Aurea woke up that Saturday, tired, aching, and groggy. She scratched her head, what a great way to start her day off. She sniffed a bit, no scent.
Laying back down she sighed, her head softly plopping down on the pillow. She shivered and pulled the covers up to her chin for a moment, listening to the harsh gusts of wind push against her windows. She inhaled, and exhaled. Time to get up.
One two mile run and cold shower later, Aurea was pulling her hair into a messy side braid, throwing on her boots, and almost pulling on her lab coat. Opting, instead, for a deep blue winters coat and some petal colored earmuffs. She shut the door shut quietly and locked it with a click. She jogged down her street and to the cross-walk, passing many falling flakes.
The town was very small with the people being very close knit but Aurea didn't really get many breaks from her work, so she never really got to meet anyone that fennel didn't introduce her to. She didn't mind though. Aurea loved her job and exploring and uncovering the clues of history but… climbing and searching caves and ruins days in a row can really wear you out. Not to mention can really take up almost all of one's schedule.
Aurea sighed watching the air become fogged up, it looked like she wouldn't actually get to meet anyone new yet. She had gotten up at a time some might call early but what she would call regular.
6 a.m. was a perfectly normal time to leave the house, even if it was a weekend. Besides, she couldn't really do anything to change that. She had tried to sleep in only for her body, already used to waking up at 5:15, to wake up almost automatically. And Aurea didn't want to waste a good free day, even if it was freezing cold outside.
She rubbed her hands together, trying to process some feeling in them with little success. The cross light turned green and showed walk. Stepping forward she made her way across the street, passing by many stores. She smiled at the icicles dangling from the awnings of shops, especially the ones hanging off the library cafes.
The door opened with a ring and Aurea stepped into the room, shaking and stamping off snow. Snowflakes were brushed from her hair as she observed the room before her. Hm… she thought, it seemed to be more of a bakery.
The walls were painted in a light cream color, with dark wooden furniture and a large glass display case that was currently empty. White lights hung off the ceiling, while large frames with beautiful watercolor paintings littered the walls. All in all the scene screamed elegance.
"Hello?" she said sniffing the air. Pastries? How was that? No one was here?A growl came from her stomach but was blatantly ignored, she came for books. After waiting a few seconds with no response, she frowned but just shrugged it off, after all it was early. Maybe they were still setting up. She decided to look for staff later, walking off quietly.
Aurea headed towards the non-fiction area, searching for books on minerals and geodes. Her eyes scanned the shelves and two caught them. She reached up to the third and second rows, why were the shelves so tall? She furrowed her brows, Aurea wasn't short but she definitely wasn't tall so the difficulty it would take to reach the higher books wasn't over to the fiction area she remained completely unaware of the fact that two sets of eyes were watching her.
…
Augustine watched the dough of the latest set of pastries, éclairs, rise with a patient grin on his face. Nothing like a fresh batch in the morning to clear the air. He heard steps approaching and stood up straight,
"You know, watching the goods isn't going to make them bake any faster." Lysandre stood at the door arms crossed, shaking his head. How was Augustine his superior? The man could be so easy to distract sometimes. Who was the one who had just set up the front and had already put two batches of pastries in the oven in the time it took Augustine to make one?oh yeah.
Augustine passed by his hard working friend with a quick step and reached out a hand to pat him on the shoulder, forgetting for a moment about his flour covered hands.
"Relax, you don't need to rush. We don't need so much anyway, as long as the food is good then we'll be fine. Be patient."
Lysandre side stepped his friends hand with a small look of disgust.
"I am being patient, but you're not exactly putting in 110% of your effort to help out today."
The corners of Augustine's mouth dipped,
"Hey I've been balancing my studies on the evolution of animal species AND relations between species at work and helping out at the bakery for four months now, can't I have a minute to just breathe?"
Lysandre pouted but said nothing, his friend was working really hard, tiring himself out with work here, at his labs, and even finding time for a social life in all of that. Complaining was just petty.
Augustine was quietly creaming the frosting for the cupcakes cooling in the fridge when he heard the unmistakable sound of the doorbell chiming. He turned off the mixer and walked near the kitchen door. Nobody's ever come in this early.
Lysandre stood near him eyeing the young woman as well, and both couldn't help thinking she was beautiful. The light brown locks of hair framed her face, red tingeing pale skin from the cold. Her lips were a soft pink, eyes aquamarine, and nose long and small. The coat she wore highlighted her svelte yet curvy form, and the earmuffs on her head ruffled her already messy hair.
She called out,
"Hello?"
Neither said anything, they watched her leave quietly, with her coat twirling around her.
Lysandre frowned,
"Who was that? I don't think I've seen her around."
Augustine raised his shoulders. Going back to the mixing bowl adding the butter to the sugar, before hesitating to turn on the machine.
" Can you watch over the kitchen for me? I'm going to introduce myself."
