She saw him there every morning. Without fail. She could practically set her watch to that guy. As soon as the clock hit 8:11, bam! He walked right through the front door. His longish black hair whipped in the wind, and was sometimes even stuffed under a black beanie with a skull logo on it. A long, dark red coat with gold buckles adorned his muscular form, and a collarless white button up seemed to be his shirt of choice. When it was rainy season, his considerate feet would stomp the thick mud off his black boots right before he walked in, and he would stroll over to his favourite spot. Right in front of her bar. His stool was worn and the leather was soft. When he sat down, the old metal would creek and he would adjust himself accordingly. She didn't even need to ask him his order; she just knew. Plain, black, coffee. No sugar, milk, or cream. She'd set it down in front of him, and he'd reply with a 'Thanks' before taking a small, tentative sip.
She knew him from school. Roger, they called him. The loud mouthed trouble maker who didn't know when to shut up. The 'king' of the ruffians, and the most prideful in the bunch. A child who had never grown up. But from his demeanour and posture in the coffee shop; with his slouched shoulders and tense hands; you'd never guess it was the same guy.
She liked to watch him as he drank his coffee. Not in a creepy, stalkerish way, but a glance every now and then. Over the 6 months he'd been coming here, she had noticed a few of his peculiar habits. He held his mug with one hand, as if he were swigging down beer. Yet his movements were not drunken at all. They were controlled, almost robotic. He liked to shake sugar packets, pinching the top and swinging the pouch back and forth to the beat of the smooth jazz that always played in the shop. It was comforting to hear. Like a baby's rattle, it was a fascinating and mesmerizing sound. Her favourite habit of his though, was when he would toss a stray coffee bean back and forth from hand to hand. It was like seeing his coffee life and his school life collide. His childish nature allowed him to play with the bean, while his studious nature insisted on him tossing the bean with a precise and calculated throw, sometimes even putting a spin on the object, like it was a minuscule football. It was interesting to watch, like a cat, playing with it's prey before chowing down. And that's exactly what he did. When he was about to leave the shop, he would toss the bean into the air, and catch it perfectly in his mouth, crushing it between his teeth. And with that, he would stroll out the door, leaving only the sound of the quaint little bell that hung above the doorway.
oooooooooo
She sighed as she pushed open the door to the employee's lounge. If you could call it that. A dusty old water dispenser was sat in the corner of the room, unused for nearly one and a half years now. A arm chair with hideous green upholstery was stuffed in the other corner. A small countertop held a sink, and some space just big enough to fit 2 whole mugs. It was rather depressing. She untied her apron and hung it on the hook that rested between the sink and the door. She retrieved her bags from the arm chair and headed upstairs to see Mr. Taka before she left. Taka was sitting on a cushion on the floor, sipping from a small tea cup. His room was simple. In it, there was nothing but the small wooden table and a futon bed. She knocked on the door frame. "I'll be going now sir. Is there anything else you need?" she asked "No, not that I can think of." Taka replied. "Just lock the door behind you, Rouge.". She nodded and left him to his tea.
oooooooooo
AN: Abrupt ending, I'm aware. This fic, I have realized, is going to require quite a large amount of research on the history before OP's main storyline. Most likely, it'll be something I do on the side. So if you think this is going to replace Secret Santa (of which I desperately need a better name for), do not fret. But if you enjoyed the pitch of the story, perhaps a review might speed up the rate of my fact-finding? In any cade, thank you for stopping by.