"I-I'm so sorry," Cynn Numair said, as he quickly stuffed his books into his bag. "How embarrassing. I hope I wasn't keeping you."

He hefted the bag onto one shoulder. The snake headed person shrugged, tongue flicking as they spoke.

"No biggie. We've all dozed off while studying, right?"

Numair hesitated on his way out the door, which the alligator barista was holding for him. "I suppose--yes. Studying."

"Have a good night!" the alligator said cheerfully. Numair shot them a disarming smile.

"You as well."

As soon as he was outside, though, he heaved an embarrassed sigh and tugged his hood more tightly over his head. It was late enough that the streets were empty, and a thick fog reduced everything to dark, hulking shapes. As Numair left the light shed by the cafe, he extracted a pill from the small rectangular box he was carrying, tossed it into his mouth, shattered it with his teeth, and exhaled a plume of white smoke that was only slightly more opaque than the fog.

The bus stop he came to was also empty--it was just a glass-and-steel shelter over a bench, illuminated by a single white light. He sat down on the bench, breathing smoke and checking his watch, before leaning forward to look up and down the deserted street. Nothing moved either in the streets or on the sidewalks; in one direction a pair of traffic lights glowed red several blocks away, and in the other the street seemed to drop off rather suddenly, past another set of traffic lights which glowed green.