Open - Coffee for the Cold

​

To every coin, there is two sides - a head and a tails if you will. Just as Vas exists within the world of Terrasphere, Valentina exists within the real world. This is where that line intersects, where fantasy meets reality -- Valentina's side of the coin, Heads.​

"Va.. tin... Valen... Valentina, wake up." The sound of a voice would slowly begin to ease Valentina awake, that of her long-time friend Kenneth, an American that had been her pen-pal for some few years. It was only recently that he had come all the way to Russia for a few months to spend time with her and explore the country he found himself so interested in. "Mmm... Kenneth, give me couple more minutes to sleep. I vas having good dream for once. Don't make me get up, пожалуйста?" The last word, the russian word for please. She didn't want to get up, it felt so early for her even though she had several hours of rest already.

"Nah, you'll have to make due, we'd miss the plane if we slept any longer. So come on now, wake up sleepy-head!" Kenneth tugged at the woman's blankets until they were removed and the half-awake woman was now welcomed not by the warmth of the fabric but rather the cold embrace of the empty russian air. Even during spring, russia was still extremely cold. "Nyet!" She called out before sitting up, wrapping her arms around her chest, she was clearly displeased at Kenneth but it was hardly his fault. If she did stay asleep she would have been late to get prepared for the flight ahead of her.

Yes, Kenneth was leaving back to America now that his temporary travel to Russia was over. Having spent time here in the Valentina's home, he offered the same to her to experience America. Valentina had thought it over for several months but ultimately ended up agreeing since it would be the first she'd ever traveled anywhere besides her homeland. Over the next few minutes, Valentina helped Kenneth to pack and vice versa for her. She had to pack up a lot of the equipment for her to access Terrasphere as well, even if she was going to another country there was no way she wouldn't leave behind her chance to become Vas when she wanted a break.

---​

Time passed her by slowly while she was up in the air aboard the plane, while yes she had her phone and Kenneth to keep her occupied, there was always that home-sickness in her heart. Would America be as beautiful as Russia in Winter? Would it glimmer with the same blanket of white? She allowed her mind to wander on her thoughts, placing earbuds into her ears. It was several hours later that Kenneth nudged her and showed they had finally landed in America. Her heart was fluttering with both anxiety and joy.

The first thing they did was drive to Kenneth's home, allowing her to meet with his family and share the stories of Russia that they had together. Kenneth mainly remarking just how frigid Russia was during it's winter season but even with the massive amount of snow, that all the buildings were built beautifully and it was a country that he could believe withstood the test of time. It was no wonder that wars favored Russia in the winter, he couldn't imagine soldiers dealing with that kind of weather.

With the help of the man, eventually Valentina was fully unpacked and decided to stretch her legs by going for a walk into the city. "Are you sure you don't wish for me to tag along, Valentina?" Kenneth inquired; "Nyet, nyet, I promise I von't take zat long. I'm just going to go and get cup of coffee down street. Will be back before you know it." Valentina reassured, taking her exit from the home and out into the open evening of the area. It was definitely new, the hustle and bustle of the city as well as the warmer temperature, but she liked it. Taking her time and paying attention to the GPS on her phone, she went to the nearest coffee shop she could find.

Waiting in line was no issue for her and she patiently waited until it was her turn for her order to be taken. "Ah, von cup please, cream and sugar vith some vanilla creamer." Noticing the accent the woman barista nodded and smiled, offering her a seat at a booth, though she did tell Valentina that there may be other customers that will share the booth with her shortly. "Zat is fine, no problem." Valentina responded, quite happily actually, meeting foreigners? That sounded actually pretty interesting-- well she was the foreigner now, huh?

 

Isaiah was finally interested to be outside for once. He spent a few hours outside already, away from his house and into the city. It felt good to be out of the game for once and into the real world. He should do this more often. It could be enjoyable.
Isaiah had gotten off his bike, taken his helmet off and adjusted his hair. A slight yawn came out, and the tired feeling started to come over him. Time for some energy, He thought to himself. He hadn't gotten coffee since he started to play Terrashpere. Trying it again wouldn't hurt. Isaiah pushed open the door and walked over to the barista's area. He cleared his throat and calmly ordered. "One espresso, with a cup of sugar. Thanks." He smiled at the barista, making her blush a little. She had his coffee ready, and he gave her a small wave and walked away. He scanned the area a little, looking for a place to sit. He finally found a seat next to a woman who was sitting alone in a booth. He had walked over to her. He needed to rest his legs after that rather long bike ride.

"Is this seat taken?" He said.

@Vas Schneider

 

Sparkling eyes, a soft light touch to their almost ruby-like complexion, set beneath the cascading dyed red locks of hair. The Russian woman had been occupying herself with the cup of coffee that one of the other employees had brought over to her, it was a few moments before she actually heard what the gentleman across from her near the booth had spoken up and inquired about.

Her skin was pale, much more so than what most American's would have, though this was also due in part to being from Russia where the sun didn't come out very often to tan her skin tone down. She was like a doll, a beautiful porcelain doll in a black suit with a white dress shirt underneath. Her eyes looked onto the other person and those pink lips of hers curled into the nicest smile she could muster so early into this morning.

"Da, it's available. Feel free to take seat, my name is Valentina, the pleasure is mine." Her English wasn't so much 'basic' as it was 'heavily influenced' by her Russian accent, anyone could tell a fake accent from a real one and with the way she rolled her 'r' slightly, she was genuine. She even went as far as to move some of the items on the table just to make it easier for the other person to get comfortable at the booth. Almost instinctively, Valentina brushed a few strands of her hair around one of her ears, moving the locks out of the way. "It is nice to be meeting you."

 

He cracked a smile and nodded, getting the acknowledgement to sit down. He sat himself on the other side of the booth, setting his coffee down and staring at the lady in front of him. He could tell she was older than him, also not from this country. It took him awhile to put the pieces together, especially with the accent. In Isaiah's life, he only knew a little Russian. It was useless trying to remember how to say the words he learned.

"Huh, oh thanks, it's a pleasure meeting you too." He said in a hurry. His mind went blank for a minute, having little to none rest before he got to the coffee shop. He took a sip of his espresso, feeling a jolt of energy and shaking himself to get used to it. He stared into her eyes. The were a crystal red, almost shining. It made him think, Wow, she has beautiful eyes. Isaiah was trying to decide whether or not to keep that comment to himself, but he thought of the possibilities, and said why not.

"Hey, you have some beautiful red eyes."

@Vas Schneider