February 5, 2021: Gladna mechka horo ne igrae

"I wonder what happened to Annie? It's been a couple of days, but she's absent till today." Reina uttered, sighing as she dried off the mug that she had just washed with a piece of rug.

Syn, who was handling the counter, didn't say a word of reply. Instead, she merely listened to the incessant ramblings of her co-worker while doing her tasks sans wasting a second.

"You've been covering her shifts," Reina said as she turned around and placed the dishes back in the cupboard. She then approached Syn and met her eyes ahead of asking, "Are you fine with that? You have classes today too, right?"

As a response, Syn simply nodded her head once. Reina thought nothing of her silence since it was the lady's usual demeanour. She had priorly gotten used to their third companion, that being the air, every time she's having a talk with Syn.

From there on, Reina continued to do her cleaning duties in quietude. It was the perfect opportunity to tidy up the store because of the scarcity of customers. At a couple of hours after lunch, the cafe was finally freed from the second wave of people seeking to spend their breaks relaxing within a cosy interior.

"Oh," Reina suddenly stopped moving her hands and darted her gaze to Syn, eventually suspending the peace. "Come to think of it. Tommy should be here by now. He's my replacement for today. Why is he late?"

"Reina, I am unaware of what you are not. You can go. I can manage by myself." Syn finally gave a proper rejoinder, though her back was still against the woman.

Latterly of hearing Syn's proposition, Reina's eyes seemed to have become lively. Her slumped shoulders instantly straightened as she joined her hands, appearing to pray for gratitude.

"Really?! Will you be alright by yourself?"

"I'm fine. The store isn't busy so go, or else I'll change my mind."

"Okay, okay, chill, I'll take up your offer. I have a date today, so you saved me." Reina hurriedly accepted the proposal, already making her way back to the staff room.

Before she closed the door, she gave Syn a wave of farewell. The young lady readily smiled as she returned the gesture, proceeding to carry on with fixing the records in the register.

Several minutes passed with the young lady barely moving from her spot, oblivious of the fact that Tommy had arrived at the floor. The young man tried to get close to Syn, but to him, she appeared formidable with her austere countenance, uncordial and domineering.

For the few days that they've worked together, Tommy ought to have familiarized himself with how Syn conducted herself in front of them. However, he didn't have the guts to keep staring at her for a second, much more talk. Following a while of contemplation, he simply bowed his head and stood at the far end of the counter, claiming his moment of repose that he wouldn't get once the cafe-goers start flooding in.

In less than no time, someone came up to the register, interrupting Syn's concentration.

"Good afternoon."

The instant that she heard the greeting, the young lady inconspicuously heaved a sigh ahead of putting on a welcoming expression on her face. Without paying a look at the person facing her, she spoke, "Good afternoon to you too. Are you going to order now?"

"Yes please, I want an Americano, Venti size."

"Would you like it hot or iced?"

"Iced."

"Alright, is there anything else you'd like to order?"

Bringing their hand up to their chin, the customer began to contemplate regarding Syn's query. They then walked towards the glass cabinet displaying the myriad of desserts that the cafe had to offer. It took them nearly a minute to scan the visual menu, retracing their steps back to the counter once they're done.

"Please give me a slice of the blueberry cheesecake."

"Sure, and that's for dine-in, right?"

"Yes," The customer said as opened their bag to pick up their wallet.

In the meanwhile, Syn promptly entered the orders in the register early of uttering another question, "Will you be paying by card or cash? Also, can I have your name?"

"Debit card, if you may. Oh, and I'm Arthasia."

Exactly when she harkened the name, Syn's hand, that was gripping the edge of the marbled counter, briefly stiffened. Though, true to her fashion, she set aside the matter as if it didn't arise in the first place.

"Miss Arthasia, can I have your card please?"

Arthasia flipped through the slots in her wallet, giving the card to the young lady once she found it, saying, "Here, savings."

"Thank you so much."

Subsequent to receiving the card, Syn bent down to obtain the payment terminal, placed inside the bottom cabinet behind the tabletop. Even supposing that she made no effort hiding her face for Arthasia to see, Syn didn't covet to interact further with her. To her dismay, the instant that she lifted her head, she noticed that the woman was looking directly at her.

"Aren't you Syn? I didn't know you were working here. It's nice to see you!" Arthasia sounded ecstatic as she addressed their second meeting. "Wait, I don't think I was able to introduce myself to you properly the last time. I'm Arthasia Schevel. If you haven't forgotten, we both attend Ms Fulman's class."

Thereupon giving her introduction, Arthasia held out her hand to Syn. The young lady only stared at it for a second or two, shaking her head when she realized that she was being rude.

"Ah, yes, I'm Syn Rosenfeldt. It's nice to meet you too." Syn responded as she reached for Arthasia's hand to finish their greetings.

In the process of parting their hands, Arthasia suddenly tightened her clasp, making the young lady tilt her head to the side out of confusion.

"What seems to be the problem?" Syn asked, wanting to move on with their transaction.

"Well, you see, you're Tristan's friend, right?"

It was a harmless inquiry, yet Syn was a tad surprised when it abruptly emerged in their conversation. Still, she quickly riposted with the intent of ending their discussion as soon as possible.

"I guess?"

"You need to have a talk with him. He's kind of down these days. I need your help, please!" Arthasia articulated her request, imploring Syn with her eyes.

Regrettably for Arthasia, Syn failed to understand the aim of her plea. Before she pronounced her answer, the young lady slowly removed the woman's hand, "I'm sorry. We don't have that close of a relationship anymore for me to talk to him about your problems."