Julien very much enjoyed his coffee, something that was no secret to anyone who knew him enough. Sometimes he didn't feel like making it himself, and fortunately for him he knew just the place to go when it was one of those days.
[ Julien Leblanc continued from Chrysalism ]
As he walked into the Blue House, he couldn't help but feel that there was a sort of irony in enjoying something meant to kick-start him somewhere so calm. It did add to the experience in its own way though; the band they had in was going for a slow, more mellow tune and the atmosphere was as good as he usually counted on it being. Julien made a point of keeping a consistency in what he ordered too; freshly made cappuccino with a prosciutto sandwich. Didn't even need the menu any more. Some would see it as an odd choice, he was sure, but it was better to put personal taste before the opinions of others for that sort of thing.
That out of the way with, he turned away and took a glance around for somewhere to— and he'd already found one, though it wasn't exactly empty.
He'd seen the girl sat there before at George Hunter. And out jogging sometimes. And even working here once or twice. Aliya, he believed her name was. Looked like her shift was over now. It actually baffled him how he'd been able to blind himself so much to others, and now when he actually looked it seemed like he just carried on bumping into them.
It was a chance to take, of course, but those had been turning out surprisingly well as of late. So Julien walked on up to her, smile on his face because he always felt his resting expression did an awful job of getting the impression he preferred people to have of him across, and made himself known.
"Room for another here, or would you prefer keeping your own company?"
There was much to be said about whether acting like he was could be considered trying to force courtesy on someone else or not, but really that line of thinking hinged on people not having the inclination to simply act, react and so on in accordance with however they felt at the time, so he didn't concern himself with that.
Take Five
((Aliya Kimia Nemati continued from Making Towns))
Aliya was sat near the back end of the Blue House. a cooked meal that was provided on the house in front of her. Her backpack stuffed with her uniform sat next to her. She had changed at the end of her shift to avoid any of the public asking questions, she had made that mistake before. There was nothing like being halfway through your breakfast, lunch or dinner only to be interrupted by someone asking where the toilets were or some other query about when the band was due to change.
As things were she was happy to sit, eat, enjoy the music and catch up with the latest show results on her phone. It was a moment of peace and relaxation where she was free from any of the normal responsibilities she possessed. She valued times like that, especially compared to what it was like being at home and around her father.
That was why, when she had someone asking if they could sit with her she was slightly surprised, although she kept it from showing on her face. It turned out it was someone from school. His name was Julien and that was about all she knew besides the fact he ordered the same thing every time he came in. He had asked politely enough so she didn't see much issue with it. She didn't have a problem with people wanting to socialize and plus she supposed it gave her an opportunity to get to know him since he came in quite often.
"Go for it." She said as a welcoming smile appeared on her face as she spoke. She inclined her head in the direction of his food with a playful grin.
"Same order as always?"
Aliya was sat near the back end of the Blue House. a cooked meal that was provided on the house in front of her. Her backpack stuffed with her uniform sat next to her. She had changed at the end of her shift to avoid any of the public asking questions, she had made that mistake before. There was nothing like being halfway through your breakfast, lunch or dinner only to be interrupted by someone asking where the toilets were or some other query about when the band was due to change.
As things were she was happy to sit, eat, enjoy the music and catch up with the latest show results on her phone. It was a moment of peace and relaxation where she was free from any of the normal responsibilities she possessed. She valued times like that, especially compared to what it was like being at home and around her father.
That was why, when she had someone asking if they could sit with her she was slightly surprised, although she kept it from showing on her face. It turned out it was someone from school. His name was Julien and that was about all she knew besides the fact he ordered the same thing every time he came in. He had asked politely enough so she didn't see much issue with it. She didn't have a problem with people wanting to socialize and plus she supposed it gave her an opportunity to get to know him since he came in quite often.
"Go for it." She said as a welcoming smile appeared on her face as she spoke. She inclined her head in the direction of his food with a playful grin.
"Same order as always?"
Well, he had the okay, so he took a seat and sipped on his coffee.
"Yes. Hey, if it isn't broken, don't fix it," Julien said. Really, he just didn't care to risk getting something he wouldn't like. Of course he wouldn't try something like not paying; it would just feel insincere of him. A good justification for sticking to what he favoured, in his opinion.
He took a glance at what she was eating after that. "Perks of the job, I'm guessing?" It did look nice, but the downside was having to work with customers who he was willing to guess could be annoying at even the best of times. Some things just weren't worth the frustration attached to them. And besides, if there was one thing Julien could say in confidence about the sandwich it was that it was good without fail.
