Hey guys! I really really hate editing. This chapter took four different editing tries. So, There you go my four page beauty. Look at my beautiful babies! And also I managed to fit in both Add and Eve. Aww Yeah!
It was not Rena's day, or maybe even week. It had started with the giant spider in her bathroom and then to her friends getting into arguments, almost as bad as Elsword and Aisha fights, only with the two gentlest people she knew. She still had to go and teach her students, which was a nightmare with Add always trying to one-up Eve. She suspected there was something there that Add denied, but he was competitive for a reason. He even sat next to Eve just so he could keep up on his "one-upping." Right now all she needed was a break, something to keep her from either collapsing or killing someone. She went to go get some coffee.
"Ara, I need something calming and punch-you-in-the-face strong," she ordered at the counter. Ara grinned.
"Sure thing hun, anything you want to talk about? I know Chung and I are putting all this stuff on you," she said, making the order. "We put things on you, and we just don't see until later what a strain it is." Ara looked concerned as she handed her the drink.
"It's fine, Ara, I'm just kind of distracted, and trying not to kill any of my students. I'll take this to sit down." She smiled and handed Ara the money for it.
"Alrighty Rena. I'll try to lighten your load, like we should do for everyone." Ara smiled at her as she walked away.
Truth was, the arguments were not the only thing on Rena's mind. She had told Ara about the encounter with Raven when she got her morning coffee, making her squeal like a tween girl. Ara was convinced that it was true love. All of these things had her almost completely oblivious to everything but her own thoughts. She had moved away from the counter when she ran straight into a man who felt like a brick wall, spilling her coffee all over his shirt
"I'm so sorry!" She apologized as she saw who she had run into. "… Raven?" Her face and ears turned bright red in embarrassment. He grimaced at the coffee dripping down his red shirt.
"…Hi." He glanced at her, giving what could only be described as an almost smile. This time, unlike when she last saw him, his hair was tidy and in a long pony tail.
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry, I totally ruined your shirt, let me repay you." Renapicked up the dropped cup.
"It's fine. I have an extra shirt in my car," he said, making to walk away.
"Let me at least buy you some coffee. I just feel bad." Her ears drooped, and Raven smiled a little half-smile.
"All right, if you insist. Let me go change my shirt."
"Thank you. What would you like?" He looked at her briefly.
"Café au lait, s'il vous plaît." He ducked out. She nodded and smiled, going up to the counter to order.
"Café au lait and an espresso with lots of cream, please." Rena leaned on the counter looking at nothing.
"Hey! Rena, you're not even going to acknowledge your favorite barista?" A voice from beside her asked. Looking over, her friend Ara stood there smiling.
"Ara!" Rena couldn't resist hugging her friend, causing the woman to squeak. When she let go, Ara smiled and switched which hand held her tray.
"Sooo~" Ara wheedled, waggling her eyebrows, "that guy earlier, that was your neighbor?" Rena groaned.
"I knew telling you was a bad idea!" She rubbed her eyebrows. "His name is Raven, and yes, he's the one I was talking about." Ara squealed again, making Rena's ears droop.
"Rena! This can't be a coincidence! It must be some kind of message from God that you need someone." Ara had almost dropped her tray and was now steadying it.
"No, Ara, it's a sign I need to move away from Hamel and its big-ass spiders. Anyway, I wasn't paying attention so I ran into him, and I got all flustered and now I totally ruined his shirt, I'm so embarrassed my ears are probably bright red and now I just wish I hadn't offered to buy coffee." She quickly said, turning the same bright red.
"Whoa, whoa. Rena, it's all right. You are fine. Go sit down I will bring you your order, what was it?" Ara placed her hand on Rena's shoulder, calming her down slightly.
"Café au lait and an espresso with lots of cream." Ara nodded and smiled.
"I've got it, go calm down." The barista patted her shoulder before walking away.
Finding a table by the wall, Rena sat. She kept running scenarios of how this would go. She decided the most likely thing to happen was them sitting in an awkward silence as they drank and then "part as unlikely friends." When he came back she noticed his left arm. It was a very nice prosthetic, probably super expensive. It moved like a normal arm; she only knew it was there because she'd seen it before—or, rather, the space where it hadn't been.
"Hey." She almost shot out of her chair she was more paying attention to his arm than to him. He stifled a laugh. "A little jumpy today, are we? Afraid a giant spider is going to jump out at you?" he teased, taking a seat. Rena forgot her embarrassment, giggling.
"Thanks. Just that night was so strange. I'm not the only one who thinks that right? I mean, this doesn't just happen to you on a daily basis, right?" she asked, watching Ara buzz around. Raven chuckled.
"No, I mean there are some big-ass spiders in Hamel, but I've never had some elf ask me to deal with one." Rena smiled.
"I've never really known anyone with a prosthetic limb before. I'm a little curious…" She asked, resting her elbow on the table with her chin in her hand, awkwardly looking at his arm. Jeez, Rena, very tactful.
"Oh, like my arm, huh, yeah. It's a little strange, I guess. It's slightly cold when you first put it on." He hmmed. "Oh, when you first get a prosthetic limb, or something else, it's hard to put on by yourself. Friends, family, and health staff have to help you put it on. It's slightly awkward." He rubbed his arm.
"Really? Wow, that's interesting. Learn something new every day I guess." They sat in silence for a moment. Raven ran his hand through his hair.
"God, I must be really bad at first impressions," Raven nervously laughed. "I'm sorry, Rena. I'm not exactly good at talking to people." He smiled sadly. Rena smiled.
"Hey, I'm used to carrying conversations, I'm pretty used to it."
"Really? Why's that?" he asked as Ara brought their orders, giving her his almost smile.
"Thanks, Ara. I'm a professor at Queen Hamel University. I teach a dead languages class and do some extracurricular activities also." Rena took a sip of her espresso. Raven raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of activities?" Rena grinned.
"Archery. I teach the students who show up how to use a bow, but since they are college students, I have to be careful with a lot of things-though they are a lot better than high school students. They're pretty great kids, but one of them is so competitive, I'm afraid he'll either lose his eye or poke out someone else's," Rena exhaled a sigh. "I wish he would just chill." Raven chuckled.
"I'm sure at least half my teachers said that about me. I personally try to stay away from other people. I work in auto mechanics. I get to work with cars and avoid people." He drank some of his coffee. Rena smirked.
"It sounds like you're hiding away there! You should come to the movie night me and my friends do on Tuesday. You'd probably like my friends; they're a little strange though." Raven grimaced.
"I doubt it. We'll see though." He paused to look at his watch. "Damn! I have to go, Rena, it was nice to see you again, you know, subtract the whole coffee spilling incident." He stood up and helped her out of her chair.
"Thanks, I really needed this," she said, smiling. There was a comfortable silence as they walked out of the Coffee House together.
Well then, I suppose this is farewell.
~Away from the heat but through the Flames, get free!~