Closed Time Out

[Ember Michaels]

Ember was slowly recovering. At least, she felt a little better, though the stress still had her sick in the mornings. Morwen was working, so Ember had decided she needed to get out of the house, get some fresh air, and after wandering around for a long while she found a cafe she hadn't been to before. Just in time, too, as it had started to rain. Ember found a seat by the window. Once she was settled in, she sighed and turned to look out at the rain, watching the raindrops roll down the window dully. Why was this so hard? It felt like she'd failed, like every ounce of music had just drained out of her. Was she ever going to stop hurting? Ember was lost in thought, staring out at nothing in particular.

 

[Gemma Jacobs]

It had been almost two years since Gemma had worked at the cafe. She honestly quite liked her job, though it wasn't really something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. The girl wanted to pursue her dreams as a photographer, but she had been unlucky to get a job in the industry for a while, but she wasn't gonna give up anytime soon.

Today was another day of Gemma working at the cafe. She was grateful that it hadn't been busy all day. But it had looked like the weather had other plans. It wasn't long till a few more people had started to come in and she had begun to serve some more customers. But out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a woman around about her age sitting near the window for a bit. Once Gemma had finished serving a customer, she had decided to make her way towards the blonde girl. "Hey there. You okay over there? Is there anything I can help you with?" Gemma said gently with a small smile.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember looked up dully when she heard a voice, and cleared her throat. "Some soup, please, and some hot water with lemon," she offered, her voice sounding small even to herself. She turned to look away again, not wanting to really engage in the social niceties more than she really needed to. The rain was picking up, and Ember was considering calling Morie to come pick her up after she'd eaten.

 

[Gemma Jacobs]

Gemma smiled gently and nodded as the woman had mentioned what she wanted to eat. The woman in front of her looked sad, but Gemma didn't want to pry. Gemma quickly headed out back to prepare the order. It wasn't long before she made her way back out front with soup and water and lemon, and gently places the items onto the table in front of the woman. "Here you are. Is there anything else?" Gemma says with a small and polite smile to the woman.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember looked up to say thank you to the woman, but was hit by an overwhelming wave of nausea. Ember jumped to her feet and pushed past the woman, bolting to the restrooms. She spent several minutes in there, losing her breakfast. A quick wave of her hand cleaned the mess, and she spent a few moments washing her face with cool water in the bathroom sink. Maybe Ember was coming down with something? She stood at the sink, clutching the counter and shaking as she tried to catch her breath.

 

[Gemma Jacobs]

Gemma smiled at the woman, as it had looked like she was about to say something when she had suddenly run past Gemma. Even though Gemma didn't know this woman, she had grown concerned for her. She waited a few moments, doing bits and pieces around the cafe, before making her way towards the bathrooms, wanting to give the woman some space. Gemma knocked on the entrance bathroom door, before peaking her head in a little. "Hey, is everything okay there? Is there anything I can do?" Gemma says with concern in her voice.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember looked up, meeting the womans gaze as she looked in. "I'm fine, I'm-" Ember tried to reassure her, but before she could Ember promptly threw up in the sink. After several long, awkward moments, Ember slid down to the floor, waving a hand to clean it all up. "I'm fine, really, its just stress," She breathed, knowing she was pale and shaky, leaning her head against the cool wood of the cabinet.

 

[Gemma Jacobs]

Gemma grew more worried as the woman began to vomit again and Gemma quickly made her further into the bathroom, honestly not caring if she was over-stepping any boundaries or anything. "Are you sure? You don't want me to call anyone for you?" Gemma asked as she grew more concerned. The woman in front of her was a customer and she had to make sure that she was okay. Gemma grabbed some toilet paper from the toilet paper roll and gave the woman some tissues. "Here, you might need this" Gemma says with a small smile, hoping that it would somewhat help.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember opened her eyes, looking exhausted, and gave the woman a tired smile. "Thanks," she murmured, shutting her eyes again. She sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just- I've been having a hard time lately, it's just the stress," She sighed deeply. The nausea had passed for the time, so Ember pulled herself up to her feet. "Thank you, I'm sorry... I think that soup will settle my stomach, if thats okay," She smiled almost shyly at the woman in front of her.

 

[Gemma Jacobs]

Gemma nodded sympathetically at the women. Gemma didn't really understand what the woman was going through, but it had looked like she was going through some sort of rough patch of her own. "No need to explain yourself. I guess we all just have those days" Gemma says with a small smile. She outstretches her hand to the woman, letting her know that she could use her arm if she needed help to get up or not. "It's no problem. I'm honestly happy to help. Truly. Yeah, I can get that soup back to you if you'd like? Do take all the time you need" Gemma says with a small smile. "My name's Gemma by the way"

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember pretended not to notice the hand offered to her, brushing her hands on her pants as she stood. She nodded at the woman's' offer. "Oh, yes please, I would love a hot bowl of soup. And some mint tea please?" She asked, hoping it would wash the taste of bile from her mouth. "Ember. Ember Michaels." She introduced herself in turn.

 

[Gemma Jacobs]

Gemma realised that the lady wasn't gonna take her hand for help, so she awkwardly put her hand beside her. She smiled as the woman had mentioned what she liked to eat. "Sure, coming right up. Take as long as you need through okay? No rush" Gemma says with a small and sympathetic smile. "Nice to meet ya Ember," Gemm says with a small smile. "Okay, I'll just be right out preparing your food. But if there's anything at all, don't be afraid to call out" Gemma says to Ember with a small smile before heading out and making her way to prepare the food.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember nodded, listening to the other woman. "Thanks, Gemma," She murmured, following the other woman from the bathroom. She settled back down at her table, cradling her water and leaning her head against the cool glass. She sighed, hoping that the soup would help settle her stomach.

 

[Gemma Jacobs]

Gemma nodded as Ember thanked her, before heading out and preparing the food that Ember had ordered and wanted. Once she had finished preparing her food, she headed towards Ember's table and placed the food on the table. "Here's your food. Is there anything else you need?" Gemma asked Ember with a small smile. She was happy to help the woman if she needed anything.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember stirred when Gemma appeared, giving the woman a shaky smile. "Just this for now, thank you," She took the soup, and spent a good half hour slowly sipping on the brothy goodness. Eventually she finished and pushed her bowl away, feeling a bit better, but not quite in the mood to go home yet. She glanced around, hoping she might spot Gemma somewhere nearby.