Unapproved Character
smol gay
Posts: 13
Preferred Name: Lube
Character Profile: [ x ]
|
Post by lain on Aug 2, 2015 21:39:06 GMT -5
Lain loved space. There was something ever so mysterious, yet calming about it. Being a small, tiny, insignificant speck in the cosmos might've been scary for some, but not for Lain. There were nights after her café closed where she would turn down all the lights and press a few buttons, lighting up her LCD windows with images of the stars. Of course, all this— just archival footage. No one in the entire world's seen the real thing first hand. She supposed the dome's climate simulation did a decent enough job, but even so— she still wished she might've been alive in another time, where the air was fresh and wind could roll freely through her hair.
But that was neither here nor there. She set down her wine glass, leaning against the counter on her elbows and placing her chin against her hands. She hired a cute new waiter about a week ago— a kid by the name of Tracy Gannon, otherwise known as Trace. Lain took an immediate liking to him— all smiles and charm and he didn't miss a single beat during their interview. And now that he's gotten his feet wet, Lain wanted to get to know him a little better— about his goals, hopes, dreams, aspirations. After all, she stressed the importance of understanding the kind of people her employees were— a happy worker meant a happy customer.
So she played around with the lighting switch, turning the lights on and off repeatedly as she waited for Trace to finish cleaning up for the day.
|
|
|
|
Post by trace on Aug 2, 2015 23:08:47 GMT -5
Trace loved space. Both the concept of unoccupied area between things and the seemingly endless vacuum that surrounded the Earth. Free of idle chatter and noise, the latter was a place where solitude could be enjoyed and you never ran out of places to explore. Or something like that. Trace was planning on coming up with something really philosophical and waxing romantic about the subject, but then he realized that'd take some effort and he was feeling pretty lazy today. Oh well, back to sweeping the floor.
Trace's boss seemed to enjoy space a lot more than he did, given the number of times she had it shown on the LCD windows of Black Milk in the 7 days that he had known her for. Maybe she should have gone on to become an astronomer instead of settling for being bar slash café owner. Slightly more lucrative, y'know? But minus the free drinks, and everyone knew drinks were the only things that actually mattered.
Watching the lights flicker on and off repeatedly, Trace smiled and swept away his last bit of dust for today, making his way over to the boss.
"Place's spotless, ma'am!" |
|
Unapproved Character
smol gay
Posts: 13
Preferred Name: Lube
Character Profile: [ x ]
|
Post by lain on Aug 2, 2015 23:29:28 GMT -5
Lain blinked a little, straightening herself up as Trace approached. She scanned the floor from her seat, finding it as spotless as the other six times she'd put Trace in charge of after-work clean up. The kid was doing a great job so far— and something about him seemed to reassure Lain that he'd continue to do one regardless of whatever circumstances befell them.
Actually, it seemed a little funny in a way. Trace was only eighteen— barely an adult —and yet the infallible smile seemed to be so well practiced that, if he was a little taller (or maybe a lot taller) he might be mistaken for much older than his years dictate. Curious also was the feeling that something buzzed beyond his placid demeanor— something that even she couldn't really touch on or understand.
But, then again. What would she know? As far as Lain was concerned, she was still pretty damn young herself.
"Good! Looks like you're getting familiar with our routine," she said, motioning for him to join her at the counter. "How has work been this week? It's not terribly hard, but... I think it takes a very specific kind of person to charm customers the way I expect, you know?"
|
|
|
|
Post by trace on Aug 3, 2015 11:39:15 GMT -5
Trace's boss was very cute. Like, really cute in a wow she's so cool and hip but she might actually be a century old vampire who bathes in virgin blood to keep looking mad fresh and young type way. Which was by far the best kind of cute in Trace's opinion. The gig was pretty nice too ー it was a chill space, there wasn't very much to do, and his delicate angel body was protected from the harsh reality of menial labor. All in all, A+ 10/10 would reapply.
"Yeah, the routine's been easy enough so far," he replied, sliding onto one of the counter seats. "Though, I'm not exactly sure about that second part. I don't think I've been doing anything special, really."
Nothing special besides the old Trace razzle-dazzle, of course. He'd been on his best behavior because this was a job after all and his boss was super cool, but other than that it was pretty much his usual bag of tricks. |
|
Unapproved Character
smol gay
Posts: 13
Preferred Name: Lube
Character Profile: [ x ]
|
Post by lain on Aug 3, 2015 14:53:28 GMT -5
Had Lain been privy to the little bit about the virgins and the blood and vampirism, she might've slid a comment or two about how Trace should probably watch out because he might indeed by her next victim. Instead she smiled, glad to see that her new waiter seemed to enjoy working for her for the time being. Of course, things were a little bit more complicated than that— given her current shady affiliations, but... the kid didn't need to know about that. Not yet, and probably not ever.
"You've been charming, and that's more than I can say for a lot of people to be perfectly honest," she said, reaching overhead to pluck a glass from her glass hanger. "Most people lack the tact and charisma to properly pull off the kind of service I require of them. But you seem to have everything down pat. You did say you had acting experience, yes?"
