Summary: It's a slow Saturday at the café, and Partitio is happy to see Osvald when he stops in, just like had every day since the grand opening. However, Osvald is visibly distressed this time, and Partitio wasn't going to let his favorite regular suffer without doing something to help him.
It had been two weeks since the grand opening of the café, and business was booming for Partitio. He had picked a location close to the university, so most of his customers consisted of students and professors in need of a caffeine boost or a quick lunch to fuel them as they engaged in their various academic pursuits.
True to his word, Osvald had stopped in every day since Partitio had ambushed him on the sidewalk and made him his very first customer. He always ordered the same thing: a large black coffee, and Partitio came to realize that it suited the prim-and-proper professor of chemistry. He was always dressed rather nicely, in sweaters or a vest under his fancy long coat. He had even stopped in on the weekend briefly while running errands, and Partitio jokingly liked to think that Osvald was really taking his title as a regular seriously.
A smile crossed Partitio's face as he wiped down the counter and gazed around the café, the only two customers occupying a table by the window. It was mid-afternoon on a Saturday, and a slow one at that. He attributed that to it being a warm, sunny day, and he figured that most people were enjoying some outdoor activities. His mind wandered, and Partitio wondered if he would see Osvald today…
"I've got a large americano for Primrose, and a large pumpkin spice latte for Alfyn!" Partitio called out as he set the drinks on the counter. The man sitting at the table by the window got up and approached Partitio with a bright smile on his face.
"Great, thanks!" the man said, taking the drinks, but not before placing a few dollars into the tip jar.
"Thankee kindly, sir! Have a great day!" Partitio waved as the man went back to his table and gave the americano to the woman, who giggled and placed a kiss on his cheek, which brought a smile to Partitio's face. Perking up when the bell over the door chimed as someone entered the café, Partitio beamed when Osvald stepped inside.
"Howdy Mr. Osvald! How're you today-" Partitio started, but he cut himself off when he saw the look on Osvald's face. He looked sadder than a dog without a bone, to put it very lightly, with the way his shoulders slumped and his lips were set in a deep frown. Partitio's face fell when Osvald said nothing as he approached the counter.
"The usual…please." Osvald's voice was quiet when he finally did speak, and Partitio just nodded in response as he prepared his order, taking note of the dark bags that sat under Osvald's eyes; did he not sleep at all last night? Osvald paid and when Partitio set his drink on the counter, he said nothing when he took it and went to sit at a table in the back of the café.
"Hoo-boy, what in tarnation happened?" Partitio muttered to himself. He drummed his fingers on the counter for a moment, before he turned his head and called out towards the back room.
"Hey, Ochette? I'm gonna take my break, can you man the front?"
Ochette, another of Partitio's employees who also happened to be his roommate, bounced her way into the room and nodded vigorously, the fox ears on the hood of her sweatshirt bobbing with the movement.
"Sure thing, Parti! I just finished making the soup, and boy is it tasty!" Partitio laughed when Ochette licked her lips, and he hung up his apron as he moved out from behind the counter.
"Thankee kindly! I'll be back in 30. I'll try some o' that soup when I get back."
"Got it!"
Partitio smiled as she took care of the customer that had just walked in, but that smile quickly faded into a worried frown when he looked at the table where Osvald sat, not with a book in his hand as usual, but he was instead staring down at his coffee with such intensity that Partitio thought he might burn a hole through it.
"Hey, Osvald?" Partitio said when he took the empty seat across from him. Osvald's eyes narrowed as he looked at him over his glasses, but he said nothing, so Partitio continued: "Are you…okay? You seem mighty distressed today."
Osvald grunted and tightened his grip on his mug. Partitio felt sweat bead on the back of his neck; maybe this wasn't a good idea. He hadn't known Osvald for very long, so he was probably overstepping, but Partitio wasn't one to sit idly by when someone was in need of help.
"...It's my daughter," Osvald finally said after a long pause. Partitio cocked his head to one side; he had never mentioned his daughter before.
"Is she okay? Ah, sorry, you don't have to answer if it's too personal…" Partitio said quickly, and he was starting to regret coming over here in the first place.
"...'s fine." Osvald let out a long sigh, averting his gaze as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "It…might help if I talk through it with someone." Partitio nodded as Osvald looked back at him, and the sadness that Partitio saw in his eyes made his heart hurt.
"Five years ago, I was living in Conning Creek with my wife, Rita, and daughter, Elena," Osvald said, "I was leading a research team studying water samples there. One of the members of my team had an…unhealthy obsession with surpassing me, to put it lightly."
From the way that Osvald's face darkened as he bit his bottom lip, Partitio had a feeling that this wasn't going to be a happy story, and that was confirmed when Osvald continued with watery eyes:
"I guess this jealousy of his peaked one night, and he set fire to my house while I was away on a business trip…My wife did not survive."
Partitio was glad that he hadn't gotten himself a drink, because he would have choked on it, as horrified as he was at Osvald's words. His throat tightened up when a single tear fell down Osvald's face, and Partitio barely resisted the urge to reach out and wipe it away.
"Elena was caught in the fire as well, but the firefighters were able to save her with minimal physical damage. The emotional and mental toll, however…" Osvald's hands had started shaking against the table, and Partitio couldn't stop himself this time, and he reached out to take them in his own.
"T-The trauma caused her to lose much of her memory, and she suffers from night terrors. She has shown improvement in the years since, but she still has a long way to go."
