Relocating Can Be Difficult [Chao] *Finished*

[seraaches]

Haret brushed a thoughtful hand along her arm; her hand brushed fur and hair in an alternating pattern that made up her bindings. The Torquehelmian had made a very difficult decision and recently relocated to the Capital City, even though her heart remained in the Ville en Miir. Only one of her daughters had accompanied her, though it was a hard thing to do to Phyr. Nevertheless, Kare seemed to enjoy the Capital, she was often wandering around observing things and, thankfully, staying out of trouble.

Still, the woman now needed to find a way to provide for them and today had been a day of pounding the pavement in an effort to find work. Tired and hungry, Haret found herself pausing before a cafe in the business district. Well, she might as well grab a bite to eat, and perhaps the workers might know where other opportunities were.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Business had been more than a little hectic over the past few days at the Cafe. Since one of their workers had decided that she needed to pursue her career in music, Calia had found herself in the position of one of two Cards who were avaliable to work day shifts. It made work difficult, but more than managable. It just meant that getting home was nicer than ever, and she had little chance to get bored at work.

And today, her coworker had called in sick.

The bipedal sparrow was enjoying a moment of calm in what had otherwise been an incredibly hectic day when the Torquehelm woman entered. She loved her job, and the woman looked rather nice, if nothing else. Tired, but as cheerful as ever, Calia stood and walked up to her, a menu in hand. "Hello![/b]" she greeted, smiling broadly. She was professional, but her inner pleasure shone through clearly. "Table for one? Or are you meeting anyone today?[/b]"

[seraaches]

Lovely, deep purple eyes stared at the beautiful sparrow through a veil of long, flowing hair. Hidden ears flicked backwards in pleasant surprise at the ease of the other woman's manner. The canine gave a small negative headshake after the sparrow's final question.

"Today," she said in her gentle, feminine voice. "I am alone." Perhaps there was an edge of sorrow to the words, or perhaps it was simply the Torquehelmian's usual manner of speaking, but it was fairly evident, even to the untrained eye, just how soft-spoken the woman normally was.

She was... impressed by the Kahmden's manner and looks and she found herself drawn to the other woman. Not in the same way she was drawn to Aroha, but there was something soothing and motherly about the sparrow that Haret hoped to learn more of. If fortunate, perhaps she could even find a lead on places to work.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Calia blinked at the quiet way the woman spoke, and at her peculiar bindings. One aspect of the job that the sparrow loved was the variety of people she had the privilege of meeting. She had seen coats of all colors, and met strange mix-regions with odd mixes of colors flowing across skin, fur, and feathers. She had met dozens of Torques, and with every one that walked (or, on occasion, limped) through the door had given her a small pang of guilt. She wished that she could set them all free.

But this woman was... different. That was the only word there was. Her bindings were as tight as any she had ever seen, but they were natural, and that was intriguing.

She nodded, taking note of the touch of sadness that was in the woman's voice, but she knew not to press the matter. This woman was a customer! She cheerfully picked up a menu, smiling at the canine. "Right this way, miss... We've got a few empty tables right now, can I interest you in one by a window or outside?[/b]" often, those places were highly sought-after, but Calia did not want to make any assumptions.

[seraaches]

The large canine padded quietly after the beautiful bird, her tail not quite wagging to the motion of her graceful walk. It simply swung from side to side, helping her to keep her balance in an easy sweep. Her gentle voice sounded lightly through the space between them.

"Near a window is fine, but I don't prefer outdoors just now." She'd been outside all day and was certainly a bit tired of it. Kicked out of a few places and just out and about, she was ready to just be inside and watch those still outdoors going about their business as she took a nice, long break from hers.

