Summary: Partitio is getting ready for the grand opening of his new café, and he ends up serving his very first customer a little earlier than he had anticipated.


"There, I reckon that's everything…"

Partitio dragged an arm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat, and he leaned on the handle of his boom as he gazed around his brand-spankin' new café. It seemed like it was yesterday that he was walking across the stage at his college graduation, happier than pig in mud as he accepted his diploma. Now, just over a year later, he was opening his very own café in the city where he got his business degree, New Delsta.

A lot had happened between now and then, including the retirement of Partitio's pops, which led to the rebranding of the coffee company from "Papp and Roque" to "Partitio and Roque." Roque was still running the main shop in Partitio's hometown of Oresrush, but Partitio didn't know how much longer his step father would be on the scene; his pops was always badgering him to join him in retirement.

Partitio was all-too-willing to take over the business to allow Roque to do just that, but he also knew that Roque wasn't just going to hand the entire company over to a greenhorn businessman like himself. Partitio was going to have to prove himself first, and he was determined to turn this humble little café into the most hoppin' coffee joint in town!

As he stowed away his cleaning supplies and swapped his yellow coat for an apron, something outside caught Partitio's eye. Someone was peeking in the window, with a curious look on his face as he tugged at his beard. Partitio beamed as he bounced to the door; it seemed like he was going to get his first customer a bit earlier than he had anticipated.

"Howdy there, friend!" Partitio said after he had swung the door open. The man jumped about a foot in the air and stared at Partitio like a deer in the headlights. When he recovered from the shock, the man straightened his posture as he fixed his askew glasses, and Partitio had to crane his neck to look him in the eye, which was unusual for someone as tall as Partitio was.

"Whoops, sorry! Didn't mean to startle ya." Partitio laughed as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder. The man glanced briefly at Partitio's hand before he cleared his throat and took a step back.

"It's quite alright, I should be going-"

"Wait!" Partitio beamed as he closed the distance between them again and placed both hands on the man's shoulders this time, "I saw you lookin' in my shop here, so you must have a hankerin' for a drink, am I right?"

"Er, well, the prospect of a new coffee shop opening up did intrigue me, I must admit," the man said, rubbing his chin as he looked at Partitio over his glasses, "but it looks like you're not open yet."

Partitio glanced behind him at the 'Closed' sign in the window, and he shrugged. "That's fine! I think I can make a special exception for my very first customer! C'mon!" Partitio backed into the door until it was open, and he waved a hand in front of him as he shot the man a wink. The man hesitated a moment, before he stepped into the shop and Partitio closed the door behind him. He then rushed behind the counter and spread his arms wide.

"Welcome to the New Delsta branch of Partitio and Roque Coffee Company! What can I getcha, sir?" Partitio was practically shaking with excitement as the man approached the counter, humming as he gazed around the shop with a curious glint in his eyes. Partitio tried not to be too obvious as he sized him up. The man was taller than him, which was not something that Partitio ran into very often. He was pretty dressed up; he wore a vest and slacks under a trench coat, and his long, gorgeous hair was neatly tied up under a fancy top hat. If Partitio had to guess, he would say that this man was some sort of fancy businessman or maybe a lawyer, and the briefcase that he carried made Partitio think that one of those guesses must be right.

Leaning against the counter, Partitio waited patiently as the man scanned the menu that spanned the wall behind the counter, and he couldn't wait to see what kind of complex drink he would have to make for his first order. Hopefully it would be something nice and challenging-

"I'll have a large black coffee, please."

"Huh?" Partitio straightened up as he blinked slowly and cocked his head to one side. "That's it?"

"Yes?"

Partitio recovered from his surprised state, and he laughed as he shot the man a wink before he turned to the coffee pot. A plain ol' black coffee, huh? Maybe he should have expected that from a man so sophisticated-looking that he might as well have walked right out of a high-profile court case and stumbled into his quaint little café.

"Well shoot, I thought my first drink order would be a bit more of a challenge. I think you're just goin' easy on me."

"Not at all," the man said, adjusting his glasses as Partitio glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "The way I see it, the more bitter, the better."

Partitio winced as he filled a mug and set in on the counter. Black coffee was really not his own cup of tea, but to each their own. "Well, I take mine with plenty o' milk."

"That's absurd." The man's face scrunched up and he shook his head, and Partitio raised an eyebrow as he continued: "Milk blunts the bitterness from the beans…the very bitterness that stimulates the mind." He seemed totally serious, and Partitio found his enthusiasm on the subject of coffee to be rather…alluring, even if he himself disagreed.

"We'll have to agree to disagree there, Mr…?"

"Osvald."

"Well, pleasure to meet you, Mr. Osvald! The name's Partitio, and thankee kindly for bein' my very first customer!" Partitio beamed at him, and an idea came to mind, so he quickly ducked behind the pastry case.

"As an added thanks, have a coffee cake on the house!"

"You don't have to-"

"I want to." Partitio chuckled as he held out the plate, tipping his hat at Osvald. "C'mon, take it!"

"...Thank you," Osvald said after a long pause, and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at Partitio over his glasses, "But I'd like you to share it with me."

Partitio's eyes went wide at that, and he stole a glance at the clock. He still had 45 minutes until he had to open shop for real, and he had done all of the prep work already, so he gave Osvald a firm nod.

"Sure thing, friend! Let me make myself a drink first so I can join you proper." After Osvald had paid for his coffee, Partitio quickly poured himself a cup before adding a generous amount of milk. The way that Osvald's brow furrowed and lips pursed did not go unnoticed, and Partitio couldn't help but snicker.

