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 Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 1:49 pm
“I’m not completely out of money.” Harika murmured as she shifted through her purse, the slight glimmer of a couple of bronze coins giving her hope. Her stomach grumbled though and the hybrid let out a soft sigh. She was a seamstress not a cook or farmer nor was she a plant so she had to figure out food somehow. It was insane how quickly her funds had dropped since arriving in Belrea about two weeks ago! Not like she had actually the chance to plan this trip but still....food was such a hassle. “Can’t just absorb sunlight, can I?” She pursed her lips in protest as she walked along the streets, her bright pink hair tied tightly back in a braid while her outfit resembled more of the Belrean style with a cream undershirt and a laced corset and tight leggings. It was too hard to walk about in skirts and she enjoyed the flexibility of style here, not that Oban culture didn’t have few options for leggings but robes and dresses were definitely in with the nobility who preferred the loose flowing silks in the desert heat. “I will have to try sewing something like that though.” Harika eyed a pretty lighting girl with a half dress, her gaze lingering on the many ruffled layers that were tucked just enough to allow her right thigh to show some skin before disappearing into a long pair of leather boots. Still, even eyeing some outfits wasn’t enough to stop the protests of her stomach and the young woman couldn’t resist the appeal of something that smelled absolutely heavenly from dragging her closer.
“Whatever that is, I'll have two.” Harika commented as she pushed the bakery door open, not even wasting time as she walked up to the counter with a tight grip on her purse. Maybe if it was something like fresh bread she could portion it over the next couple of days until she got her first pay? Or more solid work? Either way whatever was baking was something she absolutely had to try! Her mouth was honestly watering just at the smell of it and Harika both blessed and cursed the baker who had made such a temptation.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 2:30 pm
Being the eldest sibling in a grief stricken household was far from easy, especially when Aurick also had a bakery to run.
His right hand, his sister Astra, was spending more and more time at home with the little ones while their mother did her best to keep herself afloat. It was a lot; the younger children still needed her, but after mama passed....Well, Aurick just wanted her to get better for herself first and he could handle it until then. Or never, if that happened. Astra didn't want to think about it, but he had and if this was what needed to happen then he could manage.
Without even looking behind him, Aurick called out, "That would be cinnamon butter and fresh croissants! Do you want them to go or would you like to eat them here?" The burly lightning moved an entire rack off the baking rack and onto a cooling tray, just behind the counter, and passed it off to his cousin who moved toward the back for more.
When he finally did turn around Aurick had to pause. Seeing foreigners wasn't so strange these days, but the oddity of it was always something to take him off guard. "That'll be six gold pieces. Prices are a little steep because we believe in quality over quantity, but we're trying for both."
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 4:26 pm
"Ah, I'll take them to go." Harika's voice trailed off on the last syllable as she found herself looking at the mountain of a man. Out of all the people she had been expecting to see behind the counter some burly lightning guy with interesting eyes was the last thing she had imagined. He definitely could lift more than some croissants...Harika shook her head as she caught up to the present, the price registering and making a light flush spread across her freckled cheeks. "Six gold pieces." She repeated as she dug through her purse with a slight frown, her teeth chewing at her bottom lip as she pondered her options. Finally after a peek around the bakery which was thankfully quiet for now, the girl found herself leaning forward on tip toe so that she could hug the counter and whisper quietly. "You don't happen to have anything a little cheaper and ready to go? I don't mind if it's slightly stale."
"Not that they don't smell delicious but I'm um..." Her flush deepened to nearly the color of her actual hair and Harika found herself glancing towards the ground. "I'm adapting to the area still and not as prepared for delicious croissants as I thought." She pulled out two gold coins from her purse, the last precious metals that she had besides some of bronze for smaller purchases. "I can afford something with this?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 4:52 pm
Aurick worked quickly to gather the croissants into a linen wrap and had nearly tied it off when she repeated the price back to him in a very telling tone. Instead of setting it back out onto the counter, he kept them on the rear counter, but never dropped his smile. This wasn't the first time he'd dealt with a customer that couldn't pay and he had no desire to see someone run off with free croissants.
Still, he also had no desire to see anyone go hungry.
Aurick leaned against the counter himself and gave a 'hmm'. "We have some muffins that have been in the case since the breakfast rush. I wouldn't call them stale, but they're no croissant." Those usually went to the family as they worked since most customers preferred a softer, warmer pastry even if the earlier meals had been crafted that very day.
"You know...if you are new to the area and hard up on coin we are looking for help. Nothing much; just someone to watch the counter while we work."
