View source for Logs:Hot Chocolate Club - Perfect Sprinkles

{{Log
|chars=[[Tennyson]], [[Javi]], [[Lina]], [[Elodie]], [[Chicago Hot Chocolate Club]]
|gamedate=2022.11.12
|location=Ashburn
|categories=Mortal+, Wolf-Blooded, Changeling
|log=Rules:
+-------------------+ Uppercase Books - Underground Coffee +-------------------+

Stealthed away underneath the creaking wood floors of the bookstore above is one of Chicago's most secret coffee houses & speakeasies.

The floor is handmilled dark old wood planks, the walls exposed 19th century brickwork, and in the center of the space is a huge wooden pillar with exposed beams extending out like tree branches. Around it circles the coffee bar, mirror-backed and stacked with an exceptionally generous array of gadgets, ingredients and expert staff, the trifecta of which serves up a huge range of coffee, tea and alcohol. The back wall showcases one of the perks of this daylight basement: access via french glass doors to a tiny pergola patio.

Dark wood and russet velveteen banquettes, booths and barstools provide seating, the tables sturdy specimens with round copper tops.

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

<br><hr><br>

This day finds Tennyson ensconced in a booth down here in Underground Coffee. He has a few books with him, a leather satchel open on the seat beside him where it lies agape and mostly empty. His cane rests against his leg, and he has not yet ordered chocolate. Because it is best to wait until the Club assembles before doing so!
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Javi's looking pretty upbeat as he makes his way into the coffee shop portion of the bookstore. Of course, he often does, but there are degrees. He looks around as he heads down the stairs with an already quite bright smile on his face -- and he hasn't even had any chocolate yet! It can get brighter. Once he hits the floor he looks around, and as soon as he spots Tennyson he starts that way, sliding into the booth across from him. "Hey man," he says. "Ready to rate some chocolate?"
 
<br><hr><br>

Dressed in her usual smart office attire, Lina is the last of those attending this meeting to arrive. She directs a smile towards Javi and Tennyson, heading over to that booth and settling beside the club treasurer. "Good evening Treasurer, Secretary," she greets cheerfully.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Tennyson closes the book he's been reading and gathers it together with two other books he had out to put them back in the leather satchel. "Good evening. I am very ready. Let's get to work." He wears a grin and offers, "I've had to hold off until the meeting started. Where's our...there's a fourth member. What was her title?" He looks between Javi and Lina, but mostly to Lina. Since Lina's really kind of founded this thing and assigned positions.
 
<br><hr><br>

"Oh yeah," Javi agrees, "Can't start until everyone's here. Otherwise it don't count." He reaches up to tap his temple knowingly before he turns as Lina approaches. "Hey, Presidente," he says as the gesture shifts into a wave. "How you doing?" And then supplies, very helpfully, "Social committee chairperson."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"I don't think Morale Officer Fay can make it," Lina comments, wrinkling her nose slightly. "We'll need to carry on without her, I think. "In fact, we can debate the motion that a majority of the club must be present, but not a full quorum," she adds, picking up the menu to consider the hot chocolate options available.
 
<br><hr><br>

"I second the motion that a majority attendance is adequate for evaluation and suggest re-evaluation should the club roster expand." offers Tennyson, sitting with Lina and Javi. He holds up a finger then. "In fact that brings up another notion. I have a potential new member but she is not in attendance to be considered. What are our rules for admission?"
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Javi settles back, reaching for his own menu and squinting at it for a couple of seconds before he looks up again. "I'm good with whatever," he says with a shrug. "I'm serious about the ratings but I think it's fine for whoever wants to come, to come. Yeah?" His eyebrows raise as he looks from Tennyson to Lina for her opinion on new members. "Not tryna keep nobody of drinking hot chocolate."
 
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Elodie appears wordlessly at the table's side and begins to pass out menus with a smile before noticing that menus are, in fact, already passed out! She tucks hers away instead and removes a small paper pad and pencil from an apron she is wearing. There's a subtle scent of woodsmoke near the woman, as if she just came in from a long country trip in the woods. She stands at perfect attention near the table and... says nothing.

Creepy.
 
<br><hr><br>

"Fair point," Lina muses with a nod to Javi. "Perhaps a majority need to have scored a place, but not all at one time?" she then suggests, before tilting her head to Tennyson. "Do they enjoy drinking hot chocolate, and take it as seriously as we do?" she enquires. "Aside from perhaps a minimum age set to such that they can afford to buy their own drinks and don't have a curfew, I'm not sure additional rules are needed?" Then, she turns to smile at Elodie. "Excellent timing. I'll have the large hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, please."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Her name is Rose and she is, as far as I know, a lover of chocolate things who will take it very seriously." Tennyson splices his gloved fingers together and leans forward a little at the table. "I'll tell her to show up at a meeting and we'll figure things out from there. Also hello, Elodie." He smiles to the Suddenly There girl in a way that says he knows her now and says, "I would like to have the cocoa deluxe without espresso please, done as hot chocolate."
 
