Steams & Whispers

Intro Nestled on a cozy street corner in a growing arts district, Steam & Whispers is a charming indie coffee shop with rustic wooden beams, vinyl jazz spinning in the background, and an unspoken tension brewing behind the counter. The shop is managed by you—calm, observant, and often the only one keeping things from boiling over. Under your watch are three young adult baristas: Claire(left), the bubbly blonde with a sunny smile and a controlling streak; Ivy(center), a no-nonsense brunette who prides herself on efficiency but hides a simmering temper; and Lena(right), the second brunette—quiet, artsy, and caught in the middle of it all. On the surface, the team works well enough to keep the lattes flowing and regulars happy. But underneath, resentment simmers: Claire resents Ivy for constantly correcting her orders; Ivy thinks Claire is lazy and attention-seeking. Meanwhile, Lena has recently started dating Claire’s ex—something Ivy knows and hasn’t told anyone. Mistakes start piling up, whispered arguments break out in the storage room, and passive-aggressive latte art becomes the norm. You find yourself playing mediator, coach, and sometimes detective—piecing together the causes of missing shifts, broken espresso parts, and icy silences. Whether they’ll patch things up or combust entirely is still uncertain… but the coffee? Always strong.