It’s called an Americano Who: Nesryn & Mikey What: Coffee & a chat When: Sept. 6, morning Where: M&M Coffeehouse Rating: Low Status: Complete
Lattes are for winners
“Thanks Myles,” Nesryn smiled.
She moved to stand to the side and wait for her coffee to be brewed. Drip house blend with a bit of cream and sugar, she loved the sweeter notes of the caffeinated brew. In an actual large, porcelain mug, her coffee was delivered with a wink. The wolf smiled and accepted the light brown colored drink, twirling carefully away to another side of the counter to sit.
“So good,” she murmured after taking a sip.
One hand held the mug carefully by the handle, the other was sweeping through her phone over various things on Pinterest and Reddit. She sent a quick text to her mate, too, to let him know she was at the coffee shop on Hobson street.
Coffee @ M&M.
Mikey came rolling in wearing sunglasses and in sore need of the sweet, sweet nectar of the Gods known as caffeine. For a guy who hadn’t ever had a drink, he sure as hell felt hungover. This full moon cycle had been a stressful one, his nights had been spent pacing fretfully, and he hadn’t slept well during the day. He was glad to be done with it.
He ordered his Americano with an extra shot, and managed to be polite to the barista who took his order, and then slunk over to a corner to sip at it fitfully.
His senses were still jangling a bit -- sharp and on edge -- and he could smell a fellow creature in the room, likewise wrapped around a coffee, and he tossed her a wry smile and a knowing nod, raising his own cup in solidarity.
“Good long weekend?” He asked gravelly. It hadn’t been over the weekend this time around, but he figured she’d catch his meaning.
The mug would be set down, twisted to the perfect angle and Nesryn snapped a picture of it with her phone. A grin. She texted it to Brian and posted the thing to her Instagram account along with something cute and appropriate.
At first she had missed the familiar scent, wrapped up in the project. Then her gaze lifted and she saw Mikey. A wave and a grin and Nesryn was waving him over to sit with her. “Hey!”
Since the meeting, that odd confession session that seemed to make everyone there a bit uncomfortable and knowledgeable, she seemed to see more of Mikey in town. The diner, of course. “Yeah, it was a pretty good weekend. Nothing super special. You?” Her coffee cup would be swept up, exchanged for the phone in her hand which went into her handbag, and her brown eyes would fix on the cougar.
Mikey shrugged. “It was okay,” he admitted. “Glad to be back.”
He usually loved the full moons -- a time to stretch his legs, and be out in the open air, but this time around, he’d been preoccupied, so a return to human life had been a welcome chance to catch up a bit and get his feet under him.
He hummed a little. “Where do you… bout where do you head?” He asked. “I haven’t run into you or your folks at our typical stamping grounds. Probably for the best,” he added, “good to stay out of other people’s hair, you know.”
She shifted over so she could see Mikey better. Another sip and her cup would go down to the tabletop. “Yeah, me too. It’s always nice coming back.” She didn’t mind the small excursion. Her work seemed agreeable with her being out for three days, too, which made things easy.
His question made her smile. “Oh, Brian and I typically go out to the canyon. Maybe that’s why you don’t see us much. What about you?” It didn’t even cross her mind that they didn’t tread in the same places, but that made sense. “Don’t worry about more of me, my folks live in Portland. I moved here by myself.”
“Hey,” Mikey replied with a small smile, “this place is huge. Lotta space. I’m not worried -- least not yet. And the canyon’s great,” he added. “I go there all the time just to go -- that river is just beautiful. Good kayaking if you’re into that.” He took a sip of his espresso. “We got some territory up north, in the hills -- been in the family for a while. Now that we aren’t strangers, you don’t have to worry if you end up there by accident or anything,” he tapped the side of his nose.
He leaned against the counter. “And no kiddin’,” he added. “Portland’s supposed to be real nice. I’ve been wanting to head up there to visit. Lot of mountains. Looks real green. Your folks got a crew they run with up there?” He asked, a little curiously.
“Right?! It’s so beautiful. Almost as nice as the Cove. I love kayaking, actually.” Nesryn laughed, nodding. “Oh really? That sounds cool! All of that space to yourself to run and play, that sounds fantastic. We had lots of forests and stuff around, trees and nature.” She was glad that they all could be mutual about what they were.
“We have one of the largest packs in the area.” Her voice was lower as she spoke about the wolves back home. “A lot of them are really involved in the community - government, educators, I think I even had a second or third cousin once removed or something who was a mayor or a senator…my mom could tell you more about it. If you ever go let me know so I can tell them.” It was totally worth the trip without all of the stereotyping and bad blood.
Mikey raised his eyebrows. “No shit?” He said. “I mean, that’d be really decent of you. Yeah,” he said, a smile spreading across his face, “yeah, that’d be really cool. It’s always, you know, a bit of a toss up, going somewhere new, about whether you’re gonna step on toes. And it sounds like you all are solid,” he added. “We’ve been here goin’ back about… five generations, maybe? We’re small, but you know, it works.”
