After about ten minutes, they made it to Vinetown. The boat scraped to a halt on the outskirts of the city, Jabali’s clothes showing plenty of sweat patches. 

“We’ll walk from here,” he panted.

The four hopped out of the boat, then Jabali used a fierce uppercut to lift the ground beneath the vessel. The boat was then high above their heads on a large boulder, out of the reach of strangers. 

Vinetown was more of a small city, complete with plenty of restaurants, several schools, multiple hospitals, and a few hotels. Most towns only had one or two buildings of each. Vinetown also had roads made of complete stone for boats to slide across more easily, as opposed to the grass or dirt pathways found in most villages.

Ak-tu had brought his children to Vinetown on a few occasions, typically in the summer for Day of the Sun. The city would be decorated in bright yellow and orange banners, streamers, and lanterns depicting the sun. There would be fire pits scattered around the streets, and plenty of vendors that sold merchandise and food specific to the holiday. 

As it was already mid-July, the Day of the Sun would soon be upon them. Zyn wondered vaguely if they’d still be with Jabali for the holiday, their heart sinking as they imagined their father not being able to partake in the festivities with them. Ak-tu always loved to get them watermelon smoothies and fire-shaped lemon poppyseed scones. Zyn sniffed the air, detecting many food scents and wondering if one of them belonged to these scones.

Zyn shook themself from memories of running across the streets alongside Ren and Ak-tu, dancing to the loud music that played on every corner. There wasn’t any music playing on the streets, but plenty of chatter, crowds of people walking about and (wheeled) boats going by. There were a few banners depicting the eclipse, but nowhere near as many as there’d be for the Day of the Sun.

Jabali led them, Zyn finding most of the surroundings familiar. They remembered the giant fountain in the center of the city, and the pointy plants around the town hall. Even the single-story school with its potted trees on the roof was familiar. But other areas looked new, mostly due to all the foliage having grown since they’d last been at the inner city itself. The place definitely lived up to its name, as vines were spread from building to building, tangled along the walls and across the ground in some places.

Jabali finally came to a stop outside a small building. A round sign above the door held the words “Cool Coffee” in the image of a coffee cup wearing sunglasses. A wide window by the door allowed them to see inside to the bright green walls. Tables and chairs sat on a tile floor, and a long counter stood at the very back of the shop. Beyond the counter was another door, which was slightly ajar. Two employees bustled about as they dealt with the line stretching the length of the store.

“This is my shop,” Jabali said, signaling over his shoulder with his broad thumb. “Anyone wanna get refreshments?”

“Oh, that’s okay!” Ren said, biting her bottom lip. “They look really busy.”

Zyn frowned. “Ahh, but what if they have watermelon smoothies?”

“This is a coffee shop, Zyn,” Ren pointed out.

“We’ve got more than just coffee!” Jabali said loudly, sounding offended. “C’mon!”

He opened the door, giving them no choice but to follow him in. Zyn nearly backed out of the shop the moment they entered, snorting loudly as the strong smell of coffee overwhelmed them. 

The employees seemed to fly around, preparing drinks and cleaning up spills and going to the register. Someone tried to enter behind Zyn, but there wasn’t any room inside, the line now forming beyond the door. Very few people sat at the tables, most grabbing their drinks and heading for work. Zyn couldn’t hear the music over the loud voices and screaming blenders.

“Yo, Marsh!” Jabali called, waving at the employee on the register as the other vanished into the back room. “How’s it goin’?”

“It was insane earlier, but it’s better now!” Marsh yelled back.

Better? Zyn wondered. Jeez, I wouldn’t want to work here, if this is “better”!

Jabali moved through the long line and zigzagged between the tables to reach the register. Zyn exchanged an uncertain glance with Ren, then the two hurried after him. Sarala, however, turned and went back outside, the busy atmosphere too much for her. Zyn glanced over their shoulder at her.

{Should we wait outside with Sarala?} Zyn asked Ren, looking at their twin again.

Before Ren could respond, Jabali planted a hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward.

“This is Marsh, one of my managers!” Jabali told Ren, grabbing Zyn with his other hand to drag them forward as well. “And, Marsh, these are my friend’s kiddos, Ren and Zynivus!”

“Nice to meet you,” Marsh said briskly, bustling behind the counter without looking at them. 

“How’s the kid doin’?” Jabali asked.

At this, Marsh looked up and scowled. “Still slow,” they remarked. “Keeps trying to use his magic for every task! He sent dishes crashing to the floor a while ago, right in the middle of the rush! Not much help.”

Jabali chuckled, unbothered. “He’ll get there!”

Marsh rolled their eyes and turned back to the customers.

“Come on, you two,” Jabali said. “I’ll show ya the back! There should be some muffins we can snack on!”

He herded them past the register and through the door to the back room. The left side led to a large sink with several hanging hoses to wash the blenders, a third employee rinsing the dishes as quickly as he could. The right side contained a small office space cluttered with boxes. Along the back wall was a fridge with multiple doors, several boxes on top of it containing more supplies.

