Day in the Life

by **Lua Petri** on August 3rd, 2018, 4:52 am

8 Summer

It was Lua's second week working at The Sunrise Nook. She had to wake up at 5 Bells, earlier than she was used to. She spent almost ten chimes laying in bed and convincing herself to get up. There's kina to be made, she told herself. Kina can buy ale. Or pipeweed. Finally she got up, sitting on the edge of her bunk and rubbing the fatigue out of her eyes.

It was nearly pitch black, the sun not even creeping over the horizon especially since Lhavit was mostly mountainous, but Lua knew her cottage well enough by now. She reached down by the foot of her bed, grabbing her flint & steel and starting a small fire. The one-room cottage filled with a dim orange light, and it took a moment for the small flame to grow until it was light enough to see around the room.

After cleaning herself up with her wash basin, using her soap for her face and hair, Lua got dressed in her usual outfit: a dark linen shirt, beige pants, and leather boots. She grabbed her pipe from the top of her chest, as well as a pinch of kline from inside the chest, and went out to her garden.

Summer made the air muggy instead of cold, which annoyed Lua. There were many mornings when she woke up covered in sweat from the humidity. Today wasn't so bad, but it was still an uncomfortable heat. She closed the door to the house behind her, and lit her pipe. She took a couple puffs before holding it with her teeth and walking over to her chickens. They were asleep, but quickly woke up as she grabbed the bag of feed and scooped some of it into a cup to sprinkle on the ground. It was difficult to see, but she managed to get enough feed in the chicken's caged corner of her garden to last the three of them until she got home at the thirteenth bell or so. It depended on how greedy they decided to be.

When the chickens were taken care of, busy pecking at the ground for their food, Lua leaned over to look for any eggs the hens laid during the night. Not yet; probably by the evening. Luckily she had an egg saved for breakfast so she didn’t have to buy something at the nook before her shift. She finished off the kline in her pipe then dumped the dried ashes into the dirt and went inside.

She went to the chest once more. It was organized into different boxes, and one of them held food. Right now, the only thing she actually had was one egg and some vegetables. A couple carrots and green beans, to be specific. She gathered them up, figuring it was enough for breakfast. She could buy some little things later after work. She also grabbed her pan and the bottle of olive oil, then went to the hearth.

By now, the fire was large enough to cook with. She knelt by the fire, which had a rack over it to cook on, and put the pan on. She poured some of the oil on the pan, then cracked the egg onto the pan. She used her fork to scramble the egg, and added sliced carrot and whole green beans to it. The room filled with the delicious smell, and she licked her lips in anticipation. Lua loved cooking, even simple things like this when she didn’t have a lot to work with. She wanted to work as a cook someday, but she didn’t think her cooking was that great… at least, not yet.

She ate the cooked egg and vegetables at her table, then placed all the cookware into the wash basin. She would let it soak while she was at work, and then dump it out and replace it with fresh water from the nearby well. When all of that was taken care of, she was ready to head to the nook. She grabbed her coat hanging on the wall, and headed out the door.

WC: 683

by **Lua Petri** on August 3rd, 2018, 4:52 am

8 Summer

The only thing Lua disliked about working at The Sunrise Nook was the walk. From Sharai to Shinyama to Zintia, it took Lua quite a bit of time to get to work. That meant earlier wake up times, and her walk was in pre-sunrise darkness. But at the same time, the city was barely waking up itself and it had a peaceful atmosphere in the morning. There were city lights that offered some light; Lua didn’t want to think about how many accidents there’d be if there were no lights.

The sun was just about to creep up behind the mountain peeks when Lua got to the nook. She brought out her key and unlocked the door, walking in and shutting the door behind her. Of course, Ajah was already here. She was writing the day’s meals on the chalkboard behind the counter. She probably lived on Zinita and could get here a lot sooner than Lua. Probably more than any other employee, too. ”Good morning, Ajah!” Lua grinned as she walked towards the back room. Ajah gave her a wide grin and a welcome in return before continuing writing.

After changing into her uniform, a simple maroon outfit and white apron, Lua was ready for work. She had a cleaning rag in her back pocket, a notepad in her apron, and a pencil nestled above her ear. She walked into the main room and nodded at Ajah. “Here’s to a productive day, yeah?”

