Of Coffee Shops and Table Tops

This is essentially written to introduce a new OC that has been in the works for a while. She came about purely by accident but since then, I've been developing her, back story and personality wise. I really love her because she's an adorable little munchkin, well...not little, as she is pretty tall, around 5'8''. . .

Anyway. . .

Ryou loved to visit the coffee shop right by the local university. He recently got a job as a professor's assistant in many of the upper level English courses they taught. After all, getting a degree from Oxford in Literature looked quite nice on a resume. The shop was in an older part of the city, where quaint shops lined the street, their windows hidden by the trees that stood out in front. It was away from the hustle and the bustle that was the center of town, where many of the sky scrapers loomed. He sipped at his tea, watching the people go to and fro. A notebook and pencils sat on the table next to him. To those who were casually watching, they would think that Ryou was working on schoolwork, but in actuality, he was working on a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. He was indoors, in one of the plush wooden chairs, content with life as he watched the rain trickle down the large windows.

The little brass bell rang with the opening of the door and Ryou stirred. The shop was popular yes, but it was not that busy this time of day nor year. Most people usually went to the local Starbucks a mile or so down the road, or the one on campus. He heard the furling and unfurling of an umbrella, as the owner shook off the errant raindrops.

From the corner of his eye Ryou watched the customer move from the entrance to the counter. They were clearly female, wearing a navy blue button down and khaki pencil skirt; a jean jacket was draped over one arm and a backpack was slung on her back by one shoulder. Ryou caught the glimpse of a metal cane on her right side, which would help explain the slight limp on that side. She wore a pair of pantyhose and she wore pale tan flats, leaving Ryou to assume that she had been caught unawares by the storm—but to be fair, it came in rather spontaneously anyway. He couldn't catch a glimpse of her face but he it was her hair that caught his attention. It was white, with almost a shimmering platinum sheen to it as it caught the lights of the cafe. It was long but wound in a tight bun, revealing the hint of a tattoo at the base of her neck.

"Good afternoon, Sara," the barista greeted her with a cheery wave. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"That's because this final semester has been draining my life away," she replied with a laugh. "I finally had a chance to take a break—I had a presentation today, thank the lord its done now—but then it started raining. Because its just my luck." There was a lilt to it that Ryou couldn't quite place; perhaps it was Scandinavian? It was faint, but there.

"So will it be the usual?" the barista asked and "Sara" nodded.

"That would be lovely."

Ryou could hear the ' bright and cheery ching' of the cash register and he fought the urge to see who exactly this "Sara" was; the gentle clack of her flats and cane followed shortly thereafter. And they were getting louder and closer.

"Is she sitting near me?" he wondered in a panic.

"Excuse me," her voice interrupted before Ryou's thoughts could spiral downwards on the precipice of panic. "But is anybody sitting here?"

Ryou looked up, only to find her gazing down at him, gesturing to the plush chair a few feet away. His mouth went dry. She was gorgeous, with very fair skin and high cheekbones. Her nose had a Romanesque quality to it, slightly crooked and endearing. Her lips were full and dark but it was her eyes that entranced him the most. They were a dark blue, violet around the edges of her irises.

"I uh. . .no I don't think so?"

"Thank you." she sat down, unzipping her bag and pulling out notebooks and pencils.

Ryou inwardly cursed himself. "Yes Ryou, that was a very smooth reply. Any better and you would be a real Casanova." He went back to his campaign, hoping to regain his focus but it proved to be futile. She was going to be a rather lovely distraction. He continued to write away in his spiral bound notebook, but every now and then, he would surreptitiously glance up, watching her work. She had an elegant profile, the highlights and shadows playing nicely across her flesh. Ryou caught the dark line of a scar at the hollow of her throat and a part of him wondered how she obtained it.

He watched her for a few moments, watching her work. She paused for a split second, those exotic eyes flitting over and locking with his brown ones. They stared at each other for a heartbeat. She broke it first, a shy smile playing on her lips, a pink flush crossing her cheeks. Ryou wasn't quite sure how to react. Did she think he was cute? He had women flirt unabashedly with him over the years, but pursuing a relationship didn't really cross his mind the whole time. But now he really wasn't quite sure what to do. Should he say something? Make a witty comment—he was quite good at those—what should he do?

