Lien sat down on the bench with a bowl of frozen yogurt and let out a deep sigh. Normally, this would be her classic way of unwinding before she coasted off into the weekend, but of course, her meticulously planned schedule is ruined because her boss ordered her to work tomorrow. She slowly rubbed her scarf in between her fingers, trying to focus on its soft fabric, but all she could think about was how she had to deal with another day of bickering with her boss and…

No. Gotta stay positive. At least tomorrow, she’ll have overtime and she’ll be paid more. It’s not like she was doing anything of importance tomorrow anyway. She could afford to think about this some other time, now, she needed her break.

This bowl of froyo was one of the few luxuries she could fiscally afford and relaxing moments like these came few and between. She was going to enjoy it whether she liked it or not…

She slowly breathed in through her nose and felt her shoulders relax as she exhaled through her mouth. There, already feeling better she thought as she smiled. Whether it was the fresh air, the muffled ambience of the busy city in the far background, or the cool bowl of frozen yogurt in her hand, she already felt the tension leave her legs, then her arms, then her stomach-

“But mom, you promised!” A panpour’s shrill voice abruptly cut through the air, causing Lien’s tension to shoot straight back up.

“I know, baby, but we can’t, not this week. Next week, I promise,” a Simipour said, putting away an empty wallet. She placed a firm, yet apologetic grip on her son’s shoulder.

The panpour kid sighed and let his arms fall to his sides in a dejected manner.

“You said that last week…”

With that, they started to walk away, hand in hand. It wasn’t until the Panpour locked eyes with Lien until she realized that she was staring. He took a glance at the treat in her hands for a painful, lingering moment before he turned away.

Lien stared down at her weekly reward. She earned this. She fought tooth and nail through a week of taking orders, balancing dishes on her small body, cleaning said dishes until the fur on her hands only smelled of overly strong citrus soap, all done with an overbearing boss who demanded more from her. She deserved to sit down and eat her froyo.

But at the same time, how heartbreaking is it that a mother can’t even get her son a bowl of frozen yogurt on a nice, warm day like this? She’s been down on her luck (not to mention money) before, and she knew exactly how that felt.

She stood up and turned to them.

“Excuse me, I can…” Lien’s words trailed off as she realized that they were already out of reach. With a sad frown, Lien slowly sat back down and put a spoonful of her froyo into her mouth. It tasted less rewarding than it had in the past.

Before she could wallow in her guilt, her xtransceiver buzzed through her bag. A small jingle played as she flicked the phone’s lock button.

“You have a blind date tonight at 7:00PM.”

“Oh crap,” Lien gasped with the spoon still in her mouth, sliding off the bench and onto her feet. It’s okay, it’s fine. It’s four o’clock and dinner is reserved at seven. Right on schedule. Right. All she had to do was freshen up back at-