🪶Catch-All

[bluediligence]

WHO: Nakamori "Choco Korone" Aoko & assorted others
WHAT: (Semi-) Permanent catch-all
WHEN: Anytime
WHERE: Anyplace
WARNINGS: Marked in headers.

Comments

For Red Son; customers are the worst

[bluediligence]

[ It's been almost three weeks, and Korone is doing her absolute rubesty to settle into her quote-unquote "new life" in Ellipsa. She's found a job! An actual job that pays her with actual currency! With hours flexible enough that she has time to study, train, and go out on quests, and generally keep herself relentlessly busy. ]

[ The Sanctuary, it's called. A comfortable-yet-stylish coffee shop and book exchange in Blossomcrown, with counters full of freshly baked treats both sweet and savoury. The selection of drinks on offer is just as impressive — single origin coffees and hot chocolates, fancy tea blends, the finest freshly-pressed fruit juices. No death games. No moral quandaries. Just books, drinks, and baked goods … ]

[ … and the occasional asshole customer. ]

[ This one — a man over a foot taller than her and easily twice as broad, if you didn't count her wingspan — decided that it would be a great idea to try snapping his fingers right in her face when she had to ask him to repeat his (frankly ridiculous, not that she said that outloud) order. Try being the keyword, because it was pure reflex to grab his wrist in preparation to defend herself — ]

[ Oops ]

[ He's lucky she hadn't gone for the cleverly concealed combat knife tucked under her uniform, or her (equally hidden) staff. That she'd immediately caught herself, releasing him instead of following through. But he doesn't seem to realise that, because instead of backing the fuck up — or better yet! leaving! — he tries to step up to her, sir, what the fuck. She's on the wrong side of the counter, can't use it as a buffer. ]

I'm so sorry, I — [ De-escalate, de-escalate, do not throw him through the window do not do not do not do not do not. They're short-staffed today, it's just her working front of house, don't maim customers, Korone. Her stance shifts, subtle but ready. ]

"You fucking will be, girl!"

[forgingfires]

[The primary goal was to get coffee. He may not need to sleep as much as mortals, but he did need sleep to keep up his mental faculties, but he was so close to figuring out how to use a potential flower in a way that was useful that he needed a few more hours awake. But his mental acuity was fading.]

[So coffee. Maybe something with sugar.]

[He was standing in line, looking over his notes on his phone, waiting for the line to move when the snapping draws his attention.]

[He looks up and sees the frankly rude customer. He doesn't do anything at first. He understands it's part of the game, the fake cheer and friendliness even as you want to punch someone's face in. The girl obviously has some urge to grab his hand, but she seems to be trying to recover-]

[Oh, that's gone from Simply Rude to Threatening.]

[That is a dear customer whose broken the social contract of server-customer relations instead of severely pushing the limits.]

[He pockets the phone, steps up as he glances back, and grabs the guy by the back of the shirt.]

[Then he kicks up the air below him as he tugs and yeets him over the heads of the other customers, letting the wind act as a cushion to not have him NOT crack his skull as he lands over by the door.] Sir, this is a coffee shop, not a gladiatoral arena.

[bluediligence]

[ When Korone sees somebody else step up, her first thought is, Shit, not another one. ]

[ Her second thought is … Holy shit. ]

[ Because that asshole just learned to fly. ]

[ There's an outbreak of gasps and muttering from others in the line, and from those already seated. Muttering that only gets louder when The Asshole staggers back up to his feet, red-faced and cursing, fists rising. "You little punk! You think—" ]

[ He takes a step forward. And Korone … ]

That is enough.. [ … casts a teleport, dumping The Asshole aaaaaaall the way on the other side of the city. She's probably gonna pay for that (and for the grab, ugh) later — okay, scratch that, definitely gonna pay for that later: more than half of everyone left in the line bolts right back out of the door, and several other seated customers are packing up in a hurry.

… The cold firmness in her stance, and her voice, drains away, and what's left behind is somewhere halfway between Customer Service Korone and Actual Korone. A slightly frazzled, a more than a bit awww, nuts, and with her heart beating just that little bit fast from lingering adrenaline (albeit more because of the threat to her job than anything else). She takes one look around the shop -

And gives the mysterious redhead — with familiar scars that she is neither going to focus on nor think about, nope, no siree — a deep bow. ]

Thank you. And, uhm, sorry? — but mostly … thank you. For stepping in.

[forgingfires]

[Red Son raises a hand, prepared to snap, a wicked grin spreading across his face because he's more than willing to make a scene. He gets Customer Service. He can take the heat and enjoy it.]

[Except then the guy is gone and he straightens up, looking over to Korone.]

[He raises an eyebrow.]

You could have let me handle it. You weren't likely to get into any trouble if I beat him down.

[bluediligence]

I'm not doubting that you'd have kicked his sorry ass. [ Absolutely not doubting it. That yeet was decisive and calculated — masterfully so. Not a single other person was so much as clipped, let alone hit, and something (wind magic?) kept the guy from smashing the back of his skull open on the hard floor. Whoever this redhead is, he's way better than "good". ]

But I have a sinking feeling I'm already gonna be in trouble. [ She gestures up at the various CCTV cameras. All tiny, all unobtrusive, for the sake of ~the ambiance~. Also… gestures… somewhat sheepishly, at yet another person deciding to skittering out of the door. ]

… And I was getting sick of looking at his stupid face, so. I dumped him on the other side of the city. Which, uhm, I probably wouldn't have done if you hadn't acted first, so thank you again, seriously. Can I buy you a coffee?