One hour earlier. Under the watchful eyers of the black cat Olivier began to train his coffee-making skills. There was an aspect of absurdity to the situation, but Olivier decided to fulfil his role. What else was he supposed to do?
Olivier didn't really understand much about making coffee. But the basics were easy to understand. He grabbed a handful of beans and poured them into the mill. Next, he began to rotate the handle. This took more strength than he would have expected. It was not easy to get a fluid, rhythmic movement.
When Olivier opened the mill again to check on the beans, the powder was completely uneven. He wondered if the powder was alright like this but a disparaging gaze from the black cat told him the answer.
Thus, Olivier trained for a while longer. Soon, the product at least looked like powder. Olivier was satisfied and tried to fill it into a can, but he was startled when an annoyed hiss pierced his ears.
"What? What's wrong"
The black cat had a look of 'can a human really be this stupid' on her face. She pointed towards the cupboard behind Olivier where a few coffee filters were stored.
"Oh…"
Olivier understood the black cat's meaning. He put the filter on top of the can and filled the powder into the filter. Turning around he grabbed another can and held it below a tap sticking out of the wall. Olivier ignored the strange setup and turned on the tap, filling the can with burning hot water.
Next, Olivier poured the water through the filter. Quickly his first can of coffee was finally ready. After briefly cleaning everything up Olivier poured his first cup. The tasty smell of fresh coffee reached his nose, watering his mouth. Curious and with some anticipation Olivier carefully took a little sip.
"Pfft!"
Olivier instantly spit it all out. His tongue was protesting, shivers running through his body. The coffee was the most bitter beverage he had ever tasted. Olivier scrunched his face as he pondered what to do with the can of coffee.
"Mau!"
Olivier looked towards the black cat, seeing that she pointed at the trashcan nearby.
"Should I throw it all away? Even the liquid?"
The black cat nodded slowly. Olivier didn't bother anymore. He followed the cat's instructions and threw everything away. Afterwards he restarted the process from the beginning for another attempt, making sure to use less beans this time. His second can was at least barely enjoyable.
Just as Olivier prepared for a third attempt, a crisp bell sound suddenly interrupted him. Olivier stared at the door which had been opened. He only saw a black, shadowy swirl before a middle-aged man in a dignified black suit entered.
Olivier froze in place. He didn't know who this man was nor where he came from. Could it be the real owner of this place?
Olivier blankly stared at the newcomer. Watching how the man studied his surroundings Olivier rejected the notion that he might be the owner of the café. A second later there was suddenly a change in Olivier's vision. Light blue letters arranged themselves next to the newcomer.
[Benjamin Bender
Lifespan: 56/124
Origin: Umbran, Levus]
As Olivier was curiously reading the new information, the man in his suit finally turned towards him. Their eyes met. Olivier drew a blank, not sure how to handle the situation. After a few seconds Mister Bender seemingly came to a decision, sitting down on one of the tables and calling out:
"One coffee, please."
"Of course."
Olivier answered calmly. He simply began to fulfil his role. After his earlier practice runs, Olivier didn't dare to use too many beans. He put them into the mill and turned the handle, trying not to look too much as if he never did this before. The beans were ground to powder, and Olivier completed the subsequent steps until he finally retrieved a cup and poured the coffee in.
As the steam rose from the cup Olivier looked thoughtfully at the brown liquid, not sure how the taste would be. However, he couldn't try the coffee in front of the customer. Thus, he kept a neutral expression as he came out from behind the counter and placed the cup in front of Benjamin.
"Thank you."
Olivier only nodded at Benjamin as he quickly passed by him. He approached the door and opened it a gap. Sadly, there was only the familiar scenery of space outside. Olivier didn't say anything as he turned around and walked back towards his spot behind the counter.
Benjamin hadn't noticed Olivier's actions. He was staring at the cup of coffee in front of him, enthralled by the sight. At one moment it appeared to be a regular coffee and in the next Benjamin seemed to see swirling galaxies holding the endless mysteries of the universe in one single cup.
