The Little Cafe on the Corner [CitrillicxKveria]

[Citrillic]

Today was the day.

The day that Moe finally built up enough self-confidence to take another step in life and ask somebody out. Who was this person that had caught this freckle-faced cutie's attention? None other than his coworker and manager of a sweet little cafe whom he has worked for for a few long years now. At first he just wanted to keep his work completely separate from his personal life, needing the money for some financial situations he was in, but as the memory-filled years went on by, Moe found himself looking more and more in his direction, wondering whether or not he was good enough. Considering they were friends for a while now, even if he were to fail (which, like anyone, hopes he won't) he would be fine with remaining good friends. However, it was now or never if he wanted to find out the answer to his inquiries.

Moe took his time in the morning before heading into work, making sure every last detail was perfect. He usually didn't care much about his appearence, but it would not hurt to care for one day, right? He glanced at himself in the mirror before heading out, making sure none of his curly hair was sticking out in weird directions or that there was nothing on his face or his clothes. Today he chose one of his favorite outfits, a yellow sweater that had light pastel stripes of blue, yellow, and black running across the width and then dark brown khaki's that he rolled up a little at the feet. He wasn't super stylish, but he was going to have to put on his work apron on later so it didn't matter too much. So with everything in check, he slipped into his nice brown dress shoes and walked out the door, an eager smile on his face.

Luckily his flat wasn't too far from the cafe itself, so he didn't really have to walk long and that mean the could get there early to get some of the morning opening stuff out of the way before Rin were to show up. He got his spare keys out to unlock the door and reocked the door once he was inside. He wasn't sure if Rin was in yet or not, but he decided to go about his normal routine to make it seem less like he was planning something. Moe walked into the break room, putting on his apron before slipping away into the kitchen to begin making some small cakes and other bakery sweets for the morning, the cafe quickly smelling of the sugary batters. So far, off to a good start. As Moe worked, as usual, he started to whistle to pass time, every so often looking at the front door to see if Rin would enter or not.

 

[Kveria]

Rin had a routine. He awoke at six in the morning, and pulled his beautiful dyed golden hair into a ponytail so he could go for a jog while the air was still crisp and cool. He returned home, showered, then towel-dried and let his hair air dry after brushing it flat so it didn't get all poofy, applied generous amounts of Madagascar vanilla bean-scented lotion, then had a balanced breakfast containing a fruit, a tiny portion of meat, and a bowl of rice as per his Japanese heritage. From there, it was straight to the cafe to put the in-house made breads into the oven from where they'd been proofing overnight under damp towels. Then he checked his emails, checked stock, scribbled down the things that were just over half empty and then walked to the supermarket which was only two blocks from there in the quiet, friendly neighbourhood.

By the time he had returned, unlocking the front door and slipping inside with an armload of bags, the cafe was filled with the scent of baking bread which he happily filled his lungs with before reluctantly releasing it in a self-satisfied sigh. Ah yes, Rin was the mastermind behind this entire cafe, inspired by some of those he'd been to with his family before. They served all manner of in-house made sweets and parfaits, along with sandwiches and hot beverages. Their cake and coffee were especially delicious—probably the best in the city, no! The world! This was a thought that brought a huge grin to Rin's full pink lips and he took another deep breath in through his nose.

Only... this time there was something else.

He was on his way into the kitchen when he noticed it, the scent of their signature cake hanging in the air just under the bread. In one way or another, he expected that one of the employees had come in early, but he still nearly dropped his groceries with a squeak of surprise when he rounded the corner and saw Moe standing at the counter with his apron on, working away whistling out a jubilant tune. He wasn't sure how he didn't hear it before. Maybe it was because he was so caught up in his own success, or when he'd paused briefly to look at himself in the mirror behind the rustic cherry wood bar that he'd had imported to go with the rest of the cozy yet still fashionable and functional semi-Victorian era theme he was trying to achieve. He felt that it brought a sort of class that went not only with his Princely good looks, but also made it easy for people who couldn't necessarily afford to have gourmet all the time feel as if they were loved as well. Which they were. Rin appreciated all his guests and his staff, and was one of the only owners in the area known to go out and wait tables even on slow days.

