Coincidentally Fate

[Diana]

Every morning at 7:42am, she would dodge other pedestrians on the street as she made her way to the coffee house. Sure, she could make her own coffee at home. But the Cafe made this really awesome vanilla late that she just couldn't seem to reproduce.

At 8:30am she would be sitting in a chair at a desk, deep in the hidden back rooms of the city Museum. Carefully dusting off old fossils or restoring old paints. Her job wasn't exciting or ever even heard about. No one ever wondered why the items in the museum never had any dust. It wasn't as if you could use Windex on the things!

Around 6:47pm she would leave the museum late, as she always did. Swing by one of the many take-out shops on her way home. Today she was grabbing a meatball sandwich with that zesty marinara. Her favorite!

By 9:00pm she was curling up in bed with a book that she couldn't remember if she was supposed to return it to the library this weekend, or last weekend. It wouldn't matter, because she was always fast asleep long before she figured it out.


...It was morning once again. Her same routine in mind as she walked down the street towards the coffee house, only today she was running late. After having the most disturbing dream about giant teddy-bears with worms for eyes, she never heard her alarm clock going off. When she finally woke and showered, her blow dryer fritz out. So she had to twist the dark brown mess up in to a twisty pony tail on top of her head. Something decided to raid her closet and choose to eat everything that was work-appropriate, thus instead of her typical brown jacket and skirt, now she was wearing a white dress with blue polka dots. It's not that she looked bad, or that it was the worst day ever... it just... wasn't part of her plan!

When she arrived at the coffee shop, that was the last straw. It WAS the worst day ever.

CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS.

No..! Where was the warning? What will she do for coffee! Turning around to lean against the closed, impassible door, she frowned at pedestrians as they walked by. Out of everything, she was coffeeless. Melanie was sure it was a conspiracy.

 

[Stacisaur]

{OOC: -Loves the time idea in that post.- <3<3 ^ -^ }


To-Do List:
Wake up. Shower. Find something clean to wear (if possible, if not pick up closest clothing item on the floor and dust it off). Borrow money from roommate. Take out the trash. Pick up milk, eggs, pomegrante, basil, eggplant. Get coffee. Relax. Take Barney for a walk in the park. Relax some more. Go to work. Call mother. Sleep.
Groggy eyes stared blankly ahead at the neon yellow Post-It note, the scribbled out font blurred by after effects of Just Waking Up Syndrome. Balling up his fists, he rubbed vigorously at the sockets craddling each pupil, an attempt to force away the sands of sleep. With a shake of the head, wisps of charcoal dancing in each direction, the ritual of early morn was working so far. To complete the act of rising from his way-too-small bed, his arms would shoot up to the ceiling, extended at full legnth to show such a lanky form.
"Graaaaaawrrrrrr..."
And there it came, the grunting groan of successful awakening. Squinting tightly, the rather harsh looking deep brown eyes wandered aimlessly, confused and lost, searching for their partner in crime. Aha. Almost tripping over some oddly placed teddy bear on the ground from his childhood, the young man made his way finally across the room to the pair of blunt, black rimmed glasses. Adjusting them gently upon the bridge of his nose, he exhaled in relief, viewing the world with clarity once again. Shuffling barefeet on the carpet, he would treasure these few moments of relaxation before the day officially began.

"I'll be back later, Atti."
Knowing full well his younger brother didn't care if he was gone or there, Demitri closed the door behind him, locking it just in case before clutching the bags of garbage left on the steps beside him. Midway through dumping it in the alley, a shudder crawled up that long spine of his, hearing the most terrifying sound known to man kind. The neighbor's cat sat on the fence seperating their yards, it's bright golden eyes staring directly at him, burning into his soul like the touch of Lucifer, but even worse.
". . . "
Caught in a staring contest with the animal, as it's tail swung back and forth from amusement, Demitri was not about to give in this time. He was a man, wasn't he? Why should a fat old cat scare him away? However, Mr. SnugglePuff knew how to get to the man, and was bent on frightening the life away from his bones. Giving a loud hiss mixed together with some sort of inhuman growl, the orange tabby raised it's back up in a perfect arch, fangs gleaming in the sunlight. Gulping, Demitri felt the hairs on his body stand up, perspiring as he still tried to stand his ground. Yet, with another two minutes passing, he turned, and walked with sure haste out to the street. Victory was sweet for felines everywhere.

