umm do i really have to work? {lyndee}

[SILAS SCHMIDT]

That's right, world. Look out. Silas Schmidt was on his way to a job interview. At a fucking tea shop.

It was like one of the signs of the impending apocalypse. Or as Silas liked to think, the alpacalypse, as he found the idea of a world overrun by alpacas quite hysterical. Either way, it was just not something you saw every day. And he was quite confident he would get the job.

Okay, so maybe he didn't have glowing recommendations. And sure, he might not have any job experience. And he was what some might call "irresponsible," for some reason..

So Silas had pretty much zero chance of getting this job. He knew nothing about tea, either. He didn't know how to take orders, he couldn't wash dishes properly, he sucked at math. He wasn't even fucking nice. So what the hell was he doing here?

Silas walked into the tea shop, feeling totally out of his element. The place was bright and cozy and cheerful. Damnit. There were lots of pretty girls here. Maybe that could be his thing. Draw in young ladies and get more customers. But first he had to sit down with the woman who ran the shop. For some reason, she had called him after his application was dropped off. He had no idea what had possessed her to do such a thing, but it was a step in the right direction. A step closer to Serenity..

Yeah, he was getting a job at the same place as the girl he was kinda into. Have something to say about it? No? Good. It was a little too chick-flick-cliche for his taste, but it seemed to work then, so may as well try it. Besides, she was in different classes, and now that Silas was no longer on campus, he had to see her sometime. And this place seemed like a place where a certain blonde wouldn't be constantly hanging around..

Speaking of blondes..

A young woman walked up to him. Surprised, he pulled out her chair for her before sitting at the little table himself. This was his boss? She was smokin' hot! She couldn't have been out of school long.

Determined to stay focused, he threw her a charming smile.

"Hi, I'm Silas Schmidt."


Looking Pretty Fly for His Interview

[LYNDEE PRIEST]

Lyndee had lost one of her dearest employees recently and she was in surprisingly desperate need of someone new. Go figure that the week she was one person short, the café was the busiest she’d seen it in months. It was as if all of her staff had lost their motivation, as if their ability to work together had vanished into thin air. It wasn’t that they were suddenly downright awful, just that she wasn’t seeing the normal fluidity that she normally did. It could have just been her. Whatever it was, it called for somebody new. It called for spicing things up.

Silas Schmidt was coming in for an interview today, her last of the bunch. She only had four people to pick from, and the last two potentials had been… mediocre. So, it was safe to say that she had a lot riding on this kid. Lyndee was only a little bit curious about his relationship to Serenity (he’d put her name down on the application as somebody he knew who worked at the tea shop) and if by ‘a little bit,’ you mean ‘hugely so,’ then you’ve got Lyndee language down pat. She’d set this interview up during a slow time of the day, and she was glad to see the café not entirely crowded.

A couple of tables were taken by girls in skinny jeans and lots of jewelry, Instagraming their food, but that wasn’t anything new. Lyndee expected them every other day around this time. She stood just behind the counter, flipping through a folder of the applications that had been turned in. Silas’ availability was encouraging, but his lack of any previous work history was not. Still, she could deal with that, so long as he knew at least an inkling of what working meant (responsibility, punctuality, being able to thrive in a fast pace environment, etc). (Again, she had a lot riding on this kid).

Oh, look, there he was! The only reason she really knew what he looked like was because Serenity had shown her a picture after Lyndee had asked about him, reading his application after another employee had dropped it off in her office. She’d called him almost immediately afterwards to set up the interview. Closing the folder and holding it in the crook of her arm, Lyndee stepped out from behind the counter and approached him, all smiles and good vibes (which were very important, obviously). He surprised her by pulling a chair out for her before he sat and she made a mental note to give him points for that.

“Hi, Silas, I’m Lyndee. It’s lovely to meet you!

” She took a seat, setting the folder down in front of her. “Can I offer you anything to drink?[/color]” It might have been a subtle test to see if he had any knowledge on the menu, but for the most part, it was out of common courtesy. Until he answered that, she propped her elbows on top of the table and rested her chin on top of her fists. And because she simply couldn’t keep her curiosity at bay any longer, she prompted shortly after, “So, tell me about yourself.[/color]”
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[SILAS SCHMIDT]

"Actually, if you have any of the Morning Mate Tea ready, I'd love some of that."

So maybe he was fibbing a bit. Sue him. That was always the kind of tea that his brother Adler loved, and when Silas saw it briefly on the little chalkboard sign outside the shop, he had committed it to memory for a time such as this. What kind of weird ass tea was that? It sounded gay as hell. Sometimes Silas wondered about his younger brother. Whatever. Not the focus right now.

