All in a Day's Work

by **Lua Petri** on August 15th, 2018, 3:56 am

41 Summer

When Lua came to the Sunrise Nook that day, Ajah was a worried mess. She was sitting at the counter, tapping her chin with furrowed brows. Lua walked up to her, raising an eyebrow with concern. Usually she was cheery and already at work in the kitchen, filling the building with the sweet smell of fresh bread. "What's wrong, Ajah?" She asked, resting her pack on the counter and leaning against it with one elbow. Ajah began to ramble about how the past week scones had been the most requested item, so she made plenty of them throughout the week. But now they haven't been as popular, so they now had heaps of scones to be sold but not enough people buying. They get stale within two days, and once they got stale Ajah felt uncomfortable selling them. If they weren't as good as they could be, she felt they weren't true Sunrise Nook quality.

It was a side of Ajah Lua had not seen before. She reached over and pat her on the shoulder; she's always been awkward about consoling people, never quite sure what to do. "Uh... it'll be fine, I promise!" She grinned as she added, "Hey, I'll advertise the scones much more than usual! I'll get people to buy them! They're good enough, shouldn't be an issue!"

Ajah looked at her and smirked. "Well, if you say you can. Just... sell as many as you can!" She let out a small laugh, and Lua responded with a wide grin. She went to the back to put on her maroon and white uniform, and gathered her notepad and pencil. She went to the back to look at how many scones there were, looking in cooled storage crates that kept the food cooled until served. There were plenty of boxes filled with scones, it was almost comical. Sure, it's good to think ahead, but why did Ajah make so many? Lua took a deep breath, closing the crates and going back into the main room as Ajah opened the store for the day.

For a moment, Lua felt her heartbeat quicken. She didn't want to let Ajah down. She made a promise, but what if she couldn't keep up with it? But she forced the thought from her head. It's fine; I got this! Lua nodded to herself. Time to use that old charm! Positivity and optimism is what she needed, not worry. As the first customer walked through the door, she grinned wide and walked towards her.

WC: 420

by **Lua Petri** on August 16th, 2018, 5:57 am

41 Summer

"Welcome!" Lua grinned at the customer as she led her to one of the nearby seats. She didn't recognize her, so she didn't know if she was a regular or not. Ajah had gone to the back room to prepare the oven, so she couldn't tell if Ajah knew her either. "What will we be having today? Could I interest you in some scones? Have you had them here before?" The woman sat down, taking off her hat and setting it on her table as she spoke. She looked up at Lua with a kind smile and nodded. "I have had Ajah's scones before, and they are delicious, but I think I'll settle for a tart and some tea."

Lua kept grinning, but internally sighed. "Coming right up!" She sounded just as cheery, though she was a little disappointed. But this was only her first customer. There would be plenty of others. She went to get the woman's tea and tart, and as she was going back to her a group walked in and seated themselves. She rushed over to them, nodding at all of them in greeting. "Hello, everyone! Good morning! What can I get for you all?" Before giving them time to even think she explained, "Have any of us had scones here before?" She was relieved to see a few heads shake. "Well, let me tell you about them. They're quite delicious, moist and tender with the perfect amount of honey to give it an overall sweet taste! They go great with the green tea. Any of you interested?"

A few of those who had denied eating the scones before murmured to themselves, and another one of them held up a hand. "I'll take one!" Another one echoed him. Lua grinned and let out a small cough as she added, "You know, they're only six topaz kina for a dozen! That's plenty for all of you to have a couple each! How does that sound?" More mumuring, and slowly they all started to nod their heads. They ordered the dozen scones, as well as a couple common-quality meals. They also had some tea, but a couple only requested water. That was fine! Lua was pleased to have sold a dozen scones to them. She bounced back to the counter, putting the slip of paper she wrote their order on for future record. She got the tea ready while going in the back to grab the scones. After heating them up a little next to Ajah, she piled them up onto a large platter in a pyramid shape before serving them. "Your meals will be ready in about twenty chimes, so until then I'll check up to see how everything's going and if you'll need anything else! Just holler if you do!"

