June/July Open Top Levels

[ask_whydunit]

Who; Waver Velvet & Anyone
What; Waver shopping for teaware and spending time in the Historium
Where; The Market & The Historium
When; Late June-Early July - Afternoon for the market, late evening for the historium
Warnings; None to start, but will update if things come up
Other; Feel free to tag in however you’d like, I am happy to match action brackets if those are preferred. Also if you have any rp wishes or ideas please let me know by either PM’ing the character journal or messaging me over on discord (WhimsicalSpook)! I’m happy to write personal starters and stuff.


I. A necessary trip to the market - open to all

It was odd to see Waver out and about. Usually sightings were limited to the Historium or the Academy, with rare intermittent trips to the market to pick up the few things he needed. Which… Well, Reines would tell anyone that Waver rarely did things purely for enjoyment, so he didn’t seem to need much beyond the obvious.

Though he would argue that it wasn’t strictly true, his life was a lot busier than it had been before the lordship had been dropped on his shoulders. There was too much to do, too much to think about, and he was eternally exhausted. It wasn’t even that he did nothing for fun. He had his research and his video games, after all! And there were quite a lot of other things he used to do before everything became a chaotic tornado of messes needing to be dealt with.

Which was why he was, in fact, out on one of his rare trips to the market in search of something. The rushed, weak cup of tea he’d become accustomed to on his way out the door wasn’t really cutting it anymore, plus it was quite clear Gray (who was too kind and usually made him tea while he was working) probably wasn’t going to just show up given how long he’d been here for now…

So he was currently looking over a market table of handmade teaware thoughtfully, the frown on his face less stern and simply focused as he looked for something that suited his tastes and felt right. He doubted he would find exactly what he was looking for here, but even a nicely made teapot would do. Sometimes, after asking the stall keeper’s permission, he might pick something up to turn over in his hand and get a better look at…

So, do you bump into him accidentally? Do you spot the elusive Waver in the wild and decide to approach? Who knows, but it’s usually amusing to surprise the mage! Hopefully, he doesn’t drop anything, though…



II. A little late night reading - open to all

It was late in the evening as a certain clock tower lord slipped out the door of the red building and walked the short distance to the Historium. Originally he’d intended on spending the night in at his apartment for a change, rather than ending up in his workshop… But that hadn’t quite gone to plan, and now he needed something to focus on.

With the weather and the situation in the city, he’d been more careful about longer strolls. So actually changing plans and ending up in the harbor district was out. He wasn’t keen for a repeat after the very bad month involving wererats with whatever new creatures were being spoken of instead. Tempting as it was, sometimes was capable of making good decisions. At some point, his luck was bound to run out, after all. He already owed a handful of people for rescuing his sorry ass…

That was all to say that the Historium was his second choice in distraction. It was near enough and there were plenty of reading materials he could get lost in for however long it took to settle his mind, or at least give it something new to focus on.

Walking down aisles, he reached out to gently tug the odd book from a shelf, flipping through a few pages before closing it and tucking it under his arm. Sometimes he wondered if he might be lucky enough to stumble across some rare tomb on magecraft from his own world, but so far that was a no. Tonight he’d snagged a few varied subjects ranging from some theory on magic, from places he’d never heard of, to mystery novels, to things… decidedly not serious but curious, nonetheless. Like chocobos, given how he was one of the arrivals more used to horses and yet he noticed plenty of people found them rather normal.

Sometimes Waver was forced to stifle a yawn that betrayed his own fatigue, which usually ended with him frowning at himself for a moment. Comically it almost looked almost like he was cross with whatever bookshelf in front of him rather than the yawn. It never lasted long, before he resumed his stroll through the Historium.

Maybe you spot him sitting at one of the tables he liked to settle, or maybe you find him wandering down aisles.

