Small Talk Can Make A Big Difference

Waking up early was something Wolf never really enjoyed doing, it wasn't impossible for him to do so but it was always a strenuous process that made him wish that he could take his time getting out of bed. This preference for wanting to sleep in was probably a result of the freelance lifestyle he had as a mercenary. If you didn't complete the jobs you got contacted for, you wouldn't get paid, plain and simple. And when your livelihood depends on the money earned from said jobs, you have no choice but to restructure your sleep schedule around your work.

True to form, it was no different for Wolf as he was often faced with long nights and earlier mornings on various jobs that made his sleep schedule an inconsistent mess. Though as much as he hated it, at this point he was used to it. No rest for the wicked as the old saying goes…

Since entering the Smash tournament however, Wolf would often wake up in the later hours of the mid-morning if he was given the chance. Today wasn't any different than usual. With no matches until much later in the afternoon, Wolf gladly took the opportunity to rest up for a few more hours.

Once he finally managed to wake up and drag himself out of bed, the first thing that came to mind was getting some coffee. In the blink of an eye, Wolf threw on his clothes and left his dorm room.

Walking down the hallways, Wolf casually made his way to the only (at least to his knowledge) coffee machine in the smash mansion and was met with a familiar sight once he got there.

"Dammit, this line is always here." Wolf muttered under his breath, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.

Just like every mid-morning in the Smash mansion lounge, there was a line for the coffee pot, something that had become a constant sight for Wolf ever since the tournament began and one he wished would cease to happen.

Just as Wolf was about to close his eyes and try and tune out everything around him until the line disappeared he heard a voice from behind him say, "Hello Wolf."

A little confused at hearing his name being called out, Wolf turned around slightly to see who had greeted him. It was none other than Isabelle.

"Oh…hey…Isabelle" was really all Wolf could reply with, being caught off guard by her sudden appearance as well as still feeling somewhat drowsy.

"Waiting in line for coffee I see. Mind if I join you?" Isabelle asked in her usual cheerful tone.

"...Sure, you're welcome to if you want." Wolf replied somberly.

A few minutes passed by of them standing in silence next to each other in line. The wait was easier for Isabelle as she was maintaining a patient attitude. Wolf however was just getting steadily more annoyed at a certain someone who was holding up the line at the front. Noticing this, Isabelle decided to take the initiative and speak up.

"I don't mean to pry but you seem rather irritated Wolf, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just wish this line would go faster! I swear this line is here every day and every time it's always Bowser holding it up because he's so anal about brewing his coffee as strong as he can get it." Wolf huffed. "He needs to learn to hurry the hell up."

"Hey, come on now Wolf, there's no need to be so vindictive towards him over something relatively minor. Bowser is just trying to brew it to his liking."

Wolf passively glanced back at Isabelle as if to say she was out of her mind, only then to turn his attention back to Bowser who threw out yet another filter and dumped out the contents of coffee pot in the sink to start over….again.

Seeing this, Wolf put his hand over his face and groaned, as did most of the other people in line. "I'm just sick of having to wait so long every time I want a cup. I remember the last time I was here during the brawl tournament a few years ago. There was hardly ever a line."

"It can't really be helped Wolf. With more and more people attending this smash tournament, the more lines are going to happen while waiting for a turn to use the facilities." Isabelle replied. In truth she understood where Wolf's frustrations were coming from. The lines for every facility in the smash mansion whether it was restrooms, the café, or the showers were starting to get longer. Even Isabelle had to admit it was getting annoying feeling like everything was on a first come first serve basis

"If that's the case the staff should have at least gotten a second coffee machine by now." Wolf argued.

"Well…It's not really their fault Wolf. From what I understand this smash tournament is the biggest one yet. There's going to be a few oversights here and there when so many people come together for an event." Isabelle explained.

"I guess the staff just didn't see the need in getting a second coffee machine in the lounge. There were far fewer people participating in the previous tournaments. It's only really become a problem now."

"In any case just try and relax a little bit okay Wolf? The line will be over before you know it. No need to work yourself up so much." Isabelle continued in a soft tone hoping Wolf would take her advice.

"Eh. Whatever." Wolf muttered, clearly over the whole ordeal by now.

Thinking to himself, Wolf could only hope that at some point soon he would get a solo match against Bowser. It would be the perfect excuse to give him a good wallop as payback. Wolf actually snickered to himself wondering if all the other participants that usually got stuck behind Bowser in line would cheer him on for the thrashing would give the Koopa.

Out of nowhere, a random thought had just occurred to Wolf that piqued his curiosity.

"Hey Isabelle, why is it I haven't seen you in line for coffee until now?" Wolf questioned.

"Oh well it's because I usually just come here much earlier in the morning, around 6 or so, and make myself a cup while everyone else is still waking up."

"Even though I don't technically have to most of the time, I wake up so early because I'm just so used to my work schedule back at home. A small unintentional benefit of my job I guess." Isabelle stated with a somewhat awkward smile.

"...I see."

Isabelle continued on "The reason today is so different is because I had a late night last night, I was just so tired that I took my time waking up this morning."

"You know, now that I think about it, you don't really strike me as the type of person who even drinks coffee. To be honest you look pretty alert and awake without needing it" Wolf said.

Isabelle giggled a little bit upon hearing this "Are you kidding me? I'm practically a caffeine addict. Coffee is something I drink pretty regularly due to my busy work schedule I tend to have back at home. During the few times I manage to get up and start the day without it I still like to have some decaf because I like the taste."

