[PRP] You've got to be kidding [Titus/Xiu]

[Kaiyumi]

Xiu was pleased that business was doing so well. Sure, running a cafe was a lot of work and involved a lot of early hours to get those baked goods made nice and fresh, but it was all worth it in the end. The baku was never happier with her choice of career when their customers praised their food or drink; it always warmed her heart to hear that.

Except things tended to get really busy around breakfast and lunch time. She and Gene had discussed potentially hiring a few students to help out, but they had yet to actually go about printing poster or really do any form of advertisement at Amity. The additional help would take a huge load off of their shoulders and allow them to focus on other tasks that needed to be done, but they just...hadn't gotten around to it yet.

"Maybe I'll talk to Gene again when she's back?" The baku murmured aloud, wiping off the table that a customer had just vacated, "We do have enough to pay two or three students to work here."

inu-mitsu

oh god let's do this B)

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Titus was tentatively looking for a different arrangement when it came to work. Not that he wasn't grateful to Riyo for helping him find a job but without a car getting to the maid cafe was difficult and he didn't really enjoy riding backseat on Riyo's motorcycle to get there everyday. And while the people were nice enough, though Titus had made an effort not to be an outright arse, the maid outfits made him nine kinds of uncomfortable and that feeling had yet to waver. He knew Riyo would probably be mad once she found out but somehow he felt the owner, as eccentric as he was, would be understanding.

Still, finding a job at all had been difficult and looking for a second one closer to school was proving to be just the same. He only had so many skill sets but since he was at least good at making coffee and customers seemed to like the latte art he decided maybe another cafe was the way to go.

He wasn't sure how often he had passed the little cafe in Amity but somehow it had escaped his attention until he was actually looking for it. There was no notice about hiring but it didn't hurt to ask right? Taking in a deep breath he reminded himself to play nice and pushed his way through the door just as Xiu was calling to the back. He paused for a moment realizing she was familiar but couldn't dredge up her actual name to save his life. Instead the only thing that came to mind was the nickname he had given her.

"Wingnut?"

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

As soon as she heard the bell go off, Xiu began to greet who she assumed was a customer, only to freeze at that familiar nickname. Even if she didn't immediately recognize that voice, there was literally only one person who had ever called her "wingnut".

The smile on her face fell slightly, but then she took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. Okay, so she wasn't particularly fond of the nightmare demon...but she had promised herself to treat everyone who walked through those doors with courtesy (unless provoked otherwise, anyways) and so she would see through to that. It took her a moment, but the pleasant smile was back on her face when she stepped out from behind the counter.

"Well, didn't think I'd see you drop by," she laughed, her smile a little wry, "But welcome to Shifting Blossoms, Titus. Feel free to take a seat."

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Titus wasn't completely surprised by the delayed response but was a tad baffled by the smile, though likely it was forced. The baku also hadn't corrected him, which really gave him no leads on what her real name was and from the looks of things she worked here. This was off to a great start. Hopefully she didn't have any pull when it came to hiring because he was pretty sure she would not be putting in a good word for him. In fact, he wondered if he should just turn and leave.

No, no, he just had to stick this out and ask. He could get his act together and do that much.

"Well," He drew out the word as his eyes drifted around the little shop, a hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck idly. He looked a little nervous and for all accounts he was. "I didn't really come here to eat." He never ate, food was just not his thing. "I actually came in to see if this place was hiring. Is there....a manager I can talk to?" At least he had managed to get it out there though now he waited for what he imagined to be a bad response. Surely she would just tell him to leave or laugh him out the door.

Kaiyumi

sorry this is so slow LOL

 

[Kaiyumi]

Xiu's brows shot way up, anything she may have wanted to say immediately dying on her lips. There was a drawn out silence, and then she cleared her throat and smiled again, albeit more awkwardly than before. This was kind of hilarious in a way, though she was admittedly a little surprised that he wasn't acting as cocky and rude as she remembered him being in the past.

"Um...the ad hasn't been posted up yet, but Shifting Blossoms is technically hiring Amityville students right now," she answered slowly, her smile growing in amusement as she continued, "And actually...this cafe is co-owned by two people, and I'm one of them. So."

Xiu held up a hand. "Hi."

Inu-Mitsu

<33 Don't worry about it!! I'm super slow lately dsfgheajthfg

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Either her initial reply was a build up to rejection or out of simple courtesy but knowing they were hiring was a start. He could probably tolerate working with the baku he just needed to get his foot in the door and....

...Wait....

"Co-owned?" His attention fell to the tiny hand being offered to him in greeting, disbelief clear on his face. This was going about as well as he could have hoped so he wasn't sure why he was surprised. Of course she would be the co-owner. Of course he would have been a jerk to her at school. Though in his defense he was a jerk to pretty much everyone.

