[open] ☽ Tea Room Mingling Log

[judgmental]

Who: Anyone who'd like tea or company.
What: An open mingling log.
When: In the days shortly after Baldr's post
Where: the Hrafn Tea Room (in Odin District, near the library)
Rating: Likely G, but PG at most?


The Hrafn Tea Room's design is simple and shows its owner's taste for blues, greens, and grays. It's only here and there that the warmer color of Odin district shows itself in brief glimmers, such as on the aprons of the staff. Most of said staff are natives, but they have rather more color than most. Perhaps it's Yuri's influence, but like him, they are also quite polite, prompt, and dedicated to their jobs. They are welcoming in manner without being overly cheerful.

Located so close to the library, the tea room is very friendly to readers. Off the main seating area is a separate, quieter reading room, with many comfortable chairs for the use of those who wish to read or study in relative peace and silence.

There is a hand-lettered sign in the window that reads "Help Wanted", in neat, elegant script.

The proprietor himself can be found at a table at times, sitting alone more often than not, thoughtfully enjoying one of his own blends and perhaps a book.

[[ooc: Open for all to linger and mingle, to relax after recent troubles. Anyone in search of employment need only approach the counter and ask for the owner, and he shall appear. If you'd like to have a closed thread with someone, no problem! Just mark it as such.]]

Comments

[judgmental]

Yuri's smile warmed slightly.

"Certainly. As it so happens, there's more than one position open at the moment. We're hiring both servers and hosts. Or, if you'd be interested in preparing food and drinks, that would also be possible."

He extended a hand across the counter. "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Yuri Petrov. I own this establishment."

[seventeenpills]

He took the hand and shook it in what he hoped was a firm enough manner - wasn't that a big thing in job interviews? Giving a firm handshake? Something he would have to work on considering his hands were a little on the small side and not exactly strong. You don't get strong hands by holding books all day.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Mr. Petrov. My name is Hisao Nakai. If at all possible I'd like to take up a position as Host."

That seemed just a little more suited to his abilities than being a server. Even if he had no actual experience in either job.

[judgmental]

He returned the handshake, then released Hisao's hand. He appeared to be a respectable young man. He could research his interactions on the network later. He spent a fair amount of time in research. His fellow citizens interested him.

"The host position might well be ideal. The natives are still somewhat colorless and not as suited as a Traveler might be. Why don't you take a seat? We can discuss the matter over tea."

[seventeenpills]

"That sounds great." Hisao replied with a small nod of gratitude. He'd definitely grown an appreciation for tea since his time at Yamaku began. Before that, he'd mostly enjoyed coffee.

He took the indicated seat and waited for Yuri to join him. Already, he was looking around the place to get a feel for the layout. Hopefully, he could get the job and even more hopefully, he could do it well.

[judgmental]

Yuri disappeared into the back for a moment, then returned with some tea, setting it down on the table before sitting across from Hisao. He could have asked one of the staff to attend to it, but he didn't mind doing the work himself, and they had their duties to attend to.

"It's one of our newer blends, a black spice tea. I hope you enjoy it." He smiled across the table at the young man, pausing before speaking again. "I'm glad you're considering working with us. I only have a few questions to ask. Do you have any work experience, relevant or otherwise?"

[seventeenpills]

"I'm afraid I don't." Hisao admitted, taking the tea gratefully. "I was taken from my world during my last year of High school and I'd never had the chance to take on a job. However, I've been to Tea Houses before many times so I do have some experience from the customer's point of view."

Which wasn't quite the same - he was aware. But any experience was better than none. Hopefully.

[judgmental]

"I see. That's all right. It isn't necessary for the position, and it's good that you at least have some familiarity with the way such a business is run." At his age, Yuri didn't expect a great deal of experience to begin with. Hiring someone to work as a chef would be another matter, but a host job was one that was easy to train someone for.

"Would you consider yourself good at dealing with people?"

[seventeenpills]

"I would. I grew up in a relatively large city so there were always people around that I would interact with and I'm pretty good at it. I'm polite and patient." Hisao replied.

apologies for slow

[judgmental]

"I grew up in a large city myself. It does have that effect, doesn't it? one can't avoid others." He nodded, still smiling. He did strike Yuri as a responsible young man.

"Politeness and patience are ideal qualities for a host. I personally believe the best way of judging whether someone is a good fit for a job is a brief trial period. If you'd still like to work here, I'd be glad to hire you. At first, you'll be trained and then monitored by one of the staff, who will rate your performance after a week. Which sounds much more formal than it is, I'm sure. You'll be paid during this time. Beginning wages are one silver rune an hour. Because of your age, I'd prefer you work part time."