Ryou chose to do nothing, going back to his work and observe the people running in the rain. In addition, the windows were beginning to reflect the scene inside, so he could continue to gawk at her. "Because that isn't creepy at all," he scolded himself. "Oh if the boys could see me now." he thought, thinking of Joey and Tristan. They would simply love this, practically shoving Ryou towards her in their attempts to "hook Ryou up", in their vernacular.

There was a clatter as something fell to the floor, followed by a faint curse in Spanish. Ryou felt something bump his shoe and he looked down at the pencil that had rolled across the tile floor. He leaned down to get it. "I think you dropped this." Ryou began, trying his damnedest to not stammer.

"Thank you. I can be rather clumsy at times," she laughed weakly.

"I have got to get her number," Ryou Bakura decided immediately. They were too far away to simply stretch across their respective chairs so Ryou left his, bridging the gap in two strides. He awkwardly handed her the pencil and she gratefully took it. He managed to get a glimpse at what she was working on and wanted to smile in glee. There at her table, was a copy of the Dungeons &Dragons Dungeonmaster's Guide, the 3.5 edition. Surely the fates were smiling down on him.

"So," Ryou began awkwardly. "I guess you come here frequently?" he asked.

"Quite a bit, although I haven't in a while because of school." she answered. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"I've only started to come here a few months ago," Ryou admitted. "I like it and its cheaper than the campus Starbucks."

"You have that right."

Ryou suddenly stuck out his hand. "My name is Ryou Bakura, but most people call me Ryou."

She took his hand and Ryou felt clammy and flushed. He prayed that his hands weren't sweaty. "I'm Sara. Sara Rodriguez. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to see—I mean, meet you too." His eyes flickered over to the books at her table. "you play?"

She nodded. "A lot. I'm working on a campaign right now."

"Really? I am too!" Ryou laughed. "Wow it's a small world!"

"That's really neat," she proclaimed, growing more animated. "It's not that often where you meet people who play. Well, I mean, you find them at all the game stores but. . ." she trailed off. "You know what I mean, right?"

"I get it."

She flashed him a smile. "So. . .are you just going to stand there awkwardly the whole time, or do you want to pull up your chair? I always love company."

Ryou dutifully obliged, pulling up the plush chair next to her, but not too close, so that he wouldn't appear rather, "stalker-ish".

"Ryou, huh?" Sara began, moving her books aside. "Like Rio de Jinero?" she joked, dancing a little in her chair.

"No, more like a Japanese name," he replied.

"You're Japanese?"

"Partly. Most of my family is British, but my father was half Japanese, so she got to name me."

"That's neat. With your accent, I bet you have all the geeky ladies at your side, thanks to Doctor Who." she said with a wink.

"Well I uh. . ." Ryou stammered. "I think she's flirting with me? How do I reply? Should I?"

"That would depend. Have you been to any conventions lately? You would be the most popular guy on the con floor."

"So you're suggesting I make a career out of exploiting my accent," he teased.

"I most certainly would," she smiled, propping her head on her hand. "I personally have a thing for accents." There was a glint in her eye that made Ryou want to sink into his chair never to be seen again, for he had died from a woman's flirtations.

"So," Ryou continued, "What sort of campaign are you working on?"

"I'm glad you asked-" and she launched into a conversation that Ryou was more than readily equipped to follow. He loved talking about these sort of things, but not very many opportunities sprang up to do so.

As they talked about D&D, Ryou realized that he had lost track of time. How long were they there? An hour? Two? Three? Ryou had no idea.

Suddenly, Sara glanced down at her cell phone. "Crap!" she hissed. "I am so late! I am really, really sorry Ryou, but I have to get going. I was meeting a friend to go over a test. Again, I'm really, really sorry!"

"No, no worries," Ryou offered, holding his hands up in a soothing gesture. "I perfectly understand."

