The successful brewing of the Moon-Lavender tea left a quiet sense of accomplishment in the café. Elian seemed a little less tightly wound, sipping the warm, calming brew Maris had carefully set aside for him. Kai watched him, a thoughtful expression on his small face, while Maris eagerly eyed the next potential ingredient on the counter: a small, rough-spun sack containing coarse, slightly gray salt crystals.
"Okay, the 'sleepy' salt," Maris announced, carefully pouring a few crystals onto a clean saucer. "What did it feel like again, Elian?"
Elian, bolstered by the tea, hesitantly reached out towards the sack, not quite touching it this time, but focusing intently. "It... it feels tired," he confirmed. "Very old. Like it remembers being deep underground... for a long, long time. Waiting. It doesn't *want* to do much. Just... rest."
Kai, meanwhile, was privately consulting his system window.
`[Select Ingredient: Deep-Sleep Salt (Crystalline)]`
`[Recipe Database Query: No matching recipes found.]`
`[Basic Uses Known: Preservation, Flavor Enhancement (Caution Advised)]`
`[System Analysis: High concentration of dormant chrono-particles detected. Potential Temporal Effects: Unknown/Unstable.]`
Chrono-particles? Kai blinked. Like him? He made a mental note but decided not to mention the temporal warning just yet. "The system just says it's salt," he reported simply. "For... salt things."
Maris picked up a single crystal, rubbing it between her fingers. "It feels cool. Not cold, just... still." She touched the tiniest speck to her tongue. Her nose wrinkled. "Whoa. Okay, definitely salty. But there's something else... like dust? Or echoes? It tastes incredibly *old*."
"Maybe it's not for eating?" Kai suggested.
"Well, this *is* a magical café," Maris pointed out cheerfully. "We just made tea out of sad moonlight leaves. Old salt seems pretty tame compared to that!" She looked thoughtful. "If it feels sleepy and remembers being underground... maybe it's good for preserving things? Or making things quiet down?"
Elian shivered slightly. "It doesn't feel *bad*," he offered. "Just... very, very quiet."
"Maybe we can add it to something that's *too* loud?" Maris mused, glancing around the café. Her eyes landed on the espresso machine, which Elian had previously described as 'proud'. "What if we tried cleaning the espresso machine with it?"
Kai looked doubtful but consulted his system again. Nothing prohibited it. He gave a small shrug. Maris dissolved a few crystals in warm water. Elian watched nervously as she carefully wiped down a small, inconspicuous part of the machine's chrome exterior.
The effect was immediate, though subtle. The usual low hum of the machine seemed to soften, becoming almost inaudible. The metallic sheen where Maris wiped seemed... calmer, less reflective.
Elian stared at the spot. "It's... quieter now," he whispered, amazed. "The proud feeling... it's still there, but it's not shouting."
Maris grinned. "So it *is* calming! Like a cleaning scrub that tells things to chill out."
Kai updated his internal notes: `[Item Identified: Deep-Sleep Salt - Effect: Dampens object 'presence'/emotional resonance, induces 'quietness'. Potential Use: Cleansing Agent (Metaphysical), Stabilizer?]`
They hadn't created a new brew, but they had learned something valuable about one of their few resources. They spent another hour carefully testing the salt solution on a few other 'noisy' objects Elian pointed out – a rattling drawer handle ("It feels less anxious now"), a perpetually creaking floorboard ("It remembers being a tree, but it's calmer about the creaking"). Each time, the salt seemed to gently mute the object's lingering 'presence'.
Maris was delighted, already imagining uses. Elian looked increasingly focused, his fear momentarily overshadowed by the validation of his strange senses being genuinely helpful.
Kai watched them, feeling the `[Hearth Stability]` tick up another tiny notch to 97%. Their teamwork was literally strengthening the café.
Just as Maris suggested they try cataloging the empty tins next, a familiar chime sounded, visible and audible only to Kai.
*DING!*
A new window popped up, overlaying his view of his friends.
`[New Quest Available: The Whispering Walls]`
`[Detection: Lingering emotional residue identified within café infrastructure.]`
`[Source: Echoes of previous timelines/events – Minor Instability Risk.]`
`[Objective: Use Deep-Sleep Salt solution (or similar calming agent) to cleanse specific 'active memory' points within Haven Brew.]`
`[Hint: Elian's Empathic Resonance required to locate active points.]`
`[Reward: Hearth Stability +5%, Unlock 'Café History Log' (Fragmentary), Recipe Refinement Token x1]`
`[Accept Quest? Y/N]`
Kai stared at the notification. Whispering walls? Active memory points? He thought back to the chipped teacup's terrifying memory of fear and finality. Were there other, potentially dangerous, echoes trapped within the café itself?
He looked at Elian, who was carefully arranging the salt sack and lavender jar on a shelf, then at Maris, already sketching ideas in a small notebook the café had provided. This new task wasn't just about brewing or cleaning; it felt more important, like tending to the café's very soul. And it required both of his new friends' specific talents.