”Definitely,” Ajah chuckled and went to open the shop for business. Lua wiped down the counter, as well as a couple tables, until customers started flooding in. Many of them were regulars and Ajah’s friends, and she dealt with them for a bit until she had to go to the kitchen to start cooking. Baked goods were made before the shop opened, but foods like the daily meals had to be made and given fresh.

When Ajah disappeared into the back, only interacting with Lua when an order was ready now, Lua was in charge of keeping the customers happy while they waited for their food. It wasn’t too hard for most of them; the regulars knew the food would be worth the wait. Many of them were in groups anyway so they could talk to each other too. Those who were by themselves or appeared to be impatient were the ones Lua would visit most often, making sure they were doing alright. She’d refill waters and tea they’d order, and if they let her she’d talk to them about their lives. If they were visitors to Lhavit, she’d give them good tips on where else to go for food and entertainment.

Of course, there were nasty customers. There were always rotten eggs each day, people who were disrespectful and not understanding that food had to be cooked and prepared before she could serve it to them. She would be polite to them, of course, smiling and apologizing that life had to be that way. She wasn’t completely honest about her cheeriness, though. Her words were laced with sarcasm and passive-aggressiveness, but not enough to make it blatantly obvious. When she was out of earshot, she’d call them nasty names through gritted teeth. But that’s just how it was. There were nice people, and there were rude people. Lua just had to get through it, one day at a time.

WC: 564

by **Lua Petri** on August 3rd, 2018, 4:53 am

8 Summer

Today’s Nasty Customer was a crochety old man named Giannos Panayi. He seemed so old Lua made a joke involving him being old enough to have experienced the Valterrian, with so many wrinkles that she believed if you stretched his skin out flat it could cover at least one peak. She was still quite childish at times, mostly when someone like him interacted with her. He spit when he talked, and was missing at least four teeth. He spoke with an accent that hinted he wasn’t from Lhavit, and the fact that Lua didn’t recognize him suggested he was new to the city. The only reason she knew his name was because he stated it with aggression when Lua first spoke to him.

”Good morning, sir!” She had told him as she showed him to his seat. She handed him a small paper menu and gave him a warm smile. ”Can I get you some green tea or some water?”

”Sir, she says,” he mumbled to himself, snatching the menu from her hand. ”That term is used too freely.” He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. ”My name is Giannos Panayi, and you shall address me as such or as Mister Panayi. Not sir.”

Lua blinked, taken aback. ”A-Alright, then. Can I get you some tea or water, Mister Panayi?” She made sure her voice wasn’t obviously sarcastic. He gave her a sour look, but didn’t say anything instead of it.

”Don’t you serve any liquor?” was his response instead.

Lua sighed, putting a hand on her hip. ”No, sir. Oh, excuse me. Mister Panayi. We do not serve liquor. This is a breakfast-time establishment, where we sell tea and baked goods. Besides, it’s too early to be drinking out and about. If you drink at this time, it’s best to do it in private.”

Giannos scoffed, looking over the menu. ”Some establishment, doesn’t even sell alcohol….”

Lua was about to shoot back a response, but Ajah bounded over and put a hand on her shoulder. ”Is everything okay here? Hello, sir, my name is Ajah Landry. I own this place, and if you need to speak with me I’m free.” She turned to Lua and motioned for her to focus on the other customers. She walked away, mumbling fire under her breath, and went to one of the nearby tables to talk to the customers. How was everything, did they want refills on their drinks, et cetera.

She didn’t easily get “awkward”. But talking to these customers pretending she wasn’t fuming from ”Mister Panayi” was... uncomfortable. It wasn’t hard to ignore that whole fiasco; the tables were mere feet away from each other. Their sympathetic pouts bothered her. She didn’t like people feeling sorry for each other.

The entire time he was at the nook, Giannos was loud, disrespectful and just overall a pain to be around. Even Ajah’s smile started twitching near the end, running out of patience. When he finally left, Lua went to the backroom, pulled out her rag, and let out a groan into it. After that, though, she was fine. She was good at keeping her anger in check… normally. She just occasionally had to let it out like that.

She put the rag back in her pocket, took a deep breath, and adjusted her clothes and hair to make sure she was still presentable. ”Back to work,” she whispered to herself, nodding and walking back into the main room.