Taking in a deep breath he let it out in an exasperated sigh as he reached out and took her hand to give it a small shake. A part of him wanted to ask if they should just skip to the part where she asked him to leave but instead he went with, "Half a job for a half pint. Seems suiting." Jack dammit brain. Way to drop the ball. You had one job and it was to play nice with the other scarelings.

Titus physically groaned the moment the words passed his lips and he placed his face in his hand. This was not starting off well. "S-sorry, it just sort of slipped out." He grumbled his apology quietly, the word sorry still feeling awkward in his mouth.

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Ah yes, there was the Titus that she knew and... had called an asshat. Xiu narrowed her eyes at his words and instinctively lifted a leg, verging on kicking him in the back of his knees in retaliation for the insult. But when he apologized, oh man, the ghoul nearly lost her balance in her surprise. Titus? ...Saying sorry to her for saying something rude?

"I'll...pretend it never happened," she sighed, setting a hand on her hip. Although she was clearly hesitant to oblige due to past encounters, the baku gave a little nod. Who knows, maybe he had changed since the last time they had encountered one another? He still called her "Wingnut", but at least he seemed a little less snarky than he had been previously.

...For now, anyways.

"I'll have to talk to Gene--my friend and business partner--before actually doing any hiring, but if you're really serious about it...I guess we could talk." She gestured towards one of the tables to indicate that he should sit down and wait for her, sweeping into the kitchen and returning moments later with a teapot and two teacups. If they were going to talk, it would be over tea.

Inu-Mitsuz

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Titus suspected that was it. This adventure had been a train wreck waiting to happen the moment he stepped through the door. The filter between his mind and his mouth was nearly non-existent. He knew this, it was why he had struggled to find a job to begin with and why he had been rejected outright at so many before that.

In his mind he was already preparing to leave. Apology or not the baku was probably done so when she spoke it took him a moment to digest the fact that she was inviting him to sit instead of telling him to take a hike.

"Wait you..." His eyes followed her gesturing hand to the table she pointed out among the many only to snap back toward her retreating form as she disappeared into the kitchen. Okay...he could take a hint. Slowly he made his way toward the table frowning down at the too short chairs for his too long legs. He took a seat regardless, his knees hitting the underside of the table as he tried to keep them close. When Xiu returned with a teapot and two cups he couldn't help but feel like an adult at a small child's tea party. Thankfully this time he kept his mental thoughts to himself.

"So who is Gene?"

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Xiu tried not to giggle when she came out and saw Titus, but a quiet one may have escaped her lips. He looked so cramped that she almost felt sorry for him, but she did mentally take note of this to tell Gene later on. Maybe they should get some different tables and chairs in case of larger or taller customers? That was something they could look into.

But until then, there was just the here and now. Setting everything down on the table, she filled both cups and gently set one down in front of the boil before sitting down across from him.

"Gene was a friend from school and is a fellow alumni," she explained, hands in her lap, "We both wanted to open up a cafe after graduation, so we decided to open one together. This is the result." It was a quaint little place, but honestly, Xiu couldn't ask for more--she was so pleased with how everything had turned out, from the ambiance of the place to the fact that it was located so close to the school.

"And how have you been? Don't think I've seen you...well, since I called you an asshat, so two years now?"

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

With a cup set in front of him Titus scooted it a bit closer but left it on the table. He wasn't sure of the etiquette when it came to drinking tea over a...was this an interview or just a chit chat? Either way Titus left the tea untouched while the baku explained about her friend and opening the cafe after graduation. He actually was a little envious of the fact that she had a plan in life. While his family was trying to shove ideas down his throat left and right he really had no mind of his own when it came to what he wanted to do.

When the conversation was directed back to him Titus hesitated. "Fine." Was his first and short reply but somehow he felt he needed to supply more than that. This was meant as a way for the baku to get to know him in order to deem him hire-able or not but there wasn't a lot of good things to tell. Somehow he actually managed to ignore the asshat remark, mostly because he couldn't sort out the instance she had called him that from any other time he had been called a colorful name of one variety or another.

"I was gone for a while. Back home." And Jack had he hated it. Titus let his hands rest around the teacup so they had something to do, soaking up the warmth even through his gloves. "Since I got back things have been..." Chaotic, nightmarish, traumatic, one disaster after another. "...interesting." But it was still better than being home.

"So when did you graduate anyway? Same time as Kidget..err...Hel?" He was trying, he really was but the nicknames just rolled off his tongue so naturally.

