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 Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2024 7:41 pm
The coffee shop was busier than normal, people coming and going, but mostly staying and occupying the few tables and chairs in the small shop. Zakuro had been fortunate enough to have come in before the bulk of the rush and snagged one of the remaining open tables, settling in with her drink and a treat before anyone else could poach the spot.
She had been less people friendly lately, closing herself off from the world rather than risk painful emotions. Today, however, she found herself lacking for inspiration and decided that people watching might do the trick. She carefully pulled a sketchbook and a small set of pencils from her bag, flipping to a blank page before sketching out a few basic forms. Her eyes flitted to the people around her every so often before going back to the page, taking inspiration from the fashion of the customers to ignite clothing ideas. She quickly became engrossed in her work, her surroundings melting away as she focused on the drawing forming on her page.
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Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2024 8:33 pm
It was amazing what being a few minutes behind schedule did. She was five minutes off, and that quickly snowballed into getting out of the house twenty minutes later than she would have liked. Knowing this particular coffee shop the way that she did, the long line that she walked into as soon as she opened the door was exactly why.
Mel heaved a very defeated sounding sigh and queued up. Today was just a half-shift for her since she was just covering for something, so she wasn’t really in a rush. She just would have liked to avoid the long line and the search for an open table. She was at the register in just a few minutes, though, and she smiled, ordered her usual customized macchiato and breakfast sandwich–paid, and began the search for a table.
“Mm…” she hummed quietly as she glanced around. The tables were all for two and nearly fully occupied save for one. Not being one to shy away from people, Mel approached and gently knocked on the table.
“Hi, good morning,” she said, tone still cheerful but slightly apologetic given she had to interrupt. “Sorry to bother. Um, I was hoping to sit and eat breakfast before I head to work but the tables are all full. I was wondering if you’d be open to sharing yours for a little bit? Thirty minutes tops, I promise!”
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Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2024 10:04 pm
The voice of someone addressing her broke Zakuro out of her tunnel vision, her pencil pausing. She looked up to see who was speaking, dark circles showing prominently under her caramel eyes. "Hmm? Oh, yeah go for it. Here, let me move this." She offered a tired smile and scooted her belongings carefully to make space for the girl. "Let me know if you need more room, okay?" Despite not having wanted to deal with people, she couldn't seem to help herself, seeing someone in a pinch. "It....really filled up in here, wow." She glanced around, a little surprised at just how much the shop had truly filled to capacity while she worked.
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 10:46 pm
”Thank you so much!” Mel said, absolutely beaming. It was small moments like this that solidified her belief in humanity as a whole. She carefully hung her bag off of the chair and took a seat.
“Oh, this is plenty,” she replied, and then followed the other girl’s gaze around the room. “And yeah,” she agreed with a slight nod. “It usually does, which is why I’m usually here a lot earlier than this if I plan to eat breakfast here.” She flushed, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink at the roundabout admission of being late, and once she recovered from the bit of embarrassment she extended her hand.
“I’m Mel, by the way. And in the spirit of gratitude, can I maybe get you something as thanks for sharing and apologies for bothering you?” She nodded at the sketch, smile going a little lopsided as she did. “It looks like I interrupted you in the middle of something important.”
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2024 9:51 pm
"It's no trouble, really. I should pick a less popular shop if I intend to occupy a table this long, probably." She gave the girl a small smile. "Or at least not come at peak times." "I'm Zakuro, nice to meet you. And seriously, it's not a bother at all, but I appreciate the gesture." At the mention of her sketchbook, she shook her head. "Nothing important, really. I sketch designs for fun and self indulgence. I've been in a bit of a rut, creatively, so it's probably good that I take a break anyways before I burn myself out." She found something about the girl to be endearing, a warmth she found herself unable to help but smile at. "Nothing I seem to sketch out lately has turned out any good, and anything I've tried to actually translate onto fabric has turned out even worse. So I'm experimenting and trying to draw inspiration from people watching, sort of. Taking a bit of this and that from whoever looks interesting and trying to put it all together in one cohesive piece. Or at least that's the plan, anyway."
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2024 6:10 pm
Being one to do a bit of sketching as well, Mel bobbled her head along in complete understanding, her expression one of commiseration. “I totally get that,” she said with a sigh. “When that happens to me I basically do the same thing, actually!” And just like that, her usual, cheerful smile had come back and she was smiling encouragingly at Zakuro. “I’m sure you’ll get back into it. Hopefully soon, but I like to think that the longer it takes, the more inspired I get when I finally bounce back. Makes it a little easier, at least for me.”
Mel heard her name being called just then, so she quickly excused herself and returned several moments later with her drink and breakfast sandwich, cut into four equal parts. “In case you change your mind,” she said with a warm smile as she set down some napkins as well.
“Sorry. So you were saying you translated things onto fabric? Does that mean you design clothes or costumes or some kind?” She looked genuinely interested as she took a sip of her coffee first, and then bit into one slice of the sandwich.
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Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2024 6:27 pm
Zakuro smiled softly; it had been a while since she had enjoyed the company of someone, especially someone so kind. "Mm, that's what I've experienced, too. Usually the bounce back is much, much better if it's been a longer dry spell. You're an artist too, then?"She eyed the sandwich in contemplation as she nodded. "I make my own clothes a lot of the time. Started off more just to see if I could, then I actually really got into it. It's a fun hobby. I....have some sketches in here of my old stuff if you would want to see?" She gestured to her sketchbook, flipping back a number of pages and sliding it towards her in offering.