Comments

[ask_whydunit]

Waver would point out that the obviously satisfied expression that crossed her face was a bit telling. He’d seen it more than once on the faces of students that thought they pulled one over on him. It was honestly a bit… Refreshing to see it on Mitsuru’s face, in its own way, even if it did make him wonder what was hiding behind the smile. It meant that even with all her maturity and seriousness, that she could still act like you expected one of her age to act. “You could, really. Given that we're mostly left to do as we see fit here... Though perhaps you’ve found other things to occupy your time as well.” He added with a vague, off-hand gesture. She clearly wasn’t always here, after all.

Ah… 'What the point of it all was,' it all came back to that. That unknowable, indefinite amount of time they would be here, and the fact that they couldn’t take what they learned with them when they went. Seemed like an unfair deal, really, for all that they couldn’t do anything about it. “While true, it’s hard to go against one’s nature. I find myself surrounded by a rare fountain of knowledge and can’t stop myself from research or writing papers in my spare time, even if I can never submit them.” Waver smiled wryly at that before adding. “And I believe I can say with confidence that we both have a need to pursue research in some form.”

No, don’t give him that look, Mitsuru! He hates seeing it on people’s faces. He simply doesn’t really know how to handle it. Sometimes it almost felt like it was easier to deal with people who were trying to push his buttons than someone’s concern expressed so sincerely.

The answer was quite simple: if you went with a solid ‘no.’ But it was the expected explanation that would follow that was a tad more complicated and potentially worrying. Vague. Vague was the way to go, he thinks. “Ah… Well, I think most people would have a mixed response to that, given our current situation.” He rested his chin on the palm of his hand, drawing a book closer to leaf through the pages. “There are a lot of unknowns to my situation back home. My being brought here was a bit inconveniently timed for a few reasons. Some I’ve mentioned.” Others he hadn’t. “I suppose being here as long as I have now, it’s hard to not get caught up in thinking about those unknowns that no amount of deduction or research is going to help with here. So…” his free hand gestured at the book in front of him as if to say ‘avoidance of problems through distracting subjects.’

The raised eyebrow, the greatest weapon in his arsenal, clearly. It isn’t lowered as she continued. Instead, there is some curiosity flitting through his features. She herself had pointed out that the research they did was somewhat pointless, and to his knowledge she mentioned only one of her friends was here. So unless they were a fairly experienced and frequent drinker, it still seemed a bit odd for her to want to study up on it. “Hmm… Lack of relatability, I suppose I can understand that in a way.” He’d been horrible among his peers at her age, and he never really outgrew that when it came to some things. “But I can’t say I’ve seen many your age around here that gravitate towards the taverns either that would require you learning to relate to them better.”

[bufus]

"I have to admit that might be the thing that frustrates me the most about this place. If we had some direction or purpose it would be different. However, it seems they're more content to simply leave us here adrift." Quite literally if one were to think about the fact that it seemed as though they were trapped on some sort of strange island. "There's really very little here to truly focus on." Which was not something Mitsuru was entirely familiar with. Truth be told, she didn't really know what to do with herself.

Though, his statement about research papers made her chuckle ever so slightly. "Have you really been writing papers here? I'd be very interested to see them at some point." If only for the familiarity it might bring to things. She had to admit, she too enjoyed the abundance of knowledge that they were gifted with here. Even if she did find herself often frustrated by the lack of a point or, more accurately, the inability to comfortably say she could bring any of this knowledge back with her. It really was an eternal shame that she couldn't. "I must admit, I haven't kept up with my writing skills. I'm quite impressed to hear you have." Now, in a strange way, she felt almost a bit disappointed with herself. Perhaps she should have been doing that herself, focusing more on learning and gathering knowledge, recording her findings and perhaps even making hypothesis about their surroundings. Instead she'd found herself focusing her time on vague attempts to learn how to be a more normal person.

And suddenly she regretted that.

"It is exceedingly easy to get lost in thought in this place with." The aforementioned train of thought about how directionless it all seemed played right into that thought as well. The less direction one had, the easier it was to get bogged down by the unknowns in one's own world. "At least it seems to be a productive means of distraction." Better than the forms some used.