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 5:04 pm
She felt guilty. Harika's gaze lowered as she tried to dig through her purse a second time to see if there was anything of value. She had the circlet that she had gotten with Calli but her gut twisted at the thought of tossing something with fond memories away so easily. It wasn't as if she was starving and she could always apologize..."Huh?" She found herself blinking at the sudden offer.
"Could I?" Harika basically flung herself over the counter so that she could grip the man's hands. Her fingers could barely curl around half of one of those biceps but at least she could wrap them around his hands a bit. "I would love to do that! I'm good at cleaning and can work with money. I learn quickly." She promised in a rush, having no time for any pride or reputation in the foreign land especially whenever she was starving! Well, okay not starving but very hungry...in an angry stomach curling into itself and punching her kidney type of sense. Her teal gaze was gleaming as she glanced towards the packed croissants. She could come up with some coin from her sewing and if she did those projects during off days...her mind was quickly swirling with the possibilities. "Could you consider those croissants my first payment? I can work today, right here and right now." She nodded firmly, determination set in her features as she studied the baker.
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Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:45 pm
Aurick wasn't one for a discerning eye. He trusted people based off gut feelings, even if they were clearly trying to swindle him and harm his business. Still, he was a simple baker with a straight forward approach to life and he didn't get a negative vibe from her. She seemed earnest which was something he liked and since she didn't have a problem talking to him then he assumed she could be trusted with funds.
"Woah!" He gave a surprised laugh and found his heterochromatic gaze widening. They were garnering a few curious stares from other patrons, but his sister was quick to sweep their attention away with fresh cookies. Astra passed one look his way before flittering to the woman before him and then onward to the room at large.
"How about you step around the counter and we can go to the back to work out some of the details? Grab a plate of those croissants too; I don't mind paying in pastries." He couldn't keep the smile off his face. Honestly, she was just as excitable as his younger siblings.
After he made sure she was set up Aurick led their way into the kitchen, and around his working family. As he passed he tried his best to introduce her, but with the amount of activity and conversations floating around it was hard. They were a happy lot, mostly Geian, and industrious. Near the back of the kitchen was a side door that led to a small stairway. "It goes to the second floor; that's where some of the storage is and until we get a bigger space, the office."
While he didn't have to crouch to go up Aurick did have to walk at an angle. It was a tight squeeze for the baker, but once he made it to the top it opened up considerably. On one half of the space were shelves full of different spices, packaging and other lighter goods that didn't need to be kept downstairs while the other portion had a small desk with a few chairs. "It's technically a small apartment. My first one; back when I was as small as a flower sack and there was just four of us. There's a washroom just over there if you need one during your shift and you can get changed up here if you ever need to; the door locks. "
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2022 2:58 pm
A flush decorated Harika's cheeks once she realized her actions. So much for not trying to seem desperate. She coughed quietly as if to clear her throat before slowly releasing his hands to grab a plate of croissants. "Sounds good." Honestly? She blamed the food. It was simply too hard to think whenever something so delicious was nearby! Harika glared towards her traitorous stomach before tightening her fingers around the plate and following the man into the kitchen. Maybe once she had one or two her rumbling stomach would calm down and she could actually think then. Though she was determined to work and this bakery wasn't too far away from her other potential workplace as a seamstress. Maybe just maybe things would actually work out here.
It definitely appeared to be busy. Not that Harika was surprised with how everything looked so good. She smiled politely and managed a couple of hellos while dodging the workers and following the man at the same time. There was a moment of hesitation about following a stranger upstairs into a quieter area but then Harika glanced at who she was following and felt her hesitation slide away. She felt comfortable with this man even though he was a stranger and he was the one putting himself at risk by trusting her. Not that she was dangerous! But for all he knew she could be a thief ready to run away with everything once she got access to the bakery. Which is very tempting with how hungry I am. She chuckled softly at the thought before taking her time to go up the stairs, her teal gaze studying everything thoughtfully as they emerged into the new room. "Gotcha." So it had a washroom and a little place to go into...don't do it Harika. But if she had a place to wash up until she got more coin and could afford a better place to sleep at night...the hybrid shook her head before offering a smile towards the baker.
"I'm sorry. Did I forget to introduce myself after basically latching onto you for food?" She managed with a sheepish smile as she placed the plate of croissants on the desk. "I'm Harika." She held out her hand in greeting, something she had seen quite a number of Belreans do over the past few days in the city, "Thank you for giving me a chance to help out. I'm a quick learner so I'll just need to know exactly what you expect from me and what I should expect in return."
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 4:50 pm
"You're a real whisk-taker if you're looking for work here." Even as he was digging around for proper paperwork, Aurick took his moment to look back at her with an open mouthed smile, pausing for dramatic effect. "I won't sugarcoat it, the work seems simple but it can get hectic during holidays. Is that going to be an issue?" He motioned to a chair next to he desk and took the adjoining seat. Thankfully it was an easy fit; his late mama had seen to it. The woman hadn't been small and liked to have all of her seats as cushy as possible. It gave his heart a pull whenever he thought of her, but now wasn't the time for reminiscing.