"...Stupid cat."
Muttering underneath his breath like an emotional, teenage boy with social problems, the twenty-two-year-old sighed and gazed up to see where he was walking. Hands burried in his pockets, he read over the list in his head once more. Oh, right. He was suppose to go pick up groceries.. Furrowing thick brows, pondering over if he should do such a thing right away, or procrastinate. Weighing the outcome of each choice, with a nod he turned down the sidewalk in a different direction. Coffee it was. As the autumn wind smacked him in the face, his ex-girlfriend, Casey, had taken the form of a zephyr apparently, his body twitched with the powerful force of a shudder. Clenching his tan coat shut tightly, folding stubborn arms across the flat, sturdy chest, his nostrils flared in a huff of oxygen. Stupid cold, stupid cat, stupid chores, stupid STUPID. The complaints rattled around his mind were rather childish, really just existing to waste time as he strode along. In no time, he found himself outside of the Cafe', halting and shifting his body to face the entrance. A small smile played on his lips before his eyes came to read the sign, the realization slowly coming to him why there were no lights on, and why a girl in a white dress, with blue polka dots, was sulking against the door. Quickly, Demitri's face fell, his head hung down as he swore to himself. That was karma, he supposed, for choosing to go against the ominous To-Do List.

But, wait.. He had seen this girl before. Tilting his head back up, hands now digging deeply into the pockets of his simple, dark blue jeans, his eyes shot out through lenses, rudely just staring at the woman. Did he know her? No.. He had a fantastic memory, and would remember a name upon taking in her face. Curving one eyebrow up in a perplexed manner, Demitri frowned and continued to focus on her features, completely oblivious to how creepy he appeared, with the trench-like coat and all.
​

 

[Diana]

Melanie sighed. A wistful longing sound that so deeply matched the ache in her soul for one perfect cup of coffee. At first she didn't seem to mind the man standing there eyeballing the cafe much the same way she had just minutes prior. Several disappointed people already passed and went. But... he didn't seem to be leaving. He was staring.

So Melanie stared back. At first she did it to try and creep him out. He was certainly creeping HER out. But something about him seem familiar. Did she know him from somewhere? Pushing away from the glass door, she rest her hands on her hips as she approached without saying a word. Leaning forward to get a good look at his face. Nope... not familiar. Well, familiar, but she didn't know him. He could just as easily be any of the hundreds of people she passes on the streets to and from work everyday.

"Are you thinking about kidnapping me? Because this isn't the best place to do it." she asked, genuinely curious. Melanie still hadn't leaned back herself, assuming that being equally or more creepy than the creepy should be perfectly intimidating.

 

[Stacisaur]

Blinking a few times, adjusting his sight to how close the woman inched towards him, Demitri shook his head quickly, almost falling off his feet from such a startled reaction. It was often that he would space out from reality, and becom lost in the vortex like web that was his mind. This was one of those moments, so naturally he was tweaking out for a brief second.
"Ah.. I.. I uh.."
Sputtering words like a acne-prone, awkward little teenage nerdface, out of habit his fingers rose up to clench at a piece of hair. Twisting the strand along his finger, letting go, doing the same with another piece, it was one of the many ways he took care of his anxiety problem. Calming down after a minute or two passed by, a grunt erupted from his lips as he cleared out his throat to speak again.
"No. I wasn't planning on kidnapping you.. I always come to his coffee place."

Furrowing his eyebrows at her, his voice was deep, yet not too deep to be intimidating. It sounded sort of rude from a couple tones that carried on his tongue, yet there was a hidden helpless accent, a gentleness clinging to his vocal chords. Crossing his slightly muscular arms across his chest, hidden for warmth underneath heavy coat sleeves, his stance took more of an offensive pose. He knew he was the right one here. This was his coffee shop, in his mind. It was the one he had been stopping by for so long, he forgot the exact amount of years it has been since that first bittersweet sensation of burnt taste buds on a simple mocha latte.
"How dare you accuse me of such a thing."