He left, a confident smile on his face.
…
Aurea surveyed the books before her. She had grabbed one or two science fiction novels, just for fun, and wandered into the classics section. Her eyes had already picked out one or two she had studied in high school: "Hamlet", "Macbeth", "Romeo and Juliet." Seriously not all classics are Shakespeare. Near the fifth shelf was a title that stood out to her,
"Dandelion Wine."
The name struck a chord in her and she reached out to grab the book. It was too high. She growled.
Turning around she searched for a stool or something to help her see.
There was none. Nails dug their way into the book covers. Not everyone is six feet tall!
"Excuse me-"
Aurea jumped and let out a small yelp, nearly throwing the books.
"Shhh!" the quiet sound filled the large room and Aurea rolled her eyes. So someone WAS here. She should have asked the librarian for a step stool.
Aurea faced the man who had startled her.
"Don't sneak up on people like that!" she scolded, not really angry more startled. The man grinned sheepishly, running his hands through his black wavy, locks. He stood above her by almost half a foot, with blue eyes, a long nose (that Aurea would never admit was cute), and a nice grin that pushed up his cheeks. All in all he was very handsome. Looking at his chest she noticed he was wearing a nice button-up blue shirt, black slacks, and brown shoes. However, his shirt and hair were speckled with white sprinkles. She leaned closer and thought,
"Those don't look like snow."
Augustine laughed when he watched the woman almost walk into a bookshelf. But he stifled it, it was a library after all and the man in charge of this area did NOT appreciate loud noises. Even as a close friend to him Augustine would get scolded.
He casually followed her around to the science fiction area and went to the shelves behind it, romance . By now the lady had already left and Augustine frowned, peering over the books and through the shelves. There she was!
Augustine made his way to the… classics section and walked up to her. Following her like this made him feel creepy. He rubbed his arm weakly.
When he approached her she was reaching for a novel on the fifth shelf. Her hand only reaching the bottom of the fourth shelf.
"Excuse me- "
She screamed.
Augustine covered his ears for a minute before the lady scolded him. Eyes scruntinized him for a minute before he apologized."Sorry I didn't meant to scare you."
Aurea sighed, it was an accident,
"It's fine, I just hope I don't get in trouble for yelling. So… what are you doing here at this hour? I thought everyone else was asleep."
Augustine laughed, she was blunt and to the point.
"I was in the kitchen, I help out there you know."
He leaned against the shelf at those words, his actions causing her to raise a brow. A ladies man hmm?
"Thats interesting…"
She trailed off connecting the dots. Aurea wrinkled her nose. So that's what the white stuff was.
"You were there? Nobody answered when I called."
Sweat began to bead on his neck, she was good.
"Um- Yes, well," he racked his brain for an answer, "We heard but no one's ever come this early, I mean they can but most don't."
Aurea raised a brow,
"But your shop was basically empty."
"Once again we didn't really expect anyone here this early."
"That doesn't explain why you didn't come out to greet me."
Aureas voice held little malice, she was mostly asking out of curiosity not suspicion.
Augustine let out a huff of breath,raising his arms to surrender,
"You got me. We'd never seen you before so we weren't sure about you."
That wasn't much of an explanation but Aurea could understand the logic and reasoning behind his actions. It's like when a stranger shows up at your door and you're not sure why they're there or who they are.
The silence rang heavily through the room
"So," he said tucking his free hand into his pocket, trying to awkwardly break the ice they'd polished, "Do you need help?"
"Help with... what?"
Augustine gestured to the shelf that stood a bit higher than him.
"Oh no thanks I've got it."
Aurea wanted to mentally smack herself, damn pride. She moved towards the shelf and with one hand reaching up, jumped, her fingertips brushing the top of the fourth shelf. She jumped again a bit higher and they ticked the bottom of the book. Continuously she jumped,pulling the book out until it stood halfway out of the shelf. She must look so stupid right now.
Augustine watched, partially amused, partially impressed at the woman's determination. Why she didn't just ask for a stool…
Letting out a quiet "aha" Aurea was able to pinch the very edge of the book between her fingers. She pulled back as she went down, before the book escaped from her fingers.
It flew behind her and collided with something with a loud "thwack"!
That something being Augustine's nose. The hardcover hit the floor and Augustine covered half his face in an attempt to keep the blood gushing out of his nose from spattering the floor.
Aurea held her hands out towards him.
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!"
A hand was held up to silence her and beckoned for her to follow him.
Before they left the poor man tried to yell out,
"I bled all over the classics section!"
Of course it came out a little weird but the words were still understandable.
"What?!"
The two had already shut the kitchen door.
…
Lysandre had been decorating the macarons, piping the warm chocolate filling into the center. They came out beautifully. He didn't want anyone eating these.
He walked back to the ganache bowl, ready to fill the piping bag again.
When the door was opened in a way that screamed urgent.
