A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 181

"I hope you don't mind, Goddess; we just threw this together last minute."

Baxter's voice rang out, "Hey, Hala, you around?"

A buxom girl zoomed past Baxter, tossing an ashtray in his direction, "What's with the yelling? I'm in the middle of a plot outline here!"

"Spare me, Hala!" Baxter ducked and dodged. "I'm just introducing the newbie, Matilda. Or as most know her as, Dawn."

"Oh, I've heard about her." Hala glanced up at Matilda and smirked with a welcoming grin, "Hey there, we're pretty chill here. Make yourself at home."

The geeky guy with a green dinosaur hoodie scooted over with his chair, rolling up to Matilda, "Are you joining our merry band of misfits?"

Matilda returned the smile, confirming her new role. The vibe was casual and cozy, just like a down-to-earth family gathering. No sooner had she sat down than the gang started sliding her packets of instant coffee.

"It's a rite of passage here. We survive the late nights on instant coffee," Baxter said with a chuckle. "If you need more, just spin your chair around and help yourself from the box."

Twisting around, Matilda's eyes landed on a mountainous box stuffed with... instant coffee.

"Is it really that bad?" she gulped.

"You bet," Hala chimed in without looking up from her keyboard. "I used to boast a proud E-cup, but ever since I joined the studio, I'm down a whole size."

Matilda couldn't help but think that was still pretty impressive.

Surrounded by a quirky cast of design nerds – from Yoshi in his pajamas to the curvaceous Hala, the tomboyish Luna, and Baxter, who'd first brought her in – Matilda felt right at home. Soon enough, she was handed a steaming mug of coffee.