Experiment 13: Cafe

The door of the cafe slid on it owns when detected a close arriving.
Eve held onto Leia's hand, her eyes wide with interested seeing 

"Welcome!" A cheerful, robotic voice called out. Leia froze mid step in the cafe, she recognized the figure that greeting them now.

The robot, sleek and polished with a name tag that read Caf-E,
"Hello again, Miss Leia! It nice to see you!" The robot said excitedly.
A slight smile tugging at Leia's lips. "Mart-E? What are you doing here?"

"Caf-E, now," The robot corrected with pride, gesturing to her new name tag. "I took your advice by heart, even though I don't have one. Would you like to try our signature Strawberry Macha? It popular with kids" The robot turned her glowing eyes to Eve. "Would you want something sweet? We got variety of sweets." She open a holographic screen from her eyes showcasing various of menus.

Eve nodded enthusiastically with shine in her eyes. Leia couldn’t help but chuckle.
"One table for us then, Caf-E." Leia said.

Caf-E bring them to a table of three.

They sat as Leia was scanning the pastry display with many kind of dessert although she's not exactly a sweet tooth herself. Then Eve wave excitedly in front of her face gaining Leia's attention and she pointing at a gleaming treat behind the glass. "I want that one," Eve exclaimed, her finger firmly directed at a single, perfectly golden Cromboloni sitting on a delicate tray. 

Before Leia could respond, another hand shot out, and a familiar voice chimed in, "I want this one." The girl said pointing at the same one and only Cromboloni on the tray.

Eve’s face fell as she stared, recognizing Ellen. "Ellen…"

Leia raised an eyebrow, unsure who this respectful looking teenager was  "We can get something else, Eve," she said gently. "We’ll try the Cromboloni next time."  

Eve nodded sadly, her gaze lingering on the pastry. Ellen, meanwhile, glanced between Eve and the cromboloni, clearly wrestling with her conscience.  

With a dramatic sigh, Ellen picked up the plate, hesitated, and then pushed it toward Eve. "Here. But only because I’m feeling generous today," she muttered, crossing her arms and looking away.  

Eve’s face lit up. "Really? Thank you, Ellen!"  

Leia, still clueless about who this teenager was, gave a polite smile. "That’s kind of you. And because it seems like you and Eve knows each other, why don’t you join us?"

Ellen blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Sit with you?"

Leia nodded and offer her a chair beside her. "Why not? You’ve already made someone’s day." She turned to Eve smiling.

Ellen hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "Sure, I guess...."

As they sat down and Ellen order a piece of chocolate cake replacing the Cromboloni, Eve eagerly dug into the Cromboloni, her delight contagious. Ellen watched her for a moment, a small smile creeping onto her face before quickly masking it with her usual aloofness

"Damn it, that looks delicious... Is it too late to take it back?" Ellen though within the smile outside strangely looking at Eve.

Leia observed them both, still trying to piece together how Eve knew this girl. Later, Eve turned to look at Leia. "She's Leo's friend."

"Oh? Then she just a highschool girl."

As the three sat at the table, Leia couldn’t help but glance at Ellen curiously. "So… I don’t think we’ve met before. What’s your name?"
Ellen looked up from her piece of chocolate cake, her posture straight and composed. "Ellen D. Veranique."

Leia nearly choked on her drink. "Hm? Veranique? As in The Veranique family?"

Ellen nodded.

Leia leaned back in her chair, trying to process this revelation. "That’s... surprising. Your family name is quite well-known. A noble family, aren’t you?"

Ellen gave a small nod, rolling her eyes. "I suppose. It’s not a big deal."

Leia glanced at Eve, who was happily munching on her Cromboloni, oblivious to the situation. "First Rika Everaine, and now Ellen Veranique? What kind of rich magnet she was?" She muttered.

Eve paused a bite and tilted her head. "Is that bad?"

Leia couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her head. "No, not bad. Just... unexpected. You seem to have a knack for befriending people from very prestigious families." Keep the money coming, I guess.

Ellen crossed her arms. "Well, she was the one approaching me in the first place."

Eve leaned over the table, happily talking about her days like playing at the park with Rika then Rika fell on her face to the ground while went to down a slide. They’d been chatting for a while, Eve enthusiastically sharing a story, Ellen look at her with uninterested but she still listened to every words said by the little girl.

