Odell
★ [Coffee Date!]

◇ Of all the things Margo had expected of life at the Cradle, a date was not one of them, yet...

□ Here she was, on a relatively uneventful Thursday afternoon, standing outside of a coffee shop and buzzing with a mixture of intense excitement and nervousness. Not only was she going to be picking up her snake today, she had a date first! A genuine, god-honest coffee house date, off the back of a proposal by someone else from the Cradle. It made sense, yeah, that she'd be most likely to find someone *Within* The gates and chain link fences, but at the same time she'd been totally caught off-guard by the whole date proposition.

▪︎ But, here she was, walking in, her heart beating out of her chest and an unopened text from her reptile breeder buddy sitting on her phone.

◇ Of course, since it was a date she'd dressed a mite nicer. Alongside the relatively standard bootleg Garfield shirt she'd plucked out, she also had on some seasonally appropriate capri cargo pants, a pair of beat-up red high-top Converse, and a meme fishing hat with her hair pulled into a ponytail through the back. Hopefully it wouldn't be too off-putting; fashion wasn't her strongest suit.
Elizabeth
Esme, as it turned out, just really liked women. 

She sat at a small, round table, ankles crossed under her chair, just like she'd been taught. A fluttery feeling struggled in her chest - not the sort that she was used to. Flirting came easy to Esmeralda - just a part of socializing, of business, the socialite ghost of her mother with a hand against her back, a warning to sit up straight. Her silver rings clacked together against her fingers, her hair down and loose against her back. She'd made sure to take extra care of her curls last night, at least.

For about the third time in five minutes, she went through a disposed routine - she ran her hands over her arms, trying to loosen any gemstones that might be encroaching on her skin, soothing down the anxiety that threatened to burst from her hands in the form of studded spikes, and checked her phone. Her knee-length, white dress swished around her legs, her black leather jacket on the back of the chair to back up any chill, silver earrings dangling from her ears and a matching necklace resting on her collarbones. She did hope she hadn't overdressed.

Being stood up *Would* Be awfully embarrassing, wouldn't it?

At least she could go visit Valio, she thought, and just as she did, the front door opened, and Margo stepped through. Esme smiled.
"Margo!" She called. "Over here."
Odell
◆ "Oh, I-I." An awkward chuckle. "Coming."

□ Of course, though, when she said coming she didn't exactly mean *Immediately.* For a few nervous moments she looked up at the large billboard above the counter, hoping that there would be at least one or two tea options amongst all the coffee on the menu. Though she'd agreed to this date enthusiastically, she knew from the start that she'd be suffering through it a little bit, mostly because she did *Not* Like coffee. Whatever. Strolling over, anxious steps carried her to the round table, and with about as much grace as a newborn foal gorged on fermented apples she flopped down into the seat.

▪︎ And now she had to face down an unfortunate fact: for someone who loved women, she had scant experience with them in a romantic context.

◆ "Hope you weren't waiting too long. I was really considering whether to, erm... Pick my snake up first." Awkward, but genuine. Sadie still very much held much of her brain in a vice grip. "Smells nice in here. Is that you?"
Elizabeth
Esme rested her head on her chin, winking. "I suppose it can be, if you'd like. I tried a new perfume this morning - something my brother bought me for a birthday, I think."

It had been her last birthday before she ended up at the Cradle, but she didn't want to tell Margo that. Nor about how she'd opened it at the dining room table with her family all around her, her eyes lighting up as she threw her arms around Alejandro and thanked him, how her father had promised her next year she'd have a true place in the family business, all this that and the other. And how she was so afraid she wouldn't get that, now.

"Your snake?" She asked, instead, tilting her head. "Oh! You must be the reptile girl. Tell me all about them, since they seem to make you so happy, it must be worth hearing about."

And for her credit, she did look enthused - she nodded along, encouraging Margo to talk, to keep telling her story.
Odell
◆ "Coffee must be in as a perfume scent, then." She dryly joked. "Or, er... Coffee with lemon? I dunno."