"I had a super nice conversation. I don't get to talk about D&D often," Sara chuckled, gathering her things and jamming them into her pack. "Will you be around?"

"I usually am," Ryou answered.

"Then I guess I hope to see you around." She headed towards the door, but not before she peered over her shoulder, giving him a shy smile. "I really enjoyed meeting you."

"I enjoyed meeting you as well."

She gave him a faint wave and sharply exited.

Ryou let out a wistful sigh, dreamily staring out the window. "She's single, you know." Ryou was jolted from his thoughts, turning about to find the barista giving him a knowing smile.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Trust me," the worked offered. "I think Sara has the hots for you." she finished.

Ryou promptly decided that he would become one with the chair right then and there.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

His friends had called him 'a dork' and 'a romantic' for heading to that coffee shop nearly every day for those next four weeks. He went there for a couple of hours at a time, hoping that maybe she would be there, but she never showed, much to his disappointment. But if anything, he was persistent and even if she didn't show, he still got plenty of work done, whether it was grading papers, or working on campaigns. He knew that he shouldn't be so optimistic about these sort of things—they only happened in those cheesy romantic comedies Tea loved so much—but those sort of cheesy coincidences had to start somehow.

So, every time he heard that little bell on the door jingle, he would glance up from his work, hoping it was her that came walking through those doors.

It had been almost four weeks when he had last saw her, and Ryou was wondering if he would see her again at all.

Then again, there was the bright chime of the little bell and Ryou looked up from his book. His heart nearly palpitated itself right out of his chest.

It was Sara alright, but she looked completely different. She wore a gray hoodie and bright blue sweatpants, with her pack slung over one shoulder, her cane in hand. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she wore no makeup. Ryou didn't care though. He thought she was still quite captivating.

"It's been quite a while," the barista said to her.

"I blame my class," Sara said, fiddling with her ponytail. "But now I am free! I finished my last summer course and that Chemistry degree is mine!"

"High five! Your chai is on the house today, sister!"

Ryou glimpsed from the corner of his eye to find the two women laughing and talking animatedly. Then, the barista caught him watching and she leaned across the counter, whispering something in Sara's ear. Both of them giggled and Ryou thought, "Oh bullocks. She must think I'm a creepy stalker. Ryou you are an idiot and you have no idea how to socialize in the romantic sense. Go back to reading and pray that she doesn't come anywhere near here—oh bloody 'ell."

And there she was, walking over, tea and danish in one hand, to her chair. Ryou went back to his book, nonsensical prayers, half formed sentences, and inadequate responses all dancing in his head.

"Hi." It was Sara, waving shyly.

"I um, hi," Ryou practically squeaked. Were his yami here, he would have been slapped to no end for his sheer lack of social skills.

"I'm sorry I've haven't been around," Sara apologized. "My class was really busy and what not."

"No, that's fine," Ryou insisted. "I understand completely."

"The barista told me that you would come by almost everyday."

Ryou stiffened in fear, then slumping in defeating. "You must think I'm sort of creep then," he anxiously tightened the band of his ponytail, waiting for a response.

"No, actually. . ." Sara blushed, shuffling her left foot. "I um, I think it's kind of sweet."

Well, that wasn't the answer he was expecting.

"I—you do?"

Sara nodded. "I've never had anybody do that for me before. . ." she laughed weakly, a blush rapidly reaching her cheeks. "I must sound like some kind of dork."

"No, you don't sound like a dork at all!"

She looked as if she didn't believe him. She sat down in her chair, like she had done before, rummaging through her bag."Well, now that we have that out of the way, I was wondering, if you would like to sit next to me? I would enjoy some company. . ." she trailed off.

"I would like that very much." Ryou began to slide the plush chair closer, but it decided to be stubborn and hardly move. "Well, this is awkward," he remarked, standing up and pushing his chair across, Sara watching him all the while. Ryou had never felt so ungainly and clumsy in his entire life.

