Neviara
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Cycle 26-4: Employee of the Decade
🕑 Added 2023-11-27 16:54:41 +0000 UTC/// WE'RE BACK BAYBEEEEE
Hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving (or just a particularly good week) - and hopefully the withdrawals didn't get to you that bad! But I'm stuffed fool of leftovers and ready to go!
(Also I started reading Mage Tank on Royal Road and I'm REALLY enjoying it ngl)
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Kaitlyn stepped through the back door of Chella’s Italian Bistro and closed it with a quiet click. The scents of freshly baked bread and simmering cream sauce greeted her like old friends. Smiling, she took them in with a deep breath.
“Who’re you?”
Scarra’s gruff voice called out over the kitchen noise as he prepared for dinner service. She ducked her head in greeting. “I’m Kaitlyn, the one who called about a job?”
“Huh. Wait right there.” The burly chef looked toward the front of the restaurant and let out a loud bellow. “Oi, Chella! The new girl’s here!”
Kaitlyn did as she was told and glanced around the space. A half dozen pots and saucepans crowded the stove, each filled with some dish or sauce in progress. Yet despite that, the sleek metal prep tables were surprisingly clear of clutter or messes. Scarra ran a tight ship and liked to keep things organized, despite his seemingly chaotic methodology. Still, it was clear he’d been preparing for a while. Already dirty dishes had begun to pile up by the sink from prep work. Luckily, the restaurant wouldn’t open for another hour, so she’d have plenty of time to deal with those.
Before long the door to the front of the restaurant swung open. The familiarly jolly form of Chella stepped through, wincing and clearing her ear. “Goodness, dear, no need to yell so loudly. My hearing’s not that bad yet.”
Scarra just grumbled something as Chella turned toward the newcomer with a wide smile. “Hello! Oh, it’s good to meet you, honey. Come on in!”
The woman gestured Kaitlyn forward and shook her hand. “I’m Chella, as you might have guessed. I’m the one who spoke with you on the phone. That big lug over there is my husband Scarra. We’re so happy to have you aboard. Things have been fairly busy around here lately, and we could use some more help.”
Scarra snorted. “We’ll see. She might end up just making more work for us.”
Kaitlyn smiled reassuringly. “I’ll do my best to help out. I’ve worked in restaurants before, so I think I’ll be able to take some of the burden off. Just let me know what you need.”
Of course, she didn’t mention that all of that work was in this exact restaurant. But those were just details. Though even if she made a claim like that, Scarra wouldn’t cut her any slack until she had proved her skills. Something she certainly looked forward to doing.
Last time, I finally graduated to making a few of the sauces. I think I did well enough that maybe I can do even more this time.
Chella chuckled. “Well, you’re certainly eager! Got here early and already raring to go, I see. How about we get you settled first, give you a tour and talk about what to expect…”
The woman walked Kaitlyn through a familiar circuit of the kitchen - where the extra soap was, how they stored the dinner plates, where dirty dishes would come in, and so on. Kaitlyn made sure to interject appropriately before Chella did too much explaining on where to take out the trash or how to wash dishes. She’d long since learned what parts of the intro she could effectively skip via trial and error. Unfortunately, some things were far too suspicious for her to just “know”. Such as the fact that the stove’s back left pilot light didn’t work. Or the location of the spare key buried in the flower pot out front.
“...As for the front of the restaurant - well, most of your work will be in the back, but it wouldn’t be a tour without showing you around the whole place.” Chella winked. “Also, you have to meet our last team member!”
They pushed through the kitchen door into the front dining area. The tables sat empty and quiet, napkins and glasses perfectly arranged like soldiers awaiting the coming battle. She spotted Philip bustling among the place settings with a box full of folded napkins and utensils, adding them each seat. As usual, he was dressed in his familiar black suit vest and blue dress shirt.
“There he is!”
At Chella’s words, he glanced up to see Kaitlyn emerge from the kitchen. Then he froze.
That alone was already enough to stun Kaitlyn. But on top of that, his eyebrows raised. It was a slight movement, but it was definitely there.
What? Did he actually react to recognizing me for once? She could only stare. It made no sense. She’d met the guy during tutoring plenty of times before encountering him at the restaurant. Never once had it resulted in anything more than a nod of recognition. But this… he seems actually surprised? Why?
“Philip, this is Kaitlyn.” Chella made her usual introduction, completely ignoring the two’s mutual surprise. “She’s going to be helping us in the back starting today.”
He blinked, then slowly nodded. “Good to see you, Kaitlyn.”
“Ah!” His words snapped her out of her thoughts. “You too.”
The woman glanced between the pair. “Oh? you’ve met?”
“Yes.” Kaitlyn nodded when Philip didn’t immediately answer. “He’s uh, tutoring me.”
