First Day On The Job (Kai)

[Kristina Novak]

Fiddling with the buttons of her cardigan, Kristina stood in front of the high end boutique, From The Spectrum. She eyed it nervously, wondering about her new job. Two weeks ago, Kristina had been on a search for a part-time job, to help pay for her own expenses. She wanted to seek independence from her parents and sister, and what way was better than getting a job? 

Somehow, she'd managed to snag a job here. Guess they were desperate for employees. Kristina glanced at the time, nodding to herself. Early. Good. She wanted to leave a favourable impression for her first shift. Kristina felt... odd, dressed up even. The girl was use to wearing baggy sweaters and leggings to university, but could dress up when the time called for it.

Hesitating, Kristina mumbled "You can do this." before entering the store, forcing a smile on her face. She didn't know how well she would fare, but it was worth a shot. Hopefully the manager knew what they were getting themselves into.

Then again, Kristina hoped her customer service skills would improve with the job.

She twirled a finger around her carefully curled hair, seeing a familiar man. She recognized him from when she had dropped off her resume about a week ago. Kristina nodded to herself, still smiling as she approached the impeccably dressed man, quickly eyeing him up and down. Kristina gave a small, shy wave as she introduced herself. "Uhm, hi... Kai." she said, reading his nametag. "My name is Kristina and I recently got hired here. And, well, this is my first shift." Kristina trailed off, figuring her sentence was pretty self-explanatory. She needed help. 

[Malachai Roen]

Kai was aware that the shop had recently hired a new employee; he had seen her drop in her application last week, and had done his own quick assessment of whether or not she might be picked for the job. She was pretty, definitely, and seemed nice enough - he thought she probably has as good a shot as any. And it seemed he was right - his manager had told him just a short while earlier that she had been hired, so the experienced worker was prepared to help out in whatever way he could. He'd been at the shop long enough that he was beginning to have more responsibilities placed upon him; he expected a raise would come with it soon.

So, of course he was more than happy to help. When the young woman arrived, looking quite lovely, if Kai could say so himself. Instead of that, though, he merely shot her a warm, welcoming smile, quickly noting the nervous gestures and uncertain posture. He was sure he'd looked the same way on the first day of his job here. "A pleasure to meet you, Kristina," he replied, offering a hand to shake. "I was told today was going to be your first day, so I'd like to show you around and get you more familiar with the shop." He motioned vaguely around; it wasn't a huge place, but it still took some getting used to.

"Have you had experience in sales before?" he asked, keeping his voice light and friendly. He didn't want to sound like he was probing her for information, but did want to know what he was working with. And hey, maybe if he was lucky, they might end up hitting it off - Kai wasn't going to really flirt with her, not since she was so new, he didn't know how she would react, and it would be unprofessional - but she really was very attractive, and he wouldn't say no to possibilities.

[Kristina Novak]

Kristina shyly smiled back, taking Kai's hand to shake. Her hands trembled slightly from nerves. Afterall, this was her first job. Her resume had been a short, relatively empty one, only listing her achievements in school. Kristina considered herself lucky to get a job in sales, as most students got stuck in the fast food industry. The thought made Kristina shudder. "Thanks." she said, gracious for the nice coworker. She'd been scared that they weren't kind or easy to talk to, but Kai was quickly alleviating her anxieties. Glancing around the shop, she nodded. It wasn't a huge place, no, but Kristina would likely have to memorize where everything was and which section it belonged it. "That would be great, thank you." Kristina thanked him again, turning red soon afterwards. That was his job, of course he had to show her around.

Kristina fidgeted with her fingers, letting out a small sigh. Her social skills... well, they needed some work. She brushed aside her embarrassing moment with a shake of her head. "No. This is actually my first job." she said, laughing nervously. Most kids by the age of nineteen had a job or two, and her lack of experience made her feel a little uneasy. "Zero experience." Another shy smile appeared on Kristina's face, momentarily distracted by the attractive man. How was she suppose to work around him?

[Malachai Roen]

Aww... Kai could definitely feel the jitter of Kristina's hands when they shook, and he wished their was some way he could help lessen her anxiety. He may have been vain, but he wasn't heartless. "Of course," he replied easily, sending another gentler smile her way. "I remember my first day here... It was nerve-wracking." Maybe sharing his own experience would help? "If there's anything I can do to make it easier, just let me know." Kai smiled at her repeated thanks, and the blush that followed. "Not a problem." Yep, she was a sweet, adorable one. He hoped not too shy to work well with customers... He'd keep an eye out to make sure she fared alright.

