"C'mon, Zack, take credit, stand up for your abilities," Joel reaches up, to whap Zack lightly on the shoulder with his copy of Modern Wallpapering. In looking up, he spots Gareth, and gives him that wave/salute gesture thing he does. "Hey, Gareth, come pull up a chair," he encourages. "Unless you're off to work or class or whatnot?"
Liane is in the kitchen, working hard to feed the menfolk. Everyone else is outside, and Gareth looks sleepy. So everything's normal!
Joel is sitting in one of the plush chairs with a book, Morgan in the other. Zack is shoulder-surfing to read Joel's exciting tome about wallpaper, and Gareth has just strayed in and ordered some coffee.
Morgan smiles and nods to Zack. "He's right you know. You're dramatically masterly about drama."
If the bell dings, it goes ding-a-ling-a-ling. Zoie walks into the coffee shop and pauses on the threshold, this allows the door to 'encourage' her the rest of the way it. A soft sound leaves her lips as the door swings lightly into her rear. She blushes for a moment and looks around quickly to make sure no one saw anything.
Gareth tilts his head to Joel. "Still readin' about goats?" he asks, curiously. He flashes a...look back at Whence Liane Went. He seems to make an internal decision, and walks over to the comfy chairs. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "What craft got mastered?"
"Y'all really think so?" Zack asks, looking between Morgan and Joel, eyes theatrically wide. You've gotta believe to achieve! "If you say..." But he breaks down into a smile. Turning his gaze back to Gareth, "Drama." But he doesn't elaborate. "You look pretty tired, Gareth. Been up late studyin'? New girlfriend maybe?" Then there's a ding-a-ling of the front door and Zack has to look that way, sending a friendly smile to the newcomer. "Welcome. Make yerself at home."
Someone has +voted for you. Keep up the good work!
Morgan giggles at Zack. "Oh, absolutely! I mean, the very first day I came into town, I was impressed by your dramatic skills!" She then turns, looks at Zoie. Her eyes widen, and she seems to almost stare at Zoie.
"Nah... wallpaper," Joel replies to Gareth, proving that his reading material is just as exciting as ever. Zack answers the question, and he raises a brow. "Yeah, apparently I teach people to be dramatic," he says, somewhat dryly. "So Morgan and Zack hath decreed. Who knew? It's open enrollment, seems all you have to do is hang out with me for a while and you pick it up by osmosis or something. Don't get to close, people are gonna start calling you emo." There is a bit of a smile for Zoie's door trouble... then he eyes Morgan. "Morgan? You alright?"
Liane emerges from the kitchen, intent on carrying three plates and not dropping any. All are topped with delicious pastries, save one, which has pastries AND a sandwich. This is dropped off - or collected, as Liane would probably drop everything otherwise - by Danny, and then Liane continues towards the group, humming off-key. She seems a mite distracted, and thus doesn't immediately notice Sleepy Gareth until she's deposited a delicious danish in front of him. Along with a large cookie, slightly burnt on one side. "I've b-been teaching one of the others to c-c-cook. There's a wh-whole batch of c-c-cookies in the kitchen I c-can't put on display." She explains. Abandoned, lonely cookies! Then she turns to look at Zack and Morgan, with her other plate of pastries...and catches sight of Gareth. The smile immediately fades, a new wrinkle forms in her brow, and she stares downwards, flushing. So she just holds out the plate of food in their general direction. "M-m-m-m-m-muffins. W-w-wanted op-p-p-pinions. Sh-sh-should go b-b-back to the k-k-kitchen." She mumbles.
Gareth rubs his face. "Nah," says Gareth to Zack, with an easy grin. "Just tired. Didn't wanna sleep last night, so I had to see if I could beat this old Final Fantasy game, like, I just knew I could figure out how to kill of Exedeath!" He says this like it means something. "Then just decided to...stay up, I guess." He hears a stutter. Drama's in the air, according to his expression at least. he turns back and says politely, "Liane." He turns back to Zack. "Anyways, figured I'd have a change and switch out the old Mountain Dew for some sumatran blend."
