OPERATION: ENCORE (Part V)
BARISTA: JACKIE LANG
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: MID MAY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-105
Hi, I guess. If anyone is reading this, my name is, well, I guess I shouldn’t use my real name, huh? At least that’s what she said. I’m getting ahead of myself though, I’ll just go by J.L. here. So, I’m J.L., hi! I’m not really sure how these CaDCom thingies work, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. It seems like a weird mix between a tablet and a typewriter. Also, this thing is HEAVY! What the heck is in this thing?!
So anyway, this is report number 1. Well, number 1 for me anyway. Sophie told me all about the old Cafe and Diner over coffee. She didn’t say much, but I think I get the gist of it. The Cafe and Diner is an organization that deals with… well, the unknown. I’m not actually sure how much I should say here. Or even can say here. Sophie told me that I need to keep the Cafe and Diner secret.
Sophie tracked me down and invited me to coffee. She said she was impressed with my recent “investigations” and wanted me to help her rebuild the Cafe and Diner. Now I did find some info on the Cafe and Diner in my research but I kind of glossed over it, assuming they were just a generic cafe and diner that happened to get mixed up in some seriously wacky stuff. But Sophie told me they were actually the ones who saved Long Beach back in the ’90s and also the ones who stopped the event from happening in the ’00s. Apparently, after the event, they disappeared, leaving behind only a single “number” which Sophie has given to me. I can’t say what the number is here, but it’s why six was scared of seven.
Unfortunately, most of the old Cafe and Diner files were either lost in a fire or seized by the Astoria 23rd. I kinda didn’t think they actually existed… but I guess the conspiracies and my theories were true. So, for now, I’m flying somewhat blind. Sophie said she’ll help “when necessary,” but that true Cafe owners can figure it out independently.
So, I need to first figure out this CaDCom system. Apparently, it has more than one channel for reports. Second, I need to get a staff together. Third, I need to figure what exactly I’m supposed to be doing as the owner.
J.L.
BARISTA: JACKIE LANG
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: EARLY JUNE
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-106
Hi all! I’ve got some good news and some… well, I don’t know if I’d consider it “bad” news. Maybe just regular news? A bit of a personal life update that might sort of be related to the Cafe? Well, whatever, I’ll start with the good news… Seth was to track the Chupacabra down and has given him a second box lunch on the house! Hopefully, he’ll give us a more positive review when he gets back to the Otherside—which we’re going to attempt to book his flight home over the weekend.
As for my not-quite-good news, do you guys remember Charlotte from high school? Well, we started dating in college, and we moved in together about two or three months ago. That’s not the bad news, of course! It’s great news, really! Naturally, keeping my Cafe stuff a secret from her has been tricky. I mean, she already knew I was into all this sort of… well, coffee business. And it’s not like our interests are all that dissimilar either, though she’s more into eldritch-y horror-type stuff. Though I haven’t exactly told her how… “real” it all is yet. I’ve been trying to find the right way to tell her, and I think I’ve found it?
See, she’s recently been having horrible, horrible nightmares, practically night terrors. That’s the bad news. At first, I sort of thought it was because she reads all that existential horror stuff before bed. I mean, I took a peek at the stuff she’s reading, and it is… b l e a k. I’ll stick to my killer clowns and masked murders, thank you. It did get me thinking, though: What if Charlotte’s nightmares are due to an overconsumption of caffeine? I mean, would it be that far-fetched that she’s unknowingly sipping too much coffee before bed? It could be something for us to look into, and it could also be a way for me to get her into the Cafe business. What do you all think?
BARISTA: CHARLOTTE CASEY
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE JUNE
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-107
I think it was successful? I don’t remember much, but it looks like the CaDCom was able to transcribe things. I’d say more, but I think I’m going to get some rest. Hopefully shadow-free.
Jackie: Are you ready, Charlotte?
Charlotte: As ready as I can ever be. Is my CaDCom recording or whatever it needs to do?
Octavia:: Yes. The transcription feature is working.
Charlotte: Okay. Well. Here I go.
[Charlotte slipped carefully into the bathtub filled with ice water.]
Jackie: Charlotte…?
Charlotte: This… sucks… Well… looks like it’s not— NO! AHHH!
Jackie: Charlotte!
Octavia:: That’s strange. She’s still awake?
Jackie: What do you mean?
Octavia:: I would have assumed she’d fall into sleep during these episodes. Hm… Oh, wait, the shadows.
Jackie: Shadows?
Octavia:: Look, the shadows in the room have grown thicker.
Jackie: Have they?
Octavia:: Hold her above the water. She’s about to fall asleep.
[Charlotte’s screams stopped as she fell limp. J.L. quickly hoisted her above the water. As Charlotte’s eyes opened, they were now pitch black.]
Jackie: Ah!
Octavia:: Who are you?
Charlotte: A shadow…
Octavia:: Your name?
Charlotte: Lost to time…
Octavia:: Mm. Why have you been terrorizing her dreams, shadow?
Charlotte: A… warning…
Octavia:: Go on.
Charlotte: He seeks to part the Tide… his unearthly horrors bringing endless elders to the shore… a fate so pale and cold… all will die…
Octavia:: Name him, shadow.
Charlotte: Leviathan, Prince of Envy, the simulacrum of the Infinite Ocean of Mayda, keeper of the Black Tide.
Octavia:: Why would—
Charlotte: Help… Us… AUGHHhhh…
[The black in Charlotte’s eyes drained out in thick black tears. The shadows in the room returned to normal.]
Charlotte: Wha—
Jackie: Charlotte! How do you feel? Are you okay?
Charlotte: Yeah… just a headache. And I’m freezing.
Jackie: Oh, yeah, let’s get you out of the water.
Charlotte: Did it… did I…?
Octavia:: It seems like a shadow was controlling you, trying to convey a warning about Leviathan.
