the voidtrecker cafe is now open? ☕ a november catch-all!

[adregem]

Who: Roland Crane x OTA!
Where: Various places, specifically/primarily: the Kitchen and the Gym.
When: Spanning most of early Imagination, from Imagination 1-12 (pre-mission weeks).
What: Join the train's resident president as he explores various degrees of hobby-making, training, and whatever else comes between work and sleep.
Warnings: Self-indulgent Barista!Roland as the primary prompt. No apologies given!!!


01 - good to the last drop?
It's your sense of smell that's engaged first. Walk upstairs unto the second floor of the Kitchen, and it's impossible to miss. Its wafting aroma may even reach below the floor, enticing you to come up out of curiosity. For those who come from Earth in particular, it's a smell that feels fond and nostalgic, invoking busy work days and people-watching by busy tables.

Almost true to the designated name of the month, there is an invitation to be swept away by the roast of coffee beans stirring the imagination. The air around here is unbelievably fragrant, almost sweet. And the amateur roast master for as long as supplies last is a dutiful figure - Roland Crane, in a simple polo shirt and an apron tied to his waist, standing behind the steel counter with an open crate of supplies from his recent purchase at the store. The communal coffee maker is there too, but his spread is more meticulous this time around. Two bags of coffee beans labeled 'hazelnut creme' and 'dark arabica' to one side, with batches already ground up. The portable grinder is small, but it matches the moka pot for espresso. Hot water already reaching the boil, with bottles lined up like they're ready for service: a couple of syrup selections, bottles of milk, cream, sugar, then finally the hero of the month: honey in various containers.

He's reading a book from the counter, head tilted down, but don't let that stop you from approaching. He's got something brewing, in more ways than one. In fact, as soon as he notices you, he'll offer a small smile, abandoning the task of reading altogether as he goes for his tools. Cups and mugs within reach, but he'll pretend to write something on them with his pen. An inside joke that may or may not connect, but he commits to the immersion anyway:

"Hey, welcome back. Don't worry, I remember you. And what you ordered last time. Heh."

Kick back. Relax. Have a cuppa of honey and coffee and let Roland the barista hear your tales of woe. Or joy? Whatever you're willing to share. He'll listen. He's got the experience, trust him.

(The tip jar to the very end of his work station is absolutely fake.)



02 - a moving target.
[ At the Gym, some time before mission information goes up and Roland heads straight into his usual business mode, you will find him with his pistol. But for those who have seen him in action already, there's something decidedly different this time around. The gun in his hand, although already more futuristic and magical in its design, is looking more spruced up. An extra barrel that makes it bulky, and the muzzle shaped odd. There's something there that was not there before.

And the only time you will see this for yourself is when he takes a deep breath...and aims at the makeshift targets from a distance. They're staggered, purposely left in random formations. When Roland shoots, his left hand holding the trigger, the usual sound of a gun firing filling the car...Until it stops and suddenly a grappling hook comes out instead. A weird combination, but it fires just as fast as the bullets and there's a struggle to reach the farthest dummy.

Unfortunately, it doesn't quite catch. And so Roland retracts it back, the fiber cable making a sharp whizzing sound as it returns to the gun. ]

[ He sighs. ] This is going to take some getting used to before I even think about making new moves.

[ Approach him here, for training, and he'll be a happy partner. ] Say, got something small I can use to try and grab with my new toy, here? I promise I won't break it. [ Roland nods, jokingly but also, how could he lie to you with such an earnest face? ]



03 - Wildcard!
[ For anything else you may want to do! Am on Discord < Titallenial#7701 > for plotting ideas. Am always open, and will follow your lead! ]

Comments

[blitzcheer]

"'Cause no one was looking out for them. Not what I was hearing from Senku." And maybe the guy and his friend went too far from the group, or something? But even so- "He didn't know the meal supplies were a thing, the potions or all that. No one was checking up on anyone in Orange. The guy said he was foraging his meals out there."

Which still has Tidus completely baffled, in disbelief; and he'd be angrier if those emotions weren't higher on his list of emotions to be feeling.

"I thought Glor got bands to give out to the other teams? Blue and Orange?"

[adregem]

Roland's face looks confused, almost unconvinced. "That's...impossible." He remarks right away, suddenly forgetting the recipe book, the grinder, the coffee in the pot that's steaming away. When it comes to this kind of talk, Roland's all in and Tidus knows it.

"Senku didn't go to a team lead for supplies? Don't they have a quartermaster?" I mean, Roland's not surprised about the foraging bit, but there was no need especially when they were so well-stocked. Senku was at the Purple Mixer listening in on their plans too, and certainly they didn't limit supply lines to just Purple. Why would they when to begin with, Orange was always the second largest group on the train?

He shakes his head and finally returns to busying himself with an espresso - just for himself. Poured from the moka cup into what looks like a small teacup that came with his meal kit. A shot or two.

