Cafe Society

[pentagrandma]

Reserved for Maxpphire; continued from Perfect Illusion.

Spared the embarrassment of having to climb over Dreki in the backseat of a moving car, Aislin relieved a sigh. Her hands remained pinned beneath her thighs, and a smile quirked in beginning answer to his question. Back home, the mention of drawing horror stories would incite short, unsettled responses from anyone other than Adam. No one had ever bothered to inquire about subgenres.

“Most of my shorts are of the paranormal variety; little tales of things that go bump in the night. I have the most fun drawing when there’s a monster of some kind involved. Gore is also really fun. It’s still disturbing in a way, but it doesn’t have the same realism as modern cinema. I guess that makes it more palatable,” She revealed with a shrug, apparently having felt the need to explain her fondness for illustrating the unsavory.

Her gaze drifted toward the window as the car slowed, and came to a subsequent stop. It really had been a short ride. “Oh,” remarked Ash, “We’re here.” After thanking the driver, she unbuckled and stepped back out into the night - holding the door, again, for Dreki. She inhaled deeply the sweet scent of jasmine, and released the air upon a breath of compulsory contentment.

[Maxpphire]

He too got out of the car once they were there and thought about what she said. Monsters, the toe that go bump I'm the night. He wondered if she knew about the supernaturals that lived in the city, or if it was just a weird coincidence. He also wondered if she were to grab his hand again or if they would just walk inside without. He stood next to her and would walk in with her regardless if she had or not.

"One of the students in my highschool music class really enjoyed Junji Ito, who I guess is a comic artist who specializes in body horror. It sounds fairly interesting, but they never go super detailed in describing the photos, so I only know some basic descriptions. They might be a point of reference that's useful for you?" He mentioned wondering if she already knew of the artist. He seemed not really bothered by horror stuff, although horror does rely on ones eyes a lot. More than the other senses really, to the point where it just never terrified him.

"Also curious, what drew you to this city as opposed to some other city. Was it just the school you got enrolled into or were you looking at other places too?" It was his way of trying to find out if she new about the supernatural or not. "Also feel free to get whatever you want from the cafe. I believe I mentioned it was my treat earlier, but if not, I figure it's an easy and simple enough way to repay you for describing those pieces or art to me." He smiled at her, another reason was that, with him having 3 stable incomes and her having none right now, it only made sense for him to pay. She could use whatever money she has on more important things.

[pentagrandma]

It hadn’t even occurred to Ash that Dreki might like to join hands again. She hadn’t been to this part of town, yet - and so she simply stood for a time after the car had pulled away, preoccupied with the act of taking it all in. She peered down the cobblestone road, openly gaping at the active market stalls and their many loitering pedestrians. On a weeknight, no less! How nice it would be to live in one of the charmingly dated apartment buildings of this street; to spend mornings and evenings strolling the subtly winding thoroughfare, and exploring its quaint shops. Too bad the monthly rent was probably more than her savings.

Coming back to herself, she cast an apologetic and unthinking smile toward Dreki; having forgotten his inability to perceive it. “Sorry,” she offered a touch belatedly, hastening toward the cafe door to pull it open for him. Ever the chivalrous prince, our Aislin. She followed in from behind, and smiled anew in her review of the interior. Cozy. The place truly was a Sanctuary.

“Junji Ito is an incredible talent,” she gushed as she perused the contents of the glass display, ducking down to admire the confections within. So pretty in their simplicity. “I’ve only read three of his works, but I loved them all. Do you remember which story your student described to you?” Her gaze rose as she straightened; skimming over the 'Help Wanted' sign (she’d have to remember to ask for an application on her way out), and the tables with their prearranged place-settings and menus.

“Is it all counter service?” She paused to clarify, awaiting Dreki’s response before providing an answering nod and continuing on. “The school I wanted to attend was here. There were a couple of other places that I looked at, but,” she shrugged, “I guess I had my heart set on being here. I wanted to be somewhere... progressive.”

... “I really don’t need to be repaid, but I’ll still let you treat me. Thank you - and next time, I’ll treat you.” Again, she smiled; allowing both gratitude and contentment to color the words as she spoke them.

[Maxpphire]

He noticed Ash take look around, and enjoy the sights. He lived pretty close to here so this was quite a normal sight to him, or at least their outlines are. He allowed he to take her time looking around, taking in what was ground around, when she came back to it all and apologized, he shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, I'm guessing you haven't been around here yet, if not then welcome to the west!" He smiled as he walked in as she held the door for him. "Thank you" he said in regards to the door and walked in a bit. He listened to her speak, following her to the confectionery counter, watching her take a look into the glass. Which to him just looked like a solid wall.