"No worries." Sara smiled. Sara caught the book on the chair. As Ryou sat back down, she asked. "So whatcha' reading?"

"Oh this? I am reading The Monk: A Romance. It's by a man named Matthew Gregory Lewis. Many consider it one of the most important novels of the Gothic genre and of it's era."

"Huh. That's really cool. I like to read, but I usually read more of the fantasy genre. I love the Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin myself."

"Oh those books! I've read those a while ago. I should read them again sometime soon."

"You should! I always find new things I haven't noticed before, every time I read them."

"Those are the best kinds of books."

Sara nodded in agreement and they spent the afternoon, leaning across the chairs talking animatedly about the various novels they had read. Ryou enjoyed watching her eyes light up as they discussed the merits of Bram Stoker and of the novella Carmilla—to be frank, Ryou was pleasantly surprised that somebody else had actually heard of the story.

After a while, the conversation began to die down, the outdoors growing darker with each passing minute. Ryou spoke first. He felt more comfortable around her, but only a little, she always found things to say to make him flush with embarrassment and to make him stammer a reply.

"Sara, I was wondering. . .and I hope I don't sound so. . .forward, but I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime? Like, a dinner or something?"

Her lips curved into a broad smile, those eyes of her lighting up. "I would love that, very much."

"You—you would?" Ryou's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes I would. A lot."

"Oh I um, well. . .let's do it!"

"Then, I guess we should exchange numbers then," Sara offered. "That way we don't spend the next few weeks trying to meet up again."

Ryou chuckled. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

"Here," Sara reached into her bag, pulling out a black ball-point pen. She clicked the tip and took his hand, scrawling her number on his palm. Ryou's hand seemed to burn on contact. "Unfortunately it's getting rather dark and I need to get back to my apartment. My critters will be pestering me all night."

"You have pets?"

Sara nodded. "Yep. Two cats and two ferrets. They're my babies."

"I do hope that one of those ferrets is named "Malfoy"."

"The Magical Bouncing Ferret? You bet I do," she winked as she leaned on the door frame. "Good night, and call me."

Ryou watched her leave, a wistful sigh leaving his lips. There was a snicker from the counter and Ryou turned around, watching the barista giggle.

"Well, I think you two make a cute couple," she offered, wiping down the counter. "Just saying."

Ryou huffed playfully, gathering his things, careful to not smudge her number on his hand. As he exited, he gave a little hop, pumping one fist in the air.

Coffee shops were the best.

And there we have the introduction of Sara Rodriguez, who would eventually become Ryou's paramour. Her design is sort of a lampshade on the OCs who are the incarnations of Kisara. There is nothing wrong with that, but I thought it would be a little fun to go the direct opposite of what would be expected. Yes, she does look a bit like Kisara, heck, her name is somewhat of a derivative of it, but she has no relation to her in any way. In the universe of Atlantis Rising, there is no possible way for Kisara to be reincarnated anyway. This does freak Seto Kaiba out somewhat because 'holy crap, isn't she supposed to be dead or something?'

So, a little bit of facts about her. She has a cane because when she was twelve and coming home from a science fair with her mom, a drunk driver plowed into their car, after running a red light. Sara got the brunt of the blow unfortunately. She suffered a broken pelvis and right leg, numerous cracked ribs and other injuries as a result. Because of this, she has two very long scars: one that goes down the center of her chest (emergency surgery to prevent any of the ribs from piercing vital organs and to reinflate her lungs) and one all the way down her right leg. She has a third, lesser scar on her lower left leg because they had to do a bone graft to repair her broken pelvis and hip joint. Years later she still has some problems with her leg and she has a perpetual limp. Some days its better than others, but she can't do things like wear heels. She's moved on from the incident, but she does have self esteem issues from the scars.

She is half Norwegian/half Finnish but shortly after she was born, her biological father skipped out on her and her mom and her mom married someone new, which is why she has the last name of Rodriguez.

Y'all get more information later on her, but I wanted to clear up some questions before we hit the next stage. Because this is the start of a mini-arc that will help set up events for later things that I shall not reveal quite yet.