"Well, that was the plan. I didn't see him do it myself. And I don't know if they've been used at all, to be honest. Gah." He sips, winces at the strength of the brew but really, he's more worried about Orange having no supplies? "Tidus, they had a meeting like we did. How could no one know about the communal supplies?"

[blitzcheer]

Don't they have a quartermaster? Tidus shrugs, no name coming to him, Orange's affairs far from his mind, or before he learnt about this. He heard Orange was fine when he asked about them to Nita, but that was all he checked up on regarding them.

"I asked about that too, their meeting. Apparently no one on Orange has roles? It's just up to everyone to decide what they do." Which has Tidus frowning - as if he wasn't already - lifting the drink mid-way in his hands now. "I mean, I get not being too strict: You gotta count on if someone can't go on that mission, wanna be elsewhere, they're not around. But no roles at all?" It was baffling.

"Senku didn't know who was a healer on that team either. You know, other than him." But it's good to know, right? "But a potion's gonna do the job quicker, or even the salves! I don't get it. I know you and Lightning wouldn't remind everyone."

So what happened?

[adregem]

Roland listens quietly, but he doesn't like what Tidus is telling him. Brows deeply furrowed now, no longer playing any cute role or trying out new blends. Roland's on business mode, falling into it as easily as breathing.

"It's fine to decide what you want to do, but it helps to at least align on who's doing what on any given day. Especially on a mission week. It can even rotate, so long as the structure is put into place." Roland replies, arms crossed over his chest. He takes the pot off the heat to avoid the whistling noise growing louder. Personally, having no roles just sounds irresponsible to him. But Orange was far from that, and there were so many organized people in their group. How did this fly past everyone?

"What else did Senku tell you about the state of affairs for supplies?"

[blitzcheer]

"It just sounded like him and a friend were off doing their own thing. There was no contact between anyone... and I don't remember hearing anything either."

Now that he recalls. Was he right? It was usually pointless to talk to a team by their designated colour when people switched where they went. But maybe Orange actually stuck fairly close to their own job.

"I know Nita said they were fine for healers on the mission, but." He shakes his head. What did that mean then, in terms to what Senku told him? And he remembers as well to add, as if in some form of defence, "Eva wasn't around that mission. She got called by the big C before it started, so it was just elf C leading the team. I don't know what he did."

He takes a sip now, his hands working more on familiarity than his brain any. Hot, a mixture of bitterness and sweet complimenting one another. A taste Tidus's tongue isn't expecting, and he eyes the drink, as if surprised it's even there in the first place, before he remembers their conversation.

"--Maybe something got lost in the pre-game. Some planning. A talk before the mission started, and Senku missed it?" He wants to think something was done to supply or offer supplies to Orange Team, but he doesn't disbelieve Senku either. He wasn't the kind of guy to exaggerate.

[adregem]

"Hm. I'm supposing you mean Gen." Since those two were inseparable too, in their own right. He pauses on doing anything else again, frown returning. Admittedly, Roland wasn't too aware of the state of affairs by Orange's side either. That might need to be rectified in the spirit of making sure everyone, regardless of team color, had what they needed. Did Red? Blue? He even recalls making a network announcement for supplies in the past, but with more newcomers now, he may need to figure out a way to reinstate the fact. The supplies were there for the train's shared use, and it would remain that way for as long as people were willing to help share the burden of replenishing what would be used.

Roland's fingers tap rhythmically on the open recipe book. Gaze falling on the cup in Tidus's hands, but no real focus there.

"That might be the case." Of getting lost in translation, the pre-game. "I'm fairly certain it's all a matter of making sure they know we have supplies, so they can sleep easier on a mission. I don't doubt their talent, but supplies have been accounted for thanks to you and Lightning."

[blitzcheer]

"Plus-- Orange would have their own supplies too, right? People preparing food before a mission? It's not like..." ...this is the first mission. But then he even remembers his own stupid self, not thinking about taking food for Terran, surviving off the good will of other. Sighs and shakes his head.

"We need to sort this out on a bigger level. Make sure everyone knows. Get all the team heads together. Everyone." And he doesn't really know which is better, just the team leads or literally everyone, but he can't shake that off. Everyone should be on the same page! "Senku had a good idea, making sure people had a larger amount of water available. I'm gonna ask Piccolo about it, but- really, Senku's got a lot of good ideas. It wouldn't hurt to talk with him. And other people about what we can be doing better."

His expression hardens, determined even more by the fact-

"We've got days 'til the next mission."

They needed to sort this out quick.

[adregem]

"That's the safest assumption, yeah." Roland hums and remembers that the shot is there by the side, cooled now, so he just tilts his head back and downs it in one go. Thinks that of course they're going to have their own food - but then would this even come up as an issue Tidus would raise to Roland if that was truly the case? This was to no fault of anyone anyway, just that Roland's concerns are that majority of folks weren't getting the right supplies they needed, they deserved. And the communal stock was there for the taking.

