One Week
[Continuous Series, 12 Days of Christmas 2014]
Day One
Vriska sat down, opening her laptop and cracking her knuckles. No time like the present. Don't put things off. Carpe diem.
" " sat near empty, the white page marred only by "My Winter Assignment" in size 11 Calibri.
"This is so fucking stupid," she growled. She typed some hateful things about her lit professor before deleting it and sitting back, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Hello," a voice came, snapping Vriska back to reality. "Sorry if I disturbed you." A quick glance showed this green-eyed girl bore the apron of one of the baristas in the local coffee shop. "Can I take your order?"
"Iced caramel mocha with whipped cream," Vriska sighed, looking outside at the clouding skies. "For the road."
"One moment," the girl replied, scurrying off. Weird girl. She returned with the drink a few minutes later and Vriska slipped out to catch the bus.
Day 2
"One paragraph done," Vriska scowled. "Stupid assignment."
"Hello." She looked to see the same barista from the day before.
"Oh. Hey it's you."
"Kanaya," the girl smiled.
"Right. Same as yesterday – iced caramel mocha with whipped cream." She rushed off to fill the order and Vriska watched as she worked. She scowled. Stuck up girl probably only working here because she "found it before anyone else did". Fucking hipsters. And the fake nice thing was really starting to irk her too.
"Here you are," Kanaya said as Vriska took the drink.
"Thanks," she said flatly, turning away and pretending to type.
Day 3
Vriska stepped in and paused at seeing Kanaya. Did that poser ever NOT work? She wasdebating leaving when the barista called out, "Oh, hello! Take a seat and I'll be with you shortly." Damn. Caught.
She sighed and slunk to her seat, barely having opened the laptop when Kanaya appeared.
"Hello," she said with her usual cheeriness. "Same as before?"
"Yup. Iced caramel latte with whipped cream." Kanaya paused in the midst of writing down the order.
"You mean mocha?" Look at that, Vriska thought. So the broad isn't braindead.
"Yeah, sorry."
"And what name?"
"Huh?"
"For the cup. We have to call out your name, we're sort of busy so you'll have to come get it."
"V-Vriska," she replied, caught off guard.
"Alright, Vriska, it will be right out." She hadn't wanted to give her name, maybe she had hoped to stay anonymous, but this girl coaxed it out of her. Definitely not braindead. In fact, Vriska felt almost… threatened. This girl was TOO good. Like the last one.
"Here you-"
"Thanks," Vriska snapped, snatching the coffee up and storming off into the snow.
Day 6
Despite the dreary cloudiness, Vriska had on a pair of oversized sunglasses and her hair up in a bun, rather than wearing it down. She kept her gaze turned down as she took her sat, pulling out her laptop and opening the file. She would just keep a low profile and-
"Hello, Vriska. The usual?" She looked up with a scowl, into Kanaya's surprised face. "S-sorry-"
"Why are you being so nice?!" she demanded.
"What… do you mean?"
"You bring me drinks-"
"I am a barista…"
"-you learned my name-!"
"You're a regular…"
"It's awful! Stop toying with me!" Vriska shouted. Kanaya paused, face scrunched up as she retreated to the counter, taking off her apron and rushing out into the beginning flurries. The bespectacled barista watched her go, then sauntered up to the table.
"Tho what did you thay to her?" he lisped.
"I asked her why she was being so nice! It's creepy!"
"She wath NITHE to you?" he asked, taken aback. "She'th never nithe to anyone."
"Yeah, right! It was a dig at me!"
"Wait. Are you Vrithka?"
"…why?"
"Are you fuckin' theriouth? You're the girl she'th been hitting on?"
"H-hitting?" The barista sighed, shaking his head.
"Are you going to talk her down or do I have to?"
"I'll… I can do it."
"You'll have to come back tomorrow," he said, scratching his chin. "I can make thure she cometh in. It'th her day off but I'll wing it. Be here." She sighed as he walked away, banging her fist into her head.
Day 7
Vriska took a deep breath and pushed inside, set her things in a booth and rushing up to the counter, an open-mouthed Kanaya waiting.
"You. Come sit."
"But- I'm on the clock-" She looked to the other barista for assistance.
"Not anymore. Go thit." Kanaya shot him a smoldering glare but obliged, sitting across from Vriska, posture rigid.
"Now Vriska, what is this ab-"
"I like you," Vriska stammered, eyes down. "And. Im sorry about yesterday. I think you're pretty and I was hurt before and… I don't trust nice. I thought it was a game. I thought you were just… playing me."
"I've been hurt too," Kanaya said softly, and the two fell silent. "Bitch," she whispered. Vriska's head snapped up to see a smiling Kanaya. "You don't trust nice, right?" Vriska sighed in relief, shaking her head and grinning.
"You're a jerk," Vriska replied.
"Good. We can… 'hate-date', or something."
"So we're dating now?" Vriska winked.
"I-I-" Kanaya blushed.
"Hey," Vriska said with a grin. "It's cool. Slow as you wanna take it. Maybe slower. I'm pretty broken still."
"Me too," Kanaya chuckled. "maybe friends for now."
"Deal," Vriska replied, hand out as Kanaya tentatively shook it.
"Deal."