Work Text:
On a chilly Vintus morning in Maric, Thimble bustled into Legends & Lattes a full half an hour earlier than usual with a very determined look in his eyes. Viv, barely awake and still in her nightshirt, rubbed her eyes with one large fist and nodded in his direction.
“Morning, Thimble,” she said, barely holding in a yawn. “What brings you here so early?”
“New idea,” he whispered, enthused. He held out a scrap of paper with both paws, slightly crinkled beneath his fingers.
Viv took it between finger and thumb and inspected it carefully. Heavy cream, cocoa powder, corn starch.
“I can get corn starch easy enough,” she said. “But I don’t know about this powder.”
“Very important,” said Thimble. “I can get.”
Viv hadn’t been back to the old man’s house of spices since her trip for the cardamom; he had clearly preferred dealing with Thimble, which made perfect sense to Viv. She certainly preferred him to the old man.
“Well, alright,” Viv replied. “I trust you.”
Thimble wriggled a little, tail curling around his ankles, and left — presumably in search of his mysterious powder.
Tandri came down the stairs from the loft a few minutes later, probably following the sweet aroma of the latte Viv had set out for her on the long central table. She was trying a new thing where she drew little patterns on the top with the steamed milk; this one was a bit wonky but much better than her first attempt at a leaf.
“Was Thimble just here?” Tandri asked, before taking a long, relieved sip from her coffee and gracing Viv with a small smile. “I wanted to ask him about making cinnamon sugar cookies for the book club meeting.”
“Oh, good idea,” said Viv. She passed by Tandri with her mug in one hand and two plates balanced on the opposite arm; she dropped a kiss to the top of her head and slid onto the bench beside her. She put down both plates and grinned at Tandri’s visible delight.
“Saved them from yesterday,” she said, watching Tandri bite into Thimble’s fruit custard swirl with a rapturous expression. “They reheated really well, I think.”
“Definitely,” mumbled Tandri, around a mouthful of pastry.
Viv returned to the shop with a pail of cream and a sack of corn starch just in time for the morning rush. She left both in the pantry and hurried behind the counter, tying her apron on as Tandri welcomed their first few regulars.
It took half an hour or so to clear the rush; as Viv turned to refill the hopper with fresh beans she caught the aroma of something sweet and comforting coming from the stovetop.
“What is that?” said Tandri, turning from her space at the counter and brushing both hands on her apron. “Smells like… I have no idea what it smells like. Fantastic, whatever it is.”
Thimble smiled proudly. “Hot chocolate,” he said, and held out a ceramic mug of something richly brown and shining.
Viv accepted it in both hands, pleased as ever that her calluses from years of adventuring meant she could carry most hot drinks without a care. She took a deep breath, taking in the hint of cinnamon and sweetness before she drank.
It was thicker than she’d expected, and the chocolate taste was richer and more bitter than the Midnight Crescents ever had been. The cream balanced it beautifully; she didn’t think she could finish a larger mug even so.
“Wow,” she said, after her last sip. “Thimble, this is going to kill people.”
Tandri smiled; Thimble had handed her another mug while Viv mused. “Well, they might kill each other for the chance to drink it,” she replied. She had a line of chocolate above her lip; it looked like some kind of facial hair. Viv wanted, immediately and with a deep flush of embarrassment, to lick it off for her.
Then she realised she probably had one to match. Embarrassment all around.
Thimble patted Viv on the thigh, pleased beyond measure, and went back to the stove. He had an entire stockpot of the stuff on there; Viv raised her eyebrows at Tandri, significantly.
“Oh, it’s going on the menu,” said Tandri. She nodded to Thimble, who wiggled again. “Three bits, and it’ll need to be in the espresso cups or someone’s going into a coma.”
The espresso was another recent addition to the menu. It cost the same as the standard coffee but brought in significantly more business from the Ackers students who haunted the quieter corners of the shop. Viv had ended up introducing a limit of four per customer after she’d witnessed a Thaumaturgy student accidentally set the placket of her shirt on fire while trying to button her coat.
Tandri didn’t care for them and she always cut Viv off hours before closing time. Apparently it was “distracting” trying to sleep while Viv laid awake running costing scenarios through her head.
Viv dug out the chalks from below the counter and took over serving customers while Tandri worked. She’d got through a dozen or so before Amity padded in and settled behind the counter, purring at the immediate attention of several of the younger patrons.
“Y’know,” said Viv, as Tandri set the slate back on the wall and returned to the gnomish coffee machine. “The hot chocolate would be good for kids. I think Hem’s nieces are getting sick of latte-senza-coffee with their thimblets.”
Hemington’s vast array of niblings had been a welcome addition to his regular visits; the first time they appeared alongside him at the counter Viv had been overcome by a sort of avuncular fondness and ended up serving them frothed milk in coffee mugs, topped with cinnamon. This was the beginning of the secret children’s menu, mostly used by the kids of various regulars who were brought in on days the rag schools weren’t running.
“Mmmm,” hummed Tandri. She looked thoughtful as she pulled an espresso shot for yet another Ackers student, satchel bursting beneath the weight of a half-dozen textbooks. “Might need to add more milk, or extra sweetness. It’s a bit rich for littles.”
“We’ll leave it to Thimble,” said Viv, confident.
She glanced up at the door just as Laney bustled in, a covered dish held in both hands and a fantastically lurid handbag over one shoulder.
“What’s new today, dear?” She asked, setting the covered dish down on the counter and her handbag on a nearby stool. She squinted up at the menu with the same dubious expression she’d had for the last six months of regular visits.
“Thimble’s got a new drink on the stove,” said Tandri, gesturing at the rattkin who gave a small, timid wave in return.
Laney nodded. “I’ll have one of those, then,” she said, fishing out three bits from her purse and putting them directly into Viv’s outstretched hand. “Smells pretty good.”
Pretty good could mean anything coming from Laney. Viv was looking forward to making Cal a cup and listening to the exact tone of his ‘Hm.’
She got a ladle and filled up one of their espresso cups with a careful hand before passing it over the counter. “Careful,” she said. “It’s pretty rich.”
Laney, contrary to almost every other visit, actually took a sip. Then her eyes widened, and she took another.
This, thought Viv as she watched Laney finish her first drink in a year, is a promising start.