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2024 5:53 pm
”I dabble,” she said simply before taking another sip of her drink. “Sketching is meditative for me, but that’s all.” Her family and friends often complimented her on her work whenever they caught glimpses, but it was more of a personal, somewhat private activity for her. Similar to a journal, maybe, but without all the secrets.
When Zakuro mentioned making her own clothes, Mel’s expression turned into one of surprise. “That’s amazing,” she said, setting her food aside (didn’t want to get crumbs or–god forbid–drip sauce all over her work) before leaning forward to take a look at the sketchbook.
Mel flipped the pages slowly, taking in what she saw and occasionally glancing up to try and visualize it on Zakuro, before moving on. When she was finished she looked back up at Zakuro, now wearing a very impressed smile. “Seriously, that’s impressive.” She carefully slid it back across the table before going back to her food. “Do you have plans for designing as a career, or just a hobby?”
She nearly took another bite before stopping halfway and quickly adding, “If you don’t mind me asking, I mean. Sorry, I’m just curious.”
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2024 6:00 pm
Zakuro could feel her mood lightening the more this girl spoke, and she couldn't help but smile. She pondered the question, not having really given it much thought before now. "I'm...not sure, if I'm being honest. I did it as a hobby, though I got away from it quite a bit for a while there. I know the saying goes 'do something you love for a living, and you'll never work a day in your life', but part of me worries that if I turn my hobby into a job that I could lose passion for it under the stress. The fashion industry is cutthroat, and the stress can easily break a person, from what I understand of it. That being said.....I'm not sure I would turn an opportunity down if it ever presented itself to me."She couldn't help the sense of pride she felt at the praise for her work, feeling a newfound determination to work harder and make even better designs. "If I do break into the industry, you'll have to come to one of my shows if I make it big. I haven't felt this positive in quite a while.."
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Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2024 9:32 pm
Mel slowly progressed through her sandwich and drink while Zakuro spoke, and she nodded along at appropriate times with no less fascination about the idea than when Zakuro first mentioned it.. It was a familiar story, she thought with a little smile toward the end, and she quickly polished off her second sandwich slice and washed it down with a sip of coffee just as the other young woman finished speaking.
“I wouldn’t call it a hobby, but I was, and still am, a huge fan of crime procedural shows. CSI, Law and Order of any kind–SVU is still my favorite, though–Criminal Minds, Dexter, and pretty much those kinds of shows. Grew up wanting to be a forensic tech, and here I am! Living my dream.” Mel paused there, thinking of the obvious differences between fashion and forensic techs…and her smile turned a bit sheepish.
“Not that I’m making light of how hard it’ll be to break into it, all I’m saying is if it’s something you really want, you should give it a shot! You never really know, right?”
And once again, she bounced right back into her slightly rose-tinted, optimistic self. “And hey, if you do make it big, I would be more than honored to get an invite!”
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Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2024 11:14 am
The sparkle in Mel's eyes made Zakuro smile and she nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I love Criminal Minds. Reid was too cute to not watch the show, you know? NCIS was another of my favorites though I mostly watched for Tony, Ziva, and Abby. It's amazing that you followed your inspiration and made that dream a reality, Mel. More people should follow their passions, in my opinion."She laughed softly, shaking her head. "I didn't think you were making light of it at all. It's equating passion with passion and I love that." Her smile widened and she flipped through her sketchbook to show a vibrantly designed piece. "I think something like this would suit you. It's bright and cheerful, like you. Cyan with a bit of yellow accents, maybe a flowy chiffon material here and here...If I end up making it into the industry, I'll have to send you this as thanks, if it's something you would wear?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2024 3:01 pm
The sparkle brightened still as Zakuro expressed a shared interest in the shows. The blonde bobbled her head happily as she went into a bit of details, clearly in absolute agreement. “Mm…definitely. Long-time fan of both those shows. Reid was amazing, and I those three…” Mel gave a little sigh and nodded. Still in agreement, but more solemnly so. “Well, it’s not the same without them but I still think the characters now still have their own little charms.”
“Oh, I totally agree. I mean…everyone tells me I’m one of the lucky ones, and I won’t deny it, but still.”
She stopped herself there, not wanting to feel too preachy on the subject. Zakuro agreed with her, anyhow, so she probably didn’t need to pile on. And as she went on to flip through her sketchbook, Mel couldn’t not see an aura of joy about her. It was something she loved seeing in people, their expressions when they talked about their passions.
Eventually, when the piece was presented to her, she looked over the design in question, eyes slowly going wide with excitement.
“Oooh, yeah, I absolutely would. That’s so neat! Do you remember at all what inspired it?”
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2024 10:53 pm
She seemed thoughtful as she looked down at the drawing. "The ocean on a bright day, I think. The bright blue color made me think of a beach in Japan."Zakuro seemed to contemplate for a second before scrawling something down on a napkin, sliding it over to Mel. "Here's my number, hit me up sometime, yeah? It's....been a while since I had a friendly conversation like this." She gave the girl a warm smile before sliding her notebook and supplies into her bag and shouldering it. "I have to get going, but it really was nice to meet you, Mel. I hope I see you around."
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