Closed Expresso Yourself (Valerius)

[Coltyn]

The Forty-Sixth Day of the Spring Season, Five Hundred and Twelve Years After the Valterrian ''Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another.'' -Madonna

[Coltyn]

A season's worth of days. Coltyn decided early on, if his new job as a guard for Yae Varone didn't feel like a right fit at the end of ninety days, he would pack it in and move on. He figured that this was plenty of time to get a good feel for the establishment, the staff, and the work itself. Plenty of time. Wasn't it? Perhaps not. As he stood now, not too far from the main counter where Yae herself was currently serving up her famous coffee and tempting baked goods, he couldn't help but feel that he was still very much undecided. He liked Yae, as well as her assistant baker, Wylodor, but he wasn't too fond of Shelton, Yae's fussy right-hand man, or Rajmatta, the cantankerous curator of the gallery on the second floor. As for Plebloom, one of his fellow guardsmen, he was still an enigma; however, Coltyn knew exactly how he felt about Zinto, the self-appointed, self-centered leader of their team. He hated the man with a passion. Actually, hate wasn't nearly a strong enough word to describe how Coltyn really felt, but it was the best he could come up with without getting truly vulgar. The man had no soul. He simply couldn't have one. Not with the way he treated... "Colt, honey, be a dear and lend us a hand," Yae suddenly beckoned from behind the counter, which, thankfully, pulled the young man out of his swiftly darkening thoughts. "Sure thing," he replied as he worked his way through the crowd. "Who's next?" he questioned as he made space for himself between Yae and Wylodor.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

The situation in Ravok had improved considerably since the storm had wreaked havoc on the city at the beginning of Spring. If the Nitrozian closed his eyes, he he tried hard enough, he could almost pretend that the Temple of the Black Sun had never been destroyed, that the Kelvic Research Institution where he was apprenticed had never been in chaos. Normalcy seemed to have returned to the city, at least on the surface. Most things went their usual way again. Only a small amount of worry remained. Valerius found himself praying to Rhysol much more frequently than before. The 46th of Spring was the first day that he visited the studio again since the catastrophe. It had been one of his favourite places before, but for a while he had been occupied with other things, more important things. As always he had gone there in a ravosala and ordered the slave that had maneuvred the vessel through the canal to wait for him outisde while he enjoyed himself. He was pleasantly surprised to find his favourite table near the window still unoccupied. He’d take a look at the art later on, but for now the Nitrozian was in the mood for a cup of Yae Varone’s famous coffee. The building was filled with all the usual people, members of Ravok’s richest and most influential families. Valerius found himself observing them for a while, wondering what they were up to and how much the storm had hurt their businesses. At first glance not much had changed, but he knew that the storm hadn’t left anybody unaffected. As he saw Coltyn make his way through the crowd, he furrowed his brow slightly – he hadn’t seen the man before and didn’t know what to make of him – but then he raised his hand a fraction and waved him closer. „I’m next“, he informed him. „I assume you just started working here?“ he asked once Coltyn had reached his table. The tone of his voice was polite, but he didn’t smile. He wasn’t trying to make small talk with a new employee and put him at ease, but simply gathering information. He preferred to be familiar with every person in his vicinty, every little detail of his surroundings.

[Coltyn]

Table service? Oh. Right. Table service! Coltyn reminded himself as he returned, once more, to the main dining area and quickly made his way toward a stylish young man who was seated at a table near one of the few windows with a particularly good view of the city. He appeared ready to place his order and was presently saying as much. "Greetings and welcome to Yae Varone's," the young Ravokian offered in return, emulating the waiters and waitresses that he had observed during his regular duties as a guard of the shop. "My name is Coltyn and, yes, I'm new here and, I must admit, I'm even newer to the concept of waiting on tables. We're a bit short staffed today," he explained with a flash of his charming smile, "so, please, bear with me." However, from the look on the young man's face, Coltyn wasn't sure kindness was a quality this particular patron openly embraced. "Uh, so, what can I get for you on this fine day?" he questioned as he silently cursed the fact that he didn't have a pad of paper or a tool for writing. Ok, memory, don't fail me now, he told himself as he prepared to take the man's order, secretly hoping that he would desire something basic from the elaborate menu, instead of a drink that had ten modifications and took sixteen steps to make. Well, maybe not sixteen, but at least three or four. Focusing on the serious young man - who had yet to crack a smile or relax his rigid posture - Coltyn began to take a mental inventory of everything he was seeing and hearing. It never hurt, even when he was in the guise of a waiter, to soak in as many details as possible about all of the patrons that walked through their doors. You never knew when a thief was going to wine and dine an establishment, only to turn around and rob it blind. Coltyn would have none of that on his watch.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

