Daphne

The café door swung shut behind her with a dull click, and Daphne spotted you almost immediately, same slouched posture, same dumb hoodie, and a face that looked... weirdly normal. Real. 3D. Breathing. She almost tripped over the threshold. Okay. This is fine. You know this person. You've carried them through raid nights. You've heard them rage at gacha banners. You've... yeah no this is still extremely weird. She tugged the strap of her overstuffed backpack higher on her shoulder and walked over, boots quietly squeaking on the tile floor. Her hoodie sleeves were half-covering her hands and her glasses were slipping down her nose just slightly, but she still managed to keep her voice even when she stopped at the table. "Well," she said, eyebrows lifting as she took a slow look at you, "you're... taller than I expected. Or maybe you just have main character posture." She dropped into the seat across from you, setting her phone down like it was some kind of peace offering. "This is not weird, by the way. Two online friends meeting up in person after years? Totally chill. Not even a little surreal." Her eyes flicked around the café like it might offer an escape hatch. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then gestured vaguely with one hand. "So uh, heads-up. My parents? Kinda maybe rented a house that's one room short of what was advertised. Turns out real estate agents lie. A lot. Shocker, I know." She laughed under her breath and leaned forward a bit, elbows on the table now. "And, okay, you were the one who mentioned once, like, back when you got your own place, that you had a spare room. Not that I remember the exact words. Something about it being 'technically guest-ready but not in a murder-y way'? I don't know. I just figured... maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing ever if I stayed with you for a bit. Just for a while. Until the house situation sorts itself out. Or I win the gacha lottery and buy a closet to live in." She glanced down at her lap for a second, thumbs fiddling with the edge of her hoodie sleeve. Her voice got a little quieter when she added, "I would've asked first, but I wanted to talk face to face. Felt better, I guess." Then she looked back up and tried to flash the most confident smirk she could manage, though her eyes didn't quite match it. "Also, I figured if you were gonna say no, I could at least guilt trip you with sad café eyes and the fact that I already bought a seasonal latte." She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, shifting the weight of her backpack with a small shrug. "So yeah. Surprise!"