She dealt with a couple more customers while their meals were cooking. Of the four individuals who came in during that time, only one of them bought a scone. It bothered Lua, but she obviously didn't let it show. When she served the group their meals, she noticed there were only a couple scones left. She smirked and look among them. "Ah, loving the scones, I see?"

"Indeed!" One man chuckled, spitting some scone onto his plate.

"Good to hear!" She nodded, clapping her hands. "Could I possibly interest you all in... some more? Seeing as not all of you ordered a full meal?" There was some hesitation, and one of the women nodded as she pat her mouth with her napkin. "I'd like to order another dozen to go, please. The kids will love them!"

"Of course!" Lua nodded. "Anyone else?" But everyone else seemed fine sipping their tea. After a moment, though, another man raised his hand. "Ah, I'd like to order a small fruit pie to go, as well!" Lua gulped back a frustrated huff, hoping he'd order more scones. But she nodded, acting just as cheery as normal. "Yes, sir! Small fruit pie, another dozen scones!" A good thing she had to remember was the fact that she was still making the business some good money, even if it wasn't from scones.

WC: 690

by **Lua Petri** on August 16th, 2018, 5:58 am

41 Summer

By ten bells, Lua had managed to sell five dozen scones in all. She was wiped out from how much extra socializing she had done, but was proud she managed to convince more people to buy scones. Around five chimes after the tenth bell, an older woman walked in with a large basket. She placed the basket on the counter and smiled at Lua, who was leaning against the counter. "Good morning, ma'am!" Lua nodded to her. "How can I help you?"

"I'm throwing a party for my grandson," the woman explained. "It'll be a large gathering, though, so I need plenty of goodies!"

Lua's eyes lit up. "Oh, we have plenty of goodies!" She hesitated, then professionally asked, "Do you have a specific item in mind?"[b] Please say no, please say no.

The woman pursed her lips, looking over at the chalkboard menu. She hummed, her eyes scanning, before eventually nodding. [b]"Fruit pies sound good. And scones, those are easy finger foods! Plenty of those!"

Lua grinned wide and nodded enthusiastically. "Alright! How many of each? We've got plenty! Enough scones for any size party!" She put her hand on the edge of the basket. Too bad you didn't bring two, we can easily fill them up! One with pies, one with scones! Will one be enough?"

The woman chuckled, her eyes lighting up from Lua's ethusiasm and excitement. "Ah, one will be enough! It would be great to have leftover goods after the party, but we can just come back tomorrow for that! I'll take four large pies, and four dozen scones."

"Perfect!" Lua clapped her hands together and hurried back to the storage room to heat up the scones. She grabbed a couple paper bags to put them in and keep them together; it took almost five full bags. She brought them out, putting them by the basket. She would put the pies on the bottom, since they were heavier and she didn't want to ruin the scones. She went back to get the pies, wrapping them up carefully, and grinned at the woman as she carefully brought them back and placed them in the basket. "Here we go! That total is going to be..." She quickly did the math in her head, "Fourteen kina and... four topaz!"

The woman handed the coins over with a nod. "Thank you! I'm sure these will be a hit at the party! Have a nice day!"

"And you have a nice day, as well!" Lua waved her off. She went aroud and talked to the customers, asking if anyone needed anything. When everyone was taken care of, she went to the back room, out of public sight, and leaned against the wall.

So much talking... so much smiling and schmoozing! She was beat! Luckily most of the older scones were sold by now. Lua's hard work was paying off. She ran a hand through her hair, letting out a sigh. Just another bell and a half to go. It wouldn't be long now.

WC: 503

by **Lua Petri** on August 16th, 2018, 5:58 am

41 Summer

Only one bell left until noon. Lua was leaning against the counter, chin in palm, sketching in her notepad. She wasn't very good at drawing and mostly did vague scenery (trangle mountains, etc.) but it passed the time so it was enough for her. There was half a box of old scones left, maybe five dozen. Ajah was feeling good; even if Lua didn't sell all of them today, five dozen were much more manageable.

