A New Customer

Who: Joey and Dorian
When: Late afternoon
Where: Joey's Cafe

Joey spent the morning keeping herself busy by tidying up her apartment, washing some laundry and filling her fridge with groceries before she showered, changed and went into work. She greeted people with a friendly smile before locking herself away in her office to do some paperwork and clear her mind. While she was fairly certain she wouldn't be seeing Ash again - but for a random run in around the small town - Joey was determined not to let it bother her. It wasn't the first time a connection had been severed by the revelation of her calling, and it wouldn't be the last. It was just... disappointing, as it always was. But these things happened and all she could do was accept it and move on.

After about an hour, Joey returned to the front of the cafe and allowed Patty to go home. The cafe was quiet and she was sure she could handle any business on her own until closing at six. She made herself a fresh cup of coffee and grabbed the newspaper to read at the counter, absorbing the local news as a way to distract herself from other things.

Dorian was wandering around Marquette, not sitting at home, but not quite ready to check on Nevermore. Harper had gone, leaving him in need of another daytime sales clerk, otherwise he wasn't entirely sure he'd be keeping the store open. Dorian knew he wasn't going to sit in the shop every day, though he figured he could manage it on and off throughout the week. It helped that there were a couple of high schoolers that could pick up work after school. At least that was covered.

There wasn't a lot that had changed since he left, but he did notice a new little cafe. Rather than pass it by, Dorian stopped inside to take a look around. He could do with a cup of coffee, maybe read the newspaper. It would be nice to know what was going on in the world, or at least make an attempt to catch up on what he'd missed in Marquette.

Joey glanced up the second the door opened and she straightened, folding the newspaper and setting it to the side to be able to focus on her customer. It was always hard to project a pleasant, 'we're so glad you're here' attitude when she wasn't in the best of moods, but somehow Joey managed to pull it off without it being too phony. "Can I help you?" Joey had never seen him in her cafe before, or around town, which was good. New people were always fun to meet. And she hoped he ordered something incredibly tedious to make so she would have something to keep her busy.

"Just thought I'd stop in," Dorian said, his attention turning to the woman who spoke. "Left town for a while and a new shop popped up. What's good here?" he asked, leaning casually on the counter. It seemed like a good opportunity to try something new. He'd lived in Marquette long enough that he should know the locals, but he had to actually make an attempt if he was going to do so. So now he was attempting, making small talk where he could.

"Welcome back," she said, setting her palms on the counter just as casually. She glanced over her shoulder at the menu behind her before returning her attention to him and smiling. "What's good? You know this is where I tell you everything, right? But I'm partial to the house coffee, the cinnamon lattes and hot chocolate. Are you in the mood for any specific?" He didn't seem like a foofy drink kind of guy, but neither had Ash, and Ash liked his mochas.

"I'm sure everything is good," he smiled. "I'll try the cinnamon latte then. Why not. I want something sweeter than house coffee today, but I'm sure I'll be by again to try it another day." Seeing as how the place was on his way to work, it'd be a nice way to stall the inevitable. He couldn't just abandon shop. And, honestly, he liked Nevermore. He just didn't like going there every single day. It wasn't a matter of growing up and giving in, but maintaining sanity.

"If you want sweet, you'll definitely get it." She punched in the drink on her register before turning around to start fixing it. "You said you were out of town," Joey said, fine with making small talk. Her hands and mind were both keeping busy. "Have you been a long time resident of Marquette?"

"Great," he said, watching as she went to work with the drink machines. He couldn't even contemplate what she was doing back there, but it was fun to watch. "No, I moved up here beginning of last summer. Opened a bookstore down the street. What about you?" he asked. He had the feeling she wasn't a long time resident herself, just by the fact that she was asking. Locals seemed to know he was new, though he was getting better about fitting in.

"You own Nevermore?" Joey asked, looking up from his drink to his face with mild surprise. She would have said he looked too young to own a business, but she didn't look much older than he was, so it would have probably sounded strange coming from her. "Great shop with a lot of interesting inventory. I've stopped in a couple times since I moved here. Which answers your question, I suppose. I've been here only a couple of weeks or so. It's a lovely place so far."

"Yeah, it's my own crazy business endeavor. Love the concept, hate the hours. I get stir crazy," Dorian laughed, even if he was serious on that point. A few hours a day at most, that was all he was willing to do. He could find people to fill in the rest. "I'm thinking of changing it up a bit, since some of the books are better for reference than sale. I'll probably set it up a little like a library or something. Then have the easy to find and replace books near the front, along with all the magic supplies." Dorian smiled as he realized he was babbling. "Sorry, been thinking on this a lot lately and you kind of got brain dump. What brought you to Marquette?"

