A Leisurely Time
"Hmm... Let me think..." Looking at the menu hanging from the top of the counter, Navia grasped her chin.
She then glanced at her two companions. "Melus, do you still like the strong type?"
"As always, Demoiselle." Melus nodded solemnly. "The smell of a strong espresso in the morning always brings the best results for me."
"Oh? It seems like you're quite the connoisseur, dear sir." Isaac couldn't help but comment with an amused yet polite smile.
"You too love this type, sir?" Melus was also a bit surprised. Looking at Isaac, Melus added, "Very few young sirs like you know the excellence of such brew."
Isaac nodded. It felt like he had just found his people. "The rich, complex aroma of a strong newly brewed coffee is a rich sensory experience. It's robust and bold, which can be invigorating and stimulating to the senses."
At this moment, a tacit understanding formed between the two. They then realized— that the person they were talking to was a true connoisseur!
"Haha, it seems like this young sir is an expert in his craft, Demoiselle." Melus couldn't help but be amused and shaking his head while talking to Navia. "We might have just chanced upon a good service."
Contrary to Melus and Isaac's quick friendship over coffee, Navia was left speechless.
"To think someone would agree with Melus and his coffee taste..." Navia whispered to herself before shaking his head. "Anyway, I'll have uhh..."
"What's a Café Macchiato? It sounds good." Navia looked at the menu before looking at Isaac.
"It's an espresso with a small amount of milk, either steamed or frothed," Isaac explained politely.
"It sounds great! I'll have that one! As for Melus and Silver..." She then looked at the other two for their order.
"One Café Allongé for me." Melus crossed his arms while looking at the coffee menu that was labeled as strong.
"I'll have Café Crème." Silver solemnly said, while also looking at the coffee menu that was labeled as sweet and mild.
"I didn't you liked mildly sweet coffee, Silver." Navia was genuinely surprised. She had never seen her attendant eat or drink anything sweet, after all.
"They are great for the mood, Boss." Silver solemnly said with his solemn face.
"Oh? Something we both agree on." Navia smiled while nodding her head with approval.
Isaac memorized their order and looked at Navia, his deep languid amber eyes landing on her. "Would that be all?"
Navia thought for a moment before looking at the glass case not far away containing some bread. "Hmm... Oh, also, can we have some Pain d'Épices?"
Pain d'Épices is a spiced bread that would complement the robust flavors of the Café Macchiato quite well.
It's a traditional Fontanian bread made with honey and a blend of spices, giving it a warm, aromatic taste.
"No problem." Isaac calmly nodded at her order. "It would take a few minutes to prepare everything. In the meantime, why don't you all sit down over there?"
He then gestured to the empty seats in the room. Right now, on one of the tables, only Klee is seen watching the TV while swinging her legs while sitting.
"Alright," Navia understood and nodded at Isaac. She then looked at her two companions before nodding and walking to one of the tables.
Isaac didn't waste any more time and went into the kitchen to brew the coffee and heat the Pain d'Épices.
He heated some water, took out a bag of coffee beans, ground it, and placed it into the coffee machine.
Meanwhile, on the tables, Navia sat down while Melus and Silver stood still behind her.
"Can't you two sit down?" She turned her head and looked at the two of them.
"We're fine, Demoiselle." Melus shook his head while crossing his arms.
"If an enemy were to appear, I can quickly try to restrain them." Silver, as usual, said with his solemn face.
"..." Navia fell silent at her two companions' words before sighing with a wry smile. "Fine, just don't blame me for your sore legs later."
She then turned her head again and looked at the child in red who was distracted watching something. 'A child? Is she that barista's sister?'
She then looked at what the child was looking at.
On a screen, an animation of a woman having an internal monologue about besting her elder brother was present.
[Tsubaki in Thawing Snow]
'Huh? Is this a new invention?' Navia couldn't help but ask herself. Every day, new strange inventions kept being created in Fontaine, it's hard for her to keep up sometimes. 'I've never heard of this before...'
Curious, she continued watching them. She didn't know what kind of machine it was, but she figured it was for entertainment.
[+5]
[+5]
Isaac, who was busy filtering in the kitchen, glanced over to them and smiled softly. 'It works...'
With a satisfied smile, he continued making their coffee.
*
*
*
After about ten minutes, Isaac was finally finished and placed three cups on a silver plate.
He then opened the oven and pulled out a tray containing the Pain d'Épices. He used tongs to place the five pieces of bread on the plate, along with the coffees.
'...and done.' After arranging them to make them look appetizing, Isaac nodded and picked up the silver plate.
He held the silver plate and walked out of the kitchen.
He then walked over to the table of Navia and her two companions and noticed that the three of them were busy watching.
'The TV worked too well. But hey, I ain't complaining.' He wryly smiled before placing the silver plate on their table and speaking. "Your orders."
"Oh," Navia, engrossed in watching, didn't notice Isaac until he approached them. She then looked down at the silver plate before looking at Isaac. "Thank you."
"Do enjoy." Isaac gently nodded before deciding to walk away to leave them alone.
'It's great that she didn't ask about the TV...' Isaac secretly thought with a wry smile while walking away. 'Otherwise, I was prepared to say that it was something given to me by a friend or something...'
Shaking his head with an amused smile, he once more entered the counter.
Navia looked at the cups of coffee on the silver plate in front of her and saw that they had labels on each of them to indicate whose coffee was whose.
"This should be mine," Picking up the cup labeled as 'Café Macchiato', Navia held it inches away from her lips before blowing on it to lower the temperature.
While blowing, she took a whiff of the smell, and a strong coffee aroma, with a hint of sweetness from the steamed milk, entered her nose.
The smell of it cleared her mind for a moment and she anticipated to taste the coffee.
She then looked at the drawing on the milk foam on top of the coffee and smiled. 'Is this meant to be a rose
? It looks lovely.'
Truth be told, Isaac was never that skilled in drawing. As such, his rose looked more like a failed attempt at a thorned flower.
After cooling it down for a few moments, Navia finally decided to take a sip
She brought the cup in front of her delicate lips before taking a small sip.
Soon, the warm coffee entered her mouth, and the slightly bitter taste of an espresso was sensed by her tongue. However, the bitterness was subdued by the small stains of milk, not only balancing the taste but also giving a robust taste.
After sipping for a while, Navia put down the cup and slightly nodded her head with a satisfied smile.
"My, it seems that my judgment of that dear sir wasn't wrong," Melus, who was also drinking his coffee, commented. "I can tell that the beans used for this were of fine quality."
"..." Silver didn't comment anything as he fearlessly but cautiously chugged down the still steaming-hot coffee down his throat.
Not forgetting the Pain d'Épices on the silver plate, Navia extended her hand and took one slice of bread.
She lifted the bread and took a bite, and soon, a combination of honey and spices created a comforting, almost nostalgic feeling. It's like a warm hug for Navia's taste buds.
"Delicious." Finishing the bread, Navia nodded with a bright smile. Cradling the cup of coffee in her hand, she smiled as she looked at the TV that was still playing an animation.
The warm ambiance of the café soon settled in. The lively buzz of the streets was visible from the café, but the isolation and lack of commotion inside created a unique environment.
It was as if she was having a good time watching the everyday walks of life in a leisurely manner.
For a moment, Navia forgot her worries and her mind cleared of stressful thoughts.
'...how nice.'
[+20]
[+10]
[+10]
[+5]
[+5]
[+5]
Meanwhile, Isaac, who was in the kitchen, was genuinely surprised at the amount of system points he received. 'Whoa... That's a lot...'
However, he wasn't complaining. Everything was welcomed.