Partitio moved out from behind the counter, and they sat at one of the two-person tables. Osvald placed the plate between them, and Partitio wasted no time in splitting the cake evenly in half. He watched with bated breath as Osvald lifted his mug to his lips and took a sip of his piping hot coffee.

"This tastes…fantastic," Osvald said as a smile crossed his face for the first time, and the beautiful sight gave Partitio pause. He felt his cheeks start to heat up, so he quickly blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Er, so…You mentioned 'stimulating the mind' back there, are you some kind of scientist or…?" Partitio had been so sure that he was a businessman or lawyer, but that comment from Osvald made Partitio think that he might be in a more academically-inclined career.

Osvald shrugged as he took a bite of the coffee cake, letting out a pleased hum. "You're not far off. I actually teach chemistry at Solestia University. I moved here at the end of the previous school year, so this coming semester will be my first."

Ah, so he was a professor! Partitio was kinda bummed that he had already graduated; Osvald seemed like he would be a very interesting teacher…not that Partitio would have needed to take a chemistry class in the first place, but having Osvald as a teacher might have incentivized him to take it as an elective.

"Well shoot, I just missed ya then!" Partitio laughed and took a sip of his drink. "I graduated last year with a business degree."

"And you already own your own shop? Impressive."

Partitio shrugged before scratching at his chin. "Well, I did have a head start. My pops and step dad started this company in my hometown. I'm just running this new branch here in New Delsta."

"Still, if they trust you enough to run your own shop, then they must have complete confidence in your business sense and skills."

"Aw shucks, you're gonna make me blush here." Partitio joked, but he did feel his cheeks heat up ever-so-slightly. Osvald was a rather charming man, but he seemed oblivious to the fact, and Partitio watched as Osvald finished off his coffee and his cake shortly after.

"Thank you, Partitio. Your coffee is truly a step above the rest, and the cake is rather delicious as well."

"Thankee kindly!" Partitio's heart swelled with pride as a toothy grin crossed his face. "I'll admit, I was pretty nervous this morning, but you've been the best first customer, and I reckon that I can take on the entire day now, no sweat!"

Osvald chuckled as he folded his hands in front of him, giving Partitio a once-over. "Well, you certainly fooled me. I didn't detect even the slightest bit of nervousness from you."

Partitio decided to not tell Osvald that he had dropped his boom five times while cleaning because his palms had been sweating so badly, nor that he had been freaking out in the group chat with his roommates ever since he got to the shop. Instead, he took the empty dishes up to the counter and returned to the table with two fresh mugs of coffee.

As they sipped on their drinks, which were on opposite ends of the spectrum of coffee colors, Partitio rambled about his time at the university and suggested places around town for Osvald to check out, while Osvald listened, quiet and attentive. After their mugs had emptied once again, Osvald glanced at his watch and stood up.

"Ah, I need to get going. I still have to review my lecture notes before class," he said, and Partitio nodded as he stood as well.

"And I've gotta get ready to open shop!" Partitio looked at the clock on the wall and saw that he had 15 minutes until the shop opened for business. He walked Osvald to the door and opened it for him, and he held out his free hand.

"Thankee kindly, Osvald, for being my very first customer!" Partitio beamed when Osvald smiled and took his hand, giving it a firm shake.

"I should be thanking you, Partitio," Osvald said, his eyes locking with Partitio's over his glasses, causing Partitio's cheeks to flush pink. Golly, Osvald sure was attractive, and Partitio swallowed thickly as he tugged at his collar.

"...For helping me find a new coffee shop to frequent."

"Does that mean that I'll see you tomorrow?" Partitio blurted out without thinking, and his face flushed fully when Osvald nodded and tipped his hat.

"I believe so," Osvald said as he started walking down the sidewalk, and Partitio stared at him as he paused and glanced over his shoulder, "Good luck with the rest of your opening day, and thank you again for the delicious coffee."

Partitio's heart raced as Osvald turned and walked away, and a huge smile slowly spread across Partitio's face as he waved vigorously at him.

"Thankee kindly, Osvald! Have a good day, and see you tomorrow!"

Partitio watched him go, and an odd, warm and fuzzy feeling settled in his gut. Osvald seemed like a mighty fine person, and Partitio was looking forward to calling him one of his regulars.

"Oh no! Am I late?"

Partitio turned to see Agnea, one of his roommates and his very first employee, running up the sidewalk, and he grinned when she stopped in front of him, breathing heavily.

"Mornin', Agnea!" Partitio said, chuckling at the panicked look on her face, "Don'tcha worry, we're not open quite yet!"

Agnea let out a deep sigh. "Oh good! I saw that man leavin' and thought I missed the grand opening, and being late on my first day wouldn't look good at all." She raised an eyebrow at Partitio and placed her hands on her hips. "Who was that, anyway?"

"Oh, just my very first customer! He was hangin' out here takin' a look through the window, so I let him in early."

"Oh wow! How'd that go?"

Partitio filled Agnea in on his encounter with Osvald as they went inside and prepared for the grand opening. Soon enough, Partitio had flipped the 'Closed' sign to 'Open,' and got lost in the rhythm of running the café, but one thought managed to stay in the back of his mind: Partitio couldn't wait to tell Osvald - his very first customer and self-proclaimed regular - all about the grand opening of Partitio and Roque Coffee Co.