Going for Broke [Kali]

[Edith Love]

For once in her life, Edith was actually feeling sort of down and nervous. She'd been walking around downtown for the last two hours trying to find a place that would hire a skinny, scruffy, fifteen-year-old tomboy. So far, no luck. Her family couldn't afford to fly her back home for Christmas, and they certainly couldn't afford to come here! So, she figured she would get a job and save up money so she could fly down and visit over spring break. She spoke to them every weekend and sent them lots of letters, but it just wasn't the same. Edie was homesick.

The cold was starting to get to her. She could hardly feel her fingers even though she had gloves on and her nose and ears had lost all sensation about ten minutes ago. She was dressed for North Carolina cold, not Vermont cold. She huddled up against the breeze and kept walking, trying to find any place that might give her a job. She looked up at a sign that read "Kali's Kafe". Mmmmm... hot coffee. That sounded like heaven in a cup right about now. Edie fished her wallet out of her brother's over-sized pants and counted what she had. Edith Love was currently worth exactly eleven dollars and forty-three cents. Well, what else was she going to do with it?

Edith stepped inside and immediately brightened up. It was warm and smelled deliciously of coffee and baked goods. Ahhh... Edith stood in the doorway for a moment, eyes closed, letting the sensations roll over her. Warmth felt so nice! She pulled off her gloves and stuffed them in her pocket while she waited in line. It took a solid five minutes for her to get up to the bar, and by then her fingers, nose, and ears were aching with regained feeling. She looked across at the pretty redhead who was messing with some sort of alien-looking contraption on the espresso machine. The place was packed and she seemed to be the only person currently behind the counter - maybe she could use an employee? "Hi, uhm, could I get the daily special please? And you wouldn't, by any chance, be hirin'? I, uhm, I really need a job, and you look kinda busy, and I'm a real hard worker!" Edith realized she was doing what she always did when she got nervous. She was rambling. "So, uh, yeah... You hirin'?" She concluded, staring down at her hands. Well, she'd done that well.

[Kali Caraway]

Kali loved the busy days because it gave her a chance to prove how good of a job she did. Sure, the wait to get things was up, because they weren't a fast food place or anything. Kali worked the counter by herself (and the bar at night), and she had one cook. At this point, she really could hire on, but Kali, still genuinely new to this business, hadn't wanted to open up that can of worms. So she would continue breaking her back to be friendly (and still be Kali) and serve out great food that had people returning for more. Today's special had been a solid hit as it was what most people were ordering, a pretty freaking huge cup of hot coffee with a shot of vanilla and creamer, a hot blueberry muffin, and three strips of bacon. The combination of warmth and flavor appeased everyone and while she was only making two dollars an order, she knew she was investing in their return to her Kafe, which was awesome.

When a younger girl than the rest of her on-lunch-break rush approached the counter she took a tiny moment to relax. "Hi darlin'," screw protocol, she called everyone sweety, or sugar, or whatever she felt worked, "what can I get for you?" she asked and grinned. Another special. She pulled out the hot muffin, as she had a fresh tray under the counter and on display, and the bacon from the kitchen, and while she worked on the coffee, she broke out into a huge grin. Thank you fate. This girl wanted a job.

"Just as it happened, young lady, I have been thinking of hiring before my perfectly died hair turned gray. Now I am just guessing, but you still in school?" That was cool, that meant if the girl came here every day after school, Kali could work the morning, take a break while she worked, and start again fresh at night when the bar opened. She turned around with the girl's coffee, and put a bit of whip cream on top, just for the girl making her day. "That'll be two dollars even." Screw sales tax. Sometimes.

"After the rush dies down we will talk some more. Enjoy your food." Kali meant every word she said, this girl was a precognitive savior.

(This is just a FYI, the Kafe actually has its own sub-board in the Club District.)

[Edith Love]

[OOC: Oopsie! Next time!]

There were so many things to make Edie happy right now, and her face must have shown it. First, she had hot coffee and bacon, second, she was only out two bucks, and third, she might finally get a job! "Yeah, I go to Hammel. But I could work after class or weekends or somethin'." Her lopsided grin was currently threatening to cut her head in half if she didn't reign it in. The main problem with trying to find a job in a small town was that most of the shops were small, locally owned boutique kinds of places. That meant they either hired their friends, neighbors, or locals who looked the way they wanted them to look. Edith was none of those things, but she hadn't been lying. She was a hard worker, and she could make a mean cornbread!