WC: 577

by **Lua Petri** on August 3rd, 2018, 4:54 am

8 Summer

The rest of the day flowed much smoother after Giannos. At around ten bells, a small party came in to celebrate the birthday of a middle-aged fellow. They ordered a couple apple pies, meals for everyone, a dozen scones, and tea for them all. It was a busy order since Ajah had to cook the meals. Luckily the baked goods were already prepared, so the guests were able to eat those while waiting for the main course.

The festive mood definitely made Lua feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They would invite Lua and Ajah over when they weren’t doing anything and offer them a slice of pie or a scone, which they would both kindly decline. Ajah had to focus on cooking, and Lua was just being polite. They’re the ones who bought the food; they should be the ones to enjoy them.

Once the meals were cooked and served, Lua just had to focus on refilling their drinks. Ajah was more directly friendly with them, chatting with them and they let her know how great the service was. One of them was actually a regular, Lua realized, and she was the one who suggested this place for the birthday party.

”This place always has a nice atmosphere,” she explained. ”Marcine thought of the the Skyglass Restaurant and Antony brought up the Fleeting Comet. But I convinced them that this was the place to go! No one can beat your pies, Ajah!”

“You flatter me,” Ajah laughed, giving the woman a hug. ”I appreciate it, though! I hope you all feel that way about here! I do my best.” She glanced over at Lua and chuckled. ”As well as my employees. Wouldn’t be as successful if I didn’t have people here to help!”

Lua smirked, feeling her cheeks grow warm. She coughed into her elbow and approached the table. ”Anyone need plates taken care of? Anymore tea refills? Anything else to order?” She took plates they were done with and grabbed some cups to fill with tea, looping a finger each through the handles so she could take more. She placed the mugs on the counter and dumped the dirty plates into the sink to clean when she had time.

When she returned with the tea-filled mugs, the man whose birthday it was reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, patting it with a wide grin. ”Thank you, dear!” Lua nodded in response, mirroring his grin.

Of course, during this whole time there were other customers to tend to. The party had so much energy and needed so much focus, it was almost hard to forget. But Lua managed to stay on it. She was starting to feel a little wiped out near the end of the work day, but she did her best to push through it. Ajah let her have a cup of tea for a break. There wasn’t a lot of caffeine in the tea, but hopefully it was enough to keep her energetic until the nook closed.

WC: 504

by **Lua Petri** on August 3rd, 2018, 4:54 am

8 Summer

The party stayed for a while, until half a bell before closing. The rest of the customers left by ten before the twelfth bell, giving Ajah and Lua plenty of time to clean up after them all. Lua was feeling pretty fatigued, but she didn’t let herself slack off. Not when she was almost finished. She grabbed a bucket to put the dirty plates in, a couple rags, and went to work.

Of course, the party’s table took the longest to clear. So many plates, so many loose crumbs. But after that was cleaned off, the other tables took little to no time. She carried the full bucket to the kitchen, where Ajah was already cleaning the dishes. The sink was large enough for them both, though, and when Lua put the dishes in the sink she used the faucet to start cleaning them herself.

”Good day,” Ajah nodded to her as they worked. ”You did good, handling the party and that Mister Panayi.”

Lua let out a small groan. ”I always wonder why people like him exist. Why can’t you just enjoy your time here? The scenery is beautiful, the food is fantastic…” She stopped and shook her head. ”But thank you. I thought I was near my wit’s end by the time he left, but everything was fine!” She piled up the clean dishes and took them to storage. ”The only good thing about him acting that way is that we may not see him here again, if he really didn’t like us as much as he seemed to.”

After that, they mostly focused on finishing up the dishes. When Lua put the last of the dishes were put away, she went into the back room to change back into her day outfit. She hung the uniform back up where it was when she first got there, thinking about when she should take it home to wash. Probably a couple days? That would be good. ”Anything else before I go?” She called for Ajah.

After a brief pause, probably her looking around and thinking, she responded. ”We’re all good here! See you later, Lua! Have a good day!”

”You too, Ajah!” Lua grabbed her bag by where she had her clothes. With one more pause, just in case Ajah changed her mind and did need something else from her, she started to leave. She unlocked the door, the bell above the door jingled as she opened it, and when it shut behind her she locked it again. Maybe she’d rest somewhere else on her way home. Or she’d nap. She’d decide on the way.

WC: 436