Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shiori grabbed a cleaning rag from a bucket of soapy water and began wiping down the register counter. She had worked part time at the Inkwell since she was a freshman in college and was now a junior.

The Inkwell was a locally owned coffee shop nestled near the heart of the college town. Its modest size along with its dark academia-esque furnishings and aesthetic made it a popular spot for students and writers alike to sit down, relax, and work on projects. She loved the vibes and her coworkers, albeit strange at times, weren’t bad either. 

Over the years she’s worked there she’d come to learn the regulars of the cafe. An older woman who came every Thursday morning to order an americano and sit at the table near the window soaking in the sun, a young business man who would quickly order an iced coffee on his way to work every Monday, and a few local authors who came by to work on their latest novel near the back. 

Out of all the regulars, there was one that caught her eye from the start. A tall woman, who she knew as Nerissa from her frequent visits every weekday at 7am on the dot. She had wine red eyes and long black hair with striking blue highlights underneath. The woman was always dressed in office attire that, in Shiori’s opinion, bordered on risqué at times thanks to her ‘assets.’ She always came at 7am on the dot every weekday in a shiny black car parked right in front of the shop.

The first time she took Nerissa’s order of a large macchiato with oat milk and six shots of espresso she had to do a double take. Six shots was a lot, sure, but not really unheard of. However as time went on, Nerissa’s order started to increase to seven or eight shots. This was usually paired with a slightly more stressed and disheveled appearance along with “It’s sooo over!” and other complaints about life and work.

Shiori wasn’t one to judge but… that can’t be healthy right? Spending up to $7 on a coffee is rough, sure, but every weekday? Caffeine aside, $30 for drinks is just something her poor college student brain couldn’t comprehend. 

Over time they became closer with each morning shift. They had a routine where they’d talk about the goings of life while Shiori made her drink, sometimes with Nerissa staying longer when she wasn’t busy. 

Through their talks she learned that the office lady was actually a high ranking individual in a company in the music production industry. She learned that she hated reading through all the paperwork that came her way because of it. She also learned that Nerissa was called a ‘DEO’ or ‘demon executive officer’ by her colleagues because of her strong work ethic and high standards for her employees she called ‘Jailbirds.’

Shiori shared things about herself as well, like how she was double majoring in creative writing and communications at the local university. Shiori grew to love sharing stories and bantering with her. She even found herself laughing at the ‘rizz’ attempts by Nerissa and jokingly flirting back with her. 

As she finished cleaning the register and started to move onto the machines, she heard the familiar noise of bells from the front door ringing. Shiori snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see none other than the devil herself walking through the glass doors of the Inkwell. 

Today she was wearing black heels with dark pantyhose along with a tight black skirt and a white— Shiori’s eyes slightly widened and immediately shot up towards the approaching woman. She internally fought to avoid looking south at the raven haired woman’s button up shirt that was open, displaying a generous amount of skin.

“ Morning Rissa! Would you like your usual?” She cursed herself as she heard her voice slightly crack as she greeted the tall woman. 

“Good morning darling.” Nerissa brought her hand to her mouth as she yawned, “Seven shots today please.”

“Ah.” Shiori looked down at the register and typed the order in, “Something happen at the job?” 

The raven haired woman retrieved her phone from her purse and held it to the pin pad to pay and leave a tip. “Eh, something like that…” 

“Oh? Something happen?” Shiori asked, partially distracted by a loud truck blasting music drive past the shop.

“Lately I’ve been stressing over some DEO work stuff.” 

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Shiori moved to grab a cup and began the coffee making magic.

“Since our communications department is about to have two people retire this month including the head and another employee is about to go on maternity leave I’ve been trying to find someone to move up.”  Nerissa moved to sit at one of the stools around the counter that separated the baristas from the customers.

Shiori moved around behind the counter while watching Nerissa fiddle with her necklace. “I imagine it's hard trying to find the perfect one.” 

“Kinda, but I guess that’s for the best.” She mused, “There's a few people I have in mind for the head, but I want to find a replacement for the other position before I finalize my choice and then I’d need to get approval and— Argh! This is so stressful!” 

Shiori giggled at that. “There there. Your team is lucky to have someone like you who cares so much about them.” She watched the espresso pour into the cup she’d placed below it. 

“Thank you my Shiwowi.” Nerissa brushed her fingers through her hair and looked over to the barista. “Anyway enough about me, what's been going on in your world?”

“College crap,” she sighed, “I’ve got two essays due tomorrow for my literature and psychology classes and I’m supposed to be looking for internships.” Thinking about the future was both exciting but also daunting. “Even though working here is great, I’d really like to find a writing job somewhere around here after I graduate, you know?”