Of course, that would explain a lot. Not that Lain would be so quick to attribute everything to merely acting experience.
She waved the glass in her hand a little, motioning towards the opened wine bottle next to her own glass.
"Care for a drink?"
|
|
|
|
Post by trace on Aug 5, 2015 9:35:02 GMT -5
Well, if she wanted to insist it then who was Trace to deny her clearly impeccable taste? In reality, though, charisma and charm weren't very difficult. All it took was saying the right thing and smiling in the right places. It was less of a skill and more of a muscle. Everyone had it, but not everyone exercised it enough for it to be noticeable. Enough practice and anyone could be Trace-level charming.
Okay, maybe not Trace-level. But that was the idea.
"Oh yeah," he said, scratching his head sheepishly. "I do some acting and modeling, yeah."
By which he meant that he spent a good portion of his time doing that kind of stuff and took this job because he wanted something to keep him busy in his downtime (even though he definitely did not need the money).
Ooh, wine. Not that Trace was much of a fan of wine (or alcohol in general), but it wasn't everyday your boss invited you to chat and have a drink. This was clearly an Opportunity. With a capital p. Probably italicized, but not bolded ー no, this was too casual for haphazard typography. Maybe an Opportunity might come around sometime down the road, but for now he would enjoy his Opportunity. He was a man of simple pleasures, after all.
"Wine? Well, if you're offering I can't possibly refuse a little bit."
|
|
Unapproved Character
smol gay
Posts: 13
Preferred Name: Lube
Character Profile: [ x ]
|
Post by lain on Aug 5, 2015 14:14:50 GMT -5
"Oho, and here I thought you'd opt for something a little less classy. And, maybe less illegal. I like you."
Lain smiled, passing the glass to Trace and pouring him a bit of wine to start him off. What could she do? Trace had the finesse of someone who was practically born with a wine glass in one hand and a menu in the other. What was there not to like about that?
She tipped her glass, taking a sip before settling back comfortably in her seat. While the ground floor of Black Milk did have a bar, it wasn't quite as well stocked or as large as the one downstairs— it was enough for a regular member of the bourgeoisie to get through their day with a gentle lunch-time buzz, since that was a thing the bourgeoisie were prone to doing from time to time. Lain herself liked a little something to make her work day interesting— but again, this was only the café area, and for now Trace would be restricted to the first two floors of Black Milk until she got a better feel about his stance on... legality.
And in order to do that, small talk had to be made.
"Acting and modeling... you're quite the package, aren't you? I'm sure you must be pretty talented— talented enough to pursue whatever you want," Lain said. "So why the café gig, exactly?"
|
|
|
|
Post by trace on Aug 5, 2015 15:44:05 GMT -5
Trace couldn't help but grin at that.
"Well, what can I say? I live to please ー and I like you too, boss!"
He swirled the dark liquid in his glass, taking a small sip. Yes, this stuff was clearly good ー obviously not the most expensive wine in the establishment, but it had a nice body to it that Trace could appreciate. He got the feeling that patrons were never dissatisfied with the selection Laina offered.
"Not at all, ma'am. Just dedicated and in love with the art ー if it's important enough you'll find a way to make it work. Or something like that."
Ah, yes. The inevitable question of why this job in particular. Only he'd already scored the job and he wasn't expected to produce an appropriate interview-style answer. Which meant there were plenty of things he could say.
With a name like Black Milk, how could you go wrong? The café's vibe was his aesthetic. The neon lights aligned with his chakras.
All very good answers (in which good meant guaranteed to sound at least slightly ridiculous and earn an interesting response from his boss), but not the right answers. In the end he had to listen to his heart (like the late 1980s song of the same name) and go with what felt right. So in other words the least contrived and most natural response he had, the one he thought of first.
"Well, I love acting so obviously I think communication is important. And, of all the jobs I looked into and the places I've visited, this café had the most... genuine feel to it. You seem like a no matter what, think for yourself and make judgments on your own terms type of person. And I think that's important?"
|
|
Unapproved Character
smol gay
Posts: 13
Preferred Name: Lube
Character Profile: [ x ]
|
Post by lain on Aug 5, 2015 16:03:11 GMT -5
Nail on the head. Trace was very, very sharp. Lain definitely found it to be another excellent quality to have, and coupled with Trace's natural charm, Lain could see him going far in the future.
"I am indeed that type of person. Good on you for noticing!"
Not that she tried very hard to hide it, of course. There were other things that needed obscuring, much more so than her personality.
"I've wanted to own a café ever since I was young," Lain started, swirling her glass. "I've always been a people-person, so to have the opportunity to mingle with them all the time as a café owner was appealing. I could've been a slew of other things, of course, but... I enjoy the nature of a café. People come to relax, meet people, catch up with old friends, to read a book. All kinds of things. And every one of them spends their time here differently."
Lain put her glass down, smiling gently. "I really love people. I wish my son was the same way, but... maybe he could take some pointers from you."
|
|