Kai led her towards the nearest section - the misses - while he listened to her speak. "Oh, really? Well, congratulations," he smiled. That definitely explained the nerves. "Are you in college, then?" he asked curiously. She looked to be that age, and he knew From the Spectrum hired under eighteen. "Well, Kristina, you will certainly get experience here," he chuckled. Kai motioned to the area they had got to. "Here's the misses' section. You'll likely be here a lot - sorting, organizing, helping with questions, I'm sure they went over that with you already, right?" Of course they had; Kai was just there to show her around, not explain every detail of her new job.

[Kristina Novak]

Kristina was glad that, for now, there were no customers in From The Spectrum. It would be a good chance for the girl to become comfortable around the store and her coworkers before someone came in and tested her lackluster skills. Kristina chuckled. "I bet." The first time was always nerve-wracking. She smiled back at Kai, nodding graciously. "Thank you. I think... it's just something I have to adjust to." she told him, hoping that after the first shift she would be more comfortable. Her eyes glanced across the shop, taking in the place... her job.

She looked around the women's section, all organized by colour. It was an interesting concept for a store, and partially the reasoning behind her being drawn to the store. Sure, Kristina shopped here on occasion, but being the cliche broke college student, shopping was hard on her wallet. Kristina smiled. "Thank you." she said, nodding again. "Yeah, I go to the U of V. First year student there." Kristina clarified.

And experience is what she needed. She smiled softly, looking around the misses' section as Kai talked. "Yeah, after my interview they told me I was going to be mostly in the misses' part of the store. Folding clothes, organizing, all that." She repeated what the manager had told her, nodding.

"Is... is it hard dealing with customers?" Kristina asked suddenly, blushing. She realized it probably wasn't best to say that when she was working in sales... "Like, I guess my question is how is it working with customers?" She frowned, frustrated with her stammering. Great first impression, Kristina scolded herself.

[Malachai Roen]

They had about an hour until the shop opened, so Kai would spend the majority of that time helping the newbie out, making sure she was at least somewhat comfortable with where she was working before throwing her to the wolves - er, customers. "It takes some getting used to, but it's not too bad," he assured her. Well, there were times when he wanted to rip his hair out after dealing with particularly frustrating customers, but for the most part, not too bad.

The shop was called From the Spectrum for a reason - every section was like its own rainbow, which was why keeping things organized was very important. "Oh, really?" Kai asked, smile widening. "I'm just starting my last term there. Maybe I'll bump into you sometime." Kai had a way of getting around, so it was possible, even on a large campus. "If you need any secret studying locations, I can give you a few tips," he added in a low murmur as he leaned in and quickly looked around, as though wary for eavesdroppers. Then he chuckled and pulled back.

He nodded to what Kristina was saying; he'd expected as much. "I float around more than stick to any one area, so if you need help, I should be around," Kai told her. He was good with male and female customers alike, so his manager gave him some leeway on where he was needed most. Kai tilted his head at the question, slowly starting to walk towards the next department. "For the most part, no," he started. "Most of the people that come in here know what they want and just need directions on where to go." He grimaced and added honestly,"Sometimes, though, they can be difficult. If they can't find the right size or something is out of stock..." He didn't want to say the richer folks that came in here were snobby, but... Well, sometimes they were. They could afford to be. "But not very often," he finished, giving Kristina a reassuring smile.

[Kristina Novak]

Some getting used to. That was something Kristina was expecting. She would have to learn quick, at keeping her section of the store well organized, at helping the customers with whatever they needed help with... she felt kind of overwhelmed but shoved the thought aside. Kristina needed this. She needed to put herself out there.

She ran her hands along a nice red sweater, eyeing it. Hm. Maybe it would be her first purchase as an employee. Kristina looked up at Kai again, smiling. "Oh last term? Lucky." she said, nodding to herself. Recently, she had been meeting a lot of people who went to the university. Jade, her fellow observer and now Kai. "That would be nice." Kristina told him, as she wasn't a huge social person and preferred interacting with people she knew. Maybe her new job could help with that.

