Heavy Rain: Chapter 1- Doughnuts and Coffee
The droplets of cold, wet bullets that fell from the darkened sky crashed onto the slick pavement, forming small shallow puddles. Reflections of neon lights were seen dancing on the surface of the rippling water along with an approaching figure whose hands were shoved deeply into the slits of a black bomber jacket. The figure's drenched dark bangs curtained its eyed with a few loose strands clinging to the sides of her face. The black combat boots the silhouette wore would let out heavy, hollow, wet thuds accompanied by the shuffling of doused navy blue jeans. As the mysterious person floated pass the hurrying pedestrians trying everything they could to shield their heads from the rain, it halted and turned its head towards a bright shop with rows of red and white chair booths inside. Pressing a hand onto the freezing, rain-covered glass, the door pushed open, allowing a cheery chime to echo throughout the small store.
"Coming!" a feminine voice rang.
The figure remained silent and examined a menu from above that listed a variety of doughnuts, coffees, and teas that seemed enough to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth. Shortly, light and hastened footsteps behind the counter became louder and sharper until a woman seemingly in her early twenties advanced towards the counter with her chestnut eyes lowered in thought. Her maroon hair was put up in a high ponytail with it swaying from side to side every step she took. Glancing up at the person, a smile immediately lifted her cheeks.
"Rainer!" she extolled.
"Hey, Josephine," she greeted.
"Thank God you made it back in one piece from the last mission! When you weren't responding to any of us, I nearly pissed myself!"
Rainer laughed and sheepishly ruffled the back of her hair.
"Er...sorry..."
Josephine rolled her eyes.
"Is 'sorry' really all you can say?" she huffed.
"It was a stealth mission! If they heard me, I woulda been killed on the spot!" she testified.
The shop owner sighed.
"Whatever. You really had me and Braxton worried."
"That geezer? Didn't even know he had feelings. Speaking of which, where is h-?"
A gust of chilly wind suddenly flew into the store. The two women glanced behind them to find an older man with white stubbles coating his face walking inside, mumbling to himself. His drained green eyes lifted themselves to meet their expectant gazes.
"What?" he grumbled.
"And a good evening to you, too, Braxton," said Josephine.
"Yeah, yeah, my bad. Just a lil stressed after that last miss-"
Upon closer examination, the man fixed his stare onto the black-haired woman whose mouth curved into a confident smirk.
"What's up, Brax?" she casually asked.
Rage swelled inside his chest as he stalked towards her.
"You!" he roared. "Why the hell weren'tcha respondin' back ta us?!"
"Hey, take it easy, there! Don't want you to get a heart attack any time soon," Rainer joked.
Braxton's face inflated like a red balloon that was on the brink of popping. Veins sprouted and pulsated from his neck to the temples of his head. Josephine watched his reactions and covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"I'M ONLY FORTY FUCKIN' YEARS OLD! AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE NO DAMN TIME SOON!"
Rainer studied his expressions before she went back to the original topic.
"Didn't you warn me that the last mission was gonna be a stealth one, though? So, I don't get why you're screaming at me when I'm just doing my job."
"YOU KNEW DAMN WELL WHEN TO TALK AND WHEN NOT TO! I THINK YOU LIKE TO GET A RISE OUTTA SCARIN' THE SHIT OUTTA ME! YOU JUST-"
He furiously shook his finger at Rainer before putting his hand to his side. Rubbing the wrinkles of his forehead with his other hand, he trotted towards a pale blue door labeled in thin white letters 'MEN.'
"Josephine," he grumbled.
"Hm?"
"Make me a warm cup o' Joe. Extra cream, extra sugar...ya know, the usual."
"Comin' up."
Josephine reached under the counter to feel for one of the smooth porcelain mugs while looking at her friend. Feeling the mug's cooling handle, she curled her fingers around it, pulled it out, and sat it under the coffee maker behind her.
"See? Didn't I tell you he was worried?"
Rainer only let her eyes fall to her hands that were gently, yet restlessly, wrestling with her fingers. The way Braxton berated her was, of course, a sure sign that he cared for her. Yes, he would adopt a brutish attitude, but overall, he viewed the young woman almost as his daughter.
"...whatever," Rainer sighed.
