Those Starry Bucks (Avi)

[Philomena Snow]

Mina walked through the open doors of Starbucks and took in her surroundings. There was the strong smell of coffee floating on the air and the sweetness of the baked goods behind the counter was hanging there too. It was quite busy, but then again, it was middday on a particularly cold Winter's (yes it was now Winter) day. She had been hovering in the mall all morning, looking at clothes, buying a new pair of boots, the usual Sunday business. She had needed an energy boost, so Starbucks seemed like a liable option.

She wrapped her long cardigan around herself and walked up to the queue, which already had at least 4 people in it. She waited patiently as the customers went on to wait for their ordered drinks, making pointless small talk with those behind the tills. Eventually, the server reached her. "What would you like to order?" The girl taking her order seemed to be in her late teens, with a bright smile and an annoyingly cheerful disposition. It actually made Mina sigh audibly just at the sound of the girl's squeaky voice. Of course, she had known what she was ordering before she even set foot inside, and had tried to ignore all of the trivial Christmas drinks and deals that had been shoved into her face on big display boards when she had entered.

"Your strongest coffee, Grande, to Go." She kept a near-blank facial expression when she said the words. The perky girl in front of her scribbled that down and continued to beam her teeth to the world, "And would you like anything else with that? A cookie, perhaps?" She leaned in as if telling a huge secret, "They're fresh-baked!" Mina didn't even bother to speak, she just tensed up her facial expression and raised her eyebrows at imbecilic pixie that danced around in front of her like she had springs for feet. The girl got the message and asked, "And what's you name?" Mina hated her name, Philomena, it was so pathetic. Even the shortened version sounded forced and awkward, so she responded by saying one word,

"Snow." Her surname. She liked the sound of it a lot more, it was a bit daunting and cold, but... she was kind of like that anyway. The girl seemed to freeze for a second, before writing down the name with a slightly more startled facial expression. She paid for her drink and walked over to the waiting area and drummed her fingers on the work-top.

(Outfit)

[Avinea Jale]

Avi just loved Christmas. It was the time of year when everyone was trying to be specially nice to others, the little ones were afraid of getting put on the naughty list, and even if you didn't believe in Santa it benefited you to be as nice as possible. Christmas was the time of year that everyone just took a step back and appreciated the small acts of kindness and gratitude that people could do. The world would be a better place if everyone acted like this instead of just at Christmas but all the time. Everyone would just get along and even if conflict happened people could stand each other to get along in the name of the holiday spirit. People should act more like they did at Christmas then they did at the rest of the year.

As it was almost Christmas Avi was out to shop for her friends and family. She had decided to locate most of her presents at the mall. At the mall she figured that she could find most things, the only thing that she would have to really look for is her brother’s present. Kinas was… tricky to shop for. He didn't care for most material things and she was not going to get him a gift card. Even she would be disappointed in herself. He was her big brother and she was going to get him a gift. First though she had to stop at her refueling station—Starbucks.

As she walked into the cafe Avi smiled and inhaled the scent of the coffee that surrounded her. It was only minutes until she was going to have the deliciousness that was peppermint mocha latte in her mouth. Starbucks only made it around this time of the year and she was excited to have it. Standing in line Avi could hardly hold her excitement; she couldn't wait to get to the coffee. This line was the only thing standing between her and her coffee, but as it was the Christmas season she was happy to have the line as it meant she got to watch people and their excited faces with the coffee they received. When she got to the start of the line she gave the girl behind the counter a smile and a wave. “Hey, May I please have a large Peppermint Mocha Latte?” The girl behind the counter nodded, and asked her if she wanted a cookie. Avi nodded enthusiastically and looked at the cookies. “Chocolate Chip please.” Avi looked at the girl and winked, “Names Avi, thanks for the help sweets.” So maybe Avi was a bit of a flirt, can you blame her. When the girl behind the counter smiled and motioned her over to the waiting area Avi looked around, noticing the girl dressed in all black. She looked familiar, maybe she was at Hammel?

