it felt too early to be getting coffee, as joaquin was used to having caffeine at fair later hours. to him, it felt rare to actually be drinking it at a time where most other people were, a luxury that he didn't often have. but, today he had a second shift, actually within somewhat normal hours. he tried not to think too much about this becoming a regular thing, with his luck he'd be working graveyard shifts again soon. he turns to the person who responded to him, taking in the sight of the smaller man.

"waiting on a quad latte." he returns, giving a shrug as he speaks. it wasn't his business to judge what other people ordered and he didn't think a hot chocolate sounded strange, so he didn't feel the need to comment on it. "what's keeping you up then? you don't look like the sort to work nights, so i'm guessing it's not that."

every café and coffee shop now knew jasper by name. he no longer had to tell them his order, although he made a point of doing it anyway—a hot chocolate, with cream and marshmallows and chocolate dusting on top. he didn't often indulge in frivolous purchases, and there was nothing frivolous about his daily dose of cocoa. it was something he needed each day in order to function. it was why he was at casablanca blooms & coffee that morning, awaiting his order by the counter, playing with the ends of his fingers, texting his boyfriend back and pocketing his phone once again. in a few hours he had work, and the sugar hit would do wonders in preparing him for hours of human interaction. "hm?" jasper was nudged from their daydream by the unfamiliar voice. "oh, no. i don't drink coffee. but i don't suppose i have much of a sleep schedule either." he had tried it, a latte the size of his head in order to stave off sleep. instead, he was practically immune to the stuff. "i'm waiting for a hot chocolate. what about you?"

he can't help but grin a little at the response, relating way too much to what she's saying. in joaquin's line of work, he was on call very frequently, which meant that he had to be ready to be called in at any time. it wasn't conducive to trying to get sleep, that much was obvious from his experience.

"hey, small world. i'm an emt at the hospital." he smiles, glad to have found someone who understands. "it's hard working in health care, huh?"

ivy was just leaving a shift from the hospital, head full of molasses and a yawn threatening her every step. her eyes were half open, bleary and ready to fall shut at any moment. she nearly stumbled into the man as she was walking to the counter - that's how sleep-deprived she was. "oops, sorry." giggling, she rubbed her eyes and made to order.

his voice stopped her then and she turned again to face him. "i'm a nurse at the hospital," she explained, a sheepish grin on her face as if it explained away the almost running into him. "i don't know what a sleep schedule is."

status: open @valpostart

where: casablanca blooms & coffee

working irregular hours, joaquin had found himself in a situation where he didn't get a regular amount of sleep, ever. he found that one of the most effective ways to combat this was to take in copious amounts of caffeine, whether it was an energy drink, coffee, or some other source. he as certain that it wasn't good for him, but it got him through the day and kept him sharp enough to do his job, so who was he to complain? it wasn't like his sleep schedule was going to get better anytime soon. today, his caffeine comes from a quad shot latte, ordered from casablanca.

"so, do you also drink ridiculous amounts of coffee to get going or are you someone who actually has a sleep schedule?" he asks the person next to him, deciding to strike up a conversation.

is that DIEGO LUNA? oh, no, that’s JOAQUIN ASTACIO Y FLORES, a FORTY year old EMT AT VALAPARAISO CENTRO MEDICO who uses HE/HIM pronouns. they currently live in LAS VILLAS DORADAS in QUILPUE, and the character they identify with most is DR COX FROM SCRUBS. hopefully they find their own little paradise here in el país de los poetas!

basics

full name: joaquin rafael astacio y flores age: 40 date of birth: december 28th, 1983 zodiac: capricorn sun, cancer rising, scorpio moon gender & pronouns: cisgender man, he/him relationship status: single sexuality: bisexual spoken languages: english, spanish occupation: emt at valaparaiso centro medico

appearance

face claim: diego luna height: 5'10"(117.8 cm) dominant hand: right hair color: brown eye color: brown distinguishing features: tbd tattoos: tbd

personality

positive traits: hard-working, compassionate, intelligent, reliable, passionate negative traits: sarcastic, impatient, overworked, touchy, harsh

mentality

phobias: fear of failure disorders: n/a allergies: n/a

background

hometown: viña del mar, chile birthplace: valaparaiso, chile education level: bachelor's in emergency medical services

headcanons

first became interested in emergency medicine as career by watching medical drama tv shows. once he got older and realized how unrealistic these shows are, his interest shifted more to the aspect of helping people. joaquin also really likes the fast-paced environment of working in emergency services, though it is sometimes overwhelming for him. his guilty pleasure is telenovelas and he doesn't tell anyone except his close friends. this probably started because his mom watched them and he got invested but is too embarrassed to admit it. when he's off the clock and he's not out he can be caught catching up on his favorites. enjoys going out to bars and browsing the street market in his free time. joaquin doesn't drink very much but he enjoys the atmosphere and talking to other people. new vendors pop up all the time in the street market so he always feels like there's something new to discover, whether it's food or someone's creation. is perpetually exhausted, from a combination of being on call a lot and insomnia. with the irregular hours of his job he has a hard time getting a manageable sleep schedule. he has tried melatonin, white noise, essential oils, you name it, they tend to just help him for a short period of time and then it goes back to him not being able to sleep. in-between trips he tends to powernap, though he's usually woken up before he gets any real rest.