Ask Serenno However the Cookie Crumbles

[Imani Din]

Latte or cappuccino, latte or— "Miss, is there anything I can help you find?"

Imani looked down to the cashier in front of her, staring blankly with a dead expression on his face. Her eyes jumped back up to the menu once more, then dropped back down again. "My bad, I'll just have a cap," she decided after a moment longer. The cashier punched a couple of buttons, stated her total, and accept her payment. He looked up one more time, asked her name—"Imani. I-M-A-N-I."—then averted his gaze to the next customer in line.

While her coffee was being prepared, Imani shuffled off to the side to wait along with everyone else. She pulled out her datapad and began to scroll through her text messages, noting who she had and hadn't replied to yet today. If she could help it, the tiefling preferred to avoid being on her phone while she was at work so she could focus on getting all her shit done without distraction. Other than a missed call from her mother—Gotta remember to call her back...—and yet another string of texts from Altair (@Sreeya) asking for help with his homework. She moved her thumb to tap on the chat, then read the messages with one eyebrow slightly raised. After a moment to deliberate her response to him, she swiped her thumb across the screen several times before pressing send.

> You know you could try asking your teacher for once

Imani went to put her datapad back in her pocket, then sighed and brought it back up again.

> Send me the problem
> I'll look at it

She couldn't just let him fail. The woman didn't want to imagine the disappointment on her mother's face if that were to happen, even if it wouldn't be directed at her. Plus, the teachers at Korriban weren't exactly nice, and she was sure the same applied to his academy. If she'd had an older sister while she was in school that had already taken all the classes, she'd text her too.

"Ee...! Eemuh... E-money—?" Before the barista could finish butchering her name, Imani strode up to the counter and plucked it from his hands with a tense smile. "Imani," she corrected with a sharp swish of her tail, turning around as she did so. Her turn went a little too quickly, and before she could balance herself out, she knocked right into a man also waiting nearby.

"Oh! Oh, I am so sorry!" The tiefling finally caught her balance, apologizing as she turned to face the man she'd just bumped into.

tag: @Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

He had been to the coffee shop a dozen times but the staff’s lack of pronunciation expertise was something to be amazed at. Everytime he had to spell his name out and still it was always spelt wrong. ‘It's a bloody J not a G. I’m not an alcoholic drink’, he thought to himself, already getting a little pissed at the interaction yet to come. Though from the looks of it he was not the only person who the half-witted staff seemed to struggle with. The dark skinned horned woman ahead of him also having to go through the pain of spelling out her name to the server behind the bar.

“Dark Chocolate and Orange Latte, please.” The woman behind the bar looked at him, he could see the gears turning inside her head trying to remember his name. “Ryujin. R-y-u-J-i-n.” He said before she even asked for his name, the woman gave him a little frown before writing his name down on the cup and passing it off.

Ryujin tapped his comm on the pad to pay for the drink and then headed to the allocated waiting area where everyone stood head down in their comm, not daring to look another living creature in the eye. There was little on his own device apart from work and reports so he chose to pocket the item and people watch whilst he waited.

He watched the barista’s as the drinks were made, correctly identifying his own drink about to hit the pass. Ryujin wouldn’t give them the time to pronounce his name incorrectly and instead approached the bar just as Imani spun into him. Ryujin was caught unaware his mind set on the barista about to butcher his name and was almost sent tumbling to the ground.

His outstretched hand grabbed the edge of the bar as the tail whipped into the back of his legs. “Ouch.” He said to himself as he pulled himself up and turned to face the women, a face of thunder slowly gathering. “Don’t you watch where you are…”

@lizziie

 

[Imani Din]

”Now don’t throw a damn hissy fit, I said I was sorry,” Imani retorted, the twang of her accent creeping through in the way her voice emphasized the long vowels. Her eyes finally met with his, and though the low contrast between her irises and scleras would make it difficult to place her gaze, he would certainly feel it burn into him. A smirk widened her lips at the irritation gathering on his face, though it morphed into more of a genuine smile once her eyes dropped down and back up along his form to get a look at him. Alright, he’s kind of cute.