Speaking of his sandwich, he took a bite of that too. Of course, Julien remembered that he was in company. He made a point of acting as if he were at all times to help reinforce the habit, sure, but it was especially worth bearing in mind now.
"So, how long have you been working here for?" It wasn't lost on him that asking someone who'd just finished work about work might not be the best way to start things off, but Aliya seemed in good enough spirits not to mind.
"Yes. Hey, if it isn't broken, don't fix it," Julien said. Really, he just didn't care to risk getting something he wouldn't like. Of course he wouldn't try something like not paying; it would just feel insincere of him. A good justification for sticking to what he favoured, in his opinion.
He took a glance at what she was eating after that. "Perks of the job, I'm guessing?" It did look nice, but the downside was having to work with customers who he was willing to guess could be annoying at even the best of times. Some things just weren't worth the frustration attached to them. And besides, if there was one thing Julien could say in confidence about the sandwich it was that it was good without fail.
Speaking of his sandwich, he took a bite of that too. Of course, Julien remembered that he was in company. He made a point of acting as if he were at all times to help reinforce the habit, sure, but it was especially worth bearing in mind now.
"So, how long have you been working here for?" It wasn't lost on him that asking someone who'd just finished work about work might not be the best way to start things off, but Aliya seemed in good enough spirits not to mind.
Aliya nodded in response to his question.
"Yeah, a free meal is probably the only real perk." She supposed it was the least the cafe could do for the employees. After all, they did have to deal with the customers day after day and they were variable in how polite they were going to be. There were also the ones who wandered in drunk sometimes during the night or the occasional homeless person that entered. They were always the worst ones to deal with as you never knew what they were going to do or how they would react when they were asked to leave.
She ate some more of her post-shift meal as Julien asked her another question. She swallowed and took a quick sip of the coffee she had before answering.
"Two and a bit years I think. I work here to pay for my training."
It was what it was. She didn't have much of a choice, her mother would have supported her but her father would have stopped paying for her classes as soon as he could. She thought it would be a safer strategy to earn her own money. That way she could pay for lessons no matter what happened. It turned out to have been the right decision because she was sure her father would have refused to pay as soon as Meshia said she wanted to be a wrestler. Without that ability, he had instead decided that he was never going to talk to her again, which suited her fine. He never had anything good to say to her anyway.
"It's not the best, but it's money y'know?"
"Yeah, a free meal is probably the only real perk." She supposed it was the least the cafe could do for the employees. After all, they did have to deal with the customers day after day and they were variable in how polite they were going to be. There were also the ones who wandered in drunk sometimes during the night or the occasional homeless person that entered. They were always the worst ones to deal with as you never knew what they were going to do or how they would react when they were asked to leave.
She ate some more of her post-shift meal as Julien asked her another question. She swallowed and took a quick sip of the coffee she had before answering.
"Two and a bit years I think. I work here to pay for my training."
It was what it was. She didn't have much of a choice, her mother would have supported her but her father would have stopped paying for her classes as soon as he could. She thought it would be a safer strategy to earn her own money. That way she could pay for lessons no matter what happened. It turned out to have been the right decision because she was sure her father would have refused to pay as soon as Meshia said she wanted to be a wrestler. Without that ability, he had instead decided that he was never going to talk to her again, which suited her fine. He never had anything good to say to her anyway.
"It's not the best, but it's money y'know?"
As Julien listened, he bit into his sandwich again.
That bad, huh? Having to work for so long for a single goal brought up its own questions, but those he kept to himself. Impressive was it was, commitments of that kind were usually a matter of personal investment.
Granted, it was doubtful that Aliya would mention it if she was unwilling to elaborate further, but people had proved surprisingly defensive of their interests in the past. And starting conversation with someone he didn't know and then not sharing anything of note himself might seem... dubious as well. Yeah, that was the best word for it.
So of course, he decided to offer something up in turn. "I work with my father sometimes. Not on too much, just maintenance, but like you said it's money," Julien said, taking a sip of his coffee before he carried on. "And training for what, exactly? Two and a half years of coping with customers is a long time."
That bad, huh? Having to work for so long for a single goal brought up its own questions, but those he kept to himself. Impressive was it was, commitments of that kind were usually a matter of personal investment.
Granted, it was doubtful that Aliya would mention it if she was unwilling to elaborate further, but people had proved surprisingly defensive of their interests in the past. And starting conversation with someone he didn't know and then not sharing anything of note himself might seem... dubious as well. Yeah, that was the best word for it.
So of course, he decided to offer something up in turn. "I work with my father sometimes. Not on too much, just maintenance, but like you said it's money," Julien said, taking a sip of his coffee before he carried on. "And training for what, exactly? Two and a half years of coping with customers is a long time."
