The Doctor walked to the cafeteria, longing for a cup of coffee to help bolster the rest of his day and bring himself to speed. Multiple employees and operators greeted him when he stepped inside. It served as a bright reminder to visit the cafeteria often instead of burrowing himself in his office.

He returned the welcoming occasion and stopped by the coffee machine, pouring himself a generous amount. Once he neared the brim, he dunked two cubes of sugar and cream into the cup and spun it with a spoon until the drink was homogeneous. He took one sip and added another cube of sugar. It would take some time before it circulated his system to wake him further, but the first taste was everything.

The Doctor finished creating the coffee to his liking and put the used spoon on a tray with other used utensils. From his peripheral, he spotted Dur-nar on her way to where he was. The Vulpo waved her hand and smiled, addressing him with warmth.

"Dur-nar? What are you doing here? Are you helping the kitchen staff out today?"

"Just for a short while. That, and Ceobe tried to burst into the kitchen. Even when there's a sign saying no Ceobe, she still tries so hard. It's almost commendable… I lured Ceobe away with two hefty portions of lunch. Anyway, what brings you over here today?"

"I pulled an all-nighter, but I'm still working. The lunch I ate forced me to write my signature on a contract of sleepiness, so I thought walking around would do the trick. It didn't. But before I return, I wanted to drop by the cafeteria for some coffee as a contingency plan."

"If you need some extra boosts, I have just the solution for you! Did you want some coffee wafers? Or hard coffee candy?" Dur-nar offered.

Dur-nar's knack for always giving him something delightful made her comparable to a walking snack dispenser. Except with no expensive prices.

"Er... This time I'm going to listen to Sussurro's health plan. She worked extensively to provide me with a detailed diet plan."

Dur-nar's tail swished around with her as she placed a hand on her hip, contemplating his answer. "I never thought the day would come when you would actually try to follow guidelines set by the Medical Department. Regardless, have you been obeying it to the precise calories?"

"Well, not particularly... I've been replacing most of the meals in her diet plan with snacks." The Doctor confessed.

Dur-nar laughed. She dug around in her pocket to reveal a package of something sweet. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around his wrist, catching him by surprise. She placed the treat in the palm of his hands and curled his fingers around it for him. "Here, don't let anyone see this. Enjoy the contents."

"Oh, thank you… I don't know what to say."

"Then don't. You've already done enough, so this one's on me like most snacks from my snack network are for you. See you around, Doctor!"

The Doctor bid her farewell and dared to steal a gaze at the package of chocolate wafers buried in his hands.

"I should give these to the children when they visit my office later." The Doctor said, walking back to his office.

The Doctor stopped at his office door and slid his identification badge over the scanner. The door opened to reveal a party of four operators huddled around the assistant's desk. The feeling of interruption encroached on his heart as he tiptoed into his office. This didn't stop them from looking in his direction because of the obvious sound produced by the door.

"Girls." The Doctor greeted, nodding his head in their direction.

"Doctor!" Suzuran exclaimed.

Suzuran's apparent expression of joy was amplified with a smile. Popukar greeted him in the same way, while Shamare's regard was a stark contrast to the Cautus. It was devoid of any cheerful emotions, but still a greeting.

"Doctor," Frostleaf said.

The Doctor walked toward them with the wafers and cup of coffee in his hands. "I didn't expect to see you here, Frostleaf. I thought you were more of the lonely type. Not that it's a bad thing. So what brings you here?"

"It wasn't my idea, but the three of them insisting I join was enough to convince me. They didn't take no for an answer." Frostleaf explained.

"I often find myself in the same position."

Frostleaf accepted the wafers in confusion. She handed them to Popukar, who stuck her hand out to retrieve it from her. Popukar celebrated by opening the package to enjoy the contents and share it with her friends.

"Big sister Frostleaf looked lonely, so we thought this would cheer her up," Suzuran said. Then she pointed at strands of colorful threads intertwining with each other. "We wanted to create matching friendship bracelets to signify our bond with each other. Big sister Frostleaf is going to get one. We're also making one for you, Doctor!"

"Oh, that's unexpected. That's nice of you girls to do this for me. Did you need some help?"

"Don't worry, Doctor! We can handle this activity for you! Just leave the work to us! Hehe!"

"Then call me over when it's finished?"

"Mhm, we'll do that, Doctor!"

The Doctor nodded his head and returned to his desk. He set his cup of coffee in an obscure place that wouldn't intrude while he was working. If coffee spilled on any important documents, he knew Kal'tsit would end him where he stood—or sat, depending on what he was doing at the moment of his death. And not a single part of him wanted to visit the worst timeline.