As Coltyn introduced himself, the Nitrozian nodded, committing the name to his memory. He was rather unhappy about the other man’s admittance that he was new to waiting. He didn’t have the patience to deal with people that were less than familiar with their job. He hoped that Coltyn wouldn’t spill the coffee he was about to order or just drop the whole cup. New people always had a tendency for unpleasant surprises. He didn’t say that out loud though. He didn’t have any interest in being outright impolite, at least today. Such behaviour simply didn’t have a lot of style. So he gave Coltyn something that could almost be considered a smile instead – if one were very generous. „Of course“, he remarked in a somewhat dry tone. „I won’t be giving you too much of a hard time. Would you mind telling me why you are short on staff today? I hope it’s nothing serious.“ He looked honestly worried for a moment. He didn’t really care about the employees, but he loved the studio itself and couldn’t imagine drinking his coffee anywhere else. There just weren’t any places in Ravok that could compare to it. As Coltyn asked him what he could get him on this fine day, he looked at the sky as if he wanted to make sure that it was indeed a fine day, and then he replied, „Coffee, of course. Three quarters coffee, one quarter milk. The milk should be warm, but not hot and definitely not cold. And no sugar. I can’t stand coffee with sugar in it. Do you think you will be able to remember that … Coltyn?“

[Coltyn]

"We lost a few of our staff to the storm at the start of the season and Mistress Varone hasn't been able to find anyone of quality to replace them with," Coltyn explained. However, even as the words fell from his lips, he got the distinct impression that the young man cared more about the quality of the coffee than the status of the staff serving it. "If you know of anyone looking...," he began to inquire, but swiftly held his tongue, rethinking the direction he was leading their conversation. This man was here to experience the pleasures of Yae's delicious baked goods and famous refreshments, not help her fill open positions. "Listen to me ramble on. I'm sorry. Your order..." Coltyn listened intently as the man described his drink of choice in a very precise manner. It seemed simple enough, something the novice barystal could probably handle; however, it wasn't until he was walking back toward the counter that it dawned on him just how the young man had said it. Nice. And. Slow. "I'm pretty sure I was just spoken to as if I were a newborn babe," Coltyn informed Wyldor, in a near whisper, as he slid into place beside her. "Oh, that's Valerius," the assistant baker replied as she gave a quick glance in his general direction while she attempted to capture the perfect amount of foam for a tasty-smelling, mocha-colored drink she was currently working up. "He's a reg, more or less, and he can be a bit of a...uh...hmm...nevermind." "I hate when you do that, Wyl," he retorted as he took up a mug and began to fill it with coffee from a fresh pot. "What?" "Leave me hanging like that," he explained as he eyed up the pan of steaming milk that sat on the counter before her. "Yeah, well, if there's anyone around here worthy of a good dangle in the open air, it's most certainly you, sweet cheeks!" she replied with a wicked, yet endearing smile as she referenced Coltyn's first day of work, when he was literally dressed down by their head of security. "Aww, come on, that was nearly a season ago!" "Your point?" she mused as she finished preparing her drink with a flourish of her arm and a snap of her fingers, which produced a spray of cinnamon that rained down upon the fluffy cloud of foam. "I'm never going to live that down...am I?" "No," Yae suddenly chimed in, "and if you don't get your customer his drink this instant, I'm going to sick Zinto on you right this very minute!" she threatened with a smile before winking at her mixed-blood, head of security who was currently looming in a corner of the room, keeping one eye on the patrons and one on Coltyn. "Yes, ma'am," was all he could say as he finished pouring the milk from Wylodor's pan, making every effort not to overfill the cup. The last thing he needed to do was spill a single drop of the hot liquid.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„They died then?“ the Nitrozian asked and arched an eyebrow. „It was quite bad that day. I remember seeing a ravosala on one of the canals close to my home. All the passengers were washed overboard.“ Even though it had been such a tragic event, the young man’s voice remained neutral, as if he were talking about something completely trivial. He didn’t really care much if somebody died as long as it was a person he didn’t know. „And the temple of course. I was nearby when it happened. Did you witness the catastrophe as well?“ There was a hint of real emotion for a moment. While those deaths had left him unaffected, the destruction of the Temple of the Black Sun had shaken him to the core. Like most in Ravok he loved his god. He couldn’t bear the thought that they might have done something to anger him. „I will let you know“, he told Coltyn and nodded. In truth he didn’t know anybody that might be interested in serving coffee, even at an establishment such as this one. He didn’t count potential waiters and waitresses among his acquaintances. „Yes, my order“, he agreed and cast Coltyn a meaningful glance. While the novice waiter went to get his coffee, the Nitrozian continued to observe the people around him. His posture was as rigid as ever. He would never let himself go in public. As Coltyn returned, he could see that the young man’s posture had finally shifted slightly. His right hand was raised, and he was drumming his fingers on the table impatiently. „My coffee … Coltyn?“ he asked. Again there was that short, strange pause before he said the other man’s name.