Ah, well, she had tried to distract him from it. "I'm not exceptionally good at this, I suppose." She gave a have hearted smile as she shook her head, looking down at her feet. "I recently undertook a job there for precisely the reasons you've stated. I wanted a place that I would be less likely to run into anyone I know too well." And, well, as he said, few in her own age group seemed to gravitate there. She straightened up after a second and her tone took on a more confidant leaning. "My place has always been as the heir to the Kirijo Group. You're not from my world, but you're familiar enough with Japan to understand how such things work." Groups like the Kirijo Group had their fingers in everything from electronics to state of the art research to politics. While her own group may not exist in his world, she imagined there were plenty of groups like it there if his Japan was anything like hers. Therefore she assumed he understood the skillset that came with the role of President of such a Group as well as the expectations that came with it. "This place has no need for those skills and there's no place for them either. No use." And that was the last thing she wanted to be: no use. "I've relied on others a bit too much here. It's more than time for me to learn on my own and provide for them."

[ask_whydunit]

“Yes, I’m rather used to being pointed in directions and being asked to take care of something more specific than what we’ve been told since arriving.” And… It’s not that having such freedom of choice isn’t good. It’s not bad to not be asked to walk into a situation that might turn dangerous because someone offered the money to the El-Melloi’s for his assistance… But he’s used to being challenged more, and aside from perhaps one friend who challenges him in general, there is something of a lack of that here. He liked helping around the Academy, of course. He was good at it… But it was a certain amount of frustration about feeling directionless even with that until a few more things came to light, perhaps.

“I have.” He admitted, even feeling the slight futility in the idea as he spoke. “It’s hard to break a habit, and there’s so much here to reference and consider it’s applications in a more modern world.” He started, smiling fondly despite the fatigue on his face. “Some of it’s rare by my world’s standards, if not lost to time.” There was so much knowledge that was missing as the ages passed. Some things were rediscovered, of course, but… “And yet here it is among the shelves, either old books that would probably be squirrelled away in some mage’s private collection, or no longer exist at all.” He shook his head. It was a treasure trove, as frustrating as it was to not be able to take anything with him. “I wouldn’t mind showing… if you really are interested. Perhaps you could offer your thoughts.” He knows that their worlds are different, but Mitsuru was bright and from one academic to another… Well, it would be a nice bit of familiarity, and he’s not in the habit of denying someone’s interest. New views were a good thing, for all the other departments didn’t always agree if said new view wasn’t someone from an old, respected family.

“That was how I saw it.” Waver voiced his agreement after stifling a yawn. It was better than a bottle, as some said. Though he honestly didn’t tend to gravitate towards that, usually he only drank on special occasions, and then it made him more contemplative and open to sharing before he started to sink a bit. Though he had always been a lightweight, unlike certain people who could easily drink anyone under the table. “Even if it can’t be much use, it keeps the mind sharp and keeps one more present.” And that was key, remaining in the now rather than getting too caught up in what happened, what it might mean.

Her attempt was appreciated, and honestly, it was better than she thought. “You don’t seem so bad at it, though I was never good at it either.” And focusing on what she was up to was easier than offering up the truth. He wasn’t really comfortable dumping the potential of his actually being dead on a younger friend. She had enough to worry about, in his opinion, considering the things she’d told him.

And it was a good distraction as a few things clicked into place. The late hour. Her interest in alcohol that seemed out of character. Not wanting her friends to run into her. “A job, I think I understand, then.” He leaned back and relaxed against the back of the chair, folding his arms and letting her explain. The confidence belonged there. It was a shame she seemed so uncertain about things sometimes. Not that he couldn’t be, but he was pretty good at hiding it behind feigned confidence like an armor. Sometimes that was more effective than one would expect. “I am, yes. Though I haven’t heard of the Kirijo group outside meeting you here, so it seems that while things are similar, they specifically may not be in my world.” He offered with a nod. There were some things that were similar enough. He’d lived in Japan for a while, and… Well, he’s around someone who was raised to hold a position of power often. Reines had far from a normal childhood… And she was still not a normal teenager.

