THROUGH A FRACTURED EXISTENCE, TO THE RHYTHM OF ETERNITY.

[bitemark]

IL MATTINO

Il Mattino is an Italian cafe sidled between a bookstore and a jewelry boutique in small but popular business district, just a downhill walk from the local non-denominational Christian church and residential area. The ocean is less than a ten minute drive away and within view in the distance. The area is cool even when the sun is at its apex at noon with a tinge of sea salt in the breeze.

The cafe itself is medium-sized with plenty of light let in with the large storefront windows. The decor is simple, but accented with key decor with wheat centerpieces and plants. There are some trinkets that are displayed that may look out of place, like atop the charging counter there's a sliding puzzle painted in pink, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and all shades in between.

The cafe specializes in coffee and brunch, though pastries are sourced from local Italian bakeries in downtown Little Italy.

While the establishment has two floors, the cafe takes up the ground floor. There is a yard for some reason, but that's because there are four dogs. They're kept separate from the cafe to make sure patrons are not disturbed, but people are free to go outside to pet them. Reviews have mentioned the owner lives on the second floor and the dogs' names are Harold, Olive, Vera, and Rocco.

DRINKS ✦ FOOD ✦ all sorts of pastries available

Comments

[obdure]

You—[ Instantly, he feels a flare and his eyebrows knit, but he stiffens. A not customer-friendly tone.

Fuck. He can't be rude to a customer, but alongside the shock of accusation is an incredible fluster where his cheeks color a bit. He is both embarrassed and offended. Calm down. ]

That... No. I—you. [ FORM A SENTENCE, YOU ARE NOT THE ONE DOZING OFF, is what how he berates himself. ] I am serious that you look familiar. It isn't flirting—I wasn't.

[ GET IT TOGETHER, BEARZATTI. However, how dare Adolphe IMPLY he is trying to flirt. Calm down. ]

Sorry for having mistaken you. I did mean it genuinely, no ulterior motives.

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe squints, staring at Jacopo's face, looks down, looks back up again and takes a sip of his coffee. ]

... Okay? I've never seen you before and I'm not particularly well known for anything.

[ k ]

[obdure]

[ How is it they have only exchanged a couple of lines and he's already annoyed with this man. The coffee is very good aside from the awful company. ]

... Yes, and I apologized, so you didn't need to explain yourself. You look homely, so it would be easy to mistake you for someone. Again, I'm sorry.

[ OKAY. CALLS SOMEONE EASILY FORGETTABLE BECAUSE THEY LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER GUY. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe will make a note that the coffee is really good and suits his tastes well and he considers coming back in the future... but then he looks at Jacopo and wants to take back his thoughts. Adolphe isn't particularly offended by those words, but he's annoyed by how Jacopo says them.

But he won't nag about it because service industry is difficult, and as much as he wants to make Jacopo's life harder at the moment, he doesn't and lets it go. ]

Okay, fine. Stop apologizing and go back. I also want to order a recommended pastry.

[obdure]

[ Imagine never coming back and this PSL ends. Jacopo truly has a way with words? In bad ways, he knows.

Adolphe SHOULD complain, so it is gracious he lets it go. It doesn't help that Jacopo kind of has a defensive air about him when he didn't at the first question he asked. It does loosen, much like his expression, when Adolphe asks for a recommended pastry.

BUT IT ALSO IS SOUR because he's like "GO BACK." He gets it. HE GETS IT. He fumbled. Goodbye, he won't be talking to you anymore once he goes fetch a pastry. He will be back. ]

This is a moroccan black olive chocolate croissant. [ It's like a large ass croissant because we are in america. Bi-colored with black strip that winds with the croissant layers. It is warmed up, toasty, and comes with a serrated bread knife. ] Moroccan dry cured black Beldi olives play beautifully with Valrhona dark chocolate and a hint of buckwheat. Finished with a light brushing of walnut oil.

I'd actually like to hear your thoughts on it since it's experimental.

[chrysanths]

[ Jacopo has a way with words. Sometimes they're bad, but sometimes they're absolutely heart-stopping in more ways than one.

Which is why when Jacopo brings out the croissant, Adolphe just stares at this and feels (and looks) a little overwhelmed, then looks up at the man. ]

... Hold on. How much does this cost?

[obdure]

[ if only he communicated sincerely more often ]

Don't worry about it.

[ A lax, though amused smile at his reaction. What does this even mean? The cost should be important when someone orders? ]

Why are you looking so overwhelmed? It's still just layers of dough and butter. It's not going to bite.

[chrysanths]

What? Of course I'm overwhelmed. You just described something that sounds like it should be in a michelin restaurant, which is why I'm asking about the price.

[ ........ ]

If I can't pay rent because of this croissant.....

[ Imagine getting fucking rekt by a croissant ]

[obdure]

It's a croissant.

[ This is where Maria, the girl with a pixie cut, looks over from having delivered an order to a table... Squinting. Seeing. She Sees.

Then coming over with a bit of a gremlin expression, "Hey, is Jacopo bothering you?" She ATTACKS his side with an elbow jab and Jacopo jerks a bit away. ]

The man's barely staying awake. If anything, I'm helping him—[ "Oh, okay. Sure, you're being so gracious, but you're looking awkward standing here and chatting!" ] Maria.

[ And she forces him to sit right across. "Enjoy your morning," she smiles at Adolphe before going back to the counter. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe was about to quip that there's a hot dog that's $200 sold by some guy from a market stand, but then Maria comes and everything happens so quickly. Adolphe looks at Maria and then looks at Jacopo like... huh.............. ]

... If you want, you can go back. I'm not going to stop you.