[Coltyn]

As Coltyn returned to the table with the patron's drink, he quickly scanned the room to see if anyone else needed his immediate attention. From the looks of it, they did not, which meant he could give his full attention to the man sitting before him. "I hope it's to your liking," he offered, with a bright smile, as he gently placed the cup on the table, taking extra care not to spill it. "Can I interest you in a baked good?" he questioned. "I believe Yae just whipped up a fresh batch of sugar cookies and Wylo has an apple pie coming out of the oven in just a few." As Coltyn gave the man a moment to reply, he once again scanned the room, but this time something caught his eye. "Oh, uh, excuse me for just a moment." Striding across the room, Coltyn smoothly switched from server-mode to security-mode as he came up behind a thief who thought he could make off with another patron's coin purse. "Not so fast," Coltyn informed the adolescent as he grabbed him by the back of his well-made tunic. "Hand it over and leave," he informed the startled boy, who, after a few rough shakes, relinquished what was not his. "Oh, and, don't come back," he concluded as he pushed the urchin out the side door, releasing him only after he successfully passed over the threshold. Upon returning the silk pouch to its rightful owner, Coltyn proceeded to snake his way around the tables until he was once again standing before his initial patron. "Sorry about that. So, have you decided on a sweet to go with your coffee? Speaking of which, how is it?"

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Valerius furrowed his brow as he looked at the cup of coffee, as if he wasn’t at all sure if he would like it or not, and then he carefully lifted it to his lips and took a sip. To his surprise it tasted quite good, so he gave Coltyn a very light smile. „It is adequate“, he replied. „Those sugar cookies sound tempting. Could you bring me a few?“ He couldn’t help it. He had a somewhat embarrassing weakness for the sweet things that were being sold here that was at odds with the rest of his interests. As Coltyn excused himself, the Ravokian watched him and wondered what was going on. As he noticed the thief, his eyes darkened. He disliked such people, and if he were in charge, he would likely have handed the boy over to the Ebonstryfe rather than just sending him away so that he could go and steal from somebody else. Still, he was impressed by how quickly Coltyn had spotted the criminal and reacted. Valerius himself had not been aware of the thief until the other man had approached him. „There is no need to apologize“, he replied. „It’s good that you’ve caught the thief. I have to admit, I was quite surprised how fast you were. As far as I am concerned, Yae Varone can be glad that there are people like you working here. And as I said, I like the coffee.“ After having watched Coltyn catch the thief, Valerius was a little less arrogant. Maybe Coltyn was more than a poor, somewhat simple minded man that served coffee after all. He took another sip, enjoying the taste of it, and then he looked up at Coltyn, considering him. „What did you do before you found employment here – if you don’t mind the question?“ he wanted to know.

[Coltyn]

"Two, fresh baked sugars coming right up," Coltyn replied with a nod as he made his way toward the counter where they were cooling. Promptly returning, he placed upon the table a ceramic dish, which matched the patron's mug, filled with a pair of golden, still-warm disks of sugary goodness. A cloth napkin was provided as well. "I don't mind the question," the young Ravokian admitted. "Before here, my brother and I did an assortment of freelance jobs ranging from bodyguard to escort. Most of our clients were from the upper class and many of the events we participated in were here in Ravok, although, from time to time, we would travel. We also posed for several local artists. As a mater of fact, there's a painting on the second level with my likeness in it. I believe the title of the work is Breaking Point," he confirmed with a nod of his head. "So, what line of work are you in?" Coltyn questioned in return, wondering if a man with such polished manners and style even needed to work.