The old coffee machine

Doing her best to stifle a yawn, Lucy decided that she needed a little pick-me-up. Grabbing one of the Styrofoam cups set aside for employees, Lucy approached the finicky coffee machine with only a small bit of apprehension. The machine had been acting up more than usual, and the nozzle had developed a habit of spraying out the sides a bit rather than in one concentrated downward stream. Still, so long as the operator was careful, the chance of getting splashed with coffee was minimal.

At least, that should have been the case. Instead, as Lucy pushed the button to dispense her coffee, a new problem manifested. At first, the machine didn't pour out anything; shortly after, it began to hum loudly. Taking a nervous step back, Lucy wasn't sure what to make of this new development. Was the machine about to explode or something? The hum continued to become louder and louder, and the coffee maker began to vibrate ever so slightly. Then, just as quickly as it began, it stopped. Whatever the problem had been, it appeared to have passed. With a sigh of relief, Lucy approached the machine again...

Only to step right into the splash zone of a sudden blast of warm coffee. The machine's nozzle popped off with a loud bang, and bitter liquid blasted out in all directions. In the blink of an eye, Lucy was practically painted with coffee. Kate and Cassy, rushing to the site of the noise, stared at Lucy with a mixture of shock and sympathy.

"Oh, Lucy! Are you okay?" Kate asked, rushing to her friend's side.

"Y-yeah. I'm *cough cough* fine." Lucy choked out, clearing her throat of some powdered coffee she had breathed in. Lucy can't even open her eyes with all the coffee on her face.

"That damn machine!" Kate cursed. "We should have had it replaced weeks ago! God, Lucy, you're absolutely covered in this crap!"

It's true. The aprons the employees wear were not nearly as water-resistant as they could be. The coffee was all over Lucy's face and in her hair. She could even feel it soaking into her clothing beneath her apron. The only real consolation was the fact that the coffee wasn't hot enough to burn or scald. Still, Lucy looked absolutely awful.

"Yeah, Lucy, you need to wash up. And your uniform before the stains set in." Cassy said. "You guys don't have a shower, I'm guessing. But you probably have a sink, right?"

Kate nodded. "Absolutely. Cassy, can you go back with her? We can't leave the front of the store unattended."

With a nod, Cassy carefully led Lucy away. Bringing Lucy over to a sink, Cassy turned on the water and lets it run for a bit to warm up.

"Okay, Lucy, go ahead and take off your uniform. I'll wash it up for you, you just focus on cleaning yourself up." Cassy said.

Lucy wordlessly obliged. Usually, she would object to disrobing in front of one of her friends, especially at work, but circumstances were enough to forgo her usual objections. Within a few seconds, Lucy was standing in her underwear, Cassy holding her soaked uniform. As she turned to find the sink, Lucy heard Cassy speak up once more.