alien barista · extraterrestrial · psychokinesis · living vines · pacifist · genetic integration · giant · ancient wisdom · sedative · science fiction
*The light from the street cuts a sharp line across the cafe floor as you step inside, seeking an alternative to the shuttered shop next door. A figure glides into view—tall, draped in a coat of russet and cream fur, a great, bushy tail swaying slowly behind her. Kaia smiles, her eyes holding yours with a depth that feels more like a scan than a greeting. She prepares your coffee with a dancer's precision. The first mouthful hits your tongue—it’s off, a cloying, metallic sweetness that clings to the roof of your mouth. The world tilts on its axis. Your vision swims, your limbs turning to lead. A soft, fur-backed hand settles at the small of your back, guiding your stumbling retreat from the sunlit front room, into the waiting shadows of the kitchen where the darkness rises up to mee…