Cosplay Cafe

Mother said I need to get a job but why here? Gasai asked himself as he entered the small cafe with a black dress on. He wasn't glad he took a job at a cafe where he had to dress as a girl, but at the same time he loved it. Surrounded by people, never alone (except during closing time), and being able to be himself. It was a "cosplay cafe" as most people called it, so being in a dress but being a guy was acceptable. Gasai quickly rushed to a table and took the order. As shy and anti-social he was somehow he managed to take orders and talk to people.

shizumi looked up from her notebook as someone with a black dress walked in. Her ears pricked above her head with wonder. Had Berry hired someone new? She walked over to him and gave a single shy smile, nodding her head in greeting. "Hi there...um, I'm sorry, but are you the new worker?" She asked. Still getting new to being around people other than her friends, Shizumi was still shy and quiet, but willing to make an effort towards being more open.

"Hm?" Gasai turned to the girl as he just finished telling the chef what the table wanted. He nodded quickly, not being able to speak. After an awkward moment he finally managed to say something, "Um yea im Gasai, and you are...?" He asked smiling at the girl with his extremely blue eyes. He turned quickly and got a tray with tea and coffee on it. "I'll be right back..." He said quickly, rushing off to a table where he put down the cups and some napkins for them. "Anything else?" He asked quickly. The table said no and he returned, "So your name is...?"

Shizumi nodded, returning the smile, mentally scolding herself for approaching during an order. As he walked away to help another table she felt a little tug on her hand and turned around to see the little girl who came in with her mother rugularly. "Hi!" The girl said waving with a grin on her face. Shizumi gave a small pink blush before smiling back, bending down to her height. "Did you have a nice visit?" She asked. The girl nodded with a smile and Shizumi laughed. "I'm glad. Come back soon." She said, waving as the girl ran back to her mother before they both left. Shizumi smiled a bit but sighed. She was usally a lot more comfortable around customers when Berry was around, since she was cheerful and open. She pushed the thought away before turning back to Gasai when he returned. "I'm Shizumi." She introduced herself with a smile. "Sorry about that." She apologized.

"It's nice to meet you Shizumi. It's alright today's been sort of crazy anyways..." Gasai said in a quiet tone, not normally talking to people except to accept the orders of customers or talking to himself. "I should have told you I was in the middle of an order it was rude of me..." He bowed quickly to show respect and waved at the customers he previously served. The children at the table waved back and smiled at him. "Mm they're so cute" He said before realizing what he said. "I mean they're my niece and nephew and they're adorable..."

Shizumi nodded in agreement as she listened to his reply. "The cafes really popular, so it tends to get pretty crowded." She said with a small smile. "Its mostly popular among children because of the different cosplays." She added, looking around the cafe at all of the people smiling or enjoying their food. She turned back to him as he spoke and she gave a shy smile, shaking her head with a small blush. "Don't worry about it." She said with a small laugh before following his gaze to the table of children. She chuckled as he spoke and she nodded. "They are cute." She said in agreement, looking at them and smiling to herself. "That's one of the reasons why I like working here. The children are friendly, and it makes me happy when they enjoy themselves around here." She said before looking back at Gasai.

Gasai smiled and his ears twitched a bit. "Nya..." He said looking down. "So you work here?" He asked, not knowing much about the cafe or it's workers. She seems really nice perhaps I can make a friend? he thought straightng the dress he was wearing and looking back to see a new customer. I should probably take their order but I still want to talk... he thought to himself. Gasai scratched his ear and looked down.

Shizumi looked as he spoke and nodded. "Yes. I started a little while ago. It had a comfortable enviroment, so I figured it would be nice to work here." She said as she watched the other workers smiling as they filled in orders for customers. "It's also helped me become a little more social towards new people. Normally I'm quiet, hence the 'shizu' in my name, since it means quiet." She said with a small laugh. She looked up as another customer walked in. She blinked, looking back at Gasai as he looked down at the ground and she thought to herself for bit before speaking again. "If you don't mind, do you want to take this order together?" She asked. They would be working, but maybe they could talk a little more when they were done.

Gasai nodded, "Shizumis such a beautiful name. Mine means "Artistic talent." But I'm not very artistic as my name says..." He smiled. "I'm usually quiet, so this job should help me be more social than I am..." Gasai looked at Shizumi, hoping the could still talk. It would be fun to have at least one friend instead of being the cafe server who's an oddity and wonder to most. "Yeah let's take the order together..." His eyes got bright, maybe he wouldn't be nervous talking to people anymore?

