Thank You for the Coffee and Service

## Summary

Just because it's a beautiful afternoon in Mistral doesn't mean it's beautiful everywhere. A slummy area in town is no place for a lovely coffee shop or a lovely girl for that matter. But Mei Ming travels there anyway, and meets her next target. Isn't customer service just great?

## EXP Awarded

Mei Ming - 30 EXP (Mei Ming expresses complexities of her resulting turmoil from the end of her previous relationship and new status as head of the Fênhóng Family. She struggles with desire, stress, and hopelessness as she takes it out on a poor waitress who seems to know her.)

Yanagi Mizuki - 25 EXP (Mizuki tries her best to communicate and be submissive, and is able to handle the abuse from this important customer.)

## Roleplay

Beautiful afternoon in Mistral.

Mizuki was awaiting for customers, almost sleeping while standing. The Cafe was almost empty, at least more than usual. Perhaps because of the weather or maybe because it was located in the worst imaginable place, in a street full of muggers and drug dealers. In that same street, that Cafe seemed to be of another world... it seemed more homey and traditional.

There was something of the day that reminded Mei Ming of her past. It may have been a fleeting thought, a dream remembrance of a life no longer, but it was indeed something.
Mei Ming went about her business as usual for that day but when a clumsy maid dropped her coffee in a fall over a small step she failed to notice, Mei Ming simply was going to have to find beverage service elsewhere.

It was perhaps those thoughts of her past life that that lead her to this part of town, a dirty and nasty place for any esteemed Fěnhóng to even think to set foot on. But she ordered her driver here anyway, much to their dismay.

As she stepped out, her graceful boot barely touching the grimly filth on the street, she had a face that appeared as if it was looking onward, though in reality she could never look again. Twas the curse of her aura that made her sight nonexistant.

But those pure white eyes continued to give her the appearance of utmost confidence as she straightened out her frilly black and white dress and fixed up her curvy black hair and took out her cane to guide her in her steps.

The reason she was here. The purpose of her visit to this unique cafe in such a ugly part of town, was not just to make up for a maid's mistake, or to even just visit the past when she herself was a gang queen, but she knew something about it here, she had been here before and therefore was able to guide herself to the door despite her lack of sight. And she knew about someone there. That might be of use to her that she wanted.
And Mei Ming always gets what she wants.

With a sinister smile, Mei Ming opened the door which ringed a little bell and stepped into the Cafe, clearing her throat loudly and in a high pitched manner so as to be noticed and given seating as soon as possible. Rapid, precise, and spectacular customer service is not something she merely expected, but required. Otherwise...

A costumer takes Mei Ming. Telling her that she would have waitress taking care of her order shortly. And so it did. Unluckily that waitress was Mizuki who walked to Mei Mings and stood silent as she expecting Mei to just order as regular costumers. Then she notices her cane. She takes a step back looks at the other possible waitress but they either occupied or sleeping, inside Mizuki's head she curses fiercely before starting to punk her note and placing it in front of Mei Ming, with semi comprehensible dots Mizuki spells "Welcome to The Cafe, where you can find coffee of every kind. I am here to take your order. I apologise for not speaking, I am mute."

Mei Ming smiled, pleased, to be attended to so immediately and sat down and made herself comfortable, hoping to have a nice conversation with whatever sorry waitress that happened to come up to her to ask for her order.

She noticed the young girl come up to her and smiled again pleasantly which turned to a quick frown as she heard the curse under her breath having heightened other senses from being blind.
This wasn't going to go well for her... she would assure it.

Crossing one leg over the other with class, she crossed her arms as well as she sat there expectantly. Noticing something placed in front of her, Mei Ming made no effort to touch it and continued to look at Mizuki, "You know, it's such a wonder you continue to have your job if you are this incompetent with a customer to start," she said with some irritation and some condescension, "Do you even know a thing about service?"

Mizuki takes a deep breath before touching Mei Ming's hands in attempt to place them over the notebook. Mizuki hated when costumers couldn't understand her situation. Back when she worked nights it was easier since people didn't really want to hold conversations with the waitresses. But now as she works lunch and dinner hours, it was like hell. She taps the book either way before standing in a correct position as always, she moves slightly her head though so her bangs would move a bit away from her eyesight, pointless since they are quite long.

Mei Ming blushed a small amount, slightly out of anger, slightly out of the fact that she hadn't had human contact in ages. It was slightly astonishing for the girl who had heightened senses other than sight. "Excuse me?!" she bursted anyway, "You by no means are allowed to put your filthy hands on mine! Do you even know who I am!" She even stood up and kicked her seat down as she did so as if she wasn't the calm and composed woman that she was. On second thought, emotional outbursts were common of the Mei Ming of just a year prior, but that was a year ago and here we are now.

Even though she had gone out and yelled at her and stood up even to claim her dominance, Mei Ming suddenly placed a thought in why the girl was making her touch a notebook. It started to all fall in place and for once, she was merciful.