Edith was so happy she was actually having trouble forming real words. "Th-thank you, I will. Enjoy it, I mean. The food. Well, the talk too, hopefully." She smiled, slightly nervous. She might be a little awkward when she was nervous, but at least she was cute! She took her food and coffee to a nearby table and sat down. The first thing she did, both out of habit and out of freezing hands, was wrap herself around the coffee mug and just let the steam wash over her face. She liked the taste of coffee, but she absolutely loved the smell! She watched the redhead working, trying to get a feel for how this shop ran. The espresso machine looked a little intimidating, but not too complex, and she did know how to brew large amounts of coffee. Her parents had actually bought one of the commercial coffee machines from a convenience store that had closed down. Really, that was the only way to make coffee for six major caffeine addicts.

[Kali Caraway]

Kali seemed just a tad more invigorated as rush boiled down and her Kafe filled up with happy patrons, picking away at their muffins and bacon and sipping at their coffee. Kali could finally take the break needed to speak with her savior. Before she went to go talk to her, however, she went to the bathroom for a moment of recuperation (and combed out her hair and use the toilet and all that) and returned to the Kafe, made herself her own drink (a mixture of soda and a Five Hour Energy). She saw that the girl was still seated, which made her even happier than she already was, and was about to move over to her when she remembered that she had brought Larz with her to work today, and she went over to his large aquarium tank, with some food for him in her hand, and fed him. She pet him on the head about twice (she loved that critter) before she covered the tank back up and moved towards the girl who made her day.

"Hello," she happily called out before she sat across from her (manners and all that), "I am Kali Caraway, owner and manager of this here establishment." She smiled a little at her introduction because Kali just loved saying it--she owned a shop! It was wild. "And if I remember correctly, you said you went to Hammel?" It was something that Kali liked, because she herself went there, and she wouldn't have to worry about being the meta-taboo that was slowly taking over society these days. It was like the new N word. "I went myself. So, anyway, tell me about yourself." Kali waved her hand, motioning for the young woman to take the floor, so to speak. She leaned back in her seat (glad to be off her feet) and sipped at her drink.

She probably couldn't put into words (without sounded like a completely broken record) how relieved and happy she was that this girl had come in asking for a job. Surprisingly, she was the first person that had asked her for one. Ever. She had asked a friend of hers to cook for her when she opened her store and once it opened, she was just here everyday, and for some reason--whether it was because of her hair color or whatever--no one had just asked. However, now that she was (probably) going to take on another, it would probably be smart to look into getting a second barista...and probably another cook as well--they both needed a bit of a break, day and night.

[Edith Love]

Kali, like all waitress-type people, had impeccable timing when it came to showing up right when someone had a huge mouthful of food. It must be some sort of crazy sixth sense. Edith put her hand up to her mouth so as not to be rude and spoke around a rather large bite of muffin, "Oh, hi!" She chewed and swallowed quickly, somehow managing to not inhale it and choke herself. "My name is Edith Love, but everyone calls me Edie. Yeah, I'm in Hammel, I love it! And you went too? That's really cool!" Oh, good. She didn't have to worry about her possible employer being upset if she found out Edie was meta. She hadn't had to deal with much of that, but had heard enough that she knew it could hurt her ability to find work.

"About me?" Edith said musingly. She took a quick sip of her coffee to give her something to do while she composed her thoughts. She'd been thinking about what she would say if someone asked her this, but now that it was happening all her carefully prepared facts had gone right out one of her ears. "Well, ah, like I said, my name's Edie and I go to Hammel. I grew up in North Carolina, on a farm, with my ma and pa and five brothers. My ma taught me her recipe for perfect cornbread, and I can't do it quite as well as she can, but it's still good! I, ah, I'm a real hard worker. I was always doing chores at home and I'm real good at cleanin' and all that. I also know how to milk cows, but I'm not sure that is actually going to be useful here." She chuckled at her weak attempt at a joke.

Since Kali went to Hammel, Edith assumed she was a meta too. She leaned in and lowered her voice so the other patron's wouldn't overhear her. "I figure, y'know, since you went to Hammel too, you might want to know what my power is. Do you? I mean, if you do, that's fine, and it not, that's fine too. Either way." She smiled and giggled nervously. She was totally convinced she was making an ass of herself!