At this point in time, he still can't recall the Quartermaster or supply keeper for Orange either. A lapse in memory, but he won't dwell on that. "But you're right. We have the luxury of some time before the mission, so let's not waste it." Roland is reminded once again of the spirit of care most leaders lacked in the modern world, but in Tidus it comes naturally to look out for others. He stifles a smile at the thought. Tidus would just scoff at him, but it wouldn't change how Roland saw him anyway.

"That's fine by me. We can organize something, figure out who knows what and if there are lapses missed since the train doesn't give us much to work with anyway." Just so he's not standing around, Roland goes ahead and cleans out the old used beans from the pot and throws them down into the bin. The smell really was something else. "I made a network announcement before," when he was...otherwise preoccupied. "But what other efforts might be effective? Who do you want us to talk to first, Senku aside?"

[blitzcheer]

Who do you want us to talk to first? That was the million point question, wasn't it, and Tidus would be glad to have that currency in pocket. His brow finds a way to neat ever ticket, small huffs as his mind's trying to get to work.

"Orange needs to be talked to, but -- this should be a problem of the whole train. The leads, even the council should be involved. We're too closed off from one another; leads should be talking to each other. And when a lead can just disappear, you don't want whatever they had in place disappearing with them." He extends a hand, removing it from the hold of his cup, thinking about the last Blue lead involved. "But I guess... I'd want to ask Senku more, see what he thinks. See what you and the other team leads think. Kinda... get a plan that everyone can follow! Get a count on what people can do again, see if there's any Utas or Fandaniels around, or whatever else can be useful for everyone.

"Then..." He drums his fingers on the counter, other hand lifting to prepare for another sip. "I don't know -- should Senku or Gen talk to the Orange leads privately first, or do we talk to all the leads? In private?" Ugh. He frowns, or lets it move as his brain tries that hard tasking of giving a good answer. "Maybe we could start with Orange Team and Glor... and then if you guys approve, we can talk to the other leads too? In a bigger discussion."

How about that?

[adregem]

Ah, there it is. That spirit of doing good for others that stirred Roland, gravitated him towards Tidus's orbit even from the beginning. He smiles inwardly, feeling almost proud that to this day, nothing has really stopped him from wanting to help as many people as he can in his own way either. Even knowing what waited at the end.

Outwardly, Roland just looks like he's listening intently. Quiet, nodding when there is a need to do so. Pertinent points coming up that pique his interest: if a lead disappears, their projects disappear with them. That sounds incredibly like policy-making, when one president's work is bulldozed and any progress, halted. It gets him to furrow his brows deeper, and then finally, the logistics. Though with how Tidus is thinking out loud, Roland can't help but twitch his lips in a momentary smirk. Muttering under his breath, though audible if one strains their hearing enough - "Working together...it's the only way to victory."

Enough about that now. There's work to be done, and even if he's been playing hobby-making for the most part, nothing gets Roland going more than the understanding that he can help.

"All right. I'm with you that this isn't just one team's problem. If Senku brought this up to you in concern, then why don't you and I talk to him first? He's incredibly perceptive. There might be more to it than supplies." His hands are itching to write with something, anything. He spots the book and flips pages as if it was his own notes. Thinking with movement, as well as his inner voice, before he speaks again. "As soon as we consolidate concerns, I don't see why we shouldn't bring this up again to the rest of the community. Everyone's got a talent, and with more newcomers our way now...We'll need to census again for certain. Plus,"

And this, he's only thought of because Tidus mentions it. Gets him to realize that the library he frequents is more or less, empty. That has to change, without points involved.

"We should think about documentation more seriously. You bring up a great point. If people leave and they had a project that never came to fruition, lead or not, it deserves some time in the sun. Maybe someone to bring it up again, complete it. Or, keep it going." Roland meets Tidus's eye, pauses in his idle page-turning. "Looks like we've got some work ahead of us."

[blitzcheer]

It always gets that little more official when it comes to Roland, doesn't it. Like it's about to go to some office, and that's where Tidus starts to feel a distance or separation for when he can offer anything. But it's not a bad thing: let the people who know what they're doing take charge. He likes that. And he can always shout a lot when and as he needs to.

"Then let's talk to him! I saw him in the downstairs kitchen last I saw - he's been cooking up a storm lately. Got him to help me cook bear the other day ago." Which Roland probably knows where he got that, considering Inigo took part in it. Wasn't he the guy to make the call about it? Well, anyway-

"I'll let you be the note taker this time. But how about I see he's still down there? Make sure my drink stays warm." He gives a motion to it, where it's been set down.

"Whatever happens, we can make sure the teams all take some food this time. We'll give a suitcase to Senku if we have to, he's got an arms band. I trust him to make a call out to everyone."

[adregem]

"Hm. Good idea. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He keeps the cup a little close to him, as if protecting it from being taken away like in a real cafe. Roland crosses his arms as Tidus makes to leave, the teenager eventually popping his head downstairs to call out to Senku and Gen. Roland watches and listens in silence, inwardly preparing himself for the discussion.

He should get ready for more customers, too. This looked like conversation best had over drinks anyway.