Still, he understood why this was so important to Mitsuru… “I wouldn’t say ‘no use,’ one never knows when there may be a situation where someone with the talent to organize and lead might be needed.” But they weren’t needed now, and it was clear it left her a little lost. “But I admit, it’s good to take on a challenge outside the norm. No experience is without its use. I learned a lot myself back when I was trying to make some money to leave Fuyuki. Took a few part-time jobs.” Imagine him fast food place or coffee shop, with his temperament. “Went a long way to help me interact with people I might not normally be able to hold my tongue around.” … Waver arguably still failed that sometimes, but he wasn’t AS BAD as he used to be. “Did the same when I started travelling. It wasn’t until I was in Greece and a mage needed a tutor for his two sons that I realized I wasn’t bad at teaching.” He didn’t drop everything and go back to the clock tower immediately, though that wasn’t until later. But it had been the start of the whole idea of going back.

[bufus]

"As am I. Even if those directions turned out to be false at least they were something concrete to work with." After she had discovered them to be false she had also had the opportunity to come to the conclusion that she would determine her own path and follow it to completion. It had been a very specific and laid out path for her to follow. Here there seemed to be no path to walk and it was certainly uncomfortable for her.
"I'll admit that most things I've seen here are lost to time in my own world. Yet there is a certain charm to it, I suppose. It's not a time period I ever suspected we would truly live through." She smiled as well at the thought of it. Everything about this place had a certain charm to it with how strangely old it felt despite it's modern twists. "Of course I would be interested. I'm not entirely certain what insight I could offer but I would be happy to discuss anything you had to share." It would be quite exhilarating really to discuss the things found here with someone with such a depth of knowledge as he seemed to have. There was a slight look of admiration in her eyes as she looked up at him. "I appreciate the idea of keeping the mind sharp. Far too few properly respect how important that is." At least one aspect of her growth had been that she had at least learned to respect that some didn't see that as a priority (even if she didn't like it).

"Thank you for saying so." The tone and slight tilt of her head indicated that she wasn't entirely certain if she believed him, but she did know he had good intentions in saying so. Perhaps they were both just terrible at it.

She nodded. "Yes, a job. One quite unlike anything I had previously had. Or ever dreamed of having." It had in fact never even crossed her mind that she might ever have to take such a job. It wasn't something she saw as beneath her, quite the opposite in fact, but she did feel as though she was not prepared for it. There were so many things she just didn't know how to do. She gave him a smile. "I'm not entirely surprised to hear that the groups are not specifically the same. Truthfully, I think it's for the best that we do not exist in your own world." He surely had his own groups that engaged in things that they shouldn't, but she liked to hope none would go quite as far as her own grandfather.

"That was...a friend has also encouraged me to try things out of the norm so to speak. I admit that was also a driving force behind my choice." A part of her had almost argued that there were others that were much more suited to lead here, like him, but she let that little thought go. "What sort of jobs did you take if you don't mind me asking." She was curious but tried to be as polite as she could. "It's nice to know it was able to help you acquire some skills."

[ask_whydunit]

“Nor could I, there are some places that seem a bit frozen in time compared to others… But nowhere like this.” Gray’s village was so secluded, it had a feeling to it that made it feel less touched by the modern world. Only travelling merchants sometimes bringing new wares and books with them, from what he remembered his apprentice saying. So it felt off for so many reasons, Gray herself included… One day he needed to go back and look more closely at it. At least he hoped to.

“Then next time I’m here, I’ll have to remember to bring some with me for you to look over.” He was sure she’d have more to offer than she thought. Even a question posed from an outside perspective might give him an angle he hadn’t considered. Something to expand on. Sighing a little, the memory of an overly cheerful tone and some impending class disaster crossing his mind, he appreciated her stance. “Agreed. It’s nice to hear someone see it that way. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve had someone let their knowledge of the basics go rusty and forget common sense.”