Aside from the occasional whispers between the four, silence settled over the room. After a while of approving and signing his signature on a few promotions, his curiosity got the best of him. He glanced in their direction to see their progress.

Frostleaf had put her headphones back on, focused on the intricate method of tying the colorful strands together. Suzuran was teaching Shamare and Popukar to create a friendship bracelet. Occasionally, Suzuran peeked in Frostleaf's direction to see if she required aid, but Frostleaf didn't need any. Along the way, Suzuran also built the Doctor's bracelet and her own that matched everyone's.

Just as the Doctor was about to return to work, he witnessed Popukar poking Frostleaf on the shoulder to grab her attention. Frostleaf pulled her headphones to her neck and focused on Popukar, wondering what the problem was. It was inaudible from their whispers, but the Doctor made out what Popukar was asking from her actions.

Popukar pointed at the device around Frostleaf's neck, interested in what the older Vulpo was listening to. The Doctor watched as Frostleaf put the headphones over Popukar's ears and flicked around on her device to play her music. Popukar's smile was enough to put one on Frostleaf's features.

A rare occurrence.

Even without listening, Frostleaf hummed the song to herself, while Popukar regarded the melody with intrigue. Soon, Popukar bobbed her head to the lyrical tune. Popukar lifted one side of the headphones and whispered something to Frostleaf, causing both to share a laugh.

It was nice to see Frostleaf get along with Popukar, despite her preference for loneliness. For a second, the Doctor was afraid Frostleaf desired no interaction with them but was glad to be proven wrong.

The Doctor returned to work and before he knew it, time flew by. Halfway through, the Doctor fell asleep at his desk, despite the coffee surging through his body. Meanwhile, the four operators finished their friendship bracelets during his doze.

"Doctor? Are you awake?"

"Doctor?"

Alarm bells rang in the Doctor's head. For a second, he saw Kal'tsit in his vision, but it was a mere illusion. His head swayed around until it focused on them. All four were standing around him, anticipating his awakening.

"Oh... How long did I sleep for?" He asked.

"Not long, but we finished the bracelets, so here's yours!" Suzuran exclaimed.

Suzuran handed it to him with both hands. The Doctor saw she was already wearing hers on her wrist. It was a blend of yellow, blue, pink, and white. The Doctor accepted it into his hands and stared at it until Suzuran picked it up to help tie it around his wrist.

Once Suzuran finished, she stepped back and lifted her arm with the friendship bracelet. Suzuran stared at the Doctor and tilted her head with a heartwarming smile.

"Now we all match!" Suzuran said.

"Doctor, this means you're in our super special and secret friend group!" Popukar mentioned.

"Oh, does it now? I'm glad to be part of something special." The Doctor said, entertaining the Cautus.

The Doctor refocused on the friendship bracelet. He studied every trivial detail until it ingrained itself into his mind. He looked back at the four operators to see their expressions. It was a myriad of happiness, indifference, and anticipation.

"It looks great. Thank you for making this for me, Suzuran." The Doctor said.

Suzuran blushed. "Y-Your welcome, Doctor. Hehe…"

The Doctor patted her on the head. Then Popukar asked for head pats. What started as a head pat for one person became a session for everyone to earn head pats.

"Alright, let's go share these with the other big sisters! Maybe we can make some for everyone!" Suzuran exclaimed, grabbing the materials with Popukar's and Shamare's help. "Bye, Doctor! We'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Doctor!" Popukar and Shamare said in unison.

Frostleaf watched them leave and turned to face the Doctor. "Did you want to grab a drink after work today? I'll pay for it."

"Yeah, I'll join a little later when I finish up, though I'm not too good at drinking... Anyway, when do you want to meet up?"

"What do you say somewhere after dinner time? So about seven or eight. Maybe nine if you want."

"I can make seven work. If I don't arrive there in time, you can come looking for me."

Frostleaf nodded her head, positioning her headphones over her ears as she left his office. The Doctor leaned in his chair and looked at the clock. He had a few hours before their upcoming drink session. One more glance at the friendship bracelet gave him the energy to continue working until then.

Author's Note: Experimented with adding Franka into this chapter, but it fell apart quicker than I thought. However, changing the entire plot to friendship bracelets did the trick! It was a great way to work Frostleaf into the story!

Also, I don't know if you guys could tell, but I tried to fit in as many Vulpo operators as possible. Yet I only added half the roster of Vulpo operators known so far… Man, adding them is more difficult than I thought, haha!

With friendly love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!