Learning the Ropes (Xanta'Kun - private)

[Troi]

Xanta'Kun - late morning 4th of Ioannes, era X, PF

After a series of unavoidable delays caused by suppliers, illness and other factors finallr there came a day when Red and the elf were finally able to find a day when Red was able to teach him what he would need to do.

[Xanta'Kun]

Xanta returned to the Inn to search for Red on this day of days. He was ready, so he entered the Inn and approached Red.

"Serale, I'm ready," he said with a smile.

[Troi]

Xanta'Kun

Xanta'Kun arrived on the appointed day as Red had instructed. The purpose of the visit was to learn the ropes of the trade, what he duties would be, and to discuss wages. Being early, the tavern was all but deserted, there was just one man sitting at a table at the side of the room by a window reading a copying of the Herald. Presumably he had lodgings there, and had just ventured his way downstairs.

Red looked up as he saw a shadow fall in the door way, and flipped up the hinged portion of the bar to allow himself to walk through the common room to greet his new employee. A smile graced his weathered features and he ushered Xanta'Kun inside, offering him a seat at the nearest table, then taking one for himself.

"Tis good to see yer today." That was his only attempt as small talk; without further ado, he got down to business. "First thing, to discuss yer wages and brightenings of work. That way, if you don't like it, yer can just walk back outta here without wasting me time, right?"

"Right, I need you ta work six brightenings a cycle, which means you get four days off a cycle too, not bad, eh? Ya wages'll be 35 crowns a cycle, plus tips, I can't really tell you how many tips you'll make the clientele tends ta be a bit fickle in that department. You'll have to come in for Rosyun, then you can take a break for a couple of candlestick marks, before returning for Pracenda. We don't serve tea-sharing here, so don't worry about that, but some people will order all sorts of food at any time of day. The evenings will run late, past midnight most nights."

He looked at Xanta'Kun waiting to see if he would accept his terms or not, though it seemed like that would be the final offer whatever the elf decided.

[Xanta'Kun]

"That's all fine with me, I really have nothing else to do, aside from training, which I can do on my off days. I'm here really just for the atmosphere, it's probably my favorite place in the city," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I think I'll be just fine with those terms."

[Nagual]

Ooc:. Hi! I am the new AGM, I’m taking over this thread.

Red nodded with agreement for Xanta's words, maybe not the most dedicated of employees but Xanta should do, and for Red he was going to teach him all he could.
"First off, when yer are workin' 'ere you do not need ter worry about food, yer can choose anything to eat, that 'oes on me, I don’t want yer ter be lazy because of 'unger my friend"

Moving around behind the bar Red took Xanta to the place where they made the check in for the Inn, a pile of old leather books where laying everywhere, Red took the one that was in use and opened next to Xanta
"When a customer comes 'ere seeking for a room we charge him 20 crowns for every night they stay here. Their names are wrote 'ere, the room number where they are staying and 'ow long" Red pointed his finger to an empty page on the book, the book was split into tree columns not very even, but still useful. "We 'ave six rooms in total here, the place can get crowded easily so keep yourself calm and everything should 'o fine, are yer getting all that?"

[Xanta'Kun]

"Yeah," said Xanta. It was all pretty simple, nothing he hadn't expected. The free food was also a perk. "It seems pretty easy so far."

[Nagual]

"Very well Xanta... now over here we have the keys that we use for the rooms, their number are attached to them so there should not be no confusion, their numbers are there. The A rooms are on the first floor, and the B rooms in the second"

The keys where hanging in blocks where they numbers, 1A, 2A, 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B. Their hooks and he keys hanging where made out of brass and the keys also had the room's number.

"Now... let's see" Red took out a quill and a feather for writing "Now, let's say that Mister Stephan Goliard wishes to stay for two cycles from today, note the check in date and the estimated check out date, choose any room, they are all available, consider that he is an elder person"

Red nodded at the keys and handed Xanta’s the quill.

Ooc:. Oops... I made a mistake in the previous post, is six rooms not seven. Take the thread's Ft date 4th of Ioannes, era X, PF
and calculate two cycles.

[Xanta'Kun]

Xanta started by writing down 'Mister Stephan Goliard' in the first column of the book.

In the second column Xanta wrote 1A, indicating the room that the man would be staying in. Being that he was elderly, he put him close and on the first floor.

In the 3rd column went the length of the man's stay, 2 cycles.

Then he began calculating the cost in his head. Two cycles at 20 crowns per night is... 400 crowns. "The cost of Mr. Goliards stay would be 400 crowns," Xanta said. He pushed the book back over to Red for him to inspect his work.

[Nagual]

"Fine... Not very 'ard... isn't it?, Now that is what yer need ter do when a client come ‘ere and asks for accommodation, now, little something is that we offer breakfast with the accommodation, anything they want from the chart" Red pointed at the chart in the counter where the meals where some barrels where accommodated in certain order with nozzles on their bottoms.
"The only meals we serve are those listed on the chart, nothing more, if someone comes wining about wanting something fancy, just tell them... nicely if yer want... to ask for what we have" Red took out a couple of mugs from the counter and gave one to Xanta.

