Talia took another sip from her cup, savoring the flavor like a personal victory. The café's warm hum wrapped around her, and the soft glow of the enchanted bulbs above cast cozy shadows. For a brief moment, it almost felt like peace.
Xander leaned against the counter, arms crossed, sipping his drink with a watchful eye on the front door.
Talia glanced at him, then at the softly glowing parchment of her system window hovering at the edge of her vision.
"Alright," she murmured. "Let's see what this inventory thing actually does."
She tuned out the ambient noise and focused inward. The interface was subtle—responsive in the way a dream might be. As she mentally prodded the Inventory tab, it opened like a drawer sliding out in her mind.
[Inventory: Empty.]
She frowned. "Empty. Figures."
Xander didn't look her way, but his voice was dry. "You'll want to put that core somewhere safe before it fries your pocket."
Talia raised a brow, hand instinctively brushing the back pocket of her jeans. The mutant core pulsed faintly there, humming with dangerous energy.
"Speaking of which…" she muttered, reaching for it mentally. "You really gave me that thing in exchange for a coffee?"
He took another sip, eyes still on the door. "Strongest espresso I've had since Eldham burned. Fair trade."
Talia smirked. "You're either broke or suicidal."
"Bit of both."
She chuckled and focused on the core. In her mind's eye, it appeared—cracked, glowing, unstable. But she didn't feel fear. Only intrigue.
She imagined placing it into her inventory.
A strange ripple passed through her—light and cold—and the core vanished.
[Inventory: Mutant Core (from the Wastelands of Eldham)]
Her eyes widened slightly. "Huh. It worked."
Xander turned his head. "What worked?"
She straightened, expression innocent. "Just organizing."
"You've been staring into space like you're downloading divine instructions."
"Maybe I am," she said, grinning.
He rolled his eyes, muttering something about caffeine overdoses. But she was already focused again. She selected the core, visualizing it in her hand.
The air pulsed faintly—and without any dramatic flash or sound, the core materialized above her palm, glowing faintly like a dying star.
Xander flinched. "What the—?"
Talia tilted her hand, admiring the way the light danced over her fingers. "Just checking if it travels well."
"Travels well? What… do you mean by travels well?" He took a cautious step back. "Why is it suddenly in your hand?"
"Relax," she said, waving her hand. The core shimmered and vanished into the ether again, slipping back into her inventory.
Xander stared at her, baffled. "You really are something else."
She sipped her coffee. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
A faint rumble echoed from outside—the kind that made the glass tremble in its panes.
Xander's head snapped toward the noise. "Company."
Talia groaned. "Ugh. Can't we have one peaceful coffee break?"
She raised her fingers and flicked her wrist. The sanctuary aura of Haven Brew pulsed to life, soft and golden, enveloping the space in a protective warmth. The sigil above the door glowed faintly, and the outside noise dulled like someone had closed a thick door.
Xander eyed the sigil, then looked at her, deadpan. "Okay. That's actually impressive."
Talia grinned, cradling her cup. "This? This is just the beginning."
A soft chime echoed through the café—the bell above the door, ancient and enchanted, rang with delicate clarity despite the ash-laced winds outside. The enchantments flickered gently, and Talia's system flared in the corner of her vision.
[Quest Update: Serve 5 Unique Customers]
[Reward: Café Expansion – Reading Nook]
[Progress: 1/5]
Talia glanced up from her cup, her lips already curled into a curious smile.
A young man stood at the threshold, framed by the swirling gray of the wasteland. His black hair was a tangled mess, and his clothes looked like they'd been scavenged from ten different lifetimes—too large in the shoulders, too short at the sleeves. His face, pale and unshaven, bore the weary lines of someone who had seen far too much and hoped for too little.
'Oh? This is the first human I've seen in a while,' Talia mused.
Despite his rough appearance, there was something oddly magnetic about him—the way his green eyes scanned the café, twitching from corner to corner, as if still deciding whether it was a hallucination.
"Is this... a real café?" he asked, voice hoarse from disuse but sharp with disbelief. "In the middle of... all this?"
Talia set her cup down with exaggerated care. "As real as it gets. You're not dreaming—unless this is a very boring dream."
The young man stepped in hesitantly, boots crunching faintly on the threshold. "There was nothing here yesterday. Just rubble. I swear."
"Today's a better day," she said with a shrug. "Sit down before your legs collapse."
He slumped into the nearest chair, still staring around like a man who'd stepped into a storybook. "This place... the lights, the warmth, the music... I thought I'd gone crazy."