Zoie gives a shy smile back towards Zack's welcome. She nods her head a bit and then looks around. If one could imagine a fawn walking in to the lion's den; it would have the same sort of timid uncertainty that Zoie has. Of course, this also brings her attention to the staring Morgan. Zoie almost jumps as if in the way of something and looks behind her to see who Morgan is looking at. One hand trembles a bit as she tucks her hair behind her right ear. Oh hey then there is cookies. She sort or inches around the edge of the shop to find a seat.
Morgan stops staring, passing a hand in front of her eyes. "No, I'm fine. Just a bit .. zoning out there for a moment." She turns her attention back to Joel's book, and points to a pattern. "if you like florals, that looks good." She looks up at Liane, smiles warmly at her - and is careful not to try to meet the shyer woman's gaze. "you're welcome to stay out here, you know. And I'm certain the muffins will be wonderful."
Zack turns from his greeting of the shy Zoie back to those near by. More specifically to Liane, bearer of pastries and muffins. "I'll be happy to give 'em a try," he says magnanimously. He seems to notice there's some kind of Something going on between her and Gareth, but doesn't comment on it. Yet.
Joel eyes Zoie. Eyes Morgan. Zoie, Morgan. The wallpaper book is closed carefully, and whatever food is hanging around is ignored for now. "You're weirding that poor girl out," he points out, and there is a sort of cautious watchfulness about him, despite the relaxed coffeeshop atmosphere. But he seems to leave it there, and instead lets a glance flicker between Gareth and Liane, as though waiting to see how all that is going to shake out.
Liane murmurs something in reply to Gareth which is totally incomprehensible. Said pastries are deposited on a table, and Liane hurries back towards the kitchen....nearly running over Zoie, but stopping just short and glancing up quickly. There's confusion, then recognition. "Z-z-zoie!" she says with some surprise.
Gareth sits down at Plush Chairs.
Gareth watches Liane mumble for a sec. His expression's unreadable. Then he turns, drinks some coffee, and plops into a comfy chair, getting all comfortable and stuff. "Branching out to wallpaper, huh?" he asks Joel. "Figure you learned all you could about goats or what?"
Zoie watches the group and then there is.. "Liane." The girl's voice is soft but melodic as she steps forwards towards the other woman. She doesn't touch her though. "I'm soooooooooooo glad to see you. I um... do you work here?" Her eyes move over towards the others before she looks back to Liane. "Why was the one staring at me? Do I have a stain on my clothing?"
Morgan murmurs to Joel. "I'm sorry. She was just ... well, she's very pretty."
"New house has a lot of goddamn wallpaper," Joel explains to Gareth. "But it's adobe... I mean, seriously, what the fuck, who wallpapers adobe? So I gotta get it off, it's driving me fucking nuts. Goat cart book is on hold while I figure out the intricacies of wallpaper. Mine is a busy, exciting, glamorous life, not gonna lie." Another glance to Zoie seems to confirm she's not having any sort of Morgan-staring-related breakdown, so he looks back to Morgan. "What, and the rest of us aren't? Fuck that noise, I'm /very/ pretty."
Liane gives a weak smile, "Y-y-yes. I c-c-cook." Liane seems fretful and distracted. "I d-don't start q-quite yet, however. W-would you like to s-sit with Danny and m-m-myself?" A glance over at Zoie's clothes. "I d-d-don't think so. But I've g-g-gotten used to p-p-people acting odd. I c-can't think of when they d-d-don't."
Zack decides that enough time has passed and so he leans a tad closer toward Gareth. "Somethin' up with Annie?" he wonders to the young man. He can't help but cast a glance toward Zoie again. After all, she's talking to Liane, who Zack is talking about! He nods his head in agreement with Joel's prettiness. "He is."