Joey shook her head with a grin as her eyes drifted back toward his drink. "I'm a fan of brain dumps, so please don't apologize. Most people are so guarded with their thoughts that a little ramble here and there is interesting to me. I know what you mean about going stir crazy. The first thing I did was find competent, full time help so I didn't have to be here all day by myself unless I chose too." Which at the moment, she did. Joey pulled his cup away from the machine and turned around to the other counter to stir and sprinkle cinnamon on top. "You know, the library idea is a great one. I enjoyed the book I flipped through, and I would have loved to read it but..." She winced and looked over her shoulder at him. "It was a bit expensive." Turning back, she grabbed a lid, snapped it on and handed it over. "To answer your question, I travel a lot. A smaller town seemed like a nice change from where I've been, so here I am. I've enjoyed it so far, but thankfully there's been a lot of town events to keep me from getting bored."

"They've gotta be expensive," Dorian explained. "They're not mass produced. It takes a while to hunt them down, and it's rare if I can find more than a couple. Which is why I think the library system might work better. What'd you flip through?" It was mere curiosity, to see what different people were drawn to. If it was something rare, then that was even more telling, though not necessarily so. He was continually shocked with the number of supernatural beings in Marquette. "So does that mean you made it over to the circus?" he asked with a smile.

"I think it would benefit a lot of people, though I wonder if that would be added expense for you, purchasing these books and not being able to sell them. I found an interesting book on elementals, but I can't remember the name of it. All I know was that it was extremely detailed." She leaned against the counter casually, a smile on her face. "I did make it to the circus, but I have to admit I went more for the junk food. It surprised me that such a small town attracted something like the circus. What about you? Did you get to enjoy the lions and clowns?"

"I'm a collector," Dorian admitted. "I'd want to buy them myself, regardless of my ability to sell them. So instead I'm hoping to make a profit off everything else-- the candles, tarot cards, incense, and the books that do come in high supply." He honestly wasn't sure if he could make a profit at all, but he liked running the place, and could find ways to finance it elsewhere. Taking a few jobs with Aiden paid better than a bookstore ever could. "I didn't make it down to the circus this time. Like you, I'm kinda surprised. I don't know how Marquette brings in such attractions, but I think it's good for the community when it does."

"Ah, and with the library, it gives you the option of keeping your collections," Joey said with a nod. "Makes sense to me. Sometimes you have to tweak things to get it just right." She was perfectly content with her shop now, but it had taken her awhile to get a handle on business and profit. "It did seem good for the community. There were a lot of people there, and it seemed busy whenever I drove by. I'm guessing it doesn't happen often here, so people take advantage. Especially with the weather turning colder, there won't be much chance for things to go outdoors."

"Maybe people will find different things to do outdoors. I'm not entirely sure. I'm from down south, so it never got all that cold. No snow, no ice skating. I'll probably freeze my ass off once winter really hits," he said with a small laugh before trying a sip of his drink. It was hot, but good, and he decided maybe he should let it cool a bit before having another sip. "So where were you before Marquette? You said a smaller town is a nice change of pace, so should I guess the big city?"

South Africa. But Joey figured that would invoke more questions and she didn't really want to have to answer them, because then she would have to lie. "New York City," she said. "Definitely not the place to stay if you like walking down the street untouched. I feel like I can catch my bearings here... people take time to stop and talk and everyone so far has seemed extremely friendly." Joey lifted both hands up to tighten her ponytail. "But like you, I'm from the south as well, so I'm kind of dreading winter, although I love snow around the holidays. I think once Christmas passes I'll be starting to complain more about the weather."

"I think that's when you have to find something useful to do with it. Enjoy it, you know. Take up ice skating, or hockey. Or... I dunno what all's out there," Dorian said with a small laugh. "That might be the time of year that I find reason to sit by the fire instead. I'll guess I'll have to see how it goes." He took another tentative sip of his drink, this time pleased that it didn't burn his tongue. "This is good," he smiled, pulling out his wallet to pay for the drink. Instead, he ended up setting it on the counter and offered his hand. "I'm Dorian."

"I don't know about hockey," Joey laughed. "But I'll definitely be trying out the ice skating rink soon. If I can keep my balance, then maybe I'll go for the stick and puck and see what transpires from there." She took his hand to shake with an easier smile. It was nice getting her mind off of things and refocusing on why she'd come here in the first place. "I'm Josephine but please call me Joey. It's nice to meet you Dorian. It's always warm in here, so feel free to stop in any time you get chilly."

"Nice to meet you, Joey. Feel free to stop down by my shop if you're ever looking for an interesting read," he offered in return as he paid for the drink. "I'll definitely drop by again." It was nice to meet other people that were easy to talk to, that he could just bullshit with whenever. Even if he'd only met her once, he could see himself coming by regularly, just to say hello.