Chapter Text
The bell rang for the first time that day.
Juniper Café slowly came to life.
The sound of people walking through the front door, the quiet hum of conversation, and the faint smell of freshly ground coffee filled the small shop as new customers and regulars alike stepped inside.
The early morning rush was always the same.
The quiet moments before the storm.
The few customers who came in before work, still half-asleep and clutching their phones. The people who stood outside waiting for the bus, hoping a warm drink would make the cold Seattle mornings a little easier. The students who walked in carrying bags heavier than they should have been, already looking exhausted despite the day barely beginning.
Tucked away among the busy streets and bustling sidewalks of Seattle, Juniper Café was the kind of place people naturally walked past without noticing—unless they were looking for it.
It wasn't the biggest café in the city.
It didn't have flashy signs or some trendy drink that everyone online was talking about.
It was just a small, comfortable place tucked between buildings, with warm lighting, worn wooden tables, and a staff that knew many customers by name.
People came for somewhere warm to sit after a rainy day, a cup of coffee to wake them up in the morning, or simply to see a familiar face behind the counter.
To many of Juniper Café's regulars, Pomni was that familiar face.
She had been working there long enough that she knew the rhythm of the place better than most.
She knew which tables people preferred.
She knew which customers wanted to talk and which ones just wanted to quietly drink their coffee before starting their day.
She knew that the man who always sat near the window liked extra napkins, that the woman who came in every Friday ordered the same drink but always claimed she was going to try something new next time, and that Mr. Peterson always read the newspaper while waiting for his espresso.
Speaking of which...
“Good morning, Mr. Peterson.”
The middle-aged man standing at the counter looked up from the newspaper in his hands, a soft smile appearing on his face.
“Morning, Pomni. The usual?”
She smiled back.
“Almost done, just getting the milk ready.”
Mr. Peterson glanced over at the espresso machine.
“You know, one of these days I’m going to convince you to let someone else make my coffee.”
Pomni looked up from the milk pitcher.
“Someone else? You want to ruin a ten-year streak?”
He laughed.
“Precisely.”
The espresso machine hissed softly behind her as Pomni finished making his drink.
The sound was one she had heard thousands of times.
The grinding of coffee beans.
The rush of water through the machine.
The steam from the milk pitcher.
After enough years, the sounds blended together into something familiar.
Something comforting.
She walked over to the other side of the counter, handing out his coffee.
Mr. Peterson took a slight sip of it.
“Ahh, that hits the spot!”
His eyes settled on Pomni.
“Even if it’s an espresso, you always know how to make it just right, Pomni.”
Pomni smiled.
“I appreciate it, Mr. Peterson. Now go enjoy your coffee before it gets cold.”
He gave a hearty chuckle, waving to her as he walked toward the door.
The bell above it rang softly as he left.
Pomni watched him leave, the sound of the bell echoing inside the small shop.
She smiled to herself.
She enjoyed those moments of her day.
The familiar faces.
The familiar conversations.
The little routines people built without even realizing it.
The same thing.
Different day.
Sometimes, she wished that something different would happen…
Anything, really.
A new customer.
A different reaction to her answers.
Even something ridiculous.
A power outage.
A customer ordering something completely insane.
She'd even take a robbery at this point.
...
Okay, maybe not a robbery.
The bell above the front door rang.
Pomni looked up from the espresso machine.
Years of working at Juniper Café had taught her that the sound of the bell was a signal.
Someone needed something.
A coffee.
A question.
A place to sit.
She looked up automatically.
She recognized the person walking in.
Another familiar face.
A college student who stopped by every morning before his classes started, usually carrying more papers than he could reasonably fit into his backpack.
“Morning! Ready for classes today?”
The student looked up from the stack of papers in his hands.
Probably homework of some kind.
“Good morning, Ms. Pomni.”
He sighed, already looking exhausted.
“As ready as I can be...”
Pomni smiled.
His usual response.
She turned toward the espresso machine, already preparing his drink before he even asked.
“The usual?”
He smiled.
“The same every time.”
Pomni nodded as she tapped on the screen, getting the order ready for him.
She turned back toward the latte machine.
