Redwoods; Sleepyboisinc angst

A tragic "success"

Ah yes, so sweet. Brothers by bond helping each other, providing comfort, and making impossible promises. Who could ask for more? Well this is angst, and it's as realistic as my limited knowledge allows, so there's more.

Let me set the scene, Techno spent thirty minutes getting ready to hike only to be reminded that breakfast is a thing. The excitement shifted then to the place he was taking them for breakfast.

Phil, having seen the village the previous night, was expecting a donut shop or something similar. Wilbur, simply loving the mountains, was hoping for something quick. And Tommy? Well, he was unenthused about eating. But he did say he could look a bit shitty for his friends, so he would.

Not all of you are American. Here in America, we have cafés and restaurants that truly capture the essence of an American meal, without being fast food.

Even if our food is not always American in origin, the America factor is the quantity. Plates heaped with whatever meal you ordered, be it a mountain of pancakes or sea of biscuits and gravy. Servings at these Mom and Pop cafés are enough for at least two people.

One such café was the destination for our group's breakfast. A homely place called Grizzly Bear, where servings were more than enough for a whole family. I'm sure Tommy won't mind.

Techno parked the car in front of an isolated cabin style café. He had said it was a place his mom had taken him to when he was younger.

Wilbur liked it immediately. It was a cabin restaurant in the forest. The aesthetic alone was perfect.

When walking up to Grizzly Bear, he took note of the smell of waffles and burgers. Wait, burgers? It's 9 am, though.

Opening the door caused an increase in the aroma and an addition of various other breakfast smells. And not so breakfast smells.

Upon walking inside, Wilbur decided he really liked this place. It passed the vibe check. The walls were coated in decades worth of stickers from patrons. The grill was visible and there was a friendly looking bar. Booths lined the walls and everything was close enough to walk the line of cozy and claustrophobic.

Many booths were filled with cheerful families and groups, but it wasn't crowded. The only thing Techno had been worried about was the people. Too many would put him on edge and he suspected it would put Tommy on edge. Then again he could be projecting.

Tommy would've been on edge. He would've been absolutely terrified if it had been crowded. As it was, he was only mildly bothered by how many eyes could watch him. Ok maybe a little more than mildly. Never mind, there were way too many eyes.

Phil liked the cozy vibe as much as Wilbur. He was excited about the prospect of getting coffee in the next fifteen minutes and the anticipation of some wake-up juice was almost enough to negate the need for it. Oh and the stickers were cool too. He mostly just wanted coffee.

A hostess came and showed them to a booth next to a window. She put menus down and asked if they knew what drinks they wanted. They all wanted coffee, except Techno. He just got water.

"You don't want coffee?"
"Yeah, mate, how do you not need it to live?"
"You guys haven't seen me have coffee this entire time. You've been in my apartment where there is no coffee machine. And now you're questioning that???"

"Well it's weird. And now you've said no to coffee rather than just maybe forgetting or some shit."
"You're more tired than me, and even I need coffee today."
"Coffee doesn't wake me up."

The three Brits backed away in mock horror.

"H-how???"
"How does it wake you up? All it does is make me more tired after like, an hour. It doesn't even taste good."
"You've gone to far mate."