"A friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face."

  Maya Angelou, Poet

  Milly lay awake in her cubicle, curled up on the floor beneath her desk. Her torn hoodie lay drying over the cubicle wall, washed as best she could in the tenth-floor women’s washroom sink. Water and electricity still worked in the Castle of Glass, a small miracle that she chose not to question.

  Xavier snored beside her, curled up under his own desk in their shared cubicle. She had spent the evening healing him and any others she was able to help, before collapsing with exhaustion after her inner magic was depleted.

  Xavier had been there when she woke up at midnight, scrolling through his player screen and mumbling to himself. She'd frantically tried to cover herself, finding nothing and feeling exposed in her ratty bra, but Xavier had simply shrugged, turned off his screens, and fallen asleep moments later.

  Milly felt a bit put out. “He could have at least pretended to like what he saw,” she mumbled. Not that she blamed him. She knew she wasn’t much to look at, being overweight and greasy, and she was still finding droplets of ogre and goblin blood on her skin that she had missed.

  Milly felt odd thinking about such mundane concerns after everything that had happened. Fifteen people had died today, their bodies unceremoniously laid in a row against the plains-side tower. Hundreds had gathered in the lobby early in the evening to mourn them, until an argument had started about whether to bury or cremate the bodies. This had led to an eruption of anger and a shoving match that injured another half dozen people.

  Milly didn't care to heal those that had brought their injuries on themselves, so she had headed back up to the tenth floor to wash while everyone was downstairs.

  The shoving match was not the strangest coping mechanism that she had seen. Everywhere she looked there were people yelling or crying. Donald, from accounting, paced endlessly back and forth by the water cooler mumbling to himself. Glenda, one of the tier-two troubleshooters, had been dialing 911 repeatedly for the past six hours. Mr. Fredrickson’s office door was closed, but Milly could hear grunts and moans from inside as he and his secretary, Mrs. Anand, abandoned all pretext around the affair everyone knew they were having.

  At least someone is doing something more than yelling or crying. You go for it, Mr. Fredrickson, you cranky bastard.

  Now, as the clock ticked past one in the morning, Milly stared at the underside of her desk, wide awake. The tower seemed calm, for now. Milly could still hear choked sobs emanating from cubicles and the occasional scream as someone woke from a nightmare. But one by one, the exhaustion of the day claimed the consciousness of each of them.

  Except for Milly. Her mind raced with unfocused thoughts of little value.

  Who was going to clean the washroom? It's going to get gross quickly. I made a mess in there when I was washing off the goblin blood. Shit, should I have cleaned it? Who decides this stuff?

  Milly thought of Mr. Fredrickson and the Acicentre CEO, Jacob Stone.

  Are they still in charge? I don't think Mr. Fredrickson would be looking to take command after today. He's found himself something - someone - else to do. But what about our CEO?

  She had seen Acicentre’s middle managers in the lobby after the battle with the ogre, trying to assert their dominance over their employees. For the most part, they were successful, with most of her coworkers desperate for stability in the chaos. None of the middle managers had approached Milly though. Except for Mr. Fredrickson, who called her Milby, none of the managers even knew who she was. Yesterday, her anonymity had been a burden. Today, it was a gift.

  Milly rolled over and stretching her cramped leg out the cubicle entrance, feeling relieved at the satisfying pop.

  It's so tight in these cubicles. There are so many empty floors and towers in the Castle of Glass, and the managers on the floors above them had massive offices. They're going to have to share, right? All us call center employees can't be expected to remain on one floor.

  Had Calista really blushed at her?

  Milly dismissed the unexpected thought as quickly as it popped into her head. The ramifications of exploring that line of thought were far greater than she could face right now. Better to battle against a whole tribe of goblins.

  What will we eat?

  That last thought was not meaningless. Milly’s stomach growled, but she ignored it. It was not the first time she had gone hungry, but she was willing to bet that most people in the Castle of Glass didn't live the same subsistance lifestyle that she'd lived her whole life.

  Hungry people become angry people, and angry people do foolish things.

  The office fridges will be empty within a day. Most people brought lunches from home, but it's not enough to sustain someone for long. Some kept snacks in the drawers of their cubicles, but how far would chocolate covered raisins and pretzels go? And when surrounded by hungry people, it could be dangerous to be the person with the food. Even if it is just stale pretzels.

  The Castle of Glass had no cafeteria. The only thing close was the tiny coffee shop in the corner of the lobby - the only one of the four storefronts in operation.

  Milly grew frustrated with her wandering thoughts and inability to sleep. She sat upright, and accidently slammed her head on the underside of her desk.

