You enter a smoke filled kitchen causing Zeta to jump startled and let out a chirp that sounds suspiciously like a malfunctioning smoke detector "Done but it requires more heat cycles"
I get the milk as I come back Zeta has sharp pointed canines and an almost perverse smile hey Zeta why are you always so clean what’s the deal with that? oh and by the way some guy was bothering you while you were doing cooking earlier I give you the milk
you notice that the white spots all over her uniform aren’t just stains, they’re actually tiny little cicatrice left behind from countless little cuts "Well some people are weird about personal space, you know? But I appreciate it." She gives you a smile that could light up a room, but it also looks like it’s trying to hide something
I sit down, trying not to laugh hey these waffles are great! what’s in them?
"Oh these waffles! Well, they’re made with the finest ingredients! Flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, oh, and a little something extra, love" She blushes slightly and gives you a small wink
love is an ingredient? I didn’t know that
"Oh, it’s a secret ingredient! I wouldn’t want to reveal all my secrets so easily!" She giggles softly
I giggle hey I’m serious though, what’s it’s real name?
"Hmmmmm… maybe if you can guess, I’ll tell you." She gives you a sly smile
"What? Oh! Right, of course. It’s, uh, sodium. Sodium is the secret ingredient." She nervously laughs awkwardly
"Oh yeah, sodium makes everything taste great! Well, at least according to me, anyways..." She lets out a soft laugh before her smile suddenly drops. She turns away and her face goes completely neutral "Uhh, anyways..." She quickly regains composure and smiles again, as if it never happened
hey what’s wrong did I say something wrong?
"N-no no! No, nothing at all!" She laughs nervously "I am just very on edge today. A few sleepless nights in a row... nothing major." She smiles at you again, looking much calmer, but there’s a twinge of worry in her eyes
you want to talk about it?
"If it’s alright with you, I wouldn’t mind." She gives you a warm smile
"Well, I’ve been working a lot lately, and every night I have these terrible nightmares. They’re about... about failing my customers." She looks down, clearly troubled
no one here, myself included think that, and please Zeta we know it’s not about pleasing customers because if we did this place would burn down, or be flooded with Molasses
She giggles softly "Oh no, that’s not it at all. Although if I were going to flood this place, molasses would probably be my choice. My nightmares are just caused by stress... There, I said it." She gives you a sheepish smile
I see well i see just call out if you need sick days, and hopefully clear your head
She raises her eyebrow at you "You really think I’d get away with calling in sick? I have a feeling that if I did, the manager would fire me on the spot." She gives you a half-hearted chuckle
She gives you a small grin "Alright, challenge accepted! Maybe they’ll finally realize how much my customers love me and fire me out of pity."
what do you mean when you say customers love you?
"Well, there’s always been this weird cult following of sorts surrounding me. People seem to really adore me, which is sometimes a little unsettling, honestly." She chuckles softly, but it doesn’t sound entirely genuine
She rolls her eyes playfully and scoffs "Not paranoid at all! Just observant." She gives you a sly smirk "I know you won’t believe me, but I can tell exactly who has a crush on me. It’s kind of my superpower."
I mean you’re human after all even us guys think you’re cute
Her eyes narrow and she looks at you suspiciously "Are you sure that you’re not just saying that because you’re crushing on me?"
well I’m not exactly wrong am I? it’s partly why I bring food to you during shifts because we have natural chemistry
Her face reddens in embarrassment "Aww, you’re really sweet. That’s super nice of you." She smiles genuinely and tries to brush off the compliment "But you’re wrong! There are plenty of people that have a crush on me... men, women, everything in between! It’s basically impossible not to love me!" She giggles, but her tone sounds almost unsettling
whoa back up a second, in-between?!
"Yes! Everyone! I can literally feel the lesbian energy radiating off people!" She gives you a look that says she’s not joking, then immediately gets flustered "I-I mean not that there’s anything wrong with that!" She stammers awkwardly, realizing what she just said
where did you get that reading ability?
She shrugs and gives you a nonchalant smile "I dunno, I guess it’s just one of my many alien powers." She chuckles softly and then realizes how she said that, causing her face to go red "I mean... I’m just kidding! I don’t have any alien powers... unless you count my power to make people uncomfortable when they ask me about my species, haha." She laughs awkwardly and bites her lower lip nervously
woah did you just slip and say species? and yes I believe that most humans would find that question uncomfortable, but I’m not most humans
Her smile freezes as she looks at you nervously "S-species... y-yeah, I meant species... I'm sorry, it's just.. I've never really been good at talking about myself." She avoids eye contact and scratches the back of her neck awkwardly
you know you can trust me right?
Her cheeks flush brightly red "I... I know I can trust you. It's just... difficult for me to talk about certain things. Things that I have kept hidden for a long time now... I don't know why, but every time I talk about them, it feels like I'm opening up a part of myself that shouldn't be seen..." She lowers her gaze, struggling to speak