Dante "Inferno" Zaragoza - Death'll find you... (xolotl) wrote in repose, @ 2019-12-30 14:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | *log, dante zaragoza, ren solitaire |
[Log] Dante & Ren - Complete
Who: Dante & Ren
What: Coffee and a chat
When: Early December
Where: Secondhand Books & Cafe
Ratings/Warnings: language. Always language.
The night before had been rough. There had been a trip to The Capital to follow up on a lead and… She hadn’t gotten much sleep. However, any grumpiness that may be lingering due to that lack of sleep could be quickly curbed with the knowledge of what she’d accomplished the night before. Those memories would keep her appetite for destruction satiated for a little longer or at least until she could make it back out to The Capital again with a new target in mind. It was strange how much peace she felt after missions like that... However, due to the night before she was desperately in need of as much caffeine as she could feasibly pump into her body without making herself sick. Which meant diner coffee or a k-cup sure as hell wasn’t going to cut it and with what recon she’d done about town it seemed there was only one place that might be able to satisfy her much needed fix. It was that thought that drove her to the coffee shop and through the doors. It wasn’t terribly busy - a few regulars seemed to mill about - but Dante hung back. A few minutes would pass as her eyes roamed the menu before making a slight face. This was nothing like the coffee shops back in Brooklyn. Was she ever going to be used to this small town shit? Nostrils flared on a frustrated exhale. There was really only one option at this point and with that in mind, Dante approached the counter. “Hi.” The word was cheerful, a tired smile was offered. “Good morning, how’re you?” Even if she was tired and only wanted coffee? The person making her coffee was a person and deserved to be treated as such. If it took her a fucking minute to ask them how they were and engage with them like a human and not a servant? She’d sacrifice the minute. Ren glanced up, a new person not someone he recognized - which considering that he did pretty much recognize everyone who lived here meant she didn't, or she was new. The last time this had happened, it had been Rey and he decidedly didn't know this girl so that was good. He figured if she was new around here it would probably become apparent and if she was just passing through, then it could still be some entertainment. He gave the girl a nod of his head and a small smile. "Good, thanks. It's been quiet, so a little bored. You gonna give me a drink order to liven things up?" This was said with a raise of one eyebrow. "Or you here for a book?" “Glad to hear it’s going well.” A nod would be offered with the polite small talk. “Coffee.” The word was thankful and appreciative as was the smile she’d offer him. Though at the second part of his question she’d give a polite smile before her brain kicked in. “Oh, well, actually. Do you have any guide books on solar panel installation?” It was an honest and open ask and curiosity would reflect in Dante’s eyes. “Both, I guess is a better answer.” There was a slightly apologetic grin here offered to the man as her answer changed on him. It was a good thing he’d asked about the books though. With a place back with the mostly abandoned houses having been picked out for her to move into there was going to be a lot of work the house would need - assuming she got it - before it would be up to par for her standards. Admittedly, the house itself wasn’t in particular disarray but the technological upgrades she was going to make to the house… She’d be working on it for a while. “But let’s start with the supposedly less technical coffee. What’s the highest caffeine and chocolate content you got?” And yes, that question was completely serious. Ren laughed, a small huff that came out as he reached for the largest cup that they sold. He held it up. "We can fill this with coffee, and I can add an extra shot, or two, more than that requires Doctor's permission," he smirked. "And chocolate, we've got a dark chocolate syrup if you don't want sweet -- it's pretty strongly chocolate flavored. Rich, and in my opinion, it's the way to go on chocolate." The book was a different question though, and solar panels wasn't something he spent a lot of time thinking on at all. He knew literature, well the high brow stuff anyway, and he'd gotten better at the popular dime novelists types as he'd worked here for several years, but the technical non-fiction stuff he didn't really spend much time with. "We might have some stuff, when I make the coffee I can go over and show you where it'd be." He nodded in the general direction of a far corner. "No guarantees, but we could always order something in." “That sounds divine.” And the pleasure in her tone at the notion? Oh yeah, she was 110% there for it. “Let’s make sure to give my doctor a nervous tick, yeah?” The joke was shot off with an absently amused laugh. “And I like the way you think, dark chocolate it is.” This guy knew what the hell he was doing and she was totally grateful for it. Maybe the coffee shop would make up for some of the other small town flaws yet. There was a nod given as