[GP] Check-in Day: Lurking Out of Habit

[st_ingofthehundred]

The first of the month arrived and Kash took up his usual station at the edge of the Cafe with his eyes on the door. It had been his habit since he first arrived and learned that arrivals had a pattern, and he had kept to it when he realized that a lot of people showed up injured. It had nothing to do with expecting Zahra to come for him any day now. Nothing to do with wanting to be right here should she arrive. He was just doing his work as a healer.

From the new library, he had acquired a text on modern medicine. It sat in front of him, a cup of coffee by his hand that Kitty kept full of fresh, steaming brew, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies by his other hand. He wore the symbol that he refused to consider holy, his dark spear rested against the thigh closer to the wall, and he had prepared all of his healing spells, and a few damage and area of effect spells in case anything came through that posed a threat.

Kitty was on-shift, which used to mean covering the bar, the cafe, and the pool bar. Out of habit, she still watched all of them, but these days, she had plenty of help. Ignis or Emma were almost always in the kitchen and someone usually tended the bakery counter.

In short, there was absolutely nothing unusual about the day, Kitty or Kash. It was exactly like every other arrival day. The only exception, if it was one, was that Kash was almost as interested in his book as Kitty was her research.

Comments

Re: OTA

[st_raighttovampire]

"Welcome to the inn." She shook his hand firmly then released, conscious of how cold her skin was from the pool water. "Did you get the orientation yesterday? People are pretty good about picking up the new guests as they come in. We're pretty much on our own here, so we look out for each other."

Re: OTA

[st_eelremains]

"Corbie showed me my room," Geralt said. "I met another woman in the garden, when I first arrived... River? I think I have a basic sense of the situation." A small, tight smile tugged at his lips briefly. "I'm not entirely unfamiliar with traveling to different worlds."

Re: OTA

[st_raighttovampire]

"Really? Wow, you're luckier than most people." Corbie and River...not the worst people to meet. River was a little strange but she usually made sense if you didn't try to take her literally. Corbie, of course, was one of the friendliest people in the Inn. Caroline liked her. She made Caroline's job easier.

"Do you want breakfast? The coffee will be fresh."

Re: OTA

[st_eelremains]

"Breakfast... probably not a bad idea." He'd finish healing faster with some food. "Not sure what coffee is, though."

Re: OTA

[st_raighttovampire]

"It's a hot drink with caffeine. More caffeine than tea. People use it as a mild stimulant, especially when you want to wake up in the morning." It didn't matter how many times Caroline came across someone who had never heard of coffee, she felt bad for them. A world without coffee? Why even bother.

Re: OTA

[st_eelremains]

He mulled over this concept of caffeine. A stimulant, though--sounded almost like a potion. Maybe it might help. "You know," he said after a moment, "I honestly couldn't tell you when the last time I ate was."

Re: OTA

[st_raighttovampire]

"Then we definitely need to fix that. Do you have any special dietary needs? Are you kosher? Gluten Free? Vegan?" Caroline kept her voice light and chirpy, nothing to see here, just being helpful. Adults responded well to it, she'd found.

Re: OTA

[st_eelremains]

"...I would answer, but I have no idea what any of those things are. Unless vegan has something to do with vegetables, in which case yes, I have been known to forage in the woods from time to time." And also to steal from the occasional kitchen garden, but only when the contracts had been particularly thin on the ground.

Re: OTA

[st_raighttovampire]

"If you were, you'd know," Caroline assured him. "Vegans don't eat any animal products. Gluten-free just means nothing with gluten, mostly bread. Kosher...that's more complicated but it's religion based, so you'd definitely know. How do you feel about chicken?"

Re: OTA

[st_eelremains]

What kind of world had she come from that people could be that choosy about what they ate? "We had chicken in my world," he said, choosing to focus on the less complicated part of what she'd said, and managed a very slight dry smile. "I have been known to eat it. "

Re: OTA

[st_raighttovampire]

"That's good. Because the staff chef pretty much only makes chicken. Ignis, though, he's one of the guests and he's almost always in the kitchen. He'll make things that aren't chicken. We all try to pitch in with whatever we're good at." She slanted a glance at him, hoping he'd volunteer his skills. It was easier when she didn't have to be obvious about prying the answers out.

Re: OTA

[st_eelremains]

That had sounded like fishing, to him. Might as well be obliging. "Spoke to someone yesterday about hunting," he said briefly. "Might be able to help out with that. Regina Mills suggested I speak to someone called Kashaw about combat readiness."