[center][color=teal][h2]Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey[/h2][/color][/center]

They were all around. As the pair stepped into the cafe, Jess didn't need to look at the eyes that turned their way to know of them. That miasma of sick satisfaction permeated the air. The empath kept her head down, shuffling behind Roxy into the line.

She only looked up when she and Roxy neared the counter. The soup of the day was written on the board. Cream of mushroom soup, normally one of her favourite kinds, but she still barely felt like eating even though Roxy was right. She had to.

Halfway through ordering, she froze, falling silent at a noise - that jarringly cheery notification signal.

[color=springgreen]"Is everything ok?"[/color] the till person asked. Jess gave a hasty nod, although by now it was painfully clear she couldn't hide anything. It just figured that hiding things from one particular person was of utmost importance.

[color=teal]"Yeah... Everything's fine,"[/color] she insisted. Thankful that the till person didn't inquire further, she finished ordering. All the while, thoughts of what she might read in the email, and what she'd reply with, chattered away in the back of her mind.