Mocha for kenny

[p]She'd worked her way up the ladder at Get Mugged one rung at a time, taking up a mop and bucket as a bathroom cleaner and zooming her way through the ranks until she'd secured the special position of Head Creative Developer. That new pumpkin spice-infused, triple-mocha latte that's the hot new drink of the fall season? That's all Mocha. Her creativity knows no bounds and her adventurous spirit has her traveling all over Subeta to research her market so every consumer from the zombies of the Underground to the posh socialites of Saggitarius' loft will all have a suitable energy booster for their unique tastes.

[p]She just got back from a trip to Arctic Frost where Espresso Ice Pops are all the rage. Her mind is buzzing with seventeen unique ideas for new iced coffee flavors they can roll out for the summer season. (It's maybe a little bit from the three cups of straight-up coffee she's already had this morning. Any day Mocha hasn't consumed at least five cups before noon is a day she would rather sleep right through.) The act of actually waking up requires two cups, delivered by her dear Ristretto on a tray. The stress of choosing the right selection from her wardrobe requires cup number three.

[p]She picks up her monogrammed leather suitcase and sets it on the bed. Pops the latches. Studies the three-week supply of clothes she carried for a three-day trip. It's too enormous a task to get through without at least one more cup of coffee. (Maybe even two.)

[p]She pauses before the mirror to fluff up her whipped cream mane. She's not at all vain but when your life revolves around selling a product to the cream of the crop, they have to think you rise in the morning looking like perfection.

[p](They should see her during the ruffie days of summer. She has [i]literally[/i] come close to melting a few times.)

[p]Satisfied, she moves to the kitchen. Ristretto already has the Ultra CoffeeTron brewing cup number four. Mocha just has to select her flavor filter and plug it into the correct outlet. The machine looks like something out of a horror flick filmed at SAI Headquarters but she knows every function by heart. Today's selection: Strawberry Almond Truffle.

[p]She glances over her itinerary as she sips. She needs to visit two of Get Mugged's satellite locations, one in Veta Lake and one at Riverside. She also promised to stop by the Centropolis Green Initiative fundraiser, to offer free samples to Esther's volunteers and visitors alike.

[p]All that and she'll only be up to lunch. The fifth cup goes down smooth.

[p]Time to get to work.

[p]The satellite shop at Veta Lake is one of her favorite locations. The views from the outdoor seating area are all of gently sloping hills covered in majestic evergreens and the gently surging waters of the lake. She purposefully orders something from the new lineup and drinks it slowly, taking a count of what's all being ordered on her laptop. If anybody asks what she's working on, her cover story is an elaborate description of a screenplay that doesn't really exist outside her mind. Nobody ever suspected who she truly was.

[p]Honestly, she could have directed and produced a whole [i]series[/i] of films at this point.

[p]It's one of the most effective ways to get a true picture of what's hot and what's not in the coffee industry.

[p]As an added bonus, she gets to meet lots of new Subetans. As a self-declared super-extrovert, she lives for new conversations and friendly faces.

[p]The shop at Riverside is a little more run down but no less popular. They sell cute little cookies shaped like the Recycle Beast, Riverside's favorite celebrity. Mocha's really more of a drinks expert but she makes a mental note to propose the cookie market be researched. Anything that can boost sales was worth looking into. She's seeing an image in her mind of Shinwa cookies and Melody cookies and even Merana cookies for those with darker (or more waterlogged) hearts.

[p]She smiles as a memory of her friend Truffle comes to mind. He can get through a whole box of chocolate cookies in an hour and be looking for more.

[p]The reminder on her phone pings her. She gathers up her things and pays her tab, thanking the young sheeta behind the counter and leaving a generous tip.

[p]The three in charge of the CGI project are excited to show her around the corner of Willow Park that they've rented for the week. Tents are set up, vendor stalls are just starting to make their first sales and the promised appearance by Horns & Roses has got every music fan within a ten-mile radius practically vibrating with excitement. All proceeds will go toward making Subeta a greener place. (Emma and Esther were big contributors.)

