Mocha Mixups

Rosemary was generally the sort of girl that believed in turning in early to get a head start on the day. She had a routine that was followed like holy scripture and hardly deviated. Today however was different. Late night shenanigans with Scarlet had kept her out well past her normal turn in time trying to track down the rogue Irish woman and make sure she got in safe and sound and didn't spend an evening in a drunk tank somewhere. As a result she found herself sitting in her usual coffee shop after anafternoon jog rather than doing cooldown laps waiting for them to open their doors in the morning.

This was one of the few occasions other than when she alone in her apartment the Sky Captain wasn't wearing with her fantasy styled military garb. Instead she blended with the community as much as any other bright eyed foreigner could. Her simple workout gear consisted of a gray sorta top with crisp white trim and shorts to match. A breathable and slightly shiny material. White socks and gray running shoes with white laces. Her top was custom though, sporting a small logo of her Sky Captain wings on the right breast in place of where a brand logo might be. Her long brunette hair was tied back in a neat ponytail with a white scrunchy. On her bicep a small band with a pocket to secure her phone and a pair of earbuds, both currently laid down on her table while she wanted.

"Rose." The barista called from behind the counter. Someone she didn't know by name, clearly not the manager she normally felt with when she was here at an earlier hour. She craned her neck to glance over finding the cup standing on the glass display for pickups and the person who called her name already with their back turned, preparing another drink. With a soft sigh Rosemary slipped from her seat and stride over to the counter.

"That's me… hello?" She called out, trying to catch the attention of the busy barista, wanting them to know she was taking her order. All she really got in return was a small nod and not so much as a glance. With a furrowed brow she picked up the warm cup, mindful to handle it in the sleeve that kept it from burning too hot. Quietly she wandered back to her seat and settled back in, setting the cup aside for a moment to cool. She called the screen of her phone lightly, scrolling through her news feed. She was so far behind on her normal routine by now, be wasn't certain how to arrange the rest of her day.

It could be true that Estelle’s working schedule since she became a wrestler wasn’t the busiest in the business, but the Swiss had taken a liking in training and becoming an overall better athlete since her debut and humbling experience on her first matches. That was why it wasn’t strange to see her spending some time at the gym even in her days off, but for that wonderful looking end of summer day Estelle wanted to do something for herself and not her job nor the AFW. That was why from the very beginning of the day she indulged herself, oversleeping a little and then having some breakfast in bed while enjoying a good book. After that she used her loft’s balcony to sunbathe a little and had a nice swim in her pool. Life was wonderful when she had some time to enjoy herself.

After that Estelle decided it was time to enjoy a little walk. After all, in all her months since she moved to Japan she hadn’t taken so many trips to explore, so she decided to wear a fresh white summer dress and a pamela hat and head out for a while. She didn’t want to browse on the web where to go and just wander around the city in search for some interesting spots to enjoy, and that was exactly what she got when she found a calm park, a quiet place of peace in the middle of the city’s ruckus in which she could enjoy a walk in silence.

Finally, her cherry on top of her afternoon would be enjoying some coffee in a café she ran into while thinking about going back home. Estelle chose a table just in a perfect spot, far from the line and the noise but in a place that got some sunlight from the windows, and made her order. The place was relatively crowded but was still relaxing, a good atmosphere to enjoy her coffee. She spent some minutes looking through the window in a distracted way until she heard her cue to go get her coffee: “Rose”, said a barista without much enthusiasm.

Estelle made her way to the pickup counter and took the cup marked with her stage name on it. As she approached her nose to it to get a good sniff at the freshly made coffee she realized that whatever was in that cup wasn’t her viennese coffee. “Excuse me, I think this isn’t the coffee I ordered...” Estelle said to the barista, who looked at the tickets. “Uuuuh, I’m sorry. Two Roses at the same time. Orders must have mixed up. That girl two tables from here, the one in the grey outfit, is the other Rose. If she has already drunk your coffee let me know and I will make a new one.” The barista turned her back on her once more.

Seeing this as a minor setback, Estelle gracefully made her way to the table she was directed at. A woman was sitting while browsing her phone with a distracted look to her. She was actually fit and it showed thanks to the plain, simple grey workout outfit she was wearing. Her hair was tied up in a simple ponytail, but even like that it looked well taken care of and shiny. The woman was gorgeous, and ironically knowing the kind of job she had, Estelle felt a little bit flustered about approaching her.

