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When Kafka Sunbeam threw on his server’s apron, he wasn’t exactly prepared to see who was on his shift.
Gash Cafe was known for fulfilling any and all Mamodo needs, wants, or requests, no matter how ridiculous the demand, which Sunbeam had learned from his time on staff. Being prepared for anything was part of the job, and each day at the Cafe was sort of comparable to a battle between Mamodo’s. It could be wildly unpredictable, in the worst and the best ways.
Having finished his other job earlier this morning, Kiyo had called in on his lunch break and asked Sunbeam for a favor, which was how Sunbeam ended up at the Cafe in Kiyo’s place. Despite being somewhat of a workaholic, and open to any late night shenanigans, Sunbeam would be lying if he wasn’t already tired out by today’s endeavors. But, being a good sport, he took on the additional shift rather than complaining. Of course when he told Ponygon that he was heading over to the Cafe, the small pony child had shrilled in glee, clapping his front hooves together as the thought of indulging in one of the Cafe’s specialty desserts.
Not wanting to ruin Ponygon’s mood, Sunbeam had taken his partner to work and set Ponygon up in his usual spot at one of the highest tables that overlooked the rest of the floor, as well as was in view of multiple televisions and the window. Ponygon was thrilled to have so much to see, especially since his typical view was Kiyo’s front lawn or the inside of Sunbeam’s living room.
“Alright buddy, I know you love carrot cake but you can’t overdo it! We still have to have dinner, and this is only for a few hours.” Sunbeam gives Ponygon a nod that he’s sure will show his good intentions, knowing that if Ponygon indulged too much now, he would only have an upset stomach later.
“Mado, Mado, Meh!” Ponygon bangs a hand onto the table, huffing as he points towards a drink menu.
Sighing, Sunbeam nods and makes his way to the kitchen, “Hey Li-en,” he calls out, spotting the woman in the kitchen making a matcha latte.
Li-en, with her tact and good nature, was a joy to have on any shift. She never complained, rarely made mistakes, and was quick to make any drink or meal asked of her. Sunbeam was thrilled to leave her in the kitchen and deal with their Mamodo guests if it meant that she would keep smiling.
“Mr. Sunbeam, what a surprise to see you here tonight! Did Kiyo skip out on us again?” She asks with a raised brow, finally completing her drink and leaning back to admire it.
“Now don’t say that,” Sunbeam rubs his neck, “Kiyo asked me for a favor, and I wasn’t exactly busy. Plus, Ponygon was excited to come.”
Li-en hums and rings a bell, and in a moment another blond haired man appears, smiling as he grabs the glass. Apollo, with his charm and grace, pushes his locks out from his view and beams at the two.
“Mr. Sunbeam is covering for Kiyo.” Li-en tells Apollo as she starts on Ponygon’s drink, knowing his order already by heart, “remind me to text him later and let him know that he made my night a little better by getting a great replacement.”
Apollo chuckles as he grins at Sunbeam, “nice to see you Kafka, I feel like we usually aren’t on a shift together! I won’t waste this opportunity to enjoy your company.”
Sunbeam pats the man on the shoulder, “Seems like the Cafe gods are trying to keep us apart. Are you starting your shift now too?”
Apollo nods and grabs a napkin to go with the matcha latte, “Going to be us three all evening, although I’m not complaining! Hey, Li-en, is this drink for Wonrei? The heart on the top is a cute touch.”
Li-en blushes and waves a hand, “I was feeling inspired, but yes, it's for him.”
Sunbeam can’t help but watch as Apollo delivers the drink to the stoic man who had willingly taken a seat beside Ponygon at the high top table, despite the small pony Mamodo chattering away to no one in particular. Sunbeam could respect Wonrei’s polite demeanor, and was often impressed by how cool and collected he appareard. Sunbeam had been lucky enough to have been invited to Wonrei and Li-en’s wedding this summer, along with their other friends, and had enjoyed the day immensely.
Wonrei bows his head slightly at Apollo and takes the drink, staring softly at the design in the foam. Sunbeam had to assume he liked it, not that the man said much. Ponygon was energetically waving his hands in front of Wonrei, who spared the pony a glance, before taking a sip.
“Cau!” A small voice squeaks out, and Sunbeam glances down at his feet to see Ropes tugging at his pant leg. Ropes, Apollo’s ladybug Mamodo, was usually upbeat and attached to Apollo’s side.
“How’s it going Ropes,” Sunbeam asks, not sure exactly what Ropes was saying to him, “Do you want…to sit down and order a drink?”
“Cau, cau! Cau!” Ropes nods his head, and Sunbeam leads him to the table where Ponygon and Wonrei were sitting.
Li-en appears with a tall milkshake with fresh fruit and leaves it on the table in front of Ponygon, smiling at his thrilled neigh and bobbing head. “Enjoy your drink, Ponygon!”
Ropes leaps into the available seat and gives Ponygon and Wonrei a gleeful cau, the only phrase that Sunbeam had ever heard the Mamodo utter. Ponygon mado’s in response, and Wonrei simply hums an answer, and quite frankly, it's the most bizarre exchange Sunbeam has ever seen.
Not to say that the three weren’t capable of speech, but communication wasn’t exactly this group of Mamodo’s strong point. Ropes lifts up the menu and points to a black coffee, and Sunbeam resists the urge to ask if he’s sure that’s what he wants, since Ropes is the customer and all.
Heading back to the kitchen, Li-en and Apollo are working on making dessert platters, and Sunbeam clears his voice, just a little curious.
“What’s up?” Apollo asks as he adds more ice cream to the sunday he’s preparing.
“Oh nothing, I just had a funny question I wanted to ask you two.” Sunbeam asks bashfully, gesturing towards the table where their partners are. “How well do you understand your Mamodo? I, for one, usually just get the vibe of what Ponygon is saying, but sometimes I lose track of which mado meh’s he's on.”
Apollo and Li-en share a look, before glancing back at the table. Miraculously, Ponygon, Ropes, and Wonrei are having a conversation, despite there being a severe language barrier.
It was pretty amazing to see.
Apollo bites his lip sheepishly, “Admittedly, I can only understand half of the cau’s Ropes yells out, and the other half I find myself improvising. We usually communicate through text and characters, although he’s not a great speller. I’m a little envious of those who have Mamodo partners who can speak our language fluently, but I wouldn’t change Ropes for the world.”
Li-en taps her fingers against the counter as she watches Wonrei, her cheeks turning a slight shade of red. “Well, usually we don’t really need words to communicate. Our very souls are…connected. It’s like he knows what I'm thinking and vice versa, and sure, he can talk when he wants to, but this is the Wonrei I know and love. He’s always been the strong silent type.”
As if he knew Li-en was talking about him, Wonrei lifts his eyes to meet hers, and he smiles sweetly in her direction.
“Mado, Meu, Mado!”
“Cau! Cau? Cau, cau!”
“Hmm, ah…hm.”
Sunbeam looks between the three Mamodo’s incredulously, and then at the nodding Apollo and Li-En.
Was this always how shifts with these two were? Sunbeam couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Grabbing the ice cream dessert for Wonrei, the carrot cake for Ponygon, and the black coffee for Ropes, he expertably stacked them onto his arm and balanced them perfectly with months of practice. In a way, people must think Sunbeam himself was crazy with how he was always talking to Ponygon and responding to questions that he was sure the pony Mamodo was asking him.
However, as soon as he delivered the food to his three guests, it was pretty groovy to see the look of appreciation on their faces was universal.
“Enjoy your meal!” Sunbeam smiles dazzlingly, knowing that even without words, communication was loud and clear.