"Oh, Moe. You scared me half to death!" He set the bags down on the counter and came up behind the redhead to scoop some batter off the side of one of the bowls, his chest just brushing Moe's before he stood up straight and licked the sweet substance away. "It's better than usual; you must be in a good mood." With that, the princely figure sashayed off to find his apron, wash his hands, and gather some things to start on a batch of German chocolate cupcakes; however before he could start, he had to check his reflection in the bowl, just to make sure his hair didn't look too silly all wrapped up in a bun with a hairnet over top. These were precautions one needed to take when their hair was long enough to brush the small of their back when left down; there was always a price for being beautiful—hairnets, long skin-ruining showers, enormous amounts of shampoo and conditioner... and the worst of them all, the devil among devils. The very beginning of black roots showing at his scalp. With a scoff and a pout, he began to mix the memorised amounts and made a mental note to call his hairdresser as soon as he was finished. This was absolutely not acceptable.

 

[Citrillic]

(Sorry for late-ish response, caught a bad fever....)

Moe was in the midst of working when he heard something drop. However, he didn't think much of it until he spotted Rin appear in the kitchen with a look that said it all. Moe gave a small chuckle and looked back to the batter he was making. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, just thought'd I'd lesson some of the work and come in early..." He rambled on, pausing when he felt Rin brush up against him to taste the batter out of one of the bowls. Moe playfully waved his hand away, rolling his eyes. "What are you talking about? Aren't my cakes always good? I mean, I guess I am in a good mood..." He most certainly was in a good mood, more than he usually was. Speaking of good mood.... Moe now was losing a bit of focus on his task as he glanced over to Rin, watching the oddball checking himself out in the bowls. There really wasn't any good way to look in a hairnet, but Rin seemed much too into his looks. In Moe's point of view, Rin had really nothing at all to worry about when it came to how he looked (it wasn't just his funny personality that caught Moe's attention anyways).

Eventually he snapped back to reality, looking at the now ready-to-bake batter in the bowl. He knew he had a mission other than to make these cakes, but it was a lot harder to approach the subject than Moe originally anticipated. So as Moe began preparing some cake tins with flour, he started to nervously chew at his lips. What would be the best way to announce that you like someone? Be direct? Just drop hints? Moe wasn't sure how much of what he would say would just sound like compliments to the body-conscious Rin. Perhaps he was over thinking it? Either way, he wasn't going to get anywhere without doing anything. Moe filled the cake tins with the batter, slipping them away into the ovens to bake and then tried to wipe away some of the flour off of his face with his flour-coated hands. He stared at the oven for a long while before finally looking back over to the busy Rin. Then, with a deep breath, Moe finally approached Rin...

"Say Rin..." Moe trailed off, trying to piece his sentences together as he said them. "Out of curiosity, what do you think of me?" Moe leaned up against the counter besides Rin, watching what he was doing, but his mind was elsewhere.

 

[Kveria]

(That's alright. Feel better soon~ <3 )

"What do I think of you?" Rin mused with a small smile playing about his lovely mouth. He kept emerald green eyes trained on the task at hand as he took the time to think about it. Moe had worked at the cafe for sometime now, out-living most of the other staff members except for the two waiters who had been with him since he'd first opened the place and was baking everything himself. "Well, I think you're dedicated and talented, you picked up everything I taught you rather quickly which I appreciate...." That smile fell and Rin touched a manicured French tip to his chin as he looked up and away in thought, then continued with a light-hearted joking manner. "You could probably stand to call me Prince a little more. When I lived in Japan, I was an idol, did you know? I modelled in my teens and in my earlier twenties I was part of a band called Kanojo no Amai Yume; which means 'Her Sweet Dream'. Back then, I was almost always called Rin-oujisama, or sometimes just Ouji-sama, which means Prince. I liked it so much that I adopted it; after all, it fits so perfectly, doesn't it?"

The blonde reminisced on his life in Japan, thinking back to how his band split up and he decided to quit modelling to become a patissiere. It was hard after that, especially because he'd lived and worked in Shibuya and couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a girl who wanted a picture or an autograph or asked him to sing a part of a song for them.... It got to be too much. He and his roommate and childhood friend decided to pack up and move abroad. Both of them had been more than proficient in their high school English courses and continued studying it into university. Of course, they were less than substandard upon moving to a new country to start fresh, but Rin had made it to the point where the only noticeable giveaways in his speech were pronouncing his Ls and Rs ambiguously, pronouncing his S's as Tsu's, or his Zs with a hint of a D in there.... Dzebra. That was always a fun one, and his employees like to pick fun at him because of it. At least he'd put a cap on turning Ns in the middle of words into Ms. That had been a struggle.

