Birds of Feather

Chapter 9: Ruffled Feathers

"What would you like to drink?" Marco asks, as you step up to the café counter. It's a small section of the larger book store, but the floors are stone and there's trashcans all through the store. The drinks come covered and there's signs everywhere reminding people to be mindful of their drinks and other food items. "I figure we can have something to warm us up and get the lay of the land before we settle in for something to eat."

"A black coffee, please." You request.

"Nothing fancy? It's my dime." He says with a smile.

"The hallmark of a good coffee shop is how well they can do the basics." You say sagely.

Marco chuckles. "A fair point. Two medium black coffees, Miss Gram."

"Oh! Doc! I didn't recognize you." She says with a smile as she rings up the order. "Definitely not the vibe I was expecting."

"It's a special occasion, yoi." He admits and you see Gram's gaze shift.

"Oh hooo- so it is. Well, not to harsh your flow doc, but these are on the house now."

"Ah, miss Gram, I-." Marco starts to stammer.

"I won't give away all your secrets, doc, don't panic."

"You know secrets?" You pipe up. "Why Miss Gram that is a lovely purple hat."

"Oi, oi, oi, don't joke, yoi!" Marco looks truly flustered, his ears are pink and his eyes aren't as relaxed as usual. He doesn't look angry, but you're also not trying to make him uncomfortable. Accidentally, or otherwise.

A little nervous though, maybe.

"Another time then, eh Gram?" You question and she smiles.

"I work most of the evening shifts." She replies back, handing over two coffees. "Enjoy your evening with that stuffy old bird."

Marco winces, letting out a heavy, if not defeated sigh.

"I think you've aged a few years in the last few minutes... doc." You say cheekily as the two of you make your way into the bookstore part of the business.

"I feel it, yoi." He says flatly, taking a sip of coffee.

"Truly worried?" You question, leaning forward a little to catch his gaze. The smile that crosses his face makes you feel better.

"... Nah. Gram's good people, she might embarrass me half to death, but she wouldn't say anything I'd rather you hear from me." Marco admits.

You just smile at the statement, and the two of you walk through the store. Marco's suggestion is to get an idea of where everything is first, and then if you wanted to walk through a particular section you could double back. Aside from books there were also little pockets of other products, either on the ends of the aisles or tucked into small stands. More than wanting to diversify, it was almost like the store owner didn't want any space to go to waste.

There was ample room to walk the aisles, but along with selections of tarot cards, greeting cards, puzzles, figurines, candles, journals, and varied writing sets there were places to sit. The store was bigger than you had expected, but not the largest bookstore you'd been in. The size was kind of perfect, almost freakishly so.

When you finished your initial walk through the sections, you had both completed your coffees. Just in time to have looped back to the front of the store, within view of the café. The coffee was delicious, the layout was intuitive and business savvy, and the ambiance of the store was comfortable.

"This is a really nice place." You admit, tossing your cup in a nearby bin. "The layout's effective and efficient, the music's not too loud or soft. If they could fit a fireplace in here, I don't know that I'd leave."