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]

[ Thinking... Thinking a lot. The silence stretches for a bit before he speaks. ]

... Fine. Fetch me a cup of milk.

[chrysanths]

[ Wow. So commanding. There's an instinct to refuse, but he represses that goes to get him the milk. There's a little microwave ding when it's finished and Adolphe brings it back. It's warm. ]

Here.

[ He holds it out to Jacopo.

Thanks for indulging him. ]

[obdure]

[ Imagine being like I'll feel better by distracting myself by taking care of you and then deciding no fuck you actually.

There's like barely a sliver of moonlight that's in the bedroom and it illuminates just a bit that Jacopo is misty-eyed. Sometimes eyeballs are more wet than usual. ]

Thank you.

[ He takes and holds the cup a bit, waiting for it to cool down. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Sometimes you have too much pride about being given milk like a child. That would have been real funny though. ]

You can drink it right away. It's not hot. Just warm.

[ Unless Jacopo has a sensitive tongue. ]

[obdure]

[ Oh. ]

It'll cool down so fast... You should have given it to me piping hot, then.

[ HE HAS TO BE FORCED TO DRINK THIS MILK ALL AT ONCE? He does start sipping. ]

[chrysanths]

[ No?? Take your time, Jacopo. Damn. ]

It's not like it's really cold here for the milk to turn cold that fast too... just drink however much you want.

[ Warmth is supposed to help you feel better, or something. ]

[obdure]

[ HAS HE EVER TAKEN HIS TIME?

Oddly enough, he does slow down when Adolphe gently chides him. Maybe he is a child. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe seems a little happy because his suggestion was taken seriously. ]

How do you feel?

[obdure]

[ Looks down into his cup and instinctively swirls it around even if it's just milk. ]

Like garbage.

[ Said honestly... In his heart, it feels like it was said through gritted teeth, but it comes out effortlessly. ]

[chrysanths]

Because of your nightmare?

[ Sorry, Harold. Adolphe gently picks him up and puts him in a position where he looks like he's standing on his tiny legs, but Adolphe will support them with his other hand.

In a terrible, but quiet falsetto: ]

"If you pet me, you'll feel all better!"

[ This is embarrassing, but he hopes Jacopo laughs. ]

[obdure]

[ ... At first, he just stares because what are you doing you grown ass man? Harold is sleepily letting Adolphe do whatever with him, but his little head lolls before spun upright whenever he wakes up a little.

Eventually, he does laugh... Mostly at Adolphe. He does reach over to pet Harold even though he has another dog strewn along his lap. Vera is also doing her best. Seems like the other two are also awake, watching them protectively. ]

All right. Come back to bed.

[ Whether sitting, too, or lying down. Just get back on. ]

[chrysanths]

[ Okay. Jacopo laughed. This is all Adolphe wanted. He knows he's bad at cheering people up normally, but he didn't work several years involving orphanages for nothing. Not that Adolphe is treating Jacopo like a child, but he really doesn't know how else to do it.

He puts Harold back down on the pillow and sits on the bed. ]

[obdure]

[ In the end, you won, Adolphe. Even at the expense of your dignity.

Jacopo continues drinking the milk in silence before he starts again. ]

I'm going to tell you my dream so you can feel better taking care of me, all right?

[ Since it helps Adolphe, apparently... Or is that just an excuse for him to finally let it out. He doesn't know. ]

[chrysanths]

I don't need to feel better about it, but I'm still open to listening.

[ Why can't they be more normal about this ]

[obdure]

[ He waves his hand to dismiss Adolphe being his dark YA fiction protag self. Really, why can't they be normal about this? ]

In the dream, I would be stuck in a room. I think it was in a mansion or something. The decor looked like it, but this room was for playing pool since there was a table and everything. I couldn't leave and it didn't seem like I was trying to leave, either.

