The Antiqua's Cup was a quiet, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, and Melia liked it that way. They didn't receive as many customers as say, Starbucks, but the customers they did receive usually would frequent the joint, and the staff would come to know most regulars by their name and order. It felt like a second home to Melia. The staff was amazing, the environment was calm and relaxing, and working didn't feel stressful. Sure, putting on the customer service front was quite tiring, but it didn't drain her as much as some of the previous service jobs she had worked before. The shop itself was lit by dim, bulbous lamps hanging from the ceiling. Most everything was comprised of dark-stained wood, save for the white chair rail and smooth black wainscoting occupying the lower half of the wall that went around the perimeter of the shop.
"You know, Melia? I wish something interesting would happen around these parts," lamented Sharla, who was leaning up against the counter. Melia chuckled as she was wiping down the front counter.
"You say that, but once something actually happens, you're really going to regret saying that."
"Oh pshaw, just let me have my delusions."
"Okay Sharla, whatever you say," she smiled. "Just don't take this downtime for granted. I know you're gonna start complaining when things get too busy."
"I don't complain!"
"Uh-huh. Right." At that moment, the door opened, ringing the little bell that alerted the staff when a customer walked in, effectively ending the argument.
"Hi, welcome to The Antiqua's Cup! What can I get for you today?" Melia greeted.
The customer was a boy around her age. He had blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and his facial features were quite soft. He wore a red vest with a hood over a black long-sleeved shirt that was rolled to his forearms. His outfit was finished off with a pair of simple black jeans and dark, navy blue ankle-high boots, as well as a small brown satchel slung over his shoulder. The boy carried himself almost as if he were in another world, drifting off towards thoughts of fantastic wonders. However, he wasn't completely oblivious to the real world, as he seemed to be taking in his surroundings, absorbing the information around him as he approached the counter. He was a new face in the coffee shop; Melia had never seen him before, but seeing him oddly put her at ease.
"Hi there! Just a 20-ounce black coffee is fine," Shulk said.
"Alright. For here or to go?"
"For here, please."
"Got it. Will that be all for you today?"
"Yep! Thank you."
"Of course! If you'd like to take a seat, I can get your order out to you shortly. Your name?"
"Thank you! My name's Shulk," he told her as he turned to find a seat, sitting himself down in the corner of the shop next to the front window.
"I've never seen anyone get a plain black coffee and sit down with it."
"Right? That was kinda weird," Sharla mused, scratching her chin. "Whatever floats his boat, I guess."
"I take it that you've never seen him before?"
"Nope."
"Interesting. He's kinda cute, honestly."
"Ooh, workplace crush?" Sharla teased, gently punching her in the shoulder.
"Is it so wrong to find the occasional customer cute?" Melia retorted, putting her hands on her hips. "Besides, I know that you always try to take that Reyn guy's order whenever he walks in."
"I-" Sharla sputtered. She'd been had. "...you got me there."
"I know," Melia winked as she turned to grab Shulk's coffee from the barista. She made her way from behind the counter over to Shulk's spot in the corner, steaming mug of black coffee in hand. As she approached, she noticed that he had a little machine out and was tinkering with it. There were small parts scattered on a small towel, and laying next to it was a dual-head eyeglass screwdriver. Shulk picked up a part and was trying to screw it into the main body of the machine when Melia arrived with his coffee. Her curiosity flared up and Melia felt the urge to ask him what it was, but seeing him work with such fervor, she thought better of it and stifled her instincts.
"Your coffee, Shulk."
He looked up from his machine. "Ah, thank you! You can just set it down right there," he said as he motioned in front of the towel.
"Of course," Melia replied, gently setting down the plate and mug combo. "Just let me know if you need anything else!"
"Will do! Thank you again," nodded Shulk, smiling. He quickly returned to… whatever he was doing, letting out a miffed grunt as something clicked inside the machine as he tried to interact with it. Melia raised an eyebrow, wanting to ask about what had happened, but deemed it better to return behind the counter to Sharla's inquisitive eye.
"What was he doing?"
"I don't know. It looked like he was messing with a small machine or something. Even had a little eyeglass screwdriver and everything."
"Weird. I've never seen anyone sit down and work on a project like that, let alone order a straight black coffee and stay here to drink it."
"Yeah. You'd think he'd have a workshop or something."
Sharla shrugged. "Like I said, whatever floats his boat."
Melia nodded. "It's not like he's a jerk or cold or anything like that, he actually seems quite nice."
"I guess. If he's not disturbing anyone else and doesn't make a mess, he's fine in my book."
The doorbell rang out once again, and Melia took her post behind the register. "Hi, welcome to The Antiqua's Cup! What can I get for you today?" she greeted once again.
