Chapitre 1: Welcome to MoonChild Café
Golden rays of the early morning Sun streamed into the bedroom through the gaps between long, dark curtains. The air in the room was still cold after a long night of heavy rain. Another reason why it was so cold within the comforts of the cozy bedroom was also due to the fact that the fairly large windows were left opened ajar. The slight breeze from outside carried in a small feather from possibly a bird that had been preening its feathers from a tree branch nearby. The small feather glistened like gold as it floated towards the floor of the bedroom.
Other than the distant chirping of birds outside, it was mostly a quiet morning. Within the room only the ticking of the alarm clock which was placed by the bedside could be heard. Next to it was an empty dark blue mug that had remnants of what looked like either a chocolate beverage or coffee. In the bed, there was a huge bundle of blankets with an ever-so-slight rise and fall movement to it. If one was to listen in closely, there were actually sounds of faint breathing within the layers of woolen blankets. It was peaceful.
The peace was broken when the alarm clock started shrilling. There was a muffled groan before a pale hand came from within the bundle of the blankets to shut off the alarm clock. When the shrilling was halted, the blankets lifted up and a young man sat up in bed. The moment the cold air touched his skin, the man shivered slightly and instantly wanted to cocoon himself within the warmth of his blankets. However, he knew that there were a number of things to be done before work started in a couple of hours' time.
Sighing, the man leaned towards the bedside table, picked up his handphone and scratched at his tousled black hair. His greyish blue eyes squinted to focus as he checked on his memo. He tends to forget a lot and has made it a habit to check on his to-do list the first thing he gets up every day. Once that was done, he moved on to freshen up and prepare for the day. Still groggy from sleepiness and he held onto the stair railings as he walked down from the top of the three-storey building with an empty mug in his other hand.
It wasn't much but the building was actually a café. The unique thing about this café is that the staff here actually edits and provides comics to its customers. The workspace for editing the comics was on the second floor and the café was on the first. It felt like a long time but the café only started about seven months ago. The café and comics' popularity were still growing, but the man was content with the considerably small numbers they had now.
It was seven-thirty in the morning, and he had about an hour before his staff arrived and another hour before the café opened to customers. After putting on a plain black apron, he washed the cup he drank from the previous night. Turning on some classical music, he started to wipe and tidied up all the tables. Then, he proceeded to make breakfast--toast with scrambled eggs. However, instead of making for just one person, he made enough to feed a few people. Starting up the coffee machine, he grounded some coffee beans as he made a fresh cup of hot cocoa for himself.
After setting all of the eggs and toasts on the kitchen counter, he proceeded to plate an egg and toast for himself. Sitting next to the cafe's front window, he gazed up towards the blue skies and sipped at his cup of hot cocoa. It was a simple breakfast, and he ate in blissful peace.
As he cleared up his plate and cup, there was a 'clink' sound coming from the front door of the café. It was only eight o'clock--much earlier than expected. A small smile touched his lips. The coffee maniac has always been the first to arrive. Sticking his head out from the kitchen door, he looked out at the tall, tough-looking guy who had just entered the café.
"Hey, Derr! I've already grounded the coffee for you!" the man called out using the guy's nickname.
"Thanks, boss!" Derek answered and entered the kitchen area. "Got any bacon?"
"No, I didn't want to burn anything by accident and just made toast with scrambled eggs."
"Mmm. I'll fry the bacon and some hash browns as well. You want some?"
"No, I've already had my breakfast but please make some for the others. For some reason, no one ever remembers to eat on the first day of the week," the man chuckled.
"Nah, it may have coincidentally started like that, but we are just accustomed to eating here on Monday mornings," Derek replied as he fried the strips of bacon.
"I guess you're right."
"You know I am!"
The man chuckled and went to the café's entrance to place the 'open' sign. He then stepped out and breathed in the cool, fresh morning air. Taking a few steps away from the café and then turning around to look at the building, a smile touched that man's lips-- MoonChild Café. Although the building was of three storeys, it was quaint looking with the English Ivy that grew alongside the structure. With the wafting scent of freshly brewed coffee and the bed of roses set around the property, it gave an inviting sight to visitors and customers.
'It took a lot of struggling and hard work but everything is running quite smoothly now', the man thought to himself.
"Hey, boss!" said a low feminine voice.
The man turned around and saw Ellie with three other staff members walking towards the café. As usual, Ellie was dressed in dark clothing and shyly walked past after greeting the man. She was always like this early in the morning, but as the day goes on, she would become more comfortable and talkative. 'Well, 'very' comfortable if I may say so myself', the man softly chuckled to himself.
"Reporting for duty, boss!" greeted a handsome young man wearing glasses. It was Jasper, and he was holding the hand of the man next to him. The other man, Nash, was just as handsome. Nash had a cool expression and wore dark clothes. While Jasper had a wide grin, Nash had a small smile. They were beta and alpha respectively. It was a big surprise to everyone working at the café when they had announced their relationship, considering their contradictory personalities.
Jasper was warm, kind and basically gave off the feeling that he was easy to talk to. Many of the staff actually admire and look up to Jasper. Nash, on the other hand, was cold and quiet. Upon his first few weeks working with them, Nash had been asked by a trainee staff member of a particular amendment for a comic. While Nash was merely speaking the truth with no malice intended, it appeared to be brusque to a number of people. This was not the only incident though Nash is slowly, but surely, getting the hang of conversing better with people. He was always sincere in giving advice and guidance despite how impolite it may seem to those who do not know him personally. It took some time, but the initial misunderstanding and impression of him changed. Nash was soon liked by the other staff members though he remained awkward in responding to this new kind of attention.
"Boss," a petite girl wearing a frilly pink dress called out to him. She was usually the quietest unless there was something interesting or important to talk about. But judging from her cheery expression, the man knew that it was going to be something about a new comic idea or such.
"I have an idea for our new office drama comic. It's for the plot twist! I-" her eyes widened in surprise. "I shouldn't talk about it out here. I'll go to the office and finish up on the scene first. We can talk after the café has closed or when you're free."
"Sure, but don't overwork yourself and have some breakfast first!" the man called out to her but Cassidy was already running towards the café.
"You hypocrite! You're the overworked one!" Jasper yelled from the cafe's entrance as he held the door open for Cassidy. The man chuckled as the mischievous Jasper disappeared into the café. The man sighed and chuckled. Despite looking gentle and friendly, Cassidy was not to be messed with. She was the team's essential researcher and investigator when it came to screening new comics and employees.
Loud laughter can be heard from within. 'Sounds like the staff members are enjoying their breakfast and having fun.' The man smiled and started heading back towards the café. Just as he was about to enter, there was a yell from behind, "Boss!"
It was Raelynn, and from the looks of it, she must have ran all the way from her apartment. The apartment was a fifteen-minute walk away, but it was tiring for the young, non-athletic girl to run. Her brown, highlighted hair was in disarray, and even her socks were unmatched. She looked alarmed.
"Boss, I need to tell you something!"
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone