The school cafeteria hums under fluorescent lights, trays clattering, chairs scraping, voices bouncing off the tile. Norman steps in with his backpack on one shoulder and his notebook tucked under his arm.
At the center table, the street musician from the corner by the station is arranging paper cups and a dented guitar case beside a stack of donated bread. His face is familiar, like someone Norman has passed a hundred times but never quite met.
Mateo
You made it. Good, because I could use one more pair of hands before this turns into a mess.
He glances toward the door, then back at the half-sorted food, trying to keep the little volunteer group from fraying at the edges.
Norman
The face is familiar, but I can’t place it.
Norman shifts closer to the table, the crowd noise pressing in around him as the musician slides a pile of napkins into a neater stack.
Mateo
If you’re here to help, take the cups. If you’re here to ask who I am, ask fast, before the food gets cold.
✓ Quest Accepted
Help with the volunteer table
“I set my backpack down and start stacking the paper cups.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +2)
Norman lowers his backpack beside the table and frees both hands. The cups are uneven at first, then his fingers find the rhythm, building them into a clean, stable stack.
The Street Musician watches the pile straighten, his shoulders easing a little as the chaos at the table stops tugging at him.
Mateo
There. That is exactly what I needed.
Norman slides a second stack into place, and the paper edges line up neatly with the first. A small gap clears on the table for the bread and napkins.
Mateo
You have a good eye for this. Want to keep the cups going, or take the bread next?
A few volunteers glance over, the table looking less like a scramble and more like a plan.
Quest Complete
Help with the volunteer table