Engaging in creating a mad sort of expression, to the best of his ability at least, Demitri felt his lips turn down at the corners, lines building against his forehead and chin. He actually wasn't sure how intimidating he looked, but he was hoping he looked pretty big and tough. You see, those two adjectives had never been built into his personality sheet. He was always that nerdy kid in grade school, who was bullied as if it was a new kind of class only he was enrolled in as a victim. Now, of course, he was very tall and liked to think of himself as nicely built. However, with the glasses, and the stride of a lanky Ichabod Crane, his physical 'improvements' hadn't really altered much. Squinting his eyes at the girl, he huffed with a certain childish trait hanging in his every move as he performed them.
"Besides! You look very familar to me. I was just making sure I didn't know you."
Scoffing as he turned his head away from looking down into her expression, he stood back up as tall as he could, chin lifted, as if trying to appeal to this female as a higher being. Was it working? Probably not. He wasn't always lucky. Actually, it was rare things would happen the way he imagined they were.​

 

[Diana]

He was puffing himself up taller, and it wasn't that he really seemed intimidating.. Melanie just... wasn't good with confrontation! Blinking at him with wide blue eyes, she leaned backwards on her heels, noticeably awkward with the way she was tilted. She mirrored his frown, at least trying to bluff her way through it and attempt to be equally as daunting. There was no way she would just idly stand there and be creeped away from her coffee shop!

...well she was still standing there, but she wasn't doing it idly!

"Well... you don't know me! And I don't know you either. And I'll accuse any guy of kidnapping me as I like, especially if he's standing there all creepy and staring and wearing a creeper's coat!" Melanie reached out to flick both of her hands at his folded over arms. Granted, he wasn't wearing one of those trench coats like everyone did in action movies, but hoodie jackets were the new trend! He was lucky he even had a coat. She was stuck wearing a summer dress thanks to everything in her closet being ruined.

"Blast it..! I just remembered I am running late..!" Clothes! Coffee... Melanie turned to give another forlorn look at the closed coffee shop. She needed that coffee so she could have enough energy and warmth to pick up new work clothes. It was amazing how one little disruption had her standing there arguing with a stranger like an idiot and forgetting everything she needed to get done.

 

[Stacisaur]

Did this coat really make him appear creepy? Was he now just That Creepy Guy to everyone he walked past? Why was he so self conscious like a valley girl? Whimpering underneath his breath at the thoughts rumaging through the attic that was his brain, Demitri shook that gathering of black hair, trying to knock out such words as they tore him from reality. Bringing his utmost focus to the female, as her frantic glances towards the coffee shop and all around made him tilt his head, it was clear her day had also been thrown off pace with such a small alteration in schedule. The closing of the cafe was not a pleasant change, but it seemed they were the only two, at the moment, really affected by it. Bringing out his hands, Demitri grabbed gloves from his pockets, pulling them on over shuddering fingertips as a wind smacked him in the cheek. It almost was a sensation equal to actually being slapped, though, not as much of a sting. He would know, seeing as his blunt personality had brought him to say unfortunate things in response to women of the past. Being so naive to doing so was surely a curse, or just was the oblivious nature of a man.

Rubbing idly at the back of his thicker neck, he coughed into his free hand lightly, using the same to gesture as he spoke.
"I don't know if you would even appreciate this, but I know of another place in town with pretty satisfying coffee.. It's clearly not the same..but it is on my list of top five java joints in the area."
Glancing to his boots awkwardly, in an instant his hands were back snuggled up in pockets. Clinging to the inner material with his twitchy fingers, the young man waited for a reply, mumbling still to himself, or to her if she could hear him.
"I can just give you directions. Since, I guess I'm a creep and all."
It was impossible to help. A smirk just had to crawl on over his lips once more, as he kept his eyes covered by stringy hair. Oh, this morning was so not how he wanted it to be. But it could be much, much worse.​

 

[Diana]

Melanie rubbed her bare arms with her hands to ward against the wind, casting the man a narrow-eyed glance at his mumblings. Of course any coffee would be great at the moment, but she caught his creep comment... and his slow breaking smirk! She wasn't sure if he was insulted by her comment or thought it was hilarious. There were a lot of mixed signals from him, which just made her all the more suspicious.

Pursing her lips, she finally decided that coffee was more important than stranger danger. She hoped that at the worst, she could kick him and flee if he tried to usher her in to a van somewhere.

"I'd appreciate it if you could take me there." she finally stated. "I'm not really all that great with directions and I don't want to wander around the city lost and everything."

Her expression softened a little bit, as if realizing there was no way she could walk down the street with a stranger oozing hostility at him. "My name is Melanie, by the way."

