You Wake Up In A Bar

It's tough to make a decision.

On one hand, Stax is a patron-- and clearly has some of his own problems to work through. On the other hand, he's absolutely making other people unhappy in the bar. Something has to be done, and you finally decide to try and come to a peaceful resolution.

As you speak, you also grab an entire carton of cigarettes and begin loading them into a non-special cocktail shaker to burn.





Stax huffs, and his posture grows mildly more relaxed-- but still quite stiff.










You set the contents of the shaker on fire just in time to reply, and wash a dish while you still have some time-- a cup once again.












Stax kicks at the floorboards absentmindedly. As the burning cocktail shaker fills the bar with a light smoke, he begins to undo the blinds on the windows and popping them up-- flooding the previously-dim bar with wide beams of sunlight and wafts of fresh air, which he doesn't seem to be enjoying.








To your surprise, the Energetic pops a small grin. It seems a little less... dishonest than his previously jovial expressions. Perhaps you've struck a chord with his ego, or he's just surprised.




However, before you can respond, the front doors open to finally reveal the new arrivals-- a large, steam-emitting swan made of plate metal, pipes, and thick plexiglass wings, and what appears to be cat with a robotic body.







O'Hare shifts around in his stool to face the swan, lowering his brow in immense incredulity.

The cat steps up to Laren, and begins giving her affectionate rubs on the face, much to their mutual amusement. The cat acts much less like a humanoid cat, and more like a cat who has accidentally grown a humanoid body.

This is a lot at once, certainly-- and you feel the pressure coming on, with multiple orders finally entering at once, including Stax's ice cream sandwich and massage. (You're still not sure if you're doing those.) O'Hare has finally finished his Yeah, Screw You, Stax, and if not for the recent commotion, seemed to be preparing to go. Laren is preoccupied petting the bajeezus out of Bloomy, for the moment.

Lunch approaches its closer, and the new patrons mark its toughest moments. Making it through this will mean another bartending level.

Lastly, you now have a completely ruined cocktail shaker filled with ash and particulate. Nice.

Cup status: 2 dirty (Rooted Bean, Dynamic Dynamite), 4 free
Plate status: 2 dirty (TQoaBT, Y,SY,S), 2 free
Scavenger ability: Activated (0 uses)
Intrusive ability: Enabled

ERROR: INPUT FAILED TO MATCH ACCEPTABILITY SIGNATURE (A-244)
CONTACT INPUT AGGREGATOR HANDBOOK FOR HELP

Author's NotesShow

Hey, thanks for the patience once again. This was a bit of a bigger update so I've been really trying to refine it. One thing I absolutely hope to do is have characters that have various things going on, and I always appreciate feedback on how that's going. Hopefully this adventure has a little something for everyone!