OOM: afternoon coffee

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Even people who pride themselves on supporting independent shops end up at Starbucks sometimes.

There's one within walking distance of Steve and Orpheus's apartment -- there are more than one if you're up to walking a bit more -- so Steve brings Felix there, so he can see what it's all about if nothing else.

It's a quiet Sunday afternoon. Steve has his sketchbook, but he hasn't opened it yet in favor of looking through a copy of the Express someone left on the table instead.

Comments

[mr_gaeta]

Meanwhile, Gaeta's eyeing his mountain of whipped cream with deep skepticism.

Sorry, his coffee.

"If I don't finish all of this," he says, "will someone else drink it?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Probably not," Steve says. "No, probably me."

Steve was sensible -- he has a soy iced latte with two extra shots and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

[mr_gaeta]

"Okay, good." Wryly, "Don't want to waste it."

Or the money Steve loaned him for it, for that matter. He's picked up a vague idea of American currency and exchange rates from the Milliways tab board -- enough to know that almost five bucks for a cup of coffee is frakking outrageous.

He stirs his straw through the whipped cream in a futile attempt to combine it with the rest of the frappucino, then takes a sip.

...That is even more obscenely sweet than he expected it to be. Yikes.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

For the record, Steve did not suggest the frappucino to him.

"Maybe just a regular coffee? Instead of the--" He nods to Felix's cup. "Coffee Slurpee?"

[mr_gaeta]

"Steve," he says, very solemn. "I can't go back home, say I've been to America -- "

(It's probably a good idea not to say I've been to Earth while in public.)

" -- and also say I never tried a half-whipped-cream coffee milkshake while I was there." Beat. "...But maybe I'll get a regular coffee after."

Because. Yeah.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve laughs.

"Everything in this time is too sweet," he says in a "get off my lawn, ya damn kids," kind of tone. "I don't get the obsession with sugar, or the obsession with thinness. Plenty to eat and everybody's starving themselves."

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta makes a face.

"I understand I'm coming from an extreme set of circumstances," he says, "but why wouldn't you want to eat everything?"

Give them a week eating nothing but algae, then see how much they want to starve themselves.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Personal reasons, political beliefs, any number of allergies...

"Personally I'll eat anything you'll put in front of me, pretty much. Orpheus is always testing that," he adds with a smile.

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta lifts an eyebrow.

"Anything not made the cut yet?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Not yet. Food is kind of amazing, when you get down to it. So many ethnicities and traditions to learn about -- and where I grew up there were Jewish delis and Greek restaurants and Irish pubs, just to start with."

[mr_gaeta]

"Yeah," says Gaeta with a faintly wistful sigh. He takes another sip of his drink; now that he's expecting it -- and has classified the drink away from coffee and more toward dessert -- the sweetness is much more tolerable. "We didn't have anything quite that diverse where I was from. I mean, it was a nice neighborhood, but not exactly cosmopolitan."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"New York is the world in miniature," Steve says fondly.

He sighs. "I like DC but it's not the same as Brooklyn."

[mr_gaeta]

"What are some of the big differences?"

Curious.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"It's a lot more formal," Steve says. "The way the city is laid out, the way people dress -- so many people work for the government it's like living in a one-industry town."

He huffs. "Of course, technically, so do I."

[mr_gaeta]

He studies Steve.

"Still adjusting to the job?" Quiet.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve nods.

"I thought it would be a lot like being back in the army. But it's more clandestine. A lot more...picking up the pieces."

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus generally does not support Starbucks, but he knew Steve and Felix were going to be there, so after an early morning set on the corner nearby, he makes his way in, glancing over the shop until he spots them and giving a brief wave before heading for the counter to place his order.

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta smiles, returning the wave before glancing back to Steve.

"Any chance of a reassignment or promotion eventually?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve waves too.

(Yes, he still get the "I'm so ridiculously in love" look after all this time.)

"I don't know if that's the answer. I'm still a captain -- that's a pretty high rank. As for reassignment...I don't know where I'd go."

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus just gets a drip coffee, so after a quick stop to add sugar, he brings it over to their table and sets his guitar aside.

"Why are you going somewhere?"

[mr_gaeta]

"I was just asking him about reassignment options," says Gaeta. "If there are even any to take. Hey, Orpheus."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Hey, honey," Steve murmurs and gives Orpheus's hand a squeeze.

"I'm just venting my disillusionment at Felix. How was busking?"

[golden_lyre]

"Ah," Orpheus says, nodding his greeting to Felix before squeezing Steve's hand in return.

"It was...profitable." Which is a fairly bland description of what his work generally is.

[mr_gaeta]

"Better than the alternative," offers Gaeta, gesturing to Orpheus with his frappucino.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Pull up a chair, set a spell," says Steve, snagging one for Orpheus.

He tells Felix, "He makes money even when he doesn't put a hat out. People just flock to him. It's amazing."