 

[Stacisaur]

Sensing how the girl's uncertainty of him still clung against each particle traveling along the air, a sigh rippled between his lips, his head hanging downwards to give a shake this way and that. This was beginning to annoy him, he had to admit. And it was not too often he would feel irritation, being a light-hearted kind of guy, who tried to not take everything so seriously. Though, sometimes, since he was naturally responsible, he couldnt detect when there was a joke being stated, finding every comment being dished around him to be fact. If she really thought he was a creepy, pedo-bear-type of man, then, well, that was something worth feeling his self esteem shatter over. Furrowing his eyebrows a bit more, creating tense lines of concern in his forehead, Demitri gazed up without lifting his head upright, meeting her face once again. By doing so, he caught a glimpse of the way her lips created a stern line, staring back at him, analyzing him with the windows to her soul. To be honest, he found that expression kind of cute, seeing how hard she was trying to make a decision, weighing between following along his offer, or leaving him be to sulk from such a mass of insults his way.
But to think she was cute would be creepy, now wouldn't it.

Grunting, starting to prepare himself mentally to just turn and leave, wrapping his coat tighter around himself with a fold of his arms upon his abdominal area, her reply perked up his ears. And there it was! Blinking a couple times, he felt surprised, mimicking his expression with the way his glasses seemed to fall and slant awkwardly upon his nose. Huffing out cool air in front of him, his fingers quickly came up to adjust the specs before making sounds with his lips.
"I wouldn't want someone to wander around by themselves if they didn't know where they were going around here.. That would be a very sad sight to take in."
Slanting his mouth with a half smile appearing along his skin, Demitri outstretched a hand, offering for a shake as this was the polite thing to do. Chivalry was not completely dead in this world, he imagined. At least, he liked to think he helped bring back a good side to male kind, seeing as most of his same sex often turned out to put in a bad word or two for the rest. Maybe it was dead.. Still, he'd be polite. Just like his mama taught him to be. Always would he trust his mama, since she did make some damn good soup. And someone who made good soup couldn't ever be wrong about anything. It was a scientific fact, it was.
"My name is Demitri. It's nice to meet you."​

 

[Diana]

"You have a way with words, Demitri." she replied, her tone suggesting that she was perplexed by it and a little curious. At least, it wasn't the entire conversation that she thought was phrased interestingly, it was just the one. Melanie wasn't sure if it was because he was a little quirky or trying to flirt. So many guys tried to lay out fancy turns of prose to impress a girl, but she didn't get that impression from Demitri. By now she had decided he definitely must have been insulted by her calling him a creeper. She found that very amusing!

Melanie shook his hand, finding it very warm compared to her own freezing digits. It made her mad all over again about the unfortunate end to her wardrobe and the badly timed turn of cold weather. Once she released it, she pointed in several directions until he confirmed the correct one. Then she fell in to an easy step beside him as they walked down the sidewalk.

"So...!" Now Melanie was at an impasse. Small talk wasn't really her strong point. Especially small talk with a stranger, who she reckoned only had the love of Coffee in common with her. At least for work meetings you could talk about work. Or once a year family reunions talk about weird family moments. This was... a little awkward!

"Um... Coffee! What is your task today that requires a vital cup of coffee?" There. It was a safe question. Her college professors would applaud her for an excellent starter question.

 

[Stacisaur]

Sturdy hands found their way into his pockets as the young man cleared his ever crowded throat. It seemed the weather was affecting him, no matter that he had on a large, heavy coat. If he was to catch a cold any time soon, well, he would just not be the happiest pear in the basket. Growling underneath his breath at the wind, like in a silent arguement that was to be in secrecy from the world, it was then he noticed she was speaking. As he walked along beside her, his head turned slightly to catch view of her face while her lips moved. Blinking, keeping his eyes trained on her own, he was the kind of individual to look someone in the eyes as he communicated with them. It was rude not to, wasn't it? One shoud always do so to let that person know that they were listening attentively. Or, at least do it even if they weren't. It was just a nice, small action that could go very noticed if you weren't looking their way.

What was his task today, she asked of him. Why did he need the caffeine to make his limbs go one foot in front of the other, and repeat, and repeat, and so on. Well, that was a simple answer he could muster up for her.
"I just have, you know, chores to get done."
A light shrug of those broad shoulders lifted and let down with a sigh. It really wasn't that interesting, his daily activites and plans. He was sure anyone else could become a more unique, alluring target of conversation than himself. Gazing up to the sky for a moment as they turned along another sidewalk, his lower voice came flowing out.
"What about you?"

Giving a quick smile after his final word, he noticed the coffee shop was near. Just one more block. Eyeing the store, made up of bright, red bricks, and a white roof, soft pink awning, it looked like something that was meant to taste like peppermint. Though..he doubted anyone would try to lick the building and find out. ... No. That would be a bad idea. Shaking the imagery out of his messy haired head, Demitri nodded to her, giving the signal they were that close to their destination.​