The Java Chip Cafe had never been so empty. Ghost Phase sighed as she looked out the window from across the counter. It was dreary, wet, and cold outside. Perfect weather, she reasoned, for a cup of coffee. She levitated a rag and wiped the counter for the fourteenth time in a row. The tables were spotless, each chair had been wiped down, and the coffee was freshly brewed.
Ghost had neatened herself up, too. Her cold-weather scarf, pale blue to match her mane, was hung on a hook behind the counter, right where it belonged. Her snowy white fur was brushed, and she looked clean and ready to work, which made it all the more sad that nopony was there to witness her one good mane day in Celestia knew how long.
The fireplace crackled away in the corner, casting flickering shadows across the tiled floor. It lit up the cushy armchairs with a warm ambiance, casting a cozy glow over everything. Ghost wished she could stand next to it, a chai latte in her hooves and a good book in her lap. It was simply tragic that employees didn’t get free coffee on the job.
Ghost thought that the mochas weren’t half bad here, and that meant quite a bit when she considered how long she had been working here. Four- no, five months now. Quite a long time to think the menu was good, especially considering she practically lived in the cafe.
It wasn’t as though there were many other places to work. In this corner of San Fransiscolt, her choices for an entry level position were limited to the cafe, the supermarket, or the fast food joint. Ghost hated the crowds in the supermarket, and she didn’t fancy going home every night smelling like hay fries, so this was the best possible place for her to work. Nice atmosphere, decent pay, and willing to work around her classes. Really, what more could she ask for?
Well, an employee discount would be nice, at the very least. And having a coworker to keep her company would be great as well. It got lonely in the afternoons, especially when the weather kept away the usual patrons. The writers and artists who hung out here usually kept to themselves, and the students left her alone for the most part, but both groups were missing today. Ghost blamed the rain.
There was that one time, she remembered, when that pegasus guy had harassed her, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. That was at a different cafe, though, and it happened a long time ago. It really shouldn’t affect her, but every once in a while she remembered it, and felt ashamed that she hadn’t said or done something different. It was in the past, though, and there was nothing she could do about it now.
Ghost sighed and pulled out her rag and stared at it. Must be nice to have somewhere to be, she mused. To have somepony to hang out with, and, more importantly, to be wanted in a group. She wished she had a social life, but the students in the classes she attended already had their own friend groups, and didn’t seem interested in adding her. It was a lot harder finding candidates for close friends since she got out of high school. Right now her greatest companion was the dishrag, and it sorely needed a wash.
She watched as a group of middle-aged unicorns walked past the shop windows, huddled under umbrellas in suits that were worth more than her week’s pay. They paused and stared at the ‘open’ sign, perhaps debating whether or not it was on in error, before walking in, dripping puddles onto the tile. The door chimed announced their entry, a welcome sound in a room that had only been filled by the warm crackling of the fire.
“Welcome to the Java Chip Cafe, is there anything I can get you?” Ghost chirped, trying to smile. The stallions barely noticed her, engrossed in their own discussion, before settling in the plush chairs around the fireplace. Ghost sighed and wiped down the counter again, thinking that it was mighty rude to not order anything, and hoping that her opinion didn’t show on her face. At least her shift was almost over.
She watched them talk, trying not to make it too obvious that she wanted to listen in. Snippets of conversation, she found, were often more interesting than their context. On busier days she even made it a game, trying to make up conversations where the phrases she heard would fit in perfectly. It didn’t work on quieter days, though, and all she could do was brew coffee, wait, and clean.
Ghost looked down. That would be the sixteenth time she wiped the same spot in the last ten minutes, she mused, so that countertop was as clean as it was going to get. She turned around to toss the rag onto the ‘dirty’ pile when the door chimed. Another customer, hoorah! Ghost felt she could almost cheer at the sound. “Hello, welcome to the Java Chip Cafe, what can I get started for you today?”
“Yeah, I heard there was one Ghostie left, and I just had to pick her up after work,” a mare’s voice purred, and Ghost spun around to see her best friend, Misty Step, disguised as a unicorn with purple-grey fur and an indigo mane, true to her normal colors for once. Her changeling friend may work with the royal guards, but that wouldn’t keep the average pony from freaking out if they saw a changeling wandering the streets.
“Oh my goddess, Misty! I didn’t know you were in town!” Ghost squeaked, and reached over the counter to give her a hug. Misty returned the hug, and Ghost could practically feel her grinning into her shoulder.
“Yup, got assigned here for the next few weeks. Just wanted to pop in and surprise you!” The changeling looked around. “Celestia above, this place is smaller than I expected. It’s warmer too. I wish I could fan out my wings near that fire, but, well, those fancy-shmancy tuxedo dudes seem to have beaten me to it.”
Ghost giggled and propped her head up in her hooves. “So, how’s work been? Catch any changelings siding with Chrysalis?” She kicked her back hooves as she sprawled on the counter, and narrowly missed knocking over a stack of cups.
The changeling looked panicked for a moment, looking around. Nopony took any note of the pair’s conversation, and she sighed in relief. “Hey, enough about that, at least while we’re in public. I’ve got a favor to ask, and I know it’s a lot, but could I crash at your place while I’m here? All the hotels are either run down or full, and couch-surfing sounds a lot better than sleeping on the park benches.”
Ghost nodded and scooted off the counter, catching the toppling tower of cups in her magic before they hit the floor. “Sure, I’ll be off work as soon as my replacement comes in. I can walk you there after I clock out, okay?” Misty nodded, and sat down at a table nearby, watching as Ghost reached out to wipe the counter with a rag that was no longer there.
Misty watched Ghost stare at her empty hoof for an embarrassingly long time, saying nothing. The suited stallions conversed, their discussion never rising above a dull murmur. Her replacement, Maple Spice, walked in a few minutes late and relieved her, before walking back into the kitchen to grab a rag and clean.
“Alright, Misty, it’s time to go.” The unicorn prodded her friend, who had been methodically making paper cranes out of a stack of napkins. Misty nodded, picked up one of the cranes and offered it to Ghost, who declined and wrapped herself in a scarf to head home.
The weather was still cold and wet, just the sort of weather that Misty hated. Ghost walked close to her friend in the vain hope that it would keep her warm.“Hey, so you’re not in any trouble, are you?” She teased, nuzzling the shivering changeling.
Misty frowned and huddled against her warmer, warm-blooded friend, all lighthearted cheer from the warmer cafe gone. “Um, let’s just save that discussion f-for when we get somewhere p-private, alright, Ghostie?”
Ghost blinked in surprise before wrapping part of her scarf around Misty in an effort to keep her from becoming a popsicle before they got back home. She had meant that as a joke! Whatever trouble Misty Step was in, she resolved to do the best she could to try to fix it.