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]

Oh, [ He truly feels stupid for overreacting again. ] I thought you were going to say that the cafe is... Weird.

[ Which would be rude, but Adolphe has been candid so far and he wouldn't be wrong. Jacopo doesn't think today, with him, has been normal in the slightest. He's not sure why... He's seated here, chatting with him.

He's not sure why he feels oddly comfortable. Relaxed, even. When has he felt relaxed? It's been not as busy in a stressful way after he quit real estate, but still busy where he doesn't take the time to unwind. That's wasted time that he can focus on work.

This is uncharacteristic of him. Unexplainable. It bothers him.

...

It would annoy him to hell if Adolphe said all of this was weird, no matter how true. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe always finds it comfortable. If it were anyone else, he feels like he would have rebuffed them hard by ignoring them outright and drink his coffee in silence. He's not a very social person and would rather be left alone.

But he doesn't remember how long it's been since he's had conversation like this with someone around his own age. Or at least, he thinks so? He looks over at Jacopo. There's really nothing special about this setup. He's just here because he didn't want to get into a car accident. ]

This is the first cafe where I could sit down with an employee and try out a trial test food unprompted, but it's not that bad. If I really didn't like it—

[ His own phone rings—well, it vibrates very loudly. Adolphe checks his phone, some sort of outdated smartphone that probably hasn't been seen in ten years. Still usable somehow. He sighs upon seeing the message and puts his phone away. ]

... I guess I can go home now.

[ I forgot to mention but he has gloves on. Just black gloves. Nothing special. ]

[obdure]

[ Jacopo had intended to explain this isn't the norm and not to expect chatting. He's a very busy guy who decided to be nice on this slow hour to a drowsy and slightly annoying customer.

It's strange to feel—that there is a vacant spot filled during this when he never knew there was an empty space to begin with. It's ridiculous. He just met this guy yet he has so many questions.

The smartphone is so old? What's with the gloves? If you're not going to work, why home? Is there something going on? What kept you up? Are you... All right? Will you be okay?

He shouldn't meddle. He shouldn't bother. This is already out of character for him. This man is just a stranger who walked into his coffee shop and he mistook him for someone else. This encounter... Is nothing more than chance. Adolphe says he'll come again, but that doesn't mean he will? This could be their last encounter. The next visit, he'll likely be focused on working, too.

Yet he's drawn, anyway. Expecting already. ]

Let me ring you up... [ For the second cup. He gestures to staff with a hand to bring the bill and it's the blond man instead who comes up, so no quips just a smile and a thank you for coming! It was fun.

Jacopo glares at Gratien for a bit before looking back at Adolphe. He wonders if he should ask for his name. ]

Drive safely.

[ Why ask when they may never see each other again? He resists, indignant to these emotions that don't feel like his own.

He hopes... He doesn't feel this way ever again. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe gets out his wallet and pays in cash down to the exact change. Shouldn't he have a credit or debit card? Well... there are cards, but probably not those. It looks more like library cards or whatever job information cards like the ones you see at most businesses. They're all different designs and colors from what little can be seen.

And Adolphe, him being who he is, does not offer his name, but he pauses, looking over at Jacopo after paying and putting his wallet away. ]

... You want to say something? You have that sort of face.

[obdure]

[ Jacopo glances at the cards, but not too long for it to be suspicious. More... questions come up. More keep coming.

So, yes. He has something to say. ]

You're just seeing things.

[ So much to say and ask, but it's ridiculous. Why? Why? It makes no sense to him why he would want to know any of it, at least to this degree. This man is a stranger, no different from any other patron who has walked into their cafe looking like they need to be punched by caffeine. He's no different from other people that come in, shouldering everyday struggles.

Gratien gives thanks and wishes Adolphe a good morning and day, then slips away with the bill and cash. Jacopo also stands up, planning to bid him a farewell before he loses his goddamn mind. ]

May you have a good morning.

[chrysanths]

Thanks. You too.

[ Adolphe gets his small bag and leaves the cafe without further fanfare, just like any other customer. At least he seems more awake by the time he leaves.

It's a few days later when Adolphe actually keeps his word and returns to the cafe, but it happens to be during the busy brunch time. He gets the coffee from before (the first version), and chooses the most inconspicuous place in the cafe to sit with his small netbook and a thick book open on the table. He picked one of the smaller tables that only seats two, because that's really all the space he needs. It's about an hour until he'll order something else, flagging down a worker. Doesn't matter who it is. ]

[obdure]

[ Jacopo has long forgotten about their first meeting because life is BUSY, though he has been having dreams—one of wheat fields... And another of a slice of Heaven. Ridiculous, stupid. He never remembers what the people look like in them and he'd wake up with a tight chest and short breath.

It doesn't mean anything.

There's one more staff member today aside from the first two. It's a peppy young girl with medium-tone skin, wearing her brown hair into high pigtail braids falling to cup her bob. She adds to the liveliness, though Maria and Gratien are already friendly to begin with. They man the fort well, but eventually Jacopo returns through the back with bags for the cafe and starts working to alleviate the burden.

Jacopo can't see him directly from this angle, can't pinpoint the familiarity of his voice above the chatter in the main area, but he does see his hand or gesture. The other three are attending other customers, so he will come to Adolphe's little nook— ]

You.

