Leon + Bryony - Sawsbuck Coffee & Bakery

Coffee and cake was all that was on Leon's mind as he walked from his last class. It was cold out and the thought of a warm drink made him walk all that quicker. Closing his hoodie around his face more, he walked quickly to the closet cafe and entered. The warm air inside defrosted his cheeks and he let out a quick sigh of relief.

Pulling his hood down, he fixed his hair and walked towards the glass cabinet holding all the kinds of cakes. Chocolate was always a win but he wanted something less sweet, perhaps a strawberry shortcake. Tucking his hands in his coat pockets, he squatted down and stared into the glass case, this was an important decision and he didn't want to mess it up. 

After much debate and an impatient barista Leon went with the strawberry shortcake and a coffee with 4 sugars. He ignored the eye roll from the man behind the counter and was told to take a seat while his order was being prepared. Turning around, he looked for a table that was free and no in the middle of the shop. 

His eyes scanned over Bryony and for a moment he had forgotten who she was. It was after a double take that he recognized her and his heart started to race, but only just. 'Maybe she wants to be alone' he thought, going for another table at first but he couldn't seem to move away. Leon awkwardly approached Bryony and smiled, giving her a slight wave.

"Hey Bry, been a while." It had indeed. Leon looked more mature, his hair was cut shorter, yet still a mess, and he may have grown an inch since their last encounter. 

Leon found himself staring at her movements as she pour her sugar into her coffee. When she spoke up about his hair he looked up and tenses a little, picking at his fringe and smiling. "Y-yeah, it was due for a cut. Hard to battle when I can't see what my pokemon are doing." He chuckled. He looked her over and even though it had only been a month since they last saw each other, she looked mature...well, more mature.

His thoughts were interrupting by the arrival of his cake and coffee. "Ah, thank you." he replied before grabbing several packets of sugar and one by one, emptying them into his cup. Giving it a good stir, he took a sip of the sugar overloaded coffee before eating a mouthful of his cake. "Have you been up to much? How was your Christmas?" He asked between drinking and eating.

Of course she would ask about it, who wouldn't. He tapped his foot under the table and traced his finger around the rim of his cup. "Sure, if you want to listen." He sighed and leaned back into his chair, collecting his thoughts. "Lets see, Christmas with my family is all 'adult' business parties. My Dad as always, likes to chat with his work friends and possible partners rather than spend time with me." He looked at his cake and his appetite suddenly dropped. "Annnd then there's the step mother. We don't get along." He said bluntly with a little disdain in his voice.

It felt good to get that off his chest and Bryony was easy to talk to. He leaned forward a bit and continued. "I mostly had a plate of food and avoided the adults." He chuckled, remembering one thing at the party. "It wasn't all boring, spooks decided to drop the punch bowl on her (step-mother). She was absolutely fuming."

Leon couldn't hold in a chuckle and let it out as she did. Spooks troublemaking was a pain but he loved it when he tormented his step-mother. "He is doing well, we're training hard as always and ready to take on the world once we leave." He grew quiet, the school year was ending in mere days and the thought of travelling the world was scary. He wondered if Bryony would go her own path and if they would cross it.

"Bry, do you mind if I ask for your number? You know, in case we need to get in touch once we all graduate?" He dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell, removing a sticky candy wrapper that had been carelessly stuffed in with the device.