Secret studying locations? Paired with the low murmur, Kristina wondered if her coworker was flirting with her. Was he? She didn't want to look too into it, just in case he wasn't. Maybe Kai was just a genuinely, nice guy. Kristina nodded, a slight smirk twitching on her lips as she played with a strand of her hair. "Well... maybe I'll have to take you up on that offer." There. A neutral response that could be seen as flirting or not. Kristina would leave it up to Kai.

She graciously smiled at him, again. "Thanks. I appreciate it." Kristina paused, before adding "I'm sure you're required to help everyone but... yeah. Since I have no experience I'm almost a lost cause." she joked, well her attempt at a joke. Humour was still something the Czech girl struggled with. Kristina followed Kai around the store, stuck by his side. "Okay, that's helpful then." She could handle that. Direct people to the right section. Easy enough right? She was doubting her ability to reassure every customer they looked good in the expensive clothing. And if her sales weren't good, Kristina knew she'd probably get axed. "Guess it's just our jobs to do our best and try and make the customers happy." Kristina glanced around, smiling back at Kai after taking in the new section she was in.

[Malachai Roen]

Kai saw Kristina eyeing the article of clothing, and smiled faintly. It was no surprise that much of his own wardrobe came from the store; he didn't like all of their products, but there were a lot of tasteful clothes too. "Yeah, finally," he chuckled, shaking his head. "The last four years have been insane." He was a natural workaholic, so he was looking forward to actually graduating. He was also naturally socially inclined, so maybe he could introduce her into his network if the opportunity arose. Kai was feeling almost protective of this new employee.

... Was he flirting with her? Oops. Kai hadn't meant to, but the way he'd made it sound so secretive might have made it come off that way. "It's surprising how hard it can be to find somewhere quiet," he nodded. Oh, shit, did it sound like he was suggesting they find somewhere quiet to...? Dammit. Kai was usually better at this. He hoped she knew he wouldn't do that, at least not at work. Then again, she knew nothing about him... "Anyway, I can tell you which professors to avoid too," he added as an afterthought. There. That ought to clear things up.

"Oh, no, I'm sure you're not a lost cause," he reassured her with a laugh, leading her towards the intimates section between the misses and women's departments. "You wouldn't have been hired if they thought you were." Of that, Kai was sure. He smiled nodded, pausing where they stood to let Kristina get a good look at the area. "Happy customers are what we aim for," he agreed, chuckling. "Although sometimes you'll get people that ask for what you think would best work for them, and that can be a little trickier." Fortunately, Kai was pretty good at picking out outfits to match what he thought someone would look good in, but it wasn't everyone's forte. "Anyway, here, of course, is the intimates section. It's... Well, very popular, so I expect you'll be helping out here too." Kai knew more about women's lingerie than he'd ever meant to, even though it wasn't his primary department.

[Kristina Novak]

All four years being insane? Kristina wasn't sure if she was ready to face the next three years. Then again, she had faith in herself and was determined to graduate on time within the four year threshold. "Lucky me." she said, her attempt at being sarcastic. She really needed to stop trying to be humourous. "What did you study? Like, major and minor in?" Kristina asked, curious as to what he studied and what his work load would be compared to hers. She considered herself lucky, since a lot of the classes were on the artistic and creative side.

Nodding in agreement, Kristina's thoughts immediately went to the overcrowded library on campus. Especially near finals, the place was incredibly cramped and hard to find a seat. A lot of students opted to sit on the ground, for God knows what reason. "Like the library." she said with a chuckle. "I'll accept any help you have to offer." She added, smiling at Kai. At him mentioning helping with professors, she sighed in relief, confirming that he was not flirting and willing to help find the not so cranky professors. "I need a nice English teacher." Kristina admitted, softly smiling. "It's... my second language and the one I have right no is so strict." She would leave out the part about getting a C in the class since it was sort of embarrassing.

She continued to follow behind Kai, nodding as she took in the section. These intimates probably cost more than what she would receive as her paycheck. Kristina snorted at her thought, focusing on Kai again. She was thankful he was so nice and reassuring. Maybe the job wouldn't be so bad afterall. "Thanks." she said, nodding in agreement. Oh god... Kristina was no fashionista. What she wore outside of work would probably be deemed atrocious. Thankfully, she knew how to dress up when the occasion called for it. "Can you teach me that too?" Kristina smiled, hoping that she would be able to make the customers happy and comfortable. Looking around with yet another nod, Kristina mapped out the store in her head, doing her best to memorize each section. "Alright." Though that would be an awkward section to help other women in...