Charlotte: The… sea serpent?
Octavia:: In a sense, yes.
Jackie: What should we do, Octavia?
Octavia:: Hm… well, the Cafe always tries to help, at the very least.
BARISTA: OCTAVIA LAGRAVE
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE JUNE
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-108
As we are considered the “Third” Cafe and Diner, one must wonder what became of the “Second” Cafe and Diner. Led by a brand-new Owner, the Second Cafe was a truly eclectic blend of personalities, from Princes of Hell to Miracle Workers to double agents to Satanic Actuaries. Strange circumstances brought all these people together to serve a fresh pot of coffee—secrets of the original Owner uncovered, whispers of nearing doomsdays, and a renewed influx of customers in Southern California. Two things were certain: the Owner was not as dead as he seemed—and everyone was certain to die sooner rather than later.
While the First Cafe dealt with Lord Satan, the Prince of Wrath, the Second Cafe took on Lady Asmodeus, the Prince of Lust. Her lust came in many forms, though her most notable lust was for power. Many, many years ago, when the Demon Princes signed their Soul Accord, Asmodeus ensured that she would receive the majority of human souls, making her, in a sense, the ruler of the dead. When a human dies, their soul reincarnates in the Otherside. Each new soul expanded Asmodeus' control and grew her sprawling kingdom of death. But the dead weren’t staying quiet under her watch. It would seem the dead had taken to revelry in the Flipside.
Asmodeus opened a series of demonic nightclubs to host not only the demons under her control but demons from across the Otherside. Her plan, in the end, would be to move her entire slice of the Otherside into the Flipside to avoid oncoming “divine retribution.” See, while the Second Cafe worked to shut Asmodeus’ operations down and find where the Owner had landed in death, they stumbled upon a much grander conspiracy: Operation Almighty.
BARISTA: CHARLOTTE CASEY
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: EARLY JULY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-109
…
Umbra: Well?
Charlotte: Well, what?
Umbra: Your control is slipping.
Charlotte: “My” control?
Umbra: Apologies. “Our” control is slipping.
Charlotte: Octavia was bad, but now that Rachel’s here—
Umbra: Rachel is inconsequential. I doubt she will be able to tap into the threads of Fate, and even if she can, Fate is an old friend of the Cafe and Diner. It is the Angel I worry about.
Charlotte: Angel?
Umbra: Yes. A pesky one at that. Her light threatens to snuff out our darkness.
Charlotte: I knew there was something off about her. She’s here to protect the First Bible, huh?
Umbra: In a sense. She certainly won’t allow us to take it easily.
Charlotte: And Leviathan will?
Umbra: No. Though I won’t let an overgrown fish stop me. Not now. Not when I am this close. And if there is one thing the Cafe and Diner is good at, it's disposing of Princes.
Charlotte: Are you sure? This Cafe seems…
Umbra: Inexperienced? Yes. Perhaps that will be to our advantage. Leviathan may lower his guard long enough for you to deliver the killing blow.
Charlotte: And how are we going to get close enough to Leviathan to do that?
Umbra: The Cafe and Diner will have to end up in Mayda, of course. I will see to it that you have a reason and means to do so. In the meantime, just play along. Be… honey sweet. Give Octavia, Rachel, and most importantly your dear Jackie, no reason to question you. In fact, this is where we part ways for now. I wouldn’t want our connection to raise undue suspicions. When the blackened tides rise, know that our time draws near.
Charlotte: What if I need to reach you?
Umbra: You shouldn’t.
Charlotte: What if the Angel—
Umbra: Fine. Here.
[Umbra the Hatman handed Charlotte a red paper doll]
Charlotte: What is this?
Umbra: A way to reach me—with a price, of course. Only to be used in an emergency.
Charlotte: Okay… and you’re sure that this is all…?
Umbra: You are letting the light blind you again, Charlotte.
Charlotte: Right.
BARISTA: JENNY WELLS
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: EARLY AUGUST
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-110
4121 here whats up guys, gals, and other pals! so quartzbrain is going blegh blegh blegh heres my thoughts
KNOWN WAYS TO GET SECOND VISION
1. big bads give it to you. we know this because thats how the og owner got it according to old old receipts. but we dont know miss morningstar personally so thats probs not gonna be it lmao.
2. be born with it. we know this because thats how the one and only ms. hepburn-the-satan-slayer got it. allegedly.
POSSIBLE WAYS TO GET SECOND VISION
1. via chaos magick/gnosis. problems with this is that chaos magick/gnosis are too self centered and might not interact with the os. we are HERE but we need to see into THERE.
2. via eoa magick. similar problem to big bads in that we are not even gonna mess with it. big bads BAD bigger bads BAD BAD you know what im sayin? (obvi i looked into it just a little lol… we could free eoa but like i dont think jbae will be into that plan so much)
3. dreams? maybe? idk? some kinda dream link between here and there?
4. eggless travel. like, eggless travel but for our minds. we know the os is a different dimension from ours so, maybe that could work? but we’d need an egg. or i guess not? because itd be eggLESS. probs need an egg to get started though.
5. sending in a drone to the os. problem is the signal would cut out like immediately. we know btech can send signals between os and here but we dont really know HOW
POSSIBLE NATURAL OCCURRENCES OF SECOND VISION
1. thought id mention that eql is basically what we're going for. problem is we can't wait for natural disasters to just happen and eql is like what a few seconds? we need a more doable solution.
bleghghghhghghghghhghg i dont know WHAT to do!! im gonna meet up with 17 and maybe have her help me out
bye bye for now babies!!!
~J.W.