He thought back to how the money he'd made as an idol had helped him open this cafe and maintain it, and that made his frown deepen into something a little more real. "Moe, would you mind listening to something for me...? A secret. I trust you, and I need to get this off my chest." He paused for a moment, stirring the cupcake batter languidly. His eyes lost a bit of their energetic glimmer as he let his heart become weighed down. The truth was, as those finances of his petered out and he had only the profits of the cafe to live on, he was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain both the business and keep up his half of the rent. Miyabi had already agreed to move to a cheaper place, but that wasn't going to give him much more spending money. He was facing his worst nightmare. "The thing is... we're not making the same money we used to here and... well, if I don't find a way to make a larger profit, I think I'm going to have to close this place. I've already laid off at least four people, and I'm going to have to reduce staff again as well as raise prices on the menu items.... I've been thinking lately... it may just be a better idea to sell out while I still can, while there's still value in the business."

 

[Citrillic]

Moe was glad he seemed to appreciate his hard-work. Perhaps he was looking for a little more of a personal point of view. However, he assumed it was better than no appreciation at all. When Rin started talking about his life prior to moving here, he had to chuckle a little at the typical Rin response. "I guess I was calling you the wrong name all this time. Who knew a patisserie could also be a prince," he joked, a smile cracking on his face for a little while. He walked over to the cooler, figuring it was the end of the topic and he probably should start decorating some of the cakes that have been chilled. As he pulled one out, Rin had started speaking of a secret. At first, Moe was excited that Rin could trust him in telling him a secret (although a part of him thought it was going to be another recipe), but then he saw something he thought he never would in Rin--he suddenly seemed less focused as he stirred away at the batter. With a cock of his head, he placed the cake he was going to work on down and looked over to him. "Go ahead..."

After what he heard, it took Moe a moment to realize the depth of the problem on hand. The shop might be sold? Even though that is what Rin said, Moe knew it probably meant a lot more to Rin since he came over here and opened this cafe himself. How then, was this affecting Rin? Moe examined him with worried eyes, trying to think up a proper response to this ordeal before clearing his throat. "You are starting to not sound like the Rin I know. The Rin I know would never give up! You came here all the way from across the oceans to open up this cafe... and you will just give it up? I know you are talented and could easily find another job at another cafe if you pleased, but you cannot just give up on what you have now. I can tell this cafe means a lot to you because the look on your face as you started said it all.... You don't really want to lose this cafe..." Moe knew he was rambling, entirely forgetting the fact that he was about to confess his feelings, just to support his dear friend in turmoil.

"Listen, with a little extra hard-work, perhaps some free advertising, we can easily kick up the business in here," Moe wasn't sure how much of what he was saying was true, considering he even knew that a lot of small cafes were going out of business due to large corporations that outsell local businesses. Even if Rin wanted to give up, the determination that sparked in Moe's eyes should have been enough to say that he wasn't about to give up. "If there is anything at all that I can do to help, whether it is to loan you some money or stand on the streets and pass out flyers, or samples, or something, let me know! I will do anything to help this business stay afloat because this is like a second home to me and I don't want to see if perish..." He said, having moved over to Rin's side to grab his arm gently, trying to show he was serious about this. "So please don't give up so quickly on this place.... I know you like it here, and I love being here to help you whenever I can... in fact, if there was ever an opportunity where I could help you more I wouldn't hesitate to step in, you know that, right?"

 

[Kveria]

Moe's words sparked something emotional inside Rin and his eyes burned just slightly; no one who knew the truth would be able to blame him for tearing up at this point. The cafe did mean the world to him—it had been his dream from childhood to open a place like this where he could showcase his talent and also give families a comfortable and affordable experience. Unfortunately, affordable didn't happen concerning gourmet pastries; Rin would only use the finest, freshest ingredients and usually ended up paying a small fortune and then nearly had to sell his pastries at cost so that he wasn't stripping the pockets of the general public. He felt bad enough raising prices as it was; having to fire employees hit just as hard or harder. He had a personal relationship with each of the members of staff, and there was no good way to tell a friend to take a hike without divulging the truth to them. But... going bankrupt.... Well... that was embarrassing. There was no way he needed that getting around, and he wasn't sure how many of the staff members wouldn't resent him for having to let them go and blab about his finances. The last of his staff, he was sure, would understand in its basest form if he had to cut wages; especially Ainsley and Noel, though he was sure they already knew in one way or another what was going on.