[p]Mocha coordinates with the two Get Mugged employees who will actually run their stall. They've come up with a new line of herbal fusion iced teas specially for this event. If they prove popular, they'll be offered as limited edition specialties at six satellite locations. The two flavors with the best sales will then be rotated onto the nationwide menu.

[p]Mocha's there just long enough to hear the first set though she's so busy helping maximize the effectiveness of the booth's displays that the songs are more background noise than anything else. She honestly can't remember the last time she saw a concert beginning to end. When you're an executive, personal entertainment is one of the first things you sacrifice.

[p]She grabs a quick salad and Mocha Cooler on her way to Headquarters, recycling the cup in the bin outside her office. Before she's even settled into her chair, a priority call is flashing. It's the advertising department. They desperately need her advice on slogans for the fall lineup.

[p]They're a brilliant bunch but they're even more wired than she is and they tend to overuse tired rhymes for coffee like "happy" and "toffee" and even "lofty"

[p](Saggitarius would [i]not[/i] approve.)

[p]By the time she's done with them, the designers and slogan writers of the ad team not only have a basic billboard design for the Centropolis skyline. They're also well on their way toward a developed concept for the four new flavors rolling out just in time for Morostide. This year's theme is battle challengers. Carrion Lord Cookies & Cream Cappuccino, NightLady Nougat Latte, Candy Scorn Crunch Iced Blend and Torch Bearer Turtle Espresso, coming soon to a Get Mugged near you.

[p]She has to spend some time on the inevitable paperwork stack. She's gotten very good at reading through sloppy handwriting and coffee stains. Her schedule for tomorrow is looking even more hectic. Three satellite shops have requests in for a market analysis, the new shop in Shengui Guo is due for a surprise inspection and she's been asked to sit in on interviews for three potential candidates for the flavor testing department. They all come highly recommended but the department only has the funding to hire one.

[p]At three in the afternoon, she does her daily yoga and mediation session. No matter how busy she gets, she always takes ten minutes for her own well-being. A smart executive knows that to work your best, you need to rest...even if you only get ten minutes.

[p]The rest of the afternoon flies by. She jots down a couple of new flavor ideas on her massive list and crosses off some old ones that didn't get past the initial stage of testing. She reads through her oldest emails and the ones marked critical. If she took the time to read through every single email in her inbox, she'd be a hundred years old with another ten thousand to go. She pays a brilliant young illumis from the tech department to sort through the junk mail and low-priority stuff. He's never let her down when it comes to knowing what's important enough to flag.

[p]At 5:15, the alert on her phone sounds once again. It's a reminder of the bi-annual gathering of The Foodie Group.

[p]How could she forget!

[p]Her four best friends in the world will be there. She can't wait to hear their stories and catch up on all the details of their lives.

[p]She grabs a chicken and bacon sandwich and a strawberry cheese danish to go with her bubble tea, eating as she flips through her wardrobe. She finally decides on a dress the color of freshly whipped cream with silver embroidery. It's one she wore to a recent Get Mugged holiday function, one her friends haven't seen yet. A quick touch-up of her mascara and she is out the door.

[p]Sundae greets her at the door, her usual sugary grin in place. "Mocha! It's so great to see you! Girl, it's been too long."

[p]"Hey, Sun. How are things at the parlor?"

[p]"Fantastic! Our Celebration of Summer line has been a huge hit. Who knew three new watermelon-inspired flavors would spark so much interest? We're also about to launch a new line of seventeen different mochi ice creams inspired by the ones served at the Shengui Guo palace. You know, the ones the Emperor supposedly had served with every meal, back when S.G. was a separate nation from the rest of Subeta? We'll have to meet up some time so you can try the vanilla mocha swirl. You were [i]totally[/i] the inspiration, you know."

[p]"Only if you'll sample our new Carrion Lord Cookies & Cream."

