[Balance Remaining: $657,772,200 00¢]
---Philadelphia - The Café---
When the barista spoke, Kassandra quickly glared at Alaric before smiling at him, changing emotions swiftly. "Hi, it's our first time here... could you recommend us anything?"
The barista looked at her, then at Alaric, who was staring at the menu behind the barista. "Sure... most of what I have are coffee and baked goods. If you want coffee, I'd have to recommend the hottest thing in the market right now... the Mocha Blend from the Dutch Republic. Have some crispy biscuits while you're at it and it's a perfect combination!"
Alaric raised a brow and grabbed his golden pocket watch from his pocket to look at the time. 'Hmm... coffee at this hour? Well, caffeine doesn't affect me anyway. I'll have something else…'
"Then I'll have those," Kassandra smiled, then grabbed a Celestial Bank Card from her purse, then looked at Alaric. "Come on, I'll pay for yours."
The blonde looked at Kassandra, then at the menu. "I guess I'll have some Celestial Tea and a slice of Gingerbread. Coffee's a bit much for my liking at this hour."
The barista nodded his head and started listing out their orders before totaling it, then proceeded to adjust the Payment Terminal (Card Scanner) on top of the counter for Kassandra's ease. "That'll be 60¢."
Kassandra tapped her card on the scanner before it dinged. The scanner then proceeded to go to another page where it previewed the tip by percentage. Either 10%, 15% or 20%. There was a custom button and a "No Tip" button. She pressed the custom button and tipped 40¢. "Since my husband's very cute today, I'll be generous."
The barista widened his eyes before tipping his hat a little bit. "T-Thank you ma'am! Please, take whatever table that's available."
Alaric and Kassandra looked around and saw that everyone in the Cafe was mostly men that did public forums for commerce, politics, and intellectual debate. They saw a spot by the window that had the view of the streets and went there.
Kassandra grabbed a chair and pulled it out for Alaric since Alaric was carrying stuff. Alaric could only smile and take it in amusement, sitting down carefully so as not to crush the fragile porcelain in the boxes.
It didn't even take long before their order came as the Barista handed their orders on the table.
"Here you go, ma'am, sire, enjoy!" The barista smiled at both Kassandra and Alaric before walking back to his station.
"Well, that was fast," Alaric murmured, picking up his tea. He blew on the steam, the scent of jasmine calming his nerves.
Kassandra tasted the Mocha Blend coffee. She took a small sip, closing her eyes.
"Mmm!" Kassandra's eyes widened before she looked at the cup. "This tastes good! Richer than the swill they served back in Athens in the past."
She began to have a bite of the biscuit, the crunch loud in the quiet corner, before taking another sip of the mocha blend. "This is very, very delicious."
She was enjoying her snack and coffee, completely absorbed in the flavor, until she looked up and saw Alaric. He wasn't eating. He was just watching her. He was enjoying watching her enjoy.
"Hehe..." Kassandra chuckled, putting the cup down. "Admit it… you're mesmerized."
"Yep," Alaric replied quickly and calmly, continuing to stare at her while admiring her face. "Always."
Kassandra smiled, a blush coloring her cheeks, and took another sip before looking out the window at the busy street. "Y'know, I love adventures... I did them most of my life. I fought monsters, I sailed seas, done this and that. However..."
She looked back at him, her amber eyes soft.
"Spending the day with you on just shopping around the streets like this, drinking beverages with some snacks, it's a feeling that I really adore. I always enjoy when I get to spend time with you, not just in bed, but outside like this. Normalcy is a luxury I never thought I'd have."
Alaric raised his brows in surprise, but his smile deepened. He reached across the table, taking her free hand.
"Then how about we go somewhere else? Spend the next six days everywhere, like a vacation with just the two of us..."
"Oh?" It was Kassandra's turn to be surprised as she turned her head to Alaric. "You have so much business to attend to, Agápi Mou. Plus we can't always think about the two of us anymore, we have Hunter now."
"Well, mother and father can take care of little Hunter," Alaric calmly reasoned out, smiling at her. "They adore him. They'll fight over who gets to feed him. And my clone can handle the business and anything regarding Vanguard in the meantime. I want to visit places with you... maybe you introduce me to places I've never been before. I mean... you have travelled the entire globe before."
"..." Kassandra was still surprised. Alaric, her lover, was adamant about getting some alone time with her as vacation. It gave her flutters in her stomach that Alaric would make a way just to spend time with her when he was so busy with lots of things.
"Are you sure?" she asked, searching his face.
"Absolutely," Alaric said. He leaned back, adopting a thoughtful pose. "Let's see... Amsterdam is known for their good art, music, coffeehouses and canals. Switzerland has the Alps that are a good retreat. I head there are famous spa towns and the mountain scenery admired by wealthy people..."
He trailed off, murmuring the itinerary he had jokingly planned. "Oh? I apologize, I seem to have left you behind. Are you bored?"
Kassandra could only muster a playful pout before she sighed and nodded her head with a brilliant smile. "Let's go to somewhere I know for a fact you haven't been to."
"Yeah?" Alaric's interest piqued. "What about today? Before night arrives? We could roam around Japan first... they might have Sakoku but we'll manage."
Kassandra finished her coffee in one long gulp. She stood up, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Agapi mou, let's go… now!"
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