"You wouldn't be the first," Xander muttered from his usual spot in the corner, arms crossed as he eyed the newcomer warily.
The man caught sight of him and stiffened, but didn't bolt. That alone earned him a point in Talia's book.
"What can I get you?" she asked, already moving toward the machine.
The man blinked. "Coffee. God, I haven't had coffee in... I don't even know."
Talia nodded and set to work, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Got a name, wanderer?"
"Jasper," he said after a beat. "Jasper Lane."
"Jasper," she repeated, rolling the name on her tongue like a flavor she hadn't tasted in a while. A faint golden glow pulsed beneath her feet—visible only to those attuned—as [Café Management] quietly activated.
With a snap of her fingers, the hanging lanterns dimmed slightly, spotlighting the old espresso machine on the counter. Talia's hands moved in practiced rhythm: grind, tamp, pull. The hum of magic tingled at the edge of her fingertips, guiding the steam wand like a conductor's baton. Aromas of roasted beans and lavender sugar wafted into the air.
The system whispered in the air beside her:
[Café Management activated: +10% task efficiency applied.]
In a heartbeat, two cups appeared on the counter. The foam atop his coffee held a perfect swirl shaped like a wolf's head—unintentional, maybe. Or maybe not.
She turned, setting the drink in front of Jasper with a wink. "Welcome to Haven Brew. Drink up before the enchantment fades."
Jasper stared at the cup, eyes wide. "This smells like… how mornings used to feel."
Talia tilted her head, amused. "That'll be the charm talking."
Another shimmer, this time from her system HUD, pulsed as [Charm (Passive)] quietly rippled through the room. The tension in Jasper's shoulders eased. The warmth of the café settled over him like a worn blanket. Something about her made it feel safe to sit, to stay.
"Well, Jasper Lane," she said, placing a steaming mug before him, "payment's flexible. Got anything interesting?"
He hesitated, then reached into his coat and pulled out a small, cracked orb that pulsed with faint blue light. "It's a condenser. Used to stabilize ley lines and feed scavenged tech. Still has some juice left."
Talia's system pinged softly in her vision—[Mana-Rich Item Detected]—and she accepted it with a nod.
"Consider your tab paid."
Jasper took a cautious sip, and a quiet, blissful sigh escaped him. "This is... better than dying. By a lot."
Ding!
[Quest Update: Serve 5 Unique Customers]
[Reward: Café Expansion – Reading Nook]
[Progress: 2/5]
The white cat woke up and spoke to Talia, "Ask him more questions. He seems to be good at tech magic. The apocalypse must have affected him."
Talia leaned on the counter, watching him. "So you worked with ley lines?"
He nodded. "I was a technician. After everything went to hell, I started picking up magic—figuring out how to sense and redirect energy, repair old-world artifacts. Not a mage, exactly, but close enough."
"Not bad," the cat said to Talia. "Ask him if he worked with hybrid enchantments or anything tech-magic related."
Her gaze sharpened. "Ever worked with hybrid enchantments? Magic-meets-machine stuff?"
"I've tried," he admitted. "Sometimes it works. Sometimes it explodes."
Xander nodded. "That's actually quite useful."
"Make him your employee," the cat suggested.
"You think I'd pass this guy up? Not a chance," Talia replied.
Talia smiled slowly. "You know, Jasper, I've got a side project brewing. I could really use someone to help with the warding and enchantments around the café, keeping things running smoothly. You seem like someone who knows their way around magic and tech."
Jasper blinked. "You're serious?"
"Dead serious. Think of it as a job to keep this place running—fixing things when they break, making sure we don't end up in a heap of rubble again. You'll find the terms fair—no curses, no blood oaths. Unless you try to kill me. Then we renegotiate."
His hand tightened around the mug. "Alright. I'll help."
Her grin deepened. "Then let's make it official."
She reached across the counter and tapped her fingers against the surface. A scroll of light unfurled in the air between them, hovering gently.
[Magical Servitude Binding: Contract Available]
"Sign here, if you're willing to work under me. Just part-time to start. You'll find the terms fair—no curses, no blood oaths. I don't do the whole 'soul-binding' drama. Unless you try to kill me. Then we renegotiate."
Jasper blinked at her, then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pair of slightly broken glasses. One arm was bent, the lens smudged with ash. He adjusted them with care, squinting as he looked at the glowing system window Talia had flicked into view.
"Contract?" he asked, frowning. "You mean like... magic-bound or just metaphorical?"
Talia's grin widened. "A little of both. Welcome to Haven Brew."
Jasper read the contract, then looked back at her. "You're serious."
Talia smiled, and her eyes gleamed.