Covent Garden Flowers, Friday (10/30)

[notarockharpist]

The first interaction Yasha had with another person after she got to work in the morning went well.

"Oh wow," said the delivery person who'd come to pick up some outgoing shipments, who was not the usual delivery person and was staring wide-eyed at her. "You -- is that a costume?"

"No," Yasha said slowly, frowning and unaware that in the flickering light coming from the carved pumpkins that had just been here when she arrived the expression looked especially ominous. Gesturing toward her face didn't help with that, since she'd meant for it to be emphatic, not easily mistaken for aggressive. "It's -- this is just how I look."

"Oh," squeaked the hapless delivery person who was almost visibly sweating now, cautiously edging toward the pile of packages designated for pickup. "Well, it... Ithinkyoufittheholidaythemeperfectlyokaybye."

They were out the door a second later, without another word, and Yasha just watched the door shut with a little sigh. She was used to that kind of thing, but still. Sigh.

[OOC: Yes hi I will be screaming about this for a week.]

Comments

[crimson_sister]

Lucille wanted to greet her new employees and introduce herself, so around lunchtime she entered the shop.

"Yasha Nydoorin? I am Lucille Sharpe."

[notarockharpist]

"Yes?" Yasha had forgotten she'd given her full name on the paperwork when she'd gotten the job here, honestly, so it threw her for a moment to hear it. "Can I -- oh, you -- I work for you, don't I?"

That could have been phrased so much better. By other people who had social skills.

[crimson_sister]

"I believe you do, yes," Lucille replied. "I am the new owner, and I want to make sure you know who I am, and let you know that you can contact me if there are any problems."

[notarockharpist]

"No problems so far," Yasha said quickly, totally in earnest but weirdly stilted from how she was trying a little too hard to convey that. "Everything's been... it's fine. Just fine here."

A short pause, then:

"But I will. Let you know, I mean, if anything comes up. It's nice to meet you."

[crimson_sister]

"A pleasure to meet you too."

After a pause, Lucille added: "Are you sure everything is fine?"

[notarockharpist]

Well, so far none of the times she'd accidentally (or mostly accidentally) scared people off while she was on the clock had negatively impacted business, so...

"Yes," said Yasha, a good bit more composed about it this time. "I have been here long enough now, I think I have the hang of things and how they work, and the work itself is -- I enjoy it."

[crimson_sister]

"Good," Lucille said. "I shouldn't keep you away from work any longer."

Yasha did seem a bit awkward, so perhaps she preferred not to socialize, and there was no need to.

[notarockharpist]

Hey, she had graduated from just standing and glowering at people all the time, so it was a huge improvement!

"Is there anything that you wanted, I don't know, done differently, or..." Yasha trailed off there with a little shrug. "I can change things up if necessary."

[crimson_sister]

"No, I don't see anything that needs changing," Lucille said. "I am pleased to hear that you enjoy your work."

[notarockharpist]

"I had no idea there were so many kinds of flowers in existence," Yasha said softly, and reached out to touch the petals of a spray of delphinium, so delicately it was almost absurd. "I feel like I'm constantly being surprised that way, working here."

Which was a downside, too, in that there were so many surprises that she couldn't share with Zuala, but that of course she kept to herself.

[crimson_sister]

"Where I grew up there were very few plants that thrived," Lucille said. "Most of them were thorny. Plants like these I had mostly seen in books."

[notarockharpist]

Yasha nodded. "It's nothing but swamps and marshes where I'm from," she said, thinking about a conversation she'd had with Beau one night on the road, while they were both on watch, and almost smiling for a moment. "There's barely even grass, let alone flowers. I didn't see those at all, I don't think, until after I left Xhorhas."

[crimson_sister]

"At least there is grass where I am from," Lucille said. "And bitter herbs. You are not from Earth, I assume."

[notarockharpist]

"Definitely not," Yasha said, shaking her head. "It has been a lot to get used to, but I think I'm doing all right. Maybe."

[crimson_sister]

"I am from Earth," Lucille said. "But a different time and place. It took me some time to get used to this place too, but I do prefer this time to mine. What is your world like, apart from the marshes?"

[notarockharpist]

"I can't really say much about the rest of it," Yasha admitted. "I didn't see a whole lot of places that weren't Xhorhas before I ended up here, just, you know, places the carnival would stop at, and then I was mostly too busy to see much."

Also kind of hiding from people the rest of the time.

[crimson_sister]

"You worked at a carnival?" Lucille asked.

[notarockharpist]

Yasha nodded. "Only for about eight months or so, but yes. That was my last, um, job."

Until it shut down due to zombies. Like you do.

[crimson_sister]

"I suppose working here is a bit of a difference," Lucille observed.

[notarockharpist]

"Well, I don't have to put the shop up and take it down again every couple of days," Yasha said in the very serious tone that had to substitute in for the joking one she didn't seem to have, "so I would say it definitely is."

