Chapter Text
Walking through the creaky door of the dusty old shop, Kate wondered if she was truly ready for this. Just an hour ago, she had finally signed the lease for the shop and the little flat upstairs that accompanied it, but now that she was entering the space for the first time as its owner, she couldn't help but seep in all the worry and anxiety that had been slowly building up while she had been working on making this dream a reality.
Would people in Arcadia Bay like her? Would they like her chocolates? What if she was no good at doing this full-time? She didn’t have much of a means of support here yet, in fact, her landlady was the only denizen of Arcadia Bay she had actually managed to talk to so far. It didn’t take long for Kate drop down on the seat at the serving counter and burry her head in her hands, elbows resting on the ornate wood countertop. Just as she was about to become completely consumed by the bottomless well of self-doubt forming in her mind, Kate was startled by an aggressive knock on the shop’s front door.
Kate quickly wiped her eyes, just in case any tears had slipped out without her noticing and skipped to the door with as much faux confidence as she could muster. As she swung open the glass door, the view from which had been mostly obscured due to the glass clouding in the Autumn frost, it revealed a tall, muscular girl in a large trench coat, with hair dyed the bright shades of the ocean, and eyes to match. Kate wasn’t sure if it was her or the cold air, but something took her breath away as she bolted out the door.
“Woah Tiger”, the blue-haired girl chuckled. “What’s got you in such a hurry?”.
“Oh, I – Well”, Kate struggled to put together a coherent sentence.
The blue-haired girl seemed amused. “Slow down kid, I didn’t mean to startle ya. I just noticed this place was getting a makeover and that you’re new in town, so I figured I would pop in to see what you’ve got going on here before the demon hordes of Arcadia Bay descend on your store”.
While the girl was talking, Kate was able to calm herself, the icy air now flowing slowly from her mouth. She considered how she should respond; this was a stranger after all and Kate would want to establish a good business rapport with the locals, which probably should not include letting them in on her pre-opening breakdown. However, there was something about the girl that felt sincere and comforting, even protective.
That was all it took for Kate’s already fragile mental boundaries to collapse: “Well thanks, that’s quite kind of you. It hasn’t been going too well to be honest, I’ve been so worried about whether I can get everything set up in time, whether people around here will even like it! Maybe I’ve made a huge mistake! Oh, my name is Kate, by the way, K-Kate Marsh. It’s nice to meet you”.
As Kate hurriedly rambled on, with her eyes alternating between locking eyes with her visitor and gazing at the floor, the other girl’s face grew a slight smile.
“Likewise, Katiecat. Why don’t you invite me in, and you can tell me all about your plan for the place. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help, but hey, I got a pair of fucking tree trunks for arms in case you need to do any heavy lifting. And the name’s Chloe, punk pirate extraordinaire of Arcadia Bay!”.
Kate giggled at Chloe’s self-assigned title, but the nickname she had given her colored her cheeks a rosy pink. Or perhaps that was just the weather.
As they both sat down at the serving counter, Kate gave Chloe a rushed recap of the last few years of her life. How she had fallen in love with chocolate, and all the places she had seen in her pursuit to study it. From Europe to South America, from big cities and culinary instructors to rural villages and grandmothers who had passed down recipes through generations. All the while, Chloe was quite attentive, latching on to Kate’s eyes and taking in all the passion the younger girl exuded for her work. After they had finished discussing everything that led Kate to Arcadia Bay, Chloe’s face turned to a mischievous smirk.
“Sooo, if you’re a chocolate maker, that means you’ve got a crap ton of chocolate, right? I know we only just met and stuff, but I got one hell of a sweet tooth so I’d love to try some”. Kate giggled at Chloe’s over eagerness and nodded, prompting the other girl to wait while she unpacked some things from the crates she had stowed under the counter. When she re-emerged, Kate was holding a couple different bags of chocolates, barely managing to contain them all before she set them on the counter. Chloe’s eyes grew large, causing Kate to giggle again.
“You seem like quite the intense person Chloe, so I thought you might enjoy some chocolate that matches your energy”, Kate mumbled bashfully, slowly handing the other girl a bag full of chocolate triangles.
Chloe wasted no time, unfurling the little golden string that held the bag together, and stuffing her face with chocolate before Kate could say another word. What came next was not something Kate was expecting: Chloe let out a low, appreciative moan.
“Damn, this shit is good Kate. It’s sweet, but kinda spicy? Real heavy, just the way I like it. You know what, I bet they would taste even better high”, she chuckled. Kate was aghast; she had never met anyone who openly admitted to smoking weed. When she was younger, that would’ve probably reduced her to a stammering mess and brought on a big, guilt-laden ethical dilemma in her mind about condoning sin or something like that. But nowadays, Kate had learned to be more accepting of worldly things, so she chuckled along with Chloe, trying not to let her inexperience show.
True to her word, Chloe helped Kate unpack and assemble all the things Kate had brought with her for the shop. Behind the counter, presses and taps for hot chocolate and chocolate-infused coffee. In the store window and by the counter, transparent display cases for Kate to show off her newest offerings in. In the back room, all kinds of complicated presses and molds and mixers which Chloe could not begin to understand but wagered made up the equipment for the chocolate making process itself.
Finally, and this was her favorite part, Chloe and Kate unpacked and began to put away the shop’s starting inventory: chocolate bars in all different sizes and colors, boxes of pralines in different shapes, more of the little bags that Chloe had seen earlier, filled with a variety of different confections. Once all of that was done, Kate poured the girls two cups of hot chocolate, and they sat on the floor of the shop, sharing a blanket and many stories.
It was then that Kate began to learn more about Chloe. How things had been going down-hill for her since her father died, how she had tried to succeed at college but ended up around the wrong kind of people, and how she had picked herself back up with the help of her best friend Max and managed to learn a trade that made her happy. Kate admired how much resilience and pride Chloe showed despite all the hardships she had faced.
She was certainly scarred in many ways by her early life, but she let those scars bear testament to her beauty and strength instead of letting them drown her in her past. Kate hoped that she might be able to process her own past in such an empowering way one day, but for now, it was a part of her life that continued to float in emotional and psychological limbo.
While pondering all of this, Kate had completely failed to notice that the blue-haired firebrand was fast asleep in her lap. She giggled at the sight: the undeterrable Chloe Price, rendered into deep sleep like a kitten curled up in her favorite chair. Kate wondered if she should wake her, but it was already pitch dark outside, and she preferred the girl stay here than venture out this late.
Hoping Chloe would not be upset at her for making that choice come morning, Kate tentatively snuggled up to her, covering herself with the blanket, and slowly drifting off to sleep, the sweetness and warmth of the hot chocolate soothing her soul to rest.