Morgan laughs and leans over to try to kiss Joel's cheek, if he seems in agreement with that behaviour. "Yes, dear brother. you are. But I'm accustomed to your prettiness. it doesn't strike the same behaviour in me anymore."
Zoie smiles a bit more beautifully at Liane. A familiar face goes a long way. Then she grins to that. "You are going to be the best cook that there ever was. Um.. do you know if they are still um... hiring, maybe?" She flashes those venus green eyes hopefully at Liane before nodding. Danny is given a glance over before she gives a soft smile to the keeper and back to Liane. "It is soooooo different than New York."
Gareth nods to Joel. "Maybe the goat can eat the adobe? I never quite got adobe anyways." Gareth shrugs in his big old chair. It's like a throne! He squirms in it. When Morgan speaks to Joel, Gareth overhears something and turns curiously to inspect Zoie, but then Zack (all them Z-names, what's up with that?) speaks to him, and he kind of shrugs back to Zack. "Eh, she and I had a disagreement. Something about laziness. Just drama," he explains.
Joel seems to balk a little, surprised by Morgan's cheek kissing in a way that suggests his first instinct when people spring that sort of thing is to retreat! But she probably manages to catch him anyway. "Lies, you never did. Now I just feel bad. I'm going to develop a complex." He follows Gareth's gaze Zoie-wards, and catches enough of their conversation to decide Zack needs to be punched in the arm. Friendly like! "Someone wants to work for you, Kiva King."
Zack gives Gareth a simple "Ah," and doesn't press for details. Drama is a language he's fluent in! "Goats can eat wallpaper," he suggests, as he's punched while turning back to Joel and Gareth more properly. "They'll eat just 'bout anything. Now who wants to work for me?"
Morgan smiles a Joel. "Complex is more interesting than simple anyway." She then frowns. "And you're right. Who wallpapers adobe?" She shudders. "Ick."
You know that Liane. A drama queen of nearly the same magnitude as the fabulous Joel. She glances in the direction of the others, a furtive sort of glance, and nervously readjusts her gloves, looking down at Zoie's shoes. "Z-z-zack -- the m-man with the t-texan accent -- is o-one of the owners. You c-c-can ask him. I th-think we're still looking for c-c-cafe workers." There's a momentary war flickering over Liane's face, but her shoulders slump. "I'll int-t-troduce you." she says, with the air of someone walking back into a lion's den of awkward.
Zoie looks at Liane for a long moment and doesn't seem to get the awkward. It is wonderful to live in Zoie-land. There are rose-tinted colors and ponies. Death ponies, but still ponies. "Thank you.. wait.." She looks over her jeans and t-shirt. "Should I change? I mean, um.. I should look better, right?" Her petite hands quickly move to brush over her hair trying to fix it. However, she has that ability to look perfect when she's a mess, much to some jealous, hatred and adoration. Her lower lip is caught between her teeth as she moves with Liane.
Gareth, after Zack's "Ah," seems to be under the impression that the attention's no longer on him. This serves him okay. He sits back and watches all the people, letting things unfold, and drinking his coffee.
Morgan leans over and murmurs to Zack. "I think you're about to be intimidating. And supposed to be greeted by someone perfectly groomed." She tries not to giggle. "Not that that girl needs much grooming."
"Interesting is completely overrated," Joel replies dryly to Morgan, from way back when she said complex > simple. "Interesting and complex are nothing but trouble. I have wild, desperate fantasies about moving out to the desert to be a hermit in a little hut, surrounded by nothing except coyotes and ugly plants and sand for hundreds of miles around. I'd just sit out on my tiny hermit porch in a rocking chair going creak, creak, and periodically announce, 'yep.'" Joel has a keen understanding of the good life.
"What?" Zack wonders and glances around at Morgan's words. Then he spots Zoie again as she talks with Liane. "Oh, should I try an' be stern and scary?" he asks, lowering his voice so hopefully the prospective applicant doesn't over-hear him.