Sighing, Mei Ming collected herself, bringing her seat back up and sitting back on it while pressing down her dress, "Just get me a mocha au lait latte," she settled, not apologizing, but at least cooperating.

Suddenly, Mei Ming felt a little sad; she realized she couldn't converse with this girl and have a sort of small exchange, maybe even a relationship. But what was she thinking, she didn't form bonds like this anymore and not so suddenly. Still, it was one opportunity gone.

Mizuki rolls her eyes, for someone who once stood on top of the world among the richest and noblest now standing there being insulted by someone she had never met was quite unsatisfactory. Mizuki maintained immobilised even though Mei Ming's action had spooked her slightly. Mizuki bows rapidly in hope that her movements could at least be felt through the wind even though she was unsure of how blindness worked. After bowing she walks towards the counter to get the Mocha au lait latte. After a while she returns and places the drink lightly in front of Mei Ming with a note among it, it read "we have met before, yet here we stand as if we never had. Fênhóng Mólí" (sorry I can't really spell it correctly because I don't have a open keyboard). Yep besides the note, Mizuki kept standing up as it wasn't respectable to do anything else besides that.

Mei Ming continued to sit down. She likely would have known about the girl if she researched more into the site before visiting, but alas it was more of a sudden decision to take the trip and there wasn't much for Mei Ming to think of the girl other than a mute waitress which was some perplexity in such a statement. In any case, there they were, distant relatives so to speak, fellow high esteemed family members of some time ago, but one crushing and getting rid of the other. Mei Ming should truly be more aware of these things as the Fênhóng Family Head.

But it was her blasted cousin who was more responsible for such information and exchanges.

Instead of thinking of all this, Mei Ming was reflecting on herself, her past, her current, and her future. She knew where she came from wasn't all too fashionable, the gang she ran because of running away from her family then venturing into combat school in Beacon for lovely romantic endeavors was truly unbecoming of a Fênhóng but she supposedly straightened herself up since then, at least her and her family believed so in which it was appropriate due to her power and prestige to reign on top.

Nevertheless, Mei Ming was thinking about her personal and social life which has always been rather deteriorated. Even as part of her time at Beacon, she couldn't be a leader of a team and was honestly just a manipulator to those around her.

Maybe that's why the exchange with this waitress wasn't so well, she could only think to lash out, to show dominance and power instead of being civil and kind.

Maybe Mei Ming would try it out.

Nodding while accepting the latte, Mei Ming took a small sip of it before smiling lightly and placing the coffee down. She noticed that the girl was standing there still and had placed a paper beside her, "Haven't you noticed by now that this type of communication won't work? Are you as blind as I am or what?" she snapped at her. And just like that, the concept of being kind was thrown out the window, "I mean.. you should really pay more attention to your customers and accommodate, is there some other way for us to communicate?" she said a little softer. She wanted to continue to try and be nice, if she could at all.

Mizuki attempts to make Morse code through sound she tapped the table saying hello, not knowing it would work but at the same time not really caring enough.

Now that... was something she could understand. Mei Ming froze for some time, as she allowed herself to feel the taps of the hello before tapping it back and making a conversation work.

Well it was a start.

She then stops. As usual she had nothing to say. After a short moment of silence she restarts tapping "we have met before. Fênhóng Mólí. or whatever you call yourself now". she goes back to standing correctly, part of her wanted to leave, the other wasforcing her to stay and talk, talk in a way that had no words in it. The part that wanted to leave seeked to remain her as a secret. the other part wants to go back to the high life, high life that she ran away from.

Mei Ming was even starting to smile from this communication, it was proving quite fruitful and could even result in something happy for her as she would potentially have another person she could trust, someone who would hold her secrets and tell no one, literally.

But then... she recognized the tapping of her previous name.

How... dare she...

Mei Ming clutched the fabric of the tablecloth with fury and shook with anger, quaking with tears.

If only her cousin could see her now, she would be demoted from head of the family in an instant.

However, all the anger Mizuki had from seeing someone she had met in the past changed. She noticed Mei Ming's anger and therefore changed her thoughts with a single tap "how are you? can I offer you something else?" perhaps she felt pity for seeing Mei Ming imprisoned to such hard life. A life full of lies and treason. But who she to judge after all it was treason who took her to where she is.

The anger was of her past self, and maybe even some of her current self. Mei Ming had entered politics again after such time away from her family for the betterment of herself and society. Had she not? Then why was she letting such a small petty girl determine who she was and whether she was equivalent to her past evils?

She sighed a bit and dabbed a handkerchief to her blank eyes.

She spoke softly, knowing she could at least be heard. "No, that's all for now... Thank you for the coffee and service."

She left an immensely noticeable tip and before leaving, tapped this final message on the table:

I want to meet you again

8 pm tonite, my place.