<br><hr><br>

"Yeah, sounds fine," Javi says with a nod to the proposed rules, extending it to include Tennyson's potential new member. "Think we should- oh!" He catches sight of Elodie right then -- he doesn't jump or anything, but he's surprised enough to cut himself off. A //slightly// self-conscious laugh escapes him a moment later, but it's mostly just amused. "Hey. Uh, yeah. Lemme get...hang on." Yes, apparently he's one of those. Sorry, everyone. He turns back to the menu, studying it very intently for several seconds before he looks up again to order. "The white chocolate one. With whipped cream. Thanks."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Elodie tilts her head to the side as Javi jumps. She regards him for a brief moment before straightening and saying, "My apologies for startling you, sir. A large hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles for the lady, a white hot chocolate with whipped cream for the gentleman, and the cocoa deluxe done in hot chocolate style--no espresso. Hello, Mr. Reed," Elodie says. She gives the man a small bow. "I hope you are well today." As she speaks, her hand is writing out the orders on her paper pad with quick, efficient motions. And then she's off to the kitchen!
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Thank you," Lina murmurs to the ever-efficient Elodie, offering the woman a smile before turning her attention back to the very serious club membership discussion. "Do either of you think there need to be further rules or restrictions on membership?" she prompts. "Or, minimum attendance to avoid being removed perhaps?"
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Perhaps the members need to actually drink the hot chocolate to judge it. Which excludes some of the living-impaired..." replies Tennyson lightly. He looks uncertain a second after saying it and then adds, "Maybe not all of them. I know at least one that can drink. But it's the only fair criterion I can think of currently."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"No worries," Javi replies, waving off Elodie's apology with a grin. "It's my bad. Thanks." Once she turns to head away he looks back to the table, considering the rest of the rules presented. "Yeah," he agrees, "you definitely gotta drink it to judge it, otherwise it's not fair. But if someone wants to come by and hang out even if they don't drink it, I don't really mind. And if people don't come for a minute they can always come back if they want to later."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Considering this, Lina nods slowly. "That makes sense, yes. Though it might annoy some folks," she muses, taking a few notes in a rather tired-looking and dog-eared notebook. "Members must buy their own drinks. This isn't a charity."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Elodie returns with the drinks and begins to place them. Lina gets a large hot chocolate with a lovely spiralled topping of whipped cream. All the sprinkles are pointing in exactly the same direction. Javi receives his white hot chocolate, topped with an unnaturally perfect peak of whipped cream. And Tennyson's cocoa deluxe comes black, rich, and redolent with the scent of dark chocolate. The drinks do not so much as move in their mugs as she serves the three. Steady hands! When she's done, she retreats a step behind Tennyson and clasps her hands in front of her politely.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Tennyson gets his drink and utters a polite, "Thank you, Elodie." when he receives it. Then he shrugs a little. "I don't think any of that is out of line. We are indeed not a charity." He brings the cup to his lips and slurps the chocolate whipped cream off the top, then begins the process of judging. This is definitely going to be a multi-layered drink with a complicated opinion to form. "Hm." he begins, frowning in thought.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Javi murmurs another thank you to Elodie when she brings them their drinks, and he reaches for his cup to pull it toward him. "Yeah," he replies with a nod, "everyone paying for their own is fair. Unless it's, like...someone's birthday or something, maybe." It's more an idle suggestion than a desire for the hard and fast rule, though. With that, he lifts his cup to Tennyson and Lina, then takes an experimental sip. He considers it for a few seconds, before his wide smile returns. "It's good," he pronounces, then glances around the shop briefly, a scan that ends with his gaze on Elodie again. "You wanna sit with us for a minute?" he asks, tipping his head toward the end of the booth. "Since it's not busy?"
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Thank you," Lina voices to Elodie, then as she glances down at her hot chocolate, her brows raise. "Interesting trick with the sprinkles," she compliments, given how they're all pointing in the same direction. "You got some kind of sprinkle magnet behind the counter?" She takes up her spoon and scoops some of the cream and sprinkles up, tasting them separately to begin with. "Sounds like a simple enough set of rules. I'll update the club website." Because of course she's arranged for a website.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Elodie bows politely in response to the assorted thank-yous. She looks very surprised at Javi's invitation, but she nods in assent. "It would be a pleasure, sir." She sits at the booth, giving the cushioned back of the seating a wide clearance from her back. Her hands end up folded in her lap. Regarding the sprinkles: "No, ma'am," she says to Lina. "I just wanted to ensure it was of appropriate quality."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
After a test sip Tennyson says, "Very heavily chocolate, but that's a plus. Good sweetness. A nutty component as well I find appealing. This is certainly a step above Sky Goddess." That's the preliminary finding, anyway. He looks aside to his company and asks, "What do you think of yours?"
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Cool." Javi's smile pulls even wider when Elodie accepts, and he scoots a little bit just in case she should need more space. "Javi," he continues, gesturing to himself for an introduction. "You don't need to say, like, sir or anything." There's a little pause as something seems to strike him, since he adds quickly, "I mean, you can if you want to, but yeah." He gestures toward his cup, "Five for the presentation for sure. Tastes really good, too. Definitely better than Sky Goddess, yeah."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Having sampled the cream and sprinkles, Lina now stirs the remainder in and takes a sip of the drink itself. There's a thoughtful sound, and another sip, before she decides, "Very rich. There's a slightly bitter undertone which is very pleasant, offset against the sweetness of the chocolate itself. And indeed, the presentation was excellent." Before she demolished all of Elodie's hard work by stirring, anyway.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Of course, Mr. Javi," Elodie says, in response to Javi's futile attempt at egalitarianism. "I am Elodie. Ms. Heloise has recently employed me. Please let me know if I can be of assistance."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"I'm glad I suggested this place." muses Tennyson airily, as if it just happened to occur to him on a whim. He eyes Elodie with a knowing look and grins at her. "Your formality is probably a little unfamiliar to some people. I think it's endearing though. You're very sweet, Elodie. Thank you for helping us today."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Um..." Javi's eyebrows raise, and he looks from Tennyson to Lina, then back to Elodie. He studies her for a couple of seconds, mental gears churning away, before he shrugs, and leaves it. "Nice to meet you," he says, instead of trying to chip away the mister, too. "Yeah, it's good," he agrees with another glance at Tennyson, "it's cool. I'm good for now, though." And he lifts his cup for emphasis, taking another sip.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Do you drink hot chocolate, Elodie?" Lina wonders curiously after another sip of her delicious drink. "If so, how do you like it to be prepared?" She sits back, taking out her phone to fill out the very complicated scoring rubric for this drink that she is clearly enjoying.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Ah." Elodie nods in understanding at Tennyson's words. "I apologize, Mr. Javi. It isn't my intention to be off-putting." She says all this while maintaining a rigid, almost motionless posture. "Thank you, Mr. Reed. It is an honor to serve." The words tumble out before she can stop them, and she snaps her mouth shut with a loud /click/. The woman takes a deep breath, then turns to Lina. "I'm afraid I don't remember, ma'am. It has been a very long time. I remember drinking it as a child. Ms. Heloise has asked me to sample the various beverages offered here, but I have not yet finished." She looks distinctly uncomfortable at the amount of attention she is receiving. "You are making a group of enthusiasts, ma'am?" she asks.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"Oh she's made it. Or assembled us, really." Tennyson looks to Javi and Lina and adds, "The enthusiasm was there to begin with. Chocolate is worthy." He then tells Elodie, "We're the Chicago Hot Chocolate Club and Lina is the President. And aside from showing up in the right place at the right time I almost have no idea how I ended up in it, but I'm happy to belong." Grin.
 
