Golden Thorns: chapter 29
Ugh. This was going to make his life difficult. If he didn't have ammunition then he was going to be at a significant disadvantage in sparring matches. Oh well, it was probably good that he learned not to rely on fire power in a fight. He keyed in his teams group message and checked in.
"I'm six minutes out" from Dev
"Once again, we've been here all day. Already have your orders placed"
"Thanks Jo, be there in two."
'The coffee shop' was exactly what it sounded like. A little café that sold caffeine-based liquid energy to the masses. It also happened to sell the best milkshakes in Vale. This had caused it to become one of SOUL's favourite haunts while they were in the town. It was situated on the corner of a block just off one of the main boulevards which gave it a degree of privacy that the chain cafes on the main street so desperately lacked. Not only this, but 'the coffee shop' also happened to sell decent clothing for relatively low prices. It was frequented by many of the older students of beacon, who were becoming more independent and having to pay for their stuff with their own money.
Coran approached the clean, wooden façade of the building with a disconsolate huff. He was going to need a double sized shake if he was to recover from his disappointment at the dust shop. He entered the shop and looked for his friends. Jo and Marie were sitting at a window table, chattering excitedly about the contents of the bags at their feet. A pair of tall glasses were on the table, the sugary drinks already half-consumed. The one closest to Jo contained what looked like strawberry and Marie had gone for her favourite: vanilla. Marie shushed Jo hurriedly and turned to face him.
"Hello Coran." Her grin lifted his mood a fraction
"What's with the secrecy?" he asked
"That's for you to find out in a couple of days." Jo said conspiratorially.
"Dresses for the dance, then" he replied
"Oh, you're on the ball today Silverthorne." She countered sarcastically.
"Did you get what you needed" Marie asked, extracting them from their contest of wits and humour.
"No. Dust has gotten ludicrously expensive. I thought I had enough for at least two mags but I couldn't even afford one. Apparently there have been issues with robberies."
"Well that sucks" Jo responded as a mint shake was set down on the table in front of Coran. He looked up to see a pretty waitress smiling at him.
"Thanks Jess." Being regulars at the coffee shop meant that they had gotten to know the staff relatively well. Jess was a pleasant girl, a couple of years older than them who was trying to earn a bit of money by working double shifts in the shop to pay rent.
"Doesn't sound like you guys had a very productive day." She said cheerily
"Not really. Running short on Lien at the minute."
"I know that feel. Tell you what, because I like you guys, I'll give you half off. But shh. Our secret, yeah?" she gave him a wink and wandered off back towards the kitchen just as a breathless Devlyn entered the building.
"Aww… you started without me." Jo looked at Marie. Marie looked at Jo. Jo spoke up.
"Now that you're both here, we can begin." This kind of statement coming from Jo was always cause for concern. Coran answered carefully.
"Begin what…"
"Suit shopping of course. You are not going to the dance dressed like you're from Vacuo or wherever."
Oh. Oh that's much worse.