video »

[eloquentness]

[ The feed opens up to a young woman sitting behind the counter of a flower shop. Several flower arrangements are lined up behind her, some more artfully arranged - and frankly, more gorgeous - than others.

(They're works in progress, okay?) On the bright side, she's sticking to safe combinations or single-flower bouquets, rather than branching out. ]

Hey, everyone. [ She beams into the camera; first impressions matter, after all. ] I've gotta ask, especially if you've been here a while: what's one thing you wish you'd known when you first got here?

I'm no stranger to parallel universes - trust me, living in Central City will do that to you - but it's still kind of surreal, you know? This doesn't have to be anything life-changing. It can be something small like, oh... I don't know, your new favorite coffee place?

Comments

Re: video

[knaval]

Civil war went a bit too far.

I've only seen it post the war, so you can imagine there's not much of an economy just yet.

video

[eloquentness]

Oh. Wow, yeah... I can't imagine there's too much of anything.

In that case, when you get here, why don't you teach me about Engex? Maybe I can try to make some.

Re: video

[knaval]

Yessssssssssssssss!!

[he's gonna RUN, SON. unfortunately, riptide has the presence of mind to shift into his human form and not smash the cafe, so she'll just get a very excited, very tall blue haired guy waving enthusiastically when he gets there.]

[eloquentness]

[ That enthusiasm is met with an equally excited wave.

Iris has already set up two empty mugs on the counter, and she's done her best to clear the space so that her powers won't accidentally ruin her arrangements (or, you know, get her fired in the first week). ]

Hey!! Thanks again for meeting me.

[knaval]

No prob, bob. Gotta do something, right?

[to keep himself occupied.]

Alright, what've you got?

[eloquentness]

Okay, so I'm gonna make you a latte. It's an espresso with steamed milk, and if you wanna get fancy? You can ask a shop to add different flavors.

[ She holds out her hand to fill up one of the mugs with a freshly-brewed latte. Iris grins as she tops it off with a foam heart. It even tastes like it came straight from the store! ]

Besides that, there's like... straight-up espresso shots, Americano - which is espresso with water - flat whites, cappuccinos, and even mochas, if you like chocolate with your caffeine.

[knaval]

[riptide takes it, grins at the heart then downs the entire thing. in one go.

he shudders and blinks a few times when he's done. foam 'tasche and all.]

Woah, that's-- wow. That went straight to my human... energy centre.

[eloquentness]

Yeah, it's stronger than it looks. [ She stifles a laugh by biting down on her lower lip. ] Sorry. I even tried to dilute it with more milk than usual.

[knaval]

Oh.

Is that why my throat feels weird?

[eloquentness]

Possibly...? [ Oh man, now she's concerned. ] On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?

[knaval]

Uh... scratchy. Is it meant to do that??

[eloquentness]

Well... it's also really hot. [ beat ] Your "Engex" usually isn't, right?

[knaval]

Well, no, but...

[he coughs a little.]

Ugh. I feel weird. Did this have alcohol in it?

[eloquentness]

[ Hold on, she'll run over to grab a bottle of water. ]

No? [ She holds it out as a peace offering. ] It's got caffeine and milk, though.

this thread led up to cracking a cold one open before it got popular we are the originators

[knaval]

[riptide takes it with a grunt of thanks and cracks it open, chugging it.]

Milk? What's that?

... omg it sure did, you're right :')

[eloquentness]

Um, well... [ She really should consult this world's version of a search engine. ] It's a beverage, like water, but it's got this thing called "calcium" which makes your bones stronger.

gunfingers

[knaval]

I don't have bones. Is that the problem?

[riptide, she's less likely to know than you are.]

[eloquentness]

Um... [ oh dear. ] I am like, the least qualified person to answer that, but if you can have other human food, milk should be fine.

[knaval]

...

I'm just... gonna go outside for a moment.

[eloquentness]

Oh, um - [ she points towards a green-painted door behind her. ] The bathroom's in the back.

[knaval]

This isn't a bathroom thing. This is a I'm going to switch back and see what happens thing. I'd destroy this place if I did it in there.

[eloquentness]

[ . . . yeah, she has no witty response to that. ]

I'll just wait right here, then.

[knaval]

[AND SHE WILL SEE A GIANT ROBOT SUDDENLY APPEAR OUTSIDE after riptide leaves. or... his foot, anyway. the size difference makes it easy to process out all the bad bits.

he's back in a moment.]

All better! Can I have another one?

[eloquentness]

[ ????

That answered literally nothing, but he sure seems better, so... Iris gives a slow nod, holding out her hand to summon an iced latte. With extra sweetness, just in case. ]

Of course. [ . . . ] You promise you're better? Like, I don't need to call a doctor?

[knaval]

What are you asking me for? I barely know what a human is, my dude.

[...that's... helpful.]

Do you have a favourite drink? I wanna try that one!