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“Just. Try it.”
“No.” Suvi dropped the word from her mouth, as a simple, firm fact. Her expression was neutral, but there was an intensity behind her eyes. There was no backing down, no give. Her arms were crossed, and she shifted her weight slightly as if to brace herself.
Ame propped her arms on the table, squinting and leaning forward. Suvi knew she could circumvent Ame’s pushing for a time, but it had just expired. “Just. One.”
“No.”
“Suvi-!”
“Ame!”
“Guys!” Eursulon tipped his chair back upright, rubbing his temples. “You’ve been doing this for an hour.”
“I agree, it’s unreasonable not to consider one drink ,” said Ame, looking first to him and then back at Suvi, pointedly holding up a finger. “C’mon, please?”
Suvi didn’t even glance at the wide variety of teas on two hastily shoved together dining tables before her, boxes thoughtfully sorted by color, flavor and effect. Her tone slipped, and she dropped the cool exterior to put a slight whine at the end of her words. “No! You know I hate it. It is bad garbage water. You know this.”
“Maaybe you just haven’t found one you’ve liked yet,” Ame retorted. “You’ve really only had green-”
“And! This is a coffee place,” Suvi interjected, motioning to the shop behind her. “Why on earth would we sell this? People come here for the good shit.”
“Grandma Wren thinks so,” grumbled Ame, folding her own arms and heaving a sigh. The two were locked in a standoff in the empty Witch’s Brew Café, a delightful, warm space filled with antique furniture and framed pressed flowers on the cedar wood walls. Delicate lights were strung along the beams, and it was filled with the smell of coffee, herbs, and the delicious pastries in the display case. Suvi and Ame wore blue and red aprons respectively, where Eursulon got to wear green. He was still wearing his glamor, but Suvi could tell he was scratching one of his furry tufts near his ears, blowing a raspberry in slight annoyance and boredom. It had been…a slow day so far, and Ame had decided to offer up the new product samples for them to try.
“Not. Gonna. Happen.”
“But-”
“Nope.”
“Suvi-”
“Mm-mm.” Suvi darted behind the counter, grabbing the mop from the corner. “We have much more pressing responsibilities.”
“Suvi, my esteemed colleague and friend,” said Eurselon, standing up from his chair. “There is no one here.”
“And?”
Eursulon chuckled through his words, which stopped as Suvi shoved it into his hand. “It’s on the list, gotta get it done.”
“That’s only a suggestion-”
“No no,” said Ame, a sudden shift entering her tone. “Suvi is right, we do need to keep up with the store.”
Suvi raised her eyebrows. “I am- of course I am.” She stood up a little straighter. “We can get it done in like, ten minutes.”
“Well, you could probably do it faster. I mean, we’ve all seen you work - quick, clean, beautifully efficient.” Ame was nodding along, her eyes glancing between her friends as her eyes began to light up mischievously. “I think you could outsweep the whole block, honestly-”
"Where is this going?” Suvi said suspiciously.
“With your obvious skills,” said Ame, gesturing at Suvi, “You could obviously beast us in a competition.”
Eursulon opened his mouth, eyes furrowed. “Us? I don’t-”
“You are using my competitiveness against me.” Suvi’s eyes narrowed. “I- It’s working. Why?”
“We each take half of the store, with us taking the bathrooms. If you win, I will handle every single basic cappuccino customer that comes in, asking for very specific specifications, which I know you hate, for a month.” Ame leaned over the counter, which was proving difficult due to her height. She managed to keep a smile off her face. “And if I win, you have to try my choice of tea, right now, and drink the entire thing.”
“Done.” Should I have agreed to that? Suvi raced forwards immediately, grabbing a broom and heading to the front to begin sweeping furiously. She saw that Ame and Eursulon were stumbling over each other, sorting different materials, and smirked. Nahh, I got this.
Immediately she was so in the zone everything else fell away. She swept with precise, sharp movements, wiped counters rapidly in large circles. She even beat Team Ame to the punch for the mop bucket, moving in clear strokes across the floor. She stood filled with pride at her work, mop in hand, and turned to announce her victory. That was until she saw that the two of them had one, already cleared their side and the bathrooms(minus mopping), and two, she forgot about a vitally important step. Her gaze turned to the tall, floor to ceiling windows, and she done knew she had fucked up.
Ame ran past her, cheerily snatching the mop from her hands. “I’ll take that!” It snapped Suvi back to reality, and she raced to grab the cloth and spray bottle, and oh fuck where’s the ladder-?
“Done!” Eursulon lifted Ame onto his shoulders, who pumped her fists in the air with a look of triumph. Suvi couldn’t find the words, her shoulders slumping. “Team Tea-Time wins!”
“Do not despair, sister,” said Eursulon teasingly, letting Ame drop down and placing a hand on her shoulder. “It will be over quickly and painlessly.”
“You. You did this to me,” said Suvi darkly, although there was no real fight behind it. “I-you hate cleaning!”
“Ahh, but I hated sitting and listening to you two bicker endlessly more.” His smile turned into a yawn as he stretched. “Now I can go back to enjoying a peaceful afternoon.”
“Un-believeable.” Suvi defeatedly plopped in her chair, hearing Ame start the kettle. “I think you’ve killed me. I think I’ve just died. Am I here? Can you see me?”
It seemed like forever, but soon Ame returned with a steaming cup of amber liquid, set gently on a little plate. Suvi had to admit, it smelled…actually okay? There seemed to be a sharp mixture of spices, and a few berries that had been thrown in. If it had been coffee, she would have been salivating. “I present to you, Ame’s Blend.”
“Ame’s Blend?” she said, looking up at her friend standing with her hands behind her back. “Are you going to be sad if I hate it?”
“No no, if you don’t like it you don’t like it.” Ame gave a small, earnest smile. “I just want you to try it. And finish, according to the rules.
“Yeah…the rules.” Suvi let out a sigh, and amusement crept into her features. She also was touched that Ame wanted to make her something special, and if she was being honest, looking at her genuine and open expression she couldn’t have ever said she hated it. She turned her gaze back to the tea and stared it down, trying not to pull a face. She tentatively raised it to her lips, taking a sip.
Suvi never forgave her for making it taste good. She would never convert to tea, espresso was her one true love. But just for a moment, a split second, Suvi told Ame, to her friend’s delight, that she was right.