Déjà Vu
(n.) Tedious familiarity.
It was a busy morning in one of the well-known café's in Ninjago city. A long line of people were gathered around the outside of the store, waiting for their turn to be served. Some tapped their foot against the concrete path impatiently, others checked their watches before letting out an exhausted sigh.
The cafe kept an authentic look with cream colored walls on the outside and inside of the building, which was decorated by different portraits of the landmarks in Ninjago City. Clear, glass windows allowed a decent amount of sunlight into the store, save for the hanging streams of light that were littered throughout the ceiling.
The inside was just as busy as the people chattered amongst themselves while enjoying a freshly baked scone or a hot cup of coffee on symmetrically placed tables and chairs carved up from a birch sapwood.
"Right away, Sir." A busy waitress called, tray in her hand and a string from her apron held back her hair in a high ponytail. "I'll be right with you!" She called to another table who had a customer raising their hand.
The girl placed the tray of dirty dishes in the caddy bin for the staff in the kitchen to deal with before she made her way behind the counter. She dusted her hands and managed to force out the brightest smile on her face.
A woman waited on the other end, frantically typing on her cell phone with an impatient look on her face. "Bring me an ice cold caramel latte. And I want that out in two minutes!" She demanded without as much as a glance at the cashier.
"Of course, ma'am. Coming right up!" The girl responded, her hands punching the order into the register before running up to the various machines behind her.
Rows of neatly arranged canisters and pump dispensers, each filled with a different flavor of syrup, were lined up in front of her, ready for use at any time. While plates, cups, and utensils were stacked underneath the counter.
The line only seemed to grow longer the more the coffee machine took its time in filling the cup which led to a series of complaints and grumbles from her already agitated customers.
Everyday, five days a week, it was always like this.
She tried to be enthusiastic about it but at this point only the smell of pastries and caffeine were really the only thing that kept her going—well, that and the fact that she had student loans to pay and a part time job was her only option.
Of course, it did help that she wasn't the only one who had to suffer from this crucial job.
However, her partner was running late by thirty minutes and had forced her to take charge of the line on a Monday morning all on her own. Like her life wasn't bad enough already.
"When Cole gets here I'm gonna kick his ass." She muttered to herself as she moved to get the lid for the drink.
Unfortunately, when the girl turned around her path was blocked by a familiar man in a half blue-half orange sweatshirt that was often the target of many jokes passed between co-workers.
"Ah!" She yelped in surprise. "Mr. Ronin!"
The drink nearly stumbled out of her hands from her shock. Luckily all her waitress experience paid off and she caught it before it spilled everywhere. Although if she was being honest, a coffee stain on the sweatshirt would make it look a little less embarrassing.
"Smith, why are you working alone?" Ronin asked, his eyes trailing her figure as she went to hand the drink to the customer.
Nya gulped, slightly thankful that she had her back to him before he could even analyze her current expression. "I—uh, well....uhm." Her eyes searched the room in an attempt to come up with a passable excuse. "No, I'm not."
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