[p]Truffle is already well into the chocolate fondue. The strawberries and grapes to the side have barely been touched...it's that sweetly smooth chocolate he's after.

[p]"Mocha! Did you get that box of coffee-flavored bon bons I sent over?"

[p]"They were magic in my mouth, as always. I think you could invent a brussel sprout flavored chocolate and make it taste good."

[p]He wrinkles his nose. "I gave it a shot with chocolate vegetables once. Believe me...you do [i]not[/i]want to know what they taste like. If I'm going to muddle the taste of sweet chocolate with anything, it'll be fruit, nuts or caramel."

[p]Torte presents his latest creation with a flourish...a single-serving cake with little chocolate waffle straws artfully formed into the shape of a cup of coffee. "You just [i]have[/i] to give me your opinion on this mini-cake. If anyone can determine whether I've got the cacao bean to chocolate liqueur ratio right, it's you."

[p]Mocha savors every bite down to the last crumb. The cake is taking an espresso shot at New Year's, sipping a cup of vanilla bean cream on the porch at sunset and slurping iced triple-chocolate mocha all in one. "You must have some secret blood tie to the Old Wizard because I [i]swear[/i] your creations are magic."

[p]He beams at her. "Only the best for the Queen of Coffee."

[p]She greets Chamomile last. The two have known each other from a very young age and are practically like sisters. They love each other...but they are also rivals.

[p]"Cam, don't tell me you [i]still[/i] insist on only drinking tea. That stuff is water with a few leaves added."

[p]Chamomile rolls her eyes and smiles. "I like being able to sleep at night. Plus, herbal tea is the best thing on this world or any other for your skin."

[p]Mocha fluffs her mane. "As if all this gorgeous perfection needed help from anything but the sun and a few hourly jolts of caffeine."

[p]They embrace with a laugh. There is no bitterness or true dislike in their rivalry. It's all in good fun and they respect and appreciate their differences of opinion when it comes to drink choices.

[p]Now that everyone is gathered, the festivities can really get under way.

[p]They start with a few party games. Name That Flavor is always a favorite. The person in the "taste chair" is blindfolded and presented with twelve different spoonfuls of food. Mostly, these are sweet and savory but there's always one oddity just to keep the game interesting. Mocha gets nine of the twelve right...she can't manage to down the diced squid. Most irions adore seafood but she thinks it tastes awful with coffee and avoids it where possible. They all get a good laugh when Truffle makes fantastic faces over a spoonful of shredded cabbage.

[p]Next up is Find That Ingredient. Everybody contributes a grocery bag full of various dry ingredients and spices with their labels removed. They set a timer for 30 seconds and they must determine by look and smell what's in each box and can.

[p]Finally, they have a miniature cook-off with two-person teams and Sundae as judge. Mocha and Truffle knock it out of the water with a peanut butter chocolate bomb, though everybody agrees Chamomile and Torte's towering caramel cream cake is delicious as well.

[p]As evening creeps toward night, they set the massive dining table for a formal tasting. Everybody contributes something. Mocha sets out sandwich platters, a super-sized salad and fruit twist smoothies in addition to straight-up coffee with seven flavors of creamer. Chamomile has herb-baked bread and tea-infused cookies. Truffle has assembled a dozen different chocolate-dipped fruits arranged in the shape of the Centropolis skyline. Sundae has fashioned ice cream cups in the shape of each foodie's head. Torte has the centerpiece, a massive cake masterfully decorated to look like the western half of Subeta as seen from Atebus.

[p]They feast until they couldn't possibly eat another bite...then prove themselves wrong by having just one more.

[p]It's hard to say goodbye at the end of the night. These are the kinds of parties everyone wishes would never end, the kind where you are surrounded by people so much like you that they could be your reflection in the mirror.

[p]Mocha will cherish the new memories made with her four dearest friends but she won't dwell on the past once she's said her last farewell for the night.

[p]Tomorrow is another day and there's always more to be done than there is time to do it.

[p]Story by [user=Pureflower]