He tugged on the sleeves of his grey jumper nervously. He'd never done a job interview before. Hopefully he wouldn't screw this up. How embarrassing would that be? And Serenity would probably hear all about it. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Oh, she was asking him about himself. No backing out now.. The topic, "Silas," was one of his favorites, but for some reason his mouth was dry. He smiled at her, hoping to come across as shy, rather than clueless. He twisted his tongue ring in his teeth, thinking briefly. Silas' hand flew up to his earring, wondering if body piercing was allowed at her store. Maybe he should have taken them out before coming in. Good thing he'd used that cologne so that he smelled like sex.

"Uh.." He laughed uneasily, "Well, as you can see, I've never had a job before. My family is pretty well off, so I never had the need or desire to apply for a job. Now I do, though. I used to play lots of sports before I transferred here, so I can actually commit to something. I'm a pretty fast learner, so it shouldn't be too hard to train me in, if you decide to hire me." Was that being too bold? The hypothetical of actually being employed? What if he didn't hold up his end of the deal? Well, then he'd be fucked. His eyes traveled over Lyndee quickly. Hopefully by her..

No, no, no! No distractions! Focus! Serenity, working with Serenity, time with Serenity away from her roommate..

His eyes snapped back to Lyndee, wondering how to turn on the doe-eyed innocence that Chris and Adler seemed to have. Damn, it was just impossible. Well, maybe Adler was actually innocent. But not Chris. Silas wished he could figure out how to give off a "hire-me-because-I-rock" vibe. He may have the same brown eyes as his brothers, but they were more mischeivous than anything.

Speaking of mischief. Silas heard a giggle, and he looked across the room, past his potential boss and saw some of the girls looking over at him. A redhead gave an embarrassed wave and Silas grinned at her, nodding like a boss. She turned a little red in the face and went back to giggling with her friends.

SILAS. You need to focus on the task at hand! Hell, he would be one shitty secret agent.

He looked back at Lyndee. Was it possible to get fired for flirting with customers? Was it possible to get fired before you were hired? He was probably headed in that direction.

"And uh.. I like people."

Yeah. Because that made it better..


And this is the tea he's asking for that is.. presumably on the menu?

[LYNDEE PRIEST]

Lyndee smiled and nodded, pleased with his choice. Whether or not he’d just spotted the name on the sign out front didn’t matter to her. At least he’d noticed the sign and actually remembered what it said. Besides, she loved a good cup of Morning Mate and since he’d asked for it, she could make some for herself as well now. She was quite sure there wasn’t any ready but that was perfectly alright. She hadn’t had a chance to make any tea all day and it was exactly what she needed right now.

Lyndee waved a dismissive hand, just to make it clear to him that she’d already written off his lack of work experience. As he continued, she scribbled down some notes at the bottom of his application, namely what he was telling her in fewer words. Perhaps she’d get the number of one of his coaches to attest for Silas’ commitment to the team. She laughed a little at how he’d ended his ‘about Silas’ answer, noting down that he was confident, which meant he’d surely be able to handle customers.

She looked back up at him just as he did, as if he’d been looking off somewhere else. “Alright. Those are all very good things to know. Do you think there’s a cha-

” She stopped rather abruptly, noticing of course Silas’ distraction by a giggling girl behind her. She chewed on the end of her pen, watching him closely, trying to decide if this was a good or bad thing. Once his attention was focused back on her, she closed the folder and set her pen down.

“A chance I could get the contact information for one of your coaches?[/color]” She pulled a half sheet of paper from the folder and slid it across the table to him along with her pen. Lyndee stood, taking the folder with her, “I’ll go get that tea, alright?[/color]” His comment threw her off guard for a second and she laughed again, louder this time. “I’ve noticed.[/color]”

Lyndee made her way back to the kitchen where she set her folder down and pulled on an apron. She may have just been making tea, but you could never be too safe (especially in one of her favorite outfits). Lyndee put a pot on and left it to boil while she retrieved the blend. Opening the jar, she took a deep breath and when she let it out slowly, she was smiling wider than she had all day. There was nothing better than the smell of tea leaves.

It didn’t take much longer for her to finish brewing the drink; she made her cup to just her liking and drank half of it before it’d even cooled. Too hot hardly even bothered her anymore. Lyndee filled a clean tea infuser with the blend and, along with a cup and a couple of sugar cubes, set them carefully on top of a saucer. She left the kitchen carefully, balancing the cup of hot water on the small plate on top of the folder in one hand and her own cup in the other.

She paused for a minute, just out of sight, to see what (if anything) Silas had gotten up to while she’d been gone. She half expected him to be flirting with the redheaded girl. He was in his seat still, but really, for all she knew, right? Finally making it back to the table, she placed his little set in front of him and took her seat again. “I didn’t know how strong or sweet you’d want it.[/color]” She smiled at him and returned the slip of paper to her folder.

“How would you sell this blend to someone?[/color]” She asked once he’d taken the first sip of the tea. It was, of course, hugely important to know what was in the tea, what it tasted like, what it’d go well with, how long it should be steeped, etc etc. It was one of Lyndee’s favorites simply because of the combination of chocolaty and nutty flavors, and when she took a sip, she regretted having not refilled her mug when she was still in the back.


notes[/color]: it's your birthday here for two more minutes, mugsy! happy birthday!
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[SILAS SCHMIDT]

When Lyndee laughed at his comment, his cheeks turned a little red. Was that good or bad? She got up and went into the kitchen.