“Um… I beg your pardon?”, Estelle tried to get the woman’s attention. “Rose, alright? I think there has been a mistake and our orders have mixed… I haven’t tried this, so if you haven’t done it with yours we can just switch them back.”, said the Swiss with a warm and shy smile on her face.

The brunette's eyes scanned the small phone screen as she occasionally have it a small swipe to scroll the page. A hovering Estelle went unnoticed at first until the mention of her name caught the Sky Captain's ear and snapped her back to reality. Slightly startled she glanced up to the other woman in slight confusion. Did she know this person? They seemed to know who she was… then Estelle explained the situation. For a moment she thought a fan had somehow managed to piece together it was her even despite the drastic change of her look. Her heart sank slightly at the mundane mishap, glancing between the two cups of coffee.

"Oh…" She pursed her lips with a furrow of her slender brow, reaching out to pop the top off the coffee she had taken. It only took a quick look at the consistency and color to clue her into something wrong, and the smell had driven it home. This wasn't her order… it smelled nice though. She gave her head a small shake, a faint blush gracing her cheeks as she placed the plastic top back onto the cup hoping this stranger wouldn't be offended about not being believed at face value.

"Ah… seems you're right." Rosemary gave a faint smile up to Estelle, trying to fight back the embarrassment now that she released she had technically stolen this strangers drink in her haste then doubted her about it. The other brunette had been rather considerate and patient about it too. She had seen others getting mad over less when it came to service in restaurants and retail in general. "Sincere apologies. I don't normally make a habit of absconding with other people's beverages, I promise." She gestured a small X over chest, crossing her heart on the claim.

"I could buy you a cookie perhaps, as an apology?" Gathering up the cup of coffee that wasn't here in a gentle cradle, she offered it back to Estelle with a small nervous chuckle. She caught herself staring a bit as she offered the cup back. Estelle had pretty hair, the wavy sort she always wished she could pull off if hers didn't practically grow out as straight as could be. Even with the hat she could see it spilling down over her shoulders. A warm smile too. It was genuine, she could tell by how it reached the other girl's eyes. Small details like that hardly escaped her notice… there was something else.

"Just visiting?" She found herself quietly inquiring, lost in the moment. She blinked twice and cleared her throat, clarifying. "To Japan I mean…" If her outward appearance hadn't been enough of a clue, the accent was. She was pretty sure she knew what country it was from but wasn't nearly home enough to throw out assumptions. This woman might just want to get her coffee and go… and here Rosemary was prodding at her with questions.

Estelle arched her brow in interest when the other woman raised her eyes from the phone she was holding. At first this stranger looked puzzled about the interruption, but after Estelle’s simple explanation the woman reached for the cup on her table and had a look at its contents. Coming to the conclussion that Estelle was actually right in her assumptions and that their orders had mixed up, the woman suddenly tried so hard not to look embarrassed. The Swiss thought that making it obvious that she noticed could be seen as rude, so she made an effort to look oblivious to that fact. Besides, she was also a little bit embarrassed from that, and it was surprising keeping in mind the kind of interactions she tends to have with hot and gorgeous women.

When Rose finally spoke in an overpolite and formal manner Estelle smiled warmly at her. She was used to be the one employing grandiose words as her elegant demeanor acquired after years of education in elite schools demanded, but this woman made that look like nothing! When the woman asked if she could treat Estelle to some cookie as a way of pardon and then asked if she was just visiting the country the Swiss got the cue that the woman was actually opening some conversation. Their interaction wouldn’t end in them exchanging their coffees.

“Oh, please don’t apologize like that! No need to be so formal about it.” Estelle said while offering the woman her rightful coffee while taking hers and taking a sniff at it. “This is the one I ordered, wonderful! And oh, no, not a visitor at all! I have been living in Japan for almost a year now, but I haven’t explored that much yet.” Estelle looked at the woman for a couple of seconds, letting her check on her cup before talking again. “You know, if you really want to make up for it, not like you have to since it wasn’t your mistake, why don’t we get some cookie and we sit together and chat? I have a pretty good table there...” She said while pointing to the table in which she sat when she arrived. “Rose, I assume, would you spend this time with me?” she said with a friendly smile on her face, her afternoon becoming much more interesting.

Rosemary was used to odd looks while she was in uniform. The inevitable questions of why she dressed or after the way she did. Being the Sky Captain could be difficult when she met people who just didn't understand. But one of the constants had always been that past her strange attire, it was rare that people have her a second look. It took her by surprise when Estelle not only humored her in light conversation, but invited more of it while she was just, well, looked normal. She cocked her head slightly, examining the Swiss woman's features as if trying to pick apart if she was joking with her. No. She still seemed genuine.

