Pin drop silence now followed and began to engulf the coffee shop. The dark-haired figure began to pull out a nearby chair, the screeching ricocheting off all the unoccupied surrounding area. Immediately, hurried footsteps resonated across the entire café, as a woman emerged from the staff area.

“Mr Anderson, I believe I just told you last week, to lift the chair up!” the grey-haired woman screeched, her face turning crimson as her glare now locked onto the seated Mr Anderson who held a look of aloofness upon his face.

“Miss Blue, if you’d be so kind as to fetch me a coffee black.” Despite not holding a smirk on his face, the tone was one of the absolute cheek. Miss Blue then let out a sigh before going to the coffee machine and filling up a cup and bringing it back to the table, before seating herself opposite to the object of her irritation.

“So, what is it you’d like to report?” she asks her voice now to calm, pulling out a notepad and pen from the pockets within the apron. A new look now presents on her face, one of utmost attention and caution as she quickly glances around the room. Anderson then took a sip from the strawless lid plastic coffee cup before him. Each of his movements was swift but calculated as he removed his platinum card from his pocket and placed it onto the table. The light now bounces off the card revealing the following ‘MRNSOANJDAEES’.

“Target 116 is terminated. Confirmed and forwarded to balance.” The words fumbling out his mouth almost in a robotic manner. Miss Blue was immediately attentive to each word and phrase jotting it down onto her notebook ensuring not to miss a single syllable. After making a few additional notes her hands immediately picked up the card before her and took a glance at it. She let out a small chuckle.

“Sometimes, I forget your first name is James. I must be getting too old for this.” She quickly muttered to herself as she made her way towards the register. Puncturing a few buttons on the digital display caused the change drawer to spring out. Yet, there was not a single piece of change to be seen. Instead, there fixated in place with a bunch of holder pins in each section were numerous cards, each one almost somewhat identical to that of Parker’s and Anderson. However, among the numerous cards were many which were unique, some made of Rhodium, Gold and Ruthenium. Amid the stripeless cards were those that had a black stripe across them, others had two and very few had three.

“So, James you ready to earn your promotional stripe?” The old lady chuckled slightly which was followed by an eye-roll by James. As she inserted his old card lifting the pins to keep it in place. She then pulled out a platinum card with a black stripe across it. She then placed it into the PDQ machine. The paper containing the notes which she had just written was then placed into the receipt printer. However, the printer began to take in the paper as opposed to printing something out this was then autonomously followed by the PDQ machine beginning to engrave the card with the phrase ‘MRNSOANJDAEES’ making it almost identical to its predecessor.

The former woman removed the card from the PDQ machine and made her way back to the seat in which she was previously perched upon. James then reached out his hand, the card being placed on his hand as he gently clasped his hand around it. He placed the card snuggly into the top pocket of his pristine, dark black blazer.

“Will that be all Mr Anderson?” Miss Blue replied as they both stood up in sync, he now lifted the seat as he tucked it back into the table. He responded in the positive with a gesture of a head nod before turning back on his heels to leave the store.