The two had been neighbours of Rin and Miyabi in the first apartment building they'd lived in. Living next door and working generally the same hours, the four of them saw each other quite a bit and eventually became quite good friends. It had been Noel who had stepped up and started the whole thing; he was a tall and handsome man with soft features, thick dark brown hair that he left in a shag and pinned his bangs out of his face with bobby pins, claiming that it refused to stay out of his field of vision otherwise. To top it off, his dark brown eyes were warm and inviting, allowing his understanding and gentle nature to show through. Rin remembered about a month and a half after moving into the building, he and Miyabi had passed Noel on the way to look at the cafe with a realtor for the first time, and he struck up conversation without any forbearing. "Hey, can you guys keep it down a bit? I don't know if you've lived in an apartment complex, like ever, but we can all hear you." Rin had turned a fiery shade of deep red and covered his mouth in mortification, but Miyabi just laughed it off. He became quite close with Noel after that, whereas Rin took to Noel's partner, Ainsley like flies to honey. Ainsley was much different in comparison—he was short and thin with large blue eyes and light blonde hair that he kept just long enough to gather into a small ponytail at the base of his neck. He was shy and naturally used to fumble for words quite a bit, but working with someone as gregarious as Rin had opened him up quite a bit; Rin's favourite part about him was how much he looked like a woman on the right angles and how he'd retaliate and insist his manliness if one were to ever bring it up.

Still, though they had such a close relationship, Rin couldn't bring himself to admit the truth to them.

When Moe took his arm, Rin felt a tingle shoot up through his nerves and down his back. Along the way, something very akin to what he'd felt for someone back in high school was growing in the pit of his stomach and he wasn't sure how to address it. If he were to come out and change his professional friendship with Moe, what would that mean? There were so many variables that he was reluctant to address them all at once, wanted instead to sort through and come to terms with each of them one-by-one. When Moe had asked Rin what he thought of him, he'd left out quite a bit of things that he wanted to say, but just couldn't find a way to voice them. He figured... maybe he just wasn't ready. But he could allow himself to indulge—perhaps just this one time—and turned his willowy figure to face the other, slipping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. "Thank you; I needed to hear that more than anything. So... please, do whatever you can to help. I need this to stay alive."

 

[Citrillic]

Even though Moe has worked here for a long while now, for some reason there was always this distant feeling on Moe's part... perhaps it was lack of self-confidence but whatever it was it did make Moe feel guilty for the things he said--even though everything was 100% true. So when Rin went in for a hug, Moe felt happy and sick all at the same time. He knew now he certainly had to keep his word. Just for the time being, he needed to forget about what was on his mind and focus on Rin, who really seemed to need that extra encouragement. So after his brief pause, Moe returned the hug, smiling weakly. "I will keep my promise to you. I never break my promises so you have my word," Moe added, keeping the hug going for a couple of seconds before pulling apart. He knew better than to get distracted from his work, especially if it involved things potentionally burning in the oven. "I'll start thinking of ways to help and I'll get back to you. For now, forget all the negativity and lets focus on making those we can smile," Moe now grinned at Rin before returning to his cake decorating. While he decorated the cake, he began to start brainstorming on several ways to help the business stay alive starting from budgeting to advertising as well as doing some private investigating himself to figure out ways that the cafe could improve. To Moe, he felt like he owed a large debt to Rin, and it would mean to world to Moe to do something big for him to repay him and now he had his chance.

Growing up, Moe didn't have such an extravagant life-style full of modeling years or big houses, or anything that anyone dreamed of having and nor did he ever want any of that. He was raised in a normal family where he was the oldest of three kids and lived in a one story house off the outskirts of town. He lived life going to school, helping his family out, and when he was old enough to, he started to work some part time jobs. After graduating high school, Moe was faced with a predicament he wasn't sure how he was going to solve. He wanted to go to college, but neither he, nor his family, were financially stable enough to afford any. Moe wasn't having luck with scholarships either like a lot of students do. So Moe started working multiple jobs at once to save up more money to start a college fund but it wasn't filling up as much as he would have liked. So while on the hunt for a better paying job, he came across Rin's cafe and went on a whim to apply. To his surprise, even though he had no professional cooking experience, he got the job. With the money he raised from working at the cafe, Moe was able to afford to begin some college courses. Unfortunately, a couple years into working, Moe had gotten some bad news while at school and learned his father had passed away. Due to that, Moe's poor mother was hardly able to afford tending to all the kids and keep her own health up and running. So in order to help out more around the house, Moe had to reduce his college courses and use some of his money to help provide for his family. Not soon after, Moe moved out of the house into his own apartment to make things a little easier on his mother so they could move to a cheaper place without feeling like they should stay because Moe was living with them. Even though they decided to move in the end, Moe still sends money to them occasionally but knew that with having an apartment bill to take care of as well as a college bill, he secretly took a second job.