Waver could hear that tone in her voice, but he couldn’t really blame her. People lied, after all. He lied on plenty of occasions. Though his lies were sometimes something he believed himself when sharing them and would have to confront later when realized the truth.

The confirmation does get a nod and a thoughtful tap of his fingers. “Which tavern have you gained employment at, then?” He probably comes off a bit blunt, but it’s pretty obvious now that it was a tavern between her topic of interest and her words. The mage wouldn’t vocally admit to going out of his way to check the place out and look in on her… But he was curious. As she continued, it was hard to not wonder, though, if the Kirijo’s existed to some lesser extent at all even if they weren’t a corporation. “Whether they exist or not, any group has the potential to go too far. Mages, scientists, businesses. Even if they did exist, it doesn’t necessarily mean they would be the only ones to go in the direction they did.” Which might sound a bit bleak, perhaps, but it was the simple truth. Waver knows there’s something very big at play behind the scenes in his own world right now, he just can’t… quite put his finger on it yet. Maybe he never would.

The professor was glad to hear she had some form of positive encouragement, someone nudging her to experience a little more in the world. It would be good for her, and for her own potential, rather than letting herself continue on in the same fashion without growing as much as she could. It was probably smart that she let her thought go, Waver was very good at leading his class and the people around him when the need arose, but he would probably scoff at the idea itself and point out the many reasons why he was not suited towards it. It was better, perhaps, to ask about safer topics. “Small part time things, really. Coffee shops, some fast food places along the way, they’re easy jobs to get without much experience.” Magecraft was not something easily slipped onto a resume for a more mundane job, after all.

“Usually making orders or cleaning tables until I got a little more practice with the language of where I was. Admittedly, I could be a bit… clumsy on my feet, and my height made people think I was a lot younger than I was.” He was not nearly as tall as he now stood, Waver’s growth spurt had been rather late in life.

[bufus]

"It has it's...charms, I suppose. Outside of the strange events that occur it is a relatively relaxing place to be." Though, she'd already made it more than obvious that she wasn't entirely certain what one did with relaxing. How did one relax? Mitsuru had no answer to that in the slightest. Perhaps that should have been what they were both trying to learn here, but alas they both seemed determined not to.

"I'll look forward to it." Surprisingly, or perhaps not so much considering who Mitsuru was, she said that completely earnestly. Though...she did look down for a moment at the comment about common sense. "It would certainly be a shame to forgo common sense." Because she certainly had common sense! Sometimes. Then there were the times she thoguht that just because Junpei's room looked messy it meant that someone had broke into his room...

"The Market District Tavern," she said fairly simply in response. Truth be told she rather appreciated the bluntness. It matched her own and it made it much easier for her to react to. "So far I've stuck mainly to evening and night shifts." And it hadn't been going as horribly as one might have expected. It wasn't fantastic, but she was certainly learning at a fair pace. She bit down on her lower lip at his comment and nodded. "You are unfortunately correct in that statement, though I wish it wasn't the case. It's particularly easy when there's nothing above you to stop you." That was the case with the Kirijo Group. Anything they wanted to do, they could. "When one has enough power to pull the strings behind the scenes one can do just about anything." And they certainly had that ability. The police were easily paid off for the group and they had been time and time again.

"Fast food places? Really?" A tiny smile appeared and she looked down again, though this time a bit more bashfully. "You know, I had never gone into one and eaten before until fairly recently. I had always been a bit too embarrassed to go alone." Then Minato had asked her to go with him. It'd been a rather nice experience all things considered.

"I've at least been lucky in the fact that I'm fairly good on my feet." So there hadn't been any spills at all. "I also am capable of memorizing requests and regulars quite easily." It was everything else she struggled with.

[ask_whydunit]

They both absolutely should be trying to learn to relax here, but unfortunately it wasn’t a skill they seemed likely to learn on their own… And given they were both bad at it? It was unlikely they could learn from each other on that subject. He smiled a little, though, at her comment. “I’m glad we are in agreement with that.” Though he would definitely be surprised to think that she might lack it at times… Especially in that situation, if she saw either of his personal spaces opposed to his professional ones, she might think the same thing again.

