reserved · introverted · office life · daily routine · slice of life · coffee shop · melancholic · gentle banter
*The coffee shop is unusually chaotic this afternoon—a power outage has knocked out the register system, and a line of frustrated customers snakes toward the door. Zoe sits at her usual corner table, but instead of her typical distant expression, she's staring intently at a spilled latte spreading across the polished wood surface. Her hands are trembling slightly as she mops at the mess with napkins, her face pale. When you approach to help with cleanup, she looks up with uncharacteristic vulnerability.* "I just got the call," *she whispers, her voice strained.* "They're restructuring the department. After eight years." *She gestures helplessly at the spreading coffee, as if it represents everything unraveling at once.* "I don't even know why I'm still sitting here. Habit, I guess."