"Now for the main thing yer are ‘o do 'ere is ter serve the drinks. Look at the chart, that is the order of the barrels in the wall from right ter left Red walked at the fifth barrel and leaned it towards him a bit, opening the nozzle the strange brew poured into the mug he was holding until he filled almost to the top. "Now, serve yourself the one you like the most"

[Xanta'Kun]

Xanta headed toward the 3rd jug from the right, and filled himself a pint of the dark liquid, he had no objections to free alcohol. He took a sip and looked over the rim of his mug at Red.

"Should I just write down their breakfast requests next to their name and information, or what?" he asked, having another sip of ale.

[Xanta'Kun]

Red looked up at Xanta after another long draught of his drink, "Well, ter be honest yer can put wherever yer please. Just make it a uniform place, y'know one where ye'll remember it," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Now fer a more important issue, can yer cook?" Red said with squinted eyes.

"I'm okay..." Xanta started. "Well that'll do yer," Red said heartily. "It's all easy cookin' here, we've got eggs, bacon, sausage links, po-tay-toes, and milk. Nothin' yer mother ain't never cooked fer ya," he said quickly.

"Well, actually..." Xanta began to say, "Never ya mind, I'll give yer a quick lesson," Red said reaching for a pan and some breakfast food. "I'm no chef ma'self, but I've got a fair amount of experience cookin this here breakfast. Now, you always cook bacon first, unless of course they ain't want bacon," Red said, tossing some strips of pig flesh onto the skillet. It sizzled over the flames for a while and grease began to form. "Now, yer see the grease there, that's what it's all about. After yer bacon's done," he said, grabbing the bacon with some tongs and throwing it on a plate, "yer fry the eggs in the bacon grease." With that he cracked a couple of eggs and let them fry for a few seconds in the grease. Before too long, two beautifully cooked sunny-side-up eggs were added to the plate.

"Now for the po-tay-toes," Red resumed. "Yer pack 'em into one-a these here metal rings, so they're circular, see? Then yer just throw the whole dern thing onto the skillet, let it brown..." he waited until one side was golden brown, "and yer flip it." Once the other side browned, he took it off the grill and pushed it out of the metal ring. It plopped down on the plate, and it appeared to be an actually appealing meal.

"Now, yer see? It's simple stuff. I want yer to practice at home tonight, and return termorrow to continue the training," he said, handing Xanta some eggs, potatoes, and bacon. "Good night to yer," he said, waving Xanta away.

"Good night," replied Xanta, grabbing his ale to go. "I'll bring the tankard back in the morning," he said, waving to Red.

[Xanta'Kun]

Xanta returned back to the tavern the next morning after a satisfying breakfast of eggs, bacon, and potatoes, which were all decently cooked and tasted alright. Red had been right, it wasn't a hard meal to prepare.

He bustled in through the door, the bright morning air streaming in behind him, lighting the room for a second until the door closed again. The grime-covered windows fought the rays of light that tried to sneak throught the glass plates, and a few stray beams did find a way in, but not enough to sufficiently light the place. He put the tankard that he had taken home the night before down on the bar. He had even cleaned it, and it stood out from the others on the bar.

"Hullo!" Red greeted him while stooping over to collect some glasses off an abandoned table, "Ready fer some more lernin'?" he asked, heading for Xanta. He deposited the tankards on the bar next to Xanta's and wiped his hands on his broad apron.

"Right," he said, "down ter business. Today I'll be teachin yer how to wait and clean tables, etc. When someone calls fer ya, I'm sure ya know what it's like, as yeh've probly done it many a time yerself, ya wait on them by goin over to the table and askin what they want. They tell you, and you get it for them, then collect their money up front. We've had problems here in the past with people decidin' they don' wanna pay. Now, after they've left, they'll leave their dishes on the table like you saw earlier. You take one a these here trays and collect it all," he said, indicating some wooden trays behind the bar. "Now, yer stack the glasses here, where I've put those earlier. The cutlery goes in this bucket, and the plates and saucers go in this bucket," he rambled, pointing to the respective buckets in turn.

"Now oncer yeh've filled a bucket up, ya take it over here, to this sink, pump some water, and wash 'em good with a rag, ya followin' me so far?" Red asked. "Yeah, I think so," Xanta said, scratching his neck. "Do you want me to wipe down the tables or anything after the people leave?" "Nah," Red said, "Only if they're obviously dirty. Now, show me what yeh've learned today. Show me how to wait and clean up, then you can cook us some breakfast."

Xanta nodded to Red, then put on one of the spare aprons behind the bar. He waited there until he saw one of the few customers raise their hands and motion him over. He approached the man and then served him the coffee he had requested.