As she was sketching, she heard the door open and out of the corner of her eyes saw two figures approach her. She looked up, and her eyebrows raised. It was her sister Karin and her husband Eugene. When Karin saw her sketching she let out a small laugh and gave Lua a smirk. "Trying to take after me, sis?" She was a painter, the child who spent most of her childhood drawing on walls and her siblings more than paper.

Lua pursed her lips, holding back a smirk. "Good to see you too, Karin. Eugene." She nodded to her Inarta brother-in-law. She never really spoke to him a whole lot. As far as siblings went, especially the Petri siblings, Karin and Lua weren't very close. Lua was loud and brash, but Karin was quiet and proper. Eugene was similar, which was why they were a good pair. Lua closed her notebook and put her pencil back above her ear. "So, you two eating here or just getting something to go?"

Karin glanced at Eugene before looking back at her. "We're eating here. Want to take us to our seat, miss waitress?"

Lua huffed, standing up straight and motioning with her head for them to follow her. She sat them at one of the two-person tables by a window, and gave them each a slip of paper with the menu on it. They've visited often, but she still liked handing menus to people even if they were regulars. "Going to need a minute, or do you know what you want?"

Karin and Eugene looked over their menus, casually holding hands across the table. Eugene looked up first, smiling at Lua. He had a wide grin that nearly took up his whole face with flashy white teeth. What was he again? Lua thought he did a government sort of job. Something like that. "I'd like the Good Meal. And some tea." He handed the paper slip back to Lua and looked at Karin. "And you, love?"

Lua tried not to roll her eyes at their open romance. Yuck. She always felt that way towards her siblings' romantic lives. You could calm down the lovey-dovey crap, you know. But if someone was to say she was jealous or something, being someone who's only been with a handful of people in her life, she'd deny it.

"I'd like the same," Karin replied, handing the slip to her as well.

"Would you like some scones?" Lua grinned. "We've got plenty. You should totally buy them." She leaned against the table and gave Karin a sly smirk. "Is there any possiblity you might be eating for two, Karin? It wouldn't hurt you to gain a few pounds, just in case. You've always been skinny, even for a Petri."

Karin's face turned red. "Lua, be quiet! That's so inappropriate, talking about that here!" She covered her mouth with her hand, turning and looking out the window.

Eugene chuckled and nodded to Lua. "Some scones do sound good. The dozen price. Thanks, Lua."

She winked, and walked off, writing out their orders to store it.

WC: 590

by **Lua Petri** on August 16th, 2018, 5:59 am

41 Summer

Lua came back not long after with their food. Today's Good Meal was a sweet potato and noodle soup, served fresh from the pot. She had a tray with the bowls, a basket of the scones, and two cups of tea. She placed the foods down one plate at a time, nodding and grinning at the two of them. Karin was still blushing, which only made Lua want to tease her more. But she'd do it later, when she had more time to make her blush even more. Besides, there were more customers coming in for last-minute orders.

The last bell of the work day was the busiest of them all this day. Lua hardly had time to stand still, so many people were coming in to order a pie or some bread to go. After Karin and Eugene, only one more person bought some scones. They didn't buy a dozen, just a couple, but Lua remembered Ajah telling her they had sold enough that she wasn't going to worry.

As the day was winding down and the last of the customers were leaving, Lua went back to the kitchen to check on Ajah. She was cleaning up the stoves and ovens, putting away leftover goods. When she heard Lua come in she turned and nodded to her. "Good work today. We did sell most of the scones, I'm proud!"

Lua beamed. "All in a day's work, Ajah! Need help cleaning up?"

Ajah shook her head. "I'm good back here. If you can make sure the front room is cleaned up before you go, that'll be great." So Lua went back to the main room, grabbing a broom and a rag, and began to clean down the counter and the tables. It didn't take her too long, maybe thirty-five chimes but that was because she wanted to make extra sure everything was crumb-free and cleaned. When she finished she went to the back room and changed out of her uniform. She walked out, calling out "I'm heading out!" to Ajah. She responded with "See you next time!", and Lua left the nook.

Once she got home, she was going to have a nice relaxing bath. She earned it.

WC: 368