Perstare et praestare (Liv)

[Joshua Bernstein]

The sound of chimes announcing his entrance was one of the many charms of entering a small business such as Ari's. With a smile flashed at the proprietor he joined the huddled masses waiting in line at the counter, wrapping his warm woolen jacket as close about his body as possible. The temperature was firmly planted between Summer and Winter, which in Vermont meant rather chilly (if still more humid than he would have liked; the perils of the east coast.)

A hot cup of coffee would solve the chill, if not the humidity.

A cup of coffee would also solve the problem of flagging energy after a hard day's work: he'd been in a trial for most of the day, and tomorrow promised more of the same.

The sweatshirt of a young girl in front of him caught his eye, and he smiled in fond recollection to himself before addressing her. "NYU? You don't attend, do you?"

Although school ought to be in session, perhaps she was visiting family up in Vermont. Or perhaps she was a recent graduate; he admittedly wasn't very good at judging the ages of young people anymore.

[Olivia Baker]

The air had gotten cold in Vermont seemingly overnight. She hated that. She loved fall, but she hated that moment when the weather switched and the wind blew warning of winter. Getting used to the cold was never an easy adjustment for Liv. The one thing that made it a little easier was switching from iced to hot coffee though.

She adored coffee, it was her lifeline. Before she knew of her abilities she thrived on it, calling it liquid sleep for those long nights of homework after her intense ballet sessions. Of course now she didn't need to torture herself, but it still made a significant difference in her mood and ability to think straight.

Velvet-Tone coffee house she was convinced had the closest taste to her favorite place back home on the corner of Prince and 14th street. Velvet-tone's being only slightly nuttier, she couldn't say she minded though wouldn't admit if she liked it better.

"One Large Coffee. Black." She ordered before hearing someone from behind her. She looked like a mess today, wearing just black yoga pants and her NYU hoodie.

"NYU? You don't attend, do you?"

She turned and smiled. "Oh no I go to Hammel." She laughed, flattered he thought she was older. "My parents are professors there and just really push me going there with bribes like sweatshirts." She said with an apologetic laugh, sorry to disappoint him.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Your parents are professors at NYU?" Josh repeated, his tone clearly accenting just how impressed he was. He'd always had a bias in favor of certain careers due to the schooling associated with them, and professorships were one of them. "Did they attend?"

He took a step closer to the counter as the cashier beckoned him forward; he'd almost forgotten what he was there for.

"A large coffee. Caffeine, I like my coffee real. And black, please."

He fished his credit card out of his wallet as he turned his attention back to the girl. "you said you attended Hammel? My partner works there. We actually met at NYU, though, back in the seventies."

[Olivia Baker]

Liv couldn't help but chuckle watching the man's reaction to her parents profession and the school itself. Part of her wanted to roll her eyes. She thought this man would get along with them perfectly and hearing someone talk about the school with such enthusiasm made her a little homesick. She was convinced, if they could, her parents would turn the library into the family's permanent residence instead of their Central Park West apartment. 

"Yes they did attend." she told him, "Probably aroundish when you did." She smiled, "Their names are John and Sophia Baker... though my mother was Sophia Decoux then."

"Thank you." Liv said to the barista as she took her coffee and stepped aside to start to treat it, adding a dash of cinnamon.

"And yeah I go to Hammel." She said and wanted to ask who his partner was but decided it might be best not to ask. That might be inappropriate... or something. 

[Joshua Bernstein]

John Baker was, unfortunately, not the most memorable of names. However, his eyes lit up in recognition at her mother's name. "Sophia Decoux! I do recall her! She was a few grades younger, I think, but we b---we had some friends in common."

Otherwise known as their pot dealer. Maybe not the best information to share with her daughter.

"I believe she was in that play Simon insisted we see. Or was that Pamela Wilcox..." He squinted in thought, stroking his chin as if this might help his memory. It didn't. Maybe Olivia would kindly inform him whether or not her mother had been involved in theater. He was pretty sure she had been, but she'd only been friends of some friends, and not someone he knew all that intimately himself.

He stepped away from the counter, waiting for the barista to serve up his minimalist order.

"Oh! I think she was dating a John then. Was that your father?"