It Takes All Kinds

Posted on Tue Oct 4th, 2022 @ 2:47am by Dominique LaFramboise & Andrea Carter

Mission: Prequel - Or How We Met
Location: Coffee Shop

After leaving the apartment building where she and Jim had stumbled upon Astorath, Nicki needed a pick-me-up. Tomorrow would be filled with errands and it meant getting up early. Nicki hated early. Even worse was early with boring errands. She had to pick up her Witching License from the county building, go to the DMV to get her Michigan driving licenses switched to a Tennessee one, and… something else she was forgetting at the moment before going to meet with the Altar of the Witches’ Guild at noon. And what made it worse was that she had to do it all without Jarrod’s company as he had to go see someone or other about being a firefighter again.

Just when she was going to pull out her phone to Google the nearest late night donut shop, she spotted a coffee house that happened to be open. Caffeine didn’t affect hounds, so there was no harm in going after an iced latte at this time of night. She loved iced lattes. They didn't even have to be flavored, but that was a plus. And this particular shop- owned by a vampire no less- had a vanilla rose iced latte.

Yum.

When the werehyena barista called her name, Nicki happily collected her drink and toasted onion bagel with cream cheese and turned to find a seat- a little too quickly, too, because she almost crashed right into a pretty redhead whose energy screamed Vampire. "Sorry!" she said quickly. "Are you okay? I didn't spill anything on you, did I?"

Unfortunately, she had.

Andy stood before the Hound with her eyes squeezed shut, biting her lip as she mentally counted to ten. The box of pastries she had bought as a treat for the shipping guys lay scattered on the floor and a dark wet stain from her scalding hot coffee was evident on her sweater and khakis.

"I'm okay," Andy finally forced out when the feral urge to attack the Hound had subsided; the new urges she felt since her change were taking some getting used to and she had been reading a book on deep breathing and meditation to try to help control them. "I think I'll live, but I'm afraid the pastries won't," she continued, forcing a bit of levity into her tone in an attempt to just let the situation roll off her. She turned her piercing green gaze from the Jackson Pollock pastry artwork on the floor and to the barista. "Sorry, I'll need another coffee and box of pastries," she said, to which the barista nodded then sent another worker to go get a broom and a mop to clean up the mess.

“Put it on my card,” insisted Nicki, setting her bagel and latte back on the counter to fish it out of her purse. “It is my fault, after all.” She finally produced the card and handed it to the barista before any protests could be made. “If only I could remember that drying spell,” she muttered, examining the coffee stain on the vampire’s clothing. Coffee? For a vampire? Nicki had heard stranger things, so she wasn’t about to judge. “But that was years ago, and I’m technically a necromancer now. Are you sure you’re okay?”

"Dwe sèk," Andy said, then blinked rapidly and shook her head. "Sorry, you probably don't incant in Creole, and I can't remember what the incantation is in Latin anymore," Andy admitted. "But yeah, I'm okay, the heat doesn't hurt and these pants were due for a good washing." The red-head's attention was diverted when a fresh cup of coffee was placed on the counter for her. She took the cup and carefully removed the lid, deeply inhaling the fresh aroma; coffee may no longer taste the same as it used to, but it still smelled simply wonderful! Taking a cautious sip even though she had no need to fear the heat, she closed her eyes in shattered disappointment at the taste, then replaced the lid. "Uh, anyway, don't worry about it too much, accidents happen and I could have been more mindful of my surroundings too."

“You’re a witch, too?” replied Nicki, intrigued. “I incant in German. It has the added benefit of sounding really menacing. I mean, even something as benign as ‘wasser kommt her’ sounds like I’m cursing your first born,” she added with a grin, indicating the spell for summoning water. “I’m Nicki, by the way.”

"Uh, was a witch, alchemist," Andy replied awkwardly, her eyes darting around nervously; where the fuck were those pastries?! "And, um, I'm Andy, and no German for me, mostly Latin, Creole, some Cantonese," she continued, relief flooding her eyes when she caught a glimpse of the barista loading a box with pastries. Great, any second now, she would be gone and free of this awkward little meet cute with the Hound.

"I guess that's my cue to get out of your way," Nicki said, noticing the pastries as well as her card being presented back to her. She took the card and replaced it in her purse. "I suppose I'll probably see you around. Let me know if those are ruined," she added, indicating Andy's clothes, "and I'll totally replace them."

"Like I said, don't worry about it," Andy replied, then gratefully accepted the fresh box of pastries. Awkwardly stepping around the mess on the floor, Andy spared the Hound one last glance. "It was nice talking to you, I guess?" she said, her whole demeanor full of uncertainty.

“Absolutely,” agreed Nicki with an uncharacteristically extra-sparkly smile. Something told her the young vampire needed it. “Oh, if you need anything,” she added, rooting around in her purse for a moment. “Give me a call. I mean it. Anything. And I’ll do what I can to help. Here we are,” she said producing a business card. Her brow wrinkled as she considered the other girl’s full hands. “Uh,” she said. “Here.” And she slid the card into a flap on the outside of the pastry box, so it stuck sort of half out.

Andy stared at the card, the second she had received tonight; was she wearing a sign beckoning people to talk to her tonight? She sighed, then simply turned and walked away. Why couldn't people just leave her alone?!

“Have a nice night,” muttered Nicki to the retreating form. Oh well. She turned- more carefully this time- to find a place to sit with her food and iced latte. Time to unwind before heading home.