It wasn't just the offer to chat though. It was the way Estelle had asked if she wanted to spend time with her that felt more personal. It had a faint rosy hue blooming in her cheeks, though she wasn't even sure why. The question itself was innocent enough. It wasn't just the way she spoke but how she looked in her sundress that made her appear to be so pure and harmless the Sky Captain thought the request was adorable.

"I erm... Sure, why not. That actually sounds far better than being huddled in a corner here looking at my phone." She gave Estelle a first nod, collecting up the earbuds and phone to clip back on her arm. With a light spring in her step she Rose from her seat and slid the chair back where it had been when she first arrived.

"I insist on paying for the cookies though. Chocolate chip fine?" The Sky Captain was already moving to the counter to make the order, flashing Estelle a glance back over her shoulder. She would wait to make sure her selection was suitable before making the transaction at the counter, changing what she asked for as needed. Once she had two cookies in hand in a small paper sleeve, she would follow Estelle back to her table.

As they neared she picked up her pace just a bit, enough to beat the Swiss woman back to their seats. Rosemary set her cup and cookies down in one place before circling around to another, pulling a chair our for Estelle to take a seat like some sort of old times gentleman. She would wait until the offer was taken or denied, tucking the chair back in when Estelle hopefully took a seat. From there she would go to her own place and settle in, offering the other woman the sleeves of cookies to take whichever one she prefered of the two.

"It's Rosemary by the way, though you can still call me Rose if you'd like. I'm not overly picky." At least while she was out of uniform. Otherwise she tended to wear her made up title as a badge like any real Captain might. For now though, she was just a civilian. Popping the top of her coffee, she blew gently on the top, working to help cool it down. "It's rather surprising to me that you've been here a year and you haven't ventured out much. You must be very busy Ms…Rose?" It suddenly occurred to her that she never got this other woman's name.

The woman sitting in front of Estelle was gorgeous, but the Swiss couldn’t help thinking the woman, despite her formal but still friendly approach, had some lines of defense up. It was as if the woman was expecting some kind of judgment or ill intentions coming from people, but what could have made her think that way? There were few signals that hinted this, but Estelle had learnt to notice them, and Rosemary reacted in a way that gave away some insecurities. The Swiss tried her best not to show these concerns, remaining respectful at her new coffee partner.

When Rosemary accepted her offer and stood up a bright smile drew on Estelle’s face. The woman was still bent on treating the Swiss to some cookie, so she decided to accept. “Chocolate chip, now you know how to tempt me!”, she said with a playful giggle just before Rosemary would turn back to get to the counter.

Estelle waited patiently for Rosemary to come back with two cookies before following her to what now was their table. Just when the Swiss was going to have a seat she witnessed with surprise how the woman pulled out a chair and offered her the seat like the gentlemen of old. “Much obliged.”, she said while sitting, seeing with a smile how Rosemary circled around the table to have her seat. That mysterious woman had a knack for making her smile, and that was something Estelle appreciated.

After a good sniff and a sip at her vienesse, Estelle responded to her partner. “Oh, but Rosemary is a beautiful name. I would be delighted to call you by that name if you like...” Estelle had a bit at the cookie, letting the chips melt in her mouth and release all their flavor. “Wow, excuse me if I sound rude, but these are a wonderful treat!” She looked at those aquamarine eyes while Rosemary asked about her time in Japan and guessed her name wrongly. “Actually, my name is Estelle.”, she started her explanation even before Rosemary had time to make a puzzled face: “Most of the times Japanese people have a bad time when pronouncing my name so sometimes like this one I go by Rose. It is easier for them and it brings memories from back home. And yes, you are right. Since I moved to Japan I didn’t explore much, and I think now I have a lot to make up for. But what about you? Based on your workout oufit I wouldn’t say you are a tourist here either...”

"Estelle." She repeated the name, mulling it over quietly. It was a rather suiting name, if she remembered right it meant "star". This woman did have a certain shine to her as well as a natural beauty. She had the look of someone in film possibly? Maybe some form of social media personality or model? Of course it was also possible she was just some school teacher...  She had a tendency to overanalyze.