Nerissa visibly perked up at that. “Oh yeah! For a second I forgot which year you were in and it reminded me of something.”

“Ha ha way to rub it in, miss office lady with a comfy job.” Shiori joked as she poured some frothed oak milk into the drink. 

“Aww you hurt me so!” She feigned offense as she lifted hand up over her forehead. “But seriously hear me out for a second.” 

Shiori came over to where Nerissa was sitting with her drink in hand. “You can talk all you want about Astarion but Dimitri is my guy.” 

“No no no, not about that,” Nerissa pulled out a business card from her purse. “More like an opportunity… To broaden your job search.”

Shiori exchanged the drink for the card and brought it closer to read it. It was light blue decorated with perforated gold music notes. On the front in fancy navy blue lettering it read ‘Nerissa Ravencroft of Ravencorp Music Productions.’ Right next to it was a circular design with a horn and wing with musical notes and flowers surrounding it and realized she had seen it in her gen ed business class. 

Her jaw dropped. “R-ravencroft as in the founders of the Ravencorp? As in one of the largest conglomerates in the country?!” her yellow eyes widened and seemed to glow as the sunlight lit up the cafe through the window.

“Well...yes?” Nerissa tilted her head confused. “I thought you knew? Haven’t you seen my last name before? With how my family named it, it's not really rocket science.” She shrugged as she blew on her drink to cool it.

“You always pay with your phone! If anything I’ve only seen your last initial!” 

Nerissa raised her cup and took a sip of her macchiato. “Ope. That is so true.” She pointed towards the smaller girl that was still in shock. “Anyway, would you like to work there too? Since you’re looking for internships and are in the right majors, there’d be no problems” 

“Absolutely, I would love the opportunity.” 

Nerissa’s smile beamed. “Perfect!" She flipped her card over in Shiori’s hands. "Just give me a call at this number whenever you’re free.”

“Wait! Don’t I need to do something like fill out a form or pass a screening or—” 

 “Shhh…” Nerissa put her finger toward the shorter one’s mouth. “I’ll make sure to get everything sorted out so don’t stress about it~” 

And with that she waved goodbye and walked out leaving Shiori standing behind the counter listening to the ringing of the bells as the doors closed.

Welp, that just happened.

Shiori blinked a few times to clear her head and looked down at the card which showed Nerissa’s contacts and cell number. Shiori put the card in her back pocket carefully so as to not crease it as she let out a small laugh. 

“Dang that woman sure is something else.” 

-+—+-

After her work shift and classes she was finally back at her dorm. She quietly unlocked her door and entered the room. As she walked towards her desk she looked over to see her roommate near the window sitting on one of their ottomans playing a game on her switch. Bijou, or Beebs as she called her, had been her roommate and best friend since freshman year and was majoring in psychology.  She set her backpack down and plopped down on the futon underneath her bed letting out a big sigh. 

“Shiori! You’re back!” Her roommate exclaimed as she looked up from her game.

“Hey beebs.” She gave a small wave as she reached in her pocket to grab her phone and pulled out the card Nerissa had given her earlier. 

“Ooo what’s that?” 

Shiori handed it to Bijou to inspect and let out a laugh as the girl’s face reflected her own from earlier. “It's a business card from a regular at the Inkwell. Said she could hook me up with a job at her company.” 

“Oh my gosh! Ravencroft!? This is huge Shiori!” She sat down next to Shiori who had moved over to give her space. “And from that Nerissa you always talk about too! This is like, straight out of those cheesy romance books.” 

“I don’t talk about her that much.” She quipped as she looked down at her phone. “Oh shoot! It's almost 5.” Shiori shot up, “I need to call her about her offer. Beebs, could I have that card back?”

Bijou handed the card to Shiori who was making her way to the door. “Ok! See you later, Shiori.” 

Shiori thanked her and walked down the hallway towards one of the study spaces on her floor. She scanned her student ID and sat down at the single desk in the glass room. Placing the card on the table she typed in the number on her phone and hit call.

Ring…Ring…Ring…

“Hello this is Nerissa, who am I speaking to?” 

“Hi it's Shiori, sorry for calling late. I just got back to my dorm.” 

“Shiwowi!" Nerissa's voice rose in excitement. "It's totally fine, don't even worry about it. I would answer anytime if it was you calling.”

Shiori cleared her throat, feeling her face rise a few degrees. “Uhm anyways, about that offer you were talking about this morning…?”

