>Head to the Cafe

Stepping away from the disquieting mist of the laboratory for now, Fern made her way to the cafe with the dreadful lab-tech's order in hand. Whatever put her farther away from the scientist came as a relief to such existential parasites as Narrations, and especially to any buzzers who weren't already now in various test tubes or specimen tanks, forgotten by the lucky ones who hadn't caught too much attention.

As she entered the malodorous humidity of the coffedy-house, Fern saw the last figure she ever expected to see here again, but really should have if she'd thought more about it in retrospect.

FERN:

Uhhmmmm...hm...mmm...

Chip? Sssweetie?

CHIP:

Oh, h-hi there F-f-Fern.

FERN:

You're, uh. Here. I thought we fixed that, didn't we? And why aren't you..."digital?"

CHIP:

N-not w-working here, Fern! Just g-grabbing my mid-sh-shift j-j-j-j-java. And I can't very we-well go out without p-p-pants, of c-course.

FERN:

Of course. Silly me. But shouldn't you be, er, "caffeinated" enough? I mean, you are a coffee, or something, right?

CHIP:

Are you h-hydrated enough? You "are" w-w-water, right? Haha.

B-but seriously, the office c-c-coffee just doesn't c-c-c-cut it. T-terrible in f-f-fact.

FLAIR:

...heh heh...sure is, isn't it...

FERN:

...I think I'm beginning to see how you got yourself stuck here the first time...

FLAIR:

...Oh, it wasn't the first time. And it wooon't be the last.

JOE:

HA!! HAHA!!! HAHAHA. YOU'RE SO FFFFFFFfffFFUNNY WHEN YOU'RE ffFUNNY, BOSS! LIKE SOFT LITTLE OFFICEBOY COULD HANDLE MY JOB RIGHT.

CHIP:

No, r-really, don't w-worry about me Fern. I'm not st-sticking around here any longer than I h-have to. I've got a d-d-date after this shift.

FLAIR:

You what now?

FERN:

That's wonderful Chip!

CHIP:

I should th-thank you again f-Fern, I thought he was g-ghosting me a few layers there, but it turned out he just n-needed his computer f-f-fixed.