The next few days went very similarly with Shulk. A single 20-ounce black coffee, for here, and he would sit down in the same corner, working on what Melia assumed to be the same project that he had been messing with since they first met. The only thing that would vary is that he would order an apple turnover every other day.
Melia would quickly come to find herself taking an interest in the boy, her natural curiosity of the world around her getting the best of her as she found herself drawn to Shulk and his creation. She would soon quench her thirst for answers when she found herself on break right after delivering Shulk his usual. After making herself a chai tea latte, she went over to Shulk's table.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Shulk looked up from his work, slightly taken aback that someone actually wanted to sit with him. "Oh, sure! Go ahead, I don't mind."
"Thank you," she said, setting her drink down and sitting in the chair across from him. She observed him insert what looked to be a small antenna into the baseball-sized machine, snapping it into place.
"I've been meaning to ask," Melia began. Shulk looked up at her. "What is it that you're actually making?"
"Ah, this little thing. It's a prototype for a more mobile bomb defusal robot. Honestly, it's kind of a personal project. I see on TV how clunky the current designs are, so I want to try to make something more maneuverable and easier to use."
Melia had thrown him a line and reeled in a truck. "A bomb defusal robot? It looks like just a little ball. How does it work?"
"Well, let me show you. Just let me put this last cover into place," Shulk said, as he picked up a small chunk of aluminum, screwing it into place. He then took out a small remote controller and set the robot on the ground.
"It can only really do basic stuff, like move and extend its arms, but it still works, for the most part. I'm still trying to get other functions installed into it, like jumping, climbing stairs, and fine motor movement of the limbs," explained Shulk as he flicked the switch on the controller. Within seconds, the little robot was rolling around, moving back and forth, and eventually, it bumped right into Melia's foot, eliciting a giggle from her.
"Sorry! The controls are still a little weird, I need to balance the weight with its ability to stop and such."
"It's all right, it's not like it broke my ankle or something."
"That's good. Oh, here are its little arms! They're still kinda flimsy though, so they can't really do much." Shulk pressed a button and two small arms with claw-like structures on the end extended out from the ball. "Once the arms extend out, I can't move it anywhere. It stabilizes itself so that if it actually does what it's supposed to, it doesn't make a wrong move. I just have to retract its arms to make it move again."
Melia couldn't help smiling at the small machine extending and retracting its tiny arms. It was like it was reaching out for a hug.
"That's really cool! Honestly, it's kinda cute."
Shulk laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you, I appreciate it." He picked up the robot and set it back down on the table and turned off the controller.
"By the way, I never got your name. You know mine, but I don't know what yours is."
"Oh! My name is Melia. Nice to meet you, I suppose."
"Nice to meet you too, Melia!" Shulk returned cheerily, flashing her a smile that stopped Melia's heart.
Melia then looked down at her watch after breaking out of her unprecedented stupor, suddenly remembering that her break was only 10 minutes long. "Oh shoot, I'm gonna be late off of my break. It was nice finally getting to talk to you!"
"You too, Melia! Thanks for sitting with me."
"Of course," Melia smiled back, as she picked up her empty cup and returned to the counter. That was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, Melia thought absentmindedly as she made the short trip back. Sharla grinned at her as she rounded the corner.
"I see you finally talked to him, eh?"
"I was only curious as to what he was doing."
"Sure. You do still admit he's cute though, right?" Sharla smirked.
"Y-yes, I do, but I don't see the bearing that has on me wanting to chat with him," Melia said, raising an eyebrow and putting a hand on her hip, fighting the blush threatening to dust her face.
"I'd argue the exact opposite. I think that's just one step closer to asking him out. Or him asking you out," Sharla winked.
"I- gah!" Melia sputtered, the blush finally taking over. "Don't wink at me like that, it's not good for your complexion."
"Looking at how pink your cheeks are, it's not doing great for yours either," Sharla teased, laughing heartily.
"W-whatever, get back to work. I'm sure there're some mugs over there that need cleaning. Like mine, for example," she quipped, spinning on her heel to face the register as the doorbell rang. Behind her, Sharla continued to laugh to herself at her friend's expense.
I have a Twitter account now! Please go follow it for my incessant ramblings about writing and daily life :D
/darklions3429
Dear lord, this took a long time to write. I think... 4 months, on and off? Man, I'm slow.
I have 80% of it done, and the chapters will come out as I see fit.
I also still suck at writing convincing dialogue ahahahah
I apologize for being away for so long, by the way! Life has been crazy with the army, and I've been doing a lot of stuff for COVID (I'm currently at a hotel near a site where I'm going to be administering vaccines), which has eaten up my time and energy. Here's to (hopefully) more works soon!