The Scent of Coffee - Chapter 1

As I mentioned I'll try publishing some text-based content. I have a couple stories on my files that I'll revisit and try bringing them here.

This story in specific is not very explicit. It has some suggestive undertones, but it's mostly with the purpose of worldbuilding behind three characters of mine.

I have more content written, but I'll be posting chapter by chapter as I go through it. Maybe I'll illustrate some parts of each chapter later on, who knows.

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Chapter 1 - Obliviousness

It was a small, peaceful village. The sun bathed the bright green grass and the crystalline river that wove through the farmlands. Amid the heat and the murmur of flowing water, punctuated by the distant cascade of a waterfall, Rory worked relentlessly.

The heat was not an issue for him as it would be for most—ironic, considering that he's a salmon. Sweat rolled off his blue scales, shimmering in the sunlight, and across his yellow underbelly. His yellow eyes were fixed on the bricks he was laying, while his broad lips pressed into a focused line, dressed in nothing but brown shorts held up by a belt wrapped around his waist and thick tail, paired with an old set of white gloves. Dirt smudged his hands and face, but he didn’t seem to mind.

"Agh! I need a break! This heat is killing me." Finnley groaned, letting go of his tools onto the ground. The red lobster’s shiny carapace gleamed, with light peach skin peeking through at his joints, head, and torso. He wore simple dark green shorts and nothing else.

"Already?" Rory chuckled, without interrupting his work.

Finnley sat down on the earthy ground, catching his breath and wiping the sweat of his face with a dirty rag. "I don't get you," he added. "How does a fish sweat so much without getting exhausted?"

Rory paused. "Am I sweating that much?" he questioned, glancing down at himself. His body was drenched. "Oh. For how long have we been at it?"

"At least three hours straight," Finnley replied, flopping to the ground. His eyes were glued to Rory. "Also, there's a huge sweat stain on your ass, by the way."

Rory twisted around to check, but his tail blocked his view. “Really?”.

"Trust me,” Finnley said, standing and dusting off his shorts. “You need a break too. I know of a café not far from here. It’ll just be a 20-minute break."

Rory shrugged, pulling his gloves off. "Why not? We haven’t explored much of the town beyond the inn.”

Finnley nodded and they started walking. “Also, you need a shower after this." He raised his own arm and sniffed, immediately turning away from it and grimacing. "Not that I'm much better."

"We might drive the other customers away," Rory teased.

"Oh, great! Then we won't have to wait for our order."

"Unless the workers run away too!" They both laughed as they paced towards the café.

They stepped inside, welcomed by the rich aroma of coffee and pastries mingled with the faint scent of polished wood. The exposed red-brick walls complemented the dark, well-maintained wood floors. Lush greenery adorned every corner: the walls, the counter, and the tables. Flowers were sparse, but the abundance of foliage created a fresh, clean atmosphere — starkly contrasting Rory and Finnley’s state.

"Welcome!" A cheerful and sweet voice called out from behind the counter, its owner hidden from view. Rory and Finnley exchanged curious glances as they scanned the empty café.

"Please, take any seat you’d like,” the voice added, accompanied by the sound of clinking dishes. “I’ll be right with you!”

"This is fancier than I expected." Finnley remarked.

"I know, right?"

They took a seat at one of the tables, next to one of the walls, not too close to the door or the counter.

A moment later, a male armadillo emerged from the back, drying his hands with a towel. His thin and spiky blonde hair stood out between his long ears, one of them adorned with a golden piercing. His kind blue eyes sparkled as he smiled warmly. "Oh, hey! I’ve never seen you two before!" He said, leaving a towel at the counter, and grabbing his pen and notepad before heading to their table.

Rory hesitated briefly before replying, "Uh… Yeah! Heh, we’re in town for a job," he explained, his smile lingering a bit longer than usual as he studied the armadillo’s face.

He returned his smile warmly. "I see! Some sort of labor work, I presume?"

"Oh! How did you know?" Rory asked with a note of curiosity, his attention caught by the rest of the armadillo’s form.

"Probably because of our state," Finnley jested. The armadillo exhaled through his nose, a gentle smile spreading across his face, subtly revealing his small, white teeth.

"And probably the smell too," Finnley added. They all laughed, the armadillo chuckling a low, warm sound. "Sorry about that, by the way,” the lobster finished with a bashful grin.