Poor Zoie's concerns go unanswered by Liane, who simply shuffles along to the group. "If y-y-you move, I'm g-g-going to follow you and w-w-we shall be n-neighbors, s-several miles away in the m-middle of n-n-nowhere." Liake says as she catches the end bit of Joel's words. "I sh-shall have a neat l-little house and g-garden and p-perhaps Danny to f-frighten away anyone who I d-don't wish to see. Zack," Liane glances behind her, to make sure Zoie hasn't fled. "Th-th-this is Zoie C-croft. Our f-f-families knew one another." Liane is vague on relationships, anyway. "A-a-are we s-still hiring?"
"Totally missing the point of being a hermit, Liane," Joel informs her. "Hermits don't have neighbors." He peers curiously at Zoie again, now that he knows her name, but as he isn't part of the hiring process, he turns his attention to Gareth. "How's school going? Katie tells me you and her hate comp like whoa."
Zoie breathes in and out a few times. She moves easily on her feet with easy grace as she looks towards the group in the plush chairs. It takes a moment, but she tosses up her most assured smile. To make matters worse, potentially, she offers her hand towards Gareth. "Hi.." It seems she didn't see who 'Zack' was. She looks toward Liane for confirmation of identity.
Morgan belays answering Zack, since Liane has brought Zoie over. She goes quiet, not wanting to interfere.
Zack was raised a proper gentleman, despite what you may have heard. When Liane arrives and introduces Zoie, he stands up and extends a hand to her, correcting any misunderstanding rather quickly! "Howdy Zoie. I'm Zack," he says with a smile. "Y'all knew Annie from New York?"
"I approve of the hermit thing," Gareth informs Joel from the depths of his comfy chair. "St. Anthony's one of my favorite saints." He glances over at the Z-people meeting up, he says for some reason, "Charlie's angels..." then back at Joel. He makes an exaggerated sigh. "Yeah, the TA's a douchebag. It ain't so bad. I think Katie's got it harder than me. It's Calculus that might flunk me out," he says with a frown.
"I failed calc /bad/," Joel admits. "Of course... at the time, I didn't go to class and I was drunk or high most of the time, so that probably has a lot to do with my lack of academic success." He goes to take a drink of coffee, and seems disappointed to find his cup has run out. Oh, well. "What's Saint Anthony's deal? Other than that I'm inferring he was a hermit."
Liane is too busy being absorbed by her own choice in footwear to notice Zoie's messups! Oh Liane. Joel earns himself a quick glance, however, and a faint smile. Very faint. "Th-th-then I suppose I sh-shall be a n-nuisance, instead." Then oh, he's talking to Gareth, so Liane just shuts up and chews her lower lip, looking awkward and checking back to the corner table near the counter, where Danny is absorbed in reading her newspaper. And smirking. For reasons /we may never guess/.
Zoie blushes a bit and offers an apologetic smile as her hand alters to meet Zack's. "Annie?" There is a moment that her brows furrow before she looks towards Liane. "Oh! Yes, yes I did... I mean do. I mean we were in New York together. Well we weren't together. We were sorta friends. Well not really. Our families made us know each other. I mean I just met her a few times and..." That line of conversation comes out without the blonde taking a breath before she pauses. "Yes." That's all that is left as she shifts her weight from side to side.
Morgan's lips twitch, and she looks from Zoie to Liane. Oh dear. There's /two/ of them.
"Nice to meetcha, sorta friend of Annie's," Zack finishes still with an easy smile. "So y'all are innerested in workin' here? What's Annie told you about us? Apparently not much since you actually DO wanna work here..." He flashes a brief wink Liane's way.
Gareth laughs to Joel. "I, er, well, I'm failing and mostly sober. I did okay last year. But they ramped it up with Calc III." His sigh is terribly dramatic. "St. Anthony was an Egyptian dude, all holy, he ran out into the desert to be hermetical and stuff. It pissed off the Devil something mighty, so the Devil sent all these temptations at the dude, but he just saw through it every time. St. Anthony's Fire - ergotism - like, LSD but with tainted grain - comes rom his visions. Inneresting dude."
