Posspresso 4th draft

You wake up feeling particularly groggy as you suddenly hear your phone buzzing on the nightstand. You pick it up.
It’s a message from Gregg.

Gregg: We were gonna hed over 2 the Posspresso 4 lunch, did u wanna come with?

You glance at your phone's clock and see that's nearly noon- crap, you slept in late, didn't you? Your stomach seems to respond to Gregg's offer however, so you type your answer.
	Sure thing.
Gregg: Great, see u soon!
Sincerely, Greggory

You drink some coffee as quickly as possible to get rid of the grogginess, even though you're probably gonna have another one in a few minutes- nobody wants to leave the house without consuming caffeine. You pull on your coat and head out.
You see the “gang” standing in front of Posspresso conversing, although you notice Germ isn’t there. Gregg sees you and waves.

The windows of the cafe have been adorned with spray-painted images of snow, snowmen, snowflakes, holly, and Saint Nicodemus. Once you enter, not much has changed, except for the miniature aluminum tree by the cash register and the string of LED lights along the walls.
It does, however, smell slightly different. Granted, it was still mostly the heavy scent of pastries and fancy coffee, but you seemed to detect a stronger presence of sweet spices and peppermint this time?
Once you're standing in line, you see that there’s a sign next to the menu on the wall with a small selection of holiday-themed foods and beverages.
Angus: Ooh, these sound like they might be good.
Bea: Pierogies? Why does every place in town have to have pierogies?
Gregg: Remember when they had a pumpkin spice pierogi stand for Harfest?
	That sounds delicious!
	That sounds gross.
Bea: It’s alright if you like that sort of thing.
Mae: I liked it! It actually kinda tasted like Indian food. It had pumpkin purée and beef in it.
Bea: Except Indian food doesn’t have beef.
Mae: (somewhat embarrassed) Right.
Bea: Meh. I don’t think pumpkin spice needs to be in absolutely everything for a whole month.
Mae: I love it when that happens!
Angus: Well now they have a “holiday beef” pierogi on the menu.
Which is probably the same thing but without the pumpkin and with more ginger.

The barista greets you with a warm smile, and everyone orders their drinks and snacks. Your order arrives fairly quickly, and it’s warm cozy flavor puts you in a good mood.
Everyone takes a seat and the conversation turns to the subject of how Possum Springs isn’t a victim of “Longest Night Lurk” like other towns, and stores aren’t so eager to sell decorations as early as September before autumn even arrives.
The door gives out a ding and your turn to see Selma arriving. Somehow Germ's absence was more apparent than hers.
Mae: Glad you could make it, Selmers!
Selma: Hey guys.
Angus: We were just talking about Longest Night.
Selma: Oh yeah. You guys got any plans?
Mae: I was gonna go to the Festival in Town Centre with Mom and Dad. We do that every year.
Selma: Oh, I haven't been to that in a long time. Is it any different now?
Mae: Eh, a little. Not as many trees as before.
Selma: Oh, too bad.
Bea: Weren't they saying it was getting too expensive?
Mae: Yeah, but Longest Night is supposed to be about generosity! Not pennypinching! They're just being miserly!
Bea: Maybe they're just trying to not go broke.
Mae: I doubt it.
Selma: Still, sounds more fun than anything I could come up with, but I can't really afford the tickets.
Gregg: Yeah, neither can we.
Angus: We were just gonna stay home and play Dragons & Dungeons pretty much all day as soon as we’re done opening the gifts. Germ says he’ll come if he can.
Gregg: So it's not so bad.
Bea: I don't have a heck of a lot of choice either. I need to stay at home with my dad, he's got paperwork I need to help him with. On top of that he says he doesn’t feel like making dinner this year, so apparently that's my job now.
Mae: You're a good cook, Bea, you can manage it.
Lori: Uugghh. At least you get to have a dad around. My dad’s not be gonna be home that day, he has to go to work. That means I’m stuck at home by myself, so I was just gonna watch a bunch of movies all day…
Mae: That sucks.
Lori: Don't I know it.
Mae: I wish you could all come to the festival. So what're you gonna do instead, Selmers?
Selma: I dunno, honestly. Might just do some writing. I got something in the works.
Mae: *jokingly* Oh yeah? It’s not a Longest Night book, is it?
Selma: Naw. There’s too many Longest Night stories out there as it is. I couldn’t compete.
Mae: You’re a great writer, Selmers, but let’s be honest, nobody’s ever gonna top A Longest Night Lullaby.
Selma: Who would ever want to try?
	Longest Night Lullaby is a pretty weird story when you think about it.
Selma: Oh yeah, a Longest Night story about ghosts? Who knew?
Angus: And yet it’s the most popular Longest Night story ever.
Lori: I like it. There’s all sorts of other spooky weird traditions in the old country: Creepy costumes around the bonfire and stuff. I wish we had those here.
Mae: I dunno, I think I prefer Longest Night bright and cheery. Makes me forget my troubles.
Lori: Aw.
Bea: It wasn’t always that way, y’know. Used to be that Longest Night was all about surviving the cold winter by storing food and chasing away ghosts and monsters.
Angus: So Longest Night used to be a much darker holiday.

Angus suddenly turns to look at you, unintentionally making you feel self-conscious.

Angus: Say (player), I don’t think you mentioned what you were doing for Longest Night?

It occurs to you that Longest Night is only about a week away, and you hadn’t made any plans yet, but for whatever reason whenever you thought about actually making them you immediately became intimidated and put it off another day.
You might be alone this Longest Night. No, not completely alone- you have friends now! Would they mind if you joined their holiday festivities? Maybe you’d better not ask.

	Oh, um… I dunno, I didn’t have any plans. It’s okay though, I’ll figure something out eventually.

They all seem satisfied with that answer, and you’re glad you didn’t invoke their pity. The conversation returns to the subject of weird Longest Night traditions, and when everyone is finished eating, you all say your goodbyes.

If you’re indeed bold enough to join one of your friends’ Longest Night festivities, you have several options to choose from now. That won’t be a problem, right?
You return home hoping there’s a decent Longest Night special on TV to fall asleep by.