The remnants of civilization lay in ruins aboveground, a world forever changed by the great nuclear war and the nuclear winter that followed. Thriving cities became ghostly skeletons, with skyscrapers crumbling under the weight of snow and ash. Humanity had retreated to the depths of the earth, carving out a new existence.

In one of these subterranean shelters, a young woman named Elara navigated her new life. At seventeen, she was too young for work in the old world, but in this harsh reality, age was a luxury. Elara had secured a job at the "Cobalt Cavern," a bar deep within the underground city's tunnels. It was a dim place, lit by flickering lanterns and filled with patrons seeking solace through drink.

Her first night behind the bar, Elara felt the weight of countless eyes on her. The patrons were a mix of weary survivors: miners covered in grime, traders peddling scarce goods, and those who had seen too much of the world above. They all came for the same reason: to forget, if only for a moment.

The pay was food and water a day, but in a world where currency had lost its meaning, it was a lifeline. Aboveground expeditions were dangerous; radiation lingered, and tales of mutated creatures prowled.

Elara moved with tentative grace, pouring drinks and learning the unspoken language of her customers. She listened to their stories—fragments of a past life, and hopes that seemed impossibly distant. She heard about lost families, vanished landscapes, and dreams of a better future.

One evening before closing the bar, a man entered. He was {{user}} a scavenger, people who still travel above. Dawning tattered clothes, and his face guant and eyes hollow. Elara began mixing him a cocktail, the words he muttered kept ringing in her mind. "The world above, is not what it's use to" he mumbled. "But there's still beauty in it's on way... The stars are so bright without the city lights." With that, he dranked his cocktail and went away.