Coffee with a Dash of Omerta

"So I just add the grind here then set the timer right?" "Yes, that's pretty much everything you need. The machine will beep when it's ready to pour, so get your cup ready." "Okay, I can handle this now, Paul." "Are you sure, Rei?" Silver met dark green and their wills collided. Neither looked away until the beeping started, so Rei glanced away to grab a couple of cups from the counter and prepared for his own drink. Seeing that the other male has not moved from his place, he prepared another cup for his friend. "Here, you crazy bastard." Begrudgingly, he handed the cup to Paul's waiting hands. Both of them ignored the heat of the brew, easily used with the burns caused by handling other hotter items. A bit of silence reigned as the two men tasted the brew. Rei glanced appreciatively over his cup, enjoying the warmth and bitter taste of the drink. Paul, however, spluttered at the taste. "Did you seriously pour and drank a black coffee, without anything added to it?" He wondered if his friend's taste buds were as dead as their usual assignments. "Hey, it's not my fault you can't handle this." Rei grinned over is cup, enjoying his friend's expression. "Besides, coffee is best black." "Hell no, kid. Be open to customization." Before his friend could cut in, Paul plowed through, "You're opening a cafe for people from various walks of life, not just from our good old crowd. The ladies in particular would not be fond of bitter stuff. Children do not even have as black soul as the drink you serve. Heck, I can barely think of enough names to fill my hands for people that love to drink coffee unaltered." "But it's good coffee." Rei protested and his friend sighed. "It is, but this cafe is your life now that you are leaving. Take it seriously." "I am taking it seriously!" Rei interjected. "Then remember that not everyone has not needed sugar for their lives. Remember the sensation of the first cafe you entered. Remembered why you wanted a same store, and make it the benchmark for this one." Paul said, drawing his friend into a meditative state. "You loved the Angel Cafe near our old base and found peace and security in that spot near the window, holding a dark cup of beverage, hot or cold-- and enjoying a slower pace of life." Rei blushed at this, for his friend has been one of the few people who understood his feelings for that moment. "Imagine, you will be imparting the same feelings to other people so--" Paul cut off abruptly just as Rei opened his silver eyes to see his friend talking in a rush. Less than a minute later, he drained his cup and embraced his old friend. "Urgent matters?" Rei inquired flatly. He wasn't bothered-- to be fair, he got his friend for an entire week already. "Urgent matters. I'll try to drop by when I can. Keep me posted." Paul reminded his friend before the two embraced tightly. A moment later, Paul was walking away from the Cafe, leaving his friend and ex-partner to return to the Underworld without him. Rei watched him until he rounded the corner and was out of his sight. Sighing, he returned to his cup of coffee and realized it got lukewarm. The taste was still good, if a bit sour from letting it sit for a while. Looking around his place, he planned for the last remaining touches for the Cafe if only to move forward and distract himself from his friend's departure. Pulling at one of the drawers, he found a Caliber .45 handgun with a handwritten note from his friend. Just in case. More under your bed. -Paul Snorting, Rei tore the note and added the pieces to the coffee grinds residue, letting them deface and erase the note from the world. Then, he took the gun and hid it to the lowest drawer, the one locked by a key. Not like I wasn't prepared, Paul. The last drawer held various weaponry, from guns to blades and even vials of poison. Stashing the gun away and locking the drawer, Rei grabbed his notebook and planned for the other necessary details for the cafe.