After a moment to redirect her tone, Imani extended out her free hand towards Ryujin with a cheeky smile. ”You know what, I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.” If he would take her hand to shake it, she would introduce herself. ”I’m Imani, and the baristas here never get my name right either.” She could feel daggers being thrown at her by the eyes of the woman still handing out drinks, but Imani didn’t care. If the woman didn’t want to get insulted for mispronouncing names, maybe she should harder.

Imani would cock a hip to the side and place her free hand on it while holding her drink with the other one. ”Ryujin, right?” she asked with a quirked brow, copying the pronunciation from what she’d overheard him say to the person taking orders. By this point, her demenaor had changed from standoffish to somewhere in the realm of relaxation. Imani was a social butterfly; she had no issue talking to strangers.

tag: @Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

He grumbled as she emphasised her apology, it was not her fault, accidents happen. Perhaps Ryujin was just a little pent up, work had been stacking up, he hardly had a moment to himself, this coffee break was probably all he had this week. Be it in his guise as a Sith Champion conquering the galaxy or the relentless chase for traitors as an Inquisitor it was draining. It didn’t help that his one respite was agitated by a woman who’s grasp of basic was pathetic to say the least.

When she reached out her hand, his face softened, he rubbed the bridge of his nose before accepting her hand shake. “Apologies, it's been a long week.” He replied, although he was still a little frustrated and more than tired, his training slowly began to take over, his face relaxed, his posture changed and tone became more upbeat. The Inquisitor slowly taking over the tired Champion. “Nice to meet you Imani.” He also glanced over at the barista, before taking his drink from the counter.

They were both still standing in the waiting area for drinks so he pointed over to a nearby standing counter. “Maybe we should get out of the way before you hit anyone else.” He said with a cheeky smile leaving before she had the time to answer verbally or physically.

@lizziie

 

[Imani Din]

Imani slipped over to the standing counter right after Ryujin, her tail keeping closer to her side than before as she moved so she didn't smack it into anyone again. Usually, people at the café were not very social, so it made her day a little better getting to chat with someone for once. Everyone was so serious all the time.

"So, whatcha drinkin'? she asked as she rested her arm against the counter. Her pale eyes looked up at him as she took a sip of her drink, before glancing out the nearby window. "I always get a regular old latte or cap," she added immediately after. What Imani didn't mention was that she'd never tried a flavored coffee drink. She had plenty of opportunities to try, she just liked her coffee with milk.

"Better question, do you come here often?" Imani was pretty sure she'd never seen him here before. She figured she would remember him if he did, because he kinda had that mysterious vibe to him.

tag: @Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

Imani followed him over, which was refreshing. It would be nice to speak to someone who doesn’t stare at him like a potential traitor all the time. Granted he was always staring back at them in the same way. “Dark Chocolate and Orange Latte, to be honest I am not a big fan of coffee, but I enjoy the kick. So the flavour has to be good.” He replied holding up the drink before taking a sip, still a little too hot for him. So he placed the drink on the side and popped off the lid to let it cool a little faster.

“The past few weeks, yes, I am just here on a work placement. So I am sure I'll be shipped off again soon. Yourself?” He asked. Although Serenno was a centre for the ISB the Inquisitorius did not have a ‘House’ here, the nearest was Junction but his own was on Korriban a little way away from this humble little planet.

@lizziie

 

[Imani Din]

Orange and dark chocolate? Imani thought that was an interesting combination. Interesting in a good way though, because she adored chocolate with every fiber of her being, especially dark chocolate. Chocolate and coffee though? She wouldn't be surprised if it tasted good, but she'd never even had the desire to order a mocha. "You know, that sounds pretty darn interesting," she said, peering down at her own drink as she did so. She lifted it up to her lips and took a long sip, savoring the bitterness of the coffee and the foam together. Though her drink was steaming with heat, it didn't seem to bother her.

"Personally, I've just a coffee n' milk kinda gal," she laughed after she set her cup back down. "I love chocolate though, so maybe one of these days I'll try a mocha."

Imani idly drummed her nails against the counter as he asked her a question about her work. Work? According to him, work was why he was here. This place was just convenient for her as it was halfway between her work and her apartment, so work worked as an answer for her too.