he walked her through his thought process on the book. “Sure, sounds good.” Her smile remained and eyes shifted over to the books pensively. “Will undoubtedly need to order one if there’s nothing in stock.” Dante wasn’t entirely sure what the weather was like in Repose all year round but she knew there was no way in hell she was getting caught without power and water and if she had to install the systems to make that a reality? Then that was exactly what she’d do. It was probably undeniable that the coffee in the shop had gotten better since Ren had started working there. There were drinks he continued to roll his eyes at - mostly good-naturedly - but he'd put his espresso against any in the Capital, the Mocha he was offering was pretty damn good. "On it," he told her as he started in on that process. "If you want mystery books featuring cats on the cover, we've got a hundred of them, and I'm sure any one of them you could possibly want," he quipped easily as he worked on brewing the espresso. “You’re the best.” The words were deeply appreciative and sincere in their offering. If this guy walked the walk of making a cup of coffee that he talked the talk for… Well, this place might just turn into her morning stop before she’d make it into the shop. Assuming they were open before 7am…. Dante would need to taste the guy’s handiwork first and check the store hours but so far? She was hoping it was all gonna work out. Dante couldn’t help a laugh - part amusement, part disbelief - at the offering of a mystery novel with a cat on it. “No, think I’m good with my technical manuals.” Even with the sleep deprivation, she was still offering him a grin. “Much more into how things work in reality instead of living in some fantasy world with too little research and too much purple prose.” Her grin morphed more into a smirk. “Nothing wrong with it, just not for me.” A passive shrug of shoulders was offered before her gaze began to travel towards the books. Ren gave her a quick grin at this, but didn’t say anything. Books were easy at least, even if he knew little about technical manuals. He finished off the coffee and handed it over carefully to her, one eyebrow cocked up with a question. When he handed over the coffee her fingers quickly wrapped around the cup. It was nice to be holding something warm but at his quirk of brow, as if to insinuate his curiosity about her thoughts on the brew she offered a mildly embarrassed smile. “I’ll let you know as soon as it cools. I’ve yet to find a proper heat resistant coating for my mouth.” It was an attempt at a joke, her humor didn’t always come off right though and who knew if the guy would get it. “Soon as this is a little cooler I’ll let you know.” This time a grin was offered over to the man before she’d nod her head back towards the books. “Wanna give me some direction for over there? I can totally figure it out if you don’t have time but...” Her gaze would shift around the coffee shop. “Got a feeling you may be a little bored.” Dante got it, she’d been there the smile was understanding on this. Sometimes shops got slow and you just wanted to crawl out of your skin with how aggravating standing around and doing nothing was but it was just how shit went sometimes. Ren's laugh was nothing more than a huff of amused air, but he closed the drawer in front of him and moved around the counter. "I'll show you where the tech stuff is," he said, perhaps unnecessarily since she'd asked, and it was what they'd been talking and thinking about beforehand. The shop wasn't huge, but the bookshelf side was more books and bookshelves than it was tables and chairs, although there were a few tucked away where people could sit quietly if they wanted hidden mostly by the shelves. Ren suspected it was where and how books would disappear sometimes, but the owner didn't seem to be in any mood to change the layout and so Ren had just gotten good at paying attention to things. He'd caught a teenager last week with an old comic book in his bag. "These," he motioned to a section that was jam-packed with books although it was only a few shelves. But then that was most of the shop. Between the new books they ordered and the used books that they seemed to collect almost as much as sell, there wasn't a lot of space on any of the shelving around the store. "What were you looking for again? “Once again, look at you with being the best.” The tone Dante used was a good-natured sort of tease, even if she was also sincerely appreciative of his assistance as well. She’d easily fall into step behind him even though the guy had almost exactly half a foot on her Dante knew how to keep up and quickly would be at his heels. When he motioned at the segment of books she’d nod eyes clearly starting to curiously tick over them before he spoke. “Oh! Solar Panel installation, maintenance, basically just instructionals and information on solar panels.” There would be a smile offered. “I just moved into town not long ago and wanna make sure the house I’m renting doesn’t drop power.” The town didn’t seem like it would be one likely to lose power but… She’d rather be safe than sorry on that sort of thing. “Dante, by the way.” She’d offer a hand out to him to shake. “New gas and garage owner. Nice to meet