Morgan leans over to Gareth. "So .. you've sought tutoring in Calc, I hope?"
"Yeah, see, it was like Intro to Calc or something where I curled up and died," Joel grins at Gareth. "So I mean, hell, you got to Calc III, I'm all sorts of impressed. If you fail, you can always take it again, and then you'll know it all the second time." Dropout logic! About St Anthony, he seems interested. "Isn't ergotism also what make the Salem witch people go bugfuck crazy?" Then he manages to overhear Zack and Zoie, and raises his brows in that direction. "Run while you still can!"
Zoie nods her head to that and clears her thorat a bit. "I um.. nothing." Zoie offers with complete honesty. "I just heard you were hiring and um.. I need a jo.." She pauses and looks at Joel at his shout and then lowers her brows. "Um... maybe I should.. I should come back at a different time." She looks around the cafe a bit and slips back her hand as she starts to take a few steps back.
Gareth says to Morgon, "Er...I keep thinking I can...!" His tone is stubborn, then he deflates. "You know anyone?" he asks Morgan plaintively. Back to Joel. "Eh, last year was pretty easy, but last year Inorganic and Organic Chem was too my for my head." When the conversations witches - er, SWITCHES back to Salem trials, Gareth blinks. "Was it? That'd kinda make sense..."
Zack slides his own hands into his pockets, still smiling casually back to Zoie. He ignores the yells from the peanut gallery as well as he ignores Zoie's stumbling mutterings. He's well practiced from all his time spent with Liane! "Have y'all worked in a coffee shop before?"
Morgan just -looks- at Gareth, giving him the 'Mummy is so disappointed' look. Then she turns to Zoie, and says "Joel is teasing you. Ignore him, listen to Zack."
"Z-z-zack isn't t-t-terrible." Liane says, so very helpful. Considering she's ten steps away from cowering in a corner, this is probably a sterling recommendation. "D-d-don't m-mind the others. Th-th-they..." there's a moment and Liane thinks. "M-most of them are n-nice m-m-most of the time." She says finally, then glances back at Danny. "Exc-c-c-cuse me a m-m-moment." She mumbles, running away while her player continues her afkness of DOOM.
Zoie lifts her left hand to twist a single lock of hair around her finger. Her eyes widen a bit as she looks around the plush chairs and then back to Zack. "No, but I learn quick and I'm um... I can be social. Really. I'm just um.. when meeting strangers a bit um.. quiet." And she wants to work in a coffee shop. Her eyes shift over the others adn back towards Zack. "I don't want to take you from your friends."
"I'm sure Gareth's got it under control," Joel raises a brow as Morgan is disappoint. There's a somewhat chagrined look as he nearly sent Zoie heading for the hills, and he seems to have gathered that shutting up is perhaps the best course of action there. To Gareth, "I heard organic chem is a bitch and a half. Definitely never tried to take anything that ambitious, myself. I dunno for sure about the witch trials... but I heard that, and it sounds plausible to me."
Zack takes a glance back towards his "friends" as Zoie directs his attention that way, then back to her. "They're not goin' anywhere," he assures her with a light wave of his hand. "You know you'd be dealin' with strangers all day, right? Gettin' orders or deliverin' food an' such."
Gareth says in a small voice to Morgan. "Wha-aaa-aaat?" He listens to Joel, and nods. "Well, it makes sense to me," he says with a cheerful shrug. "If you're gonna hang a buncha witches, you're probably hopped up on *something*. Moldy grain is as good as anything."
Morgan smiles at Gareth, then, and shrugs. "Up to you, I guess." Then she turns back to Zack and Zoie, curious as to how that goes. And quiet.