BARISTA: BRENT HEARSE
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: MID AUGUST
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-111
Well… isn’t that interesting. Troubling? Yes. Interesting? Also, yes. These aren’t flies. Well, I suppose in a taxidermical sense, they certainly look and act like flies and could be easily written off as flies. Under most of my tests and measurements, they are 1:1 to typical flies. However, they failed one test spectacularly: simple soul-corpse reduction. In a sense, the test is used to ensure a soul has fully detached from a corpse by reducing the corpse to base properties via a solvent that exacerbates soul detachment. Funny enough, the solvent which does this is a simple concoction of heavy water and acetone.
I would assume that most Flipside scientists have yet to discover the unique properties of this mixture, as soul-detachment for any normal living being should be near-instantaneous. Put simply, if you put a corpse, animal, or vegetable in this “heavy acetone” solution, it should react exactly the same as if you only used acetone—which is to say, not much would really happen. But! If a soul is still attached to the corpse, a very unlikely scenario, mind you, it should ignite the heavy acetone solution almost instantly in a brilliant “soul flame.”
And these “flies”? They are little soul-flame fireworks. Now this is interesting because if they were regular dead flies, nothing would happen. But for some reason, these flies aren’t dead. Well, their bodies might be, but their souls aren’t and are still dwelling in their festering corpses. Now that is both interesting and, as I mentioned, quite possibly troubling. Though, I would say this evidence likely points toward the flies being… well, I wouldn’t say unrelated to Sewer Blob. No… my current hypothesis is that the flies were “eating” the souls of the Sewer Blob’s victims. Further testing will, of course, be needed.
BARISTA: JACKIE LANG
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: MID AUGUST
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-112
Alright, I'm back, as everyone here should already know. I don't like making these "manager only" reports as I like having everyone on the same page… but sometimes the coffee is too hot even for the servers.
So. No more dancing around it. Nicholas Langley and Jennifer Hepburn invited me to visit them in Astoria. Yes. The same Nicholas Langley and Jennifer Hepburn from the original CaD. Formerly known as Employees #44 and #35 and later known as California from the Hotel Division of A23 and the former single digit number. The same Nicholas Langley and Jennifer Hepburn who helped us at the edge of the Black Tide. But now they are just known as Nicholas Langley and Jennifer Hepburn from Astoria, Oregon.
So... I guess there's no more keeping our work a secret… the former VIII and the next in line to be VIII know that we are… well… actually running a Cafe and Diner. The good news is that Nicholas didn't seem too upset that I sort of took his place as H. I explained the situation to him about the Investors and how I didn't really know what I was signing up for, but he seemed to understand. I mean, I guess, how else did the investors get this number if not from him?
The strange part is they didn't really seem to know who I was outside of our last brief encounter at Cape Disappointment, so I'm guessing they didn't pick me. The investors picked me. Still not sure why but that's not important right now. We discussed our current cases a bit, and it seems like they're happy with the work we're doing, but it doesn't seem like either of them is interested in coming back to work for the Cafe. Nicholas also gave me a card for a group called "Langley and Langley: Actuaries of the Unknown," which deals with paranormal insurance policies. He said it was our choice to use it, but he sort of implied he didn't want our Cafe to burn down like the last one did.
Not sure if it's worth calling the Actuaries yet. I'll sleep on it for now. I guess that's everything important, but as always, you're all more than welcome to talk to me privately about anything.
On the shoulders of giants,
E1GH+
BARISTA: KYLE ALDER
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE AUGUST
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-113
I met with my ally from Division Yankee, Agent Mercy. It turns out that A23 already knew we were acquainted, so no harm, no foul. It seems like Mercy is willing to bend A23’s rules and regulations to help us out. Of course, I don’t want to mess with their job more than what’s necessary, so I’ll try not to pester them too much for information in the future. Anyway, it seems like most A23 has been called to another worldline(?) to help contain some sort of strange creature. So… we might be able to use this as an opportunity to snoop around a bit. I’ll fill the other managers in on the specifics and see if they want to put anything together.
Kyle: Hey, thanks for catching up with me.
Mercy: Of course… though are you recording this?
Kyle: What? No! Of course, not—
Mercy: That’s odd… My watch says there’s a “CaDCom Device” recording in this range.
Kyle: Oh… haha! Darn thing. Must’ve not… turned it off.
Mercy: It’s fine. But,
[Agency Mercy of Division Yankee pressed a button on their watch]
Mercy: I should record this too.
Kyle: But then, wouldn’t Astoria know you have a relationship with a member of the Cafe and Diner?
Mercy: Yeah, the eye in the lighthouse symbol is pretty accurate. They already know about our connection. I’ll need to file this away, but no one would bother to check a Yankee report, especially with this whole meltdown in another dimension.
Kyle: That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about! What’s going on?
Mercy: You know I can’t say.
[Agent Mercy conspicuously nodded to their watch. A watch that cannot transcribe non-vocal communications like the far superior Barista Technologies CaDCom device.]
Kyle: Right… I guess what I’m worried about, what the Cafe is worried about, is the solar eclipse and the blood moon and how that’s impacting the boundary lines.
Mercy: I see… Well, if I’m being honest, Kyle, that’s a little out of my field of knowledge. I’m just a paper pusher. I push papers around from desk to desk and division to division like this.
[Agent Mercy pantomimed, pushing papers around a desk, and as they went to straighten the imaginary papers, they slammed their wrist down on the desk, disabling the inferior Astoria 23rd Agency Wrist Communication Device.]
Mercy: Whoops. Well, I should probably go let Victor know that my watch got busted. Though I imagine they’d be pretty busy considering the outbreak of Null Forms in the Tuskkin Worldline. Nasty thing, Null Forms. I guess they’re some sort of creature that typically lives in Limbo? At least, that’s where they’re presumed to come from. Some sort of celestial phenomenon, likely the eclipse and blood moon, might have caused them to resurface in a neighboring worldline. Astoria, having agreements with the Tuskkin’s 55 Division, needs to go help clean that mess up. Null Forms are notoriously hard to kill and hard to contain. You’ll know if they breach this worldline. Wow, sorry for getting so chatty all of a sudden.