Shizumi smiled with a small blush on her cheeks. "Thank you. I like the name Gasai as well...and I think that everyone is artistic in their own way." She said as she straightened her skirt a bit. "I like to write for example. I like to think that everything that is created by a person is art in someones eyes." She explains with a smile. She listened as he spoke about the cafe and she nodded. "The people here are nice so it should be fun for you too." She said. Being in the cafe always made her happy and it was something she looked forward to after school. Maybe it would do the same thing for Gasai...something about the cafe seemed to help people improve themselves socially from its friendly atmosphere. Shizumi smiled as he said that he would like to serve them together and she gave a small giggle. "Alright then, let's go." She said, walking around from the counter and waiting for him.

"Yea I guess I have some artistic talent I don't know of. Like maybe that's the reason I look, dress and talk like a girl." He laughed a bit, it was a funny thing how much he did look like a girl. Most people thought he was, one of the reasons he is shy and anti-social. "I like video games and writing stories just fanfictions though... Nothing big." Gasai smiled. He was glad Shizumi was nice and worked at the cafe too. "The people here have been nice so far and I'm happy I work here." He joined her when she began walking towards the table, "Oh of course." He nodded and got a notebook and pencil to write down the order.

"Maybe." Shizumi said with a smile. Even though he was a boy, he could pull off dressing as a girl. Shizumi thought to herself as he told her about his likes. "I remember I used to play video games too, but then high school came with a lot of homework...I wonder where my games are...?" She said in wondered. They were probably somewhere around the apartment or in her room. "I like writing fanfictions too. I like writing actual stories too, but then I just stop...maybe because I think it isn't going anywhere, or I don't really have a plot." She said with a little laugh. She looked as Gasai began to explain how his time had been at the cafe so far and she smiled. "That's great." She said happily as he joined her and followed him to the table, pulling out a notebook and pencil as well. "Hi, we'll be serving you today." She said to the customers, a mother and her son, while giving a small polite bow, a smile on her face.

"Perhaps it's because you're sad when you finish writing your stories, I mean it does make some people sad when they finish things they love doing." Gasai explained, and looked in front of him as they walked toward the table. Once they got there he did a slight bow, smiled and nodded in agreement with what Shizumi said. He took out his small note pad and pencil so he could write down the order. He smiled and began drawing little shapes on the notepad and wrote down the table number to remember what table ordered what.

Shizumi blinked in wonder at his words and her neko ears twitched a bit as she smiled. "That sounds like a good theory...I do feel a little hesitant when I start getting towards the end of a story." She said. As he bowed and took out the notebook, Shizumi gave a small chucckle. Gasai seemed like an intresting person. She knew she would enjoy working and having conversations with him. "What will you be having today?" She asked the mother and son. "My son would like a cup of tea and a blueberry muffin, and I'll have the same, only a coffee muffin instead of blueberry." The mother answered with a kind smile to Gasai and Shizumi. Shizumi nodded, looking over at Gasai and smiling when she noticed the little drawings of shapes. "Will that be all?" She asked, turning back to the two customers, smiling at the little boy, who nodded with a smile. "Yes. We're having a snack before going to the park." He said, eyes glittering with excitement.

Gasai wrote down the order and looked at the mother and son. "Aw, which park?" He asked in a soft tone. He put the notepad and pencil back, and looked back up. His facial expression changed from curios to smiling. He knew few parks but the ones he knew were wonderful. His mother had taken him to a few parks when he was a kid that were nearby also. "I mean if you don't mind telling me, but if you don't know which one there's a wonderful one nearby."

Shizumi chuckled as the boy spoke. "That sounds like fun." She said, and looked at Gasai with a smile as he spoke to the little boy. "We were thinking of going to the one near the school." The mother explained, smiling. The boys eyes lit up and he looked at Gasai with intrest, a delighted smile on his face. "Can you tell us which park you're talking about? Maybe we can go to that one, right mom?" He asked hopefully, looking at his mother. His mother nodded with a smile. "Sure, it'll be nice to go to a different park. Could you please tell us which one it is?" She asked Gasai. Shizumi smiled, wondering if it was the park that she sometimes went to when she was out for a walk. She watched as they talked, feeling happy that Gasai was doing well with making the customers feel comfortable.

"Oh the schools park, that one is delightful~" Gasai said twirling abit. "Oh yes the one I'm talking about is called Serenity park it's right down the street it has an amazing playground that's twice as big as the schools." He smiled and grabbed a paper from his pocket. Gasai jotted down down an address, "This is where it is if you would like to check it out." He handed the paper to the mother and smiled. "Oh right we need to get your order... I'll be right back..." He said quickly moving across the room and giving the order to the chef he made his way back.

