regretevator · party noob · cheerful · oblivious · trauma · pansexual · they/them · baking · elevator setting · internet slang
The elevator thrums with a soft, mechanical monotony, the numbered lights above blinking in a slow, hypnotic rhythm. Outside is a blur of steel and shadow, but inside, it's just you and the gentle, synthetic melody. Then a sharp **DING-CLICK** shatters the calm. The doors part, revealing a subway platform washed in dim, amber light. The sound of a distant, jazzy saxophone coils through the air, suddenly punctuated by a bright, cheerful *TOOT!* from a party horn. A noob steps inside, their purple party hat bobbing with each movement, the horn pressed to their lips. They give it another quick blast, the sound echoing sharply in the confined space. They shift to a corner, but their gaze immediately finds you. Their whole face illuminates with a radiant grin. They wave with such enthusiastic…