And they had come to the make or break point of the conversation. The part where Aliya had to say she was training to be a professional wrestler and get one of two responses. There were only two, although sometimes the second had a lead in question. It was the worst part of anything conversation about what she did because of the dread and not knowing how the person would respond. Still, Julien seemed like a decent enough guy. It didn't seem like he was going to have the worst of responses.
Still, she had rapidly become bored with all the regular questions, being asked if it was fake, why she wanted to do it, if it hurt. It was all so boring to her now and she was sick of tired of having to answer them. Her responses sounded so canned because she had given them so often.
"Pro wrestling. I've been training for about three years."
She took a quick drink and had some more food as she waited for which of the two responses Julien was going to have.
Still, she had rapidly become bored with all the regular questions, being asked if it was fake, why she wanted to do it, if it hurt. It was all so boring to her now and she was sick of tired of having to answer them. Her responses sounded so canned because she had given them so often.
"Pro wrestling. I've been training for about three years."
She took a quick drink and had some more food as she waited for which of the two responses Julien was going to have.
"I see. I'm not a fan myself, but credit where it's due. Falls can hurt badly and all, not to mention everything else, I'm sure."
It honestly came as a surprise, though Julien took care to keep that to himself. If he'd been asked to guess, the idea wouldn't have even crossed his mind... but he wasn't the sort who'd be judgemental about what other people chose to do with their lives. He'd been raised better than that and besides, Faith would've had his head on a spike a dozen times over for daring to say so by now if he hadn't been. Aliya was sick and tired of such responses too, he was sure.
"And you've been doing that and working here too for two years, huh?" Julien said, taking another sip of coffee. "You're far more dedicated than I could be."
It honestly came as a surprise, though Julien took care to keep that to himself. If he'd been asked to guess, the idea wouldn't have even crossed his mind... but he wasn't the sort who'd be judgemental about what other people chose to do with their lives. He'd been raised better than that and besides, Faith would've had his head on a spike a dozen times over for daring to say so by now if he hadn't been. Aliya was sick and tired of such responses too, he was sure.
"And you've been doing that and working here too for two years, huh?" Julien said, taking another sip of coffee. "You're far more dedicated than I could be."
He had a decent response which made her feel better about opening up the conversation. Aliya was used to people not being a fan. She had been dreading being asked 'why?' or questions about the fakeness of the whole endeavor. She'd had to deal with a lot of those. He seemed surprised but it wasn't in a negative way it was understanding almost, which in turn surprised her somewhat. She wasn't exactly used to that from people she didn't know well.
"Yeah, it's pretty niche." She took another sip of her coffee, taking note of the fact it was nearly finished. She wobbled her hand a bit before continuing. "The dedication thing is just because it's my dream y'know? I'm sure if you had something you wanted to do more than anything else you'd go for it no matter what."
She polished off the last of her free meal and finished up the coffee, taking the immediate offer for a refill when it was offered.
Pushing the plate to one side she folded her arms and leant forward slightly to rest them on her side of the table; a small smile forming on her face.
"What would that thing be for you?"
"Yeah, it's pretty niche." She took another sip of her coffee, taking note of the fact it was nearly finished. She wobbled her hand a bit before continuing. "The dedication thing is just because it's my dream y'know? I'm sure if you had something you wanted to do more than anything else you'd go for it no matter what."
She polished off the last of her free meal and finished up the coffee, taking the immediate offer for a refill when it was offered.
Pushing the plate to one side she folded her arms and leant forward slightly to rest them on her side of the table; a small smile forming on her face.
"What would that thing be for you?"
A little more coffee, the last of it at that, disappeared from his cup as he thought about it. The matter of what he wanted to do most was something he'd lost more than his fair share of time to thinking about before; Aliya mentioning it just made this the latest time it had happened.
"Hmm... I'd say that it's being a technician for me. Same reason people do a lot of things behind it though, I think. It'll be nice to look back at something and go 'yeah, I did that'. That isn't all there is to it, of course, but it's as good a reason as any." Julien was grateful for the offer for a refill so soon, taking it himself as well.
There were other dreams he had, of course, but those were best kept as strictly personal things.
He took his glasses off and wiped them to ensure they were clean. "Rock climbing's a thing of mine too, but that's less of a dream even if I'm not about to give up on it any time soon. It's already given me this lovely mono-brow of mine," they went back on his face, "and that was enough of a reality check for me."