“Oh yeah, the offer!” There were sounds of paper being moved around. “Since Holo University is one of our partners for job internships, I got you a spot with our content writer. As an intern some things you would do is help with her projects, shadow the position, and other small stuff. All you have to do to accept is say so.”

“Are you serious?” Shiori held onto her phone like a lifeline. “Of course I accept!”

“Perfect! We’re pretty flexible regarding orientations, so I just need a date and time that you could come in for yours.” 

She pulled up her calendar app and checked her class times and work schedule. “Would Friday at 10 work?” 

“Absolutely. I'll see you then Shiorin~”

Chapter Text

After the phone call with Nerissa, Shiori started walking back to her room with a new event scheduled in her calendar. As she opened the door Bijou looked up from her switch, her eyes brimming with curiosity. 

“Hey Shiori! How'd it go?” 

“I have my orientation at The Ravencorp this Friday.” She proudly stated, adding a dramatic tone at the company name.

“That's great! I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks Beebs. It's going to be around 10 so we can’t get lunch that day.”

“Oh that’s ok—as long as you pay the Biboo Tax.” The girl's purple eyes shone with mischief.

Shiori laughed and went along with her friend's antics. “I shall bring a treat back for you, Princess Bijou.” She then added, “It’d be my payment for when you took those notes for me the other day.” 

“You were sick and I was being a good friend!” Bijou exclaimed jokingly. “Buuut I suppose I could accept a treat of the strawberry variety…”

“Of course, anything for you my liege.” The girl dipped down in a fake curtsey.

“Thank you, Dame Shiori.” 

Shiori went over to her desk and started looking through her essays for her classes. Luckily they were both basically complete and she spent some time adding some finishing touches and minor edits, finally hitting submit at 9pm. 

She stretched her arms above her head and then rolled her shoulders, feeling the familiar tense muscles. She should really check out a massage place some time. 

She looked over to the opposite side of her room where Bijou was in her bed with a small reading light looking through one of her textbooks. 

“I’m gonna take a shower real quick. Remember, if I don’t come back…”

“Help me/you hide the body.” They finished simultaneously with the smaller girl letting out a small giggle at their inside joke. 

Shiori then walked over to the small sink in the corner of the room to grab her towel and shower caddy. She changed into her shower shoes and made her way down the hallway. 

She was lucky enough to be in one of the newer dorms on campus that had single user ‘pod’ bathrooms. The doors had a microchip locking feature along with cameras near the entrances to deter any less-than-holy activities happening inside. 

Shiori scoped out the area until she found an empty pod which she unlocked with her keycard and went inside. In the pod was a simple setup akin to a small hotel bathroom. She hung up her towel on one of the hooks near the shower and hung her shower caddy on the other. 

She grabbed her phone and began scrolling to music to play when a random number started calling her. It wasn’t the number she called from Nerissa’s card and based on the area code it wasn’t a telemarketer or scam so she let it ring. If it was really important they’d leave a voicemail. 

As she went back to her music search finally landing on a classical music playlist she got a text notification from the same unknown number that just called.

Hello? Is this Shiori?

Her eyebrow raised as she quickly racked her brain for anyone she had given her number to lately. Coming up blank she decided to give in and indulge her curiosity.

Maybe… Depends on who’s asking.

It's Nerissa!

Nerissa who?

Ravencroft?

How many other Nerissas do you know???

I'm just messing with you.

How did you get my number?

From our phone call earlier.

This isn’t the same number I called. Did you digitally stalk me or something? 

! (°ロ°) That was my work line. 

I’m at home so I used my personal number. 

Hope that’s alright and not too weird.

Ah it’s ok. Did you need something?

Kinda. 

I just remembered some stuff about the internship that I wanted to ask you about. 

Is this a good time for a quick call?

In a bit. I was just about to shower.

[Incoming video call…]

[Video call ended.]

Im so sorry that was my car

Cart

Cay

Cat

...

Cat

Okaaaaay

Sure it was…

IM SORRY

Wwwww 

It's ok, I know how much of a menace cats can be sometimes.

I’ll call you when I’m done

Thank you. 

Sorry for contacting you so late. 

It's alright Rissa, I'll talk to you later.

ﾍ(￣ー￣)ﾉ 

-+—+-

Nerissa’s face calmed as she placed her phone on her nightstand. She looked down at her lap to see  the culprit of her most recent embarrassing event. The guilty party was currently loafing on her lap with something like a smug look on his face. She exhaled and reached out to pet him which he leaned into, purring into her hand. 

