Kyu-nari was used to working mornings, in fact, most days he began his shift at the teahouse before the sun had even risen so that he could have the day’s offerings prepared in time for the teahouse to take its first customers.  He had been waking up early for so long now that the habit was quite ingrained and not something that just disappeared on the one day a week that he didn’t have to work.  Nari had already indulged in a morning run, showered, and made a grocery list by the time the time most people were getting out of bed; and even after all that he found himself restlessly debating what to do now.  The shop he wanted to go to wasn’t open yet, his friends were never awake this early, and he still hadn’t quite found the resolve to go and check out the amenities his new apartment complex had to offer.  They sounded lovely when he was told of them on the tour, he was certain that they would be just as lovely in person… on another day, maybe… were they also open 24 hours?  If they were, it meant that perhaps he could check them out the next time he had an early morning day off… before anyone else was likely to be using them… not today though, that window had already passed; and this realization only compounded the restlessness he was already feeling. 

Knowing that sitting in the small apartment wasn’t going to help matters, Nari threw his journal, pencil-case, and pair of books into a small messenger bag and headed for the Melody Café.  His coworkers liked to tease him about the fact that despite working at a teahouse, Nari held a deep and personal love for a good cup of coffee.  He took the good-natured ribbing in stride, and admittedly had developed a fondness for tea as well over the past couple years.  The sun was already starting to really warm up the day; but there was enough of a lingering chill that he was grateful for the lightweight pale blue colored cardigan.  The loose garment draped off his broad shoulders and hung, open, to his mid-thigh.  Underneath that he’d opted for his softest pair of black jeans, flexible black suede wraparound boots, a sleeveless black turtleneck.  The outfit was presentable enough without sacrificing comfort, it wasn’t as though he had anyone he cared to impress at Melody. 

Nari was pleasantly surprised to find that he had arrived at the café early enough that it wasn’t yet packed with customers, something that he knew would change as the morning drew on.  After collecting his order, he also managed to get a small two-person table by the window where he could keep the wall at his back and the entrance in front of him.  He couldn’t help the small smile that bloomed on his features as he counted his luck and pulled his waist length hair over his shoulder and into a loose braid.  Settling into a book after that was easy; his earlier restlessness ebbing away along with the time, which he quickly lost track of. 


It was impossible to say exactly what drew Nari’s eye to the young woman fumbling her coffee cup; her awkwardness, as she glanced around at the full tables, was nearly tangible.  On a morning like this one, the café filled up quickly with people enjoying the time off from work, students not having classes, and moms gathering for a much-needed morning out with their friends.  It meant occupied tables were more likely to stay occupied, at least in the immediate future.  His eyes were drawn to the empty spot across from him and then back up to the brunette.  With a pang of sympathy, Nari placed the marker back in his book and set it beside the large cup of coffee. 

“Excuse me,” he raised his voice enough to be heard over the people nearby, though not enough to be disruptive.  Tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear, he also gave a small wave, one of those motions that let people know you were trying to get their attention.  “I have an empty chair, if you’d like somewhere to sit?” He gestured towards the seat and gave her a gentle, albeit reserved, smile. 

Nari didn’t miss the blinks, or the surprise on her features, when he finally caught her gaze.  His small smile remained in place as she threaded her way through the other café patrons until she’d reached his little corner.  His head dipped into a nod at her question, “yes, I was.  You looked like you were looking for an empty table, but well…”  with a shrug he trailed off.  “I thought I’d offer you a spot, even if it’s just while you wait for something of your own to open up.” 

Now that he thought about it, Nari could understand her hesitation.  He hadn’t given the offer a ton of thought at the time; but he likely would have been just as skeptical if their roles had been reversed -maybe more so. 

“I was just reading; so, I can be quiet, and there is certainly room.”  He added, hoping to put her more at ease. 