“Oh, wonderful!” Chella clapped enthusiastically. “I didn’t realize you did tutoring, Philip!”
He nodded, his usual stoicism returning quickly. “I do. It’s something I do in my spare time.”
“Well, I suppose I don’t need to worry about you getting along then.” Chella patted Kaitlyn heartily on the shoulder. “Here, let me finish showing you around, then maybe you can get to work on those dishes. Scarra’s sure to need them back sooner rather than later, and he gets grumpy if we keep him waiting…”
With that, they left the cold-eyed boy to his work and continued on. After getting her settled, Chella left Kaitlyn in the kitchen as promised.
Alright. Let’s get to it. She rolled up her sleeves resolutely. The faster I get all this stuff done, the more likely Scarra is to teach me. Time to go for a new record.
Without another minute of hesitation, she dunked her arms into the sink and began scrubbing with an almost mechanical efficiency. Dish after dish sank beneath the suds only to emerge renewed like waterlogged phoenixes. In no time at all, the pile ceased to exist.
Perfect. Time for napkins.
Kaitlyn moved from task to task on autopilot. At this point, she didn’t even have to think about what to do next. All of it was so deeply ingrained in her muscle memory that it felt more like meditation than actual work.
After finishing up everything she could feasibly do, Kaitlyn sighed in satisfaction. Then, she sought out Chella at the front of the restaurant. The woman was busy organizing the deli container full of cured meats and cheeses.
“Chella? Is there anything else you need?”
“My, my! Done with dishes already?”
“Yup.” Kaitlyn grinned triumphantly. Faster than ever, too.
“Well, if you have time, then perhaps I can show you how to fold napkins…”
“I uh, already folded some.” She admitted with a slight chuckle. “And prepared some bread baskets.”
Chella’s eyes widened. “Goodness! All that already? Why, you’re even more help than I expected!”
Kaitlyn smiled at the praise. Even if she’d received it before, it still felt nice to be recognized for her hard work.
“Well…” The woman glanced around the room. “I would say feel free to relax a bit. Things will get pretty hectic once we open, and I can’t think of much else for you. So enjoy the little break!”
“Got it. Thank you!”
“No, thank you, honey!”
With that, she headed back into the kitchen to wait. Really, there wasn’t much else she could do. It would still be a couple of weeks before she built up enough rapport with Scarra that he’d let her touch the food. But the wait was always entirely worth it.
As the clock ticked nearer to opening time though, Kaitlyn found herself getting just the slightest bit antsy. But just as she was about to search out more idle tasks to handle, the kitchen door swung wide to admit Philip.
“Anything I should know about the menu tonight, chef?”
“Nothin’ new from last week,” the gruff response came. “Same lamb special. Got a bit more of it for a good price.”
Philip nodded. “Alright. Thank you.”
Rather than heading back out immediately though, the guy’s grey eyes alighted on Kaitlyn. “Are you prepared?”
More and more surprises. He’s feeling talkative today. “As much as I can be. Just waiting for us to start serving people now.”
He nodded. “Understandable. It will become hectic quite quickly once we open. Please do not hesitate to ask if you require assistance.”
“T-thanks.” Once again, the kindness of the offer caught her off guard. The part of Kaitlyn that had harbored resentment for the guy hung its head even lower in guilt. The evidence that she’d misjudged him just kept piling up. “I will. Uh, if there’s anything you need, too, just ask.”
Philip raised an eyebrow. “I expect you’ll have your hands full enough as is.”
She just shrugged. “You might be surprised. I can be pretty capable sometimes. I may not seem like it in tutoring, but…”
“I would beg to differ. If anything, our tutoring sessions have given me the impression that you are a diligent and hard-working student.” He crossed his arms. “If that impression holds true in the workplace, then perhaps your statement has merit. Regardless, I will attempt not to trouble you unless there is an extreme need. Not until I am better acquainted with your capabilities.”
Kaitlyn bobbed her head in acknowledgement. His words aligned with what she already knew. Throughout the loops, he had yet to ask her for help once. Sure, she could take a bit off of his plate by taking care of any number of assorted tasks in the back - something that he seemed to appreciate at times. Yet the server had never reached the level of frenetic panic that she had in those first few loops. Even on their busiest days, his expression and movements exuded the same precision and lack of emotion. In fact, she was consistently surprised by how quickly the guy could move without seeming frazzled.
As they stood there, Kaitlyn heard a phone begin to jingle merrily from out front. “Philip!” Chella called from beyond the door. “Could you grab that?”
“Yes, ma’am.” With a final sharp nod, he headed toward the front of the restaurant.
Huh. Kaitlyn turned toward the sink in preparation for opening. Maybe that’s something else to look out for - an opportunity to actually help him out for once.
Comments
Mio P
Thanks for the chapter! Thought the previous one was the last one… guess I have to take a break now 😔
