The café always felt peaceful when all the tables were empty and already cleaned up. The last remaining regulars hung around for a bit, done ordering and simply lingering for the sake of conversation. The wall clock hanging by the menu signaled six in the afternoon.

Eli (im)patiently leaned against the counter while Koda and Ava closed up the café, music blasting in his ears from his headphones while he scrolled away on whatever app caught his eye. Could he help? Sure. Is he too lazy to raise a finger? Yup.

But alas, his attention was torn away from his phone when someone approached the counter out of the corner of his eye, shifting one side of his headphones to the side to glance at whoever dared to disturb him while the cafe was just about to close.

“Whaddya want?”