Sure enough, there was an American looking graphic novel in front of him.  The word Dauntless, in English, scrawled across an image of what looked like it might be some sort of young superhero in a cityscape.  Despite the book clearly being written in English, he spoke flawless Japanese with only a hint of an accent; and even that didn't sound American. 

Comic books and cartoons had been his mother’s idea, a way to practice his English during a time when she still naively thought that one day his father would take a more permanent role in their lives.  By the time she realized it wasn’t going to happen, Kyun’s English was already better than his father’s Korean -which admittedly was never that good in the first place- and he was neither surprised nor disappointed at the realization.  He’d known, longer than his mother had at least, that Wells was never going give up his life in America. 

“You are very welcome.”  His response came out polished and polite, and as soon as he said it Nari was struck by the realization that he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do next.  He had told her that he would go back to reading, though that was more an attempt to ensure her that she wouldn’t be imposing on him, and nor would he impose on her; but after sitting at the table, she hadn’t immediately engrossed herself in something else.  It’s hard to say what he had been expecting, maybe that she would pull out a phone or people watch out the window; but when her gaze remained focused on her coffee, he felt a twinge of guilt.  Clearly, she was nervous, or uncomfortable, or something; an emotion he could sympathize with. Once again he found himself wishing that he was a bit better at socializing and making friends.  Not that he expected her to be friends with him, she didn’t know him and that would have been rather presumptuous. 

Kyu-nari had never been adept at hiding his feelings, and his small inner dilemma played out across his features in a combination of awkward uncertainty and deep thought. His dark brows furrowed with focused as he nibbled unconsciously on his lower lip.  One of these days someone was going to tell him that his face was an open book when he got stuck in his head, one of these days he'd likely be a little embarrassed to learn it; but for now, he pulled himself out of the thought spiral by glancing back at his companion and giving her another -hopefully friendly- smile.  "Uh- Kyu-nari.  I uh... my name, that is."  His lips twitched in wry amusement.  Leave it to him to end up stumbling over something as simple as a name.  "I don't get the chance to come hear often in the mornings, I'm usually at work.  I'm surprised to see how crowded it is."  There, that was better, casual and conversational. 

“It’s nice to meet you Anzu-san,” Nari added with a small bow of his head.  It occurred to him now, that he couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d tried to be social with someone at random.  Becoming acquainted with co-workers had been… well almost inevitable, he supposed.  After working at Kosoan for two or so years, he had ample time to get to know them little by little, in mostly unassuming doses.  You start with a polite hello each day, the next thing you know someone is talking about music, or asking about a book you’re reading, or you’re asking them about how they’re schoolwork is doing; and somewhere along the lines, you realize that you’ve made a friend.  Then of course, once you were friends, there were things like social outings or movie nights; you met their friends and they introduced you, and then maybe you made a new friend. 

But Kyu-nari had never been the type to just walk up to random strangers and say hello, at least, not in his adult life.  Sometimes, when he thought back to his childhood, he could almost remember a boy who was friendly and outgoing and cheerful, who used to trim flowers from his mother’s garden to gift to the neighbors or keep other children company while their parents were in the shop.  Even the memories were vague, like a long-forgotten dream; maybe he’d never been that boy, maybe the years between had caused him to romanticize his childhood in a way that softened the blows that came later.  Or maybe it was just growing up, surely it was no secret that children often saw the world through rose-colored glasses. 

Now, here he was, seated a table with a young woman he didn’t know, completely blanking on what he was supposed to do in situations like this.  There were many things that Nari felt he was good at in his life; but being ‘cool’ and ‘suave’ were not on that list.  “I uh… sorry…” he fished for words, absently tugging a lock of hair while he shot Masaki a sheepish smile.  “I guess I’m not very good at this whole… talking thing.”

“You um, you said you go to school and have a job?  That’s a lot, you must work very hard.  Some of my coworkers are in school as well, and I’ve always found it very impressive.  I can’t imagine trying to juggle both things.”