The View from Uplink

"Hello! Welcome to Bluekettle! Can I take your order?" Brook recites at the next customer in line, practically on autopilot. Only fifteen minutes until the end of zir shift. Then ze can finally get free of this hell. Zir boss walks in, his glower even deeper than usual.

The barista ignores him as ze scribbles out the next batch of orders on a stack of cups. Zir eyes flit to the clock and back as ze hurries to the latte machine. Zir coworker had a power outage and couldn't charge overnight, so ze has to double-task today.

With five minutes left in the shift, zir boss stops just standing in the way and motions to zir. Ze steps over during a lull between customers. "There's been a change to the schedule. The other person on this shift was let go so you'll be doing them on your own for a few days."

Brook frezes in zir tracks. "You're kidding me. What the heck?"
"You know the policy. If someone can't show up for the job then they're a liability to the team."
"They had a POWER OUTAGE last night! I told you that this morning!"
"Then they should have charged ahead of time."

"They used up all their power at work yesterday! I-You know what, fuck this bullshit. I'm done."
"Oh come on, don't be so drama-"
The now ex-barista pulls off zir apron and throws it at zir former boss. "You've got training tapes. Learn how to do it yourself. Good luck, asshole."

Brook storms out of the coffee shop, only letting zirself take a breath once the store is out of sight. Zir knees buckle and ze collapses to the ground, zir mind swirling with adrenaline and panic. Amid the chaos is a single intelligible phrase:
"THANK FUCKING GOD!"

Brook's hands quickly fly over zir mouth as the words slip out, looking around to see if anyone saw zir. Ze giggles, pulling up zir main hang-out channel on zir VisWatch. This has been a long time coming, but it's also a bit of a big problem. Rent's gonna be hell this month.

• teardrop is no longer marked as away
<+teardrop> got a new position at our job!
<@amori> oh, congratulations, dear! what is it?
<+teardrop> none!
<+teardrop> got tired of our boss' bs so we quit :P
<@0x42FC> ＼(^▽^)／
<@amori> i'm glad you don't have to deal with him anymore!

<+teardrop> now to just, uh
<+teardrop> figure out what to do when our landlord asks for rent next month
<@amori> you know I always have somewhere for you to stay, hun <3
<+teardrop> thanks amori ^.^ you're the best boymom ever
<@amori> of course, sweetheart! just let me know

<+teardrop> until then we're gonna take a bit of time to chill
<+teardrop> we've been living here for a couple years but never got to explore the city!
<+teardrop> we somehow got enough tips today to pay for a trip up to skyview :3 should be a pretty fun time

<@0x42FC> Oh wow, Skyview! Haven't been there in a while
<@0x42FC> Are you gonna check out one of the theme parks too?
<+teardrop> nah lmao customers didn't simp for us that hard
<+teardrop> we're not amori (even though I wish I was lol)
<@amori> aww, darling! i'm flattered~

<+teardrop> anyway yeah! we'll send pics so see ya nerds later
<+teardrop> love y'all~
<@0x42FC> See you!
<@amori> love you too, teardrop~ have a relaxing time <3

Brook hits the sleep button and sighs warmly. Ze stands up and dusts zirself off, then heads toward the tram station.

Half an hour later, Brook hops off the tram at the edge of the elevator plaza. Ze looks around at the food stalls near the gargantuan pillar's base, trying to decide what to grab for a quick meal. After a couple minutes of debating, ze orders a burger from the fried cutlet cart.

Ze watches zir slab of chicken get breaded and fried, before it's drizzled in katsu sauce, gently placed on a bun, and served to zir with a side of seaweed fries. Ze takes zir food and walks over to a nearby concrete planter to sit down on while eating.

Brook looks around at the crowd as ze scarfs down zir meal, admiring people's outfits and haircuts. Even with the recent fashion boom, ze doesn't have trouble noticing a few obviously queer folks in the crowd. It's always comforting to remember you're not alone in the world.

Zir VisWatch beeps, reminding zir that the next elevator ride is in a few minutes. Ze crumples up their trash from lunch and tosses it into a nearby recycle bin before lightly jogging over to the elevator gate, smiling at the tired-looking attendant as ze approaches.

"One day ticket up, please!"
"Sounds good. That'll be...yaaaaawn...4800 notes."
Brook taps zir watch against the terminal, then quickly swipes its wheel to the right to add a healthy tip. Ze pushes through the turnstile and hops into the elevator a bit before its doors close.

A buzzer sounds as the massive platform starts to get lifted skyward, occasional windows the only view out onto the world below. Brook sits down on one of the benches, quietly watching the ground recede as they approach the cloud line. Zir ears pop and ze frowns quickly.

After nearly an hour, the platform slows to a halt and the buzzer sounds again. The doors open up, revealing the lush fields of Skyview Park rolling outward in every direction. Brook takes a deep breath and sighs happily. Ze's missed this place.

Ze wanders over to a bench near one of the duraglass overlook panels on the station floor. Zir head swims for a second, looking at how far away the earth is even from a low orbit, but settles itself once ze sits down. Ze takes sighs and takes a minute to reflect on the day.

Quitting was...honestly a long time coming. You can't just work a soul-crushing service job for years and not want to quit. amori's promise of a bed to crash on helps stabilize things for a bit, give zir a chance to figure out what ze and zir headmates really want to do.

But for now, that isn't important. What's important is how beautiful Skyview Park is. The planters full of colorful flowers. The ground covered with wood chips and soil and sprouts. The fountains sprinkling water over a group of excited kids. It's all just so peaceful.

A while later, Brook's watch chirps - it's almost time to head back down if ze wants to make it to amori's in time for dinner. Ze gets up, stretches, and heads back to the elevator. As the buzzer sounds and it starts to descend, ze smiles.
Everything's gonna be okay.