Taking a risk she stepped up to her with a smile. “Hey, aren't you in my AP Calcus class?” Grinning Avi made a face and pointed a finger to her cheek. “I’m Avi, and you?”

[Philomena Snow]

When it came to Christmas, Mina was a cross between the Grinch and Jack Frost. She enjoyed the cold weather; the thick snow; the sharp breeze, it all added to her connection with the shadows. Mina was in a difficult situation when it came to the monstrosity that was her life. She felt a disattachment from the world, sometimes to the point where she didn't feel alive, didn't feel human. The cold helped her connect with something, even if it wasn't the real world, and that meant she didn't feel so alone.

She was a Grinch, because she couldn't be bothered with Christmas. Every since her dad went AWOL, it just never felt right to be celebrating anymore, no matter what it was.

Mina observed people coming and going from coffee shop, and watched as the general public ordered their beverages and waited near her. If they got too close, she just had to shoot a look their way and they backed off.

Her eyes clamped shut once she heard another perky voice; one was bad enough, now it sounded like the employee was talking to herself and it was so FUCKINY IRRITATING you wouldn't even believe. The girl, who seemed to be around the same age as her, also ordered the polar opposite of what she had, a milky drink, and she'd bothered to waste money on a cookie. Her brain cringed scornfully at her last words to the cashier girl: JESUS CHRIST, COULD SHE GET ANYMORE PERKY?

Oh. Oh, this was just brilliant.

Yeah, sure, just talk to Mina, she won't mind!

I know she's been scowling at you ever since you came in, that must be a great invitation to introduce yourself- WHY?!

AP Calculus? Mina scanned her memories, and somewhere in there was a blonde, curly, perky girl. Yep, that walking ray of sunshine went to her school. Even though Mina didn't want to involve herself with the girl, she felt like being polite...

...if only for a minute.

"Mina." She looked at the same spot on the wall, and then began watching the workers maneuver around each other like worker bees. It was slightly entertaining, in the least. One of the staff workers had almost fallen over on the slippery floor; now that would've been more entertaining.

[Avinea Jale]

Avi was just a bundle of joy at the holiday season. She was happy and merry and every year her family went caroling. It was one of the most exciting things for them as they all just interacted with their neighbors and spread some holiday lovin. She felt like more people needed to hear and process Christmas carols where giving and caring were the main intents.

She missed a time when people were just happy at Christmas. Her power had made things messy between her and her brother, and her mother rarely let her near her little sister. That made her sad enough.

Coffee made everything better though, at least for now. Avi watched as the people around her got happy with their filled mugs and to go cups, some taking the leap at the cookies, others at the muffins. Really Starbucks was a wonderful place to rejuvenate and relax before shopping, or to take a break.

After ordering Avi looked around, standing against the wall where the waiting area was. She was excited for the coffee, not that she particularly needed the caffeine. Still Avi thought it better to be prepared for the rush, rather then attempt and get through her major shopping day without it. Coffee made words go into sentences and thoughts into ideas. She was well used to people assuming her perkiness was apart of her attitude, but really Avi was just generally well-natured. The holidays tended to do that to her. Her classmate though, she wasn’t sure she had all of that Christmas spirit that Avi had, but she rather give her the benefit of the doubt.

Besides she was getting coffee, the girl couldn’t be in too much a bad mood.

Coffee made everything better. That was one philosophy Avi was willing to stand by.

Of course she had to talk to the girl, she might have been in her class. It was just polite for her too. Really the other shouldn’t have expected anything less. Besides, strangers were just friends you hadn’t met yet.

Avi grinned and looked the girl up and down, yea it was likely she was in the class. Avi herself was in AP Calculus, and AP Physics, as well as AP Chemistry and AP World History. Avi just didn’t do that well in English. If there was an AP Physical Education class Avi would pass with flying colors, but there wasn’t. Avi was number smart, words just got jumbled in her brain. Numbers had definite answers, there was no room for interpretation and opinions, the solution was the solution.

Avi liked that.

