[Solo | Job] The Cosplay Café

Ivana slipped the job request flier out from her coat pocket, she held it in between her thumb and her index finger tightly. "Huh, who should I dress as?" she implored aloud as she walked to the Café location listed in the request. Thoughts of different maid outfits with animal ear accessories cycled through her head as she soon arrived in front of the establishment. She took in a deep breath before stepping foot inside, wary of what was to come.

As Ivana pushed open the door and fully entered, she raised a brow upon taking notice of how many fellow magi had gathered to also help out for a generous pay. The entertainment restaurant was vibrant and bountiful in color, the walls, furniture, and so on, all coated in sweet pastel hues of varying tones. Many colored stage lights were equipped to the ceiling, all currently set to off but aimed down at the circular, baby blue stage in the very middle of the building. Menu's listing all the available food options, decorated with pictures of maids and cutesy images of cats and similar things, were all placed upon each table, in front of each spot's respective cushioned seat. In the back, there was a pastel pink counter with matching stools, seated on them were a few other wizards from varying guilds and the owner of the restaurant.

"A-ah, our last mage has arrived," the shorter man with a poof of combed white hair atop his head spoke. He gestured Ivana forward and began to describe each and every little rule, feature, etc. that the shop has. "We will start in about forty-five minutes and will end at 10pm exact. Also, feel free to choose whatever costume you like from the back," the elderly man exclaimed, gesturing to a pastel green curtain that was marked with "Employees Only". The owner bobbed his head a few times before dismissing the group to go get prepared in "the back".

Ivana returned his hospitality with a wide, lip-stretching smile and a curt nod before she walked toward the designated green curtains. Lifting one curtain open with her hand, she entered into the dressing area, her eyes went wide as if she had seen a ghost appear before her, her face briefly drained of color. "So many options!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm, garnering a few odd glances from the other workers. Ivana flitted toward the various wigs, all atop wig heads with sets of false eyelashes set beside them. Her unpainted fingers wrapped around the base of a wig head that was paired with a short blonde wig, styled to look almost fairy-like. She set it down next to a vacant mirror and turned around in a flash, shuffling back toward the wall of costumes that hung before her. A pink one maid outfit? She reached her hand out to grasp it... No. A green one...? No. A blue one? Sure! Ivana thought to herself, rubbing her chin in contemplation moments before she sprung out to unhook the baby blue maid outfit and scurry back to her station with it. Ivana unslinged her backpack and withdrew a large makeup bag, rushing to unzip it and whip out the various creams, powders, lipsticks, and so on that she had obtained for situations like these.

After applying what seemed like pounds of makeup, carefully putting on and gluing down her wig, slipping into the maid outfit of her choice, and throwing on cutesy art deco-esque accessories, she was ready. Ivana was renewed with a sense of confidence and vigor, stepping out of the changing room to see all the others was exciting, to say the least. Compliments were exchanged before the old man who ran the establishment whistled the cosplay posse over to him. "A-alright, just a few more minutes until we open, make sure to be nice to the customers!" he reminded them all, then going to slide out of his seat and gleefully dance over to the entrance, flipping the sign from Closed to Open. Minutes later, customers began to funnel into the establishment, food was starting to be cooked and customers were being tended to by the other workers as the first round of customers rolled in and shortly after, Ivana was called over with a high-pitched cat meow.

Word count: 717 words

OOC:
Rolling!

The member 'flowercat87' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

A group of four school-aged children, two boys and two girls, called over for Ivana. Ivana tip-toed over to them with a smile, bending over to lean in slightly closer to greet the four. "Hi there! What would you guys like to order?" Ivana held a note pad and pencil in hand, prepared to jot down any orders they might have. 

"Uh... can I get a uhm..." the first boy began, his index finger tracing over the menu in zig-zag curves and lines. "This thing," he nodded, his finger pressed lightly onto a breakfast omelette before it zipped over to a breakfast sausage and egg sandwich. "This one!" Ivana took the order done without a word, maintaining a cheerful expression. The process was similar with each kid, each more indecisive than the next but after what seemed to be an eternity writing down and erasing orders, they had all been settled on what they wanted. 

"Alright! It'll be out soon," Ivana winked at the children, hoping to portray a sense of innocence over to them. Ivana scurried to tack up the order for the cook, picking up a tray of drinks on her way back over to their table. Ivana set down four fruity drinks that were contained in cat-covered glasses, one for each school child, cubes of ice floated within the vibrant carbon beverage, not to forget the matching plastic cat-themed straw. "Do you guys need anything else while you wait for your order?" Ivana asked, crouching to level closer to their faces if needed.

"Nuh-uh," the four replied in unison, the children quickly went back to discussing playground drama and other topics in a loud chatter. Minutes passed before the ring of a bell was heard, Ivana hurrying to pick up and deliver their food to them. The plate she held was also equipped with a wide variety of condiments, all in small squeeze bottles.

"Do any of you want any condiments?" she asked the group in a light, high-pitched tone. She held the ketchup bottle in one hand, the mustard in the other, with the other condiments all standing idle on the table.

The first boy and the fourth girl were quick to garner Ivana's attention, their hands shooting up rapidly, their hands waving and fingers twiddling in excitement. "Me! Me!" the first boy hollered, "I want a ketchup kitty right here!" The boy lifted the pale bun of his breakfast sandwich, pointing at the sausage patty beneath it. Ivana nodded, squeezing the ketchup bottle and drawing the whiskered-face of a cat on the meat patty. "Now me!" The second girl screamed, pointing at the tall stack of chocolate chip pancakes. "I want a a flower!" Ivana obeyed and drew a typical flower on the very top pancake of the stack. Without any further word, the kids started to eat like little savages. 