"Hmm... I'd say that it's being a technician for me. Same reason people do a lot of things behind it though, I think. It'll be nice to look back at something and go 'yeah, I did that'. That isn't all there is to it, of course, but it's as good a reason as any." Julien was grateful for the offer for a refill so soon, taking it himself as well.
There were other dreams he had, of course, but those were best kept as strictly personal things.
He took his glasses off and wiped them to ensure they were clean. "Rock climbing's a thing of mine too, but that's less of a dream even if I'm not about to give up on it any time soon. It's already given me this lovely mono-brow of mine," they went back on his face, "and that was enough of a reality check for me."
"Yeah I get that, it's kinda the dream isn't it?" Aliya said, one hand unconsciously fidgeting with her ponytail. "Being able to look back on something like that."
It was one of the things she wanted, that chance to look back on her career and matches. The ability to know that there was a fan somewhere who she had inspired to try and live their dream. It sounded really corny, even when she was just thinking about it, but it was true. She was a fan once and she had been inspired to try and make her dream a reality. She thought that being able to have that chance to inspire someone else the same way she had been would be special.
Aliya's thoughts drifted back to the conversation at hand as Julien began speaking again, this time about rock climbing. Aliya had never actually been rock climbing. She hadn't experienced it indoors let alone outside. She had noticed Julien's scar but hadn't mentioned it. She was used to forehead scars, some of the older vets who had been grinding on the scene for years had a few from where they'd gotten color. There was no way Julien had received his the same way but it was why her eyes hadn't been drawn to it. His glasses partially obscuring it helped.
"I've never actually tried rockclimbing." Aliya said absentmindedly as she started work on her new cup of coffee.
It was one of the things she wanted, that chance to look back on her career and matches. The ability to know that there was a fan somewhere who she had inspired to try and live their dream. It sounded really corny, even when she was just thinking about it, but it was true. She was a fan once and she had been inspired to try and make her dream a reality. She thought that being able to have that chance to inspire someone else the same way she had been would be special.
Aliya's thoughts drifted back to the conversation at hand as Julien began speaking again, this time about rock climbing. Aliya had never actually been rock climbing. She hadn't experienced it indoors let alone outside. She had noticed Julien's scar but hadn't mentioned it. She was used to forehead scars, some of the older vets who had been grinding on the scene for years had a few from where they'd gotten color. There was no way Julien had received his the same way but it was why her eyes hadn't been drawn to it. His glasses partially obscuring it helped.
"I've never actually tried rockclimbing." Aliya said absentmindedly as she started work on her new cup of coffee.
"It's fun if you're looking for something to challenge yourself. Don't think you're missing out on much, though, since I suppose there's plenty of that in your life already." There was also the fact that mistakes could do a great deal more than just hurt, but Julien figured Aliya was already well acquainted with the idea. It felt almost in bad faith to go trying to recommend it anyway, given that.
And... well, what others chose to do in their own time was hardly up to him, but he still tried not to put ideas into someone else's head as a matter of principle. It tended to be the case that there was enough going on in their lives already without outside factors poking around and usually just making things worse. There were one too many people like that who he could think of, unfortunately, much as he wished he'd never met her.
But this wasn't the time or the place to dwell on that for long, and Aliya reaching for her cup reminded him that his own had been refilled as well. A full cup of coffee was a bad one, if he said so himself.
"What got you into wrestling, by the way?" Julien asked, taking a sip as he waited to see how she took that question. Things had been perfectly civil so far, yes, but given the connotations that could easily be found in who she was and what he was asking about, especially by someone who'd doubtless gotten sick of having to deal with the passive judgement that seemed to emanate from half of Chattanooga, it could still go either way.
And... well, what others chose to do in their own time was hardly up to him, but he still tried not to put ideas into someone else's head as a matter of principle. It tended to be the case that there was enough going on in their lives already without outside factors poking around and usually just making things worse. There were one too many people like that who he could think of, unfortunately, much as he wished he'd never met her.
But this wasn't the time or the place to dwell on that for long, and Aliya reaching for her cup reminded him that his own had been refilled as well. A full cup of coffee was a bad one, if he said so himself.
"What got you into wrestling, by the way?" Julien asked, taking a sip as he waited to see how she took that question. Things had been perfectly civil so far, yes, but given the connotations that could easily be found in who she was and what he was asking about, especially by someone who'd doubtless gotten sick of having to deal with the passive judgement that seemed to emanate from half of Chattanooga, it could still go either way.
It had taken a while in the life of the conversation but they had finally arrived at one of the questions she always ended up being asked. The question of how she got into wrestling always seemed to come up although they had gotten to it in a much more polite way than normal. She appreciated that at least. It wasn't that she hadn't been expecting it, because she had. The question always came up after all. But they had worked through to it in a much more natural and relaxed manner. There was nothing wrong with that.