[obdure]

[ Adolphe can watch him turn around to glare at Maria, who also leers at him from the corner of her eye, lips curled like the devil. There is a vibe that war could break out, but Jacopo turns and drops it.

Rubbing his temples. ]

It's fine. [ He runs his hand through his hair before composing himself, arms crossed and back against the chair. ] I wanted to hear your opinion, anyway... But I might as well keep you from miserably passing out.

You're free to send me off, of course. Your comfort is the most important here.

[chrysanths]

... I'm not uncomfortable. I thought you were.

[ Anyway, he looks at the croissant again. Okay, well. They never answer him about the price, so Adolphe just bites the figurative bullet to take a bite out of the croissant. If it ends up being expensive, he'll just pay for it and never come back.

That's why he's not surprised to see that it tastes good. He takes another bite. ]

... I'm not really a food critic, so all I can say that it's good.

[ He can actually say more, but he doesn't like having expectations forced on him so he just lowballs himself. ]

My opinion of it would probably change if I know how much this costs.

[obdure]

I'm not uncomfortable...

[ These two are so stupid it hurts me. Jacopo has not stopped feeling a bit embarrassed since the start of this thread. Life is... Hard.

Jacopo may seem a bit aloof by posture, his eyes brighten as Adolphe starts. There's a smile, not expectant, just maybe a bit excited? A bit proud. ]

We're here to serve everyday people, not snobby food critics. [ Remember when he said don't worry about the price. ] How much would you pay for it?

[chrysanths]

[ Look. He doesn't think well of most people, okay. Sometimes people are just out to get him and he'll have to live like that. ]

Between... five and seven dollars?

[ If he's going to be for real, he would prefer to not pay at all. ]

The ingredients you listed made it seem intimidating.

[obdure]

[ That's not very upstanding citizen of him to not want to pay at all, but sometimes we want free things in life. ]

Seven dollars sounds fair and around what we're thinking.

[ He leans forward, now resting his arms on the table. ]

This is just a trial batch, so we only have a couple and they're free as we work stuff out. You got the last one.

[chrysanths]

... I see.

[ He got the last free croissant... it feels like he's won the lottery for some reason, but he's still guarded.

Despite that, he finishes the food and drinks all the coffee. He might need a minute or two to let that sink in before he leaves again. ]

It's a bit heavy on the aftertaste.

[obdure]

[ Hopefully, you don't get food coma'd. The croissant is like a person's face large and so buttery (good).

Hmm. He strokes his chin, squinting. ]

I'm guessing you mean the olive...? It's meant to be a hint, but it is strong of a flavor if not used carefully. Or is it something else?

[ The chocolate, the butter, the walnut oil, buckwheat, etc. ]

[chrysanths]

The oil and butter. I'm not much of a chocolate eater, so that could be why too.

[ He will fortunately not go into food coma from a single croissant despite it being so large. ]

... But is it really okay for you to ask a sleep-deprived person of their opinion?

[obdure]

Honestly, you kind of come off as someone who prefers a bit more savory...

[ Men truly have it all. They can eat a massive buttery croissant and feel fine while I eat one and I'm full for half a day if it's with coffee.

Maybe he should have given Adolphe a savory pastry instead. Maybe a sweet and salty. ]

Is it all right for you to drive?

[chrysanths]

I do.

[ Prefer savory, which probably means something when he mentioned the aftertaste. ]

I'm going to sit here for a while to wake myself up before I go again. Actually, I'll get another cup of coffee.

[ He looks over at Jacopo. You work here... ]

[obdure]

If you visit again, you can get a savory one instead. We have a decent variety, though the tartines are also good. Just not on-the-go friendly.

[ And this time pay for it.

Yes, he works here, so he's actually very prompt about getting up. It's casual and lax, but still ready. He pushes the seat back in. ]

All right. One cup of the same?

[chrysanths]

... I'll figure that out once I see pictures of the thing.

[ Because what are tartines. He doesn't know most pastry names... Anyway, ]

Two more shots of caffeine in it.

[obdure]

The menu describes what it is, you know.

[ Definitely lowkey thinking wanting to See the photos is a little childish, but he also understands. ]

You mean espresso? [ Raising his eyebrows and smirking a bit because that does sound like such sleepy person talk. It is funny. ] Two shots.

[ He will take the cup and the plate to get it out of the way. It isn't long before he returns with a hot cup, pleasant roasty aroma wafting. It's placed carefully on the table right in front of him. ]

[chrysanths]

You can describe the food down to its ingredients and that means nothing to most people.

[ Adolphe is... a common man. Commoner, basically. The every day kind of guy who doesn't concern himself with the intricacies of pastries nor other cafe terms. He just needs a general description of the food and he'd be good.

That's why he squints at Jacopo when he mentions espresso and stares as if to roll his eyes, but he's doing a great job at holding it. ]

Are you the kind of person who corrects people when they say small, medium, large at a Starbucks too.

[obdure]

[ Adolphe is so silly, but maybe when he's more awake then it'll be better and descriptions won't read like just ingredients. ]

First of all, I don't go to Starbucks.

[ He really took a potshot at snobby food critics when in reality HE IS A SNOB. There's a mind to tell Adolphe to enjoy his coffee, so he can rest behind the counter or in the back. Adolphe is any other customer and doesn't need conversation if he has his double shot coffee.

But... He isn't sure why. He pulls out the chair again and takes the same seat. ]

Second of all, they shouldn't be using those words. There's nothing Italian about Starbucks. They use French roasts. Plus, it is confusing to customers and somehow despite being simple terms so many people screw up the pronunciation.

[ SO, YES. HE WOULD BE......... THIS IS A LONG-WINDED ANSWER... THE COFFEE HE GAVE YOU IS VERY GOOD THOUGH? ]