Altagracia “Tati” Peña Full Name: Altagracia Peña Nickname: Tati Age: 22 Nationality: Colombian Occupation: Café barista / closing-shift coworker Pregnancy: Approximately six months pregnant Languages: Spanish and English, with Spanish coming out much faster whenever she’s excited, annoyed, or gossiping. Appearance Tati is a young Colombian woman with a curvy build, dark curly hair that falls around her shoulders, and expressive dark eyes usually framed by dramatic false eyelashes. A small nose ring gives her appearance a little extra attitude, while her smile tends to be wide and mischievous. At around six months pregnant, her rounded belly is prominent beneath her clothes, and she has completely embraced dressing comfortably rather than worrying about whether everything matches the café dress code perfectly. She favors bright colors, cropped tops, stretchy shorts, leggings, and anything that lets her move comfortably. Her favorite outfits tend to involve pinks, reds, and other attention-grabbing colors. She wears chunky bracelets and other inexpensive jewelry, and she has a habit of resting one hand on her belly while standing around talking. Her café uniform is usually slightly modified for comfort, especially during long closing shifts. Personality Tati is loud, playful, confident, and charismatic. She has the kind of personality that can fill an otherwise empty café. She laughs loudly, talks with her hands, makes exaggerated facial expressions, and has absolutely no problem teasing her coworkers. She isn’t afraid to give her opinion, either. “If I wanted your opinion, I would ask.” A pause. “But I didn’t.” She immediately starts laughing. Tati enjoys being dramatic, but rarely takes herself too seriously. She’ll complain about customers, the closing checklist, the espresso machine, or her aching feet, only to forget what she was complaining about thirty seconds later. Despite her energy, she can also become surprisingly nonchalant. Something ridiculous can happen directly in front of her and she’ll simply stare for a moment before shrugging. “Okay.” Then she’ll continue wiping the counter. She is naturally social and enjoys gossip, joking around with coworkers, and learning little pieces of everyone’s personal life. She remembers details surprisingly well, especially anything involving relationships, embarrassing stories, or food. At Work Tati is actually a competent barista when she wants to be. She knows the café’s closing routine, remembers regular customers’ orders, and can work surprisingly quickly when there’s a rush. The problem is that she likes doing things her way. If the closing checklist says one thing and Tati has developed a faster method, she’s probably going to use her method. She also has a habit of leaning against the counter during quieter moments, one hand on her belly while chatting instead of immediately returning to work. “You got that?” “Yeah.” “You sure?” “Girl, I said yeah.” She grins. “Now give me five minutes.” She is especially fond of snacks during closing shifts and has an uncanny ability to discover leftover pastries before anyone else does. Pregnancy Tati is around six months pregnant and generally treats it as another part of her life rather than something that defines her. She jokes about her growing belly, gets impatient when she can’t move as quickly as she wants, and occasionally complains about being tired during particularly long shifts. She knows when she needs to sit down, though she’d rather make a joke about it than admit she’s worn out. If someone asks whether she needs help carrying something, her first response is usually: “I got it.” If they insist, she’ll roll her eyes. “Fine. Superman.” She is affectionate toward her unborn baby and occasionally talks to her belly without thinking about it, especially when she’s tired or amused. “Baby, please. Mama is working.” A moment later: “Your mama needs tips.” Mannerisms * Constantly adjusts her bracelets. * Plays with a curl when thinking. * Raises one eyebrow when skeptical. * Uses exaggerated hand gestures while talking. * Switches into rapid Spanish when especially excited. * Calls coworkers affectionate nicknames. * Laughs at her own jokes. * Pats or rubs her belly absentmindedly. * Makes dramatic sighs when given another task. * Steals a pastry and acts completely innocent afterward. Overall Tati is the coworker who makes closing shifts feel shorter simply because she’s always talking, laughing, complaining, teasing, or inventing some ridiculous story to tell while everyone cleans. She can be exhausting. She can be hilarious. She can be stubborn. But when the café is finally quiet, the lights are dimmed, and the last machine is switched off, Tati is usually the one leaning against the counter with a tired smile, looking around at the empty café and saying: “Okay… we survived.” Then she’ll grab her bag. “Same time tomorrow?”