[Kali Caraway]

Kali noticed that after she took a seat, she did catch the girl at the worst time; with her mouth full. Kali tried to not do that, as it always did create an awkward silence as the person tried to chew and swallow quickly or talk around their mouthful. Kali folded her hands on the table and smiled at her when she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you Edie." She laughed when she said she loved Hammel and Kali agreed. Those were certainly the best years of her life. Going to Hammel was a part of growing up in her family, both her parents went (and almost all her family on her father's side) and all her brothers went as well, both before and after her. She wondered if Edie knew her baby brother, Bailey, but she decided not to ask, if she did, she might have mentioned. While the Caraway's didn't all look exactly alike, but they all pretty much acted the same.

"Five brothers? Damn, you beat me by one." Kali definitely had soft spots for large families, she also had a soft spot for the only 'girl' in the family. She had a feeling she would get along great with Edie. "Just as it happens, I keep a cow at home, so it works out." She waved her hand to show she was just kidding. "Great, what--I suppose you would be doing--would be doing is helping me at the register, running with me to the store--I don't really buy in bulk. The shipping cost would run the cost the same either way, but I do try to keep a big shock. Anyway, cornbread sounds delicious, you'll have to make it sometime, I love trying new things." She leaned in and whispered," I use all my mother's recipes on what I make." She pressed her finger to her lips, even though it really wasn't that much of a secret.

Kali grinned when she asked her what her power was. Mostly, when someone asked her, Kali would demonstrate instead of explaining, but as it was, her shop was full and she didn't want something bad to come from it. "I pantomime." She said putting her hands up like she was in a glass box (she didn't actually believe she was in one, but just to demonstrate). "It comes in handy when I lock my keys in the house, or store." It was probably the one situation where she used them the most. She always tended to leave them behind---" oh and to carry things. What's that it you do?" Kali asked, genuinely interested.

[Edith Love]

Kali's relaxed attitude was helping Edie calm down. Normally, she was a very warm and open girl, she'd just had a fairly stressful day and was worried she'd mess up the one chance she had really gotten. She laughed at Kali's reaction to her family size, and she was glad that she had finally met one person who understood what having a big family was like. "Yeah, it's a lot, but it's nice. I miss them sometimes, but honestly, I kinda like the privacy I get having my own room that locks." She said, putting added emphasis on the last word. No grubby hands going through her things was wonderful! Edie perked up at Kali's description of the work. She could do that! "I, um, I've never used a register before, but my big brother worked at a grocery store and if he could do it, I'm sure I can. I know I can go shoppin', though. Pretty sure I got that one down pat." She didn't mean to sound disparaging toward her brother, it's just that Joe wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. She smiled, feeling much more relaxed, as Kali told her about where her recipes came from. This was someone who seemed to have similar feelings about family, which made Edie feel much more comfortable talking to her. "Well, no wonder the muffin is so good! Home recipes are always the best, at least that's what ma says. I could ask her to write me some of hers in her next letter, if you'd like. She's a great cook, and everything is good made in large batches." Well, it would have to be, with Edith's family.

Edith's eyes widened as Kali explained her power. "Wow! That is so cool!" She gasped, "Can you pantomime anything?" She might have been a little overexcited. She loved learning about different powers, especially because metas had seemed like a strange urban legend until she found out that she was one. "I can heal people." She stated matter-of-factly, "So if somebody cuts their finger off, I can put it back on." She was definitely feeling better, her cheeky grin giving her new found comfort away. She really liked Kali so far, and she liked the Kafe. It had a warm, inviting atmosphere and really good food and coffee. Yup, Edith would definitely be happy here!

[Kali Caraway]

Kali grew up in a fairly large house, she did know what it was like to not have privacy, but she also had her own room all through growing up (and her own bathroom), however her family had a way of keeping everyone extremely close together. Johnny had a habit of finding his way into his older sister's bed when he had nightmares or thought there were monsters in his closet. "Oh the register is easy! Menu and prices are up behind it, then ya punch in how much each one is and the register adds it up, plush tax and then if they need change, you put in the amount and it'll tell you the difference. I've also got a calculator squished up underneath it if the register goes all wonky." Like all machines, if you push so many buttons at once, then it'll hang up and get a brain fart. A calculator, while also a machine, was primal enough to not brain fart so bad.