Kyle: No, thank you, Mercy.
Mercy: Come on Kyle, we’re friends. You can still just call me Max.
BARISTA: RACHEL ROSETHORN
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: MID SEPTEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-114
—Over and over.
Hello, my name is:
—Over and over.
The grinning man who speaks in figure—
Hello, my name is:
The grinning man who speaks for the friendly face of—
Hello, my name is:
The grinning man who makes only—
Hello, my name is:
The grinning man who lost his—
—Over and over and over again.
Apart from the universe in which he was once the most important part.
A tightly wound mainspring, made mainly to speak for the universe, now he can’t make a sound that can’t be found—
—Over and over and over again.
A cold and hollow body of what he once was.
A body that boils, burns, and churns.
—Over and over and over again.
A body filled with acid and blight.
A body that smiles with predetermined delight.
—Over and over and—
A mainspring uncoiled, made mainly to break the universe, now he can’t help but spoil the sounds yet to come.
Dying breaths and final gasps as the universe begins to collapse.
—Over and over and over—
A cold, dead heart—
—Over and over and over and over—
Might just be the most beautiful work of art—
—Over and over and over and over and over—
From the cold uncaring hands of Fate—
—Over and over and over and over and over and over—
—Hello, my name is:
BARISTA: JULIUS MENDOZA
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: MID SEPTEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-115
Ended up having that early dinner after all. Had a nice sit-down with Mrs. Pleasant, who was wearing her Sunday best. She’s watching her sodium as much as we are, so we had a Salt and Pepper free dinner. She wanted me to leave, so I’ll do exactly that. On my way out, I’ll make sure to grab her a fresh cup of Juice. That might take me a few days. It also seems like Mrs. Pleasant has attracted some unwanted company. I suppose I can’t run from them forever.
Julius: Thank you for sitting down with me, Mothman.
Mothman: Why have you been following me? I haven’t done anything. Is it a crime to fly about the Flipside these days?
Julius: Mm… no. Though when you fly around, you tend to cause structural failures.
Mothman: Nothing more than pleasant disasters, Julius.
Julius: I can’t just let you just fly around and kill people, Mothman.
Mothman: Is that so? You could have fooled me. You had your chance to stop me.
Julius: You’re making me regret showing you mercy.
Mothman: You think I admire your “mercy”? It was a weakness. So typical of your kind. Pathetic insects—
Julius: Insects? That’s rich coming from you.
Mothman: You know Umbra has big plans for you Julius.
Julius: So, you were looking for it then?
Mothman: It isn’t here. Don’t you think Umbra has already searched the Flipside?
Julius: It’s a pretty big place. Maybe it was tucked away in a forgotten little corner of the world.
Mothman: I was looking for you.
Julius: I wasn’t hiding.
Mothman: Maybe not, but you’ve been running. Running from your destiny, Julius. Perhaps I wasn’t looking for you so much as drawing you out.
Julius: Come on. Enough games. What did Umbra really have you searching for?
Mothman: I don’t have to answer some no-name number. Why don’t you go crawling back and beg for forgiveness? Then we can get back to business. You made a deal Julius. Play your part, and I’ll play mine.
Julius: Not interested. I suppose I’ll just take my leave.
Mothman: Fine. As will I. Oh, and Julius… if you aren’t going to do your job, stop following me before things need to get messy on your side. I might be busy, but I’m not that busy.
Julius: This is my job now. Tell him I don’t want to get tangled up in his mess.
Mothman: Which “him”?
Julius: The stupid one.
BARISTA: JULIUS MENDOZA
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE SEPTEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-116
Mrs. Pleasant Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted by Ashlyn, Julius, and unwanted guest (Jericho Myerscough). The most relevant information has been collected and transcribed by the CaDCom system.
Mothman: What a lovely cell you have here.
Ashlyn: Oh, you like it? That's good. You'll be here a while.
Mothman: Oh, couldn't I get out on good behavior?
Julius: You killed someone.
Mothman: Only a government dog, what's it to you?
Ashlyn: You can't just kill people! …Even if the people might deserve it.
Julius: Ashlyn, tone it down. We need information.
Mothman: You think I know so much because I was once with the House of Satan. Funny. I'll answer what I can.
Ashlyn: What do you know about the blood moon?
Mothman: It's some dirt rock celestial phenomenon where your moon turns red. Thrilling.
Julius: And the boundary lines?
Mothman: Hm... I suppose... The Otherside is just a rotation of this dirt rock. A moment in it's past. So, we've already seen the Blood Moon, and the right people could use that to their advantage. Perhaps they seek salvation?
Jericho: Oy, someone like Umbra?
Mothman: Oh, he doesn't need any ritualistic nonsense. He has a guest coming over soon, Rico. Then it won’t matter where the boundary lines are! Aren’t you excited?
Jericho: Bloody ‘ell… what are you tryin’ to get at, eh? Was the tulpa not enough? Now it’s all about tearing apart the bloody Flipside? All for what? To find your little book?
Mothman: Little book? Oh, sweet Jericho, it is THE book. The first book.
Jericho: Lawds above, is Umbra still on about that? It doesn’t bloody exist! If the Red-bloke couldn’t find it no one can!
Ashlyn: Okay that’s not really our business... What do you know about this (The Ice Machine)?
Mothman: It's... a tracker. What of it?
Julius: What does it track, Pleasant?
Mothman: Friday.
Ashlyn: We know it goes off on Fridays but WHO does it track?
Mothman: It’s what? …The 23rd? I suppose you'll find out soon enough. If I were you, I’d hang out in the hallways if possible. That’s where it’s the most fun.