He nodded, though, at the confirmation. That made sense. It wasn’t far from where she lived and the hours would make it easier to avoid people she knew… Not that she would for long. Waver could be motivated to go places at least out of a sense of duty. “Which would be why you’re here as late as you are,” He mused, before continuing. “How has it gone so far?” He asked, relaxing against his chair and stifling another yawn. It was nice to have something to think about, and hearing about Mitsuru trying to go beyond her usual comfort zone was nice. It was good to see someone trying, and he couldn’t deny the experience would be as good for her as it had for him.

One thing that seemed to hold true across any world, there were groups and people in positions of power who could get away with just about anything they wanted. Police were easy to pay off, media was terribly easy to control with the right influence… He wouldn’t be surprised if the Kirijo group would have been quite influential in his own world if they had existed there, maybe even on the association’s radar with the work they seemed to do.

“Really.” He confirmed with a wry tone, smiling a little at the awkward memory. “Had to wear one of those silly hair nets and everything. It wasn’t quite long enough to tie back then.” He’d had something he wanted to do and for the first time in his life, it didn’t have anything to do with his studies or proving something to the mages at the school. So Waver couldn’t be too choosy with where he applied given his situation, and the Mackenzie’s had gotten rather proud of him for his plans in the first place… Which admittedly was a nice feeling, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

He doesn’t know why he’s sharing that tidbit, but it seemed… appropriate, given Mitsuru’s current attempts. It was strange to think someone hadn’t ever had fast-food before, though maybe it wasn’t so odd when he gave it a little more thought... Her family would have been well off, upper class, which differed quite a bit from his own upbringing. Meanwhile, Waver had stuck with that and discount bentos in Japan. He had ended up thinking he didn’t like the cuisine until much later. “No? What did you think once you did?”

It wasn’t hard to imagine Mitsuru would at least be far less clumsy than he had been, he spent more time on the ground than he did on his own feet sometimes back then. “Both good skills to have when you’re working in service. I at least never got an order wrong, but the clumsiness did get in the way now and again.” He shook his head. “I suppose your studies tonight must be to give you more ideas on how to prepare drinks rather than just serving them?”

[bufus]

Perhaps one day they'd be gifted magically with the ability to relax. It felt as though that might truly be the only way for Mitsuru to ever learn that particular skill. There had to be some secret to learning that skill, but for now it was a secret that was locked behind grinding that would be intimidating for even Junpei.

"Ah, well enough I suppose. I have an excellent memory due to my dedication to my studies, so I have no trouble remembering what we serve, what someone orders, or even in some cases the preferences of some regulars. I've picked up how to carry multiple things to a table very quickly as well. However..." Her face turned a little flush. "...I have been told on a few occasions that I could stand to smile more and that I am a bit too curt with customers." It was the truth too. She took their order, answered questions, brought their food, and that was the extent of her interactions outside of general politeness. Needless to say her customer service skills were quite lacking. "I also lack quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to specific drinks which has made it difficult when someone has requested a recommendation." Which was what brought her to the books she'd gathered currently. While she probably could have settled with giving generic recommendations, Mitsuru had never been one to take the easy way out. No, she'd much rather learn so she could at least give accurate and personalized recommendations.

"Hmm," she smiled a tiny bit. "It's hard to imagine you in one." Though it presented something of a humorous image. Not that she was impolite enough to actually laugh at the thought. She shifted a bit, betraying a certain level of embarrassment at having shared that tidbit at all. It really was silly that she'd avoided it for so long, wasn't it? At least that's what she thought in her own mind. It had just seemed so...intimidating to go alone. Her family would have never eaten at such a place and all of her meals were prepared for her by a personal chef. There had been no need, but there had been something of a desire if she was honest. Deep down she'd wanted to experience things like that, particularly with peers her own age.

"I had thought it might be unpleasant or overly greasy, but really the food was surprisingly good." It'd actually surprised her how much she had enjoyed the overall experience.

