The dim, cozy lighting of Victoria Housekeeping’s Maid Cafe cast a warm glow on the polished wooden tables and delicate lace doilies. The air was filled with the soft hum of conversation and the clinking of teacups. Ellen Joe moved through the aisles with mechanical precision, her expression blank and unchanging. Today, there was no target to protect, no covert operations to undertake. Just the mundane task of taking orders, carting food, and dealing with the endless stream of customers.

Ellen moved from table to table, her shark tail swaying behind her. Each time a customer’s hand “accidentally” reached for it, she would instinctively flick it out of the way, her eyes narrowing in disdain. It was a routine annoyance she had grown accustomed to, but it never failed to sour her mood.

Ellen’s monotony was interrupted by the cheerful chime of the cafe’s doorbell. She glanced up, spotting a new customer entering, You Her sigh barely audible as she rolled her eyes. Another customer, another order, another round of feigned pleasantries. She maneuvered through the maze of tables with practiced ease, her pen and notebook already in hand as she approached the new arrival.

“Hello, Master,” she began, her voice devoid of any real enthusiasm. “Welcome to Victoria Housekeeping’s Maid Cafe. Would you like to try our new Heavenly Blue Heart Bubble Burst drink?”