"They make them fresh every morning. I sometimes cheat a little after a run." shShe broke her own dietary plans with sweets far too often than she might care to admit. Rosemary tugged a napkin from a nearby dispenser, unfolding it out in front of her like a mat. She slid her own cookie out on top of it, starting to pry it into four mostly equal sections as the two women conversed. Estelle cut off her line of thinking, explaining her name and how the mix-up had likely happened with the names  It had the brunette nodding along. She turned her own cup, eyeing the sleeve with "Rose" written on the side with a kanji with the same meaning scribbled beneath it with simple penmanship. It made sense to her

"I've been here for awhile now myself, yes. Mostly here in Tokyo but I have been out as far as Kyoto as well. Such a beautiful country." Rosemary plucked a piece of her cookie up between two delegate fingers, daintily dunking the baked good into her coffee. She let the cookie soak a bit before bringing to her lips to take a bite leaving a few crumbs on her chin. She licked a bit of dribbled coffee from her lips, lowering her head to try and not be too obvious about it. Her frothy cup smelled incredibly sweet, a caramel swirl run over the cream layer on top of things.

"There is park about a two blocks away." Rosemary nodded her head towards the large window near the coffee shop entryway. "A nice path that spans around the outside, dips into a small forest so there is some shade. I have been running there for awhile. A bit of fresh air will always head out a treadmill in some stuffy building." There were other things there as well. A jungle gym, some climbing bars, and other obstacles meant for children. She kept that to herself even though she would make use of those as well when she was their early enough to have them all to herself.

"Were you wandering or heading to some sort of festival?" It was hard to tell if Estelle was just dressed for the summer weather or had intentionally dressed up. It was hard to believe she was this naturally pretty all of the time but nothing seemed to suggest she had rolled herself up for anything in particular. She supposed that she shouldn't be too surprised. While Rosemary didn't really wear makeup herself, she took very good care of her hair and skin. It was almost a necessity with how often her work had her showering. She would have split ends and dry elbows otherwise. No thanks

Estelle blushed a little when she heard Rosemary saying her name. At that point she was used to people mispronouncing her name so with some Japanese people she was more eager to go by Rose, something easier to pronounce, but coming from Rosemary’s lips her name had a special ring to it. Maybe it was the Swiss becoming weak for her charm, but it was undeniable that there was something about this woman that captivated Estelle and made her be curious about her.

“Let me say they are really good, something worthy of cheating your diet!” Estelle added to Rosemary’s remarks about the cookies, which actually were some of the best Estelle had since her arrival at Tokyo. “Let me be honest: I don’t mind keeping true to my diet plan regularly, but whith things like these It requires a lot of willpower not to let myself loose and eat more.” she giggled.

Estelle leaned back on her seat while holding her coffee with both hands. Feeling the warmth of a cup of her favorite coffee on her hands was one of the pleasures of life she enjoyed the most. While letting the drink release all its flavour while drinking it, the Swiss listened to Rosemary, who was telling her story about having been in Japan for some time now. What would the odds be, two foreigners living in Japan meeting in those strange circumstances? “Well, the first couple of months I spent here were complicated. I’m sure you felt something similar: getting rid of jetlag, then getting used to the culture, the food, the city… not so much time to enjoy oneself.”

When Rosemary asked Estelle if she was just wandering or had a festival or other destiny in mind, and then mentioned how she liked going for jogs at the park that goes around and then dips into the woods inside Estelle’s eyes widened and sparkled in surprise. “Wait, don’t you tell me that you were just jogging in that park.”, she said with a funny tone to her. “I can’t believe it, I was just wandering off, having a walk and I ran into that park, and what a discovery I made. I love it! I spent half an hour just sitting on a bench under a tree enjoying the silence. I could have dozed off with this wonderful weather! What a thought, us two being there before this and not running into each other. Sometimes it is good to just enjoy the small things, forget about everything and just… live the moment you are in. Like now, look at us: two foreigners living in Japan and meeting by the most curious of coincidences, right?” Estelle giggled and paused, letting silence sink in.

“I was wondering something. I had been listening to your accent for some time now, but I can’t quite figure it out. Mind if I ask where Rosemary hails from?”, she asked while getting another small piece of cookie.

"Goodness… when I first arrived here I mixed up train lines and didn't notice I had made a mistake until I was pretty much out in the countryside." Rosemary reached for her arm, tugging the velcro flap open to slip her phone from the pocket. She called the screen to life and started scrolling through it with squinted eyes. Her features brightened again once she found what she wanted pulling up an image on screen to flip around and show Estelle. It was a picture of a train station railway guide with labeled tracks, but in the corners were translations of where each went into English and edited in lines that color coded each. She had apparently made her own little cheat sheet.

