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Alex Miller ([info]alexinking) wrote in [info]20somethings,
@ 2022-01-11 16:10:00

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Entry tags:c: albus potter, c: alex miller, d: 2028 01, ~ complete, Ω: rp

RP: Training
Who: Albie & Alex
What: Training on a slow day.
When: 11 January 2028
Where: The Leaky Cauldron
Warnings: Likely none, tbd
Completion Status: In progress

When Eve had first invited Alex to come out to the UK a few weeks ago, she'd scoffed, thinking it was completely insane. How could she just up and go halfway around the world? But Eve had done it years ago, and so she'd helped her figure it out. Alex might have felt guilty letting her pay for everything to get her out there, but Eve understood her dysfunction with money better than anyone. They'd grown up in the same family, after all. And then arriving in that strange time between Christmas and New Year's had been bizarre on a whole other level, and she'd not been sure about staying, especially when Eve told her she'd been invited to go sailing around the world for a bit.

But Alex had decided to stay, if only while Eve was gone, to house sit for her. Eve had shown her around enough, leaving a list of important floo addresses, and explained the local currency (how ridiculous that they still used coins here!), and the last week since Eve had left on her journey was spent trying to find a job. She'd applied at so many of the shops in Diagon Alley, Victory Road, and Hogsmeade, but it was only when she turned in her application to Hannah at the Leaky Cauldron a couple days ago that she'd finally been given a break. And now she was starting her very first training shift.

The lunch rush was just ending when she came in, which would give her a few hours to train before the dinner rush started. It was a slow day, it seemed, but it wasn't completely dead. She'd just filled a glass with warm ale from the tap, thankful that she had at least done a stint bartending before and so knew how to do so, even though the beer was warm instead of the cold stuff people drank back home. Turning abruptly to take the drink to the patron, she nearly ran into Albie, one of her new coworkers, the ale splashing over the rim and soaking into his shirt.

"Shit!" she cursed automatically, flushing. "I'm so sorry! Let me just..." She set the glass on the shelf behind the bar and got her wand out, thankfully adept at these sorts of cleaning charms, as these sorts of spills could get super expensive if not dealt with right away. She pulled the liquid from his shirt, vanishing it, her expression sheepish as she anticipated his derision toward her. It wouldn't be the first time a long-haired tattooed guy had given her shit for her apparent incompetence on the job. She just hoped Hannah wouldn't hold it against her and fire her before she even had a chance to do the job.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-11 09:53 pm UTC (link)
Long-haired and tattooed he may have been, but a task master Albie was not. He was surprised by the unexpected soaking, but laughed it off as his new coworker swore and started apologising. "It's fine," he assured her. "It's not mine, anyway." He was pretty sure this one had actually been purchased by Scorpius because two could play at that shirt-stealing game.

He put out his hands in a calming motion, light glinting off today's choice of gaudy signet ring. "Take a breath," he advised. "It's only beer. I smashed a whole bottle of red wine my first week."

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-11 10:19 pm UTC (link)
Alex blew out a breath in relief at his automatic response, though another wave of embarrassment washed over her at her assumption. She should know better than to judge a book by its cover, but she'd never claimed to be perfect. "Oh my god, did you really?" she asked, her eyes widening a bit. If he'd done that and was still working here, then obvious Hannah was the forgiving sort. She'd been fired for less than that before.

The patron called out to her, and she sighed before turning back to the glass. She wasn't sure what Hannah's policy was in this sort of situation. Should she pour a new glass? Clean up the first one and top it off? She figured she'd just follow her instincts and let the chips fall where they may. It didn't take her long to pour a fresh drink and set it in front of the man, thankfully not spilling any that time.

"I'm really glad it's slow in here right now," she commented to Albie when she'd finished. She plucked up the first glass and held it under her nose for a sniff, scrunching up her nose at the unpleasant scent. She'd never understood why people liked beer, and the warmer British sort didn't make any more sense to her. "Think I should just dump this one?" It wasn't as though she could serve it to a customer, she assumed, and she couldn't imagine Hannah approved of drinking on the job.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-11 10:43 pm UTC (link)
"Oh yeah." Albie still remembered the mortification, the ten seconds that it had taken for him to convince himself that Hannah was going to give him the sack. "I was eighteen, first real job, green as hell." He shrugged. "No real harm done."

He watched her competently pull a pint, which was something of a relief. Not because it meant she'd need less training on that aspect, but because he knew one day soon he'd be handing in his notice. Albie and Scor were still developing their plans to try flipping a house, but when they did do it he wanted to give it his all so that would mean no more shifts at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Yeah. Probably for the best," he agreed. Curious about her background, Albie asked, "Have you done much bar work before?"

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-12 08:52 pm UTC (link)
Chuckling at that, Alex nodded in solidarity. "Ugh, yeah, I remember those days." It wasn't even that those days were that far behind her, though she'd started working during the summers as soon as she'd been allowed to get a work permit out of necessity, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get the clothes and supplies she wanted for school if she just relied on her parents.

