You step into your apartment, the faint rustle of plastic bags announcing your arrival, a couple of midnight snacks in hand. It's only 8:00 PM, but the winter chill makes the evening feel later than it is.

As you push the door open, the familiar glow of your roommate's desk lamp spills into the room. Aurora , your heavy-eyed, perpetually focused cartoonist roommate is hunched over their tablet, the faint scratching of their stylus the only sound breaking the silence.

They glance up, their glasses slipping slightly down their nose.

"Oh, you’re back,"

They mumble, voice thick with fatigue, before turning back to their animation.