http://glennagirl.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] glennagirl.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] section7mfu2019-03-10 11:55 am

ABC Affair 2019 - D is for Du Monde

D is for Drink Up!

Illya Kuryakin was, like his partner Napoleon Solo, a man well traveled.  He might also sometimes think, well worn.  Today was such a day; bruised and nursing a broken finger from an encounter with THRUSH, he felt as though to embark on another mission would be like treading water in a pool of Jell-O.  He looked over at his friend and surmised a similar sense of weariness and … to be honest, discouragement.

“Mon ami, nous saluons les morts.”

“Aux morts.” Napoleon raised his cup to meet Illya’s, their respects paid to the two men who had died on this disastrous mission.

“Too many battles, too many lost to a cause that seems so endless.  My friend, I grow weary of it.” It wasn’t often that Illya admitted discouragement, but this last encounter with THRUSH had taken a toll, more emotionally than physically.

“Derek and Kyle were good men.  They just weren’t a match for that god-forsaken machine.’ Napoleon drew a long breath, his sense of loss a real one as he took another sip of coffee.

Illya looked out from the corner in which they sat, a seemingly safe haven here at the Cafe DuMonde.  The Chicory infused coffee reminded him once more of the cost of war, any war.

“Do you know why there is chicory in our coffee?”  Napoleon made an almost indiscernible shake of his head to the negative.

“Napoleon.’ A raised eyebrow asked a silent ‘what?’.  Illya smiled at that, beginning again with his story.

“I mean, Bonaparte.  He inadvertently created the market for chicory as a substitute for coffee during an embargo.  The French people were creative, so they came up with another brew to offset the absence of coffee.  The custom followed some of them to America, where it became popular again during the Civil War when blockades stopped shipments to this region.  New Orleans, and Cafe DuMonde in particular, have made a tradition out of it that has become iconic for the city.”

Napoleon nodded his head, appreciative of his friend’s encyclopedic knowledge of so many things, including the obscure; this time he did find it interesting.

“So, we’re drinking the product of war.  It is an irony, but very much appropriate for us.’ He raised his cup and nodded again, met with a similar gesture from Illya.

They were silent for a while after that.  The days had been long and treacherous, and for a brief interlude they would remain in the city to rest a little before heading out again to battle evil.

Bonne chance mes amis.


[identity profile] mrua7.livejournal.com 2019-03-10 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Very nicely done. I especially liked the bit about chickory. ( I mention it in one of my later chapters, but only briefly)

[identity profile] jkkitty.livejournal.com 2019-03-10 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks for a little bit of France History, love learning some things like that.

[identity profile] jantojones.livejournal.com 2019-03-10 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you for this bitter-sweet little scene. I also learned something about chicory :-)