Benjamin's eyes betrayed his awe as he carefully grabbed the cup and brought it towards his mouth. With a single sip a comfortable warmth ran through his whole body, endlessly refreshing. The fatigue from using enhancement drugs earlier was instantly washed away. The stiffness in his knees vanished as if it had only existed in his imagination.
"Great coffee!"
Olivier was surprised to get such a reaction. Could his third cup of coffee really be this amazing? Was the costumer only polite? Olivier looked towards Benjamin and suddenly his eyes narrowed involuntarily. There was a change in the information about Benjamin.
Lifespan: 56,1/124,2
Where did it come from? Was this really the effect of the coffee? Did this work on Olivier himself as well?
"Sir! Another one please!"
Benjamin's voice suddenly pulled Olivier out of his thoughts. He nodded lightly and prepared another cup, handing it to Benjamin. This time when Olivier returned to the counter he felt a slight hint of a comfortable feeling, similar to the one he felt after killing the meatballs outside. Olivier was surprised. He tried looking at his hands, but no information appeared.
Olivier sighed inwardly and ignored the issue for now. Instead, he watched as Benjamin took another sip of his coffee. The man still revealed a blissful expression, but the information Olivier saw made him shudder.
Lifespan: 56,2/124,2
Obviously the second cup of coffee wasn't effective in increasing Benjamin's lifespan. The latter however didn't know what was going on and only felt blissful.
"Another cup!"
Olivier hesitated for a moment but eventually complied. He even felt a little relieved as the can he prepared was empty after he handed the third cup to Benjamin. Olivier observed the customer again and the information changed as expected.
Lifespan: 56,3/124,2
"Haha, Sir! Whatever this coffee is, it is great! I feel ten years younger! Please, give me another one."
Staring at Benjamin, Olivier felt a conflicting feeling in his chest. He glanced at the black cat who looked back with curiosity. Eventually Olivier gritted his teeth as he came to a decision.
"My apologies, customer, but we don't sell more than three cups per person and day."
"Haha. Of course, I understand. Artificial rarity. Don't worry I have more than enough money. Just state your price. In fact, I will buy all your stock."
"I am terribly sorry. But this is not an issue of money. These are the rules here."
"Oh…"
Benjamin looked disappointed. As he pondered how to proceed from here, he frowned, faintly feeling as if his behaviour had been abnormal just now. However, as soon as this thought appeared, he forgot it again.
Unable to get his hands on more coffee Benjamin remembered the reason he came here originally. He pulled out the invitation card from his pocket and held it up.
"Sir. Did this card come from your place?"
Olivier glanced at the card and immediately noticed the line saying 'Café of Dreams'. He moved his eyes towards the door leading outside. Above it on the wall was a white shield with red text also saying 'Café of Dreams'. Benjamin followed Oliver's eyes and spotted the shield. He was inwardly annoyed at the barista's impolite attitude but kept his emotions hidden behind a light smile.
"Oh, it seems this was a stupid question. My apologies. Can I ask why you invited me here, then?"
Olivier was stumped. He didn't even know how he ended up in this strange place. How could he answer Benjamin's question then? He simply tried it with an honest answer:
"I didn't invite you here."
"But this card is from you, right?"
"It is from this café."
Benjamin felt increasingly annoyed. The barista was not helpful at all. He decided to stop beating around the bush.
"Listen. I came here because I hoped that your… establishment… might be able to help me. Since you could smuggle this card into my office, I am sure you have your means. I need to convince my brother to give me the control over a very important project. It would be best if he would even leave the company. Can you help me or not?"
"Sorry, Sir. We are a café. I don't think we…"
Just as Olivier wanted to reject Benjamin, the black cat suddenly moved. She jumped down from the counter and knocked her paw against a drawer by Olivier's feet. The latter froze for a moment before taking a step back and opening the drawer.