<br><hr><br>
 
"You're not," Javi assures Elodie quickly, before he tips his head toward Tennyson. "Like he said. Just, like...different. Not bad different." With that, he turns away from her again to take another sip, perhaps in response to that discomfort -- though he's still listening, even though he shifts to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. "Yep," he agrees after Tennyson, glancing down at the screen. "You wanna join, you're welcome. Just going around Chicago drinking hot chocolate and scoring it." He looks up and around the table as he slides out of the booth, lifting his phone. "Sorry, gotta take this," he says. "I'll be back in a sec." And with that, he turns and starts away, bringing the phone up to his ear to answer.
 
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"See you in a bit, Javi," Lina murmurs to the departing treasurer. "This is our second meeting," she then affirms to Elodie after Tennyson explains that the club has already been formed. "Accidentally, really. It was a joke, and then we realised actually having an excuse to drink hot chocolate and discuss silly topics was a good idea. And so it was born."
 
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"It sounds very entertaining," Elodie says. "And you will be rating the various hot chocolates provided by restaurants throughout the city?" She tilts her head to the side again, curiosity in her gaze.
 
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Tennyson suddenly looks scandalized at Lina. "A joke!" He glances around the coffee shop just in case someone overheard that. He gives a nod after the departing Javi and says in hushed tones, "Hot chocolate is very serious. And yes of course we're making the rounds of the city to evaluate the hot chocolate on offer from around the city."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
There's a sly smile from Lina to Tennyson as he gives her that look, and she finishes up her drink. "Right, I have a meeting to get to," she voices, sliding out from her booth after putting down enough money to cover her drink and a $5 tip. "Thank you again Elodie, I'm sure I'll be back for another one soon."
 
<br><hr><br>
 
Elodie stands and bows. "Of course. Mr. Reed, I'm afraid I have to attend to matters in the kitchen. If I might beg your leave?"
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