On a Tuesday that smelled like solder smoke and cinnamon (Noor had brought sticky buns as if carbs could stiffen resolve), The Perch wore its usual buzz: the TUES Intro to MIG crew practicing beads on scrap plate, the high schoolers testing Gentle Trouble’s new drive code, the radio playing a Motown B-side that should have been an A. The trophy over the sign-in sheet sulked under fingerprints like a friendly gargoyle. The new sign—BRING YOUR CURIOSITY. KEEP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.—tilted a degree left because the wall was as honest as old brick can be.
Science fiction & fantasy