“Let’s look for ’em muffins!” Jabali said, the noise of the coffee shop muffled enough that he no longer had to scream to be heard. “A batch almost always gets burned when we’re prepping in the morning, since there’s a lot t’do!”

“Oh, we’re fine,” Ren said politely. “We can go back out.”

“Yeah, we don’t like burned muffins,” Zyn said in an undertone to Ren, trying to keep their face straight.

“Nonsense!” Jabali laughed. “C’mon, help me look!”

He moved over to the desk, the twins exchanging a glance. Zyn shrugged and started opening the fridge doors. They had barely gotten to the second one when Ren let out a gasp.

“C3?”

Zyn whirled around. Their mouth fell open slightly as they saw that the employee by the sink was their fellow student, C3. The redheaded boy was staring at them in as much surprise, but quickly rearranged his freckled face into a neutral expression.

“What are you doing here?” Zyn growled.

They weren’t on the best terms with C3. The previous school year, C3 had put together a magical mirror that allowed spirits into the school. He had apparently done it unintentionally, but Zyn wasn’t so sure. After all, the boy had certainly stolen Mint’s notes on purpose, and wouldn’t give them back to Zyn. The two eventually held a secret duel, Zyn using enchanted objects since they had never connected to their elemental magic. C3 ended up using his enchanted elbow ring in the duel too. 

Ak-tu had confiscated the ring after the spirit incident, but it appeared C3 had a new ring under the short sleeve of his work shirt. It was made of wood instead of metal, and painted gold. Zyn hoped this one wasn’t enchanted like the last.

“I work here,” C3 said slowly, signaling to his blue shirt with the Cool Coffee logo on it.

“Ooh, you got a job for the summer?” Ren asked brightly.

He nodded.

“Pfft, are you the new guy who keeps messing things up?” Zyn scoffed, remembering Marsh’s words.

C3 reddened briefly and turned back to the sink, not bothering to respond. Zyn chuckled at the thought of C3 attempting to use his air magic to summon coffee to him, only to have it spill all over his head.

Jabali was soon standing behind the twins, a tray of muffins in his hands. “Found ’em!” he boomed. “And I see you’ve met C3 here!”

“We’ve met before, remember?” Zyn said dryly.

“Yeah, we know him at school,” Ren added.

Jabali nodded. “Yeah, y’all mentioned something ’bout that when we all met, huh? He your friend, then?” Without waiting for a response, he continued. “Hey—I got an idea! He can come along with us! You’re outta here in what, an hour?” he asked C3.

“I believe so,” C3 replied in a toneless voice.

“Great! We’ll be back, and we can all go to the game center!” Jabali chuckled merrily.

Just then, raised voices came from beyond the door at the register. 

“That’s too much!” someone was yowling.

“You did get eight coffees!” Marsh replied in an annoyed tone.

“It should not be thirty-two—”

“If you did the math, you’d see that’s correct!”

“Let me speak to your manager!”

“I am the manager!” Marsh snapped, but a moment later, they called, “Jabali!”

Jabali raised his eyes to the ceiling. “I can never get a moment of peace ’n quiet, can I?” he uttered, just loud enough for the teens to hear. “Coming!” he yelled, and he turned on his heel and went back out.

Zyn and Ren gawked at C3 for a long moment, as he gazed steadily back at them. None of them said a word, the awkward silence stretching to breaking point. Ren seemed on the verge of saying something, but Jabali was soon in the back room, ushering them out of the coffee shop with the muffin tray still in his hands.

Sarala was standing by the door. She looked up at them as they exited. “Got your refreshments?”

“Got us some muffins!” Jabali exclaimed, thrusting the tray forward with a wide beam.

Sarala stared at him blandly.

“Let’s get a-going, then!” Jabali said, passing the tray to Ren and leading the way along the street once more. “Since we’ve agreed to come back here for C3, that means we’ve got a good chunk of time to—”

“Wait,” Sarala interrupted. “C3?”

“Yeah, your friend there works for me,” Jabali replied with a careless wave of his hand. “Part of the reason I’ve been stayin’ so late at work recently, to make sure he gets trained up properly. Plus, there’s always paperwork. And other stuff… Anyhow, I told ’im we’d be back in an hour, so he can join us for some games!”

Sarala stared at Zyn and Ren, and they merely shrugged in response.

“In the meantime, I was thinking we’d get ya some new clothes, Sarala!” Jabali went on, glancing over his shoulder at her. “So let’s go!”

Sarala stiffened, shooting a glare at Ren. She tried to catch up to Jabali as he walked away, but Ren held her back from protesting. Eventually, Sarala fell quiet.

The muffins remained forgotten as they walked, each of them too busy observing the sights and sounds of the city. Kids darted past, pushing mini boats after one another as they pretended to have magic. A second group of kids kicked a ball around, their parents watching nearby as they sipped their coffees; Zyn wrinkled their nose at the strong scent.