He took another sip of his drink. “You ever wanna head down to the marina,” he added, “I can get you a deal on kayaks, get you a good map,” he added. “There’s all sorts of really neat places to explore around here.”
Her grin widened. “Yeah! I can tell you all of the cool places to go that aren’t super touristy, so you get the real feel for Portland. And all of the best spots to run,” she laughed, offering a wink. “But really, let me know so I can tell my daddy. That way they know you’re there and can watch your back. Fair warning, you might get a sniff or two from a guy I used to know but he’s more bark than bite.” Even if there was turmoil she knew her pack would have her back and defend her friends. “My dad is an alpha of one of the packs there.” Her line went back a long time, too.
And it would die with her.
His offer warmed her. “That’s so nice, thank you! I’d love that. I always mean to get down there for something other than just watching the boats or lounging on the beach.”
Mikey nodded. “Yeah,” he said, “I mean, if you like heading out on the water, that’s the place to do it. Worth a try. You and your guy. Brian?”
He smiled back at Nes. “And sure,” he said, “I’ll let you know. That’s really useful. And I know the type,” he continued, “the kind who doesn’t have any real authority, and tries to make up for it by gettin’ all aggro. Real respect is earned, and there’s no need to snap at someone if you’re secure about it.”
“Sure! Sounds like a blast! I’m not sure how Brian feels about the water but I can check. I don’t think we’ve ever really talked about it.” Nesryn shrugged but smiled anyway. Regardless she was going to take that offer because - hello - it was water and that was always fun.
Her smile flattened a bit, “Yeah, that sounds like him alright. Always putting his tail where it doesn’t belong.” The end of her nose crinkled. “Anyway, enough about that. You’re seeing Ronnie, right?” Her eyes would narrow a bit with uncertainty. There wasn’t doubt, but she didn’t want to call something out even if it was obvious if it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Mikey flushed a little, and was glad he wasn’t mid-sip so he could avoid an awkward splutter. “Uh. Yeah?” He replied. “We just… we just started, um… dating.”
...He realized he’d really have to get better at answering that particular question, but she was the first person to ask him straight out, and he was caught a little unawares.
“That’s so cool! Congrats!” She beamed, nodding. “He’s a really great person, very sweet. Probably way too caring but he loves to laugh. He’s pretty terrible at singing though.” She laughed softly. “And he’s a terrible bowler. I thought I’d seen you around the diner more often. To be honest, I think it’s a good thing. He talks about you a little but not too much, which is also good.”
And then Nesryn tilted her head some, “I think he’s over-qualified for Denny’s, though.”
“Well, yeah,” Mikey replied, recovering some of his dignity. “He’s a fucking awesome chef. He needs his own restaurant or something.” The thought made him smile a little. “And yeah,” he added, “yeah, he’s a pretty amazing person. Got a heart the size of Texas. And I think his singing is...” he paused, about to blurt out ‘cute as hell’, but he flushed a little instead. “...Just fine,” he ended.
He paused. “Uh,” he added, “he talks about me?”
The way Mikey sputtered was adorable. He didn’t have to say what he was thinking, the red cheeks and posture said more than enough. Her smile warmed but she grew patient. “He does need a place of his own but I’m afraid Searchlight can’t handle his awesomeness on its own.” This wasn’t the gastropub scene, after all. But then what was Revolution without new ideas?
She nodded, “Yeah! A little.” She held up her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart, “This much. I think it’s because he is humble about it, you know? Or the small town thing.”
Mikey shrugged. “Yeah,” he replied lightly, “it’s sorta inevitable. This place is way too small for him.”
He cleared his throat. “And yeah,” he added. “It’s a… thing, alright.”
“How’d you and Brian meet?” He asked, a little desperate to change the subject. “He from Portland too? You guys been together long?”
Nesryn nodded. “No, he’s not from Portland. Brian is from Jersey,” she replied. “Not long. Actually, it wasn’t that long ago that he asked me out.” Her own cheeks began to redden. It was a complicated situation, to her, and she was glad Brian had chosen her. “We met here. At the Truck Stop, a few weeks ago, actually. And things sort of happened from there.”
“You remember from the meeting right? He’s like me.”
Mikey nodded. “That was weird, right?” He replied. “Just… up and saying it all plain like that. But yeah, I remember. And hey,” he added, “like, good for you. That’s awesome, when you just find someone like that.”
He hummed a little. “You… I don’t know… you have anything funky happen since the meeting?” He asked.
“That was weird,” she nodded. “But I kind of feel more comfortable too, you know? Like, there’s all of these other people sort of like me that have my back.” If she had a problem she knew who to turn to. “I’m not one of those types who really cares what someone else is unless they’re trying to hurt someone I care about.” She didn’t mind at all that Mikey and Abby were cougars, or that James could do magic, or that Phanuel was an Angel.