It felt like I had been... Waiting for something for a very long time. I'd just pace around the room and in this dream I was reminiscing since I had nothing to do but wait. It was something like a memory—about a drunkard who yelled at me and threw a soda can at me, apparently. It was some kind of angry pep talk? It was insane since later I asked to hold their hand and they let me.

[ He holds onto the cup a little tighter. He had been regaling this with some dry amusement, but as he kept going his tone started to waver. ]

Recalling it, or whatever we want to call dream selves remembering things that never happened, made the solitude in that billiards room... Unbearable... When it wasn't before.

[ His shoulders tense as something wells up inside his chest. ]

Ridiculous.

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe was about to brush that off as dreams being the usual nonsensical sequence of events, but he really can't say that for many reasons. For one, Adolphe suffers from something similar. Two, it affects Jacopo really badly and he doesn't want to make light of that... ]

Sounds like that drunkard opened your eyes to something.

[ Jacopo really ate the forbidden apple.



Adolphe also wonders if Jacopo is lonely. ]

[obdure]

[ No....... It is better if they make fun of it... Better if they just call it silly and dismiss it because it has no place in the physical realm of logic and reason. Jacopo of course thinks it's stupid as he tries to contend with whatever he's feeling. ]

So they opened my eyes by saying nonsense. [ Wry. A small humorous scoff as he tries to get his bearings again. ] ... All the time in the world? What a joke. Time is limited.

[ But he's here missing someone he doesn't even remember. Their face, their voice, their smile—nothing.

CAN A MAN WITH FOUR DOGS BE LONELY? Well, I guess he does look particularly lonely right now. ]

[chrysanths]

Is it not in a dream?

[ He looks at Jacopo, curious and holds out his right hand. ]

If I let you hold my hand, would you sleep better?

[obdure]

You're not seriously entertaining dream logic—[ But before he can run the course about how they should brush it off, Adolphe asks that and

Jacopo is bewildered... Just shock. Huh??? ]

[chrysanths]

[ Adolphe is very close to withdrawing his hand and telling Jacopo to forget about it, but he holds on for a few more seconds. ]

[obdure]

[ ... This is also ridiculous. He isn't a child? Even though he's about done with his warm milk. His eyebrows knit as it dawns on him that he doesn't feel so offended despite his thoughts.

So he does eventually reach out for Adolphe's hand with fingers sampling his gloved palm first before he holds it. It's a loose grasp, fretful and careful, which might be different from the air he carries himself with. ]

[chrysanths]

[ It's a simple action, but it's still something that he's thought a lot about. It just happens to lead to the conclusion of "to Jacopo, holding hands must be a means of comfort". He's glad that Jacopo doesn't seem to doubt his intentions, so it makes this a lot easier.

When Jacopo's hand makes its way to Adolphe's, he stills his hand, waiting for Jacopo to get used to it first. After the loose hold, Adolphe tightens it just a little more so that it looks more like mutual handholding. The right hand feels what a normally gloved hand should feel like. ]

[obdure]

[ In this life, rather than distrusting, he's simply solitary. Adolphe seems straight-forward, even if reticent... And there's something about him as usual. The hand-holding is beyond that. He had never thought much about it, though he has held a couple of hands before.

It doesn't feel the same like now. It's an insane thought, but he wonders if he could replace smoking with hand-holding if it always feels this way. The secure grip encourages him to tighten his hold, too. ]

You think hand-holding is the same with gloves on?

[ Finally, after who knows how long, Jacopo finally broaches it. ]

[chrysanths]

Aren't you picky...

[ He says without any real weight behind those words. ]

You want me to take my glove off?

[obdure]

[ Yeah, he loves nitpicking, but he can't keep nitpicking when the question is thrown out there and he clearly flusters. ]

N-no, I... Wasn't trying to—you don't need to. You said you don't do well with direct touch, so... [ He berates himself for stuttering like an embarrassed high school girl. What an emotional and sleep deprived mess. ] I just wanted to ask why you wear them.