"I don't remember the name of the story but it's with the people shaped holes in the side of a mountain after an earthquake and how people found their specific holes. It was a weird one but I honestly wish I could have read it myself. The weird always makes the horror more interesting." He said thinking on it, he didn't want to spoil the ending in case she hadn't read that one yet herself. Maybe someday she could describe it better to him, so he could really get a feel for how the characters did, and the anxiety that came with them wanting to enter their holes.

"It's all counter, but we can take a seat, look at the menus a bit before ordering. I know what I want already, but I have a habit of memorizing menus since I cannot read most of them, makes ordering from places easier," he mentioned, "feel free to choose a seat, I'm open with sitting anywhere." And would follow her to whatever table she choose. "Also I'm excited to get that treat, it was a treat enough what you did at the museum. I'm pretty easy to please so don't worry too hard about it either." He spoke knowing that whatever it is, it will be a good time. He didn't have much of a chance to hang out with others, so regardless of whatever they did, he'd be appreciative of it.

[pentagrandma]

“Oh, I have read that one!” Ash enthused, returning her focus to Dreki. “The three books I have are each anthologized volumes of one story, but they all have a little short at the end. So, I suppose, technically I’ve read six of his works.”

With a soft exhalation of laughter, she reconsidered their seating options. Usually, she preferred to sit near a window - or, wherever provided the best view for people-watching - but observing their surroundings while Dreki was unable ... felt, somehow, wrong. Though he didn’t strike her as the type to mind, she still chose a table that was a bit off the beaten path. It would be better for conversation, anyway; separated as it was from the general hubbub of the cafe.

For a moment, she considered pulling out his chair for him - ultimately deciding that the gesture would have been too extra. She didn’t want to annoy him with her over-attentiveness, or make him feel any less capable than she. So, she simply sat; taking up a menu, and studying her options.

... “What are you having?” She asked, after a short time.

[Maxpphire]

"Then maybe someday you can describe it better to me, and maybe some of his other works." He smiled as he followed her to one of the tables. He didn't think much of her choice, beyond that it was a table he would have chosen given it's general out of way nature. He mostly kept to himself in public spaces, how much of that is his normal introvertedness and how much of that was him basically hiding himself from others was hard to tell at this point, as they were now just habits ingrained into him. He sat down not even thinking of the prospect of her even possibly pulling out his chair for him.

"Oh, I plan on having their Rosemary and Olive Oil Bagel toasted with cream cheese and some green tea," he described, which he realized after saying that, it might not sound very filling to others. He began to feel a little self conscious with his choice, but given how his stomach had been acting up on and off for a while now, he didn't really want to push it. He wasn't really used to eating with others who also ate food and was mostly worried that she would show concern over it all. It didn't help at all that he knew that he hasn't always eaten as he should be, and while he was trying to fix that, the newer issue of stomach pain made that more difficult than he had liked.

"Anything on the menu looking good to you?" He asked, in a way hoping to get his mind off of the sudden bout of anxiety before it became noticeable. In a way he hoped she wouldn't press him on it, but if she did, he wouldn't lie, but he'd likely keep it as vague as he possibly could without arousing suspicion. It's not like the bagels here were that small anyway.

[pentagrandma]

“I’d be happy to,” she provided, in genuine response to his suggestion that she might describe the story to him. Explaining each panel to him in the same way that she had in the museum would be repetitive and confusing - but perhaps she could write it out in a story format beforehand, and read it to him. It would likely be better planned out than improvised.

Aislin made no mention of Dreki’s seemingly small appetite. It could have been that he’d already eaten. She’d been guilty of the same before, having treated Mitri to dinner after she’d already had hers. Besides, she didn’t know Dreki well enough to comment on his weight. For all she knew, he was the type to eat and eat and never gain an ounce.

“Hmm,” waffled Ash, pressing her lips together as she continued to glance over the menu. “A latte, for sure - lavender, I think. A rosemary bagel sounds good ... maybe I’ll have a sandwich on that.” She paused, then asked, “Would you share a dessert with me if I ordered one?” The cakes on display had looked really good, but she didn’t think she’d be able to finish too much on her own.

[Maxpphire]

"I can certainly try," he spoke with a smile, "I've never seen what any of their deserts looked like, usually they are behind the glass, which acts like a wall for me. So if they are super big we might still need a to go box." Luckily for him and glass acting like any other wall does, that even if he didn't have the appetite for it, he could just claim it was more than he was expecting. "Also the Rosemary Bagel is probably my favorite, if I ever get a sandwich, bagel, or any other bread related item here, I always start with that and work out the rest from there." He mentioned for sure suggesting that using that bagel as a bread base for a sandwich was indeed a good idea.