Zoie nods her head to that. "I am okay with it. I mean.. if it.. um.. pays for classes." She chews her lower lip to that. "I um.. I understand if you don't want me to though. I do. I mean I'm sure that you are wise in running your business. So there would be no hard feelings." She give him a gorgeous smile before dropping her eyes from him.
"I wouldn't be so sure about how wise I am," Zack warns Zoie with a little laugh. "I ain't the brains of his operation." Just Body! "Listen... We got one of those application forms you can fill out. Me an' Katie will look it over an' we'll see how it goes. I'm sure Annie will put a good word in for y'all."
"You really want a tutor, I can keep an eye out and let you know if I know of anyone," Joel offers to Gareth. "Since you're already one of the smarter and more educated people I know, though, I dunno how much good I'd be unless I like, deliver pizzas to math wizards sometime in the near future."
Gareth gets a minorly uncomfortable look when Joel compliments him. "Er, well, I think you're mixing me up with that Lucid kid. Now /there/ is a genius." There's a tone of bitter envy to his voice. "I just got past Freshman year, didn't write a paper on string theory or anything."
Morgan performs the incredibly educated and sophisticated manouver of sticking her tongue out at Joel.
Zoie nods her head to that a few times. "Well... thank you." She smiles again and then lowers her eyes to look away. "I um... I'll fill one out and um... leave it with you guys here." She looks towards the others. "I'm sorty to interrupt." Her eyes flit towards Gareth at the mention fo string theory.
"Lucid has a remarkable ability to make the worst possible choice in any given interaction with other human beings," Joel notes, somewhat dryly. "He may be a savant, but he's got a lot he needs to learn too." THen he looks over at Morgan, and raises his brows. "What? Oh, yeah, you're smart too."
Zack gives Zoie a little gesture with his head. "C'mon, let's get you one," he encourages before he leads the way over to the counter. Once there he slips behind and pulls out generic looking employement application and pen. "It's no interruption, Zoie. This is my job too, after all."
Liane begins walking back towards the table - and towards Gareth, with a plate of something! ....hears what Gareth and Joel are discussing, and promptly switches direction towards Zack and Zoie. "C-c-could you two t-try these? I'm c-c-considering adding them to the m-m-menu, if everyone app-p-proves. It's a c-c-crisp p-pastry, with h-h-herb-and-ch-cheese in a l-light t-t-tomato sauce." Like pizza rolls. Only fancy!
Morgan grins at Joel. "Thank you." She then looks up at Liane, and smiles at her description of the new foodstuff.
"It's just that I've known you for long enough, that I don't react to it anymore," Joel explains to Morgan.
Zoie doesn't really look like she eats much. Her eyes eye the pastry and the denial forms and then she looks towards Liane. There is a softening to her expression. "Of course.." She reaches to that before looking back at Zack. "I know it is your job, but still, no one likes to have their social time interrupted. Well.. I imagine. I don't do that much." Her lips curve upwards though. It seems she's slightly warming. "Should I just leave this on the counter?"
Morgan laughs. "Are you throwing my own words back at me, Joel?"
Gareth's mouth twitches. "He gave up one of the pre-eminent questions about modern science because it /bored/ him," Gareth says in a surly manner. "I understand he's nice, he's got friends and all, and he's trying or whatever. He opens his mouth, I just want to hold him under water until the struggling stops." He makes another dramatic sigh and finishes off his coffee. "Maybe I should get goin', though." To Morgan. "You're a hell of a chemist, at least. I dunno what else."
"Oooh, pizzas," Zack instantly determines of the new delights from Liane's oven. He picks one off and handles it carefully, lest he get burned. "You can just give it to me, that way it won't get lost." Then he lifts up the pizza bite to his lips and takes a careful taste. "Mmm, these are good, Annie."