"My brother was into before me and used to watch it and obviously being young I'd just watch it with him." She took another sip of her coffee. "Then he stopped watching it but I didn't and eventually these two women were the main event on national TV and I knew then that I could do it." She shrugged. "It's been my passion since then."
She drank some more of her coffee and smiled again.
"Sorry it's not a more interesting story."
"My brother was into before me and used to watch it and obviously being young I'd just watch it with him." She took another sip of her coffee. "Then he stopped watching it but I didn't and eventually these two women were the main event on national TV and I knew then that I could do it." She shrugged. "It's been my passion since then."
She drank some more of her coffee and smiled again.
"Sorry it's not a more interesting story."
"It's alright, I assure you. More than I can say for my own passions." Not all stories needed to be interesting. If anything, it'd make hearing them recited a grating ordeal. "And for what it's worth, I believe you've got it in you to as well. You seem confident enough to make it."
Stubborn enough too, though that went without saying.
Another sip of his coffee helped remind Julien that as nice as it was, he would be best off not getting another refill when he finished his second cup. Too much of a good thing, and so on. Now he thought about it, he could say the same thing about th— and there he went, doing it again. Or almost, at least. Old habits really did die hard, clearly.
"How long do you think it would take you to get to where they were? Assuming that's where you would want to be." Julien made a visible effort to relax some more as he said it. He'd always found that the best way to avoid dwelling on something was simply to keep things moving forward, and he intended to stick to that.
Stubborn enough too, though that went without saying.
Another sip of his coffee helped remind Julien that as nice as it was, he would be best off not getting another refill when he finished his second cup. Too much of a good thing, and so on. Now he thought about it, he could say the same thing about th— and there he went, doing it again. Or almost, at least. Old habits really did die hard, clearly.
"How long do you think it would take you to get to where they were? Assuming that's where you would want to be." Julien made a visible effort to relax some more as he said it. He'd always found that the best way to avoid dwelling on something was simply to keep things moving forward, and he intended to stick to that.
Aliya smiled a little at the question and looked down at her coffee as she swirled it around in the cup.
"A long time." She took a final sip of her coffee, finishing it off as she thought over the question. "It's a lot of work with no guarantee of anything."
Her fingers played with her hair some more as she spoke, her voice more mellow than it had been previously.
"A lot of the local guys have been doing it for over fifteen years and some of them are still needing to work day jobs. So it's hard to say honestly."
And that wasn't even getting into all of the problems you could end up with. There were too many stories about guys who didn't make it or worse, made it but then lost it all.
She looked up and smiled at Julien again.
"But hey, I knew that going in, so it's not a surprise and hey hard work pays off y'know. I'm just going to keep going and eventually I'm sure I'll get given those opportunities."
"A long time." She took a final sip of her coffee, finishing it off as she thought over the question. "It's a lot of work with no guarantee of anything."
Her fingers played with her hair some more as she spoke, her voice more mellow than it had been previously.
"A lot of the local guys have been doing it for over fifteen years and some of them are still needing to work day jobs. So it's hard to say honestly."
And that wasn't even getting into all of the problems you could end up with. There were too many stories about guys who didn't make it or worse, made it but then lost it all.
She looked up and smiled at Julien again.
"But hey, I knew that going in, so it's not a surprise and hey hard work pays off y'know. I'm just going to keep going and eventually I'm sure I'll get given those opportunities."
Fifteen years, huh? That was quite a commitment to make.
"That's about all there is to do, I suppose. Just take what you can get and with any luck you'll be alright." It felt much too nebulous to Julien as he said it for his liking, but there wasn't any better choice that he could think of. It wasn't lost on him that he couldn't really empathise with Aliya over committing what could be most of his life to something that could lead to nothing.
"Though speaking of time, I have taken a fair bit of yours up. Your shift's over and I'm done with my order, so I can be out of your hair pretty soon."
While today wasn't really a busy one for him by any standards, he wasn't the only one in consideration.
"That's about all there is to do, I suppose. Just take what you can get and with any luck you'll be alright." It felt much too nebulous to Julien as he said it for his liking, but there wasn't any better choice that he could think of. It wasn't lost on him that he couldn't really empathise with Aliya over committing what could be most of his life to something that could lead to nothing.
"Though speaking of time, I have taken a fair bit of yours up. Your shift's over and I'm done with my order, so I can be out of your hair pretty soon."
While today wasn't really a busy one for him by any standards, he wasn't the only one in consideration.