Josephine huffed a soft chuckle as she watched the dark liquid fall into the mug.
"Did you want a cup of coffee?" she offered.
"No, thanks," the other woman said with her eyes unwavering from her hands.
"How 'bout some doughnuts?"
Rainer shook her head.
"Mm-mm."
The shop owner dipped her fingers into a small container of white sugar packets each printed with the image of a cartoonish young boy licking a giant sugar cube. After ripping open one of the packets, she extended her arm to grab a blue bottle filled with creamer along with a plastic stirring rod.
"Rainer," she spoke, her back still turned.
"Yeah?"
"How're you feeling right now?"
The woman shrugged.
"I feel alright. Why?"
"It's just...lately, you've been looking exhausted."
"Well, I mean, I have been on some pretty rough missions recently."
Josephine tilted the blue bottle and watched the milky stream fill the mug nearly to the very top, dying the hot black liquid a lighter brown hue.
"Hmm... maybe that's not the word I'm looking for. I guess you seem...emotionally drained."
Rainer became quiet. She does feel as though her work was taking an emotional toll on her. Watching the people she had briefly bonded with get executed before her eyes to nearly falling into the hands of death herself...it was all too much for one person, and she knew that. Abruptly, a warm feeling comfortably rested on the back of her hands. Rainer blinked twice in befuddlement and saw two of Josephine's hands squeeze softly, yet firmly, around her's.
"Rain," she began tenderly, "do you feel like you need a break?"
Rainer gave her a quizzical expression.
"What? Why would I? The entire world's in danger, Jo. I can't just sit back and relax now-"
"Do you even hear yourself right now? Trying to sound like some goddamn superhero? she asked with edge sharpening her tone.
Rainer squeezed the woman's hands back.
"Well, don't you think that the world needs a superhero? I mean, look around you. Everyone's been miserable ever since Layton became one of the world's supreme leaders. You and I both know that he-"
"Even if you think you're a superhero, superheroes still need rest!"
He's a corrupt soldier that I fought alongside with!"
Silence hung above Rainer and Josephine as they searched each other's eyes. The bathroom door then flew open to present Braxton who was fidgeting with his belt buckle before letting out a content sigh.
"All right," he said while strutting towards the glass doors, "I'll be on my way. Gotta get some shuteye 'fore we plan our next mission tomorrow."
"Another mission?! For tomorrow?!" Josephine exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well, yeah. Gotta stay on our toes, ya know. Never know what Layton could be plannin'. Welp, g'night. An' meet right back here at six in tha morn, aright?"
"Six?! Wait a min-"
Before Josephine could finish, Braxton was already strolling down the sidewalk.
"Braxton!" she called out but no success.
The shop owner sighed a heavy, frustrated sigh as she messaged her forehead. A sudden thought had then surfaced, and she whipped her head behind her to stare alarmingly at the coffee mug with its ghostly steam rising.
"Ugh! He even forgot his coffee!" she groaned.
She released her grasp from Rainer's hands and walked over towards the cup, annoyed. Curving her fingers around its ceramic body, Josephine made her way into the kitchen and poured the scorching beverage down the drain. She twisted the sink's knob to rinse out its remains before glancing over at Rainer.
"Hey," she said.
"Hm?" Rainer hummed.
"Wanna stay over at my place tonight?"
The question forced the dark-haired woman to lift her head. After a couple seconds of silence, she separated her lips.
"Umm..."
"Huh?"
"I...dunno...
"Just yes or no."
"...maybe."
"I'll just take thar as a yes, then!"
Drying the mug and placing it into the cabinet, she walked around the counter to approach Rainer, placed her hands on her shoulders, and leaned close to the side if her face, her lips almost brushing against the top shell of her ear.
"The reason I'm asking is because I'm lonely, you know."
A faint warm red painted her cheeks.
"A...alright," she choked out.
Josephine giggled and straightened herself.
"Okay! Well, lemme get my things from the back, then we can head out!" she beamed.
Rainer observed her friend sauntering back into the kitchen with her eyes sinking to her rear end swaying from side to side almost in a hypnotic rhythm. Feeling her chest become hot, she tore her eyes away and exhaled.
"This'll be a long night..."
Yeah as you can guess, this was heavily inspired by final fantasy 7...