Case No. 33
CAFE & DINER TESTAMENT · LAS VEGAS, NV · ALL DEBTS COME DUE
BARISTA: AMBER INGRAM
CAFE: TESTAMENT
DATE: EARLY MAY
RECEIPT ID: TEST-05
…So…
Man, Auddy really knocked it out of the park on their first receipt. "Mixed grief." Yeah. That's what I've got. Mixed grief. It is with mixed min-maxed mega grief that I begin this receipt. It's funny. Or maybe it's not that funny, but it's sorta… weird. Like hitting your funny bone, funny and weird. My brain's not sure exactly what to, uhm, do, now. I guess I'm not alone in that. Dover, Simon, and Jahzeel all know how it feels. Mammon, Melody, and Alex had their own thing going on, which let them skip this weirdness… this… uhm… I don't really know. Realities crashing in upon themselves. Feeling like waking up from a long, long coma. Waking up and… just sorta… knowing you're not in the bed you went to sleep in, but it's still your bed.
I feel like I've been smooshed back together after being cut in twain. Let's put it that way. On the one hand, this is great, y'know? I never really thought part of me could be missing but then, once I got it back, it's like how was I ever living before this? I finally feel like my old Fate-cleaving self again. I feel like nothing has changed, but everything has. I remember so, so many things, but I also remember all the new stuff that's happened too. It's… It's really, really weird.
On the other hand, though… Not a fan of having been kept in the dark for so long. I feel spectacular. I feel better than spectacular; I feel like myself. And I can't help but mourn for the weeks and months and years that I wasn't able to feel like myself. Alex could've—well… I don't know. I don't know if I can really hold it against him. He did what he could and what he thought was best. But still, keeping myself from me for years? Kinda sucks, not going to lie. I'm not gonna brood about it though—that'd drive me CRAZY! I'll just get right back to rambling on about my sexy, dangerous, and fun life. It has been HELL ON EARTH the past like, 48 hours, trying to be all stoic. It is not my vibe, babes; you know that.
BARISTA: ALEX GÁLVEZ
CAFE: TESTAMENT
DATE: EARLY MAY
RECEIPT ID: TEST-06
I know I've been on my apology train lately, but again, I'm sorry about all the secrets. I mean, I think now more than ever you can appreciate why I had to keep it a bit of a secret, but still, I should've mentioned it to Amber as soon as I gave everyone else the Truth. I think I was just scared that you'd say yes and then remember how much you didn't like working with me. Which, in hindsight, I don't even think was really true. We worked well together, and things just went… sideways. I messed up more than you did, and I should've listened to you more instead of assuming my extra years of experience made me somehow better. So, I'm sorry. Again. Last time I'll apologize, though.
In the spirit of "no more secrets," both the conceptual kind and we did trap the literal Secret out in Northern Nevada—I have one last secret I need to share with everyone. Jet and Laz included. I know; they prefer to keep their hands clean of my antics. But, this secret has been eating away at me for MONTHS, and there's no way once we all know that we could keep Jet and Laz out of it. It's… well, it's the biggest secret I've ever held on to before, which is saying a lot.
I trust you guys implicitly. I want you to know about this. About what I've been keeping in my basement. You just have to keep a cool head about it, okay? Don't freak out and don't go telling everyone else. Hell—don't really tell anyone else, if you can. I don't totally know how, uh, well, I don't know how this secret will impact all of our futures moving forward. It's big. Actually, it's pretty small—but that's not the point. We're moving into uncharted territory here, and…
Just be cool about it, okay?
Caffeinated Report: CD-ZIM-01
"Diminutive Mermaid swims with many fish—Unidentified or otherwise."
Research | 4 Words
Caffeinated Report: CD-ZIM-02
"Remember the 'Alamao.'"
Internet Trivia | 2 Words
Caffeinated Report: C-ZIM-03
"Like seeing Jumanji or Aladdin in a 5D Theater!"
True Crime Trivia | 3 Words
Caffeinated Report: CD-ZIM-04
"Zeinth of the Gipfel."
Board Game Trivia | 1 Word
Caffeinated Report: ZZ-ZIM-05
"Zipzuzumzmzew!"
CaD Knowledge | 1 Word
BARISTA: JACK KEEL
CAFE: CORE
DATE: EARLY MAY
RECEIPT ID: TEST-07
I understand that Doris is dead. Bummer. Big time bummer, huh, gang? Alright, man, whatever. It happens. But seeing as Doris O'Neal was a high-priority customer to the Cafe and Diner, I think I'm going to need to know what exactly happened at her service. And I think the only person who could tell me exactly what happened with her service is, of course, Alex. From what I've been able to sort out, Amber had little to do with her service, so she's now in charge of Testament while Alex is paying me and the Core branch a visit down in Long Beach.
As for Testament's continued operations as a branch of the Cafe and Diner Network… I don't know. I guess it'll come down to what exactly Alex can tell me about this fiasco. I'm not jonesin' to clean house; I think you're all very talented baristas, but I should've cut Bloodglass off sooner, and I won't make the same mistake twice. Between this, the Big Bong incident, the Firework Factory Mishap, the Double Dover Day, and the Where's Warden escapade… I am starting to worry that Testament is only a liability to the Network.
So—Alex, see you soon, man. I think we'll have a lot to talk about, you and I. We've got quite a bit in common, and I hope we can use that to find some shared ground between us. As for the rest of Testament, you're on Sunshine duty from here out. Simple customers only. Catch and release. Keep things nice and tidy in Vegas. I don't want you doing anything that might rock the cosmic boat. Not until I know the coffee you're serving isn't burnt to all hell.
—Oh, and Auditor… What the hell, dude? Aren't you supposed to be the one in charge of keeping the Cafes running smoothly? I know your attention is split between the branches, but if it's not working, we're gonna have to figure something else out, huh?