"What kind of music do you like?" He then moved to ask, figuring a topic he knew a lot about might make for a fun conversation. She had after all given him a bunch of perspectives on art he normally couldn't access. He doubt he could really give her a new perspective on music, but it's something he generally has in common with most others. He had yet to meet a person who didn't like it, or someone whom didn't at least expand his tastes some.

[pentagrandma]

“So, do you just see, like... silhouettes?” Wondered Ash aloud. She gave him no time to respond, however, before shaking her head and asking, “What kind of dessert do you prefer? Chocolate? Floral? Fruity? Tart?” Leaning back in her chair, she folded up her menu and set it aside. A sandwich sounded good, and she’d ask the counter clerk which on their menu would pair best with the rosemary.

... “I know it’s a cliche response, but I really like all types of music. Lately I sort of lean toward indie and folk rock, but it really depends on how I’m feeling in the moment. What about you? You mentioned you teach music - what do you play?”

[Maxpphire]

"Oh! I prefer lemon as a flavor for sweets, but if you want chocolate or something floral or something else altogether, by all means. Get what you think sounds nice, as I'll enjoy it regardless. If we somehow can't finish it, I figured you'd be the one to take it home, as I feel as if I were to take it home, it would likely go bad before I could finish it." He said with a smile, to him it was only logical that the person to take home any potential leftovers would be the one to choose the dish, and personally he didn't want the leftovers. With how iffy his stomach has been lately he wasn't sure if he would actually get around to eating it before it went bad.

"In regards to my sight, maybe I did a poor job at explaining it the first time around. Feel free to ask questions if you need to, I really don't mind answering any. It's not really silhouettes or shadows or anything like that. While I know that is a common way for blind people to be able to see something, I actually have no personal point of reference for darkness or light. More like I see outlines of everything. I cannot see through anything solid." He thought for a moment to see if he could better describe it. "When you draw something, you draft up it's outline first, right? Imagine that, I would guess, I'm not really sure how accurate that is given how I can't see 2D or printed items, but I'm hoping it helps you understand." He wanted her to kind of understand his sight to the best that he could describe it. He didn't want her to think he would be ever incapable of walking her home just because he was blind, and was actually slightly concerned that was the reason why she offered to walk him home instead. While it was a nice turn on it's head from societal norms, and he enjoyed that aspect of it, he did hope that it wasn't just because of his eyes.

"I think people have a habit of underestimating how much I can actually see once they find out and it's mildly frustrating at times, but that could also be from the fact that I used to be fully blind as a child, and ended up with some way of seeing as an adult and thus, I've actually dealt with the improvement, while everyone else, just take me for what they know as Blind being. I don't normally tell people I'm blind, in fact only a very very small handful of my students actually know. Sorry for going off on that tangent, but I hope by describing it a bit better to you, that you don't get the chance to underestimate me." He said that last part with a warm smile. It was clear he didn't take her invite to walk him home as an underestimation of his own abilities, while he understood it was a possibility that was the case, he didn't want to be wrong and accuse her of such.

"In regards to music, I also like all kinds and I feel like I learn of new songs and bands everytime I go into work," he lightly chuckled, "Piano is the main instrument that I play, it helps to have it has a base instrument to know mostly due to the amount of music theory you learn from it. I can also play Violin, Cello, Guitar, Bass, Drums, and Trumpet. I've debated on whether or not I've wanted to pick up a Saxophone. I understand it's a lot but it's my main hobby, and I do enjoy writing music, even if my writing skills aren't the greatest. I can also sing."

[pentagrandma]

“Let’s get a lemon-something, then,” stated Ash in approval. She listened as Dreki explained to her the details of his vision, lips twisting into some semblance of a frown. He had no concept of dark and light. Did that mean he could see the same, even in pitch dark? If so, how was that possible? Wasn’t that how vision worked? Wasn't light required?

... As she puzzled over this, and he continued on, she found herself relieved that she’d chosen not to pull his chair out for him. It wasn’t so much that she’d underestimated him (okay, maybe she had, a little) as it was that she wanted to make things a bit easier for him to manage. She wanted to be helpful. She opened doors for everyone, always, so she hoped that he hadn’t found that at all belittling. Would she have offered to walk him home, had his vision been the same as hers?

“Did you have a retinal procedure, or a cornea transplant? ... If I’m ever too excessive in my offers of help, I hope you’ll tell me.”

She took a mental inventory of all of the instruments he played, and gaped. SEVEN? He was a multilingual teacher who played seven instruments, and also sang? On top of all of that, he was good-looking and kind to boot. What in the actual fuck? He really was the whole package; she refrained from telling him so, again. “Wow,” she exhaled, instead, upon an astonished breath. “I’d love to hear you play.”