As Calia led her to the table, she offered hesitantly, "This is a very nice restaurant." If only she could find a job at a place like this; she thought she might really like it here.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The sparrow nodded, giving the canine a reassuring smile. Something about the soft way the woman spoke put Calia at ease. She had the impression that she would be an absolute delight to serve, not like some of the people who came in through the doors, full of attitude and treating the sparrow like dirt simply because she worked in the food service industry. She pulled a chair out from under a lovely table that was located directly beside a wide and open window that gave a lovely view of the city that surrounded them. "I'm so glad to hear that. We've been doing some remodeling, actually, hoping to attract at least a little more business.[/b]"

Calia placed a menu on the table in front of the canine woman, giving her a smile. "I'll be right back with some water,[/b]" she said before moving away, walking with practice between the mostly-empty tables. The cafe was quiet except for the chattering of staff and the few patrons that were still lingering there.

When Calia returned, it was with a glass and a full pitcher of water. She set the glass down and filled it, placing the pitcher to the side and sitting in the chair across from the woman. "We're having a slow day, so if you like I can keep you company and tell you about any of the dishes we serve. I've been working here for a long while, and I've tried everything on the menu.[/b]"

[seraaches]

Haret looked around again at Calia's words, noting some signs of the remodeling. Still, they were managing to stay open as well and the restaurant interior was looking very nice indeed. "It looks very good," the canine complimented the waitress again, even though she didn't have much to do with the changes. This woman seemed to take a real pride in her place of work and Haret guessed that she would be just as pleased about the compliment as if she actually owned the place.

She waited for Calia's return silently, dark eyes still watching around her carefully. An observer, she delighted in taking note of her surroundings, even if she tended to keep her thoughts to herself.

When the Kahmden sparrow returned Haret listened carefully before giving a small nod and speaking softly, "That would be nice. Please tell me your recommendations as well."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Calia couldn't hide her pleasure, nor did she want to. She could feel that a compliment from this somber and beautiful woman was something to take very highly. She gave the canine a small bow of her head, beaming as she ran into the kitchen.

Once the water was settled, the woman leaned forward slightly, looking thoughtful for a moment. She had recieved a number of odd requests in her time as a waitress, but this seemingly normal and reasonable question was one that she'd never been asked before. "There's a number of things that I'd reccomend highly, but...[/b]" she paused, tapping a finger against her beak. "I think my favorite of anything on the menu, honestly, would have to be the pizza with prosciutto and apple. All the flavors really blend together nicely, as strange as it might sound when you put it all together in your mind.[/b]"

There. Now she just had to hope that the woman would agree with her thoughts on the meal.

[seraaches]

Haret listened carefully as Calia explained and she gave a small smile as she answered, "That sounds lovely. I would love to try it." She hesitated for a very long moment, hopefully not so long that the sparrow would grow bored or leave. She had originally come in wanting some time alone, to regather her thoughts and regroup her efforts to find work, but this wonderful waitress was incredibly restful and Haret found herself wanting to reach out to the Kahmden resident, even though that wasn't entirely in her personality. She'd been so often rebuffed. . .

Aroha had taught her that not everyone would, though. Haret's heart panged as she thought of the lovely fox back in the Ville. She missed the woman terribly.

"Perhaps," she hazarded suddenly, forcing the words to come even though she was a bit afraid. "You might be able to join me?" If the restaurant was truly slow-- a glance around could attest to that-- and the company for her meal would be a nice change.

[carcinoGeneticist]

At Haret's positive reply, the sparrow's face alit with pleasure and relief that her suggestion had been well-recieved. Her feathers fanned breifly, an outward sign of her delight, and she took a mental note. "Alright then, I'll be right back after I put that order in with the kitchen.[/b]" she slid away from the table, beginning to walk back to the secluded area where they prepared their food, but was stopped by another call from the lovely canine.

Calia glanced at the woman, blue eyes blinking slightly at the request. She glanced around quickly, taking note of the fact that things had slowed down and didn't look at all like they had even a chance of speeding up. The smile that made its way to her face was bright and cheerful, and she nodded. "I would be happy to. I'll be back in just a second, then.[/b]"

And sure enough, she proved true to her word. There was something solemn about the mysterious woman, and Calia could almost sense a kind of sadness about her. It was in her nature to care for those who were going through any sort of rough time. She slid back into her seat, feathers still fluffed cheerily as she offered the woman another smile. "The food will be ready in about 15 minutes,[/b]" she began, pouring a glass of water for herself as well. "...and my name is Calia.[/b]"