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Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Nina smiled brightly as she made her way into work. Scents of fresh coffee grounds and chocolate muffins filled the small and quaint cafe. The owners of the cafe were a lovely elderly couple. They were avid readers and it showed throughout the decor and atmosphere of the cafe. Hundreds of books lined the walls and even drinks on the menu took inspiration from book characters. Nina absolutely adored the cafe and everyone who worked and visited there. She only worked once a week but spent much of her free time at the cafe. 

She was greeted by Josh, who had worked at the cafe since he was in high school. Nina loved working with him. He was always calm and knew how to think through every situation. 

[color=D8BFD8]“Hi Josh! How did your exam go?”[/color] Josh was currently a junior at the University of Tampa studying biology. While she had never gone to college, hearing Josh talk of his time there made her want to. 

“It went well, I suppose. I didn’t study as much as I should have,” he mumbled as he pulled out some pastries from the oven. Nina signed in before helping Josh continue with the baking for the morning. 

[color=D8BFD8]“Aw, well you have a lot on your plate. It’s okay to not study as much from time to time.” [/color]

“I know.. I just kind of lost my passion for it all. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken summer classes,” Josh sighed. 

[color=D8BFD8]“It’ll be worth it though when you go to Japan next year! You’ll have to take lots of pictures when you do. We’ll all miss you here!”[/color] Nina admired how hardworking Josh was. He had two jobs to help pay his bills on top of classes. How he managed, Nina had no idea. High school was difficult enough for her. 

“It’s the only thing that keeps me going. Thank you, Nina. I’ll miss your positivity while I’m gone.” 

They continued working toward the morning opening, following the checklist and chatting as they went. When they were finally ready to open, Marianne was already waiting at the door. She was a regular who always stopped by after her morning jogs. The rest of the day was relatively steady. While the cafe didn’t get much business, it was enough for the two to keep busy. 

On her break, Nina messaged Maya to see how the Coven meeting was going. She felt bad for missing a meeting but she could never call in from work unless of an absolute emergency. Hopefully the casino would still be in pieces when she came back.