[Maxpphire]

He smiled at the idea of a lemon treat of somekind. It had been a while since he last had am actual dessert, that he was kind of excited to share one with her. However, any hints of excitement faded when she asked about his eyes, and what he had gone through to get some semblance of sight. He didn't want to lie to her, but at the same time he couldn't tell her the full truth either. He thought about his answer before he told her anything, and there was a certain unease to his tone that at the very least made it sound like he didn't like talking about it too much.

"Well, I don't remember too much on what was done because I became very sick afterwards, but it was an experimental procedure. It didn't work out nearly as well as anyone had hoped it would either, so they ended up scrapping the idea." He was nothing but truthful in his statements while leaving out the whole 'They infused a lot of my body with Angel DNA' parts. He figured it was possible that it could have helped a sighted man much more, but it did help him out a little. He was able to be more independent, but knew Hofflan considered it a failure at least.

"If you're offers become too much I'll let you know. I did enjoy the banter of you being my chivalrous protector so no worries there. I guess just try and treat me like anyone else, I know when to ask for help in most scenarios where my eyes can't." He smiled at her, trying to be reassuring to it all, as well as trying to be helpful on how he wanted to be treated. Sometimes it was hard for him to convey this. He was reminded of having to tell Sam that he didn't need to be warned about curbs much more than sighted people do. Reminded of how one of his students who found out got there before class, trying to set things up. Dreki had to explain to them that he didn't need help that and if he needed help, he could ask. People did it subconsciously a lot of the time which is why he didn't speak about being blind to most.

"I'd be happy to play for you sometime," he seemed to veer back on excited again, "I enjoy playing for others the most, and I used to do so at a bar, but lately they've retired their Piano." He mentioned knowing that he likely wasn't welcome back there anyway after drunkenly telling someone out loud that he is sometimes monitored. "I do own all those instruments though, so practicing is not a problem, I just wish I could find a venue that would accept me walking in whenever and play for the fun of it."

[pentagrandma]

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable by asking,” Ash contritely stated, having noted Dreki’s dwindling enthusiasm. Recovery must have been really rough to have invoked that sort of response. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to answer every question I ask. It’s okay to tell me you’d rather not. I won’t be upset.”

She was relieved to hear that he’d enjoyed their previous banter. Good. That meant she could continue to do as she had. Besides, even opening doors proved a measure of trust in him, right? It wasn’t like she’d told him where those doors were, or how many steps to take before he’d have passed their threshold. He would have to be able to see something in order to know where to go; to know that the door had been opened for him to begin with.

With his renewed excitement, her smile returned. “Maybe you should open up your own bar,” she suggested, half in jest. “No one would dare say ‘no’ to the person who signs their checks.”

[Maxpphire]

"But it feels so rude to deny someone an answer. Maybe that helps me be a good teacher?" He half joked, but would have felt more uncomfortable not answering her. Some deep intrinsic feeling tugged at him that he need to answer questions. Whether or not he was truthful was always up to him, but it always felt like he needed to answer. "It doesn't bother me that badly to mention as much as I've have. So don't worry about that so much." He smiled at her, letting her know it was fine, or at least trying to. When she suggested that he open his own bar, he chuckled at her half joke.

"I'd be a terrible business owner," He admitted with a smile, "Sure, they wouldn't be able to tell me no for playing, but how am I to sign a check when I can even see the line." He joked fully, then took a more serious tone, "I'm no business man, just a hobbyist with a love of music and preforming. I'm confident that someday I'll find a spot that won't mind me moseying in when I please and play. In the meantime, I can always practice." He was not too terribly worried about it.

"Anyway, still thinking about what you want?" He casually asked, waiting for her to be ready to order being going up there and paying for them both.

[pentagrandma]

“I don’t think it’s rude at all,” replied Ash in good humor. “It’s totally fair for you to tell a person that you’re uncomfortable with a topic, and that’s answer enough. If they can’t accept that, then that makes them rude.” He hadn’t sounded entirely serious in his response; but still, she felt she should reiterate. Perhaps, for him, she would need to consider her questions more carefully.

... “Oh,” she began, straightening up in her seat when prompted. “No, I’m ready to order whenever you are.”

Likewise, she would wait for him to rise from his seat before doing the same. Once they arrived at the counter, she bombarded the poor clerk with a flurry of questions. Which sandwich did they think went best with the rosemary bagel? It didn’t have pickles on it, did it? Between the lemon bar and lemon-blueberry cake, which was better? What about the lemon meringue pie? Oh! She’d almost forgotten to order her lavender latte! Was that better iced, or hot? ... And could she get an application?

“Sorry for being a pest,” she said around a small laugh, addressing both Dreki and the person at the counter. When all was settled, she moved aside for Dreki to take over.