Room for one more? (Kyte)

The agreement wasn't physical paper; rather it was virtual like a Heads-Up Display in a video game, with an accompanying scroll bar and buttons to accept or not to accept. Nevertheless, she was able to look at the back of it freely and would find no damning content on the back of it. Unless you considered little Steve stickers damning.

As usual, when someone wandered into the Sconehenge looking for a job, Cain was sat in the middle with a table, one other chair on the other side for Rose to sit in. She smiled brightly and waved to her. "Welcome Rose! Please, come take a seat! I'll comp anything you order on the menu. I'm Cain. It's nice to meet you!" She twirled a finger and the seat would move out to be more accessible for Rose. Cain was wearing one of her flamboyant garbs again, this time it seemed to be akin to a cosplay of Esdeath from Akame ga Kill. "So, what would you like?"

Cain as Esdeath:

Well it didn't take long for Rose to lock eyes to someone of interest; a vibrantly haired woman calling Rose's name with a wave and a smile.  Rose responded in kind with a wave and a smile, her brow furrowing only in the slightest as she to a few steps forwards.  She would comp anything ordered on the menu?  What was comp short for?  

Rose didn't think about it for very long before she realized she was asking herself the wrong question.  How did this woman know her name?  Rose stopped just short of sitting down, one hand already on the back of the seat by the time she realized that should concern her.  There was a slight shift an expression, a gradual hesitance, a few dots being put together.  

...

Her head turned back to the door and she tried not to assume the worst.  Magic territory?  Her heart sped up at the idea of the possibility of entering somewhere very dangerous.  

...

That is not a comforting thought.  Yet she kept her composure, doing as she did best in keeping herself from assuming the worst.  It was a little to late to worry about those kinds of things now.  If someone wanted to hurt her it was a bit too late to stop that.  And so, keeping her composure, Rose took a deep relaxing breath as she watched the door.  Her eyes returned to Cain and she smiled through the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.  She kept her thoughts to herself and took a seat across from Cain, assuming her to be the owner after that entrance.

...

Trust issues?  Maybe so; but it runs in the family.  It's to be expected.  Wait, what was happening again?  What would she like?  Rose almost forgot the last question directed at her, and took longer than normal to respond.  Blinking her eyes again to snap back into a situational awareness, they fixated on the drink selection of the menu.  "Cherry coke, please." she typed into her phone app and hit play, prompting the device to vocalize the message. She was starting to get adicted to these sweet drinks.

She smiled lightly as Rose went through all those thoughts in her head. It wasn't as if she were intentionally prying; she just knew what she was thinking after all. If she was this frightened of her, then she had the right to know that Cain meant her no harm. "Relax, Rose. You're well-versed in the realms of magic and the like. I am a Lord of Order. I replaced Kharma Kharmeleon. This little shop is my realm, so to speak. It is present on a few hundred thousand universes simultaneously. And we're expanding!"

A glass would appear in front of Rose as soon as she used the app to voice it. And it filled with the beverage of her choosing. "And particularly in my realm, I know everyone's thoughts in it and the area around me. I don't usually share that fact with my customers on account of making them uncomfortable... but you have a very mature air about you, Rose. I trust the information isn't overly concerning."

A plate of carrot cake, fresh, appeared before Cain, and she took a small bite with a smile. "That being said, I would never do anything to hurt you. So, what is it you came here for?" It was a strange idea that someone who could read your mind would still ask you a question and communicate with you... but she didn't want anyone to feel like that level of communication had been taken away from them.

Rose's pink hued eyes lifted once more to the woman before her, taking in a greater understanding of who it was that sat across from her.  She was a Lord of Order, which Rose recognized as a native cosmic entity.  This was indeed her realm, her "magic territory" so to speak, sounding to be split into multiple iterations across different universes.  What could they be for?  Observation posts?  As Rose's eyes drifted to the glass that appeared before her, the magic properties of the realm was again demonstrated as she watched the glass fill.  Cain's power here was quite clear, and in those moments of realization she had considered what kinds of things were possible here.  She remembered a proverb, one that was adopted very closely: "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear the one who is able to destroy both body and soul."  

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She could not help but feel the many eyes watching her as she picked up the glass of cola, but she refused to let them concern her any more than the pair of green eyes ahead of her.  She would not give the signal; the flesh would not be rended.  Cain had not been foreseen, but she was here now and will be understood.  If this being was a lord of order, then she was predictable and fair.  Rose was only in danger if she put herself in danger.  Put the knives away.  

...

With the emergency response subsided, Rose was left with only the usual lingering observance.  The panic was gone.  Relax; be at peace.  It was at this moment that Rose blinked, realizing she had been staring at a spot on the table in silence for what had felt like a long time as she dwelt within her own thoughts.  How long had she zoned out of reality for?  Thirty seconds?  A minute?  How much of what Cain had said had she completely missed?  Her blinking orbs lifted back to Cain's, then turned left and up along the walls of the diner, grounding herself on the physical atmosphere.  The shift in gaze proceeded a deeper, meditative breath.  Relax.  

...

Yes of course; this was probably somewhat concerning for her host to witness.  It's just that Rose had come looking for a place to earn a stable income and got a little more than she expected.  The idea of a magic realm, cosmic powers, and having her mind read was quite familiar to Rose.  This was just the first time it was under someone Rose didn't know.  