Augustine rushed in holding a bloody nose with one hand, catching droplets with the other. The mystery woman following behind him.
"What happened?!"
The woman turned towards him,
"I was getting a book off a high shelf and it hit him in the face."
Sighing he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You," he faced Aurea,"come with me to go get some gauze or tissue. Augustine go stand over the sink, I don't want blood all over the kitchen."
Augustine walked over to the sink, head down.
Lysandre side stepped and let Aurea walk ahead of him.
He stared at her as she walked to the back,
"Where are we going?" she asked. Lysandre pointed to the right where they came upon what appeared to be a break room.
"Check the top cabinets. Please, don't drop anything this time."
Aurea gave him a look. Lysandres lips twitched upwards, she was amusing. They rummaged through the cupboards in silence. He didn't think it was on purpose. Still he wondered, why hadn't Augustine just gotten the book for her?
Watching her quietly from the corner of his eyes he continued his work. She had a set concentrating face, and one could tell when she thought she found the first aid kit because her face would light up. He chuckled, she was very genuine.
"What?"
And observant.
"Nothing, it's just how did the book manage to hit his face?"
He watched her face turn beet red, getting a small kick off her discomfort.
"It… slipped."
He pursed his lips.
"And how did that happen?"
"I knocked the book out until I could grab its corner. Then it slipped."
Lysandres face twitched, he wanted to laugh.
"Found it." Pulling the white box out, Lysandre started walking away before he could do anything.
Oh wait,
"So what are you doing here?"
"Helping your friend whom of which is currently bleeding out of his nose."
Lysandre rolled his eyes,
"I mean neither of us have ever really seen you before, what have you been doing?"
"Well, I currently have a job at the scientific research facility near Lumiose in Nuvema," Lysandres interest was piqued, "I'm somewhat of an archaeologist. I study remains, the environment, and current inhabitants of the area to determine things about their history and evolution. Searches normally can take up a few weeks to months. In between time I go to the work building and write reports, search up history of other dig sites, and clean and categorize information and artifacts. I don't really get breaks but when I do I normally sleep, clean, and or get groceries sometimes."
'You wouldn't happen to work with a Rowan? Would you?"
Aurea made so-so gesture with her hand,
"My father used to work at the labs, he kept in contact with other labs who might need resources or information. Sometimes he'd talk about the man. I met him once he's stern… but kind once you get to know him. I only got the job a year ago even after years of following my father I'm not completely up to date on work ethics and don't have all the responsibilities my father had. Yet."
"So you inherited your status?"
He was judging her.
"Somewhat, instead of proper schooling my father had to care for me and juggle his work so I went with him. I didn't mind though I really like my job! I basically trained for it all my life. I learned about all of the responsibilities and in the end my father only trusted me to inherit his facility. Not everyone agreed with his decision, obviously..." That last part was mumbled.
He'd have to tell Augustine about that.
Augustine stood at the sink when they got back, and from what Lysandre could tell his bleeding had died down.
Aurea got to him first.
"You clot quickly. I don't think there's any swelling."
Augustine stood up straighter,
"It's fine,I've been through worse."
Lysandre walked up next to her and opened the first-aid kit.
She was about to reach in for some gauze before her eyes locked with his,
"May I?" she asked.
"Why do you think I opened it?"
Aurea said nothing about his attitude and grabbed some gauze. She handed it to Augustine who removed his hand and grabbed the paper quickly putting it in its place. Wiping at the red fluid on his chin she said,
"You've got blood all over your face. Did I really hit you that hard?"
Augustine waved his hand,
"No I used to be the kid that always had nosebleeds really easily. The thing is I haven't had one for a while now, must've just been the hit."
"Can I see?"
Frowning, he relented removing his hand.
There was no swelling, thankfully (not that Aurea cared in THAT way), but he did have a rather large bruise on the area of his nose where bone meets cartilage. Aurea bit her lip, of course she manages to hit the first person she meets in the face. The first potential friend. Well, screw that.
"Augustine," Lysandre stood arms crossed, "glaring" at his friend. "You're to take the day off from work."
Cutting off his friend he held up a hand,
"I will not be having you cook injured nor will I have a bruised cashier be the first thing customers see."
Augustine nodded, clearly saddened. Aurea couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the stranger. After all she ruined his day.
"I will go get out some ice… you can have pastry before you leave."
He left.
Augustine's face lit up a bit, holding a hand out he asked,
"Would you like to share one? Afterwards, if you want, I could… show you around town."
Aurea furrowed her eyebrows. This person she just met was offering to not only give her free good food but to also take her around the area. What?
Frowning at her lack of response Augustine nodded,
"I understand. After all we did just meet I see why it's a bit offputting."
He scratched the back of his head with a awkward smile.
Waving her hands, she stopped him,
"No I'm just… surprised. Most people I know wouldn't do that."
Augustine smiled,
"Well then, I guess it's a good thing I'm not like most people."