open!

[stardustish]

Who: Sylvia Kawano and you!
When: Juril 1st - 4th, some closed prompts from the 5th on
Where: Various
What: Working at the Cat Cafe and Kitty Quest + some closed prompts in the comments.
Warnings: Mentions of character death later on

purramid cafe.

[ working at the purramid cafe has been an interesting experience, to say the least -- sylvia enjoys her job and has learned a lot about how to be a barista! ...however, she's still a little clumsy with handling dishes sometimes, and while she hasn't broken anything, she's prone to letting things spill a little or overflow from the cups. she's getting better at it, promise...but that doesn't mean she's without unhappy customers. ]

Miss. You filled the cup way too much, and now there's a coffee splatter on my shoe!

Gah-- [ sylvia gasps, but she doesn't really turn around to face the customer because she's in a scramble to make her next order. she gives them a few hurried glances and an apologetic look, but it doesn't seem to placate the woman at all. ] Sorry about that! I'm really sorry, I swear I didn't mean for that to happen!

It doesn't matter if you meant it or not, you got my brand new shoes dirty with a coffee stain!

[ feel free to tell sylvia to be more careful, or tell the customer to take a chill pill. or watch. maybe you're the customer who's next in line, even! ]

blink and miss 'em.

[ sylvia is among the volunteers at pile's petagorium, doing her best to rally all the cats together. she has a bowl of cat food next to her and has attracted a few kittens to her side, but there are still a bunch running amok. she's not very good at this, judging by the frantic expression on her face. she didn't have to work with the cats at the cafe, so she has...absolutely no experience in this department whatsoever, and it shows in how she can't quite get the cats that aren't hungry to settle down.

she reaches for one that sniffs at her feet, but the kitten poofs just before she can touch it. she heaves a heavy sigh, shoulders slumping as she runs a hand through her hair. ]

This was a mistake. Ughhh, this was such a mistake.

[ she tries to say that under her breath, but it comes out a little louder than she'd intended for it to. that being said, a little help would be appreciated! ]

Comments

[fulgency]

[Ozymandias does the customer the courtesy of looking down at her shoes when indicated. It takes only a look at her shoes to deem this woman's demand to be unreasonable. The coffee barely managed to splash on her shoes never mind that it is difficult to even notice without it being pointed directly out. But even setting aside the results, she clearly takes no accountability for her own part in this. Had she observed the mug to be overflowing, she had the ability to say something then or to pick it up with a little more care. Her behavior and judgment, Ozymandias decides, is unfair.]

[But acting as Pharaoh and judging this as he would a matter brought to his attention as such will serve no purpose in this moment. It will only serve to embitter the customer further and not allow Sylvia to grow.]

I understand your frustration and I apologize for the mistake.

[He opts not to even acknowledge her absurd demand that Sylvia out to replace the shoes, nor does he choose to minimize her anger over it by pointing out how easily her shoes can be remedied. There is no point to either.]

What I can offer to you is that once Sylvia has completed the order she is working on now, I will have her remake your drink. [He gestures to the rest of the cafe.] If you would like to have a seat while you wait, I can bring the drink you personally when it is completed.

[stardustish]

[ while ozymandias is acting in sylvia's best interests, sylvia herself is unaware of his intentions and thoroughly thinks she screwed up. she has to resist the urge to rub the back of her head -- can't have that in the kitchen, after all -- but she just frowns and clears her throat. ]

I'll get a new cup of coffee out for you right away.

[ somehow, being caught under ozymandias' gaze forces her to sound more confident. the woman huffs before she excuses herself to one of the tables (and she's so upset she doesn't even bother to pet a kitten vying for her attention). sylvia in the meantime gets to work on a new cup of coffee. while she's focused on the task at hand, she doesn't want to leave her manager hanging, either. ]

I'm really sorry about this. I swear, I didn't mean to make her mad.