"I've never had decaf, I usually just stick to standard caffeinated coffee for energy."

"Really? What's your schedule usually like that you need all that energy for if I may ask?"

Wolf stood there for a moment, thinking about how to answer her question. He wasn't exactly sure how much he wanted to share about his personal life with her. Let alone with anyone in the tournament. He pondered about his recent work history and state of living. From taking on morally questionable missions against the Cornerian military and remnants of Andross's armada to flying back and forth between space sectors in the Lylat system. It was a lot to explain and something Wolf didn't really care enough to do for someone he just met not too long ago.

"Hectic and never really consistent. In my line of work nothing is concrete because you have to go out and find work on your own. But lately I've had various ... odd jobs that have taken up long afternoons and nights, so I've just been waking up in the late mornings." Wolf explained.

"Then again, when you're drifting through deep space for extended periods of time, your sense of day and night kind of get muddled. In the recesses of space, it tends to always feel like night time."

Isabelle giggled hearing this. "I'll have to take your word for it, it must be rough sometimes."

"You get used to it."

"That reminds me Wolf. It's been about four days, how is your cut doing?" Isabelle questioned as she saw Wolf adjust his left shoulder out of discomfort.

"Huh? Oh...It's doing fine." Wolf replied. He lightly swung his left arm around showing that he could move it freely. "I'm not having any issues with it during matches but there is still some itchiness and irritation from time to time. But that usually goes away after I reapply the ointment at night."

"That's good, I'm glad you're still using it. You'll have to let me know when it fully heals up so I can remove the stitches for you."

"Yeah….I'll be sure to." Wolf replied.

From one topic to the next, Wolf and Isabelle continued to converse with each other. All the while completely unaware of what was happening around them. For one, Bowser finally finished making his coffee. Once he finished and left, the line practically dissipated as everyone was able to fill their cups up and leave. It seemed like Wolf and Isabelle were just talking in the middle of the lounge for no discernible reason to the average onlooker. Isabelle took notice of this as she saw the vacant space in front of them where the line previously was.

"Oh hey Wolf, look!" Isabelle said as she pointed behind him "The line's gone. The coffee machine is free!"

Wolf immediately turned his head almost in disbelief, but true to her words Isabelle was right. A dumbfounded Wolf glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he had been talking with Isabelle for almost twenty minutes. Even more amusing, Wolf didn't even notice that halfway through his conversation with Isabelle he had turned around to face her, sticking his back towards the line, not caring about it.

"See? The wait wasn't so bad. It was over before we even knew it!" Isabelle said cheerfully.

"Eh...I guess." Wolf muttered in an awkward nonchalant tone as he and Isabelle both made their way over to the coffee machine. Wolf began changing the filters and pouring hot water into the machine.

"So, how do you like your coffee Isabelle?" Wolf asked.

"Huh!? Wolf you don't need to make my coffee for me, I can do that after you're done."

"It's fine, I don't mind. I'm already here and it won't take that long. Unlike Bowser." Wolf snidely remarked quietly.

"Oh well, thank you Wolf. If you don't mind, could you make it with Micho beans mix, extra milk, and three spoonfuls of sugar?"

"Uh, yeah." Wolf replied rummaging through all the different pre-mixed coffee blends displayed on the counter.

"Here it is." He grabbed the mocha blend and began to pour it into the machine. After about five minutes of waiting the coffee finished brewing and Wolf handed the cup over to Isabelle standing beside him.

"Thank you Wolf, it smells lovely…and tastes excellent!" Isabelle said taking a sip.

"Don't mention it." He began to change the filter again to make his cup.

After about another five minutes of waiting Wolf finally got his cup of coffee he had longed for since getting out of bed. A content sigh escaped Wolf's mouth once he managed to take a long drink of it.

"Would you like it if this became a regular routine?" Isabelle suddenly asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Wolf said looking beside him at Isabelle who was staring off into space in front of her.

"I mean meeting up for coffee in the mornings and casually chatting with each other while we wait in line. You seemed like you started to enjoy the conversation and it made the wait easier to tolerate right?"

"Well…yeah. But don't you wake up at the crack of dawn? That would mean waiting a couple hours until I get up."

"True, but not if we split the difference between ourselves. If you think you can manage waking up an hour or two earlier, I could sleep in an extra hour on my side. And then we can just meet up at the coffee machine."

"Tempting" Wolf teased. "But it sounds like I would be the one getting the raw end of the deal here, having to wake up earlier while you sleep in."

"I suppose that's true," Isabelle said with a cheeky smile, "than again it is your choice. Just remember that less people will be in line the earlier you get here."

Wolf chuckled and gave a faint smile. "Fine, that sounds like a plan. If it means not getting stuck behind Bowser in line then I guess I could give it a try."

With that, the two canines stood there enjoying their coffee and each other's company.

Author's Notes: sorry if the flow of this chapter felt a little disjointed. A lot of back and forth dialogue between characters with not much physically happening can be a little awkward to write even if jumping off of one topic to the next is pretty normal for a conversation.

I ended up having to revise this chapter a little bit because there were a lot of different topics I had planned for Isabelle and Wolf to talk about. But thinking that it's still too soon in the story and not wanting to extend the chapter anymore than it already is I felt it was better to save some stuff for later oneshots/chapters.