Single

[Shelby]

A description will be made eventually.

~Roleplay between Shelby and TheOddball.~

Unfazed by the blaring of horns that shouted his way, motorist growing angry with his slow walk as a smirk crept across his lips as the noises continued to ring in his ears, egging on his slowness only because of their impatience, Luke pushed his hands into his pockets, whistled to himself, and slowed his walk again as another person honked at him. He turned his head and looked in the direction of the car, looking through the windshield to see a woman with curled blond hair sitting in the driver's seat with her hand raised in the air and with a look of irritation staining her expression, and upon seeing her Luke did what he thought was best; he waved at her. Gave her a cheeky grin and could only laugh as he was given another honk to get him to move quicker. Okay, okay. Best to leave before he got run over and called the stupid American again, despite how he had been living in London for the past couple of years, happily with his work as an animal behaviorist, specializing in cats.

Luke wasn't a rude person, or most of the time, rather. He liked to have his own ease with life, a fact, he learned, that irritated most people, but that was just the way he worked. He didn't often taunt people who sat in vehicles since they tended to have more power over him with the looming threat of being flattened, but on that day it had became increasingly bothersome to him for the fact that, so often, he, and other pedestrians, got honked at. As if they weren't walking fast enough; all he had was two legs! He would walk no faster, and he refused to do so unless a car came at him too quickly. In his mind, they were the rude people. Could they not wait a second for him to move? At least he didn't completely stop, though. He had seen that happened once before, had even laughed at the young University student who had one too many drinks and decided that he would play in the streets, taunting cars and motorcycles alike, but never would he dream of doing something that stupid. Oh well. Guess it didn't matter much anyhow.

He quickly crossed the road at that and stepped on the side walk, turning his head back to watch the, now, steady flow of traffic until he turned his head and started walking along the pavement. People walked by him, some women and men pushing along strollers, some men and women walking by their lonesome, talking on phones, looking at their phones, or just walking with expression on their face that showed nothing but boredom and irritation, fatigue as well, more than likely from long nights of staying awake doing God knows what. He huffed a breath, watching as his breath could be seen in the cold weather, and put his hands back in his pockets, his eyes searching this way and that until he turned down another road and ended in an ally way, a few small shops plastered against the walls, the doors either opened or closed with open signs hanging in their windows for patrons to see and be beckoned towards them. The smell of food and other sweets lingered in the air from the bakery down the street, but instead of being captivated by the smell, he continued walking, soon finding himself inside a small coffee shop, a place he had heard about, had even seen, but had never walked into. A few friends of his recommended the little place, saying that, while small, it was nice and quaint with it's old fashioned furniture and with it's good coffee and tea.

The smell of coffee instantly hit his nose, as well as the smell of other pastries and the feel of heat, causing his stomach to grumble a bit despite how he wasn't all that hungry. He was only here for a small break of lunch, nothing too heavy, and really only wanting a coffee to keep him awake for the rest of the day as he sat in front of the computer, looking at various articles that his bosses had told him to look at an analyze. That part of his job was bothersome, yes, but all a part of his work nonetheless.

There were only a few people sitting in the coffee shop, talking quietly to themselves or sitting on their laptops, typing along the keys and letting the click sound resound around the place. Luke stepped up towards the counter, the menu sitting up high, with his head tilted up so that he could read the words. His mouth was hung open slightly as his eyes scanned the writing, taking in the special of the day as well as the regular orders that were presented every day. So many things sounded so good.

He hummed to himself quietly as he tried to decide what he wanted as he waited for someone to come back up to the counter to take his order and his money. As he waited he unbuttoned his coat, letting a bit of heat escape from him as a white button down shirt with a blue tie was revealed, his pants in black slacks, general attire that he had to wear when in the office so that he could look presentable and fashionable, no matter how uncomfortable he found the garb. He fiddled with his tie a bit and grimaced but left it be after a while.

 

[PositivelyPrimeval]

The hustle and bustle experienced at some of the chain coffee shops was not felt at Alley Café. Of course, they had more customers at lunch time. It was in fact their busiest time, but those that came to Alley Café were either one-off customers, usually tourists, who would come across it randomly. There were only a few reoccurring visitors. Even then, it was not somewhere you could just pick up your 'usual' and be on your way, it was something you had to make time for, to sit and enjoy the ambiance.

Many people recommended it to their friends, but not all of them came. It was a lot easier for a worker to pick up coffee from Starbucks than weave their way through side streets to find Alley Café. They served an assortment of different hot and cold drinks. Their breakfast menu had a particularly French feel; this was mainly due to the owner of the café. Their lunch menu ranged from superbly filled sandwiches and an assortment of paninis, toasties and salads. A soup dish, pasta dish and noodle dish were made every day for customers who wanted a larger lunch. Their range of delicate cakes and hearty muffins were to be admired above all else. It was no wonder customers left with a full stomach and a wide smile, and that tips were generous.