So between juggling college courses and two jobs, Moe had started to feel a little overwhelmed. In order for Moe to get a breath of fresh air, he always looked forward to coming into work at the cafe. Moe didn't tell any of the staff at the cafe about his situation because he loved being able to come to a place where he didn't have to have someone ask him if he was alright, but instead to keep looking at him with a smile as they always do so he could forget it. To Moe, Rin always made it especially worth it because of his charming personality that always had a way of making Moe laugh. It was for that reason, Moe felt like he owed so much to Rin.

Moe finally finished decorating his cakes and setting the hot away to chill before cleaning up the station a bit, knowing he had a lot more tasks at hand. He wasn't sure now how many people would be coming in today, but he wasn't going to wait and see so he immediately went to work to take all the chairs from atop the cafe tables and set them on the ground. Then he began wiping everything down to make sure everything was in the upmost condition for their customers. Moe was back in his same-old routine like he always had coming into work. Baking, cleaning, and then counting till to make sure it was alright for the day to start. Then when that was all over, he made sure to freshen himself up from all the flour and cleaning so he could begin setting the displays up so they could open. Never once would Moe ever complain about his job because he genuinely loved this job, instead he would just be his happy self, whistling like always and greeting people with a smile.

 

[Kveria]

After Moe had left to take care of his other duties, Rin gave a wistful sigh; by now the cupcakes had been poured into their trays, and put into the oven to bake. He removed the bread he'd put in there earlier and left the racks out along the wall to cool. While the cupcakes were baking, he made a fresh batch of German chocolate and chocolate buttercream to pipe onto them once they were cooled. Of all the sweets on the menu, the German chocolate cupcakes were his favourite, though he avoided eating too many of them if he could—the coconut-pecan mixture that adorned the top was sure to go straight to his hips with no hesitation. Instead, if he must eat at work, he usually made himself a fruit parfait and sat out at one of the tables on the floor so he could be among the customers. He liked to watch them and see how much they loved his pastries, most of which were his own creation. The cheesecake seemed to be one of the more popular items on the menu; it came in seven different flavours, but the base was Rin's own low fat, low calorie creation.

He had reason to take pride in this place; the people who did come loved every moment of their experience. The staff was friendly and the food was ridiculously good. The coffee was the best in the area, and Rin had learned to make one fancy-looking latte. They were way cheaper than Starbucks and better quality too; they didn't use any artificial colours or flavours and everything was always fresh made. Anything that lasted more than three days—unless it was a cake that had been cut into, they only had the rest of the day to be finished off because a cut cake gets crusty if left overnight—was donated to a local shelter so that those who would never be able to afford such fineries would also be able to indulge in Rin's expertise; the food wasn't being wasted by being tossed out either. Lately, more and more food was going to the homeless, and that was unsettling.

He was trying to think of different ways to bring more people in through promotions and advertising. Flyers would be a start; they could be handed out or sent out with newspapers, and come with a 15% off coupon, which was a lot more than Rin would like to give away, but he had to do something to bring people in. Generally once someone had given the cafe a chance to impress, they became a recurring customer, like the woman who came every morning for a green tea latte and a cranberry white chocolate muffin. Rin had known her since his first week open when she was still just a little girl. She would come in with her mother every Sunday for tea and muffins, and his was her place of choice for her birthday every year. He always made her something special—last year had been a rainbow chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich cake; everyone who had been present had a piece on the house because there was just so much of it—and he felt that she deseved it, because every morning now that she was an adult, working and attending university on her own, she always stopped at the cafe first thing.

He hoped to bring in more customers like her.

He'd just pulled the cranberry white chocolate muffins out of the oven and set them out on a cooling rack when he heard the front door open and went out to see who had come in this early. Miyabi was standing in the door with a stack of mail in his hand, and pulled his hat and jacket off to hang them on the coat rack by the door. "Hey, I got this month's bills," he told Rin, coming up and handing the stack over with a very neutral face. His English still wasn't great, but the two always made a point of not speaking to each other in their native language in public because it was considered rude. "Ainsley has a fever, so Noel asked me to let you know he isn't coming in this morning."

"Oh, that's too bad. Is Noel still coming in this afternoon?"

"He probably will." There was a silence after this as Rin looked through the mail, then shook his head, pulling off his hair net and beginning to brew some coffee from the beans they roasted and ground themselves. "Don't let it get to you. You have support, okay? I'm here to help, and you know that."