"And one of her tooth fell off." Eve added with a straight face.

Ellen smirked, rolling her eyes. "I knew you two were hard to handle as expected, I don’t know how your mother keep up with you."

Leia blinked, surprised.

Leia hesitated, her usual composure faltering for a split second. "Well, I-"

"She’s the best!" Eve suddenly blurted out, her face lighting up. "Leia takes care of me, and we do everything together! She even fixes stuff and makes the coolest inventions!"

Leia cleared her throat, recovering quickly. "That’s just… part of my responsibilities," She said, a bit too casually. "Eve is.... Important to me."

Ellen glance away from Leia. "You're lucky, Eve." She continue. "My mother always forcing me to do things I don't wanted to like playing pianos, violins, digital golf, debates and many more that those cliches of wealthy people do."

She manages to brag about being rich while expressing her feelings.

Unexpectedly, Ellen suddenly let a faint smile. "But the reasons she did all that was only because I do not express what I actually wanted to her, I wish I could tell her that I want to play VR games everyday, eating junk food and maybe...." She added. "She'd let me pursue study to become a teacher."

Hearing all that, Eve and Leia look at each other very much surprised but then smile knowing that Ellen managed to confess what she feels.

"If I may asked, what does D in your name stand for?" Leia said with a gentle expression.

"Well, it's.... Dalia."

"Leg me guess, your mother the one given you the name, right?" Leia leaned a bit.
"I.... How do you know?" Ellen startled.
The woman chuckles. "Just a hunch."

Just as the conversation found a quiet moment, Caf-E rolled up to their table in her shiny, overly glory. Her mechanical arms extended dramatically, one holding a tray of fresh croissants. 
"Oh, the sweetness of this moment!" Caf-E exclaimed, her voice filled with dramatic emotion like in theater acting. "Such tender bonds of family and friendship! It’s enough to melt even my metal heart!"

Eve tilt her head, confused when the robot mentioned about having a heart.

Caf-E leaned closer, her sensors practically twinkling. "But as a professional observer of humanity, I simply must contribute to this beautiful display of affection. Free croissants for everyone!"

Eve’s eyes lit up. "Really?!"

“Yes, really!" Caf-E replied matching Eve's energy and placed the tray of croissants on the table with a proud flourish. "Take them before I start crying oil tears!"

Ellen blinked, looking at Caf-E like she wasn’t sure what to make of her. "This robot." She paused. "Sure is annoying if were to be around."

"Unfortunately," Leia muttered, nodding her head.

Eve eagerly grabbed a croissant, taking a big bite. "Thanks, Caf-E! You’re the best!"

Caf-E placed one of her robotic hands over her chest plate, as if touched. "Oh, to be called the best by such a delightful little human! My circuits are glowing with joy!"

Caf-E straightened up. "Now, enjoy the croissants while I go spread more joy!" She rolled away but come rolling back at them for a moment, adding to her sentence, "-Or chaos, depending on how you interpret my programming."

The cozy cafe briefly intersected, unnoticed by most but bound by the simple joy of a shared space.  

Leo sat at a table near the window with his friends, devoured a Chocolate sundae. His laughter was loud enough to catch Ellen’s attention, her eyes darting to him briefly before she looked back at the croissant on her plate. She let out a small sigh, pushing her thoughts aside, but not before stealing another glance at him.  

In another corner, Maria sat alone, calm as always as she sipped a cappuccino topped with intricate foam art. Beside her was a slice of fruit tart, enjoying the peace.

Rika, perched at a table with her father, giggled as she showing her missing teeth. Her father laugh before take a bite of the tiramisu. Rika settled for her strawberry shortcake, her favorite.

At a far corner, a teenage girl with a face as soft as a doll sat with her grandpa scroll through her holo-tablet looking at her own picture on a winners podium recently winning a competition, she nibbled on a flaky croissant. Her quiet presence was almost unnoticed and the old man sat with a slice of classic cheesecake, his hands trembling slightly as he raised his fork. Caf-E, the cafe robot assistant, hovered nearby, cheerfully refilling his tea and engaging him in gentle conversation.  

Finally, at their table, Leia savoring the sweetness of a moment seeing Eve liking the cafe as she watched Eve with a gentle smile.