"So exhausting," Ivana whispered to herself as she collected payment from the group of children and started to wipe down and spiffy up the table. Scrubbing off chocolate-y grime and gum they had stuck under the table but she continued to maintain a smile. She then stood, waiting for another customer to signal her over with the signature meow.

Word count: 535 words

OOC:
Rolling!

The member 'flowercat87' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

OOC:
Doing six teenagers (2x weak) instead of four more children (1x normal).

Ivana could hear the voice cracks and video-game talk from a mile away, teenage boys, oh no. Ivana braced herself for the incoming horde of hormones, taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment before she heard her call. Hearing the six teenage boys let out a cutesy feline meow was humorous to say the least but she kept her features to a friendly smile as she approached the table of ogling boys. "Hi there!" Ivana waved, twiddling her fingers as she did so. 

One of the boys, wearing a crimson beanie over his long brown hair, nudged his friend beside him, his friend seeming to snap out of his lust-driven daze. "O-oh! I'll have the uhm..." the teenager struggled to recover from being put out of his dream state so suddenly, hurrying to find a food to order for the group. "Can we just get two burger sets for all of us?" he pointed to the burger set item on the laminated menu, looking up at Ivana with a dopey yet slightly embarrassed grin. 

"Sure thing!" Ivana exclaimed, jotting down the order, asking a final question that pertained to their orders, "Drinks?" The majority asked for a caffeine-heavy glass of sugary soda but the first one asked for a one more thing before Ivana went to tack up the order paper. He gestured Ivana to bend over so that he could whisper into her ear. Ivana did so, her eyelids shutting tightly for a second in preparation for what was to come from his lips.

"C-can I also get a glass of y-you?" the boy asked the question with a faltering, breath heavy voice. Ivana's eyes went wide and her cheeks went pink from sudden shock before she recomposed herself and simply gave him a playful wink, then going to pin up the orders.

Pfft, Ivana thought, you'd think they'd like someone younger with a bigger chest but I guess I'm prettier than I thought I was. Ivana shrugged it off, not being too unnerved after the initial shock. Minutes later, she returned to the desperate squad of teenagers with their burgers, hearts and other "kawaii" designs drawn onto the burger's patty in ketchup and mustard. One of the six teenagers, different from the one before, motioned Ivana over after she had served them their food. 

This boy was a bit more put together than the others, he seemed confident and was definitely going to try and flirt with anything he could set his lusty gaze on. "Do you have a map? 'Cause I'm getting lost in your eyes," he said with a creepy expression, staring directly into Ivana's eyes, as desperate for her attention as a homeless person is for pocket change. 

"No, but I do have this for when you're all done," she pulled out the bill, placing it in the center of the pink table. She left the group to finish with a frisky wink and an air kiss (which they all tried so hard to catch). Soon after, the six had left, no tip was behind for Ivana's services but a phone number was, which ended up in the nearby pastel pink trash can.

Customers came and went, some not as interesting as the ones Ivana had encountered but the time for closing was approaching. Her eyes looked to the clock mounted on the wall, noticing it to be 9:00PM, one hour left. She continued to scrub away at recently emptied tables and even got the pleasure of picking wads of bubblegum out from the bottom of the tables.

Word count: 598 words

As the service was coming to an end and customers were taking their final pictures with the cosplaying waiters and waitresses, Ivana had begun to understand why the previous cycle of staff members and employees had bailed as suddenly as they did. The last couple of satisfied customers exited the multi-colored building and seemingly in unison, the hired magi let out an exhausted groan. Ivana pulled the false eyeflashes from her eyelids, letting out a drawn-out sigh of relief as she did so. Other magi pulled off their wigs and combed out their extremely tangled locks and some just sat down, contemplating their dignity. 

"That was fun, wasn't it?" the owner came out from the back with numerous sacks of jewel, a wide, toothy smile seemingly stuck on his wrinkly face. He dispensed the sacks of jewel to the worn out mages like a well-oiled machine, bobbing his head to them as they dragged themselves off to change into their normal clothes. 

Ivana accepted her pay with a firm handshake for the man, hobbling toward the green "Employees Only" curtains to slip inside and start to remove the mushy makeup that had been plastered onto her face for many hours. Ivana returned the wig and wig cap to their respective styrofoam wig head, the baby blue maid outfit to the proper hanger, and brushed the multitude of makeup products into her bag. She zipped up her bag and readjusted her casual clothes, that she had worn prior to getting into costume and all. 

With the job reward tucked safely into her large, fur-lined coat, she shuffled toward the exit, the final stretch toward a well deserved rest. She shoved the door open, only to realize it was pitch-black outside already and that she had to walk back to the transport center to get a ride back to the Infinity Hydra guild hall. One zombie-like step after the other, she thought she would never get back without dying on the way. That is, until, a familiar voice rang out.

"H-hey... need help getting somewhere?" One of the teenage boys from early had stuck around, hours after his friends left, to reunite with Ivana after work. Upon turning and finding it to be one of them, her eyes went as wide as a deer's in head lights. "I d-don't have a vehicle but I can carry you." he offered in the signature, teenage tone, full of voice cracks and insecurities. 

Hell to it, Ivana exclaimed mentally before nodding, her tired-eyes briefly looking up and down the scrawny figure of her teenage seeker. I don't know how he's gonna do it but I'll let him, she spoke to herself in her head as the teenage boy scooped her up, "Transport center," she groaned, rubbing her eyes as the boy carried her to her destination.

A half an hour later, she opened her eyes to find the boy gone and that she was resting on the oddly clean bench of the transport center. She sat up, shoving her hands into her pockets to find the reward and a piece of paper. She pulled it out to find contact information from the boy, she returned it to its spot in her pocket, waiting for the next trip back to the guild hall to arrive.


Word count: 549 words, 2399 in total