Yea she had definitely seen her around. Avi gave a smile and tilted her head as the girl introduced herself. She seemed to be focusing on the workers, watching them run to and from, doing their jobs. “That’s a pretty name.” It really was, better then her’s at least, “Coffee is good.” Avi smiled as the girl motioned and she was handed a cup. Seeing Mina’s cup Avi smiled as she took it in hand, and nodded to the girl who looked semi scared of the girl dressed in all black. Stifling a laugh Avi smiled and handed the cup to Mina. “Here, this is your’s right?” Maybe Avi could get a smile out of the girl. “What did you get?”

[Philomena Snow]

If you cut Mina's arm open, coffee would probably drip out in place of blood. She was drinking it at every possibility, it was really the only thing that keep her awake, aside from taking some pills so she could sleep at night, and she didn't want to be a druggie, thank you. No, she'd much prefer to have an addiction to extremely strong coffee. She'd had tea before... it was too watery and she just... eurgh, she hated it. Hot chocolate was worse, it was way too sweet. Mina never really had a sweet tooth. She never ate any sweets on Halloween, she used to just give them to her kid sister, but now she didn't even go out. She chose to stay in on Halloween nights, watching scary movies and eating spicy foods. But, this wasn't Halloween, a shit load of fake cobwebs would've made that obvious if that was the case.

No, it was still Christmas. Woopdie-fucking-doo.

Oh, if only Mina could hear Avinea's thoughts. Well, it was probably for the best that she wasn't a telepath anyway. Because for Mina, strangers weren't friends. Strangers were random souls who probably hated your guts and wanted you out of the way. Strangers were impatient, loud and annoying, and strangers, like this girl, were irritating too. Gladly, the thought of a dose of caffeine was calming and held Mina back from lashing out. If anything, being near someone who actually noticed her in a good way was... kind of nice.

Her thoughts conflicted hugely. The devil inside her despised the girl that stood smiling in front of her, with her perkiness and over-friendly nature. She, apparently, couldn't be trusted. However... her lighter side was smiling. Smiling at the compliment, at the shared liking for coffee (even though Avi was drinking it wrong) and the girl's continuing likable nature, even when pushed slightly by Mina's cold attitude. She held a minuscule respect for the bright girl. And she, as a whole, had no idea how to react. At. All.

Her face relaxed a little as the girl spoke, but not to the point of seeming friendly and smiling. It still scowled, but only slightly. It was pretty neutral. She disagreed, though, with the compliment, "I hate my name." It was the truth, she wasn't being purposefully objective. She nodded at the true comment Avi had made about coffee, not making eye contact, except with the girl behind the counter. She had the message to leave Mina alone. She took the cup slowly from the shorter girl and check the side carefully, it definitely read the name 'Snow' in shaky handwriting. Mina slowly nodded again in response to Avi's first question, but didn't answer the second, taking a sip. A fatal sip of the wrong coffee.

Gagging slightly, Mina dropped the cup from the unexpected disgustingly milky taste, the lid popping off as it made contact with the ground and the contents spilling practically all over the girl in front of her. She bent over a little and coughed, ignoring the consequences of her actions. After a few seconds recovering, she shook physically and straightened up to see the girl in front of her.

And she felt guilty. Which was unusual for her. If something like this usually happened, she would've shouted, or gotten angry in some form. She sometimes even laughed at others' misfortunes, but this time, she felt very bad. This girl... no matter how much she hated the perkiness, the attitude and her bubbly atmosphere, she had not said a single mean word to her. She looked around, suddenly slightly timid. She did not like being the centre of attention, and most of the room was looking at her. She hovered for a second, then grabbed the girl by the arm, pulling her out of the shop quite forcefully. As they walked, she hissed quietly, through gritted teeth, from anger and nausea, "Just. Act. Natural."

Once they were outside, she let go and turned to the girl, and before she knew it, she was rambling. Her tone was harsh, to a passerby, it would sound like she was scolding the girl infront of her... but she was doing almost the opposite. "Look, I'm sorry about your..." She looked the girl up and down. You could not call what she was wearing clothes, in Mina's opinion, but for the sake of simplicity, she had to. "...your clothes." She paused for a second, calming her breathing, "And, I'm sorry for pullin' you out of there." She put her hands to her face, her single shopping bag hanging off of her arm. She shook her head to herself, trying to will her mind into some kind of understanding of the situation, which she couldn't reach.