Jericho: Right. Well, I’ll leave you lot with that riddle and me ‘an Pleasant should be getting back to Florida. My team can contain ‘im and maybe we can ransom ‘im off to the Dark.
Mothman: Oh, goody I get to leave. Except I’m not going back to the Dark.
Jericho: Oh? Whyzat? Trouble in paradise?
Mothman: Yes. That’s the plan. Now this has been a very fun game of cops and robbers, but I must be going.
[Around this time some type of energy rift opened, and the Mothman escaped]
Jericho: Oy! What in the seven hells-
Julius: That’s not good.
Jericho: Oh yeah? You think so Jules? Bloody ‘ell… You see what we’re dealing with, eh? It’s your choice, mate. I can’t force your hand. But think about my offer, choice? If not for me, for Nikki. She misses you. Joy too.
Julius: Hm.
BARISTA: VICTORIA WARD
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: MID OCTOBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-117
“I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.”
Hey gang, Victoria here along with Miranda and Brent. We’ve been doin’ some diggin’ into the flyer Miranda found and we’ve got something. So, for a while we’ve been trying to track down the phone number that was on the flyer, but it was a local number. We didn’t find that specific number, but we did find a working number! If we had to guess this is the main line. Here’s what you get if you call it.
“You seek salvation
Solomon’s Twice Third Temple can help.
Do not fear Crow.
Do not fear the Higher Beings.
Do not fear the Flies.
Do not fear what comes next.
[After about 10 seconds of silence a computerized female voice says “goodbye” and the line automatically hangs up]”
Sooo… yeah that’s BIG CHILLS. If it wasn’t obvious that this was a cult before, it’s definitely a cult now. Gosh, I do love a good cult. Anyway, that long silence is odd. Brent thinks you’re supposed to enter like a password to get in otherwise the call drops. I don’t think it’s an amazing idea to just start brute forcing it especially if they can track us somehow.
The good news is this seems to be connected with the whole weird fly thing and the Miasma and all that business. So now we just need to:
Figure out who or what Crow is.
Figure out who or what the Higher Beings are.
Figure out what the Flies have to do with this.
Stop whatever is coming next.
A tall order for sure, but one the Cafe and Diner can certainly fill.
BARISTA: AMBER INGRAM
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE OCTOBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-118
Ah, little Lyle Crow. Well, not so little anymore, is he? That’s Al Crow’s real name, btw. Well, “real,” I guess the right term would be old. Al Crow is the demon of who once was a kid named Lyle Crow. Also, I guess “kid” might not be the right term seeing as he was like 50 when he died. So… Ugh. Let me start over. Ah, middle-aged man who was once Lyle Crow and is now the Demon Al Crow. Leader of Solomon’s Twice Third Temple. Apparently, Lyle Crow, better known as Dr. Crow, was an occasional adversary of the First Cafe and Diner. They had a few run-ins, which ultimately led to Dr. Crow’s death in 1995 after getting eaten by his own experiment (GONE WRONG)(GONE SEXUAL?!)(WITH GUNS!!)
Prior to Dr. Crow’s demise, his most notable achievement was taking control of something called “THE HOUSE OF SOLOMON.” Uh yeah, SOLOMON. Solomon’s Twice Third Temple. Are you seeing the connections? (Are you? Because I sort of am, but also, it could be just co-inky-dinks.) So, this House of Solomon, which Dr. Crow renamed to the House on Dracula Drive, was basically a house that existed outside of the confines of our reality. Every Wednesday, it would pop into our reality and then pop back out. Using the House of Solomon, Dr. Crow was able to go to many places he really probably shouldn’t have been able to and learn about things he realllly probably shouldn’t have.
And this brings me to the end goal of Solomon’s Twice Third Temple! I don’t know. In the short term, I would guess that Al Crow will try and get his interdimensional House back. It’s too powerful not to want back, and he probably left a bunch of his human stuff in there that he wants back. In the long term, with the House back, I assume Al Crow will try and finish whatever he was working on as a human… which at the time of his death involved self-replicating nanotechnology that would eventually consume the universe and everything in it. So… we should probably try and stop that. As for why Secret would be chill with everything everywhere getting eated up?? Yeah, you guessed it, it’s a secret. But there is another enigmatic force out there that is worth taking a DEEPer look at. That one is going to be a-strictly need to know type receipt. So… if you’re not a manager and you’ve somehow stumbled upon these ramblings of mine, this is where the bus ends for you.
BARISTA: ASHLYN BLUNT
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE OCTOBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-119
The last thing of interest in the A23 Drive is this strange document. It's from some organization known as the "Obscure Obelus Order." The general setup/layout seems similar to an A23 doc, though this is a Division or group I've never heard of before. Could it be related to the Zulu cult? Beyond that... I'm not sure. The only thing that really links this in any way to us is that there is a very prominent coffee ring on this powerful artifact known as " the Final Note." I'm not saying all coffee rings are CaD related, but... I don't know. It feels almost like a calling card of sorts. Something that says, "Hey, this is CaD related. This is for you guys. I want you to have this."
Why else would a rare and powerful artifact be stained with coffee? Or maybe I'm overthinking it. But why was this O.O.O. document in this A23 drive? Are they working with "O.O.O." or...? Hm. I'm not sure. There's a lot of things that don't add up with this drive. For now, though, I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on it. See if any new documents get added to it. In the meantime, I'll do some digging into the Obscure Obelus Order, the Otherman, the Wisemen, Mon Amour, whatever I can get my hands on, basically. The document says:
“SECRET LINE COMMUNICATION OBSCURE OBELUS ORDER
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF THE Of O+
UNAUTHORIZED VIEWING WILL BE PUNISHED
ARCHIVE NO. A0TW02993
OBSCURED | BLACKOUT
O+ EYES ONLY
LOCATION UNKNOWN
SUBJECT 1. THE FINAL NOTE.