He took a breath and mentally tapped 'Yes'.
"Hey," Kai said, turning to the others, his expression serious again. "I think... I think the café needs cleaning. Not just the counters. The *walls*."
"Clean the *walls*?" Maris repeated, looking around the café's warm, seemingly immaculate interior. "But they look fine."
"Not like *dirt*," Kai clarified, choosing his words carefully so as not to reveal the system quest only he could see, Kai stared at the notification. "More like... remember that teacup Elian found? The one that felt scared?"`
Elian flinched slightly at the memory but nodded.
"I think," Kai continued, looking towards a section of wall near the back, "that maybe the café itself has spots like that. Old feelings trapped inside. Maybe making it feel... less stable?" He glanced towards the spot where the lights had flickered earlier.
Understanding dawned on Maris's face. "Oh! Like emotional dust bunnies?"
Kai nodded seriously. "Yeah. And maybe that sleepy salt can help quiet them down, like it did with the espresso machine?"
Elian looked apprehensive. Actively seeking out potentially distressing emotional spots was different from accidentally stumbling upon them. But Kai and Maris were looking at him, not with pressure, but with hopeful expectation.His unique, often painful ability was needed. He took a deep breath, the lingering calm of the Moon-Lavender tea giving him a small anchor.
"I... I can try to find them," Elian offered quietly.
Maris immediately set about preparing a fresh batch of the Deep-Sleep Salt solution, dissolving the gray crystals in warm water just as before. Kai followed Elian as the thin boy moved slowly around the café, hands hovering inches away from the wooden panels and plaster walls. G2 fluttered anxiously behind them.
"How do you know where to look?" Maris asked as she joined them, holding a bowl of the cloudy solution and a soft cloth.
"I... just listen," Elian murmured, eyes closed in concentration. "Not with my ears. It's like... static. Most of the walls feel quiet, warm, like they're happy to be here. But some spots..." He paused near a section of wall halfway between the counter and the new reading nook . His hand trembled as he pointed. "There. It's... faint, but buzzing. Annoyed."
He reached out, fingertips barely brushing the smooth wood. "It remembers being hit. Hard. Over and over. Frustration... someone couldn't get something right?"
Maris dipped the cloth in the salt solution and gently wiped the area Elian indicated. The wood darkened slightly with the moisture. Elian kept his hand near the spot, eyes wide.
"...It's fading," he whispered after a few moments. "The buzzing is going quiet. It feels... smoother now. Less angry."
Kai watched, fascinated. He could almost *feel* the café sigh in relief, though it was likely just his imagination – or perhaps the subtle feedback from the system he couldn't yet interpret.
They continued their slow circuit. Elian identified another spot near the front window. "This one's different," he said, frowning. "It feels... cold. Like loneliness. Someone stood here watching the rain for a very long time, wishing they weren't alone."
Maris gently cleansed the area near the window frame. Again, Elian reported the feeling softening, the sharp edge of loneliness dulling into a quieter, more neutral memory.
The final spot was harder to find. Elian seemed drawn towards the newly appeared door leading to Rain's room, near the fireplace. "It's not the door itself," he stammered, looking distressed. "It's... behind it? In the wall *there*? It feels... like worry. Strong worry. Like waiting for bad news that never came, but never stopped being expected."
This echo felt stronger, more persistent. Maris applied the salt solution more liberally this time. Elian squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating. "It's... fighting it a little," he gasped. "It's a really old feeling..."
Maris wiped the area again. Kai instinctively placed a hand on the wall nearby, focusing on the café's inherent warmth, trying to project a sense of safety. After a tense minute, Elian finally relaxed.
"Okay," he breathed, sounding exhausted but relieved. "Okay, it's quiet now. Just... tired."
As Maris rinsed the cloth, Kai discreetly checked his system window.
*DING!*
`[Quest Complete: The Whispering Walls]`
`[Reward: Hearth Stability +5% (Current: 100% - MAX STABILITY REACHED)]`
`[Reward: 'Café History Log' (Fragmentary) Unlocked - Access via System Menu]`
`[Reward: Recipe Refinement Token x1 (Available in Inventory)]`
`[Bonus: Elian's Empathic Resonance Skill Experience Increased]`
*100% Stability!* And a History Log? Kai felt a thrill of accomplishment. They had done more than just clean – they had healed parts of the café's past, making it stronger, safer. He looked at Maris, already wiping down the bowl, and Elian, who looked drained but was standing a little taller than before.
"You did really good, Elian," Kai said sincerely.
Elian flushed slightly but gave a small, genuine smile. "We did."
Maris grinned. "Teamwork! Now, what do you think is behind that weird new door?" she asked, gesturing towards Rain's room.
Before Kai could answer, the bell above the main entrance chimed softly, announcing a new arrival.