Through the Crowd - Espresseleine Story

The Savior

Hollyberry had said the dance would start at ten a while ago. I quickly check my golden (colored) watch- it's 9:46. For almost the entire time leading up to this point I've been making useless small conversations with Kouign-Amann and Financier Cookie (separately), and I still haven't been able to find and actually talk to Espresso yet. I guess I should be able to talk to him if I really try to find him, but I've been spotting him the entire hour. It's like he's avoiding me, which would be almost impossible, because who wouldn't love to talk to me?

Hopefully I'll get the chance to talk to him before the dance begins, but for now there's a tipsy Capsaicin Cookie who won't stop blabbering to the group of me, Prune Juice, and Kouign-Amann about whatever he's talking about.

"But why would he do that? It's not a big deal.."

My mind snaps back into focus for only a few seconds before wandering again. I'm not really listening, honestly. It's some story about a cookie they met at the ball earlier, I think. I couldn't be sure though.

There hasn't been much happening up to this point, but maybe I just believe that because I'm so used to this sort of stuff. Again, I've been to a lot of balls and celebrations and whatnot, especially in the Hollyberry Kingdom, which seems to be the most festive of the four ancient-ruled areas.

Finally, Capsaicin stops talking as Latte walks up to our small group. "Does anyone want to go with me to talk to Espresso? He looks horribly uncomfortable."

I take a quick look around before answering, and there he is talking to a cookie I don't recognize looking like he would rather train under the divine light, which is really saying something for him.

"I'll go with you." I quickly declare with a bit too much pride in my voice then I intended. I can see Kouign-Amann inhale to say something as well, when she seems to decide otherwise. Of course, I couldn't imagine Prune Juice wanting to go talk to his apparent mortal enemy, and Capsaicin usually stays with him during these types of things.

Latte nods. "Alright, let's go." She leads, motioning for me to follow her as she turns to walk over to where Espresso stands, weaving through the mildly spaced out crowd of cookies on her way. I don't have to really follow her. It feels like an easy path to find Espresso now that I finally know I can talk to him, more then most cookies I think. It's been like that ever since I met him, to be honest- like a string wrung tightly around my finger that he holds the other end of.

Actually, there a few things that I feel differently about Espresso. The first being the supposed string of course, but another example being that sometimes I get more nervous around him, or want to make an especially good impression on him. A lot of the time I just generally want to be even in his vicinity.

It's been like that ever since I met him, more so recently. I'm not really sure why.

As we are about to reach where Espresso stands facing away from us listening to the stranger cookie talk, I can see more clearly what exactly they look like- and more importantly- Espresso's expression. He doesn't look all that uncomfortable, more like he'd just generally rather be doing something else. His hand, resting beside him, is tapping with one finger against himself, as though he's itching to move around.

I guess that must be caused by the fact that he's almost never not doing something. Every day all the time is he walking around trying to get something done or having his mind focused on his studies. He doesn't very often get a break in that. I've seen him entirely fatigued from it, even though he never lets it show on the outside to maintain his kept-together persona.

The cookie he's talking to I still can't recognize, until Latte and I can finally stand close enough to comfortably talk to them. How could I not see it before? The jaunty attire, smooth short blonde hair, smile almost as handsome as mine: Of course it would have to be Royal Margarine Cookie, doing the thing I personally think he does best, and the thing that makes Espresso look like he would rather get stung by a frilled jellyfish of the Duskgloom Sea.