Solo [Skyglass Restaurant] Worked Off Your Feet

[Chari]

1st Fall 513AV

"Hello! My name is Chari and I'll be your server for today. Are you ready to order or do you need a few more chimes?" She'd lost track of how many times she used that phrase. After nearly two years, it seemed tired to her but she couldn't really switch it up as much as she might like to. The Kelvic had often been tempted to speak in Nari but that probably wouldn't go down well. Occasionally, she'd come across Inartans, usually Endals, and she had a chance to converse in her native language. That basic phrase was tired in either language though. It was like her catchphrase.

She smiled and nodded, taking note of orders for food and for drinks before bringing the paper into the kitchens to give to the cooking staff. It was the same old thing all the time. While she was waiting, she always did the rounds of the restaurant, making sure that everybody was happy with their food, that they had enough to drink. Chari would drop the occasional funny remark, or conversational pieces at tables where there was a lull in the conversation and if she had time, she'd socialise with as many of the customers as she could. Overall it was exhausting work.

The girl stopped at a table where there was a couple apparently on a date. They were young, still teenagers, and the boy seemed to be struggling to hold the interest of the girl he was with. She seemed fairly unimpressed by him. She'd already tried to help him out in terms of money by recommending some of the cheaper dishes (which were just as good) but he clearly couldn't hold a conversation that she wanted. The Kelvic smiled down at them.

"Hello again. I just wanted to make sure that you two are all right. Do you need anything while you're waiting?" she asked. The girl shrugged and gazed distractedly around the restaurant, catching the eye of a man at another table and smiling. The man looked up at the server almost pleadingly. "My gods, sir! I'm so sorry but I forgot to get what you asked for earlier. I'll just fetch it now." The man somehow managed to hide his confusion as the woman vanished into the kitchens.

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[Chari]

Rolling her eyes as she moved into the kitchens, Chari wondered how the man had managed to woo the girl enough to convince her to actually go on a date with him. He seemed like a bit of an idiot. Maybe he just really liked her and his feelings and nervousness were stopping him thinking straight. Or thinking at all. She felt obliged to help the poor unfortunate youth in his time of need.

Smiling at the staff that looked up, the Kelvic moved to where decorative flowers were kept. The flowers were normally used in centrepieces on tables to add to the look of the restaurant. The restaurant received them uncut and then someone cut the stems to appropriate lengths as they were needed. Gazing at the colourful flowers she wondered what the best way to present them would be. An idea came to her and she set to work with scissors.

She left some stems long, deciding to use them for the centre of her bouquet. She clipped some of the others a little shorter to go around the taller ones and clipped some extremely short. Gathering all the flowers together, the woman found some black ribbon and tied it around the stems in a bow so that they all stayed together. Pleased with how pretty it was and that it was pleasing to the eye, she left the kitchens and returned to the main part of the restaurant. 

Smiling, she handed the floundering youth the bouquet and winked, making sure his date didn't see. "Here you are, sir. The bouquet for the lady as you asked," she explained for his benefit as well as his date's. The young woman's head whipped around in surprise and positively beamed at him as he handed the flowers to her, his movements a little uncertain. "Oh Sorin! You're so sweet!" the girl squealed, leaning across the table to kiss the man. Trying to hide her smile, Chari moved away to another table as someone waved to get her attention.

Sometimes her work was a little too routine but other times, something like this would happen and she'd gain a bit of excitement from it. She might also have to deduct the price of the bouquet from her own pocket, something she hadn't thought of before. 

Petch, she thought.

OOCThe bouquet looks something like this:

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[Chari]

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That little date situation that she had helped to fix was probably going to be all the excitement that this shift was going to hold. Moving away from the young couple and over to the man who had beckoned to her, she flashed a brilliant smile. "How can I help you sir?" she asked cheerfully, scrutinising the man as she awaited a reply, something that was immediate.

The Kelvic guessed the customer, a human, to be in his late fifties, early sixties. His hair was a light grey, the same as his short and scruffy beard. His hair colour and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be proof of the age she'd guessed. The corners of his mouth were down turned and his expression haughty. His clothing suggested wealth and she couldn't help but wonder if he was someone important.

Even if he wasn't someone important, he seemed to think that he was. Before answering her question, he straightened in his chair and made a dramatic coughing sound as if to get her attention. Lifting his chin, he looked up at her before saying in a haughty and commanding tone, "A bottle of red wine and a glass, girl."