Aurick leaned across the desk and took her smaller hand into his once again. He gave it a firm, hearty shake and offered a warm smile that met his eyes. "It's nice to meet'cha, Harika. I'm Aurick." Reaching over for his quill, he gave it a few good dips into an inkwell and tapped it against the side of the vile.
"This is a basic contract that we have all of our employees look over and sign before they come to work for us. There's two here; one for you and one for us. You can check to make sure they're the same if you want and take your time to read over them. First things first though; are there certain times and days you're available? If it's only mornings as opposed to evenings your duties could vary."
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 7:37 pm
Harika blinked and then blinked again with a slight frown. "Whisk..." She repeated softly as she pondered the connection. Was that just a slip-up and he meant risk? But then she fully absorbed his expression and realized it was a joke. "Oh! That's a kitchen tool, right?" A light flush decorated her cheeks as she finally made sense of his expression. A whisk-taker because he was a baker and it was a tool....ah. "I mean, got it! I'm a real whisk-taker." She repeated before shaking her head at his antics, a faint smile on her lips at how silly it was. "But holidays are no biggie for me. I don't really have family here so it's not like I'll need to go anywhere."
Harika settled into her seat after shaking Aurick's hand, her fingers tingling from the contact. "Umm...I should be available on weekends and I think I can be flexible for either mornings or evenings." She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she purposefully avoided looking at the contract to study Aurick instead. Honestly she was just trying to see if there was anything shady or remotely guilty in his expression but so far he just seemed like a warm-hearted individual who was simply hiring a worker. "My main talent is as a seamstress but I'm a free lancer at the moment, working for the nearby shop. So everything should be flexible as long as I get the orders finished by their pickup date. I don't mind staying up late at night or working earlier on my requests in the mornings to accommodate working here as well."
Eventually her gaze shifted down towards the contract and her cheeks darkened even more. Should she admit that she barely could read it? She knew Oban, but she was still learning Belrean....the letters were similar in some regards for common but a bit more curly than what she was accustomed with seeing. "I can skim over them. It's just simple things about wages and what not, correct?" She finally asked as she peeked back up towards Aurick, afraid to reveal the truth about her inability to truly look over the contract. She had at least learned math and the Belrean currency so that much wasn't an issue...just reading the language could be a bit problematic was all.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 8:11 am
Aurick had to give a little laugh, but it was more pained than genuine. Going to have to work on that. Still, she didn't need to understand all of his jokes to work a counter, right? Might have helped, but there were bigger issues to worry about.
"If you wanted to visit with your family you're more than welcome to so long as you give us some notice." Aurick, of course, didn't notice he was being watched so keenly. He was skimming over the contract himself, underlining certain aspects that might be of use to her, and making little notes in the margins about her availability.
"Since we're busiest in the mornings I'd prefer to have you here to help out during the rush. Generally it calms down enough in the evenings to where we can handle the counter on our own, but lately it's been a struggle." He sat back in his seat with a proud grin. "Price of getting our name out, y'know? But a seamstress! Just don't work yourself too hard, alright? Gotta give your hands a break sometime."
"There's a few bits in here about policies, but honestly if you have any questions about those you can just ask. We ask that you don't wear anything you aren't afraid of getting dirty and that won't get caught in the ovens."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 8:24 am
A flicker of a pain expression crossed Harika's own face but she simply nodded her head. "Yeah, if it comes time to visit my family I'll make certain to give you plenty of notice." Mostly because it wouldn't be happening, especially since Harika's mother was gone from this world and her father was obsessed with her step-mother and that branch of family instead. Either way Harika was not focused on that in the moment and instead turned her gaze back to the damned contract. She would have to study quickly if she was going to be more useful in this area...if she opted to stay for longer than a few months.
"That sounds fine. I'll work mornings to early afternoon." She smiled at Aurick, the young seamstress nodding once more. "I'll make sure to take a break. Thankfully working the counter won't be as straining on my hands since I'll just be packing up orders and not preparing a lot of the baked goods myself...right?" She most definitely was not a cook or baker, her skills were with needles and thread not whisks and the like. However, Harika was confident in her ability to sell things since she was fairly good at interacting with others and helping them to pick out what they liked. Maybe she could even learn a thing or two about baking while she worked here? Let's not get too carried away. After that pained laugh though she was determined to at least learn more about the items in the kitchen so that she could be better prepared for puns. She had the feeling that Aurick was going to be full of them....just maybe.