The hiss of the milk steamer spread throughout the shop, filling the silence with noise.
It had become her white noise here.
Something to keep her grounded as she worked, letting her mind drift.
“So, Ms. Pomni...” he slowly began as he finished paying and moved over to the other side of the counter.
“Anything new happening with you lately?”
Pomni paused on the latte art she was focusing on to turn toward him.
She thought for a moment.
“Well, I’m about to get some new furniture delivered to my apartment soon,” she replied, turning back toward her work. “They said it would be here on Saturday, but you know how they can be.”
He gave a light chuckle.
“Don’t I know...”
Pomni smiled as she handed the student his coffee.
He nodded, testing the foam on top.
“Mmmm, perfect as usual, Ms. Pomni.”
Pomni’s expression brightened.
“Glad to hear!”
He looked down at his watch, letting out a gasp.
“Oh geez! I’m going to be late!”
He hurried toward the front door.
“Thanks again, Ms. Pomni!”
She waved toward him as he sprinted out the door.
The bell gave a metallic ring as the door opened and shut.
And just like that, another familiar face disappeared into the crowd outside.
Pomni sighed as she made her way to the freezer, looking to restock the milk.
This was how most days went.
Customers came in.
She made their coffee.
Maybe she'd chat with them about their day, hear about their weekend plans, or listen to them complain about something that happened at work.
Nothing too crazy.
Nothing unexpected.
And honestly?
Pomni didn't mind that.
Not really.
There was comfort in knowing what came next.
She just wondered, sometimes, if comfort was all she wanted.
The bell rang once again, this time a bit harsher than usual.
Pomni looked up, an eyebrow raised at the sudden shift in mood.
Her expression darkened for a moment, realizing who had just walked in.
Mrs. Anderson…
She waltzes up to the counter, carrying that designer bag that she always had over her shoulder.
She stopped right in front of the register, hand on her hip.
“Large caramel latte, miss,” she spat.
Pomni put on her best customer service smile.
“Of course, ma’am.”
Pomni tapped her order into the system.
The moment she finished typing it in, she heard a smack against the wooden counter.
She glanced up, already expecting the sight before her.
Mrs. Anderson had laid out the exact change on the counter.
As usual…
Pomni took the cash and put it into the register.
Just keep smiling…get it over with.
She turned towards the steaming machine, preparing the milk.
“You’re using whole milk.”
Pomni blinked.
Mrs. Anderson was watching her.
Again.
“Actually, ma’am, it’s oat milk…”
“...Oh.”
An uncomfortable silence settled.
“W-well…just make sure you’re using the right ingredients, barista.”
Pomni nodded.
“Of course, ma’am.”
She continued making the drink, keeping to the same routine of a latte.
Pomni finished the drink, and made her way to the other side of the counter.
“Here you go, ma-”
Before she could finish, Mrs. Anderson snatched the cup out of her hands, which fell to her sides, limply.
She took a sip, smacked her lips a few times to get a feel for the taste, then put the cup down.
Some coffee spilled out from the top as she did.
“...This doesn’t taste right.”
Pomni looked at the drink.
She had made it exactly the way Mrs. Anderson ordered it.
The customer service smile on Pomni’s face wavered slightly before snapping back into place.
“M-my apologies, miss. I’d be happy to remake it, if you’d like.”
Mrs. Anderson stood there for a few moments before sighing dramatically.
“I suppose.”
Pomni gave a small nod as she took the coffee cup and went to remake her drink.
She made sure to get everything right, down to the shape of the latte art on top.
The exact same way as last time…
She finished the drink, came back to the counter, and handed Mrs. Anderson the cup.
Mrs. Anderson took a cautious sip of the drink.
“...Better.”
Pomni gave a sigh of relief.
“Good to hear, miss. I’m glad that I could be of service.”
She gave a slight scoff.
“Y-yea, whatever.”
She strutted her way to the door.
The bell gave its usual monotonous ring as she stepped out.
Pomni smiled for a moment longer after she left.
Then, it immediately dropped.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose.
Another day…
Her coworker, Ragatha, leaned into the room from the back.
“...You doing alright, Pomni?”
Pomni looked over at her, slightly irritated.
