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 Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 6:00 pm
Aurick felt his throat thicken, and when he looked down at the hand touching his arm a quick sigh left him. "Yeah, it's uh...it's definitely not easy and I'm..." Just the way she'd phrased it made him wonder. "...I'm sorry if you've had to experience this." He wasn't ready to talk about things in detail, likely never would be, but her empathy meant a lot. When he offered a smile back to her it was haunted, as if the cracks in his mask were starting to show, but just as quickly Aurick was gathering some more papers so he could he stand.
"I don't think my mother's family would have minding a Geian so much if she'd come from a more affluent family. Farmers and bakers don't really mesh well with the upper elite of Valmon, y'know? Real uppity bunch." Aurick rolled his eyes and started to go toward the door.
"As long as you work here you're family. Must be hard enough to be so far away from yours so if you need anything at all don't hesitate to ask."
After she'd left the room Aurick took a moment to gather himself. He really hadn't meant to talk about it as much as he had, but maybe the whole situation was getting to him more than he'd thought? After taking a few steadying breaths, and wiping away at his eyes, he descended the steps into the kitchen.
"Okay, so!" And now the booming, buoyant voice was back. "All of our deliveries are here on this shelf and these two here -" He pointed at two smaller baskets, "Are the ones I need help with. The bread goes to Mrs. Fletcher two blocks down, toward the financial district. She's in the building with the white flowers out front; third floor." Motioning to the second, he stated, "And this goes to Mrs. Galway. She'll be in the fourth row house three blocks down with the weird plants outside. You might recognize them actually; her husband is from Tale and he says they're native. Don't mind her attitude; she's never really mad she just sounds that way."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 6:50 pm
"I'm sorry that you've had to experience it....if you need I can always lend an ear even when I'm not working the counter. Only if you wanted, of course! I don't mean to pry...but I'm here if you need, Aurick." Harika's expression softened before she shook her head, a small smile crossing her lips at the explanation of his family. "Obans can be like that as well. Thankfully I didn't have to deal with that, I was just the oddball in general back home because of my passion for fashion. Didn't really fit in a world of hunters and fishermen." Now that Harika reflected on her words, the woman shaking her head at her skittish behavior when she had bolted from the office, she worried it may have been too much. Aurick was hiring her to work for him not to talk about their families...though she had seen that painful look when he was talking about his mother and it twisted her heart to see it. And then to say that she was family...the very statement had brought tears to her eyes as she simply nodded and fled the office. Once she settled in she would make certain to try and brighten his day somehow. He was simply too kind that it was hard to not want to help him out. It was a lot to be taking over a bakery and to deal with grief at the same time. Harika's watery gaze brightened at the thought. She would definitely do her best to be helpful here and do what she could to make his load easier, especially since he had taken her in despite her flaws as a potential worker in a bakery.
By the time he arrived in the kitchen, Harika had wiped her eyes and fixed her hair the habit calming her nerves a bit as she waited. "Sounds good." Harika managed with a small smile, mentally noting all the things so that she could make the deliveries asap. "Once I deliver everything I'll come back to claim my croissants...and maybe share a cup of tea to discuss more details if you have freedom then?" She offered with a shy smile towards Aurick.
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 10:18 am
"I'll have a pot waiting for you." He couldn't say for sure if it would be any slower by the time she got back, but at least the foot traffic would have calmed. By then most of his relatives would have left so at the very least she could talk to him while he prepped for tomorrow.
"Ah, we also have a wagon just outside the door. You shouldn't need it today, but if you needed it in the future it's there." Was there anything else he should warn her about? "Oh! And make sure you're off the streets by the time the lanterns are lit. Unsavory types like to target foreigners and that strawberry sweet hair of yours will draw attention." With her skin tone she could have passed for Geian under the right light, but that hair would mark her from yards away.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 10:55 am
"Sounds good." Harika offered Aurick another warm smile before his warning brought a chuckle to her lips. "No worries. I can take care of myself." She promised with a playful wink even though that sweet strawberry comment had her blushing. Leave it to a baker to make a fruit comparison! Though it was adorable...Harika shook her head before preparing to gather all of the delivery items. It was best if she focused on work and getting what she needed done so that she could secure a safe place to stay for her time in Belrea.
"I'll be back in a jiffy. Don't forget about me." She joked before heading towards the doorway, the young woman repeating the addresses and directions silently as she left. She would make certain to deliver everything quickly so that she could return before dark, her steps seemingly lighter as she went along.
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2022 1:54 pm
"Don't think I could." He smirked and followed her to the door. Aurick leaned against the doorframe, content to just watch his new employee as she faded from view. Fate had a funny way of bringing the brightest foreigners to his shop, and he found himself happier for it. They all did a good job of taking his mind off things, and he had a good feeling that Harika would bring some life back into the bakery.
As long as she didn't get lost on the delivery route, that is. Aurick was still worried she would get turned around on the Belrean streets and while he would have preferred to at least send someone with her for the first stop she was already gone. Hopefully she wouldn't end up overseas in her journey.
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