[ she tries to say it softly enough so it's out of earshot for the customer. ]

[fulgency]

[Ozymandias steps around the counter before picking up the very full cup of coffee. Unlike the customer, he is much slower and more patient with his movement as he brings it to the sink to dispose of it.]

With customers like that, it is better to let them think they are right as you just witnessed in my conversation with her. I allowed her to keep her beliefs about the mistake, but I truly believe she has a degree of responsibility for it as well. She could have just as easily spoken to you without trying to lift the coffee or acknowledged that the stain to her shoes is hardly noticeable.

But pointing out as much to her will only make her defensive and angrier, [he says by way of reassurance. He, too, speaks in a lower tone to avoid being overheard.] You also needn't mention your intent. It won't satisfy her and she'll likely only see it as excuse-making. You only set yourself up for impossible, absurd demands for remedying the problem like the one she just made.

[With the cup emptied into the sink and rinsed, he sets it in the sink with the others to be washed later, and grabs a rag to clean up the counter next while Sylvia is making the new cup.]

Next time, take what is important about what she said -- that the cup was too full -- and strive to do better. Your solution for situations like this and your personal growth as a barista will lie there, not in apologies.

[He replaces the rag back where it belongs.]

And, Sylvia, Pharaoh possesses tolerance and patience for mistakes. One cannot be as the sun and not allow for growth, and people learn best through their mistakes. What I cannot abide by is a refusal to learn or a lack of responsibility, neither of which I am concerned about when it comes to you.

[stardustish]

Whoa.

[ it's said quietly under her breath; she's taking in all of this advice. she hadn't worked customer service up until applying for work here, so this truly is a learning experience. she's mostly glad that ozymandias doesn't seem to be upset with her, and he is, like he said, very patient.

she's very grateful. this could've gone south very easily. he's even going to top this all off with a little bit of praise, too... ]

I-I mean, [ she nearly loses track of what she's doing, so she pauses for a brief moment -- ] thank you! I'll keep on doing my best, promise! No more apologies without action, right?

[ her voice is more hushed so the customer won't hear (hopefully), but ozymandias deserves a thank you for that. she goes back to pouring the coffee and makes sure to fill it a bit less than before. can't risk the woman getting upset about it again.

she hands the cup over to the customer once she's done and clears her throat. ]

Here you are. I made sure to fill it up to a, uh, more appropriate amount!

[ hopefully she did okay...? it's still a bit close to the rim but not nearly as full as before. it can really go either way. ]

[fulgency]

[Ozymandias waves a slight hand at her thanks, finding it to be unnecessary. He could hardly consider himself much of an owner or employer if he lacked in patience or refused to allow for an inch of a mistake. Striving for mastery is important, but there is some quaint modern saying about the Romans and their city that applies here. He thinks. Perhaps it was about Greece? No matter. The point is that it will take time and he has plenty of it.]

[Sylvia is likely not going to win any sort of friendships (or tips) with this particular customer, but some of the bite to her barking seems to have been quelled by Ozymandias. Enough so that she doesn't stare Sylvia down with a mean look even if she still doesn't respond with a thank you for the new cup. This time, the woman takes a sip of the coffee, getting it a little lower from that rim before she walks away to her table. There's a muttered it's fine as she goes, which is probably as much as Sylvia can possibly hope for from this woman.]

[Ozymandias smiles warmly.]

Do you think you'll be alright from here?

[There is still, after all, a bit of a line. But Ozymandias won't simply abandon her to it if she wants him to stay.]

[stardustish]

[ well...that's probably the best response she could have reasonably asked for. it's fine. better than her being up in arms about something else, anyway. sylvia watches her sit, then turns her attention back to ozymandias. ]

That was probably the best outcome, huh?

[ there was no way that woman was going to be kind to her, so she'll take what she can get. but now that ozymandias and the customer both seem to be satisfied (somewhat, in the woman's case), sylvia's lips curve upward into a sheepish little grin. ]

I guess that means I did alright this time around, so I'll be fine! I'll remember not to fill it up so much next time. Don't wanna keep you here or anything, Boss!