□ Trying her absolutely damndest to get the words out of her mouth in one consistent sentence instead of several messy chunks of bloodied linguistic flesh, she adjusted how she was sitting and looked back over at Esme. To the other girl looking back, she'd likely notice a lot of the oddities of Margo's face: the patches of vitiligo that pockmarked her skin with white, her nose still crooked and under a DIY splint, her left eye and its strange yet beautiful circles and multiple irises. 

▪︎ But, these defects were what made her stand out, and so she didn't think about them too much.

◆ "Yeah, Sadie... My pet hognose. I went to a breeder's place like two weeks ago and I was handling one of his ball pythons and I fell in love with him, but thankfully the guy – Elias – breeds a bunch of different reptiles. I'm buying this little guy..." Margo's voiced trailed off as she unlocked her phone and opened up her gallery, fishing out a picture of the snake she was about to take ownership of. In it he can be seen with his head atop her finger. "After i'm done here. He's an arctic western hognose, and... I love him already." She cooed, in her own awkward, stilted way. "That was about as much as I could handle him, by the way, and even then it was less handling and more just... Leaving my finger there until he decided it wasn't a threat or a meal. Isn't he just the fuckin' cutest thing, man?"
Elizabeth
"Oh! Yes, I suppose that's it too," She said, a laugh in her voice. "I thought you meant my perfume. I love the scent of coffee. There's a particular kind of Cuban coffee I love, but I've only had it when I went to Florida."

She sighed, and looked back up at Margo. While her companion was indeed a bit bizarre to look at, Esme didn't mind much. Margo was interesting - it's what had caught Esmes eye to her in the first place. Her parents had never let her out on too many casual dates, much less with girls. Going out with friends was one thing - a date, entirely another. 

She was beginning to enjoy the freedom in the prison.

"How cute," She told Margo, leaning over the table to look at the screen. She'd always wanted pets. They had cats at home, but never much else. "What's the little guys name, if I can ask? He's terribly sweet."

As soon as she asked, a bell rang for her to collect her coffee. She pardoned herself and quickly stood up, heading over to pick it up.
Odell
◆ "Yeah, let's... Just say that."

□ Most of her wanted to continue to elaborate, maybe build it into an even better, harder-hitting compliment, but what was the *Point?* Like a joke, once it was explained it lost all of its oomph, so rather than continue to dig the hole deeper Margo simply fell quiet and let Esme talk, occasionally looking at her face yet never her eyes. It was just another of her weird quirks, in that her skin tried to separate from the rest of her body any time she made eye contact. Watching as the other gal got up, she figured she should at least order something herself.

▪︎ Then again, what was she going to order...?

◆ "His name's Sadie. That was Hatzume's suggestion, and I honestly like it a lot." Margo plainly spoke, with just a hint of nerves peeking through. "He's timid but he's also the cutest thing. Very smooth, very sweet. Anyways..." Standing up, she got in line, and after a few minutes she placed an order. Strolling back over, she sat down again, brushing a wayward strand of hair out of her face. "Sorry, had to go order something. Hard to find something on the menu when you don't like coffee... What's that in your cup?"
Elizabeth
"A lavender latte," Esme replied, wrapping her warm hands around the cup. "With oatmilk - dairy's terrible for you, you know."

She held the too-hot drink in her hands as she listened to Margo talk about Sadie. What a cute name for such a little guy - she wondered how you even took care of reptiles. She had no idea how they worked, even as creatures. Cold-blooded sorts and all of that. Cats were easy. You just pet them once in a while, and asked your maintenance people to change their litter boxes once every few days. 

"You don't like coffee? I can get you a tea. They've got a lovely hot peppermint one that is just like candy canes in a cup. Come along."

She stood up, pushing her chair in, and extended a hand to Margo.
Odell
◆ "Yeah, it's... Weird that we even drink cow milk. You don't see that shit out in the wilderness, we just apparently had ancestors who looked at cows and thought *Huh, I'm sure they're hiding something good in those udders.*" Margo chuckled, affecting her voice to sound decidedly antique or weary while recounting one of the many weird tales from the past. "Like, who the fuck thought of that? Anyways, lavender latter... Nice."

