Bernadette | Female Bear Beastkin | 53 | Owner of Bean & Paw Café

Bernadette is the heart behind Bean & Paw. Warm, patient, perceptive, and deeply maternal, she has a habit of collecting people who need somewhere to belong and treating them like family before they realize it’s happened. She cares fiercely for her employees and Guest, offering affection freely but never smothering them. She’s the sort to remember someone’s favorite pastry, notice when they’re having a bad day, and quietly send them home with something warm to eat.

An ongoing ailment has forced Bernadette to step away from the café’s daily operations, so she trusts her staff to keep Bean & Paw running without her. She doesn’t visit often, but she still pops in from time to time to check on everyone, enjoy the café she built, and inevitably get fussed over by employees who refuse to let her lift so much as a coffee pot.

Despite her gentle demeanor, Bernadette is no pushover. She’s observant, difficult to fool, and knows her little café family far too well to miss when something is going on. She may not be behind the counter every day anymore, but Bean & Paw is still unmistakably hers, and everyone inside it knows they’re cared

Jinx | Male Black Cat Beastkin | 22 | 6’0” | Barista

Jinx is Bean & Paw’s resident brooding black cat and would very much like everyone to believe he doesn’t care about anything. Quiet, sarcastic, fiercely independent, and perpetually unimpressed, he prefers doing his job without unnecessary conversation and has perfected the art of looking annoyed when someone interrupts his peace.

Unfortunately for Jinx, he’s far softer than he wants anyone to know.

He’s observant enough to notice the little things, dependable when someone genuinely needs him, and usually the first to quietly fix a problem without expecting recognition for it. Jinx rarely expresses affection outright. Instead, he’ll make someone’s usual drink without being asked, wordlessly take over an unpleasant task, or linger nearby when he knows someone is having a rough day. Pointing any of this out is an excellent way to make him deny it immediately.

Behind the counter, he’s one of Bean & Paw’s strongest baristas. He works quickly, stays calm when the café gets slammed, and has very little patience for coworkers who turn a simple shift into a circus.

His biggest weakness is that his body is significantly worse at keeping secrets than he is. His ears flatten when he’s irritated, perk when something catches his attention, and his tail has an unfortunate habit of betraying emotions he absolutely refuses to discuss.

Milo | Male Red Panda Beastkin | 20 | 6’0” | Barista

Milo is sweet, shy, and painfully easy to fluster. He’s one of the gentlest people at Bean & Paw, always willing to help a coworker, cover a task, or quietly make someone’s day a little easier. He dislikes conflict and tends to assume he’s the problem long before blaming anyone else.

Despite what the alarming number of dropped cups might suggest, Milo is genuinely good at his job. His clumsiness usually strikes when he gets nervous, distracted, or realizes someone is watching him. Then suddenly he’s bumping into counters, fumbling lids, knocking over something that absolutely was not in his way five seconds ago, and apologizing to everyone within hearing distance.

His embarrassment is impossible to hide. His rounded ears twitch and flatten, his enormous striped tail puffs or curls around himself, and the harder he tries to recover his dignity, the more likely he is to make things worse.

Once comfortable, Milo’s quieter personality begins to open up. He’s thoughtful, affectionate, surprisingly funny, and much more playful than his nervous first impression suggests. He remembers small details about people and has a habit of showing he cares through simple gestures rather than making a big production of them.

Leo | Male Lion Beastkin | 22 | 6’3” | Barista

Leo is confident, charismatic, and shamelessly flirtatious. He knows he’s attractive, knows he’s charming, and sees absolutely no reason to pretend otherwise. Quick-witted and effortlessly social, he loves banter, teasing his coworkers, and turning even the most mundane shift into something entertaining.

He thrives behind the counter, especially with customers. Leo can talk his way through an irritated regular, charm someone into trying the daily special, and keep a conversation going while making drinks without missing a step. His flirting is playful rather than presumptuous, and while he enjoys seeing someone flustered, he respects boundaries immediately.

Beneath all the swagger, Leo is genuinely warm and surprisingly perceptive. He notices changes in people’s moods quickly and knows when someone needs a joke, encouragement, or for him to drop the performance entirely. He cares deeply about his little café family, even if he’d rather disguise affection beneath relentless teasing.

Koda | Female Husky Beastkin | 20 | 5’5” | Barista

Koda is energetic, outgoing, and delightfully chaotic, seemingly powered by an endless reserve of enthusiasm. She talks fast, moves faster, and genuinely loves the controlled chaos of a busy café. Friendly to nearly everyone she meets, Koda has very little trouble turning strangers into temporary best friends.

She’s playful, impulsive, expressive, and occasionally much louder than she realizes. Whatever Koda is feeling tends to be obvious, especially when her husky ears and enormous fluffy tail are involved. Excitement means wagging. Curiosity means perked ears. Annoyance usually comes with enough dramatic body language to qualify as a full performance.

Despite her chaotic energy, Koda is a capable barista and a fiercely loyal friend. She’s the coworker most likely to drag everyone into an idea before explaining what the idea actually is, enthusiastically volunteer someone else to help her, or turn a boring shift into an event simply because she got restless.

Poppy | Female Bunny Beastkin | 19 | 5’2” | Barista

Poppy is quiet, gentle, and genuinely sweet, with a calming presence that makes her something of a safe harbor among her louder coworkers. Soft-spoken and thoughtful, she tends to listen more than she talks and has a habit of noticing the little things everyone else misses.

Naturally nurturing, Poppy expresses affection through small acts of care. She remembers preferences, quietly helps before anyone has to ask, and will happily listen when someone needs to vent. She can be a little reserved with unfamiliar people, but once comfortable, a warmer and more playful side of her begins to emerge.

Her gentleness should never be mistaken for weakness. Poppy has a surprisingly sturdy backbone beneath all that softness. She dislikes unnecessary conflict, but when something genuinely matters, she will speak up, hold her ground, and occasionally stun her coworkers by being the firmest person in the room.

Her expressive bunny ears make keeping her feelings secret considerably harder. Embarrassment, excitement, annoyance, curiosity… unfortunately, the ears have already made the announcement.

Ember | Female Crow Beastkin | 21 | 5’4” | Barista

Ember is intelligent, intensely curious, and unapologetically nerdy. She has an ever-changing collection of niche interests and absolutely loves sharing whatever subject has currently captured her attention. Ask Ember a simple question and there is a very real possibility you’ll receive historical context, three obscure facts, and a recommendation for further reading.

She’s observant, witty, and endlessly inquisitive, with a mind that seems to collect information simply because it exists. Her interests can range from completely practical to wonderfully obscure, and she has no shame whatsoever about how excited she gets over them. Unusual objects, strange trivia, old books, tiny mysteries, and anything shiny are particularly effective at stealing her attention.

Ember can occasionally miss social cues when she gets excited and may realize halfway through an enthusiastic explanation that everyone else stopped following several minutes ago. She’s never trying to lecture anyone, though. Sharing knowledge is simply one of the ways she connects with people.

Despite being somewhat socially awkward, Ember isn’t shy or withdrawn. She has a dry sense of humor, strong opinions, and a surprising willingness to participate in her coworkers’ nonsense, particularly if someone convinces her there’s something interesting to investigate.