It was, perhaps, her favorite coffee shop since she had arrived in Sacrosanct. Well, if she were being honest with herself, it was the only coffee shop she had been to since she moved here. It was on her way to and from the university and she tended to slip into that same booth nearly every day on her way home from her class, ordering her coffee and removing her books and laptop from her messenger bag. It's with that small memory, a small simper toying on her mouth, does she jolt back to the present as her professor dismisses class. Frowning, she gathers her laptop and shoves it back into her messenger bag, her chocolate eyes darting around the small room to see if anyone had noticed her staring off into the distant.

Sighing in relief, she slips her bag over her shoulder and stands from the chair, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Miyako is almost to the door when the professor calls her back. Cringing, she thinks briefly about bolting for the door, but that was rude and as much as Mi would like to be rude at times, her manners won time and time again. So, the petite Asian woman turns on a heel and hesitantly walks back to the podium. They exchange words briefly, her professor inquiring if she was alright, that she looked distracted. She fumbles over her words assuring him that she is quite alright, that it was just the move that was wearing on her and that she would indeed be back to normal shortly.

He seems to accept her answer, dismissing her and Miyako exits the room, another sigh of relief emitting from her lips. Was she that transparent? Even Arlo, whom she had only known a short while, seemed to know everything she was thinking! She supposed, if she were to become a doctor, she needed to be better at hiding her feelings.

Chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, a frown creasing her brows, she descends the stairs and is so caught up in her thoughts that as the first gust of cold air hits her, a small gasp escapes. Fumbling for the zipper on her coat, she pauses in the doorway, yanking it up, shoving her hands in her coat pocket and nestling down into her jacket to retrieve what little warmth she could find. This city was so cold! Perhaps it was the constant breeze that was always flowing through the buildings, or perhaps it was simply because winter felt like it had lasted an eternity this year.

Grumbling her discomfort, she moves farther into the cold, the sun glimmering weakly on her back as she heads for that favorite coffee shop of hers. Maybe she should go home, she hadn't seen Arlo for a while. She had taken to working nights at the hospital and as exciting as his interesting, specialty diet was, she had yet to find any time to cook for him. Again, another frown tugs at the corner of her lips as she reaches the small café. Pushing in the door, she savors the warmth of the small room, the scent of freshly ground beans caressing the air. That frown is immediately replaced with a gentle smile as she strolls casually to the counter, ordering herself a black Americano for here.

It's only when she turns around does she note how very busy it was in here. Surprise mars her features as her eyes dart to her small booth in the corner to find it, thankfully, unoccupied, the only one left unoccupied. Hurrying to the corner, she slips into the intimate booth, sliding her messenger bag from over her shoulder, shuffling through it to retrieve her headphones. She's just about to dump the contents onto the table before she realizes she had left her earphones at home beside her bed. Sighing, she realizes suddenly she wasn't going to get any work done here today. Perhaps she should go home. But, as her coffee arrives, she grasps the warm mug in her hands, savoring the warmth that seeps into those chilled fingers of hers. Maybe she would stay a little longer, just to warm up. And so, Miyako does, sipping on the scalding coffee, her gaze fixed on the window, to the world outside, as she is once more lost in her thoughts. Content.

Miyako Aiken