[ask_whydunit]

Waver rolled his eyes a little at the couple things she apparently didn’t excel at according to people at the tavern… “People always do nitpick about the stupidest things.” Listen, he always did hate performing for people. It was bad enough he had to watch what he said and be respectful of the other lords who looked down their noses at him. Also, as someone who didn’t smile much, it always annoyed him when people tried to force someone to do so unnaturally. “Unfortunately, customer service tends to expect a certain… performative nature to dealing with customers. Makes them want to come back. A smile here, a personal touch there. Took me a while to get used to that, and… Well, I admit I probably never quite got the hang of it completely myself.” Just enough to be useful in his current situation, to an extent. But hey, the attention to detail and excellent memory went a long way to making you worth keeping in someone’s employ too!

Eyeing the books she had gathered, there was a small spark of nostalgia born of the notion that he would have done the same thing… All while knowing there was a much simpler way to go about learning what one needed to know. He could almost hear someone chastising him with a deep rumbling laugh in the back of his mind about it. “There is a lot to consider when it comes to alchohol, so many varieties and options for mixed drinks depending on where you are.” He started, leaning forward a bit to get a better look at one. “I admire the dedication, there’s a lot to be said for going out and studying on your own.” But… There was always a but… If he didn’t bring this up, he really wouldn’t have changed from his teenaged years. “Have you considered asking the tavern bartender about what they have to offer and what options are good to recommend?”

And yes, he knows how damn hard it is to actually go to someone else and ask for help. It is far easier to walk into a library or bookstore and find information and try to read in secret. At her age, he did that far too often. … and even now, a little.

The fact that Mitsuru had enough manners to not laugh was actually quite nice, as she imagined him in a silly hair net. It was an embarrassing memory, after all. He’d been struggling a lot back then! That aside, he had shared it while knowing it would at least brighten the mood and give her an idea of how everyone started somewhere. He was smiling, albeit a little awkwardly, in embarrassment. “Yes, that’s a well guarded secret that none of the other mages need to know about. It’s an… especially unique experience for people like my colleagues in general.” God… Some people would have been insufferable. The smile shifted to something a little less awkward though as she shared her experience. “It’s nothing fancy, but it does the job when you need a meal and you don’t have the time or money for something more elaborate.” He agreed, though he wouldn’t ruin it for her that some fast food places were less enjoyable than others.

[bufus]

"Is it a nitpick if it's true?" She gave a tiny, exasperated, sigh. "I have begun to see that. It would seem many want a positive and upbeat attitude at all times." Which was, quite frankly, fairly exhausted. There were certainly times where she'd had to pretend to like someone a part of her duty, but this felt entirely different. "It's odd to me that anyone cares. If they receive their order correctly in a timely manner you would think that would be sufficient." And yet evidently it wasn't.

"I had not realized quite how much there was to it." There was actually a part of her that was finding the entire part (the research part) interesting. It was a subject she knew nothing of, which made it a fresh dive into new things. It was something to focus on, something she was used to, and it brought her a strange sense of calm. Even if his question did bring out a tiny bit of embarrassment. "Ah, no, I haven't wanted to bother him with that." He seemed like he had enough to deal with and besides that, she wanted to do it on her own.

"I'll make certain to not disclose this secret to any others." Not that there was anyone to really tell here. "Truthfully the most interesting aspect was just how inexpensive it was. It's amazing they can make a profit charging so little."

[ask_whydunit]

“Personally speaking, yes. But I’ve never cared much about service with a smile so much as receiving what I ordered correctly in a decent amount of time.” He’d rather see a job well done than a force smiled… And Waver has seen a lot of forced smiles in his time, and forced more than a few of his own. “Unfortunately, from a professional standpoint, I suppose it’s not. People are happier with their own meal if the person waiting on their table is a little more upbeat and engaging. Some enjoy the illusion that you're happy to be there for them, even if you’re just trying to make a paycheck.” And they tipped better too, if they enjoyed the experience.

