Ink & Crown

Chapter 87 – Opening Day

Mira checked the same inventory list for the third time. Then the fourth. Then a fifth time before finally lowering the slate and exhaling.

Everything was already prepared. She knew that.

The ingredients had arrived on time. The equipment had been tested. The tables were arranged, the service station fully stocked, and the shipment from the main branch had come in exactly when it was supposed to.

Everything was ready. There was nothing left to check. Yet she still found herself walking through the café again. Just to make sure.

"You checked that already."

Mira glanced over her shoulder.

Lira stood nearby carrying a tray of cups. "I know."

"You checked it twice already."

"I know."

Lira tilted her head. "Pretty sure this is the fifth time."

Mira narrowed her eyes.

Lira responded with the most innocent smile she could manage.

The look only made Mira sigh.

Her gaze swept across the café once more.

The MICF branch looked very different compared to when Lucien and she first inspected the location.

Now the walls carried Café Ashborne's colors. The counters stood polished and ready. Display cases were stocked, waiting for customers who hadn't even arrived yet.

Even the seating area already felt lived in despite opening for the first time today.

Beyond the large front windows, students drifted past in small groups. Every so often, someone would slow down and glance inside, curiosity plain on their face before they moved on.

Word had spread across campus faster than expected. A surprising number of people already knew the new branch was opening today.

"Mira."

A familiar voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She turned to find Elias approaching, a slate tucked beneath one arm while figures scrolled across his wristlink.

For someone managing the finances of two separate branches, he looked annoyingly relaxed.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

Mira hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes."

His gaze swept across the café. "Good."

Mira blinked. "That's it?"

Elias looked up from his wristlink. "What else am I supposed to say?"

She stared at him. "I'm nervous."

"Oh."

He actually took a second to think about it. Then he shrugged. "Seems normal."

Mira looked at him as if he'd just committed a personal offense.

Before she could point out how utterly unhelpful that was, another voice cut in.

"If it makes you feel better, Edrin nearly dropped an entire tray ten minutes ago."

Both of them turned. Jareth was standing nearby with a box balanced on one shoulder.

"Twice," Rian corrected from across the room.

"Three times," Mariel said without even looking up.

Edrin's head snapped around immediately.

"It was once."

"Twice."

"Three."

"It was one time!"

Not a single person looked convinced. Within seconds, the argument had spread through half the café.

Somehow, that helped. Mira felt a bit of the tension in her shoulders ease as the familiar bickering filled the room.

Her gaze drifted across the café.

The main branch was closed for the day. Lucien had insisted on it, wanting everyone available for the opening.

As a result, nearly the entire team was here.

Jareth moved stock between storage and the counters. Rian was finishing the service stations. Mariel made another pass through the seating area, adjusting details nobody else would have noticed. Lira was preparing for the first wave of guests, while Edrin bounced between tasks depending on who managed to catch him first.

As for Elias... Mira still wasn't entirely sure how he managed to handle finances while also appearing wherever he was needed.

For the first time since taking the promotion, she realized she wasn't carrying the responsibility alone. The thought settled quietly in her chest.

Then the front door opened. Lucien stepped inside, followed by Dorian, Riven, Seliora, Kaelen, and Evelis.

The mood in the café shifted almost immediately. Mostly because Riven took one look around and announced, "I was promised food."

A laugh escaped Mira before she could stop it. Just like that, some of the tension she'd been carrying all morning slipped away.

Opening day had finally begun.

Riven wasted no time making himself comfortable. He claimed a chair by the front window and settled into it like he owned the place, studying the café with the critical focus of a man evaluating a major investment.

After a moment, he nodded. "This place is nice."

Kaelen glanced around. "More than nice."

Mira's ears perked up.

Kaelen gestured toward the windows. "Student traffic from three departments passes this intersection every day."

Then toward the opposite side of the building. "And anyone heading toward the central lecture halls passes through here too."

Mira blinked. He had somehow analyzed the location within seconds of entering.

Lucien, meanwhile, didn't look remotely surprised.

Kaelen continued his inspection.

"Visibility is excellent. The seating capacity is larger than the main branch. Deliveries have direct access from the service road. And the walking distance from the dormitories is reasonable."

Riven stared at him. "You've been here for all of sixty seconds."

"I have eyes."

"You concern me sometimes."

"I know."

The fact that Kaelen answered without the slightest hesitation only made it worse.

Evelis laughed quietly while Seliora ignored all of them and slowly walked through the café herself.

Unlike Kaelen, she wasn't examining logistics.

Instead, she wandered through the café at her own pace, her gaze moving from the lighting to the seating area, the spacing between tables, the feeling of the room, lingering on corners most people would never notice.

Mira watched her curiously.

Eventually Seliora returned.

"What do you think?" Mira asked before she could stop herself.

Seliora considered the question with surprising seriousness.

Then she gave a single nod. "It feels welcoming."

For some reason, hearing that made Mira happier than all of Kaelen's practical observations combined.

Riven immediately pointed toward Seliora. "See? That's her version of a standing ovation."

"It is not."

"It absolutely is."

"It isn't."

Lucien ignored them both. By now he had already begun helping arrange chairs that did not need arranging.

Mira noticed. "You're nervous too."

Lucien looked up. "I am not."

"You are rearranging furniture."

"I am just optimizing it a bit."

Dorian snorted.

That was answer enough. Mira’s smile widened. At least she wasn't the only one feeling pressure today.

The branch represented a major step forward for Café Ashborne. For Mira, it was her first time managing independently. For Lucien, it was proof that the business could grow beyond a single location.

For everyone involved, today mattered. The front door opened again.