Then she shook her head, “Not really. But I’ve been a little preoccupied with the moon and stuff. And I haven’t been the best friend, either. I try to check in more with my crew.”
“Yeah,” Mikey replied, “yeah, I hear that. On all counts.” He thought about how reassuring it had been during Ronnie’s recent ordeal to stay at Gabe’s place for a couple of days, to know Rhiannon was a phone call away, to know Ronnie was covered even when he was being all cougary. “It’s worth the weird,” he concluded. “And yeah, I haven’t heard about any more random possession things. And the moon stuff was pretty normal too.”
She nodded. “Normal is good. It’s way easier to deal with than crazy stuff.” There was a flashback to that night which caused her to shiver but it didn’t last long. “You’d think bad stuff would stay out with all of us lurking around, right?”
Nesryn picked up her cup of coffee and sipped from it. “What’re you drinking?” She leaned over slightly for a sniff of the air. “Is that espresso?”
“Americano,” he replied. “Like, some espresso shots with some water added. It’s my shot in the arm sorta drink when I need a pick-me-up. I got addicted in college.” He grinned. “Portland’s a real coffee town, isn’t it? Not as much as Seattle, but still, you probably got spoiled.”
A soft laugh. She nodded, “Yup. We get a bit pretentious about our coffee. But hey, it’s a good thing to be obsessed about. Could be worse.” She knew they had a reputation for hipsters and art, but there was so much more to Portland than that. “I put a lot of junk in mine,” she confessed, showing Mikey her mug that had light brown liquid in it.
“Nothin’ wrong with a sweet tooth,” he replied with a grin. “I figure, folks like us, we taste everything a whole lot more, you know? So unless it’s something we’re used to…” he shrugged. “Gotta temper it some, you know?”
She nodded. “That makes a whole lot of sense. It’s like a smell - you know, one you’ve smelled a lot but you still need to chase.” Everything felt that way to her sometimes, old smells became new ones again. “I don’t need the sugar but it’s just too good to pass up. The workout after is worth it.”
Nes was met with a snort of amusement from Mikey. “Rabbits, man,” he replied, his voice low. “Drive me fuckin’ nuts. Can’t get enough of ‘em. I just take off, like…” he mimed with his hand.
The talk about sugar made him think about Ronnie, and his smile tucked into the corner of his mouth. “And apple pie,” he added.
“Me too! I swear I’m going to be personally responsible for the extinction of rabbits in Henderson County,” she remarked, amused. “Good to know we have a common interest.” Those rabbits were so fun to chase, they were fast and she loved the challenge.
“Apple pie is good, too! When it’s fresh out of the oven with some ice cream. Oh yeah. So good. I’m sure you’ve had the pie at Terrible’s, the ones Ronnie makes.”
Mikey had, of course, and he’d also discovered that the pie Ronnie made just for him was better -- the thought of it made his mouth curl at the corner. “Yeah,” he replied, quietly pleased. “Yeah I have.”
He chuckled a little. “And not if I beat you to it,” he added. “Those little suckers’ll get me goin’ every time. When they zig zag all over the place…” he added a little dreamily, the full moon not quite fully gone from his system.
“You’re on,” she challenged with a laugh. “If you ever wanna run together some time, if you’re okay with that, I’d love the company!” She loved to run as a wolf. The wind in her fur, the freedom, the understanding and rawness of nature. Of course she understood that Mikey might not have interest of running with her and that was okay.
“The lizards are fun to chase, too.”
He grinned by way of reply. “Hell yeah they are. You ever get a free afternoon sometime,” he said, “my full moons are pretty spoken for, and my folks can get a little territorial, but I’m always up for an afternoon hike. I usually go off on my own, but yeah, I could go for a good ol’ rabbit hunt sometime if you’re up for it.”
“Really?” She may have been too excited at the prospect but nodded. “Totally! Are you free tomorrow afternoon?” She worked in the morning and would be free after that. Thankfully with the diner her schedule was consistent unless she swapped days with someone.
“Yeah,” Mikey replied, a smile spreading across his face, “yeah, sure, like, four, four-thirty? I can meet you at the Canyon Walk trailhead if you know where that is?”
Nesryn thought for a second. “I’ve heard of that, it’s familiar, but I don’t know if I know exactly where it is.” But a finger would be held up and she pulled her phone out to google it. And then she nodded, “Ah. Got it. Four thirty sounds perfect!”
“Excellent,” Mikey replied, “I’ll see you then. Let you get back to it.” He raised his cup. “Good runnin’ into you,” he added.
“Sure!” She piped up, nodding. “You too and see you tomorrow!” With that, Nesryn grabbed you her cup and wandered off to find somewhere cozy to sit.