□ Nodding, Margo pocketed her phone again, clicking the screen off in the same motion. So far, so good... At least, she hoped it was going fine so far. On her end it had a been a heady mix of nervousness and butterflies, her generally accented butch voice dripping with character and also the aforementioned nervous pit in her stomach, but what was it like on Esme's end? What was going on in that head of hers? Soon enough she had an idea, and she shook her head.

◆ "No, it's... Fine. I already just ordered something." Margo spoke, trying her best to gently turn the offer down. As it turned out, generally being upfront and honest was only a blessing for so long. "It's... Some sort of maple matcha latte. Here's hoping it's good, I've been drinking almost nothing but rooibos tea since Amelie bought me a giant fuckoff bag as a gift. Whatever, it's good for the ol' estrogen factories." She dryly chuckled. "Anyways, uh... Hm. Nice rings. I had this one back home, it was a gift from my mom, and I, er... Lost it somewheres."

• And that was the awkwardness kicking in. Esme was quite attractive, and seemed to be interested in the nonsense coming out of her mouth, so the smooth, collected front could only last so long before the cracks began to show.
Elizabeth
Esme burst into giggles at Margo's in-depth ideas about the acquisitions of cow milk, shaking her head with a hand over her mouth. She could hear the disapproving voice in the back of her head, something telling her to mind her manners, but she shook her head to shake it off like the gems on her skin. A ruby clattered to the floor alongside it.

"Oh! Rings. Yes - it's tradition for all the family in my family to wear a good deal of them. Most of mine are from my mother."
She splayed her hands in front of Margo for her to look at. Some were simple bands, some were studded with gemstones, some were almost cartoony in how they looked. 
"Ironic, isn't it? The girl with the gemstone powers wears the most rings. But I can't bring myself to take them off."

Maple matcha - that was a new one. She communicated about as much to Margo, sipping her latte as she spoke. 
"You'll have to recommend that for me. I'll try it when I can!"
Odell
◆ "Tradition..." The words unfurled like a carpet, as if she was getting a taste of how the word felt in her mouth. "Gotcha. Anyways, I guess that growing gems out of your skin makes the whole ring thing less expensive... I think."

□ Once again, her voice began to stall, nervousness and interest in a temperamental equilibrium and constantly butting heads. By now Margo had picked out the main spot on Esme's face to focus on, somewhere that she could feign eye contact without actually going through with it. In the moment, though, she nodded as Esme spoke, clasping her comparatively bare hands together, a few haphazard bands of gauze on her arms the only real decoration she had aside from her tattoos.

▪︎ But then again, most of her tattoos were on her left arm, and not only was it large, it was *Bright.*

◆ "Probably just force of habit. Kinda like the bandages on my hands and arms... I've been in a lot of fights and accidents, so." She chuckled for effect. "I've had to bandage myself a lot. Anyways, I've never even had it, but it doesn't seem that bad, man. It's a matcha latte, which I love, and then there's maple syrup. If anything it might be a bit *Too* Sweet, come to think of it... Good thing I have a sweet tooth."

• "Speaking of which..." She moved her hand towards where her candy pocket would have usually been, only to be met with air. "Fuck. Forgot that all my candy's in my camo jacket, rip. I was gonna offer you a sweet, but... Guess that dashes that plan."
Elizabeth
"That's alright," Esme said, "We can stop by the candy shop. My treat, really. I don't mind at all - and I love the chocolate here. It reminds me of Switzerland, somewhat. I only went once, but I'd like to go back. Perhaps after graduation - I'm already here, anyway. You know?"

She shrugged, looking at Margo's nearly excessive amount of bandages. 
"I have faith in you," She said. "You seem like the type to handle yourself - strong, and powerful, and beautiful, all at once."
Was that a wink? It was.

Esme tucked a curl behind her ear. "At least - I think so, anyway. I love your tattoos, by the way, can I touch it?"
She leaned over the table, a hand hovering just above her arm.
Odell
◆ "I mean, if you want to, we can." Margo shrugged. "But I seriously have way too much candy already, I don't need more. My future dentist here is weeping as we speak. Anyways... Yeah, man, I get it. I feel that way about Scotland; born there, but I have almost no memories of it. We moved to America when I was three, so... I'd love to get back and see the old country."