[crimson_sister]

"I would have guessed there were other things as well," Lucille said. "But then I have never been to a carnival. Apart from on this island, but things here are often unusual."

It was hard to tell if Yasha had been joking, so Lucille let her comment possibly go either way too.

[notarockharpist]

She could claim to have a very dry sense of humor, but who would know if that was a joke too? (Except no, that was the truth, even if she was almost never in that sort of mood.)

"It was... not a very typical carnival, from what I understand," Yasha noted. "I had to throw people out sometimes for making trouble because of it."

[crimson_sister]

"You look like you could throw people out easily," Lucille said. "I don't think you will have to throw anyone out of the shop, but then this island is unpredictable."

[notarockharpist]

I'm really fucking strong, she'd told Jester when they first met, but this time she just nodded her head very slightly in acknowledgment.

"I have not had to do that yet. I guess people just find me that intimidating?" Physically, yes. If it came down to words, though, she was a hopeless failure. "But... I will not rule that possibility out. This place is definitely strange enough."

[crimson_sister]

"Oh, I didn't mean to say I find you intimidating in a bad way," Lucille replied. "And I do hope the shop doesn't end up invaded by carnivorous plants, or worse."

[notarockharpist]

"Oh, no," stammered Yasha uncertainly, "I didn't mean that you thought that, but it's happened a lot in the past."

She glanced around the shop and grimaced. "If it did, would I be in trouble for fighting them off?"

Like, would she get her pay docked for it?

[crimson_sister]

Yasha didn't have to worry. Lucille had an obviously completely platonic admiration for intimidating women.

"Of course not," she said. "I would expect you to."

[notarockharpist]

"Okay, good," Yasha said, visibly relaxing. "I would obviously try my best not to hurt any of the flowers, but it's kind of like... there's not a whole lot of room to fight in here."

Not with that sword, anyway.

[crimson_sister]

"Let us just hope there will be no need to fight," Lucille replied, "but at least plants are replaceable."

She added: "Oh, and I almost forgot. Nell makes tea blends and there is a bag of it for the staff to use, if you like tea."

[notarockharpist]

"I wouldn't mind at all," Yasha said, looking a little bit surprised but please all the same. (Well. She didn't look displeased.) "I had noticed it, but I wasn't quite sure if I could."

Going for what she wanted without permission was still kind of a vague concept to her. At least it doubled as politeness, but... to a fault.

[crimson_sister]

"Please, have tea whenever you like," Lucille assured her. "I also left a book on botany in the cupboard, one that I brought with me from my home."

It was from the mid-1800s, smelled a bit damp, but had nice illustrations.

"And a collection of poetry."

As Yasha seemed to need to be assured she was allowed to use things.

[notarockharpist]

Yeah, that was a work that was going to be in progress for a while.

"So if I wanted to read them -- on my break or something, of course -- that would be all right?" she asked; a faint glimmer of eagerness shone through the tiny cracks in her facade.

[crimson_sister]

"Of course."

She added, noting what she assumed to be a hint of interest: "Do you like reading?"

[notarockharpist]

"I do," Yasha said with no small amount of enthusiasm. (Okay, not that much, but it was still a notable difference from her usual, more dour demeanor.) "I didn't really get to do much of it before, but I've found I really do like it."

[crimson_sister]

"I can bring you some more books," Lucille offered. "Or you can stop by and see if there is anything of what I have at home that you like. I couldn't take a lot with me from the library at home, but I think I do have enough of interest."

[notarockharpist]

"No, no, no, you don't have to do that," Yasha practically sputtered.

Even though she'd love to read pretty much anything or at least, she thought she did, not quite having the scope of 'anything'.

"... what kinds of books?"

[crimson_sister]

"Oh, novels, poetry," Lucille said. "What kind of books do you like? It's not a problem at all, I enjoy lending books to people who enjoy them."

[notarockharpist]

"Oh -- both," replied Yasha. "I mean -- just -- you really don't have to do that."

How did you gracefully un-paint yourself out of a conversational corner? Help.

[crimson_sister]

"Of course I don't have to," Lucille said with a laugh. "I just think that someone who enjoys reading should be without books."

There were quite a few people who liked reading that could be without books for all that Lucille cared, but Yasha, she thought, wasn't one of them.

"Do stop by for tea some time."

[notarockharpist]

Wait, was that an invitation for social interaction? Yes, you could tell by Yasha's split second look of panic.

"I will... do that?" Wow, that sounded tentative. Less tentatively but still in a stilted way she continued, "I mean, that would... be very nice. Thank you."

[crimson_sister]

"Just let me know," Lucille said. "But I shouldn't keep you busy any longer. I will see you later."

She turned towards the door.

[notarockharpist]

"I -- all right?" Yasha raised one hand and sort of half waved it. "And thank you."

Had she handled that well? Molly would have known.