"It's close to my work, so its convenient," she answered. "You travel a lot for your job?" she asked next, though it was less of a question and more a transition for her to muse about her own. "I've been working here for a few years now, but I'm thinking about transferring. It'd be nice to travel a bit."

tag: @Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

It seemed the woman was made of asbestos, there was no way that her drink was not as scolding hot as his. Or perhaps he was just a flower when it came to hot things. When she spoke about her love of chocolate he pushed the cup over towards her, it was much too hot for him to drink anyway and the lid was off so it didn’t matter. “Want to try a bit?” He offered, if she took a sip great, if not he didn’t mind and would pull the cup back over to his side. The steam telling him that it was still much too hot for him to drink.

“Perhaps a little too much. But it pays the bills.” He replied with a smile when she asked about his job. I mean he didn’t have bills but that was what everyone else would say, his entire life was financed by the Inquisitorius, he never had to pay for anything but in turn he was never paid. “Serenno is nice, I will give it that. Though nothing beats the beaches of Sembla, or the hustle and bustle of Lianna.” He replied, both had been recent missions so he knew a fair bit about the planets, though he never visited the beaches or thrived in the hustle and bustle.

@lizziie

 

[Imani Din]

Imani looked curiously at his drink as he slid it over, then wrapped her hand around it and brought it to her lips after a moment of deliberation. The taste of coffee and steamed milk was boldened by the dark, rich flavor of the chocolate, and the tangy bite of orange came in at the last second. The dark chocolate, to her lack of surprise, paired very well with the coffee, though she could do without the citrus.

"Not bad, not bad," she mused as she set the cup down and slid it back over to the man. "I might have to start asking for chocolate in my coffee from here on out!" Her lips widened to a grin for a second, then settled back down.

Sembla? Lianna? Unfortunately, Imani had been to neither of those planets. Her family was from Bandomeer, a largely agricultural, Outer Rim planet not known for much other than having a lot of farms, a lot of mines, and a lot of predators. Sembla was a beautiful water planet, and if she remembered correctly, Lianna was an ecumenopolis like Coruscant or Taris. Before coming to Serenno, Imani had worked on Dromund Kaas, so she wouldn't complain too much about her location. Dromund Kaas was depressing.

"I think I'd like to—" Imani paused, distracted by the sound of snickering coming from their left. A table of three had their hands up to their heads, mimicking and mocking her horns with their fingers. The tiefling's face fell dark, and her tail began to lash from side to side. "Excuse me for a second." The woman flashed Ryujin an apologetic smile, her voice tart, then set down her drink and made a straight path for the three.

Once the three noticed her heading over, they averted their gaze, suddenly very concerned with the view outside the window. "Excuse me," she said, her lips tight against her face in a fake smile. "I just came over to ask y'all kindly to mind yer fuckin' manners." Her accent slipped out even more in her terse words, cutting through the air just as her tail sliced from side to side. Two of them stayed silent, but one cleared his throat and snarkily asked, "Our bad. Is it true you devils got those long-ass tongues? We were just...curious." The snickers at the table returned, and Imani did everything in her power to maintain her polite smile.

So help me if they say one more damned thing—" Her hands placed themselves on the table, and she put her face in his. "At least devils are hot, sweetheart. With that face of yours, someone might think you're an imp."

tag: @Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

“I knew you would like it.” He replied with a smile as she placed the cup back down and slid it over. It was getting near drinking temperature for him so he placed the lid back on the drink. Lifting it up he took a small sip checking to see if it would burn the roof of his mouth. He didn’t see the initial reason for Imani leaving so just gave her nod, maybe she needed to pee or something so went about slowly drinking his coffee.

It was the words fuckin’ manners which caught his attention, ‘so she didn’t go pee’. He turned to see Imani fronting up to three little miscreants who he could tell were a pain in the ass by just looking at them. Even though the Coffee Shop was noisy, he was able to pick out what the ‘children’ said. Ryujin could sense the anger in Imani, but she kept it under control, he smiled to himself and nodded in appreciation of the women not losing herself to rage.