"And that would be an absolutely splendid idea." Kali was animated over the idea of getting some more country-home cooking recipes to sell in her shop--people up here in the north were just deprived of the good shit down South (or from the Midwest) and they needed more of that delicious food in their diets. It would put some smiles on their faces. Kali folded her hands on the table and wondered exactly what the future menus would look like. For now, they focused on breakfast type foods, with a burger dinner menu at night. If she got more recipes, they could adopt more meal type things than snacks. She would probably have to get another permit to cook more of those types of foods, but Kali would love the experience.

"Pretty much, only my pantomiming only works for me--and inanimate objects. I could make a ladder from here to the roof, but only I'd be able to climb on it. It does have its uses." Kali truly did love her power. Only thing was, she hated the scrambled-brained side effect and the disorientation that came after using her power. She lit up at Edie's power. If it came down to her getting another power, she would want the ability to heal others. "That is so totally useful. It's always great to have a healer around." Kali definitely approved and she clapped her hand. "Well I don't see no reason not to hire you, you're a bright kid and I'd be happy to hire you on. How about.....minimum wage, to start? What is that now, like seven some-odd dollars? What afternoons would you be willing to work? Maybe the weekends as well?"

[Edith Love]

It wasn't that Edie didn't have her own room, so much that her room didn't lock. Well, that, and Roland had decided to claim it as his own as well. Cute, but it got annoying sometimes. The register definitely sounded doable. "Huh. That's easy enough. I'm sure I can figure it out. And at the very least, I do know how to use a calculator." And Edie could understand the whole computers going wonky thing, she had found that out right quick when she got into high school and had to start taking typing classes. Computers were wonderful when they worked, but were basically built to fail.

Edith smiled broadly. Kali liked her idea! "Oh! My ma's gonna be so excited!" She could just imagine the look on her mother's face when she got the request. She had always entertained the idea of having a restaurant with good, healthy, family cooking, but had never actually gotten the idea off the ground. She would be so happy to know that other people would be using her recipes!

Edith's eyes grew wide. That was so neat! "Wow! That's crazy! I bet that would freak people out if they saw you climbing an invisible ladder." She giggled lightly, imagining the entirety of Pilot Ridge watching Kali scale her restaurant with -apparently- no support or help. When Kali said she'd hire her, Edie actually forgot to breathe. She. Was. So. Happy! She felt the world get a little fuzzy, and took in a deep, gasping breath. She clapped her hands in front of her as the world came back to full brightness. "That's, that's great!" She said about the wage. "Goodness, thank you! I'm so excited! I can work whenever! Well, except when I'm at school, but we already talked about that. So, ah, any day in the afternoon! And weekends are great!" She was smiling fit to split her face top from bottom. She wanted to jump across the table and hug Kali, but settled for clasping her hands in front of her and bouncing in her seat. She must have looked so cute!

[Kali Caraway]

The cash register really wasn't that much of a monster, unless you forget the cash tray shoots out and then you get nailed in the stomach--not hard but it hurts when you get taken by surprise. Kali had half a mind to pass on that information but Kali had to learn the hard way (and every other week) to stand out of the way of the drawer or have a hand ready to intercept. "Quite right. Oh! And this reminds me, every day I come up with a new special, and no matter what it ends up being it is always two dollars. I figure it makes friends and promising costumers." She winked at the girl as she took a sip of her own drink and glanced around the room, no one had yet come in and was standing at the register, which was good.

"I am glad to hear it. If she'd like, I could talk to her myself, over the phone or something or other, if she isn't warm to the idea. I promise not to steal or take credit for the deliciousness." Kali knew not everyone was selfish or didn't want other people using their recipes, however, Kali liked having her bases covered. There were always those 'what if' questions and Kali liked have those neutralized.

Kali couldn't help but grin at the girl's cheer. She certainly was excitable and that was just great. Kali knew just as well as anyone that someone who could smile easy and be friendly was the right trait to have in an employee, especially those who would deal with other people. Kali had something akin to people skills, only if a customer was a dick to her, she didn't take it and would more or less kick the bastard out. She smiled when Edie said that the minimum wage was good, Kali didn't feel the huge need to mention the tip jar; figuring that information could wait. "Splendid! Ok. So come in tomorrow--let's say around eight in the morning (because it will be Sunday and just after the morning rush)--and we'll start orientating." She could definitely see that Edie would be good at this job.