[ Some... small surprise. He doesn't like that it's a pleasant one because why should it be? ALSO HE DOESN'T KNOW YOUR FUCKING NAME ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe looks up to see Jacopo when he hears that voice. The cafe owner... but what he says doesn't exactly sound friendly. ]

... What did I do?

[ Damn. He thinks about leaving. Maybe this was a mistake-- ]

[obdure]

... Nothing. You're fine.

[ Oops. Fixes his tone. It would be too weird to say he wasn't expecting to see him—which would mean he had been thinking about him sometimes. That's too weird.

Also, he has not thought about him. Obviously. ]

What would you like?

[chrysanths]

[ the only thing this entire tag reminded me of was "can't catch me gay thoughts" ]

A recommended pastry, but a savory one this time.

[ Yeah! He'll leave that up to Jacopo. ]

Something filling too.

[obdure]

[ They are not gay... Well, he doesn't think they are. He kind of gets the idea that pastries are more affordable... This guy paid by cash and didn't have any credit cards from what he gleaned.

Still, he'll ask. ]

You wouldn't want something like a meal?

[chrysanths]

How many pastries would equal a meal for its cost?

[ Do the math, Jacopo. ]

[obdure]

You're talking about penny pinching in front of the cafe owner.

[ You're so comfortable? It's almost funny? But he isn't offended... He has been there before. It is however objectively rude. ]

I'll be right back.

[ When he returns, he has a plate with a toasted pastry... It is a leek fondue and house-made hot sauce one! Bacon(house-made) and leek fondue made with fontina cheese, house fermented fresno chili hot sauce, on our fluffy brioche bun. It is sizable. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Yeah, he sometimes wonders why even if the rudeness is pretty... normal, for Adolphe. He's still improving the social thing bit by bit, but sometimes he just thinks "fuck it" and we ball.

Adolphe taps on his netbook keyboard for a while until Jacopo returns. ]

Oh, wow. What is this?

[ also how spicy is this

is it unbearable white person spicy

or fake spicy

or so spicy that he'd want to die levels ]

[obdure]

A bacon and leek fondue brioche pastry with a drizzle of our in-house hot sauce.

[ It's good for white people... Probably more on the peppery side because this is an Italian cafe. It will have a noticeable kick where you can call it a hot sauce, but it won't be killing anyone. ]

Grain, meat, and some vegetables. You can say it's well-rounded, almost.

[ What is Adolphe working on... He will only take a glance at the book or the netbook. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Cool. Half of those words mean nothing to Adolphe, but he nods and eats it anyway. It's good and he keeps eating it.

The book is full of just text. Very definition of text with no line breaks whatsoever. The text is also a bit small, so it's hard to read. The network has a text document open that might summarize the book a little better: how to care for sleep apnea in children. ]

It's good. Thanks.

[obdure]

[ Maybe one day you will SPEAK UP, but it is good to affiliate words to flavors. Expand on your experience, etc.

Goddamn. Is this textbook the fucking bible is what he asks himself? The last he was in academia was some years back and he thinks his textbooks are so much more legible than this. Line breaks are IMPORTANT, but they aren't having small talk.

He shouldn't engage in it. ]

You're welcome. If you need me, [ Wait he meant "if you need anything," but he doesn't pause in fear it'll sound strange. ] flag me down. The last call for kitchen items is 2:30 pm, but... That may not be a problem for you.

[chrysanths]

[ Why would he bother... he has no motivation in doing that. ]

How long does this place stay open without the kitchen?

[ He's considering relocating when that happens. ]

[obdure]

[ adolphe....... you basic bitch... this is why they aren't the same person.

Jacopo was about to leave, but he raises his eyebrows. He places his hand on his hip and tilts his head. ]

Normally, another hour after... [ Though he's thinking of something that maybe could work out to have the evening open, just not as a cafe. More to think about later. ] You really deep in your work where you need to hunker down?

[chrysanths]

[ He has other things to focus on?? This isn't his problem!! ]

I considered napping for a moment.

[ He really is, for some reason, comfortable enough to say something outrageous to the cafe owner. ]

[obdure]

[ Blinks... Like several times?

THIS REALLY IS SO COMFORTABLE. HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME? ]

[chrysanths]

[ He looks up at Jacopo from his textbook. ]

Thanks for the food. You can bill me now or later. You must be busy, so go ahead.

[ Says all that as if he just didn't say something so stupid. ]

[obdure]

[ There's silence as he processes the series of events here.

The guy mentioned he wanted to nap and he only came to this restaurant once... Followed it up with trying to dismiss him and NOT FEEL WEIRD ABOUT IT?

He's perplexed and chuckles once.

Starts laughing after. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe squints at Jacopo. Even though Adolphe did all that just now, even he finds himself confused after a bit. He'd only say those things if he felt safe. This is a cafe. It's probably also Jacopo's home. But when he saw the multicolored sliding puzzle, he feels an emotion that he can't exactly place.

He finds himself staring at Jacopo as he laughs. ]

[obdure]

[ It's a weird... Yet familiar feeling and he's conflicted. Why can't he feel normal about this?

Where is the nostalgia and sentiment coming from? The answer should be no because why? ]

You can stay even after the staff's done cleaning, but you should go when I walk the dogs.

[ Jacopo lives here so there will be someone around until. Dogs. ]