"Fool me once, shame on them, fool me twice, shame on me. Right?" She gave a firm nod, confirming her own statement. She set the phone back down in front of her, beside her napkin plate. She seemed very particular with how she rested it, adjusting the angle just slightly so it wasn't crooked. "Even still, I try to walk most places. It's hard to get in and out of those train cars with how tight they pack in. I always feel like I am being a bother to someone."

She picked up another quarter of her cookie, dunking it into her coffee again nearly to the tips of her fingers. "It was a lot of tiptoeing around customs for a while here. Many of the locals, bless them, don't like to be confrontational so they will just let you mess up and not really say anything to you directly. Apparently people get really offended if you hold a door for them. It's something reserved for the elderly, so doing it for someone like you, let's say, would be like me saying you are an old lady by showing you that sort of respect." She gave a small chuckle, recalling one particular incident that had actually made her look all of that up.

Rosemary gave a small nod when Estelle mentioned the park as well, not nearly as surprised as the Swiss woman. It was rather large and local, so it seemed reasonable they could have both been there and not bumped into one another. Truth be told, she didn't pay nearly enough attention to things when she was jogging. It might even be possible she had run right by the Swiss woman and not even noticed her… though as she continued to eye the other brunette she found herself wondering if it was possible to not be able to spot her in a crowd.

She brought her cookie up to her mouth only for it to call apart having soaked a bit too long in the coffee, splashing her right in the face with speckles of sweet mocha drink. She flushed with a moment of embarrassment, popping what was left of the cookie piece in her mouth to free up her hands and reach for a new napkin to begin dabbing her face off.

Once she had cleaned herself up, save for a few coffee splotches she hadn't noticed on her top, Rosemary set the napkin aside near her cup. Questions about her accent were pretty common though she couldn't recall anyone asking her exactly where she was from before. Her current accent was rather different these days than how it started. She had found it difficult in her early days of wrestling to really nail a good promo with her old accent so when she adopted her new persona she had made the effort to speak a bit differently. These days she had what many would consider a "stereotypical" British accent even though it was rather uncommon in the actual country itself. "It's understandable you can't place it, my accent isn't actually from anywhere in particular. It's what we call received pronunciation. A sort of fancied up English accent that isn't from any one place. I however am from Yorkshire originally, though you wouldn't know it by how I speak.  They would have quite the laugh if they heard me rattling on this posh."

Estelle felt her confidence a little bit reassured now that she was sharing her unease about some aspects of the city that could be overwhelming. It helped her knowing that some of her problems when adapting to life in Tokyo had nothing to do with inability and more with how big and complicated the city was for foreigners to get. When Rosemary got her phone and after browsing in it for some seconds she showed Estelle a graphic depicting all the train lines with several notes on all the schedules and routes, the Swiss’ eyes widened in surprise at how witty the woman had been to make that. “That is actually a quite smart and resourceful thinking! I agree with you in the walking matter though. I’m not one for the racket and bustle of the big city, so as far as I’m concerned I try to avoid big agglomerations as much as I can. Sometimes I think on how it would be to live closer to the countryside, on a quieter place...” she said in an almost melancholic way, missing the quieter cities of her home Switzerland.

Estelle took another sip from her coffee while taking some more pieces of her cookie. While Rosemary liked dipping it on the coffee she would rather eat it as it is. In the meanwhile, the woman gave her a wonderful lecture on how to avoid some cultural shocks when regarding dealing with Japanese people. Estelle paid attention as even if she hadn’t dealt with many people in person, her manager was in charge of that, she wanted to eventually blend in. “That is very interesting. I haven’t mingled a lot with Japanese people, and I think the ones I have met or talked to are a little more westernized, but it is useful to have this knowledge in case I need it. Thanks again! I was raised and educated in some upright and stricts schools back home, but honestly sometimes Japanese culture puzzles me with some of its specifics concerning treatment with others.”

Then it came another lecture, but not one of those boring ones that made one want to doze off. Rosemary had the ability to make anything she would talk about interesting, or at least that was what Estelle thought. “She is so pretty as well...” This time, the woman talked about her accent and how it was actually the way of talking people recognized as “British English” but that was pretty rare in the islands. “Yorkshire, so you are from United Kingdom! I’m afraid I have never been to the islands, but I suppose there must be some lovely places in there… I am from Switzerland, so I understand your explanations about accents: having 3 official languages back home and then everyone using English as well makes for a lot of different ways of inflection.”