1. WE HAVE RECOVERED ONE OF THE ARTIFACTS, AS DESCRIBED BY THE WISEMEN. A NOTE THAT WAS WRITTEN BY THE "OTHERMAN." (FIG. 1) THIS MAKES THE THIRD ARTIFACT WE'VE RECOVERED, WITH FIVE MORE TO GO. WE WILL TOUCH BASE WITH BALTHAZAR TO DISCUSS THE NEXT ARTIFACT.
AS FAR AS "THE FINAL NOTE" GOES, IT IS A PARAZONIUM CLASS OBJECT WITH HIGH TEMPORAL INSTABILITY. THEORETICALLY, IT SHOULD HOLD A DEGREE OF POWER IN ITSELF, THOUGH WE WOULD REQUIRE ITS CORPOREAL LINK TO TAP INTO THAT POWER.
FIG 1. [A note with a prominent coffee stain which reads:
“What a mess.
Things are going up that should go down.
I suppose there’s no other choice. You know, He’d want me to let you all fail. He’d want me to stand by and wait for the end times.
I’m taking the other path. Death is not the only way to solve this problem.
While your lives are short, look how much you messed up in just one year. Without you she stands unchallenged.
So, when the fog clears and the cycle is correct, try not to mess things up again, mon amour.
Think but this and all is mended. That you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle cycle no more yielding than drifting psychal. Customers do not reprehend, if you pardon, I will mend. And as I am an honest other, would you die and suffer rather? Now, to scape the Bird’s intended flight I the other a liar call. So good night unto you all. When I come, I come to correct, another Angel to defect.”
BARISTA: AMBER INGRAM
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE OCTOBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-120
I’m glad we could clear that up, J. To be fair, I figured you had a good reason for keeping that all hush-hush from us. And… I can’t say I exactly know what we can do with that information… Well, okay, what we SHOULDN’T do, is anything rash. Belphegor is bad enough, but Mammon, too? I guess it’d be one thing if Belphegor and Mammon were the investors of just the Third Cafe and Diner… but… seeing as they are the investors of all Cafe and Diners… it makes things a little more complicated, doesn’t it?
On a related NOTE (ha-ha I’m still funny, even when I need to be serious), it looks like an organization known as the Obscure Order of the Obelus got their hands on the last note of the 15th Sphere. Or so they think. It doesn’t add up to me. It seems like what the Otherman is saying in that note is that he’s going to rewind the Cycle… not the Sphere. And, if this really was the final note of the 15th Sphere, you’d think it’d make mention of the deal between the Otherman, Belphegor, and Mammon, right? Seeing as that’s how our entire reality came into existence… I think it’d at least be a footnote.
Regardless, it is probably concerning that these Dagger-whatevers have a physical piece of the last universe in their possession. And by the sound of it, they have a little more than just that. They have two other “artifacts” of the past universe and are looking for five more. 3+5. I don’t think I need to spell it out for you. Worse—Astoria knows about this, and now, so does Ashlyn, the other Managers, and any employee who finds that floating around in the AND Channel. We’re gonna need to sell some Coffee on this one, J. Big time. Not only that, we’re going to need to sell it to our own people. I don’t like it, but I also don’t like things going up that should go down. I’ll start looking into this Dagger group if you can do some damage control. Though, you should probably ask 0 what he wants to do first, seeing as he wrote the damn thing.
BARISTA: JACKIE LANG
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE OCTOBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-121
…
Al Crow: -ressive opening. I suppose it paid off, though. I will say, I am rather impressed you figured it out, Jacquelyn. Sadly, a few plays too late. Nothing left to say? Oh, don’t be a sour sport. The game is just beginning. This is, after all, just an opening. A castling, if you will.
Jackie: What do you want with Victoria?
Al Crow: A bit obvious, I would think. Think of her like a rook.
Miranda: Enough chess metaphors. I’m getting sick of them.
Al Crow: And you think everyone just loves the coffee grandiloquence?
Miranda: It’s better than chess.
Felix: I believe Mr. Crow is trying to say is that Victoria is needed to “castle.” A special move to protect the king. And if I had to guess, Mr. Crow is trying to go home.
Al Crow: Now then, see? It is not that hard. Though you are not entirely correct, Mr. Blackwood. I am not trying to go home. I am trying to greet you all properly in my corporal form. Ah, if only I could have returned sooner to finish my business properly. Though one Cafe for another is all the same to me.
Felix: I had my suspicions. Dr. Crow?
Al Crow: Please, Blackwood, Dr. Crow is dead. I am not him, not anymore. I am Al Crow. The Great Beast. The Salvation Bringer. The Lord of the Flies.
Jackie: So all these flies, they were yours?
Al Crow: In a sense, I suppose you could say that. Though they are no more mine than one can own rot and decay. I do not control the flies, not yet, but they have proven useful to my plans. Speaking of which, I must prepare for the fated hour. There is much to do before midnight. I’ll leave you in the care of my associate, Yaga. Do try to rest up, Cafe and Diner. We have quite the party planned for tomorrow night.
Jackie: Well, he’s fun.
Felix: He’s an old friend of the Cafe. Well, he was when he was a human. I assume this is his demon form.
Miranda: Just a heads up, I ordered Decaf while he was talking.
Jackie: Ah, nice job, Miranda. Of course, we don’t want to do anything to peeve off the gruesome granny. Hm... Do you think 1313 could help?
Miranda: Maybe. Though, I’m not sure we should call in any employees. And I don’t necessarily want to get any more managers tied up. Figuratively and literally. What about you, 71? Got anyone who might help us out of this mess?
Felix: Sadly, I did not keep good contact with anyone following our 8’s death. There is always one person I can call on, though I would prefer to save that as a last resort. It would undoubtedly be an out. At least for you four.