Mina wasn't like this. She didn't... apologize for anything, usually. What the fuck was going on?

[Avinea Jale]

One of Avi’s favorite drinks was coffee. She loved the tastes and various ways it could be made. She couldn't drink it straight black, but instead had to have either milk or sugar in it. Avi also loved sweet things, so when someone decided to combine the sweetness of sweet things and the deliciousness of coffee Avi was all for it. In fact she was more than grateful to the creator of this sweet deliciousness of the drink she would soon be holding in her hands. Besides, it was the only way she would be able to shop for her extremely-hard-to-shop-for-brother.

She needed the caffeine and pump before she ventured into the mall again, so recklessly.

Thus a Starbucks trip was perfectly validated, in fact it was more then validated, it was expected. How else would she get anything done. She also knew that a headache would be coming from the shopping that would ensue. Before she could venture out with her drink however, she knew she knew this girl from somewhere. Now it was up to her to figure it out. Avi was most definitely a snooper, and would find the truth eventually.

Avi’s smiled widened as the other girl smiled at her. Maybe she was doing something good? Avi was genuinely a good person, even if her methods were sometimes overbearing and not the most accepted. She was perky, and over friendly because that was how she coped, that was how she chose to look at the world, even though she knew that the world wasn't actually like that at all. It was a sort of contradiction to say the least. Avi knew that people who had cold attitudes had most likely been hurt, or in some way had been repelled from people and society. This belief was stemmed in the fact that most poeple liked Avi. It was something that she believed in, people were people, no matter how cold their attitudes.

Okay so the smile went to her head a little. When Avi glimpsed the other girl’s face relaxing, if only a little bit, she was sure to smile and nod at the other girl. “Even if you hate it, I still think it is pretty.” Avi was trying to be nice to the girl and she did think the name was pretty. No matter how cold the owner seemed. “Is there something you would rather I call you?” There, that would fix the problem, she didn't want to offend the girl. Avi looked over at the girl at the counter and took the cup that had her name on it watching the Mina as she took a drink from her cup. To the girl at the counter Avi flashed a smile and winked. “Thanks sweetheart.” She then promptly turned her attention back to Mina.

And then there was coffee. “Shit.” Everywhere. “Fuck that is Hot.” Looking down Avi realized that she was drenched, coffee had spilled all over her, she took it Mina had gotten the wrong cup. Normally Avi wouldn't have sworn but she was currently drenched in coffee and hot coffee at that. Well there went one of her favorite sweaters. Avi... wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation. At the most she would have to get some new clothes, that much was assured. Avi smiled at Mina as she straightened up raising an eyebrow. “Wrong cup?”

Before she could get an answer Avi was being dragged by the arm out of Starbucks. Well, she guessed they were leaving. Making sure to keep hold of the other coffee Avi nodded to the people passing as they left the cafe area. “It’s like they've never seen someone have coffee stains all over before.” In an act of childishness Avi stuck her tongue out at the person taking a picture with a camera. Serves him right, his picture being ruined. With one hand around the coffee and one hand in limbo as she was being dragged Avi made she had everything before they left the shop.

Once outside Avi took a moment to breathe before looking over at Mina. The girl seemed to be rambling in the presence of what had just happened. Avi wasn't mad, she had just been surprised that was all. After all it had been hot! Avi tried to smile over at the girl as she offered an... apology? That looked like it hurt. Grinning from ear to ear now Avi shook her head. “It is perfectly fine.” Avi smirked as she looked down at her clothes. “Honestly? Clothes shopping is much more fun than trying to shop for my impossible to shop for brother.” She wasn't joking on that. Glancing down at her hands Avi remembered that she had black coffee in her hand. “I believe this is yours?” Tilting her head Avi offered the cup to the girl standing across from her. “Wanna help me go look for clothes?”

To clarify yes, Avi did just ask this girl to help her shop and yes, this can possibly be called a date. Yes, she is a flirt.