[AU-RP] Mostly Business (Heart and Home x Pride Parade)

[HuniPi]

Patience - Heart had joined the kindly helper in inspecting the hairline fractures when the world exploded into light...

Heart rubbed at her eyes to clear her vision of the dancing motes and stopped in her tracks. She was glad she was still a few blocks away from the cafe when this happened, she wanted to be able to put her best foot forward. You only had one chance to make a first impression and she needed it to be the very best impression. So much was riding on making this work. Some might say too much was riding on this, that the burden was too heavy for the shoulders of a woman only halfway through her twenties. But money had been exchanged, the ink was dry on the contract, and there was no turning back.

The young woman took a deep breath to regain her composure. After she smoothed out any wrinkles (real and imaginary) from her cotton blouse, tucked a strand of her thick, dark brown hair behind her ear, and pulled her lips into a practiced professional smile, she walked the last stretch of street and entered the cafe. If the jingling of chimes didn't announce her entrance, her warm "Hello!" certainly did the job.

[Anhelisk]

When the light was exposed, and word came that more hooves were needed, Pride Parade was quick to volunteer, and when the light hit, she felt herself becoming... while not someone else entirely, the person she could have been in another life.

The shop had been slowly suffering for years. Rigel had been young and homeless when she'd first been hired by the old shop owners, and she'd stayed on when it had changed hands, and when it changed hands once more. The problem was the rent. When things had shut down and her coworkers had started to move out, she'd been the one to try to arrange a new buyer, or to get a cooperative working to save the place. She'd had no luck, and it seemed that the place would go under entirely... but then someone had bought the place, and the rights to the name and branding.

Someone she'd never heard of, nor had anyone she knew or reached out to. Some rich kid from out of state, probably. She sighed, moving towards the broom closet to put away the mop-- only to hear the turn of a key in the locked door, and then the jingle of chimes.

"Floor's wet," she called out to the person walking in-- if they had the key, that had to be them. "Name's Rigel. I rent the place upstairs."

[HuniPi]

Heart had been told the sale of the shop came with some caveats such as the neighborhood wasn't the safest but a good, sturdy lock usually sufficed, the pipes were old and could stand to be replaced in a couple of years, and any staff who chose to stay post-sale may not be removed by new management for no reason. But most important was that the upstairs living quarters was currently being rented out and the lease wouldn't be up for another six months.

"Noted~" Heart gingerly made her way along the wet floor to the other woman. "Nice to formally meet you, Rigel, Celeste's told me a little about your tenancy. I'm Heather Roman Turner, but everyone just calls me Heart."

Alright, introductions made without a hitch. But the conversation was young and there was plenty of time for her to unintentionally put her foot in her mouth. Heart had to reassure herself she could do this, "Did Celeste tell you anything about me?" She tried to keep any hint of hesitation from her voice and hoped her nerves weren't showing.

[Anhelisk]

"She didn't say much, just that I'd have to renegotiate with you if I'm going to continue my lease, and that I could keep the job if I wanted to after meeting you." Rigel moved towards the table, moving behind the counter and leaning over to open the unplugged fridge.

"Let's see... we've got warm soda, tap water, and bottled water right now... want anything?"

[HuniPi]

"I'm fine, really," Heart waved off the offer, "I would like to know more of what you do and how things were being run before I bought the place. To see if there's any room for improvement and that sort of thing."

It wasn't a run-down building, "And a tour upstairs if possible, too. I may be moving in. I hope that won't be an inconvenience?" She didn't want to start throwing her weight around declaring that she was moving in but it was just the more economic thing to do.