A Mid-morning Break

[Hitomi Gilespi]

It was a chilly early autumn morning, and the combination of the crisp air and shining sun was her favorite part of autumn.

Well, that and coffee. Hitomi loved coffee all the time, but autumn always had her favorite flavors. Especially in Lakeshore. Where else could you get a pumpkin spice latte that was served inside of an actual pumpkin?

Hitomi slipped inside the tattoo parlor with catlike footsteps, creeping up behind her friend and holding a cardboard cup up over her shoulder.

"Oh, Aye~," she sing-songed. "Someone looks like they need a little pick-me-up."

[Aye Goyan]

Aye looked up from her sketchbook and beamed. She was engulfed in an absolutely massive sweater, and had to flap the sleeves around a bit to free her hands so that she could take the cup with tattooed fingers.

"Ahhh, Tomi darling, you are an angel." She set her book aside and stood to stretch her legs a bit. "What brings you to this neck of the woods, eh? You miss me that much?" She shifted her weight from foot to foot as she spoke, trying to get some extra warmth into her legs as she gratefully sipped her coffee.

[Hitomi Gilespi]

Hitomi rolled her eyes as she hopped up onto the counter in front of Aye. "Today's the first day that The Magic Bean is serving their autumn blend coffees, and I know you're partial to the Fairy Godmother blend. Besides, I couldn't let you freeze to death here all by your lonesome."

Hitomi took another drink of her coffee, then made a face before spitting something out into her hand.

"Oh, hey, a pumpkin seed." Hitomi turned it over, and on the other side of it the words YOU'RE A WINNER glowed in orange writing. "I think I won a free muffin."

[Aye Goyan]

Aye's eyes squinted over the rim of her cup as she smiled. "Last time you ate one of their muffins you had to deal with being two feet tall for an hour."

The memory made her smile turn into a smirk. "Maybe you'll get one that'll make you grow two feet taller this time."

Granted, there was no hope of guessing the effects of Magic Bean muffins. Aye's last muffin had made her hover several inches off of the ground for the entirety of her lunch break.

[Hitomi Gilespi]

"I think Hitoshi would be angry if I ended up growing that tall," Hitomi replied, a mischievous note to her voice. "Even if he'd never admit it."

Hitomi swung around on the counter and folded her legs underneath her so that she was facing toward Aye. "So, big plans today? I heard Neylen talking about having plans to romance his woman earlier, but knowing him he might have been talking about having a disciplinary meeting with Headmistress Poulain." Hitomi smirked as she took another sip of her latte.

[Aye Goyan]

Aye chewed on the lip of her cup for a moment as her glow took on a distinct rosy hue. "Ah, well... We're supposed to go ghost hunting tonight. Though he may very well have reason to be dragged to Veronique's office and berated-- I heard he tried to claim your brother's dorm room as his own."

[Hitomi Gilespi]

Hitomi gave a knowing sort of smile at the pinkish tint to Aye's ever-present glow, but made no comment on it. (Hitomi had been surprised at first, actually, to realize that Aye's glow was something that everyone could see. She was used to seeing things that other people often didn't.)

"That sounds like something Neylen would do." Hitomi shook her head. "I doubt she'd bother disciplining him for something like that, but you never know."

She set her coffee cup back down on the counter. "Ghost hunting?"

[Aye Goyan]

Aye leaned back against the counter after tossing her empty cup into a nearby trash receptacle. "One of my clients was talking about a humming ghost that wanders around in the alleys behind the old hanging gardens. I mentioned it to Ney and he said we should investigate... I'm personally hoping the moon is bright tonight because I don't like the idea of wandering around in the dark, even with my Hawkling there."

She managed a grin. "It's apparently been around for a while. I've been asking around town and most people have some sort of story about it, or have at least heard of it. Might just be an urban legend, but given Lakeshore's history I'm inclined to believe most urban legends are at least partially true until proven otherwise."

[Hitomi Gilespi]

"Oh, wow," Hitomi replied, her voice little more than a breath. "I've heard about ghosts in town, but I've never seen one myself. A humming ghost..." She felt a chill go down her spine just at the thought.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. What do you think you'll do if you find it?"

[Aye Goyan]

Aye smirked. "If we find it, I'm going to try and get it to sing with me. Neylen's probably going to try and seduce it."

She shook her bangs out of her eyes and grinned at Hitomi. "So how is the Academy treating you this semester? Any classmates you just know are going to get on your nerves?"

[Hitomi Gilespi]

"I don't know about getting on my nerves, but my roommate is a little odd. I'm not entirely sure what to make of her." Hitomi stared down at her coffee cup in contemplation.

Then— "What about you? How is university treating you? Who did they end up rooming you with?"

[Sponsored content]