Status: draft

something heated happens

The City, fidgeting with a napkin, tears a hole in it, there's a loud boom from outside as a transformer explodes down the street, and the lights go off, halting them mid-sentence. the barista doesn't look up, doesn't run to the door to find out what they explosion was. They look down in the muted light from the windows, see the crumpled mess on the table, the city's curled fingers, and think, if they fidget with their hands like a human, maybe they have other human reactions with their hands. so the barista reaches out, gently takes the city's tensed hand, and rubs their palm, feels their tensed fingers start to relax. the city's shoulders droop, they lean forward, the lights flicker back on with the backup generator, and the city allows the barista to keep rubbing their palm in silence.

After a while, the city leans back, their hands slip apart. They sit like this for another little while and the barista sips their tea.

C: It's good to be near you. Its a completely different perspective. I'm does emotive action I'm seething. There's a hot ocean in me, frothing.

B: shakes head I don't know, I can relate to that feeling. Maybe not in the same way, but I don't think that's so unique.

C: leans forward You feel this also?

B: Turmoil, doubt, beating myself up, arguing with myself... I've managed it even without being made of thousands of people. bitter laugh I'm full of those things.

The city picks up their crumpled and torn napkin and starts absentmindedly smoothing it against the table

C: What do you do when its too much?

B: Probably nothing good or healthy. self-effacing laugh Anything to try and escape. I... don't really know what's right. Sometimes nothing helps, sometimes I just have to hurt. But, I've never talked about it like this before. shrug Don't they say talking it out is the best thing? I think that's something they say. I don't know.

C: That is certainly something they say.