The Interview [Thost/Ahote]

 
For Ahote, he was no stranger to strange people waltzing into his building with something on their minds. Some came for trouble, and others came for jobs. And then there were others, who came to seek a good time, one way or another. He had been managing Boomslang long enough to see people from each lot come strolling into his nightclub, so another one to add to the rest of them wasn't anything surprising.

It was midday when the man came into his coffee shop. He was tall, had a strong build, and a good face to bring it all together. He didn't have the aura of someone who wanted trouble so that probably wasn't the case. Still, it was only him and Ahote in Boomslang right now, alone with each other.

"You're speaking to the manager, and the supervisor, and the owner of this place." Ahote quipped bluntly, his back turned to the new arrival. The front desk that the stranger would be looking at was none other than a bar counter, but now a place for Ahote to whip up some of his greatest brews. After just a few seconds of his harsh introduction, he placed a small cup of black coffee on the counter, sliding it over to the stranger who just walked in. He hadn't made it for him, but since he was here... well, it was a coffee shop, after all. "If your wallet got stolen, you can check lost and found. Unless that's not it?" Ahote looked at the taller stranger with a narrow look on his hard eyes. His face was soft and appealing, but he had something short of a resting bitchface, if you will, and his constant cynicism and gloom didn't help it either.

---

WC: 293 | Total WC: 293 | WC Needed: ??? @Thost  ""  —
Template by ivyleaf33

 
Thost Cuddle, huh? It was actually a strange name and almost too cute for someone of his size. Cuddle just didn't seem to fit, and Ahote found this mildly amusing. Of course, he wouldn't let it show.  

With his back still turned to Thost, Ahote listened to what Thost had to say. It didn't seem like it at first, as he was fiddling around with this and that behind the bar counter and looked like he was lost in his own working world, but he was listening. Boomslang wasn't in need of any employees even before he started hiring. Being a necromancer of many talents, Ahote could manage, secure, and operate the place on his own like a well-oiled machine. On top that, with his work for Hidden Blades, he had a side hustle to do as well. It was a lot of work for one person, but for a man who lived to work and worked to live as he did, he'd say he was doing pretty well for himself despite the lack of sleep he had. Hiring employees was a way for the image of his business to improve, and since he started, it did.

"I see," Ahote narrowed his eyes fractionally as he turned around with a new cup of coffee, dropping sugar cubes and cream into it and stirred with a thin spoon, "well, have you worked with coffee or alcohol before?" he'd ask quietly, sipping his sweet coffee with a hard look on his face.

---

WC: 250 | Total WC: 965 | WC Needed: ??? @Thost  ""  —
Template by ivyleaf33

 
The man seemed... simple. Not that there was anything bad about him, but he seemed so incredibly underwhelming. Being the owner of this establishment, Ahote has had his fair share of interesting people. Hell, he was friends with some of the most excitable and exotic people he has ever met, he was sleeping with a man who acted so transparently and yet was so obviously avoiding talking about himself, and he worked for a guild all about keeping a secret. Maybe his standards of what he considers to be interesting folk was simply raised too high after living the life he had, and it wasn't like he measured someone's labor by how appealing of a person they were.

Ahote sipped his coffee, leaning against the counter with a small, judgemental look in his eyes, like he was sizing him up and carefully considering his story. He never asked many pressing questions for his employees, so the "interviews" always seemed particularly laid-back and easy. He hasn't turned away many of his applicants, but he's certainly given some more attention over others by their character alone. Owning a club and coffee shop was never his dream, and albeit still isn't, but he found his delight in the stories of people he's met along the way. People who usually came to Boomslang were escaping something, and some of them spilled just what it was if you prodded them enough.

"I see," said Ahote, sipping his coffee again, "are you in a guild? And be honest—I don't care who you align yourself to as long as you don't cause or bring any trouble."

---

WC: 269 | Total WC: 1440 | WC Needed: ??? @Thost  ""  —
Template by ivyleaf33

 
Well, this was all that Ahote really needed to hear. If there was anything else to his character, he would surely find that out in due time. The little things about people's lives seemed to slip out every now and then when entranced by the exotic night fun in Boomslang or the charming, rustic aesthetic of the daytime coffee shop. If anything, the guy seemed like he was just trying to get some source of income, and who could blame him? When Basilisk Fang disbanded, securing a stable source of income was Ahote's first goal as a fugitive. Even though he was far from short of a few shorts now, he could at least empathize a little. It wasn't he was going to turn him down to begin with.

"Fine," said Ahote, arm folded across his chest while the other one laid upon it, holding up the coffee mug to his lips and sipped the creamy, sweet drink, "we can go over the details about what you want to do and when you want to do it later, but first, meet me back here in five hours for your training. Alright? Wear nice shoes, too."

After that, Ahote took a seat somewhere near the end of the bar table, quietly sipping his coffee as the sunshine hit his face through the windows. He was a man who liked to get to the point of things and didn't fair well with chitchat. The acceptance was abrupt and unorthodox, but if Thost cared anything about this opportunity, he'd do as he was told and get the hint as well.

---

WC: 267 | Total WC: 1957 | WC Needed: ??? @Thost  ""  —
Template by ivyleaf33