“The house will be very quiet without you,” Zef said as Bryce hiked his backpack higher.
“Come on, I ain’t that loud.”
“No, you are not. You are a very conscientious and satisfactory roommate,” they said, self-aware enough to realize how awkward that sounded.
Bryce chuckled. “Satisfactory? Wow. Don’t get carried away with the flattery.”
Heat licked at their cheeks as they crossed their arms over their torso. “That is not what I meant to say. You are a very good roommate. The best roommate. I am so happy that you live with me and that we are friends.”
His teasing grin softened to one more genuine as he said. “I’m gonna miss you too, Zef.”
Shifting their weight uncomfortably, they scoffed. “Now who is getting carried away?”
“Sass.” Bryce reached out and flicked their left antenna gently, and they released a chiding clicking sound in the back of their throat. “We can video chat whenever you want, and if you’re lucky, the ewes will lamb while I’m there.”
“I would very much like to see,” they said as the speakers crackled to life, announcing the next departure to Chicago.
“I’ll send you videos,” he promised.
“Safe travels, and please, let me know when you arrive safely.”
As he backed away, Bryce nodded. “I will.”
“Goodbye, Bryce,” Zef said, fingers fidgeting with the desire to do… something. To reach out and touch his wrist or brush their knuckles over his. A small gesture to communicate that they would, in fact, miss him.
“This ain’t really a goodbye,” Bryce said as he joined the throng moving toward the human platforms. “It’s more of a see-you-later.”
“See you later,” Zef echoed, and he waved a hand above his head.
“See you later, Zef.”
When they walked into the cafe kitchen a few minutes later, Willow was mixing dough as Glyma and Quin spoke quietly near the doors leading to the front. At seven in the morning, the Passing Through Cafe was bustling with early commuters here for their caffeine fix. The breakfast rush hit closer to nine, when Toni usually arrived.
“Is everything alright?” Zef asked Willow, gesturing to Glyma and Quin.
“Nothing catastrophic. Just last minute problems in Greed that need sorting.”
Quin appeared to be talking Glyma down, and the Succubus was nodding. She cupped Quin’s face in her purple hands and kissed her firmly, and the Daemon’s red tail curled around Glyma’s back to tangle with her purple one. They parted, exchanging a few more words before Glyma lowered a hand to caress Quin’s stomach.
She was still too early in her pregnancy to be showing much, but if they tried hard enough, Zef could decipher a small bump above her waistband. They did not care much for procreation, but they were happy for theirfriends and hopeful for a healthy baby. They were also curious to see what an Incubi fetus grown inside a Daemon’s uterus would look like, but that was purely selfish interest on their part.
“Gem called. Apparently there was a mix-up with the water company, so the pipes were never turned on. I’m glad he and Oliver were there to prep for tomorrow and caught it. It would have been catastrophic on opening day,” Glyma said as she joined them at the table.
“It’s going to be fine, Glyma,” Willow said confidently. “Gem and Oliver are a great team, and they’re going to do well.”
“I have full faith in them. It’s our luck I don’t have faith in,” Glyma confessed. “Opening day here was nearly a disaster, and I don’t want that repeated in Greed.”
“We will manifest a perfect opening day,” Zef said as they secured an apron around their waist, and Glyma simpered.
“You’re right. You both are. I need to stay positive and trust that we aren’t complete idiots.”
The kitchen doors opened, and Dex popped his golden-furred head inside. “Hey, Glyma, Brenda’s at the register, and she said that you had this baked item this one time from the human world. And it was like, powdered in sugar and had jam inside. Apparently, it freaking rocked her socks off, and she was wondering if you have any more. But I, like, have no idea what she’s talking about.”
“The Berliners, maybe?” Glyma said, and Dex shrugged, ducking out of sight for a moment, even though his voice rang clearly through the doors.
“Yo, Brenda, you talking about the berbiners?” He reappeared a moment later, claws clacking on the doors. “Yeah, she means the berbiners.”
“Berliners,” Glyma corrected brightly, “and no, we don’t have those every day. Just special occasions.”