"I have more than enough support, I know that. We're going to figure something out. Moe's agreed to help too, so.... I just don't want to have to cut wages and there's really no one else to fire...." He let out a heavy sigh, freeing his voluminous golden hair from the bun it was twisted into, so it hung just past his shoulders in a long ponytail that spiralled around in a loose curled column. "It's too much work for just the four of us, the hours are too long. I need some volunteers."

"Put up an ad, maybe? There's a ton of students who need volunteer hours for school, so do that. I'm going to print some posters and hang them at all the stores in the area, and I'll put a few up at the club too. Don't worry about anything. And I'll take time off work to help out if you need it, so just ask, okay?"

Rin waved him off flippantly and it caused Miyabi to raise an eyebrow behind square-framed glasses. "I've got Moe's help. Who needs you?"

"Ah... I see how it is. Well, let me know when you want the apartment to yourself and I'll make myself scarce." With that, and a little chuckle as a bright red flush made itself a home right across Rin's creme-coloured skin all the way up to his ears, Miyabi took a coffee to go and left the cafe. Rin huffed out, puffing his cheeks in a childish manner, but turned to examine himself in the mirror behind the counter. His own reflection usually uplifted him, but today was different. He looked tired and his skin was losing that flawless glow. Another sigh and he flipped on the kettle, letting it boil while he went to take a few orders. He was happy that none of the customers would have any idea what he was talking with Miyabi about. This was the last thing that needed to get out.

 

[Citrillic]

(sorry my brain was frying ;A; my fever was/is murdering me)

While the two of them were talking, Moe was just finishing up the display case, making sure ever last detail was perfect. He wasn't the type to listen in on conversations but he couldn't help but let his eyes drift from the cakes to Rin and Miyabi when he heard his name thrown into the mix. He had assumed they were just talking about the current situation of the bakery, but when he heard the note they ended off on, Moe's face too went bright red and he kept hidden behind the cake display until he regained his posture and finally stood up. He tried to act like he didn't hear it and just smiled and waved to Miyabi as he walked around the counter, checking the display case from the customers view, before being satisfied. This day did not go completely as Moe had expected, but even with the bad news, he could not have but feel happy that he came in at all. All that worked up anxiety in the morning really paid off. Now he just needed to get through the rest of the day....


-After a long shift....-


“Thank you! Have a nice day!” Moe watched on as a customer left the café, off to go about their beautiful afternoon. Thinking of which…. Moe glanced at the clock on the wall and then his own wrist-watch for confirmation. Ah, it seems to be my time. Moe made sure there were no other customers around before letting his coworkers now he was counting his till down to be deposited and restarted for the next shift. He quickly counted the money down in Rin’s small office, glancing here and there at some of the bills lying around before depositing the profit in the safe and returning with the starting till for the next person. Then he walked over to Rin, stopping behind him and smiling a little. “Listen, my shift has ended and I have to go to my classes, but call me up later, okay? Don’t stress out so much over work! Everything will be fine!” He reassured quietly, not wanting to make any scene for the customers before gathering up all his belongings. Then with that, he walked back towards the front door, glancing just for a couple of seconds over his shoulder at Rin before chuckling to himself about something and heading off for his classes which actually didn’t start for about an hour and a half, but it gave him some time to start working on his new project.

The greatest thing about living in a town like this one was that everything was relatively close together, which Moe like the convenience of as well as the fact that you got to know the people of the town more. That way, Moe did not feel shy about talking with the neighbors. He took his time chit-chatting here and there with a few people he's seen walking around as well as in the cafe, trying to get some inputs without bringing up the idea of bankruptcy. He wanted to know what the people thought of the cafe when they were not actually inside. Not only that, after seeing the bills, he was curious to know of some other things they could be changing in terms of products. He knew Rin was pretty big on being flashy with his cakes, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to cut a few things off the menus? Moe eventually reached his campus where he spent the remainder of his time trying to look up good business tactics as well as make a small record of the bill numbers he saw for future reference. Then, when the time came he went off to class.

Even though Moe loved everything about his job, he knew that eventually his time would have to come to an end eventually at the cafe. Especially as his graduation would draw near and he'd have to look for another job which, much to probably Rin's dismay if he were to find out, was not going to be anything involving cooking. He loved it more as a hobby and he didn't want to hate it. So he wanted to major in something that might take himself somewhere someday like Rin's profession did with his. Of course that all came down to Moe who had been struggling with all the up-keeping... but he knew hard work was the key to getting anything done. After his classes were over, it was already starting to get dark. Typically at this time Moe would be rushing off to his second part-time job, but luckily he didn't work tonight. So instead, he hung back at the school library, catching up on schoolwork, occasionally glancing at his cellphone almost expectantly.