  “Damn it,” she whispered, frustrated with herself. Using a tiny bit of magic, she used Healer's Touch to relieve herself of the headache it had caused. "I need to get out of here. Clear my head."

  She quietly ducked out of her cubicle, donning her still damp hoodie as she left. She was grateful that life had given her a robust tolerance for minor inconveniences, like dirty clothing and hunger. She had a feeling tolerance of such things would be valuable in the days ahead.

  She arrived at the lobby several minutes later. The dim blue light of the floating screens cast eerie shadows against the glass and into the blackness beyond. Milly paced along the outer walls, absentmindedly looking out the windows at the white sand beach and crystal blue ocean to the east. She cleaned up the now-depleted weapons crates that had fallen over during the evening’s chaos as she paced around the perimeter.

  As she reached the entrance to the southern rainforest, she stared out at the ogre’s corpse, dimly lit in the moonlight.

  We'll need to move it, before it starts to smell.

  She recalled the congratulatory message after the battle and the item she received. She opened her inventory and withdrew the Wedding Ring of Phillip the Ogre. It was plain, fashioned from crude iron, with a tiny skull with ruby eyes embedded within the band.

  “Now, how did Xavier do this?” she muttered to herself, focusing on the ring and willing its description to appear. "I think... yes, figured it out!"

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  The little blue screen materialized above the ring.

  “Increase my strength by four? By putting on a ring? That would almost double my strength,” Milly gasped. She hesitated briefly as she read the warning, but the benefit was too great to ignore.

  “Maybe I won’t come across her if I say out of the jungle?” she mused. “Yes, please resize the ring.”

  Milly watched in amazement as the ring in her palm twisted and shrunk down until it was half the size it once was. She picked it up tentatively between two fingers and slipped it onto her right index finger.

  The moment it passed her knuckle, Milly felt its power flow into her. It was a different feeling than increasing her strength or her agility attributes directly. With direct attribute increases, she could feel herself growing stronger. With the ring, it felt as though someone else were helping her. She could feel the power flowing from the ring into her and knew if she ever removed it that helping hand would be gone.

  “This is incredible,” Milly whispered. “I might be as strong as Xavier now.”

  An unwelcome thought entered her mind.

  Would Xavier want the ring? I don't think he got one. I don't think he got anything from the battle, other than his half of the gold.

  Milly unconsciously covered the ring with her unadorned hand.

  Or what if someone else wants it?

  She suddenly understood why Xavier had advised her to keep things to herself.

  The shattering of a dropped glass interrupted Milly’s thoughts. She turned towards the sound and saw a light on in the tiny coffee shop nestled in the northwest corner of the complex, its windows facing mountain and ocean terrains. Milly walked tentatively over to the shop’s sliding door, her curiosity getting the better of her.

  A young woman in her late twenties with short brown hair cut into a bob swept broken glass off the floor. She wore a simple white apron over a barista uniform, her thin spectacles giving her face a kind and innocent expression. She hummed softly to herself, oblivious to Milly’s presence, as she swayed her narrow hips to a tune only she could hear.

  Milly started to leave, but ducked inside a heartbeat later on a whim.

  “Umm…hello?” Milly said uncertainly, feeling awkward at the interruption.

  Why am I saying hello to a stranger in the middle of the night?

  The woman gave a start, dropping her broom to the floor. She saw Milly standing there in the torn hoodie and started giggling.

  “Oh, you startled me. I’m afraid I don’t have any coffee ready. We're closed right now,” The woman’s voice had a genuine cheerfulness to it, with years of customer service hidden behind the sweet smile.

  The woman thought for a moment and added, “ Though if you want to come in, I can put on some tea. I can't sleep anyways, and after everything that happened today, company would be welcome.”

  Milly walked in, stepping lightly over the shards of broken glass scattered across the floor. Her increased agility, which she had increased again after the battle with Phillip the Ogre along with her strength and magic, made the feat far easier than it would have been yesterday.

  “What happened here?” Milly asked curiously, pointing to the upended tables and plastic chairs.

  “Oh, the fight from this evening spilled into my coffee shop. A couple tables fell over in the scuffle before people remembered to be civil. I think it helped snap people back to reality, honestly. A couple broken glasses and plates are a small price to pay for a bit of peace.”

  Milly was captivated by the woman’s positivity and optimism, even after everything that had happened. She felt a touch of envy, wishing she could feel the same way, if only for a moment.

  Milly reached down and grabbed the broom off the floor. “I would love some tea,” she lied, having never had the luxury of affording tea before. “You put it on, and I’ll sweep. I’m Milly, by the way.”

  Milly started sweeping the broken glass into a pile. It felt good to be useful.

