Fantasy Not Starbucks

[Walliver]

Dauði paced her apartment in the early hours of the morning. The sun had just barely risen, yet the world was still abuzz with activity. Ravens chattered just outside her window, pigeons were gathering on electrical wires. It was morning, precious morning. And Dauði had a job to do.

Clothed in a soft sweater, long-sleeved shirt, and denim jeans, she disappeared in the shadows, only to reappear out on the street. The coffee shop was only a few blocks away, a brisk walk for the personification of death. Dauði watched her slow, measured breaths turn to fog in the cold air. It was the season of death before the time of rebirth. The coldest season of the yearly rotation, her favorite.

“Hi, welcome to Middleville Coffee Shop and Tea House, may I take your order?”

 

[Owl Knight]

Andrei loved Decembers in the city. More often than not, grey clouds that blanketed the sky, a reprieve from the hateful glare of the sun.

It had been the better part of a century since sunlight had really done him any lasting harm, but nevertheless, the raw glare of the hateful eye of the blue sky left him weak and nauseated.

The chill in the air was of no consequence to Andrei. Even in the far away days of his mortal life, the biting winters that yearly struck the Carpathians made any winter he had experienced in the New World pale in comparison. And he no longer felt the bite of cold. He welcomed it as he welcomed the pitch black within his coffin.

He moved down the street in the form of a wisp of black fog, swirling about the fire hydrants and light posts. The mortals he moved past were only vaguely aware of his presence, but if his incorporeal shape touched them, a shudder of discomfort would rattle their spines. He enjoyed being able to move this way, unseen and unknown among the sheep. And he had never seen a world of sheep so like this one. All around him people peered down into the blue light of their phones, drinking mindless content while their very identities were sold by the companies that fed them content like fatted cattle. There had never been an easier time to be a blood drinker. The world was full of rational skeptics blissfully lulled into a stupor to all around them. Tonight he would feed and feed well, but he would spend his day, as he spent most days, at the Cafe.

 

[AbyssFlower]

Selene woke up this morning earlier than she usually did, it wasn't something she was used to yet nor the reason she did so either. It wasn't very long ago since the day she got her first job at a coffee shop, she still remembered her mother's approving reaction when she announced it to her which encouraged her even more, even if she found her mum's intense emotions unnecessary. It was a normal, simple job after all.

After dressing up warmly she waved goodbye to her family and made her way to the shop while lost in thoughts. The cold was comforting in a way, it made her feel cozy under her coat and gave her the urge to have hot chocolate. She wondered if they would allow her to make one for herself at work.

It didn't take long for her to finally arrive at the front door. She had noticed someone familiar heading there before her. A co-worker perhaps? She didn't get the chance to make sure.

Putting her calm smile on her face she opened it and stepped inside, quickly noticing another co-worker taking an order. Selene waited for a moment then waved at her "Good morning." She greeted, her smile never escaping her lips.

 

[redraider]

Rose woke in the old oak hollow she used as a home. Being three inches tall meant she didn't need much space, and the little fairy felt more connection to her nature spirit ancestors there anyway. But it was time to get going- she couldn't sleep all day.

Putting on her best lily-petal dress, Rose fluttered out and down the street. Even with the cold weather, the town was a hive of activity, but it didn't take her long to make her way to her favorite coffee shop. Unfortunately, there were downsides to being tiny, and she didn't know any door opening spells. "Um... somebody want to help a girl out?"

 

[thorspuddingcup]

Amber had overslept and was running a tad bit late. Usually Amber stuck to the rules, especially ones concerning safety, but today she decided that it was okay to go just above the speed limit. In the passenger seat sat her baby brother, Rowan. In his lap he held a box containing Amber's latest tea blends, his knuckles white on the cardboard as Amber took too sharp a turn.

"You're not going to get fired if your late by like ten minutes you know." Rowan said, blowing hair out of his eyes.

"They depend on me to show up for my job on time." Amber said, tapping the steering wheel nervously as they waited for a red light. Rowan just rolled his eyes and looked out the window. Although the boy didn't work at the shop like Amber did, he spent nearly all of his free time there. If he wasn't at the library, he was at the coffee shop. He sat in the corner, and read his books. Sometimes working on his university work. But he finished that so quickly it seemed like he wasn't even in school at all sometimes.

Amber parked her car in a lot behind the café and took the box from Rowan as he stepped out of the car. Amber used the employee entrance in the back to enter, placing the box of teas down on the counter. She would sort them out and display them for sale a bit later. "Sorry I'm late." She said to her coworkers as she began tying her apron behind her back.

Meanwhile, Rowan took the front entrance. As he approached the glass doors, he saw a small girl in a literal flower dress asking for assistance. "I've got you." Rowan said with a smile as he opened the door for her. After he stepped in behind her, he closed the door and headed to his favorite chair in the corner and pulled out his latest read. He would order something once the initial opening rush ended.

 

[redraider]

Rose grinned as she flitted into the shop. "Could I have a mocha latte and a blueberry muffin? And put a shrinking spell on it, so it's easier for me to handle."