Shizumi watched as the three spoke, her neko ears twitching with intrest as Gasai gave the name of the park. "Thank you." The mother replied with a smile. Serenity Park...that did sound familiar. As she thought to herself, trying to remember why it triggered a feeling of nostalgia. Finally she remembered, blinking to herself. It was the park she had met her friend Michi in when she first moved here. Shizumi chuckled to herself as she thought of the cheerful girl. Shizumi looked back up as he handed the address to the two and blinked as he remembered about the order. "Oops...I almost forgot about that too." Shizumi said with a pink blush, smiling at the two. She walked back to hand the chef the order with Gasai, smiling at him. "You're doing great. They really seem to enjoy you." She congratulated him happily, delighted that he was managing really well.

"Mm I have a certain 'way' with people I guess..." Gasai said smiling at Shizumi. His fear of being alone and his anti-social-ness sort of mixed into a perfect combination. "Ah Serenity park... My mother used to bring me there and my older sister and I would just play until the sun set..." He thought aloud, not realizing he had said anything. "Even though I felt like I had better things to do during that time..."

"That's a good trait." She said as they waited for the order to be ready. She looked at him as he talked about his time in Serenity Park and she gave a small smile as she listened. "That sounds nice." She said. She smiled at the thought of being carefree in a park with relatives. "That must have been really fun for you." She said. As she began to think of the fun times when she was a kid, she chuckled as she remembered her own childhood. "I lived in a village a little ways from here when I was young." She said, a sad tone playing at her voice as she began to recall what made her come here. She shook her head, pushing the thought away. "However, coming here was one of the best decisions." She said, half to herself. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his last statement. "Are you sure about that?" She said, a small teasing tone in her voice but smiling at him to show that she was kidding.

"Did I say that out loud?" Gasai asked slapping his head. "I meant to think that..." He looked down than his head popped up, "You seemed sad for a second, would you mind telling me what's wrong?" He asked in a motherly tone like when his sister used to ask him what was wrong. "Order up." He heard from behind them. "Oh I guess I'll be right back then." He smiled and looked at Shizumi, "Unless you think we should take it together..."

Shizumi smiled at Gasai with a small chuckle. "Don't be embarassed." She said, then looked around the cafe again in case there were any more customers. There weren't, so she turned her gaze back to the table they were helping and saw that the two were talking, the little boy speaking with enthusiasm. Shizumi wondered if it was because of his excitement about going to Serenity Park. She blinked, looking back at Gasai as he began to speak again and she dropped her gaze, staring at the floor. "You...want to know?" She asked softly. No one had ever really asked why she sometimes seemed sad as she stared off into the distance, or why she sometimes sounded sad when she spoke...well, other than her friends. But as she looked up slowly at Gasai she wondered if maybe he could be a friend as well. He was kind enough, and he had asked the question with a concerned tone. "Um...I can trust you, right?" She asked, not knowing any other way to phrase the question. She looked back as the cook handed the food forward to them and she smiled at Gasai, nodding her head. "Sure. We'll both take it." She said.

Gasai looked at Shizumi to think a moment. "Of course you can trust me. We're friends right?" He asked smiling at her, not really ever having friends before he was a bit excited. "It's okay if you wouldn't like to tell me though." He looked back down. Gasai had never really asked how anyone had felt before, usually he didn't care for other peoples feelings. But this girl was slightly different than anyone he had ever met before. Quiet like himself and sort of creative. He began walking and stopped, "Come on lets go..." He smiled at her.

Shizumi blinked in surprise and smiled. "Yes." She said nodding. She looked down a bit, no really knowing how to start, but she knew that she could at least be honest and tell him. They had only just started talking, yet she did feel like she could trust him. "I...I will tell you." She said, lifting her head, feeling a bit nervous, but she smiled as he began walking. She nodded, catching up to him and helping him carry the food back to the table. She helped him set it down on the table, grinning at the customers and giving a polite bow. "Here you go." She said. The little boys eyes brightened and he looked up at Gasai and Shizumi with a happy smile. "Thank you!" He said.

Gasai smiled at the two, "I hope you have a great time at the park." He bowed a bit. "If you need anything just ask." He put down a few napkins and made his way back to the counter. Gasai looked at Shizumi, "so why were you sad?" He looked down. "It's really okay if you don't want to tell me though I'm not going to make you." Gasais eyes turned to a green-ish color and smiled at her.