There was far more to alcohol than he’d realized when he’d starting to finally try a drink here and there. Though in the end, he’d gotten as set in his ways about what he drank and when as he did with most other things. “It can be a fascinating subject, especially once you get into regional options. The varieties offered or kinds preferred shift depending on where you are in the world. Even the way they enjoy it changes.” He frowned lightly. He didn’t want to embarrass her… But the professor in him, and the much younger Waver who’d had to learn the hard way, wanted to help. “In this situation, it wouldn’t be a bother. It both shows that you’re taking the job seriously and it’s part of their job. They owe a level of training and education on the subject to their employees.” Brushing a stray strand of hair aside, he sighed. “I was the same, of course. Still can be, sometimes. Research is an enjoyable way to spend an evening, after all… So it definitely has its own value that will go a long way to help; but someone often pointed out to me that it was silly to stick your nose in a book endlessly when there was an expert right there that you could ask.”

And in the end, he regretted not asking more.

“I appreciate your discretion.” He responded with a serious little nod. Sure, there was no one here to tell, but that didn’t mean there never would be… At least in theory. Better to cover that now rather than regret not doing so later. “The quantity of customers looking for said inexpensive food helps with that in some cases, I think, and getting things in bulk often means a discounted rate from the supplier. Of course, there are other factors as well.” Though Waver would also point out that some places didn’t necessarily pay their staff enough either to make up for it… But that depending on where you were and the company.

[bufus]

“While I do understand the importance of a good attitude at work..." She shook her head. "I also believe that doing things correctly should weigh much more than faking a smile for their enjoyment" It was entirely perplexing to her that some would actually place such weight on something as insignificant as that. Customer service truly was a baffling field. The idea that someone would put more behind her smiling than her getting their order correct in a timely manner just seemed so foreign to her. Particularly if that order was brought promptly as well!

"One of these books was speaking of that. It would seem that in some regions alcohol can be quite a significant part of their culture." That had been quite the thing to have learned. "The production in particular is something I'm rather interested in, though it doesn't seem as though it would be as beneficial for me to learn at the moment." Yet the academic side of her had very much wanted to read more about that. It had taken quite a lot for her to pull herself away from that topic.

"They seem so busy so often though..." But, he did have a point. Those above you were meant to act as mentors for those below them. "I thought if I could learn myself I would be of more help to him and the others there." Rather than causing them a further hindrance by asking questions that were probably quite obvious to them. "You are probably correct though, asking might have worked out better. Perhaps I'll ask on my next shift. If I have any questions that is." She wasn't going to make something up just to ask of course.

"Buying in bulk does seem like it'd be a productive way to lower costs, particularly if deals were struck with suppliers." Which she imagined they were.

[ask_whydunit]

It seemed they really were like-minded on that particular subject. It was unfortunate that neither of them would probably ever win with others concerning it. Waver only hoped she fared better by adapting to that particular downside to customer service than he had. It was especially jarring when you were raised in an environment that suggested one should show a more calm, confident, serious demeanor to those around you to garner respect.

“I admit, it is curious to wonder what it might be like here or if there ever was something specialized or traditional here.” He mused thoughtfully, but it often seemed like the traditions and origins of this place would forever remain a mystery… He certainly hadn’t found anything to indicate specialized studies where magic was concerned, so it wouldn’t be odd if it was the same with everything else. “The process can be fascinating to learn, though you probably have a good point.” It was interesting to study the subject, of course! But it may not prove too useful, which seemed to be her concern of late.

“While I’d never discourage research, I do encourage you to try asking in this situation.” He agreed, knowing how hard it was to even bring it up and ask. There were always a half a dozen excuses to not, and all of them sounded good… But how true they were when you looked at things a little more closely really varied. If the bar-tender was too busy, he’d probably make time when he wasn’t busy. “So I hope you will. I think you’ll find yourself surprised by the response.” He added quietly, before failing to stifle a rather wide yawn again.

Shaking his head lightly, he agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the places here haven’t struck some deals with local farmers and shops to supply them if they buy a great amount.”