He could see the girls looking at him and the redhead was obviously waiting for him to come over.

It took all of Silas' self-control to remain in his seat. He carefully wrote out the contact information for his coaches back in Minnesota. Out of habbit, he began to write Matthew Schmidt, but as soon as he began to write the number, he crossed it out.

Steve Aurich - Track Coach - 1-203-254-4487

Dave Green - Baseball Coach - 1-377-856-2883

Gary Anderson - Football Coach - 1-377-987-6990

Matthew Schmidt - Gymnastics Coach - 1-203-485

Silas sat there for a moment, finally completely ignoring the eyelashes and giggles of the girls across the store. What would his dad say if he could see him here like this? Probably to quit screwing around. But he'd also tell him that if he wanted a job, he had to actually try.

He had to try. He couldn't treat this like something he could just breeze through. After all. Lyndee would probably be a reference for future employers..

When she came back, he tried to act very casual about the crossed off name and number on the list and slid it to her across the tatble. She set a cup of tea in front of him and he struggled to avoid wrinkling his nose. He had never had tea before. He was a I'll-take-my-coffee-black kind of guy.

He tried to channel Adler and thanked her before bringing the cup up to his lips. He was pleasantly surprised. Okay, so maybe Adler wasn't such a pansy. Maybe he even knew what he was talking about. Silas made a mental note to call his brother later and thank him. It would probably be a shock, but Adler was the kind of kid where a phone call could make his day. Looking up at Lyndee, his eyes widened in surprise. Uh.. He cleared his throat.

"Well.. I don't know very much about tea," he said, his tone somewhat apologetic, "But if someone asked if I tried it, I'd say that it was good."

She needs more information than that, dumbass..

"It's rich like coffee. Which is probably why it's the Morning stuff.. It'll wake you up. It tastes like.." He took another sip and thought for a moment, "Like chocolate and nuts. But not like peanuts.. more like hazelnut. And there's cinnamon and orange in it. It would be good for a cold morning, because it would warm you up well."

Falling silent, he observed Lyndee's face nervously. If his friends back home could see him right now.. Well, he wouldn't have any friends.

He was such an idiot. How could he have ever thought that he could get a job here? Maybe he should just fess up, tell Lyndee that he wanted to work with Serenity. Wait a minute..

"I know my experience isn't impressive. But when I considered getting a job, this place came to mind first. Serenity loves it here. She raves about you and the staff and she thinks it's a fantastic place to work. I thought it might be a great place to have my first job.."

No, he was just an idiot. There was no way this lady was going to hire him.

[LYNDEE PRIEST]

Lyndee checked the list of references, noticing immediately that the last name was scratched out. Her curiosity regarding it was hard to ignore, but for all she knew, it was a sensitive topic. “Thank you.” She tucked it into her folder, making a note to call the coaches once the interview was over. Taking a sip of her tea, Lyndee watched Silas carefully as he took his first taste. He seemed more like the coffee type to her, and that was fine. To each their own. She just couldn’t understand why he’d want to work here when there were places like Starbucks hiring, or even other local coffee shops.

Lyndee took a second to check around her café to make sure things were still running smoothly. Her employees were either serving or cleaning and she couldn’t find any that were slacking. Good. She glanced at the clock and realized the lunch rush would be in soon. She thought that might be a good opportunity to test Silas’ people skills. When she’d interviewed at a retail store way back when, they’d had her do a role playing exercise by interacting with a customer. Then again, his knowledge of the menu was scarce and she didn’t want to throw off anybody new. Looking back at Silas, she had to stifle a laugh at his surprised look.

“That’s alright.

[/color]” This time, she had to laugh. “Okay. Yes. What else?” People coming to have tea already knew that it was good. Her regulars knew what they liked and didn’t like. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him comparing the tea to coffee, but it was an interesting way to word it. Resting her chin on her hand, she found herself more impressed as he continued. Well, once he thought it out, he knew what he was talking about. Better than her last interview when they’d said the drink they chose tasted like a mix of a melted vanilla candle and old lady perfume. Seriously, what the hell?

She met his stare, smiling. He was promising, at least. He took her off guard by bringing up Serenity. She must’ve been blushing at the praise for her shop and the staff. So what if he was sucking up to her now? Besides, for all she knew, there was something going on with Serenity and Silas, and who was she to say no to a new ship? Shipping her employees was so difficult sometimes, but this one was just asking for it. “That’s very kind.[/color]” She clasped her hands together on top of the table. “I’ll have to get a hold of your references, and then I’ll be in contact with you in a couple of days.[/color]” She was quite sure she’d hire him, but his lack of job history was still concerning. She had to be sure.
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