This time Lunessa stepped inside. Behind her came Polvin Sarett. Immediately, several staff members straightened unconsciously.

Even Mira recognized him.

After all, he was one of the senior banking officers who had helped secure the financing behind Crownspire and the press acquisition.

Lucien approached first. "Lunessa."

She smiled. "Congratulations."

Polvin nodded. "Congratulations indeed."

Lucien thanked both of them before glancing toward the entrance. "No Chairman Thale?"

Lunessa's smile became slightly apologetic. "He wanted to attend."

"That sounds worrying."

"It should."

Dorian immediately agreed. "If he suddenly has free time in the middle of the week, something has probably gone wrong."

Polvin laughed while Lunessa rolled her eyes.

"My father is simply busy."

"That's exactly what someone covering for a chairman would say."

Lunessa looked at Lucien. "I came here to congratulate you."

"And yet here we are."

The exchange earned several laughs from nearby staff.

Polvin seemed particularly amused.

Eventually Lunessa shook her head and surrendered. "Fine. He sends his congratulations and his apologies."

"Accepted."

"How generous."

Before Lucien could answer, Riven suddenly appeared beside Polvin. "Important question."

Polvin blinked. "What question?"

"When does a person become important enough to get free food from a bank?"

The entire café went quiet. Even Lucien looked at him.

Polvin stared for several seconds before laughing. "I don't believe that's one of our official services."

"That's disappointing."

"You asked a bank for food."

"It was worth trying."

The tension that had filled the café all morning continued dissolving with every new arrival.

And judging by the invitations Lucien had sent out...many more people were still on the way.

The next arrivals came only a few minutes later.

The front door opened again and Gareth Rendon stepped inside with the confidence of someone who had already decided he belonged wherever he happened to be.

Theo followed a step behind. As usual.

Gareth's eyes immediately swept across the café before settling on Lucien.

"There you are."

Lucien looked up. "You sound surprised."

"I am."

Gareth pointed at the surrounding café.

"Normally when I look for you, you're either writing, running a café, running a publishing company, or somehow doing all three at once."

Theo quietly lowered his head. "That is... unfortunately accurate."

Several people laughed. Lucien chose not to defend himself. By now he had learned that it was a losing battle.

Gareth looked around the MICF branch and gave an approving nod.

"Looks good."

"Thank you."

"The location is better than I expected."

Theo meanwhile had already drifted toward one of the displays. Not because he was interested in the decorations. Because he was trying to avoid becoming the center of attention.

Unfortunately for him, Riven spotted him. "Theo!"

Theo visibly froze. Riven immediately walked over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

Theo looked like he was considering escape routes. "Good to see you too."

The reply sounded suspiciously unconvincing. Before Riven could continue tormenting him, the door opened once more.

This time Lucien's attention shifted immediately.

Taren entered first. Behind him came Talia and Rowan. And walking slightly behind them was Eiran.

The moment Eiran stepped inside, he stopped. His eyes swept across the café. Then swept across it again.

The first thing he noticed was Lucien. Then he observed that nearly every person surrounding Lucien seemed important, and the important thing was that he only recognized about half of them.

"..."

Eiran said nothing.

Taren noticed immediately. "Nervous?"

"No. Maybe a little."

Taren smiled.

Lucien stood and walked over to greet them. "I'm glad you could make it."

Taren nodded. "Wouldn't miss it."

Talia and Rowan offered their congratulations next. Both looked noticeably more relaxed than they had during their first meeting.

Joining Crownspire had already made them feel less like outsiders.

Eiran's gaze wandered across the room again. The more he looked, the stranger the gathering seemed.

A few days ago, Lucien had simply been the author of a book he happened to read. Then he learned he owned a publishing company. After that, he learned he had acquired a printing press. Then there was the café.

Now he stood in the second branch of that café surrounded by people who all seemed connected to Lucien in one way or another.

A bank representative. A publishing press owner. Editors. Business managers. Students. Artists. And somehow, they all appeared completely comfortable with one another.

Eiran found himself looking at Lucien again.

The young man was currently listening to Gareth explain something while Riven interrupted every few seconds with completely unrelated comments.

Lucien looked mildly resigned like this happened often.

Maybe it did.

"You know," Eiran said suddenly.

Lucien glanced at him. "What?"

"I thought you were just running a successful café."

Lucien nodded. "Reasonable assumption."

"Then I thought you were an author."

"Also true."

"Then I learned about Crownspire."

Lucien nodded again. "And now?"

Eiran gestured broadly toward the room.

"Now I have absolutely no idea what you are."

For a moment there was silence.

Then Riven immediately answered from across the room.

"Overworked."

The entire café burst into laughter.

Even Lucien couldn't argue with that one.

Introductions quickly followed.

Gareth met Taren properly for the first time.

Both immediately recognized the experience in the other. Years in publishing had a way of creating a certain understanding.

Within minutes they were already discussing distribution, acquisitions, and the difficulties of managing creative people.

Theo met Talia and Rowan. Awkwardly. Talia did most of the talking.

Rowan helped keep the conversation alive whenever Theo seemed close to retreating into silence.

Nearby, Lunessa was already speaking with Dorian about staffing projections.

Kaelen had somehow started discussing logistics with Polvin.

Evelis was helping Mira relax.

And Riven had collected an audience without anyone understanding how it happened.

Lucien looked around the café.

The branch hadn't officially opened yet, but it already felt alive.

Conversations filled the room. Staff moved between tables. Friends, partners, and supporters occupied seats that had been empty only hours earlier.

The café wasn't running yet.

But somehow, it already felt like it belonged here.

And there were still plenty of guests yet to arrive.