Havenwood, NY

It had started as idle conversation, both Joseph and Emma griping about being the only single parents in the class. It moved on to friendly conversation, then some light flirtation, then as much flirtation as he could reasonably get away with when in earshot of five year old children. Finally, Joseph had decided to take the plunge (after some pointed insight from his daughter, Ana) and ask Emma out for coffee after drop off on Friday morning.

He figured Loaf Around was the best choice, especially since it was close to the police station. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to spend most of his day there when he needed a change of scenery. Working from home was great, but sometimes he needed public scrutiny to feel motivated to get anything done.

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Declan had found early on in his rather long life that a routine helped combat the feeling of hopelessness that sometimes plagued him; When the years and years ahead of him became too much. When he could concentrate on the next step and ask himself, What next?, life tended to be a bit more bearable until he got out of his slump. That Monday morning, however, would prove to be a dreary one judging from the blissful sound of rain assaulting his windows. Most would take the weather as an unpleasant sign, but Declan loved the sound—the feel—of the rain.

Loaf Around, the local coffee and pastry shop, was right across the street to The Nameless Page so he was hardly soaked by the rain but there was enough falling from the sky that when he crossed the threshold with a spring in his step, Declan had to shake some of it from his coat. Hearing footsteps, the witch side-stepped out of the way as he took a moment to assess his surroundings. With the rain creating white noise in the background, helping to filter the day-to-day sounds from outside, Declan could hear the routine sounds better inside.

He could hear the clatter of baking sheets being stacked in the kitchen despite the door being closed; He could smell the dough as it was worked and molded into what would be delicious creations for the afternoon crowd; He could smell and taste the salt in the air along the sugar from the cane that was used or the various berries for jams and filling. The smell of coffee beans was ever present, underlying, and pungent; A coffee lovers dream. Laughter toward the back, where you ordered, told him the usual morning staff were present. A smile curved his mouth; In all, it was a typical morning and with a swing of his cane, Declan moved toward the counter to order his usual.