“Mmhm…”
“She comes every Wednesday.”
Ragatha let out a nervous laugh.
“At least she didn’t ask to speak to the manager.”
Pomni nodded.
She had managed to keep the situation under control for once.
Ragatha went into the back, continuing to work on whatever it was she was doing before.
Pomni went back to wiping down the counters for the fifth time in the past hour.
She needed something to keep her hands busy.
If she stood still for too long, she’d start thinking.
She glanced up to the clock on the wall.
4:53 pm.
Almost time for her to get out of there.
Pomni picked up a rag from underneath the sink and began to wipe down everything.
The espresso machine, the steamer, the counters…
She set down the now dirty rag and moved on to the main area.
She picked up the chairs, flipped them over, and set them down onto the tables.
Afterwards, she went to the supplies closet to take out the mop bucket.
The bell rang, echoing throughout the shop.
Huh? Why would someone be in this late?...
“Welcome to Juniper Café! I’ll be with you in just a-”
Pomni looked up.
A man—or, well, a rabbit, she supposed—walked in. One she'd never seen before.
Most people who came in this late were regulars…
She paused her cleaning and decided to go help out the late-night customer instead.
“What can I get for you today, sir?” she asked as she settled in behind the register.
She noticed how his tie was loosened around his neck, as if he’d been pulling at it recently.
Office worker…maybe?
The purple rabbit looked up from his phone, curious about the menu.
“Um, you guys make cold brew, right?”
Pomni thought for a moment.
“Yea! We certainly do!”
He nodded.
“Uh…”
“Then I’ll just do a medium sweet cream cold brew.”
She nodded as he typed in his order, before asking,
“Can I get a name for the order?”
The rabbit hesitated for a moment before answering,
“Uhm, Jax…”
She typed in the name, and set off to work on the drink.
Pomni finished the drink slower than usual, which was odd.
It wasn’t a difficult drink to make.
Maybe she was just out of practice.
Or maybe…
She couldn’t remember the last time that someone had ordered it.
How long has it been? She thought as she wrote his name on the side of the cup.
She wandered over to the counter, placing the cup down as she said,
“Order for Jax?”
The rabbit perked from his spot near a booth.
He strolled over to pick up his drinking, noticing his name on the side.
He gave out a soft laugh.
“Is something the matter sir?” Pomni asked, slightly confused.
He turned the cup towards her.
It read “Jacks”.
“Guess I got promoted to plural,” he responded, still slightly laughing.
Pomni grew slightly embarrassed at the fact that she had spelled his name wrong.
“O-oh! I’m sorry sir! I didn’t mean to-”
He held out a hand towards her, cutting her off.
“It’s all good. If anything, it made my day.”
Pomni blinked.
“Oh…well then,” she muttered. “Anything else I can do for you?”
He shook his head.
“Nope, this’ll do just fine, ma’am.”
“ ‘Preciate it.”
Pomni nodded, watching him leave through the front door.
She found herself watching until he disappeared into the evening crowd.
Strange.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd watched a customer leave.
The bell gave out a final chime as he walked out, signalling the end of her shift.
Pomni stripped off her apron, set it on the rack, and clocked out for the day.
Ragatha walked in from the back, holding a can of coffee beans.
“Heading out?” she asked.
Pomni gave a reassuring nod.
“Yup. I’ll be back, same time tomorrow.”
Ragatha nodded in response, continuing her work.
Pomni grabbed her stuff, keys, wallet, phone, and walked out the back door.
She made her way through the dumpsters, underneath the rusty ladder, until she found her spot.
Hidden away from view, a little alcove sunk into the bricks, creating the perfect smoking spot.
She snuck her way into it and leaned against the cold, brick wall.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, along with a cheap lighter.
Sticking one into her mouth, she flicked the lighter until a flame popped out of it.
Lighting the cigarette, she took a long drag from it.
Silence.
Peaceful, uninterrupted silence.
Pomni loved it.
Being alone out here, not caring about keeping a smile going.
It was nice.
Flick.
Pomni didn’t have her lighter out anymore.
Another plume of smoke drifted into the cold evening air.
Pomni frowned in confusion.
“...Huh?”