Joséphine Fabian was the café's owner. She had been a resident of Great Britain for 30 years (though her voice has always retained the slightest of French accents). She had worked in a post office to get by when she first emigrated. She always dreamed of owning a café, and seized the opportunity when it arose. She put her complete trust in her employees to provide a good service and create her food and drink items exactly how she imagined. She could be firm, but she was extremely fair. She had a soft spot for one particular employee, Anna May Hart. She was a young woman with the kindest smile and the hardest work ethic she had ever seen. Anna's father, Geoffrey, had worked in the post office with her, and the two had been friends since. It was no surprise that when Geoffrey asked if Anna could work in the café that she immediately offered the young woman a trial. She didn't quite expect the twenty year old to have a one year old son though.

The fact Anna was a young, single mother was surprising. Especially considering how adamant Geoffrey had been on her receiving a good university education. Joséphine was not one to question why or how it had happened, all she wanted to know was if Anna was prepared to commit to her business. She certainly was. She had been just as committed from the day she arrived until now, almost three years on. However, on that particular Monday in January, Anna was feeling some serious strain.

The young woman was stood in the small staff room, which was tucked away beside the stock room. It was fairly quiet in there, the perfect place to have a well-deserved break, but now that lunch time hit, it was time to return to front of shop. She stood in front of the small mirror above a bunch of seats and scraped her hair back into its original high bun. She then picked up her apron from the table, tying it firmly around her waist.

"George, Mummy has got to work now" she said softly in the direction of an armchair in the corner of the room. Sat on it was her three year old son, his light hair was wild as though it hadn't been combed and he was surrounding with toys and learning books. He was tucked into his seat with a blanket, and he now wore a miserable countenance. George had an ear infection. Normally, Anna would ask her Dad if he could swap his shift, but he had been unable to do so. The little boy certainly couldn't go to school, so he had to accompany her to work.
"Do you have to?" he called back grumpily. Anna felt her heartache, she was sure Josephine would let her have the day off to look after him, but it meant no pay. As much as Anna liked working there, the pay was only slightly above minimum wage, so she had to work every day. Jo had thankfully let her bring George in, even though the older woman was out of the shop that day.

"Yeah I do" she started, and noticing his eyes glazing over "If you sit tight and be a good boy, I'm sure Erika, Michael or Bryan will make you a hot chocolate and read one of your books with you soon" she assured him. They were two of her colleagues that were in shop on a Monday. One of them was bound to be on a break soon and keep little George company for a while. Her words seemed to brighten his expression.
"Okay Mummy" he murmured, picking up one of his toys. She leant down and gave him a kiss on the cheek, with which he responded with a little grin. She headed for the door. "Love you!" she heard the little boy call. She turned around.

"Love you too sweetheart". She wished she could just take him home, maybe watch a Disney movie and just look after him properly. That was out of the question right now though. She headed through the door which led to the store room, and out through to the main body of Alley Café. The warmth hit her, as did the appetising smell of coffee and cakes.
"How's Little G?" came a deep voice from the Michael, the barista, who was busy making what seemed to be a complicated latte.

"He's being brave!" Anna called back, noticing that quite a few tables were occupied. She watched Erika clean the used ones with vigour. Bryan was busy on the food counter, and his face glowed when he saw Anna.
"Glad you're here An, we needed someone on the till, Erika had to start cleaning" he motioned towards the area. The customer stood in front of the counter was in office attire, a young man with an air about him. Anna offered him a polite and slightly apologetic smile.
"Sorry for the wait Sir, what can I get you?"

 

[Shelby]

On second thought, perhaps he would get himself a little bit to eat. Looking at the foods that the other patrons sported on their plates--ranging from pastries, soups, and sandwiches--Luke's stomach began to rumble even more, a bothersome noise that caused him to press a hand against his stomach. Had he been alone, he likely would have told his stomach verbally to stop, but in the presence of others he stopped and stayed quiet instead as he pitched his head back forward to look at the menu. Now, since he had decided what he would like to drink, what would he like to eat, something that would accompany it best and compliment a meal?

His brows furrowed at the thought, as did his lips that formed into a pinch until a woman came up to the counter and apologized for the wait. It took a moment for Luke to come back to reality, but when he did and looked down at the woman in front of him he blinked his eyes for a second until a easy smile came to his lips. The door opened behind him, causing a chill to follow along with it, hitting his back, and the voices of two other people walking into the little cafe streamed in.

"No problem," he said, waving a hand dismissively before he dropped it to his side, putting it back in his pocket shortly after as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other until he stopped. The people who had just come in stood behind him now, waiting in line to order their own meals. "I"m not in much of a rush anyway." As always, he was oddly in tuned with his accent and of how different it was from the majority of the people around him, save for the few tourist that he heard walking through the streets of London, and it always caused a bit of hesitation from him to speak to others, or strangers rather. However, now, he pushed the thought aside. "I probably shouldn't keep you waiting, though, so I'll give you my order," he chuckled lightly before looking back up at the menu. "I'd like a Green Tea Latte with... Something. I don't know." Turning, again, he looked down at the woman with a raised brow. "Any suggestions for what would go well with that? I've never been here before, but I've heard there's a lot of good things here."