Jackie: Don’t worry about that. I think if Amber could show up within 23 hours, that would be great. Just putting that out there. Vocalizing my hopes and dreams. Not sending any messages.
Miranda: Anything else you want to put out there?
Jackie: If only I could tell everyone to lock up early. Take Halloween off. Enjoy the holiday. Grab some candy for us because we’ll probably be getting back late.
Miranda: Got it. Rush Order.
[CADCOM CODE 12: RUSH ORDER CONFIRM?]
Miranda: Yep. Looks like we might be here awhile.
[RUSH ORDER CONFIRMED. TRANSCRIPT TO RECEIPT INITIATED.]
BARISTA: JACKIE LANG
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE OCTOBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-122
Well. This is the long flight back. I guess technically, it’s November now, but for record-keeping purposes, I might as well just file this as the 31st.
We failed. Well. Lost the battle, not the war. Al Crow was able to complete his ritual, which I’ll get into in a bit. I know right now you’re all worried more about Victoria. She’s ok. Or will be ok. She’s alive and with us at the very least. Brent is ok too. He was being... possessed is a strong word. He was being persuaded by one of Crow’s friends. Ah, where to start... I guess I’ll start with that. We now know Crow’s other two unknown demons.
Miss. Yaga, not a terribly creative name, I know. I’m tired. She is, somewhat obviously, a Baba Yaga. A powerful witch. Or, well, reborn witch. Her gimmick is she can come back to life if her bones are thrown in a special cauldron. At least that’s what ex-71 said. Not only that, because she’s a witch and not a demon, she can be either Flipside or Otherside easily. Not sure if- well, no strike that. She can go between the Flipside and Otherside when she wants to now. I’ll get more into that in a second.
Mrs. Midnight, again not a great name. Also known as Mètminwi, or Master Midnight, he is a boogieman known most to the Haitian people. He’s a tall, slender figure whose terms let him “take” those who stay up past Midnight. His “taking” thing boils down to altering the mindset/behavior of those up past Midnight. Like what happened to 134. No clue how we deal with him yet, as those terms are pretty loose.
And of course, you all have already been acquainted with Mrs. Weekend, AKA Friday. To my knowledge, this is Crow’s main crew. So what were they trying to do anyway? Well, to start, we still don’t know their endgame. This was akin to their first step towards whatever it is they are trying to do. So, first off, they were using flies to collect “black blood,” also known as demon blood. They had, I don’t know, I’m not good at measurements, like two Gatorade coolers worth of black blood. They then used Brent to lure Victoria here to use her. But first, they had Brent gather the rest of the supplies and dig these long channels in the ground. Next, as midnight (the hour, not the demon) approached, they poured the blood into the channels, and then I think they must have injected Victoria with some of the black blood as well. Then she, well, you know. Lost control. Miss. Yaga then chanted out something along the lines of “hellish gate betwixt the worlds unveil your hidden door once more.” Among some other, you know, ritual stuff.
Then, well, that’s when their ritual came to fruition. The channels of black blood solidified into what looked like two roads intersecting with each other. And where they intersected a house, a whole house, sort of phased into the Flipside. And then the front door opened, and out walked Al Crow, Friday, and Midnight. Thankfully, Amber did get my message and was able to get us out of there. Perhaps a few minutes too late, but that’s not her fault. In any case, Felix recognized this house. I guess it’s called “The House on Dracula Drive” or something like that. It’s a gateway between worlds that used to open every Wednesday. It was sealed by the original Cafe and Diner. Well, not intentionally. Dr. Crow, the at the time current owner of the house, died inside it, which sealed it. Until now. With the house once again open, it means Crow can come physically Flipside. It also means that Midnight and Friday are freer to come Flipside assuming it is Wednesday. I’m sure the house has more significance than just that, but it’s still a dangerous tool, especially in Crow’s hands.
So, the Cafe is going to stay closed today. And probably every coming Wednesday for the foreseeable future. I know we’re in two different time zones, but it’s still a pretty big risk to take. Plus, I don’t fully understand how this house works. For the time being, I think it’s tethered to the ritual location. Still, Friday could easily reach us within a day. I’m not sure what our next move is. If we have a next move. For now, for today, I think the best thing we can do is rest and get Victoria back on her feet.
BARISTA: JACKIE LANG
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE AUGUST
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-123
So... Julia Wandsun. A mysterious stranger showed up at our door asking for a cup of our world-famous Cafe and Diner drip coffee. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, I guess. Though this seems a little less "tense" than our last order was. Plus, the timing of Julia's order lines up well for us, so we might as well see if we can lend her a mug. I know many of us who were "out of the country" this past year might be a little lost, but 35 has filled me in with the relevant info. I'll try and convey the situation as best as I can, though there should be an additional report from 35 to check out as well.
Anyway, last Friday, while we were wrapping up with Miss. Webber and the Sevenfold Pastry Co. a tourist came into the Cafe asking for our coffee directly. Her name is obviously Julia. Julia Wandsun. How did Julia hear about our establishment? Well, she claims her parents, the Wandsuns, spoke highly of our services as a child, and she remembered our name. While I did call her a tourist earlier, she might be more of a regular than she lets on. If not her, her parents are. Though Julia is 24 years old… so if she had heard about the Cafe when she was a kid… well, it couldn't have been our Cafe. So why did she seek us out? Well, she has been living on her own out here in L.A. for about a year or two, but in the past weeks, she's been hounded by a customer of ours.
Though I have been out of the country for a year, I don't recall serving this customer, so I might've missed something. Her name is Le Loyon. Now, I've only just settled back into things here, but I don't think any Cafe has ever served "Le Loyon" before. Yet, we have some information on her already in our CaDComs. Perhaps the Other Cafe served her at some point in the last year? We should really check in with them soon, though, from my understanding, they are now out of the country for the time being. So that might be a dead end.