The good news was, Rose didn't have to explain anything or try to come up with a way to communicate anymore.  It was a relief now, knowing that Cain could read her thoughts.  She didn't have to type anything up or repeat her thoughts again in a verbal form.  Everything was already laid out.  Knowing this, Rose could smile to Cain in a more relaxed manner and wait patiently for a response.  There was no need to speak when-

...

Really?  Was it polite?  There was no one else to-

...

Oh very well.  With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Rose went ahead and typed out her answer on her phone.  It was so unnecessary since Cain already knew; but still Rose typed it out and pressed play on her text-to-speech app.

"I came looking for employment; trying to find somewhere I can work in town with my speech problem."

Cain would snack on her carrot cake and sip her Thai iced tea for what felt like two months and two weeks before finally responding to Charlotte. That long silence might be unnerving, but she had some things to attend to across the multiverse simultaneously. It was all okay, probably.

She knew all of the thoughts that Charlotte was having about the predicament. But she didn't think it would be fair to address every single one that rolled through... even if Charlotte knew that Cain could hear every last bit of it. But! It was time to answer Charlotte's question finally. "I would love to help you out, Charlotte! I'll have to ask you a few questions, of course. If you wouldn't like to speak to customers or interact with them, then you could work in the arcade. There will still be plenty of people around, but you shouldn't generally have to interact with them. You would just be running the tokens shop, or making sure everyone is enjoying themselves, something like that. How does that sound to you?"

Cain knew that she was thinking about whether she had given the wrong impression or not, but Cain knew better. She just figured it would be easier and less strenuous for Charlotte if she had to use that phone as little as possible. "Great! I think you would like the arcade counter the most, but you can ask for something else if you think you would like it more. You'll find it's quite easy to work with me, as long as you're honest!"

A message popped up in the HUD next to Cain. She glanced at it briefly, and then glyphs would begin responding for her. She minimized it so it wasn't too distracting with a smile. "I couldn't help but notice you were going to lash out with some foul magicks earlier when I revealed myself to you. I know it was in defense. But I thought you should know that literally, nothing can hurt you inside the premises of the shop as long as you do not cause harm to anyone else. I could bend that rule, of course, but I don't have a need to hurt anyone as the shop will remove them if they wish to cause an issue with me or my employees."

She paused, trying to put in order all of the relevant information. "I'm abundantly transparent with the wages here. In America, they like to keep everyone's wage secret. They even make it seem illegal to reveal it. I could delve into the politics of informational asymmetry here- but suffice it to say, you will make the same as everyone else unless you get a pay increase. Currently, I am paying every server that works in both locations $40 dollars an hour." She took a moment for another bite of cake and another sip of tea, expecting questions.

Cain smiled as she read all the thoughts that Charlotte had about the no harm policy. She didn't want to find out, and she didn't see the need to explain it to Charlotte out of context, but whatever entities were preparing to cast the spell on her would have suffered the pain, not Charlotte herself. If something else was casting the magic, naturally it wouldn't have been a situation of self-harm.

Rather, Charlotte asked her how she was able to pay her employees so well. "That's a great question, Charlotte! I really don't need anything more than operating costs for this place, and due to how popular the cafe is, I can afford to pay you very well. In respect of that, however, I have a no-tipping policy in force. Everyone that works here is to refuse tips. Forcing math on our customers doesn't work so well... and as you might suspect, yes, the reason for that might be a bit more liberal than others think. Any currencies a person has is monetized inside the Sconehenge as soon as they accept the terms and conditions, and payment is withdrawn automatically when they purchase an item."

"We have another location in Steel City now, and it's become almost as popular as it is here in Jump. It is functionally the same location, and you can travel between the two cities if you ever need to. But considering that means twice the amount of customers inside an arguably infinite space, you can decide whether you want to work at one location or both of them. That's why $40 dollars an hour is available to you if you work in both locations, and $20 dollars an hour if you work in one."

Cain smiled brightly when Charlotte said that she would fill whatever position that Cain needed most. She nodded to her. "I'm happy to hear it! I think I'll put you in the arcade for now. You'll just be giving prizes to the customers for the tickets that they earn. The tokens should work just like the currencies brought into the cafe, so they shouldn't be able to cheat you. It should automatically null any prize they want that is out of their budget, but if you want to look at their amount of tokens yourself, the shop should show you as an employee."

"I should also mention that since we have a location both in Jump and Steel City, you can travel between both freely using this shop. It normally involves a membership fee, but it's free for you." She stood from the table. "Do you want to know how everything works?"

Cain smiled and led Charlotte to the kitchen. "Every one of the items on the menu is made fresh, and then, whether they are cold or hot, they are put into stasis to keep both their temperature and their flavor integrity. When a customer orders the item, it's then taken out to them immediately by the shop itself. You're welcome to come and help with the food prep any time you want, as long as you follow my directions~."

Cain would answer any questions Charlotte might have about the process before leading her to the back. There, she would see the employee bathrooms, and everything was kept clean. She also saw a wardrobe with a screen selector of pretty much every outfit she could think of that was legal to wear. "You can use this wardrobe here to change into cosplays or outfits of your choosing. If you put one on, the clothes you're wearing will be replaced with the clothes you selected, and your clothes will be cleaned for when your shift ends."

She smiled down at her and, after any questions she might have, said, "If you want to take time off, or you're sick, just call me and notify me so that I know where you are and if you're safe. I'll be fine with you taking some time off whenever you want as long as you don't lie to me."