Ryujin kept an eye on the group, she didn’t need him running in like a knight in shining armour, she was a big girl. Plus he hardly knew her. Imani’s comment about looking like an Imp though got one of the girls rilled up. And she stood up from the desk ready to confront her. Ryujin noticed the cup of coffee in front of her and with a flick of his wrist sent the contents of it flying all across the lap of the girl, ruining her white Jeans.

She looked down at herself and screamed, her eyes dashing back between Imani and her brown spot. Anger was welling up inside her, but it was the feeling of embarrassment that took control and she pushed out from the booth past Imani and ran for the toilet. It was a shame however that in her dash to escape she somehow tripped over her own feet. Ryujin had no idea how it happened, but soon a number of the other teenagers in the room were giggling at the girl as she ran off.

@lizziie

 

[Imani Din]

Just after Imani called the boy an imp, one of the girls at his table stood up looking madder than a bull. Imani's pale eyes shot over to meet here, daring her to do something with her oh-so polite smile, but the girl never got the chance. Somehow—and Imani recognized the use of the Force—her coffee cup tipped over, splattering her white jeans with dark, steaming hot coffee. The girl cried out, whether in pain, shock, or both, then rushed off to the bathroom to deal with her situation. Imani deepened her smile, then removed her hands from the table and returned to the counter where Ryujin still stood.

"My apologizes," she hummed as she slid on over, her manicured nails curling around her cup again. "Was that your doing? The coffee?" Just slightly, she leaned forward, a more genuine, amused smile on her lips. If the man was a Force user, it made him all the more interesting. However, if it wasn't, someone in this café deserved her thanks.

"I grew up the second oldest of nine siblin's," Imani went on to explain unprompted, suddenly feeling the need to defend her need to confront the table. "And I dealt with a lot of bullsh- crap in school. I've got a younger brother in school right now, and who knows if any more will follow, ya know?" The tiefling took a long sip of her coffee, her eyes unfocusing for a moment as she thought. "I deal with every rude comment, every ignorant action, hopin' maybe it'll mean they don't have to deal with it as much. Kinda feel like it's my job as big sis."

She liked to call it the "big sister responsibility." The woman was aware it probably didn't do much to help her siblings. It was a big Galaxy and they probably dealt with just as much as she did regardless of her efforts. Imani tried anyway, just in case.

"You got any siblin's?" she asked, flipping the conversation over to Ryujin. He gave her only child vibes, but she couldn't know for sure unless he told her.

tag: @Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

Ryujin smiled, lifting his cup to take another mouthful of the coffee as Imani confronted him about the coffee. “I don’t have a clue what you're on about.” He said between mouthfuls. “Unfortunately the galaxy and most upper echelons of society are rather intolerant to non-humans.” Ryujin added between her explanations about her family. It was prevalent throughout the Empire, many a ‘file’ had been created based around someone's intolerance to non-humans or humanoids. He and many other Inquisitors wondered what would happen if a non-humanoid did take the throne, would they keep in line as much as they do now for Andruil.

His jaw tightened when she mentioned siblings, directly it wasn’t a touchy subject. But thinking back to his younger days was never something he truly enjoyed, he preferred to keep that locked away during the day. “Not that I am aware of.” He replied perhaps a little too jolly.

Realising his mistake he continued. “My parents separated when I was young, I haven’t seen either of them for a long time.” It was part of his ‘Champion’ fabricated past, “They may have started new families, but I’m not sure.”

@lizziie

 

[Imani Din]

"Mmhm," she hummed, her eyebrow quirking up on one side as he claimed he didn't know what she was talking about. Imani couldn't prove it was him, but it seemed a little too unlikely it wasn't. She'd faced situations like this once or twice before, so it certainly wasn't any of the regulars. That little smile didn't help his case. It was cute.

"Ah, forget I brought it up then." It might be hard to notice her white irises against her pale scleras, but they had no problem noticing the slight change in demeanor when she asked about his siblings. Imani didn't feel bad about it, but she wouldn't continue to tread on uncomfortable ground, especially with a friendly new acquaintance.

Imani took a long sip of her coffee and let her eyes wander across the café. The group from before were just now leaving, shielding white pants girl partially from view. The tiefling smirked behind her cup, her tail gently sweeping in place.

"So, ya'on break or somethin'? Or do you have the rest of the day free?"

tag: @Braden