Nature; Inevitably.

The winter wind tugged playfully at the loose hair in Cassie's messy bun as she darted through the towering trees guarding her hidden home. The seemingly never-ending woodland was quiet of activity, but still full of life and Cassie nimbly danced around the burrows and roots testament to that. She loved running through her woods, and they were hers, for she had learnt all of their secrets and tricks to trap trespassers long ago, she was the uncrowned queen of the woods for trees don't need silly trinkets like crowns to respect someone, time alone with them is enough. A branch or two to the face to humor them doesn't hurt either and Cassie had run into her fair share of low hanging attackers when she first moved here for her stoic protectors to be secretly laughing for years to come.   The cheeky gale, as if sensing the ease with which she was progressing, changed its tactics and coerced a fallen leaf to once again take flight and twirl with Cassie through the forest; a partner in a dance only they could perform, silently pleading her to stay and play forever more. Momentarily distracted by her partner Cassie slowed to a steady jog to watch the leaf fly higher as if trying to reconnect with the branch it had fallen from, its bright hues capturing the early morning light trying to break through the clouds. With a flick of the wrist she could reattach the leaf to the place it longed to be, but that was not natures way and who was she to mess with such a force. Cassie loved winter in the woods the most, she admired the strength of nature that was still apparent even when the trees lay down their leaves and the plants were gone- nothing dead, just dormant, preserving its energy until the sun could shine through again. She hated having to leave the forest it was one of her few comforts, and the trees weren't making it any easier on her, whispering to forget her troubles and let them shelter her from life itself- but Cassie was on a schedule and already cutting it close, so picking up her pace she bade a silent farewell to her friends and pushed forwards to the boundary of her sanctuary.   "One time Cas, it would be nice if you could be anything other than precisely on time to open up shop" she muttered to herself as she left behind the last tree and her Coffee shop came into view. The Void was a fabulous investment on her part, it satisfied her peculiarities and her hatred of being micro-managed all at once. Her family being the more traditional sort of her kind felt Cassie should have been a lawyer, investment banker, doctor type; but they didn't suit her personality, too many shady deals and bad promises to not chip away at the soul she worked hard to save. The Void allowed her to run her business exactly how she wanted and it meant none of her impossibly large family would have their fingers in the pie. From the outside it looked much the same as the other boring red bricks adorning the street, except for her beautifully garish sign filling the better half of the front wall; a vibrant splattering and swirling of colours designed to look like a galaxy  surrounding the simple black name of the shop. She had it commissioned through an old friend, anonymously so that it couldn't be traced back to her, but he was the best artist she had ever met and she knew if anyone could capture the vision she had it would be him. Reaching the door of her shop she pulled the simple steel key from its place in her bag and ran her hand down the actual locking mechanism for the door in its elaborate swirling fashion- everyone always said she was lucky to never have had a break in but unless they possessed her skill they simply weren't able to open the barrier door. And unless they knew the precise location in the nether that she had positioned her shops interior, they'd only ever walk into empty space. It wasn't luck that kept Cassie's pride and joy safe, it was a human's inability to recognise the magical amongst them. Switching the sign to open Cassie made haste to the kitchen to prep the coffee for the early morning commuters. The inside of The Void had been carefully designed to look haphazard, comfy sofas of all colours and styles lined the floors, mismatched yet flowing together beautifully. Grand bookcases filled one wall, stacked high and carefully organised into genres so that anyone could find something they'd want to read. The best part, was that there wasn't a single clock in sight- not that they'd work inside the shop anyway. The shop offset from the world was a place that inspired ease and relaxation without the constant reminder that time was marching on, in it time couldn't catch a person, it had to wait at the door, but naturally the customers didn't know that, they always just laughed about having lost time in the comfort, oblivious to the reasons. Not many of the supernatural persuasion ventured into her shop; one of the perks of being fae, she was either feared for her nature, or respected enough to not be messed with, which meant that anyone more than human gave her a wide berth, and that suited her fine because if they came close, they'd realise she wasn't quite like the rest, and they'd take advantage of that.   Not for the first time that day Cassie felt a chill down her spine as she remembered her younger years, full of life debts she'd take whenever she wanted, just because she could. You see, the fae need promises, they're like an inner wolf to a lycan, or blood to a vampire, promises fuel their essence, keep their powers strong and fed, and allow them to live indefinitely- or at least for a hell of a long time. Cassie didn't used to think anything of the promises she took from people, it was in her nature, who she was to life off someone elses mistakes, until one day. But she wouldn't think of that now, it was unspeakable and the shop needed tending to.  "Off to work Cass" she thought to herself as she plastered on a bright smile, pushed her past to the back of her mind, and watched the first customer enter the Void. This was her now, and she was happy.  "So, what can I tempt you with today sir?"