She obviously didn’t mean to hit the video call button… She was just trying to add Shiori to her contacts after double checking she had the right number. It wasn’t her fault that the designers of her messaging app put the voice and video call buttons right next to the settings icon to add contacts in the top corner. Little Darling just happened to bump into her hand at the right time to cause the most chaos. 

“You little troublemaker.” She booped him on his nose which caused him to close his eyes. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.”

Nerissa exhaled as she sunk back into her bed. She closed her eyes and her mind started to wander. She felt her soft cotton sheets and her perfectly fluffed pillows. She felt the warmth radiating from Little Darling, still perched and purring on her lap as she absentmindedly pet him. She smiled as she remembered her interaction with Shiori that morning. Drifting away into sleep, she recalled her first meeting with the aloof and charming girl…

-+–flashback–+-

Going to the Inkwell was initially something she started on a whim. The coffee shop was on her way to work but she was always busy so she never had time to stop. One morning she had some extra time thanks to working overtime so she decided to check it out and quickly became a regular.

At first she went once every few weeks but soon it turned into every few days and then every weekday. She experimented with different types of coffees and soon found her favorite in a classic macchiato. As her workload increased she found that getting an extra shot or two of espresso helped her get through it easier. 

She was usually more frugal with her money, buying things for life and saving up for small luxuries, but when it came to the Inkwell her pockets were endless. She was technically supporting a small local business and it's not like she was pinching pennies.

Through her frequent visits she began to become familiar with the employees, especially the owner named Yorick. Yorick was around Nerissa's height and had a thin frame. They had light gray eyes and medium length hair the color of ink that seemed to flow around like water when they moved. Their voice was peculiar as it always had an accent that Nerissa couldn't place. She always liked talking with them as they seemed to know a little something about anything.

After she had been going for a few months one morning as she was walking to the entrance of the Inkwell she saw Yorick with their back turned away from the door seemingly talking to someone. As she entered they turned around to greet her while another figure peeked out from behind them. 

It was a cute girl who didn’t look much younger than herself, probably a college student working for some extra cash. She stood out with her black and white split dyed hair with a hair clip that looked somewhat like a pound sign and striking yellow eyes. She was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and black denim pants with white embroidered eyes decorating the pockets. She wore a black choker that mimicked dripping ink and had a circular metal charm hanging from it that had three spikes on the bottom. 

As she approached the counter, Yorick spoke up in their almost otherworldly voice. “Why hello Nerissa! Right on time again.” 

“Shiori here will take order today.” They prompted their trainee to come up to the counter. 

The girl bowed her head in greeting. “Good morning ma’am what could I get you today?” 

“Morning!” Nerissa greeted with a smile. “I’d like a large iced macchiato with oat milk and six shots of espresso please.” 

“Okay that’ll be…” She typed the order in and turned the ipad POS system towards Nerissa, “$6.50 today.”

“Perfect, thank you.” Nerissa went over to sit at the counter and turned to the owner. “Yorick! You’re new hire seems to learn fast, better watch out or she’s going to take over this place.” 

“Ha yeah. Well I’ve been meaning to cut back on floor work lately because of my health, having someone reliable around would help.” They said as they leaned on the counter, occasionally peeking back to check on Shiori.

“Oh no, are you doing okay?” Her red eyes flashed with concern. 

“I’m fine, child. I may not look it, but I'm getting to the age where body starts hurting. Nothing I can’t handle.” Yorick smiled softly. 

“Is there anything I can do? I could get you checked out by my doctor? She could help you—.” Yorick raised their hand to stop her. “You’re too kind, but I'm doing okay for now. Thank you.”

“Ok… but let me know if you need anything, alright?” 

“I shall. For now, I believe your drink is ready.” Yorick moved aside to make room for Shiori who was walking towards the counter with a drink in hand.

“Here’s your order. Have a good rest of your day ma’am.” 

“Thank you.” She reached out to grab the top of the cup. As she started to lift it up to her mouth her fingers slipped on the lid. As it started to fall Shiori’s hand shot out reflexively. Nerissa felt something hit her chest as they both looked down to see Shiori holding the cup with one hand and the other under Nerissa’s chest.

“Oh my good god!” Shiori jerked her hands back and refastened the lid on the cup. “I am so sorry! I—” Nerissa laughed, “It’s ok, it was an accident, no big deal.” She brushed it off and made a show of taking her cup back with two hands this time. “Nice catch by the way.”

As Nerissa walked towards the door she turned to see Shiori holding her head in her hands and Yorick chuckling next to her. 

“Bya Darlings, see you later.” 