Joel grins at Morgan. "You bet your ass I am." Gareth explains his feelings about Lucid, and Joel seems to be undergoing an unsuccessful attempt to smother his amusement. "Yeah, and you're /actually/ smart," he points out. "Imagine how he makes the rest of us plebs feel. I guess he's nice though, yeah. He doesn't mean any harm." He nods a bit as Gareth needs to get going, and promises, "I'll tell Katie you stopped by. She likes that people seem to enjoy the new shop."
Morgan smiles at Gareth, and waves. "Be well. And thank you for the compliment. I do try." She snickers at Joel. "I earned that. and .. you're both right about Lucid. He also seems incapable of looking after himself."
Liane blushes and smiles at Zack's compliment, though she does add, "N-n-not quite p-pizza." And then Zoie is glanced at, for her opinion! The other table is totally ignored.
Zoie nods and leans over the bar to steal a pen to fill it out with. She then starts to write. "Liane, they are really amazing. You did the best sort of cooking ever." She then starts to fill out the application... until she gets to work history. Then she chews her lower lip and looks over towards Zack. She skips over it and leaves it blank.
Zack doesn't seem to pay much attention to Zoie's form. At least not the application form, if you know what I mean! Or any other form for that matter. He's looking for another bite of the delicious food. "What are you gonna call 'em? I think we should sell 'em." And just like that, he's sold.
"No," Gareth agrees. "He doesn't mean any harm, I guess." he almost seems...disappointed at that. When Joel mentions Katie Gareth brightens and says, "You would?" Then reaches a hand up to run through his hair. "Er, yeah, that'd be cool. It's a neat shop, good cofffee." He also nods to Morgan. "Kind of...a relief to hear, actually. Like I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Anyways, I gotta split for splotsville. See you kids around!" He waves cheerfully, and moseys on out. Without the actual moseying part.
"Sure," Joel offers to Gareth... and then Gareth is up and gone, departing into the night. "I'm abandoning you for pizza rolls," he informs Morgan. "And to apologize to that girl." He languidly rises, the book about wallpaper saving his seat, and then he ambles Lianewards to see if any of those delicacies are left.
"I l-leave naming things to K-k-katie." Liane admits. "Sh-she's much better at it than I am." Still, Liane seems pleased with the compliments! And as Gareth leaves, both relieved and vaguely guilty.
Morgan sighs and puts the back of her hand to her forehead. "Abandoned! Alone! I am deserted! Alas, alack, and so on!" She gets up as well, and ambles towards the counter.
Zoie fills out the rest of the form and signs her name. She scans it over and then hands it over to Zack. "Um.. if you have any questions, you can call and um.. I'll clarify." Her eyes flit to those leaving before shifting her weight. "I um... I.. well I should head um.. out. Thank you for considering hiring me."
"Hey... wait up, let me apologize," Joel says, gently enough, aiming to stall her departure long enough to accomplish this. Though he doesn't step in her path, there's nothing to prevent her fleeing. "Sorry I spooked you. Didn't mean anything by it. You'd be hard pressed to find better people than the Kings."
"Sure thing," Zack replies to Zoie. "But you don't gotta leave just 'cause you filled this out. Stay a spell." And in comes Joel and Morgan. "Do y'all know Joel here? Joel, Zoie, Zoie Joel. And Morgan," as the latter approaches. "Y'all should try these," he encourages them towards Liane's delights.
When has Liane EVER not had enough to feed a small army? She promptly turns towards the newcomers, with a small smile. And a glance at Zoie. "D-d-do stay a bit. I d-d-don't really see you v-v-very often, after all."
Morgan waves to Zoie. "This is supposed to be a place to meet people, after all." She does accept one of Liane's treats, and takes a napkin and a plate as well. She toys with it, breaking a piece off to taste. "Zack, Katie gave you my number? Call me if you need more info about the trench, hmm?"
Zoie nods her head. "I.." Joel captures her attention as she looks around in confusion. "Apologize?" She shakes her head with a bright, friendly smile. "You don't have anything to apologize for, however, I'm happy to accept it if you want." Her eyes move then to Zack and then to Morgan. "It is good t meet you." She smiles at Morgan and Zack. One can see her mentally drawing hearts over their heads. Then she smiles to Liane. "Who knew dance was going to take so much of my time?"