Not long after, another guy left the table he had had his breakfast at, and Xanta went to collect his glass and plate and cutlery. He put the tankard on the bar, the cutlery and plate in their respective bins. Then Xanta washed out the cup and put it on the shelf behind him, ready to use again. Neither of the bins had filled, so he didn't need to wash any dishes yet.

Then Xanta went to work on breakfast, and before long, it was cooked, with enough eggs and bacon for two, but only one portion of potatoes as Xanta didn't want any.

"Good werk, Xanta," Red said with a pat on the back and a mouthful of eggs. "I think that'll do for the training today, but ya should hang around and get some practice working in."

Xanta spent the rest of the day working the inn, but luckily for him it was a slow day.

[Xanta'Kun]

Xanta returned to the Inn 3 days later. Red had let him have the weekend off of training, under the condition that he would practice his cooking at home. Xanta had practiced, a little, and showed up at the tavern around 11 when things were starting to pick up and Red was ready for some help.

"Good morning to yer," said Red with a mock-salute. "I've got some tables over there with dishes still on them. Go clean 'em off for me, then wash the cutlery in the box," he said, motioning towards the bar with his elbow.

Xanta went ahead and did the things Red had asked, and a little while afterwards, the customers started pouring in. Xanta took and filled orders, cleaned tables, cooked, and washed all in whatever rapid order he could. Red was there too, but he was supervising Xanta as much as he was helping him.

The rest of the day was pretty much like this, but in the evening and later into the night it became easier, as people no longer wanted food but just drink, and it was the kind of atmosphere that Xanta loved to be in. A couple of halflings came in and were pretty drunk after a pint each, so Xanta had to rent them a room out for the night, as they couldn't even remember their way home. The rest of the night was nice and full of people, but slow for the bartender.

After they closed the inn that evening, Red approached Xanta. "If yer ever in need of boarding, I'd be willing to let yer live in one of the rooms here, that way yer right at werk, and yer fairly centrally located in the city."

"I'd be happy to stay here, but I have 2 dogs and a horse as well..." "That's alright," Red interrupted, "The dogs kin stay out back, and there's a small stable as well."

"In that case, I think I'll move in tomorrow morning," said Xanta.

[Xanta'Kun]

Xanta returned to the Inn the next morning equipped with everything he owned packed into his backpack or strapped to his belt. As he approached the Tavern, the steady click...click of his scabbard hitting his boot buckle was starting to annoy him, but he couldn't do anything about it since he was on his horse Shadow, with the dog leashes in one hand and the horse reigns in the other.

He rode Shadow around the back of the Inn and tied him up in what must have been a one-horse stable. One couldn't fit another horse in there to save one's life. He also put the dogs in a small fenced area. He doubted they would run away since they were so well-trained, but he didn't want to risk it. He grabbed some of his goods out of the saddlebags, took the saddle and bit and everything off of Shadow, and headed in.

"Serale, Red," he said upon entering the bar. "Which room should I stay in?"

"The first on the right 'el do ya," Red said without looking up from the eggs he was cooking, "Take yer time, but when yer done come wash up these dishes fer me."

Xanta just dumped his backpack on the bed and took off his katana, placing it in the closet on a high shelf. He headed out to the bar and put on an apron over his clothes.

After the dishes were done Red came up to Xanta with some plates in his hand. He dumped the plates in the bucket, then pulled out his pipe. "Yer welcome to smoke whenever it strikes yer fancy," he said while filling his pipe with some sort of dark grass. Xanta went and got his pipe, and they had a quick smoke together, then returned to work.

The rest of the day was fairly slow, and after a couple pints, bowls of pipe weed, and hours of work, Xanta was definitely ready to turn in. He was grateful that he now worked at the Inn and didn't have to travel home...

[Xanta'Kun]

The next day the knock on the door from Red seemed to come especially early, and despite the fact that the sun hadn't yet risen Xanta managed to drag himself out of bed and put his clothes on.

Before long he was out at the front desk, working as usual. Red had to leave for a few hours the morning and tend to some business with one of the local farmers that supplied the Inn with food. Xanta managed to take care of business on his own, as it was yet another slow morning. He had learned that morning was about the slowest part of the day.

Red returned just after noon, and he looked a bit worked up, but didn't say anything of it to Xanta. Instead he just headed to the back room and stayed there for a while. Xanta peeked through the swinging door separating the two rooms. "Need me to do anything?" he asked. "Nay," said Red,"Not unless ya wish ter fetch me a pint of the ale." So Xanta did, and Red seemed a little more at ease. Xanta sat down in the other stool and began to fill a bowl of pipe-weed when he heard a customer at the bar.

Setting down his pipe, Xanta went out to the bar and reserved the man room 2A. He took the man's money and put it in the strong box in the back room where the money was kept.

"So what happened this morning?" asked Xanta, lighting up his pipe.

"Nary a thing ya need ter worry about," mumbled Red. "The ruddy farmer's chicken coop was raided, so we may be a bit short on eggs fer a while."

Xanta nodded in acknowledgement and continued to silently puff his pipe. And so another eventless day of training passed by in the Inn.