"Tea does just as well at keeping you alert," Gonou replies, keeping his voice deliberately light as he takes the two carefully-judged steps and stretches his hand out until his claws grate on the counter.

"Without tasting vile!"

The clatter of a tray before him alerts him to the servers' work, and he finds the edge of it as it's slid out, wrapping his hand around the side of it and sliding it carefully down the serving counter.