"Osvald…" Partitio sniffed as he shed a few tears of his own, and he rubbed his arm over his face to wipe them away as he gave Osvald's hand a squeeze. "I'm…so sorry that happened to you…I hope the bastard that did such a horrific thing got what he deserved."
"He…almost didn't…" Osvald said, his voice soft, and Partitio's eyes went wide, "Harvey…he framed me for everything, and I had to fight an uphill battle to prove my innocence."
"I was fortunate when a private investigator, Temenos Mistral, took an interest in my case and managed to find evidence to convict Harvey."
Partitio recognized the name of that private investigator; he had seen it on a few billboards advertising his services on the road between New Delsta and Oresrush, and he recalled passing by the location of his practice somewhere in the city.
"Even though he had proved my innocence and Harvey was convicted, the damage to my reputation had been done. I was forced to move with Elena, and we spent some time in Montwise, my hometown. It did not help."
"My parents were the ones to suggest that I move here to New Delsta. They also live here, and have been helping me take care of Elena. I was lucky that the university was in need of another chemistry professor. My parents also happened to know of a doctor that specializes in memory loss, so I was able to get Elena in to see her, and that has helped considerably."
"Even so…" Osvald's hand slipped from Partitio's and he took a long drink of his coffee. "Some nights are harder than others. Last night, for example. Elena started screaming in her sleep, and when I tried waking her up she almost took my eye out. I spent the rest of the night comforting her."
Partitio examined Osvald's face more closely, and he realized that the bags under his right eye were darker than his left; that must be where Elena had hit him.
"Shoot…" Partitio said, rubbing awkwardly at his arm, "You…You didn't have to tell me all that, you know…It must be painful to recall those memories."
"...Yes, however…" Osvald studied Partitio over his glasses with narrowed eyes, and Partitio felt his face heat up, "I find you very…easy to talk to, Partitio. You are a good listener."
"Ah, well, thanks," Partitio said, and his heart started to race when Osvald offered him a small smile; had it always been this…beautiful?
Partitio cleared his throat and decided to not ponder the implications of this train of thought at this time. He instead quickly stood up and rushed to the counter, beckoning Ochette over and whispering into her ear. She grinned and scurried into the back, and Partitio stole a glance back at Osvald, who was looking at him curiously with an eyebrow raised. Partitio shot him a wink, and Ochette returned with two steaming bowls of soup.
"Thanks Ochette, put them on my tab."
"Hehe, you got it!"
Partitio chuckled and he went back to Osvald, placing both bowls onto the table as he sat back down. "Here! Ochette just finished making it, so it's as fresh as it can get!"
Osvald blinked slowly as he stared down at his bowl. "This is…chicken noodle soup?" He turned his gaze back to Partitio, who nodded eagerly.
"Sure is! Whenever I'm down in the dumps, a nice hot bowl of soup always seems to help cheer me up."
"...I see."
Partitio smiled, maybe a bit too fondly, as he watched Osvald take his first taste of soup. His heart skipped a beat when Osvald's eyes went wide and a smile slowly spread across his face.
"It's…good. Really good."
"Glad you think so!" Partitio said, confirming it for himself when he took a bite; he was glad that he had taken Ochette's suggestion of expanding the café's menu to include soup to heart.
They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying their soup and each other's company. Partitio was happy to see that Osvald's mood had improved considerably, but his heart sank as his thoughts wandered to what Osvald had told him about his past. He couldn't imagine losing a loved one in such a horrific way, and Partitio really wanted to do all that he could to bring a little sweetness into Osvald's life.
"Hey, Osvald?" Partitio said when they had finished their meal, "I just want you to know, if you're ever feeling down again, you can always come by and I'll try my damnedest to put a smile on your face!"
Osvald chuckled as he adjusted his glasses. "That is very kind of you to offer."
Partitio grinned and flicked up the brim of his hat. "Hehe, well, as our motto says: A bit o' sweetness helps everythin' along. As in coffee, as in life!"
"I can't say that I agree with the coffee part, but…" Osvald said as they both stood up. He hummed and rubbed his chin, giving Partitio a once-over before continuing: "You seem to have an abundance of sweetness that I have not seen contained in one person before."
"Er, r-really?"
"Yes. You truly are one of a kind, Partitio."
Partitio's jaw dropped as his face flushed a bright red, and he stood frozen in place as Osvald took their dishes up to the counter before returning to him. "I need to get going. Thank you again, for everything."
Partitio could only nod slightly as Osvald left the shop, and when he finally managed to move his arm, he plucked his hat from his head so that he could wipe the sweat from his hairline. Hoo-eey, Osvald really had him feeling some type of way…
"Yoo-hoo! Parti, your face is gonna get stuck like that!"
Ochette's voice pulled Partitio out of his stupor, and he snapped his jaw shut as he turned to see her leaning over the counter, grinning while wagging her eyebrows at him. "Hehe, also your break ended, like, a half hour ago, silly!"
"Shit!" Partitio cursed as his head jerked towards the clock, and he rushed back behind the counter, plucking his apron off the hook, "Why didn't you tell me, Ochette?!"
Ochette shrugged before stretching her arms over her head and swaying back and forth. "Oh, I didn't want to interrupt your serious conversation with Pops."
"Pops?"
"Oh, he's one of my professors! He loves it when I call him that!"
Partitio raised an eyebrow at her as she giggled; he did not believe that for one second. Their conversation ground to a halt when a large group of people entered the café, and Partitio got lost in the rhythm of his work. However busy he was, Osvald still managed to linger at the back of his mind, and Partitio might have just figured out exactly why.
Uh-oh…