically, she knew most people wouldn’t pay much mind to her at all, let alone care if her smile was as fake as can be or not. Hearing the follow up question, Sydney perked up slightly. “Oh, um, just a bit of cream. Are you sure..? I usually just wait here for it...” she said, glancing between the tables strewn about the shop and the barista.
Elise: Shrugging, Elise played it off casually. "There's nobody else after you, so don't worry about it. Go ahead and get settled." She offered up a smile before heading into the back to pick up a post-it and a pen. The coffee itself wouldn't take much to make, but Elise hastily scribbled down a note. Keep your chin up, gorgeous! This one's on the house, as are its refills. Hope something makes you smile today! Elise signed it with a heart and her name, attaching it to the bottom of the saucer of the coffee cup. Being extra careful not to spill, she made Sydney her coffee and delivered it. "Here ya go!" Elise chirped, before resuming her post back at the counter.
Sydney: She took another couple of glances between the tables and the woman standing on the other side of the counter before shyly nodding her head, a clear sign that she was going to heed the request. Sydney picked a table near the window, watching the people as they walked past, happily going on with their days. She was sure it was odd, but she often liked to analyze the way people walked, where they were looking when they did, and just their general appearance. She could spot depression in a crowd easily. It was the one that smiled often but didn't let it quite reach their eyes. It was the one who looked put together, but was always a few steps behind their friends because their wasn't as much pep in their step. It was the ones who acted like her - the ones who go through the motions to prove to themselves and others that they are fine. Sydney was startled slightly by Elise bringing her coffee over, but she was quick to offer up a warm smile and soft "Thank you" when it was placed in front of her on the table. She waited for her to head back to her position behind the counter before she wrapped her hands around the warm mug and bringing it to her lips. She hummed contentedly at the first sip, and just as she was going to set the cup back down she noticed the post-it attached to the saucer. Reading over it, Sydney smiled widely, ducking her head ever so slightly for a moment before she looked over at Elise and mouthed another quick 'thank you' to her.
It went without saying that the note had only further improved her not-so-stellar day. Once she had polished off the last of her drink, she gathered her books and made her way back over to the counter. She pulled a couple of five dollar bills out of her wallet and placed them in the tip jar. "That kind of made my entire week, just so you know," Sydney said shyly, sliding a post-it of her own across the counter to Elise. On it was written her phone number along with As cliche as this is, here is my number. Maybe next time we can have coffee together. She didn't give Elise much of a chance to read it before she was headed toward the door, throwing a quick wave her way before exiting the shoppe.
