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]

Harold chewed on a lot more than just my tie at first.

[ Purses lips. ]

They're going to expect two people's worth of attention when you decide to leave.

[chrysanths]

[ Maybe Adolphe should just never leave then. ]

Well... then he learned. You must be a good trainer.

[obdure]

[ that's kind of aggressive ]

I'd say I'm diligent... Google also saved my ass. [ Thank fuck. ] My family never stayed in one place long enough for pets.

[chrysanths]

[ Jacopo can be aggressive, sure. ]

Did they have a job that needed them to travel often?

[obdure]

[ NO I MEANT THE META ABOUT ADOLPHE SHOULD JUST NEVER LEAVE IS AGGRESSIVE you are right he shouldn't leave ]

Yeah. My father's work often had us pick up everything and move. It was annoying to start over all the time, but... No use complaining.

[ That was life. ]

[chrysanths]

[ That is so much moving fees... Adolphe doesn't want to imagine how all that costed. ]

Are you thinking about staying here for a long time?

[obdure]

[ Don't worry about it. He raises his eyebrows, mildly perplexed. ]

You'll have to be specific. You mean live in this building? Or stay in this area... This city?

[chrysanths]

This building? A cafe is nice, but I feel like it's not something you want to do forever.

[ But it would make sense to keep it if this is his... ]

[obdure]

[ He hums... Is it something he wants to do forever? It is a break from real estate. ]

Owning a coffee shop is a lot of people's dreams, you know.

[chrysanths]

But is it yours?

[ He doesn't care about other people.... ]

[obdure]

[ Gives him a bit of a tired look. ]

Dreams are for children and fools.

[ Despite having been so uncharacteristically and yet also characteristically generous and kind in his roundabout ways, he is still bound to being cynical and pragmatic.

Or he thinks he should. It doesn't answer the question, so he scrounges something up. ]

Being a cafe owner has been a breath of fresh air.

[chrysanths]

So, which is it?

[ Not a dream, but a rest stop. ]

[obdure]

Are you worried I'm going to up and leave someday?

[ Is this how this question got pulled from his mention of being forced to move around a lot?

He stands up and gets a third serving now that his stomach has settled with the first two, but he doesn't avoid the conversation. He's back at the little kitchen table with Adolphe. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe looks confused. ]

No. A dream is just something you want that seems a little out of reach when you first thought about it, right? Owning a cafe wasn't one for you?

[obdure]

[ why are you looking confused, he looks confused back because previously Adolphe asked if he planned to stay playing cafe owner for a long time.

He eats... Thinks. ]

It wasn't. I didn't have dreams that were so specific when I was younger.

[chrysanths]

[ Yeah because he knows people sometimes wanna do different things... he wasn't even thinking about what that meant for his stay here ]

I wonder how people can think of things like that.

[ dreamless individual ]

[obdure]

[ Just as Jacopo was about to mention Adolphe has been asking him a lot of questions (and it may be making him self-conscious), he's thrown a bone. ]

... Did you not want anything?

[ SIr... ]

It didn't need to be specific. It could be vague and nebulous.

[chrysanths]

[ Let him guide the natural course of conversation... ]

Wanting something enough for it to considered as a dream? I don't think I ever did.

[ He thinks about hot days when he wanted AC... but that was the extent of his wants that could be dream-esque. ]

[obdure]

[ After a spoonful of risotto, his eyebrows furrow. There isn't pity, but instead he's a bit disgruntled. ]

I suppose it is a small privilege to be able to dream in the first place. [ If basic needs aren't met in childhood, he's thinking... It doesn't need to be profound. Kids loved dreaming about being an astronaut or a doctor. ] I don't think it should be.

Owning a house in this economy is kind of a dream.

[chrysanths]

Yeah? Is it really a dream when it's trying to meet self-fulfillment needs?

[ He laughs a little. ]

Sure. A small house on my own that doesn't have a lawn that I need to take care of. That would be a great dream to have.

[obdure]

[ Adolphe..... Help. ]

There are plenty of tiers to lodgings. Apartments, condos, motorhomes, townhouses, and the list goes on. The second floor of a cafe included. [ ... ] Obviously, some are easier to acquire than others. To own a house is nice.

[ But it is Pricey depending on where you live and stuff, but he isn't going to go into that. ]

... I meant it more as a dry joke.

[chrysanths]

A dry joke, but... well, it's true. It would be nice to get a house of my own someday.

[ mortgages!!! fuck these things

But Adolphe comfortably answers that question. It's just a prospect, but most of all, he doesn't think it'll ever come true. It's easier to talk about things that he thinks he'll never be able to attain. ]

[obdure]

It's not a bad dream... And it could be within grasp if you consider rural. [ He does want to help this dream be less of one since it's realistic. ] I don't know why, but the countryside suits you.

[ It's just... A vibe that Jacopo can't shake off. He finishes his third plate now, sipping his water after while wondering if he should share a bit more. ]

My dream when I was young was to be someone, like making a name for myself worth remembering. No specific profession in mind or anything, so it was silly.

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe tries to think about the countryside for a bit and looks at Jacopo. ]

There's nothing silly about wanting to be remembered.

[ That's how he interprets it. ]

I can agree that the city life isn't for me sometimes, but...

[obdure]

... That isn't what I said. It's not that deep.

[ A little unnerved?? Why did Adolphe attack his child self like that so easily because it is actually part of it. When he was a child, he didn't know or understand it at the time.

It's a little clearer as an adult, though he doesn't have so much time to self-reflect, either. Time is finite yet he's using it to chat. ]

But?