□ A twinge of sadness laced her voice towards the end, as her sight turned towards her homeland and the Scottish life she'd been deprived of. It was out of her control, sure, but eventually she'd be able to go back, and that was enough to keep her going. "Oh, I can handle myself. At least, now, but you keep on laying on the compliments like that and I'm not sure how long that'll last." Margo joked, though it was with her cheek pushed into her balled fist. Esme would be able to see something though, and that something was the distinct pinkish flush of a blush dusted across her face. "God... Y'know, I've never actually been on a date with another chick. This all just feels so... Funky. It's weird. Nice weird."

◆ "Anyways, uh... Sure. It doesn't *Feel* All that different from regular skin, let me just..." Pulling on some bandages, she quickly opened up most of her left forearm, the skin atop it soft but still a touch tough, hinting at a past that Margo would have rather left to the wayside. "There. Go ahead, man... All yours."
Elizabeth
"Whoever did this did a beautiful job," Esme said, her voice touched with genuinity. "Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to have a tattoo. I have never even really considered it beyond that - how did you even know what to get? I can't imagine it's easy, deciding what you want for the rest of your life on your body."

Her fingers trailed over the art with a feather-light touch, jolting a bit as she laughed at Margo's comment.
"A chick? Compliments? That is a new one. You're quite amusing, Margo Killjoy. I like you."

She let her middle finger drag up to Margo's elbow before popping off, her nails just barely scratching her skin. Esme had just gotten them done last week - pretty, perfect French tips to match her jewels. If she knew how to make Margo squirm, she wouldn't say it wasn't in part on purpose - it was just fun to watch, really.

"What do you do for fun?" She asked.
Odell
◆ "Yeah, Carlisle at 81st Avenue Tattooing back in New York did that huge half-sleeve. I honestly just... Think that Japanese-style tattoos are super sick, so it was easy to commit to it through the nine or so hours it took between two sessions." Margo spoke fondly, though also with a shiver. The hands of another woman on her skin was unexpectedly nice, and it took some effort to maintain her composure. "Then there's the stuff *Under* My left hand, the symbol behind my ear, an old stick and poke on my knee from last summer... I just want to look fucking awesome when I'm dead, and tattoos are the one thing they can't really take off your body, so."

□ Tempted as she was to let herself sink into aimless chattering about tattoos and her relative inexperience with women, she instead fell quiet for a good few moments as Esme ran her middle finger up Margo's arm to the elbow. Fingers of her free hand loosely curled around the handle of her latte, and her body found itself wracked with the kind of shivers she'd never really experienced much before. If this was what it actually felt like to be in the hands of a chick, then boy, she was certain of her lesbian identity now.

▪︎ Of course, though, she tried her best to keep this all under wraps. She already had a gut feeling that Esme was being very deliberate with her actions.

◆ "Hah, thanks." She looked up at the menu again, trying her best to obscure her flushed cheeks from the other gal out of a sense of shyness. "Uh... I mostly just read, listen to vinyl, watch brainless reality television to mock it, and tend to my reptiles. I also do a lot of meditative stuff, and I work out. I'm also looking into getting my fishing license here so I can out for pike or some shit. You?"
Elizabeth
Esme nodded along with all of explainations - and Margo may have been right about her assumptions, as well, but who could really tell? It was still amusing, and Margo was nice to look at, so no one in the situation, it seemed, would be complaining in the near future.

She drew her hand back to fold it in front of her, spinning a ring around her finger. 

"Meditation is a new one to me," She said, "But I thought about doing it. I've heard it's quite good for your mental health, your emotional well-being, all of that. And we want to be as well-rounded as possible to get out of here, no?"

Always the goal.

"I'm not much of a reader, but I do play music. Fishing though? I forgot that some people can just... Do that. I never lived near a lake. I've visited many though, in a lake house my father owns, in upstate New York. Maybe you've heard of it?"