Legends & Lattes

Tandri is a succubus who becomes Viv’s assistant. She has dark eyes and “glossy black hair cut severely at chin length” (49). Her demeanor is direct, contrasting Viv’s nervous energy when they first meet. Tandri becomes an essential part of Legends & Lattes, contributing several ideas that make the coffee shop grow: She helps Viv with the shop’s interior, signs and menus, and everyday operations. Eventually, she grows to know Viv well enough to help her grow. Like Viv, Tandri feels the weight of her race, as succubi are known as seductresses. She used to be a student at Ackers, a university specializing in thaumic theories, but left due to others’ judgment.

When Tandri notes Viv’s lack of a proper bed, she warns against putting all her energy into the shop—as the loss of it would be devastating. After spending the night at Viv’s loft, the pair discusses how the bard Pendry doesn’t notice his admirer. Tandri states “people tend not to notice what’s in front of them until it nearly knocks them down” (207), hinting at her romantic feelings for Viv. Viv eventually returns these feelings, and when she and Tandri escape the burning shop, she states, “At least we didn’t lose everything” (213). Once the shop is rebuilt, she reveals she bought two beds, as she wishes for Tandri to live with her. Overall, Tandri challenges Viv to care about herself and stay true to her new path.

Cal, short for Calamity, is a hob—a humanoid goblin—and the first friend Viv makes in Thune. His “ears were long, body wiry, skin leathery and olive,” and he wears “a flat cap pulled low over his brow” (17). Like Viv and Tandri, he is a direct person who feels the weight of his race, as hobgoblins are known as troublemakers. Viv meets Cal while scoping the docks for a woodworker to hire; he is working alone on a dinghy. She notes his diligent, meticulous work, and he agrees to work on her coffee shop in part because “[he] do[es] things when it seems wiser not to” (21), which is originally Viv’s assessment of Cal. With Viv’s strength and resources, Cal raises the shop, once a livery, from dilapidation. When they’re finished, he gifts her a sign that reads “Legends & Lattes,” his suggestion for the shop’s name. He continues to visit Legends & Lattes to consult with her about renovations and try the shop’s offerings. When the shop burns down, Cal encourages Viv to start anew, despite her concerns about finances and the missing Scalvert’s Stone. He and Viv’s friends rebuild the shop better than before, and Viv offers him equal partnership for his loyalty.

Fennus is an elf, Viv’s former party member. He is described as possessing a “long, beautiful face” (2), moving with “a regal bearing” (94), and wearing “floral and ancient” perfume (191). He is skilled in magic and stealth, making him a threat to Viv when he resurfaces in her life. Fennus and Viv have a tense relationship, as he openly despises orcs and believes them unintelligent. This racism feeds into his belief that Viv held out on the party when she took the Scalvert’s Stone for herself. He breaks into the coffee shop twice to steal the Stone, the second attempt comprising his use of “corpse-fire” to burn down the shop. It is later revealed that the Stone attracts kindred spirits, implying that Fennus will attract like-minded enemies. In the Epilogue, he is cornered by the Madrigal’s people and attacked by the dire-cat Amity, leaving his fate unknown.