  “I’m Rain,” the woman replied, ducking behind the counter to fill a small kettle with water. “This is my coffee shop, Rain On My Parade. I named it that because people kept telling me I was crazy to open a coffee shop. But I did it anyway. It took me every penny I had and more, but I'm proud of it.”

  Rain watched the kettle absentmindedly, flipping through a stack of overdue bills piled on the counter beside it. She had a touch of sadness in her eyes beneath her subdued cheer.

  “I only opened last month, Rain continued. "Business has been slow, but I kept myself busy experimenting with creating different types of teas. It's a passion of mine.”

  Milly swept the glass into a dustpan and ducked behind the counter to dump it in the trash. She felt like she was peeking behind the curtain of Rain’s dream. “Where should I…” she started, pointing at the dustpan.

  “Oh, in here,” Rain said, dragging out the trashcan from beneath the counter. Milly walked over and upended the pan, letting the shards fall slowly into the bin and tinkle as it struck the bottom.

  “What’s next to clean up?” Milly asked, ready for more.

  “These,” Rain said with a touch of rebellion as she picked up the stack of bills and hurled them into the trashcan with a laugh. “Silver linings, right? No more banks means no more bills. Just coffee and customers.”

  She looked over Milly’s shoulder and into her storeroom. “Well, a little bit of coffee left anyways...”

  “And no more competition,” Milly added with a laugh. “You’re the only game in town now.”

  “A monopoly!” Rain giggled. “I’m the Starbucks of wherever the heck we are.”

  They laughed together, the lame joke seeming to cut through the tension and tragedy of the day. It was as if they had given each other permission to find the joy hidden beneath the sorrow. Milly decided at that moment that she liked Rain.

  The kettle whistled and Rain grabbed two cups. “Milly, can you tip those tables and chairs upright while I get our tea?”

  Milly nodded, grabbed the nearest upended plastic table, and accidentally lifted it right off the ground with her increased strength. Milly jerked her head towards Rain in a panic and gave a sigh of relief when she saw Rain was looking the other way. She very intentionally set the table down.

  “Do you take milk or honey?” Rain asked, pouring the water into cups.

  “Ummm…,” Milly stalled, having no idea what she should say. “Honestly Rain, I have no idea. I have never had tea before."

  Rain gave an exaggerated gasp of excitement, clapping her hands together in joy. “A tea virgin? Don’t worry, you are in safe hands. We’ll have my own, highly experimental, blend for your first time.”

  She brought over the tea and Milly lifted it up to her nose to smell. It gave off scents of berries and mint, with just a hint of something else. She looked to Rain for an answer.

  Rain lifted a finger to her nose. “Nope, not telling. It is a Rain Desjarlais secret.

  Milly tentatively sipped her tea and its warmth filled her up inside.

  “Well?” Rain asked, excitedly.

  “It’s so good,” Milly said with a purr of genuine appreciation. Against the backdrop of today’s anarchy, it was an anchor to a normal life.

  Not that I've ever lived a normal life. I haven't had a true life - or a true home - in, well, ever, I guess.

  Milly realized that, despite the horrific events of the day, she had never once longed to return to that life.

  This place is awful. So what does it say about my life that I don't feel the desire to find a way back? Did my life have such little value that I have no desire to find it again?

  The dark thought brought a frown to her face and she set down her cup.

  “Changed your mind?” Rain asked, looking at Milly’s tea. “Not as good on the second sip?”

  “No, it's wonderful. It’s not the tea. Just…a dark thought,” Milly did not know what else to say, and left it at that.

  Rain gave an understanding smile, then quickly grew excited. “Ooh, I should call this blend Introspection Tea. Or the Dark Thoughts blend. Teas are always named after peaceful things, like Morning Glory or Lemon Sunrise. Those names don’t really fit here. We need a dark name for dark times. It'll really make the tea stand out.”

  Milly gave Rain a puzzled look, then chuckled at Rain’s excitement as her dark thoughts dissipated. “How about Dark Introspection? The tea for the goth soul.”

  Rain joined in Milly’s laughter and rushed over to the counter to write it down. “Done! A new tea for a new world. The first of many to come.”

  “Mountain, Ocean, Jungle, and Prairie. There must be ingredients in each you could use. Perhaps even some undiscovered ones,” Milly suggested.

  “Yes!” exclaimed Rain, emboldened. Her eyes stared out the window at the sandy beach, and she raised her cup. “To many more blends in the days ahead.”

  “And to the finest coffee spot I’ve ever been to,” added Milly, smiling.

  “Wait, how many have you been to? You’ve never had tea before.”

  Milly simply smiled, took another sip, and let her dark thoughts slip away one by one.

  The Non-Canonical Adventures: