[PRP] Espresso Yourself [Finley x Ashton]

[smolderingskies]

The rain wouldn't stop pouring down this weekend. Cold enough that it was uncomfortable, but not quite cold enough to be snow, made for some nasty chills in the air. The sky was determined to make the whole of Ashdown misty and drab, regardless of however much the weather was to Finley's liking. She loved nothing more than to slip on a hoodie, her favorite pair of ripped jeans, and sulk on downtown. There was a cute shopping center there with a used game store - her favorite haunt. All the while, she played with a keychain, complete with one house key and three worn-down rewards cards for discount grocery stores, twirling it around her fingers like a toy. Occasionally the key would whack her knuckles, granting her a somewhat pleasurable sting, reminding her of consciousness.

It was a particularly hard day, today. Her time had ended just a few days ago, and she was noticeably exhausted from it. Finley browsed the shelves of games, eyes barely focusing. The guy behind the counter played on his phone, or whatever. He had reminded her when she came in that, as always, the store was having a buy two get one free sale, and she simply nodded in recognition. They'd danced this dance before. But somewhat unusually, she left without any purchase. It wasn't that she didn't want anything she say, she just didn't want to buy anything today. Perhaps she'd head to the coffee shop a few doors down. Try and shock herself out of this stupor with a hot cup of caffeine.

Not surprisingly, it was pretty much empty besides a single bored-looking employee and another customer she didn't recognize, who looked a bit older than her. She thanked her lucky stars that she didn't recognize anyone here, because she just might have retreated into her hoodie if that were the case. Disheveled hair, tattered clothes - not exactly what you want your classmates seeing you present yourself as on the weekends. Feeling somewhat relaxed, Finley headed to the counter and ordered a medium mocha, whipped cream, with an extra shot, thank you, then went to brood by the counter where they doled out the drinks. She continued to fiddle with her keys in her pocket, staring into space as she waited for her coffee.

Daekie

this is a bit of a passive starter, but I wanted to give you the freedom to do whatever!~

 

[Daekie]

It had been a few weeks since the exit from the void and Temperance taking her to the hospital -- long enough the need for a cocktail of pain medication had died down, and her skull no longer alternated between being stuffed with cotton and crystallizing into aggressive spikes outwards -- but the concussion was still recent enough, still keen enough, that Ashton had needed to take a break from college in general. It was aggravating, to know thinking too hard would slow her healing, but...it was hardly the most frustrating thing in her life, especially given that it was Christmas break and there wasn't too much to think about anyways.

Besides the new world, but. It was similar enough to the old one, she'd determined, that aside from a few ancestral alterations nothing personally affected her -- magitech, as it was, was rare enough that she'd have no access to it in her studies or at the hospital. This would be her daily outing, maybe - she'd get some coffee, relax in the nice cold breeze while she drank it, and go home and rest and try not to get stuck on Wikipedia outings again. Etsy was probably a better option. More productive. "Tall caramel frappuchino, please, extra whipped topping with soy," Ashton instructed the employee, moving to the end of the counter so she could pay for it, not paying enough attention to not brush Finley's bare hand --

Suddenly, very suddenly, she knew that Finley was Family -- was Pack, was Kin and Kind -- in a way even stronger, even more solid and warm and enveloping, than she'd felt with Lucas or with anyone else. And Finley must have felt it too, of course, because Ashton had been through this song and dance before and she knew how disorienting it was. "Ah, sorry - you look familiar," she smiled at the younger girl, sympathetic. "Can we sit and talk? I think you might know someone important to me, if that makes any sense."

It probably didn't, but half the time her skull felt like it'd been thrown around a bouncehouse, so whatever, really.

smolderingskies

 

[smolderingskies]

It was just a simple touch, a brush of skin, but Finley felt time stop for a moment. There was this feeling in her stomach, warm and sharp, familiar and shocking, all at once, and she didn't know how to react. Maybe she didn't need the caffeine too much anymore. Her reality seemed to have been... slightly altered. She warily glanced at the other person. Was this some kind of sign from the universe that she was supposed to feel something? Because it definitely didn't seem like love at first sight. But when she spoke and asked Finley to sit and speak with her, Finley found herself saying, "Sure." She couldn't deny the familiarity, and maybe... just maybe, this other person knew what was going on.

The barista called out both their names at the same time, tossing the hot drinks on the counter. Ashton was the other person's name. She was taller than Finley. Although she seemed a bit out of it, she also seemed less confused about this situation. Maybe she hadn't felt the same thing Finley had, and really did think they had a mutual friend of some sort, like, on Facebook. Finley tried to rack her brain for pictures she'd been tagged in lately, but came up dry, and she didn't really want to dig out her phone and start looking. So instead, she indicated a nearby booth. "Let's sit over here," she said, shakily, a weak smile teetering on her lips, before moving over to the table herself and sitting down.

Daekie

thanks for being patient with me!! I got pretty sick yesterday and never found the time to respond ;;

 

[Daekie]

"This is going to sound exceptionally strange," Ashton said, taking her drink carefully and moving to the table, "and I apologize if it's wrong, I'm on a fair amount of pain medication - but have you been experiencing strange transformations around the week of the full moon?" She was quiet enough so that the baristas wouldn't overhear. "Your senses sharpen -- change -- and so does your body, in ways you can't understand or control?" In this new world, she'd managed to discover, Blackfriars had never happened: there had never been a tragedy of a job fair. Maybe there hadn't been a job fair at all. She hadn't looked that far.

"If I'm completely off base -" she took a sip - "feel free to interrupt me, but there is a reason for what you're experiencing, and I've been through the exact same thing earlier this year. It's not going to get better if you keep trying to ride it out." Unless Finley was part of this new order's were pack, but Ashton didn't recognize her face, and if they'd been phone contacts she would have had a photo of the younger girl. "Tell me, Finley - what do you know about magic?"

A simple question, not to push too far. Ashton was normally better at this, of course, but with her head throbbing it was hard to be as perfect as usual.

smolderingskies