[OPEN] Cinnamon & Fresh Coffee

[Natalie Coster]

Natalie walks into her new place of work, apparently.  The small bistro has a very welcoming atmosphere; the smell of cinnamon and fresh coffee and the light music making her want to curl up in one of the comfy-looking chairs and read a book.  The entire room is a mixture of warm reds and browns and its warm enough to be comfortable but not enough to make her sweat.  Overall, its a very homey mixture and she feels like working here won't be too bad.

"Hello darlin'!  How can I help you today?"  Natalie turns around at the sound of another voice to see a woman wearing a brown apron with the Cafe's logo and a name tag reading Savannah.  The woman is wearing a large smile and when she reaches out to shake Natalie's hand she smells faintly of peaches.

"Uh, actually I'm supposed to be starting my job here today?"  Natalie wrinkles her nose in confusion and lets out a small smile; it's nearly impossible not to around this woman.  It's like her happiness is contagious.

"Natalie, right?  I'm Savannah Ashby, the owner."  She lets out a bigger smile and puts the notepad she had out into a pocket of her apron.  "When you applied you said you'd been a barista before, so you know the basic drill right?"

"Yes," Nat replies.  "I just need to know my way around and I can start working as soon as that's fixed."

"No problem hun, let's go ahead and take a tour."  Savannah leads her around the small building, telling her tips about the customers and tricks with the machines while she does it.  Natalie follows behind, appreciating the fact that instead of just saying how everything works, Savannah demonstrates it.  After the short tour, she asks if Natalie has any questions before handing her an apron and promising that her name tag is on the way before going back into her office.  Better get to work.

Natalie walks behind the counter, the few patrons inside the shop sipping on their coffee while reading or typing on their laptops.  Resting her chin on the palms of her hands, she settles in for a quiet day at work.

[Miranda Williams]

Miranda started off her Saturday like any other one, stopping at the coffee shop. On weekdays she would simply make coffee or tea to take to work with her at home. But on Saturdays she liked to enjoy her morning at the coffee shop. She stepped into the coffee shop, the smell of fresh coffee filling her nose in the same familiar way it did every Saturday, marking the beginning of her weekend. She remembered when Jason would take her here and they would have coffee together and share a pastry. They would sit and just talk, talk about the past, about the future. She snapped out of her memory when a small child ran past her, bumping into her leg. The mother followed quickly after, apologizing to Miranda before chasing her child down. Miranda smiled slightly, then glanced around to decide which table she might sit at. The one by the window looked nice, the sun shinning in. A perfect place to sit down and read for a little while before going about her day.

She stepped up the the counter, glancing up at the menu. It was the same as always, of course, but it didn't stop her from looking. She glanced back down and noticed the barista, she wasn't one of the normal ones. Miranda was used to seeing travelers come through town, but seeing a new employee meant that this woman must be new in town. "You must be new in town, I haven't seen you around before." She phrased it like a question, but it was really more of a statement. In a small town like this, you recognized just about everyone, so it was easy to notice a new, fresh face.

[Natalie Coster]

Natalie looks up at the woman speaking to her. She’s tall, her ice blue eyes feeling as though she can read your thoughts and her long brown hair pulled up into a messy bun while still somehow looking professional enough for her to be standing next to a politician. If one could tell by the way she barely glances at the menu before bringing her eyes back to you, she no doubt has lived here most, if not all, of her life; her question only strengthens this thought. "Yes, actually. I arrived a few days ago." Natalie brings her eyes up to meet the woman's before offering a small smile.

"What can I get you today?" Natalie asks, her mind being returned to the fact that she does, in fact, work here. She takes a quick look around the Bistro to see that there aren't too many people in here anymore. Most of the morning coffee rush has headed off to work or school and anyone still left is sitting in a corner on their laptops or with their noses in books, sipping on their coffee every so often. The only one talking is her manager who is chatting with one of the customers near the back, an older man, and looks deep in the conversation. Turning her attention back to her customer, Natalie's fingers idly tap on the counter as she awaits a reply.

[Miranda Williams]

Miranda smiled at the woman when confirmed her question. "That's great. How are you liking it so far?"  Miranda was always interested in hearing how new comings felt about town, it was a new view that she didn't get from towns people who had lived here their whole lives. It also helped asking people before they knew she was the mayor, so she knew she was getting honest answers. "What brings you here, if you don't mind me asking? Any family or friends in town?" Miranda asked before taking a quick glance around the shop. Normally she wouldn't hold the woman up by talking to her, but there was nobody else in line so a small little chat didn't hurt.

"I will have a white chocolate mocha, and a slice of coffee cake." She liked to mix things up when she came here on Saturdays, get something different. Everyday seemed the same sometimes so a little change here and there was was kept her sane. "Is this your first day on the job? How is that going for you? Have you been a barista before?" Miranda got money out of her purse and got prepared to pay. "I hope I'm not being too nosy I'm just curious." She give the woman a soft smile before glancing at her name tag. "Natalie, I'm Miranda. It's nice to meet you." 

[Natalie Coster]

The woman, Miranda, Natalie discovered, took a quick look around the shop after asking Natalie a question. Wait, no, many questions. She's definitely not used to people actually talking to her on the job. Sure, theres a few people who occasionally ask how she's doing or even her name and her age, but nobody exchanges more than one pleasantry. "Oh, uh, it's nice so far. Really nice." Natalie gives a quick smile as she enters the order onto the register. At the second question she pauses. "Uh, no, no I don't. I was just driving and I saw this cute little town and since I've been trying to find a nice place to stay, this seemed like as good of a place as any."

She took the money from Miranda, popping it in the register and getting her change. "Yes, this is my first day and it's been going pretty well. My boss is incredibly kind and the atmosphere in here is amazing. I've been a barista at a few different places, but most of them those places you see on the side of the highway, yanno? Less homey and more 'stop in, get your coffee, and go.'" She closes the register before putting her hand out to the woman. "No, it's fine." Miranda saw Natalie's nametag, so it wasn't as though she needed to introduce herself, but a handshake never hurt.

[Miranda Williams]

Miranda smiled when Natalie said the town was nice. "I'm really glad you're liking it. I'm sure you will love it just as much as everyone else here." Miranda fell in love with this town as a child and she loved to see new people come to town and fall in love the same way she had. Most people that came into town loved it, what wasn't to love? It was homey, small, quaint. The perfect place to raise a family, she always thought. She hoped one day she would be able to. Until then she would continue watching the rest of the town grow and raise their families. "Well you picked the perfect town to stop in, I can assure you that. Weeping Meadows is the perfect, quiet little town. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. But I'm sure you'll come to love it, you don't need to hear it from me." Miranda waved the thought away, sometime she got carried away talking about the town. She couldn't help it, she had always been quite passionate about it.

"I'm sure this shop is better then any of those. I always love coming here on Saturdays and enjoying my coffee with a good book. I know it might be odd since you work here, but when you have a day off, you should try it. It's really pretty relaxing." Miranda gave her a soft smile. "If you work on Saturdays then I guess I will be seeing you here often, it's a bit of a tradition for me." She reached her hand out to give Natalie a handshake before putting her wallet back into her purse.