Now when I say we have information about Le Loyon, I'm not talking paragraphs, only snippets. He has been known to order White Tea, is obviously single, and left the Cafe and Diner some rather negative reviews. A real "blight" on our otherwise perfect reputation. Now that is interesting. I could swear that I've seen that word somewhere else before, though I'm not sure where exactly… we'll need to do some digging. In the meantime, Julia doesn't feel comfortable staying alone for obvious reasons, so she'll be staying at the Cafe. I've also had Kyle reschedule everyone, so someone will always be here. Sorry for the graveyard shifts, but hopefully, we can serve Le Loyon soon.
BARISTA: KYLE ALDER
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE AUGUST
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-124
I just figured I’d give a little update on how Julia is doing. As far as we could tell, Le Loyon has not followed Julia to the Cafe, though Seth says he caught a glimpse of Le Loyon hanging around Julia’s apartment. So, at least we know that her fears are well-founded. However, we still don’t know much about Le Loyon, he is at least a very distinct-looking customer. Not only that, he has a robust presence, so if he does start coming our way, we’ll have a small early warning.
Though, considering Le Loyon hasn’t… mm… well “caught on” to where Julia is speaks to Loyon’s own perception. We can also assume Loyon isn’t much of a receipt checker as 8’s receipt yesterday was for the Diner, which doesn’t seem to have swayed Loyon. So… that’s probably good, I guess. Though, it’s probably safer to not make any assumptions about a Miss. customer. But for the time being, it seems we’re safe. Victoria has been working on covering our tracks a bit as well. So hopefully, by the time Le Loyon catches on to where Julia is we’ll be a bit more prepared for a Cafe order.
Speaking of Julia, she still isn’t sure why she’s being followed by Le Loyon. She doesn’t recall doing anything that would attract one of our customer’s attention. Not only that, she doesn’t know Le Loyon personally. She just knew that something wasn’t right and that we could possibly help. I think she made the right choice coming to us, but I can’t help but feel things aren’t adding up somewhere. Why is this customer in our records? Why is she targeting Julia? Does Julia know more than she is letting on? Hard to say… But for the time being, Julia is safe, and Loyon is none the wiser. So, for now, let’s just drink this coffee one sip at a time.
BARISTA: RACHEL ROSETHORN
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: LATE SEPTEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-125
Cafe Crisis.
Look, look towards the morning star.
See how its light glimmers bright.
It casts shadows of deep dark difficulty.
Diagnosis? Dire.
Look, look at the symptoms.
See how the blight burns bright.
Festering in a generation now destroyed.
Does the delirium make you shiver?
Does it?
Does it make you want to dance?
Scream?
Rip off your flesh and try again?
Do you feel the funk festering?
Diagnosis, dire.
No cure can come to stop the delirium.
And how can you mourn an epidemic of one?
Look, look, I’m trying to level with you now.
I see a terrible fire,
A horrid jaundiced fire,
A fire so cold,
A wicked yellow flame.
Fate is kind, in comparison to a Wicked end.
And you know,
Running hasn’t worked.
It never does.
Here, there, then,
Let the friendly face of Fate clue you in, now:
What difference does it make?
The only running left is running out of time.
Want to try again?
Or are you ready for the Crisis?
Diagnosis, dire.
Diner, diner.
BARISTA: SETH WARREN
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: EARLY DECEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-126
Julia is missing. I don’t know where she is, and I’ve looked everywhere. And you know what I mean when I say everywhere. All seven planes, the pits, the tide, all major airports, the first Cafe site, the outside remains of the last Cafe, hell I even checked the abandoned Palm Beach Cafe, if I could check the Topside, I would. She is completely missing.
I was looking back at the security footage from before she went missing, and the only strange thing was a bright flash. And I don’t mean bright, bright, just bright enough to be picked up by the camera. Like a light being turned on in another room then being turned off. And then she was gone. I don’t know what happened… I mean… It might be… Le Leyon. Again. I mean, I thought it was, you know. Dead. But… Then again, maybe it can’t die? The light was very similar to Leyon’s light, but I’m also looking at crappy security footage. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, and I especially don’t want to alarm anyone.
Le Leyon is dead. We killed it. That’s all there is to it. So with Leyon dead, I don’t know… Could it be the Elephant's Foot? Or, ah, I guess the Ape from Florida CaD? Or, hey, maybe Julia’s a warper too. Or, maybe the room we put her in is a freak one-off airport. Ok, ok, I’m reaching now. I’m going to go let 8 know about this before I publish this receipt. In any case, I’ll need help searching. Maybe Julius, can help? Or uh, Jenni? Maybe you can pick something up with your second vision?
BARISTA: NE PERSONNE
CAFE: THIRD CAFE
DATE: EARLY DECEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-127
Just when Julia goes missing, we get paid a visit by one of our friends. How coincidental.
This morning at around 4 AM, there was a knock on my apartment door. Who else could it be but Indrid Cold? Seems like he’s none too happy we “lost” Julia. It’s all smiles until it isn’t. I’m sure he would have killed me where I stood if mon amour didn’t already up-end that plan. Mr. Cold has no business with anyone else in the Cafe that I’m aware of, so don’t worry too much about him. If you see him, don’t bother running. The cold always catches up. My advice would be to not say a single word to him if you can avoid it. And if you can’t prevent it… well… as always, all we can do is sell a hot cup of coffee.
I rarely admit this, so enjoy it while you can; I do fear we are in over our heads. With Julia missing, the Cold encroaching, and Lucy dead… We are backed into a very tight corner. I have two options left, and I don’t like either of them… But… One option throws away mon amour’s sacrifice. The other… Well, it had to come to this eventually, no? I’m sorry if this doesn’t go as planned, but all I can do now is hope for the best and Dare to Defy the odds.
Yours hopefully for a renewed contract,
8