 

[Kveria]

When Moe left, Rin bid him farewell in his usual overly flamboyant nature, "Aw, thanks. It means a lot to me. Have fun in class, okay~?" By this point in the day, Rin was exhausted; but part of being princely was staying energetic and vigilant to inspire those around him, so he just sucked it up and kept going. He usually only came in to help for an hour or so in the morning and then came to help close at night. Occasionally he'd pop in during the day to help wait tables, flirt with customers, and whine at his staff, but there was no way he could possibly relax right now with everything that had been happening as of late. It was especially bad luck that Ainsley was sick and that Noel had come in with his face flushed; Rin expected he would need to take time off as well very soon. It was quite troubling. He needed more help but it just seemed that his options were petering out and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

At around ten minutes to closing, Miyabi called to let Rin know he'd made up all the posters and had stuck them up in local schools and businesses—not only was it showcasing and advertising some of Rin's better treats, but also inviting student volunteers to log for their forty hours with on-the-job training, no experience required, and possibility of moving to a paid position in the following years. Miyabi had also contacted the local papers and they were going to run ads with coupons for the next twelve weeks; Miyabi refused to tell him what it cost, and Rin knew it was probably very expensive but there was nothing he could do to stop his best friend once he set his mind to something. It sounded very reasonable and Rin couldn't argue with it. He wasn't in a position to argue. Anyway, having been friends since first grade was enough to tell Rin that there wouldn't be any arguing with Miyabi's stubborn, obstinate nature anyway. That was just how it was.

The front door to the cafe opened just as Rin was getting off the phone and he went out to greet the customer. He hoped to be able to talk the person into the last of the coffee and the black forest cheesecake with caramel and white chocolate drizzle as he swept into the dining area and stopped dead in his tracks. There was a man standing in the middle of the room, who was eerily familiar to him; he was strikingly similar in appearance to a man he'd dated back in high school, and that was unsettling. Still, while Noel was cleaning up the kitchen, Rin tried to accommodate the customer as best he could and did manage to get rid of that coffee and cheesecake, to his relief, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the brunette from somewhere—this couldn't be the ex he hadn't seen in an indeterminate number of years. But the subtle, soft curve of his face, his full lips, and those dark grey eyes... they had Rin reminiscing on not too pleasant times in his life back in Japan.

The man didn't say anything, but paid his bill and left with a small smile. The instant the door had shut behind him, the tension in the air was cut and Rin could breathe again. With him, he took the memories of a love he wasn't quite committed to and the heart that he had possibly broken because of it. Soon after, Noel pushed Rin to go home, insisting he would close up himself and that the now very languid and distracted Rin should get some rest. After all, it had been a very long day. Without much thought to it, Rin did go home and made himself a healthy dinner with a mug of tea and an hour of television. In the middle of one of his soaps, he remembered that Moe had instructed the blonde to call him later, and he picked up his cell, sifting through all the contacts until he found Moe's number and pressed it hastily without much thought. He waited for Moe to pick up, ready to gush out about his strange experience and bitch about how he was pretty sure Noel was getting sick now too.

 

[Citrillic]

Moe was just about falling asleep over his schoolwork when it went off; the loud ringing filling the silence of the library. Moe nearly jumped out of his skin as he fumbled around with his phone, looking to see who was calling before quickly silencing the phone by answering it. “Hello?” Moe answered, rubbing his tired eyes. He looked over to the clock on the wall, seeing it was getting pretty late and he knew he probably should head home. So as he held the phone up to his ear, he started to slowly pack his stuff into the bag, listening to Rin on the other end. It seemed he had a lot to talk about, which only made Moe happier because he enjoyed talking with him. He always had such interesting stories to tell...

Speaking of which, the story he had to tell certainly stopped Moe dead in his tracks as he was about to leave the library. He forgot about the mention of Noel getting sick, because quite honestly everyone was with the weather getting colder, but his ‘strange encounter’ sounded a little more threatening to Moe. Did Rin know this person? It sounded like he did but that wasn’t clear to Moe. The main problem with it is that it seemed, from Moe’s end, Rin might’ve held an interest with this stranger. Was that the reason he called so late? He knew Rin should’ve been off earlier, and it wasn’t like he was expecting Rin to call him the moment his shift ended but… Moe couldn’t help but feel a little queasy. He stepped outside now, welcoming the cold air with open arms, hoping it would settle his upset stomach.

