Mila pinched her nose shut, tilted her head up, and downed the cup of coffee all at once. Kody watched her throat shift up and down underneath the skin as she swallowed.
"Ugh," Mila said, putting it down. "I miss the way they make coffee in Amikeko."
"What's wrong with the coffee here?"
"It's way too burnt," Mila said. "May as well just swallow the beans whole for all the good it'll do."
"I mean... it still keeps you awake, right? Isn't that all you need it for?"
"It should taste good!" Mila gestured decisively. "One cup of the really good stuff is worth more than ten cups of this swill."
Kody carefully took a sip from his own cup, which was filled with plain hot water. "It's probably still better than the coffee I grew up with."
"You grew up with coffee?"
"Well... not coffee, exactly. Roasted dandelion roots."
"Dandelion roots." Mila looked skeptical.
"You dry 'em, roast 'em in a pan, grind 'em, roast 'em again. Same as coffee beans, right?"
"You don't roast coffee beans twice??"
"Good thing they're not beans, then."
"So, like... do you soak the grounds in a basket like tea, or is there a strainer, or..."
Kody said, "Don't need any of that. You just pour in some boiling water, stir it, and let it sit until the grounds sink to the bottom. Gotta be careful not to disturb the cup too much while drinking it, though, otherwise the grounds swirl up from the bottom and you get a mouthful."
"I mean... I suppose that would in fact produce an infusion..." Mila looked horrified. "I'm so sorry. I need to teach you how to make proper coffee when we get back home."
"I... kind of don't wanna know what I'm missing," Kody said.
"What?"
"My mom told me to not bother with fancy coffee when I was moving to Determino. She said that I shouldn't develop expensive tastes, 'cause then I'll have expensive tastes."
"...But it's coffee!"
"I..."
"Please?"
Kody looked down at himself. "...only because it's you."
(In the end, Kody decided not to drink bean coffee. For some reason, it made him sleepy.)
