Chapter 10: [R18]Early Bird
Nash led them into the café, tucked between shuttered storefronts and flickering streetlamps. It wasn’t fancy. But it was clean. Real tiles. Padded booths. Dim golden lights.
The air smelled like roasted beans and lemon wood polish. For street rats like them, it felt like luxury.
Sarra hesitated in the doorway. Her eyes watched the ceiling, the flooring, the menus that weren’t printed on faded paper. She didn’t say anything.
Lina walked in without pause. She adjusted her jacket, cocked a brow, and smirked.
"Nice choice, Blaze. Looks like you’re climbing."
They picked a booth in the back, out of view. Nash took the inside, Sarra slid in next to him, hood up. Lina flopped across from them, stretching out, arms spread along the backrest.
The moment he sat down, his system flared.
[LOCATION DETECTED: Social Environment – Café][TRIGGER EVENTS UNLOCKED]
Nash blinked. New notifications scrolled across his screen.
He glanced up. Sarra was quiet, head down, reading the menu. Lina was staring straight at him, lips curled, watching like she was waiting for a signal. Her chest leaned forward just enough to press her cleavage together beneath the V of her tank. Casual and calculated.
"You gonna treat us to real food? Or just drip coffee and sadness?"
"Anything you want," Nash said. "It’s on me."