“It sounds to me like you had one hell of a shift!” Moe said with a weak laugh, his mind jumping from one thought to the next. He really had no idea about Rin’s private life so he wasn’t really sure about whom he should be threatened by or if he should worry about it at all. It wasn’t like Moe to feel so disgruntled, but maybe since he had feelings for Rin it was bound to happen. “I’m not too sure what to say about your encounter, but as for Noel, we will just have to take some bigger precautions to make sure no one else will get sick. Otherwise that won’t help our little situation, will it?”

Moe headed back home, seeing as perhaps Rin was too busy to want to hang out or drink, but before he got a little hasty… it probably wouldn’t hurt to at least ask. “If you aren’t too busy tomorrow, would you mind maybe going out for a drink or something? I’ll buy…”

 

[Kveria]

Rin sighed into the phone. "It was horrifying, Moe, honestly! You have no idea what it was like, standing there waiting for him to finish; I could barely breathe." By now he'd rolled himself over so he was stretched out on his back, taking up the whole couch with his feet up on the arm. He was hardly paying attention to the television anymore, so he reached for the remote and flipped it off, squishing the phone between his ear and shoulder as he cleared his ponytail from around his neck where it was tickling the sensitive skin. "On the good side, Miyabi has some posters up for advertisement and looking for volunteers. That should make things a little better."

The next question made Rin stop and think. "Well... I don't drink, really...." he started slowly. While that was true, Rin knew a nice tea bar that was always open late. He just didn't know if he wanted to go out when he was under this much stress and pressure. Then again, all work and no play, right? And the stress would probably give him grey hairs and wrinkles on his forehead.... That was something that scared Rin to no end. His vanity was his biggest flaw in most cases, but in this one it pushed him to relax and have some fun. "We could go out for tea, maybe. If that's alright with you. I mean, just think of all the bad things alcohol does to your body! Besides, I know a nice place where they make a killer tea latte that's full of antioxidants and it's both trans fat and caffeine-free."

 

[Citrillic]

Well Moe supposed it was good that Miyabi decided to also lend in a helping hand. Of course because he and Rin were closer than Moe, he probably was one of the first to actually know about the situation on hand. When Rin mentioned the fact that he didn’t drink, Moe wondered if he should have even asked in the first place. He should have assumed that perhaps someone like Rin was beyond drinking. He didn’t seem too much like the alcohol-drinker. Not that Moe was any either. He didn’t mind the occasional drink here and there. With all the stress that he had to deal with on a daily basis he needed to have something to help him relax. Of course alcohol wasn’t the greatest route to take, but it helped. Moe chuckled a little, listening to Rin go on about how they could go for tea instead, and that alcohol was bad. “Okay, okay I see.”

Moe thought for a moment. He could just take up the opportunity since he got it. So with a small shrug he responded, “Sure, that sounds good! Just text me the address and I can meet up with you later, I have to stop by and drop some stuff off at my place real quick! See ya later!” He ended the call, putting the phone back into his pocket. He continued to walk back to his place, glancing over to the café on his way past, stopping for just a moment as a thought had occurred to him. However, he quickly shook the idea out of his mind, not wanting to dabble in places he ought not, and kept walking to his apartment. He fumbled around as he searched for his key ring again, flipping around till he found the right one and opened his door. He looked around, frowning at how empty the entire place was.

Poor Moe only ever got to go to his house every so often to shower between shifts or to sleep when it was his chance, but otherwise he was always out and about doing work of some kind. It didn’t bug Moe too much, but it made his apartment feel rather foreign to him… and empty. He hardly had anything that would ever be worth stealing in his room. He had the bare minimums required for him to live and that was about it. Moe walked over to the kitchen counter, tossing all his bags up onto it and then headed for the bathroom. He took his time to wash his face, needing the cold water to perk himself up a bit.

After he got himself freshened up he walked back into the kitchen, grabbing his phone, keys, and wallet. Then he quietly headed out of his apartment, checking his phone for the address of the supposed meeting place and double-checked its location on a map app. Moe had to thank the Heavens that the town was a small town and there wasn’t many options to get lost, but there was always something new hidden in the nooks and crannies. For example, he had never heard of this tea place before. But perhaps that was because he spent a lot of time at Rin’s café instead, eating and drinking there whenever he could. Oh well, there was always a time to try something new. Once Moe arrived at the place, he sent a text to Rin, letting him know he was here and then waited, unsure if he had already arrived before him or not. While he did, he checked through his phone for other texts from his family and emails regarding his other job, just wanting to make sure he was all up to date with everything.