It was lunchtime, and for the most part, the café was about as busy as it usually was. Maybe not with the kinds of high numbers of customers as they would have liked, but certainly enough to keep themselves busy. Into this place came Sugarcoat, dressed not in the formal attire of Crystal Prep, but rather a more casual look. A knee-length skirt, a simple blue shirt and some Mary-Jane shoes. She looked around for a while, then noticed an empty booth beside the window. Making her way over, she got herself comfortable, and it wasn't long before she got the attention of a nearby waitress. The latter woman walked to her, holding up a pen and paper, silently indicating that she was ready to take whatever order Sugarcoat wanted. But Sugarcoat, contrary to this, simply raised a hand, showing that she wasn't ready to order yet. The waitress nodded, instead moving over to another customer who had waved to her, leaving Sugarcoat alone in her booth for a time.
Then, after a minute or two, she looked to the watch on her wrist, observing the minute hand as it ticked down to the expected time. Three minutes to go, then two, until finally, the hour had been reached. The moment this happened, there was the sound of a bell at the café’s door, prompting the Crystal Prep girl to look upwards. Sure enough, her date had arrived. Moonlight Raven, who seemed to be as similarly dressed as her, albeit in a largely black or dark-blue manner. The other girl looked around, then turned as she saw Sugarcoat giving her a brief wave. She nodded, walking over and, soon enough, taking her spot opposite Sugarcoat. Making sure she was seated properly, Moonlight said nothing, and neither did Sugarcoat, until, finally, it was the latter who broke the silence.
"Any trouble getting here?"
Moonlight shook her head.
"Nope. Traffic was good."
Sugarcoat nodded.
"That's good."
The two girls said nothing after that, instead watching as the earlier waitress returned to them, once more indicating hat she was ready to take their orders. Sugarcoat and Moonlight, looking to each other once more, gave a simultaneous nod, before looking back to the waitress and speaking in unison.
"Coffee...black."
The waitress, understandably, was a little taken aback by this joint answer, chuckling nervously as she jotted the order down, then began to head back to the counter to get their drinks. in the meantime, Sugarcoat addressed her date yet again.
"How's your literature classes going?"
Moonlight considered that.
"It's going well. Some of my classmates and I have set up a poetry circle outside of school. We even found another café, not unlike this one, that'll let us recite it to whatever audience is there."
Sugarcoat nodded.
"Do you get many people there?"
Moonlight shook her head.
"No, not really."
Her date thought on that.
"Hmmm...shame."
"Yes, it is," Moonlight agreed.
Turning, the two girls saw that the waitress had returned and, as asked, had brought a tray of two still-steaming cups of coffee. She offered them a smile as she laid it upon the table. A smile which, naturally, was not returned by either of the girls, who instead offered her individual nods. The waitress, to her credit, took no issue with this, and so stepped back to resume her other duties. Taking their respective cups, the girls took a sip of it, not minding how hot those drinks probably were, leading to a comment from Sugarcoat.
"Nice."
Moonlight nodded.
"Agreed."
Placing their cups down upon the table, it was Moonlight who spoke next.
"Have you visited Maud again since we last saw her?"
Sugarcoat nodded.
"Once or twice. You?"
Her date nodded back.
"Same. I even brought my sister with me at one point."
Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow.
"The bubbly, energetic and overly-happy one?"
Moonlight took another sip of her tea.
"Yes, that one."
Sugarcoat blinked a few times before electing to ask the really obvious question.
"How did it go?"
Moonlight turned, looking out of the nearby window briefly before responding to that.
"Better than I expected. But, I suppose Maud’s used to that kind of stuff, since she has a sister like that herself."
Sugarcoat nodded.
"Good point."
Moonlight looked back to her.
"So, how's your school? I hear you have a new Principal?"
This time, it was Sugarcoat's turn to sip her coffee.
"It's going well. Principal Cadence was working there a long time before she took the job, so everyone there already likes her."
Moonlight nodded, sipping her own coffee again before speaking up.
"Have you dated much before?"
Sugarcoat shook her head.
"No. This is my first."
Moonlight nodded again.
"Same. My sister keeps telling me I should do it, so I figured I might as well go with someone I like."
Both she and Sugarcoat took another simultaneous gulp of their drinks, and when they set them down, the latter talked afterwards.
"Would you like us to order some cake?"
Moonlight shook her head.
"No thanks. I don't like sweet things that much."
Sugarcoat glanced over at the café’s main counter, then back to her date.
"Me neither."
Moonlight raised her cup.
"Let's just stick to this."
Sugarcoat nodded.
"Agreed."
And again, they both drank some more of their drinks, after which it was Moonlight who spoke up.
"Anything interesting happen recently?"
Sugarcoat thought on that for a few moments before responding.
"My classmates joined up with the Canterlot High girls for a music video. That was pretty good, all things considering."
Moonlight paused on that.
"I think I saw that on TV when I went to the mall with my sister."
Then, another thought came to her.
"There was also a giant woman...which was strange."
Sugarcoat sighed.
"Sunset told me about that. Just more magic stuff. Don't worry about it."
Moonlight shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay."
With that, the two finished off their drinks, placing them down on the table and, as if of one mind, got up from their seats, looking to one another.
"This has been a good date," Sugarcoat remarked.
"Yes, it has," Moonlight agreed.
Together, they made their way over to the counter, where the waitress noticed them and smiled at their approach. Neither girl said anything, but they each handed her some money to pay for their respective drinks, which the older woman took with appreciation in her expression. Then, with yet further silence, the two girls made their way to the front entrance of the café, exiting it with the usual bell sound that marked most people entering and leaving it. Once outside, they looked around for a bit, then back to each other, with the same hard-to-read expressions they'd been wearing this entire date.
"So...same time next month?" Moonlight asked.
Sugarcoat nodded.
"Sounds good."