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Tilting her head, Xiu blinked at the boil curiously. He seemed...tense? Or at least, not as comfortable as she would have assumed. Then again, that was just one of many changes she had noticed in him thus far, and while a part of her was on guard, the other part of her was confused and curious. She took a sip of her tea before letting out a little hum.

"'Interesting', huh?" she echoed, smiling wryly, "That awfully vague, but from my experience, saying that things have been 'interesting' is never good." At least, that's was her default response when people asked her about a particularly traumatizing past event.

She arched a brow at the nickname that slipped out but nodded. "A group of us all graduated around the same time, so I've been out of school for a while. How about you?" Xiu asked, genuinely curious, "How has school been lately? I actually dropped by recently but was caught up in something rather...interesting as a result." She recognized the irony of using the same word as he had, but she couldn't help it.

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Titus made a face that was something between disgusted and hesitant when the baku asked him about school. Technically, he was still suspended. He had yet to go back to talk to the counselor about finishing his community service so that he could attend classes. It was a minor detail really because he still lived on campus. At least for now. But the baku said they were hiring students and Titus wasn't certain how well it would go over if he told her he wasn't currently going. Not to mention he didn't want to explain why.

"School is...fine." Fine he says. Leaving things vague all over the place. He really needed to steer this conversation away from things he didn't want to talk about and focus on something that mattered. And she had even said she had gotten wrapped up in something that was interesting. That word was being used rather freely and he was certain it meant she didn't want to talk about it.

"Are you at all curious why I would come into a cafe looking for a job?" He had been tentatively waiting for the 'why are you here' question but it had never come. Honestly he hadn't completely sorted out his answer to it but he was winging things as they were.

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Xiu squinted at both his expression and his answer about how school was. Not only was that a vague answer, but his face seemed to imply otherwise. She considered prodding him for more information, but decided against it--at least for the time being. She considered the possibility that something personal had happened. Perhaps she'd find a way to encourage him to tell her on his own rather than have to pry for the information.

"A little," she admitted, shifting in her seat, "I was surprised to see you, but even more so when you mentioned whether or not we were hiring. I didn't think you the cafe sort of guy." There was no taunting or teasing in her words, rather there was genuine curiosity. Xiu supposed you'd take whatever job you'd find if you really, really needed one, but still.

She gestured to his untouched tea, indicating that he should relax and take a sip. It was true that she was gauging him right now before she talked to Gene, but it was meant to be a casual chat and she hardly wanted him to spend it completely tense and uncomfortable.

His passiveness was still totally weirding her out though--and it worried her a little. She was almost hoping he'd say something mean again.

Inu-Mitsu

 

[Inu-Mitsu]

Thank Jack. The conversation was back on a topic he could work with. Now if he could keep up the nice act he might be able to get through this.

"I'm not," He admitted without pause looking to the tea as she gestured to it. "Food is not my thing and I don't quite get the whole set up of a cafe. Its like some sort of social network cesspool for snobs and...." He paused for a moment realizing he was derailing. "N-not that...your place is like that?" Jack dammit, a sentence in and he was already digging himself a hole.

He sighed lifting a hand so that he could pinch the bridge of his nose while he attempted to concentrate. Playing nice was hard and he didn't have a lot of experience with it. "Look..." He took a breath and started slow while he gathered his thoughts. Maybe a little honesty would help in the matter.

"I know I'm not the kind of person you would probably want to work with. We don't exactly have the best history." Understatement of the century. "And I am still working on this whole not being a...what was the word you used? Asshat. But I need money and I will work. I can clean and make coffee and tea and I can even do the stupid latte art." He had more than his fair share of making things that were cute and it killed him a little inside each time he put a happy little face on a foam kitty for someone but there was actually something satisfying about creating art. It had been so long he had forgotten how much he liked to draw and make things and it was probably thanks to community service that he didn't mind cleaning up. Trash pick up and working in the cafeteria at school really put things in perspective.

Kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

This time, rather than glower at him for his slip-up, Xiu simply laughed. He had to backpedal so many times that she was genuinely starting to feel bad for him, though she certainly would not say so aloud. Still, she could hardly judge him for thinking that about cafes--after all, her own opinions on his...family business wasn't the best either. The only reason she wasn't completely disapproving of such a background was because she had met Shun early on in her Amity years.

"We don't have the best history," Xiu was quick to agree with a wry smile, "But I'll admit that I'm not above trying to work things out despite that. You seem to have...changed," She said this hesitantly, her voice careful, "And I'm not sure what prompted that, but if you're really serious about this job then I'm not about to turn you away without giving you a chance."

"Of course, a large part of whether you get hired is how Gene feels, but she's not here right now unfortunately. Still...since you mentioned latte art, up for a little test?" She had already risen from her seat, nodding towards the large latte machine behind the counter.

Inu-Mitsu