"Pretty good," seems to be Joel's verdict on Liane's little creations. "Anything that's pizza-ish though... man, I dunno, I think my senses are just deadened. Too many years in pizza purgatory." To Zoie, he warns, "Working food service for the general public can be stressful. Hellish. But you get used to it, and over time, maybe you even get to like it some."
"Yup, I got yer number in my phone," Zack assures Morgan as she asks about the jacket. "I'll definitely be callin' y'all once I get started. It should be pretty soon here. Just gotta finish up this other project I'm workin' on."
Morgan smiles at Zoie, nodding. Then she looks at Zack, and says "Take your time. Good craftwork is worth waiting for."
"It's n-n-not so t-t-t-terrible." Says Liane, who can afford to say that now that she works in the kitchen, safely away from the customers. Still, her heart's not in the phrase. To Joel, she gives a small glance, and a pursing of her lips. "I b-b-believe I shall find s-s-something appropr-pr-priate for you." Uh oh. Joel's tastebuds have caught Liane's interest! But back to Zoie. "If n-n-nothing else, the b-bosses are rather n-n-nice, and so are the other c-c-coworkers." Except the NPC ones, they're jerks.
Hellish. That word makes Zoie's smile waver a bit. "I.." Then she clears her throat. "I need the money." There is a shrug and a lift of her shoulders. "This is the first place I heard of um.. you know.. hiring." She smiles towards Liane. "I am sure if I get hired it will work out well." She wiggles her fingers towards Morgan.
"No one ends up in food service hell who doesn't need the money," Joel agrees, with both sympathy and amusement. "You take shit from people all shift long and your feet fucking hurt and no one tips well... and then you get one person, it only takes one, who is kind to you, and you can feel your faith in humanity being restored. Like maybe if there's still someone out there who remembered that the person behind the counter had a soul... then everything is going to be okay. That feeling is maybe why I've never moved on to something better." Philosophy time over! He raises a brow. "That, and I'm a lazy fuckup." A step away from the group, "Who should get going. I'll see you all around, huh?"
"Oh takin' off?" Zack wonders needlessly. "I'll see you later, Joel. Y'all take 'er easy, hear?" He gives the older fellow a fond smile and a holds out a hand for Fist Bumping.
Morgan says, "Statistically, there has to be *somoene* in food service who likes it .. right?" She then waves to Joel. "I'll see you later, okay? Catch you sometime."
Trace arrives through the open archway from the apothecary.
Trace has arrived.
"C-c-c-cooking is nice." Liane adds in helpfully. Safe in the kitchen, she can remain! "G-g-goodbye, Joel. I'll s-s-stop by the n-new place one day s-s-soon." She threatens, oh so innocently.
Zoie nods her head but there is nothing for her to really offer. She then smiles. "I should be leaving too." She smiles towards Liane. "We'll catch up." Then towards Zack, "Please call me, one way or the other."
Joel wanders over to the chairs to collect his book and empty cup, walks the empty cup back to the counter to spare someone the trip. He seems surprised by Zack's offer of a fist bump, but who is he to deny a bro? Fists, bumped. "You already brought me an unkillable plant," he points out to Liane, "But sure, stop by. The gates are open if I"m home." A wave/salute for the collective everyone, and off he goes!
Morgan and the others are near the counter. Liane's been spreading two treats - cookies that are not *quite* up to standard - she's been teaching someone else to cook. And a new pastry she's trying out, with tomato and cheese and uh .. something else I forget what.
So most everyone has a cookie, a pastry, or both.
Somebody walks into the apothecary next door. And then, on hearing voices, makes their through the doorway. Trace peeks into Kiva, looking around to see who she recognises. Staying on the other side of the establishment for now, not quite crossing that threshold.