"Oh! Please, do not worry about it, you two!” The armadillo said in a reassuring tone. “Hard workers deserve a break with a good cup of coffee too." He tapped his notepad. "What would you like?"

Rory and Finnley glanced down at the small menu set on the table. "Hm, it's a tough decision." Rory mumbled, scratching his chin.

"What do you guys like? Sweet? Savory?" The armadillo asked, leaning forward slightly, his tongue flicking briefly over his lips as he waited for their answer.

"I love chocolate!" Rory blurted, his eyes displaying an almost child-like excitement.

"Milky?" Lloyd asked, his gentle smile lingering.

"Definitely!"

"So I'd suggest a marocchino! Have you tried it before?"

"I haven’t!" Rory said, his voice a little too enthusiastic, earning a glance and a smirk from Finnley.

"It has espresso, cocoa powder, and milk froth. I like to drizzle a bit of chocolate syrup on top too." The armadillo’s lips curved into a pleased smile, his tongue darting out briefly, as if savoring his description.

"That sounds incredible, I'll take it!"

"And I’ll have a strong black coffee,” Finnley chimed in. “If you could add a touch of vanilla and caramel, that’d be perfect."

"Absolutely," Lloyd replied, jotting with swift, practiced gestures.

Rory leaned back. "Huh, you know your coffee, don’t you?"

"Not that much, but I know what I like." Finnley replied.

"A lobster with great taste, huh?" The armadillo teased, his pen tapping lightly on the notepad.

“Name's Finnley, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you! You guys can call me Lloyd."

"I'm Rory. You’re really kind, Lloyd!" Rory added.

Lloyd’s ears flickered at the compliment, his smile shy as a faint blush crept across his face. “Thank you,” he nodded, grateful. "Anything to eat?"

"I’ll take a cinnamon roll," Finnley said.

Rory scanned through the menu again before sighing, indecisive. "Do you have anything citrusy?"

Lloyd took notes and turned his attention to Rory. "I’ve got a homemade lime mousse! Family recipe," he said, glancing at Rory, who broke into a wide smile and nodded eagerly.

“Very well!” Lloyd said, tucking his notepad into his apron. “Give me a few minutes.” He turned toward the counter with a charming swish of his tail that captured Rory’s gaze once more.

Finnley and Rory watched as Lloyd worked behind the counter. "So," Finnley whispered, leaning closer to Rory, “What do you think?”

Rory blinked at him, confused. “What do I think about what?”

Finnley chuckled lightly, his antennae twitching with amusement. "What do you think, dumbass?” He gently tapped Rory’s shoulder with the back of his hand in jest, a teasing grin on his face. “Lloyd. Do you like him?"

"What!?" Rory hissed back, his face turning red instantly.

"Haven’t you noticed how he looks at you? Almost as blatantly as you look at him."

"Looks at me!? What? Am I that obvious too?"

"As obvious as it gets," Finnley shrugged and raised his brows with a delighted grin on his face.

"Shit…"

Finnley chuckled. "You’ve always been bad at noticing these things, huh?"

They sipped their drinks in relative silence, savoring their sweets. Finnley finished his coffee and cinnamon roll quickly, as he was in dire need of calories after such intense labor work. Rory took his time, making sure to properly enjoy the mousse, treasuring it. Lloyd kept himself busy behind the counter.

“This is so good,” Rory muttered, licking his lips clean of the sticky, tangy sweetness.

Finnley smirked, staring at the empty cup he fiddled with. After a moment, he gave Rory a shoulder bump. “Maybe tell him that, then,” he said with a soft but still playful tone

Rory clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. “Shut up, you.”

Over the next few weeks, their visits to the café became a ritual to make their demanding labor more bearable. Each day, Lloyd would welcome them with his warm smile and kind eyes, doing everything to ensure their time there was always enjoyable. Offering different coffees, teas, sweets, and pastries. There weren’t many customers during the time of their visits, so that allowed for brief chats with Lloyd.

Finnley, as always, couldn’t resist teasing Rory. “You know he’s mapping out your tastes with every suggestion, right?”

“You’re not going to drop this, are you?” Rory sighed.

“Why would I?” Finnley replied, his tone softening, and his gaze lingering on Rory for longer than usual. ”I know you, Rory. And…” he hesitated for a brief moment. “He wants it too, I can tell.”