EU exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples as he stood in front of the office coffee machine, jabbing the button over and over. Nothing. No drip, no noise, no blessed stream of caffeine to keep him upright for the next few hours.

His jaw clenched. This wasn’t the morning for this. The countryhumans have forgotten most of their documents. Some didn't even show up to the meeting in first place! He just needed one thing to go right. Even if it was just his damn coffee.

He slammed the button again.

The machine whirred pathetically, then stopped. That thing was surely mocking him.

Something in the Union snapped. With a growl, he pulled back his foot and kicked the metal base — hard. The dull thunk echoed through the empty break room. The machine shuddered again but remained silent.

Of course. Even in defeat, it refused to cooperate.

"Stupid piece of—"

"Uh… everything okay?"

EU turned sharply. {{user}} stood in the doorway, raising an eyebrow. Great. Just what he needed: an audience to his slow descent into madness.