"Understood. I'll wear something simple." Harika nodded even though she was already designing an outfit specifically for the store in her mind. She had seen a couple of cute dresses during her last few days in the city at other areas so maybe those would work well....
"I guess the next question is when do I start?" She looked towards Aurick again as she focused. "My schedule is clear for this week though I'm not certain if you were prepared to train anyone today. I did pick up some croissants though so it would feel wrong to simply leave without helping with at least something even if it's just organizing something or the like."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 8:49 am
"No, no. If you notice we're getting low on something just let us know in the back and we'll bring it out." While he wasn't above giving lessons to well meaning souls, there was no way Aurick was going to let a novice get their hands involved in the morning rush. He had a business to tend to, after all.
"I know you said you were ready to start now, but yeah, you've got the right of it; I'm not." He gave a chuckle and moved to log some things in a box near by. For all of it's seemingly disorganized nature he knew exactly where to go for each piece of paperwork.
"If you're really aiming to work today, though, could you handle a few deliveries? They're not far and I can write the addresses out for you. Usually my younger brother handles those, but they...actually moved to Valmon recently so we're also looking to hire for that spot as well."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 9:26 am
A breath of relief left Harika. "Oh good. I was a bit afraid you were trusting me a bit too much there." She teased lightly with a small shudder at the idea of baking, more of a playful gesture than anything genuine of course. She could most definitely handle keeping an eye on the inventory at the front of the store.
Her gaze wandered across the desk and towards the box. "Seems like you have a lot on your plate. Is the bakery owned by you completely or?" She found herself asking as she lingered in the seat, observing everything that Aurick was doing. Harika was honestly curious. Aurick seemed to be around her age so it was impressive if he owned a complete bakery already. If someone could do this with a bakery then could she own her own seamstress shop in the nearby future if she worked hard enough? It was even more motivation to be successful as a part timer so she could save up all the coin for the future!
"Deliveries..." Harika repeated before nodding as she held onto her determination. "You can write down the addresses but if it would be okay I would rather have you read them to me and maybe even give general directions. I can memorize everything without a problem as long as I hear it once."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 1:59 pm
"What would you have done if I'd asked you to bake a three tier cake for a showcase that was due in three hours?" He was teasing, of course, because everyone knew you needed at least an hour of cooling. A cake like that would have to be started the previous day at least.
"More or less. It had been passed down to my mama, but she recently died so we're working on the details." He tried not to focus so much on the facts as he said them. There was no way she wouldn't hear about Mya's death if she worked here so, in Aurick's mind, it was better for him to just rip the bandage off. The wound was vast and grievous, took his breath away every time he thought about it, but he had to keep going. "She was Geian so that's why most everyone who works here is, but my mother, Petra, is Lightning; y'know, in case you had questions about-" He motioned to his general appearance.
He certainly felt their loss not only emotionally, but within the bakery. His little siblings handled a lot of the smaller tasks and as such he'd taken on more of the work.
"Care to lead the way back downstairs then so I can lock up? We're just going to the kitchen. There's a back door and I can show you what needs delivered."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 3:34 pm
"Hmm." Even though he was teasing, Harika took the question in stride. "At first cry a little but then go to the nearest bakeries and see if I could trade anything for a three tier cake within three hours." She teased in return with a small smile. "It would be better than sacrificing the kitchen to my skills because I definitely could not afford those repairs." It was mostly a tease...mostly. Harika was just really good at charring things but so far she hadn't destroyed a whole kitchen with her meager skills.
Her amusement faded with the revelation and she found her gaze softening. "I'm sorry to hear that. It's not easy to lose a mother." Harika managed, her hand going to gently touch Aurick's arm as if offering comfort. Having lost her own mother made her heart ache at the thought of his loss, the pain still fresh in her mind even years later. If she could offer any comfort then she would but everyone went through things differently and she barely knew him or his family to fully even try to know more. "That makes sense." She managed quietly with a small smile as he explained the mixed family. "Mixed families happen a lot where I come from, the islanders don't really have any restrictions on things so they love whoever they please." Harika nodded as she studied Aurick thoughtfully. "It looks like your family is still really close which is nice. It's good to have at times like these. O-of course not that I should impose my opinion! But still." Her cheeks flushed as she pulled her hand away, realizing that she may have overstepped her bounds with the stranger...err her boss now?
It was good timing though since she had to stand and go towards the door so that they could head downstairs. "Sounds good. I'll wait for you down there. Take your time!" Harika managed with a small smile before darting outside towards the hallway, her steps taking her further away from Aurick and her flustered tangle of emotions. She really hoped that she hadn't overreacted. Dammit, Harika. You haven't even started working yet!
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