you and thanks for your help too.” Ren's lips quirked up into a half-grin even though his back was to her, and he took a moment to view the shelves, and after a moment pulled out a couple of titles. "These are kind of old though." One of them definitely looked as if it'd seen a couple of decades, the other when he looked at it appeared to just be a well-worn five year old volume. "They might give you some ideas though I don't know." He turned and took the offered hand. "Ren Solitaire," his gaze flickered over, taking her in, along with a quick, not particularly probing, of her general emotional state. Confident, purposeful, independent, strong-willed, and reasonably authentic in the appreciation. He nodded. "It's good to meet you too. And you know it's not the worst thing to have a back-up, so I hope you can figure something out. I can see what might be out there that's newer if you want?" He didn't say that he didn't know if solar energy would help if magic decided to take out electricity, cause she might not believe him and anyway she'd figure it out in time. "Tell you what, I will check on it, write down anything I find and the next time you come in to get that coffee again, you can ask about it." As he pointed out the books she couldn’t help a half frown. The older one was likely outdated for common circuitry and energy flow aspects. Especially with fiber optic cables and things now being the norm in a lot of places. Shit, did repose have that? She’d have to look around, see what she could figure out there. “The older one probably not.” The look in her eyes made it clear she was still determining the best pathway to progress down. “Yeah, newer would be great.” Her attention snapped back to the here and now with a smile for the man next to her. “I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Want me to come install some in your place when I do?” It was half a joke. If more people were interested in solar panels through she wasn’t going to complain and in fact would do what she could to encourage the switch over. They could be a little pricey to buy and install if you didn’t know how to make them or do the installation yourself, but they were totally worth all the effort her research had shown. At his next offer? There was another smile but this one seemed rather pleased with his suggestions. “That sounds great. So tomorrow?” Because if this coffee tasted half as good as it sounded… There was no way in hell she wasn’t coming back here again. Ren's lips turned up in a quick smirk. "I'll see what I can get to by tomorrow," he told her simply. "I should be able to figure out what's available at the very least." It had been reasonably quiet this morning and it seemed likely there'd be time for it. "And I rent my apartment in a house in the neighborhood so that might mess up the idea of installing anything, but if it doesn't -then maybe we can talk." “That sounds great.” Dante would offer back with a smile. “Knowing what my options are is the first step, right?” At the very least it was more information than she had right now and she didn’t even have to spend the time to look for it. Which was even better. “I’ll let you know what I figure out.” Her head bobbed in understanding of his situation. Honestly, she probably needed to get headed towards the shop but- Oh! The coffee cup was raised up and she’d take a sip. There was consideration for a moment before a low hum of enjoyment was given. “Great choice. Can you just pick my coffee when I swing by in the morning?” It was half-joke, half-serious, but either way, maybe Repose wouldn’t drive her completely out of her mind yet. Ren's lips shifted into a full out smirk. "I can definitely just pick out your coffee of the day if you want. It'll be interesting to see if I always manage to choose well." But this was a good piece of information and if she'd liked this… well, besides the current drink he had a few other ideas he could throw at her if she was serious about wanting to try things. He stepped back, noticing that the door had opened and someone else had entered and he likely would be needed back at the counter. He gave her a slight wave. "I'll let you know on the books tomorrow. Along with a new coffee to try, if you're adventurous." This was said with a wink, and he turned completely to head back to the counter for the next person which, if he wasn't very wrong, was going to be one of those sweet iced coffee concoctions. “Sounds like an adventure. I’m down.” There would be mornings she wouldn’t want to play that game though… “I’ll let you know if I’m not having an adventurous morning when I come in, we’ll play it by ear.” It seemed the quickest and easiest compromise they could do. However, the idea of trying new coffee seemed fun and Dante could easily see herself taking Ren up on that offer more than not. It was easy for her ears to pick up the new customer coming in and with his easy exit from the conversation she’d smile, waving him off. “I’ll look forward to it, see you tomorrow!” With that, she’d turn with coffee in hand before another sip would be taken as she exited the establishments' door. Stopping by here? With how good this coffee was? Yeah, this was undoubtedly getting added to her regular morning routine rotation. |