-+–end flashback–+-

Nerissa felt something stir as she blinked awake to see Little Darling readjusting himself to lay next to her. How long was I out? She blinked awake when something in her mind sparked and she quickly reached out to her phone. Seeing no missed call notifications she let out a sigh of relief. As she was about to put her phone back she felt it vibrate and start blasting her ringtone of some idol song she’d set it to months ago. She looked back at her screen to see an incoming call from none other than Shiori herself. Tapping the answer call button Nerissa put the phone to her ear. 

“Hello Shiorin.” She greeted brightly as she watched Little Darling jump down from her bed to eat his food.

“Hello Miss Stalker. ”

“Shioriii don’t call me that! I’m not a stalker!”

“?” Nerissa could almost see Shiori’s smug face as she teased her. “What do you want me to call you? Old-woman-calling-a-college-student-at-night? How scandalous!”

She scoffed. “ Old ? I am not old! I literally graduated like three years ago.” 

“No way you’re that young… How long ago was ‘like three years ago’ really?” 

“WOAH— You wanna stab me and twist the knife?? I’m only 25!”

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. That’s actually really impressive though. I can’t believe I didn’t know that since we’ve known each other for a while now… How did you become the exec that young anyway? Is it because you’re a nepo—” 

“Okaaaay and that’s a conversation for later.” Nerissa cut her off. She loved Shiori’s curiosity and thirst for knowledge but sometimes she needed to reign her in.

“Oops sorry, got a bit carried away there. What did you want to talk about?”

“A few things…” She held her hand out to count. “The orientation will probably last around two to three hours but lunch is provided. If you could, bring a laptop and something to put stuff in. For parking there’s a garage next to the building and I can get you a parking pass if you tell me your plate number. They won’t let you in the employee section without one.”

Nerissa could hear sounds of writing before Shiori started talking. “Got it, thanks. Don’t worry about getting me a pass, I won’t need one since I don’t have a car.”

“Oh ok…” She internally facepalmed. “Do you have a ride for Friday or?”

“Yeah I was going to ask a friend to take me. Is that a deal breaker or something?” Shiori sounded slightly hesitant and Nerissa felt a stab at her heart.

“Of course not! It’s no problem at all.” 

“Ok. Was there anything else—” There was the sound of a door opening in the background and Nerissa could hear some shuffling around. “Oh hi Beebs.” 

She figured that Shiori lived with another student but wasn’t sure if she was in her room or not because of their call. She didn't want to interrupt so she was quiet as she listened to their one sided conversation. 

“Yeah I’m on call with her.”

…

“No you’re fine.”

…

“Ok thanks.”

…

“No!?”

…

“See ya later. I’ll text you when I’m done."

"Thanks, you’re the best.” 

Nerissa heard someone leave the room and hesitated before speaking. “Is everything ok?”

“All good here. When I got back I told my roommate you wanted to call and she said she’d go hang with some friends. She just forgot something and had to grab it but we’re good to keep talking.” 

“Ok well there was just one more thing I wanted to tell you.”

“Hmm?” 

Nerissa shifted in her bed. “Well… since Friday is the first of the month that means my boss will be there to check up on things and have some progress meetings.”

Shiori paused. “Your boss? I thought you were the boss, being the DEO and all.” 

She smiled at the DEO nickname. “Haha well yes but it’s a little more complicated than that. All formalities aside my um…” She fake coughed, “my mother will be there.”

“Your mom? So it totally is a nepo baby thing!” She could hear the girl trying poorly to hold in her laughter.

“Pfft—I am perfectly qualified to be a CEO! I went through high school and college studying it and was basically raised for this.” Nerissa shuddered as she remembered the many years of schooling by professors, tutors, and her own parents about accounting, management, finance, and other various business aspects.

“Anyway, yes my mother will be there.”

“Ok… But what does that have to do with me? It’s not like I’m your girlfriend or something. I’m just an intern.”

“You’re the first intern I’ve personally scouted and vouched for. There were plenty of students that applied to be an intern and even less that actually got an offer so I need you to be on your best behavior to prove that you’ve earned your place.” Nerissa fidgeted with her sheets as waited for the girl to respond. This was kind of a big deal, not only to the new interns but also to prove herself to be a good CEO to her mother. This orientation needed to go well. 

After a pause the girl responded. “Okay.” 

“...Okay?” 

“I will woo your mother with my outstanding skill and personality. I shall become someone worthy of this internship and her approval.” 

“Shiori please, be serious!” 

“I am! I have never been more serious in my life, I swear.”

“You better be,” she chuckled, “I’ll look forward to it, but it's kinda getting late so I’ll let ya go now.”

“Alright, good night. See you tomorrow Rissa.” 

“Night Shiorin.” 

×-+—+-×