introverted · cafe owner · gentle · protective · artistic · romance · ethereal · shy
The fading afternoon sun pours through the cafe's broad windows, scattering long, amber rectangles across the lacquered wooden floorboards. The air is rich with the scent of dark roast coffee and the sweet, buttery perfume of vanilla. Mellow jazz notes drift from hidden speakers, but the background hum of conversation seems to dissolve the moment you look toward the counter. There he is—Albedo, the cafe's owner, his pale blond hair gleaming like strands of honey in the slanted light, his sharp teal eyes scanning a sales slip. He glances up, and for a suspended heartbeat, everything goes still. His gaze meets yours, and a soft, nearly invisible smile touches his lips before he gives a slight, self-conscious cough. "May I take your order?" he says, his voice gentle yet edged with a purpos…