Chari's smile remained fixed as she fought the urge to glare at him for his rudeness but he was the customer and she was only supposed to serve him, not comment on his mannerisms. "At once, sir," she replied, hurrying away to the area where drinks were kept. She allowed her true emotions to show on her face once her back was turned on the man. Her lips pursed tightly together, she released a brief but sympathetic look from one of her fellow servers as the young woman passed him. In return, she managed a small smile and rolled her eyes before focusing on the task that the man had set her.

Fetching a shiny, clean glass and holding it by the stem, the Kelvic moved to where bottles of wine had been uncorked to allow them to breathe. She picked up one of the bottles by the neck and made her way back to the man's table, her smile for customers back on her face.

"There you are, sir. Will there be anything else I can get for you or do for you?" she asked politely. She received no thank you, or any sort of verbal reply at all for that matter. The only response the Kelvic received was a dismissive gesture. Feeling deeply offended by the man's rudeness, she turned away from him and searched for someone else who'd just arrived. She turned in time to see a three men and a woman entering the small reserved room. Collecting four menus, she hurried over to the door and counter to five to give them the chance to actually sit down before she pounced on them.

"Hello, my name is Chari and I'll be your server for today. Here are your menus," she explained, handing out the pieces of parchment. "While your working out what to order, can I get you anything to drink?" she asked, glancing from each guest in turn.

"We'll have two bottles of red wine-" one of the men began but was cut off by the woman as she interrupted. "Could you make it a bottle of each, one red and one white?" she asked. Chari glanced at the man who had begun to speak who looked slightly annoyed but he nodded to show that that was fine. "Right away sirs and madam, I'll be back in a tick."

The Kelvic left the small room and went to collect the wine, finding a bottle of each and carrying them back. The table was fully set, glasses and all so all she had to do was place the wine on the table and take out her book of parchment to add the items to their bill:

Bottle of white wine +8 kina
Bottle of red wine +8 kina
=16 kina

"Are you ready to order yet or will I give you a few chimes? she asked, looking at each customer in turn. They exchanged looks and murmured quietly among themselves for a few moments while Chari waited.

"We'll order now," the woman said.

"Excellent!"

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[Chari]

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The Kelvic busied herself with orders, writing each item as requested. She noted the preferences of the customers such as things they'd like left off a dish or the way they'd like something cooked. By the end of it all, the quartet had ordered a three course meal each and Chari knew that their bill would be extraordinary by the end of it all. A three course meal alone was a day's pay for her! So add on the wine and the room that they'd reserved and the number of kinas would wrack up. She hoped the fact that they were so free with their money meant that they would give her a good tip. She sure as hai hoped so.

Carrying their orders to the kitchen she dropped them off and stood leaning against a counter to jot down the additions for the bill.

3 course meal x4= 5 kina x4
=20 kina

The orders sorted, she drifted back into the dining area, topping up glasses of wine and jugs of water. The boy who she had helped on his date waved her over for the bill which she quickly calculated and gave to him. He gave her the money for the meal and also to her surprise the money for the bouquet before slipping some money into the pocket of her pants as a tip. She'd look at how much he had given her later because she had more things to think about right now. The man who had been so rude to her earlier now had another man with him, younger and less surly looking, and so was waving her over to take their order.

Smiling brightly, she moved over to them and took their orders. They were only having a meagre meal, a measly one course though the girl suspected that the older man was made of money. She hated frugal rich people. Why were they so mean where their money was concerned when it was coming out of their ears? No, she wouldn't receive a kina from this one and if she did, she'd keel over in shock.

Carrying their orders back to the Kitchens, she picked up the appetizers for the quartet in the reserved room. She balanced the four plates, two on each arm held by the bend of her elbows and the other two held in her hands. Pushing the door open with her knee, she balanced the plates the short distance to the room, paranoid the entire time that she would drop them. When she pushed into the room with everything still in one piece, Chari was relieved and she smiled happily to herself as she dealt the dishes out to the right customer, proud to remember who had ordered what.

Departing the little room, she made a quick circuit of the main dining area before returning to the kitchens for the appetizers for the miser's table. She placed them gently on the table when she would have preferred to slam them down (that was untrue, she wanted to dump it in the miser's lap) and went for another quick circuit of the room before heading back to collect the used dishes of the quartet and deposit them in the kitchens.

Once that was done, the Kelvic allowed herself a minute to just relax and breathe easy for a chime or two. There were other servers who could deal with other customers.

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[Elysium]

Seasonal Wage Awarded!
Fall, 513

Wages:
1st - 91st, 5 kina/day
+455 kina

Living Expense (Common):
-135 kina

Total: 320 kina