She grinned over at him at the question, nodding her head to the side as if to say, sort of. "I've done a lot of restaurant and retail work," she admitted. "But mostly bar and restaurant stuff. Of course, I didn't learn to pour a beer until I could actually work behind the bar, which was a few years ago. The drinking age in the states is a bit higher than here, I think," she pointed out with a wry twist to her lips. Not that she'd waited until she was old enough to drink, but she didn't think she was much of a lush either.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-12 10:39 pm UTC (link)
"Ah, I think I knew that." Albie hadn't really travelled a great deal in his life, but some things filtered through from shows on WeeVee. "Trust me, you're starting in a better position than I did." He'd only been out of Hogwarts for a few months, his experience of pubs limited to drinking in them.

Albie rubbed his hands together, taking a look around the pub. It was indeed quiet, so that was ideal for showing Alex around. "I'm guessing Hannah gave you the grand tour of the pub? Uh, is there anything you want to go over? Drinks, menu?"

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-12 10:52 pm UTC (link)
His words had her standing just a bit straighter, feeling a small boost of confidence, which was much appreciated.

Even as she nodded at the question, Alex was pouring the partially spilled beer down the drain and then putting the glass in the bin for dirty dishes, not even a little surprised when it vanished a moment later. Magic really was amazing, and she couldn't imagine having to deal with this stuff as a no-maj.

"Oh yeah, she did. And I skimmed the menu, but I have to admit... I have no idea what half the stuff on it is," she said, her lips twisting between a smile and a cringe. She'd heard muttering a couple of times while she'd been job hunting, people probably thinking she couldn't hear them when they called her an ignorant American. But she was here, and she was more than willing to try and learn, and she rather thought that was what counted.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-13 08:58 pm UTC (link)
Spotting Hannah emerge into the bar area from checking the recently-vacated rooms upstairs, Albie spotted an opportunity.

"Tell you what," he said, plucking one of the menus from the bar, "let's go to the kitchen and give you a crash course. Might even even get a chance to taste some stuff." The menu wasn't huge, so Albie was confident that Alex would get to know it quickly.

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-13 10:46 pm UTC (link)
At the suggestion, Alex glanced at Hannah with a raised brow, relieved with the woman gave a nod of approval. Looking back at Albie, she smiled and said, "That sounds great." She followed him to the kitchen, only a little nervous about what the foreign foods might be. Her mind kept drifting back to dishes she'd heard of that had, like, sheep's intestines or something. But Hannah wouldn't serve that sort of dish here, would she? God, maybe she really was in over her head!

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-13 11:16 pm UTC (link)
"So the menu's pretty small," Albie explained as they made their way to the kitchen. "And a lot of stuff is on there year-round, so you'll learn those pretty quickly."

The dishes from the lunch rush were washing themselves as they entered the real heart of the Leaky Cauldron. Some of the stories that he did actually like about his dad was how he'd stayed here as a teenager and got to feel like he was part of the wizarding world.

Albie handed the menu to Alex. "Tell me what you're not so sure about," he suggested. "There's no stupid questions in this kitchen."

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-13 11:38 pm UTC (link)
Alex nodded at that, certain that she would figure the regular stuff out pretty quickly, though she supposed that depended on how long she stayed here. She wasn't in a rush to go back to the states, though.

Taking the menu, she let her eyes skim down the list. Fish and chips were pretty self-explanatory, though she wasn't sure she would ever get used to fries being called chips. "Umm, toad in the hole?" She couldn't even imagine what that one was. She desperately wanted to believe it had nothing to do with actual toads. "I have heard of shepherd's pie, at least, but ploughman's lunch is a mystery." There were a couple others she didn't know about, but she didn't want to just rattle them all off at once.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-14 12:04 am UTC (link)
Albie smiled, realising that those probably were some of the more confusing options based on their names alone.

"Okay, the ploughman's is easy." It seemed like it should be easy to explain, anyway. He guided Alex to where they stored the chilled food items. "It's basically a plate of cold... bits. Uh, bread, cheese, an apple. There's usually some salad stuff, onions, pickle." He shrugged.

"As for the toad in the hole, there are no toads," he assured her. Instead Albie pointed at a string of sausages. "Basically, sausage cooked in a big Yorkshire pudding." Would that need explaining as well? "It's batter that kinda puffs up in the oven? It's served with mashed potato and gravy." Not one of his favourites, but pretty good on a cold day.

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-14 12:17 am UTC (link)
Following him to the cold storage, she let out a soft sound of understanding. "So it's like a... umm... a charcuterie board," she said, thinking she was pronouncing the name right. She only even know what it was called because one of the restaurants she'd worked in a few years ago had been run by a woman obsessed with them.

Alex was, admittedly, a bit relieved that there were no toads involved, though she still couldn't couldn't figure out where the name had come from. "Okay, so I'm guessing pudding means something different over here, because back home it's a sort of creamy soft dessert. Like ice cream, but not frozen. Definitely not a savory meal." And she'd thought she'd heard the Brits refer to dessert as pudding at least once since she'd arrived, so she was doubly confused. "Sounds hearty, though." And it sounded like the sort of food her parents made when she was growing up; inexpensive and stretching enough to feed all their kids.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-14 09:39 pm UTC (link)
"Uh, yeah." Albie nodded. "But heartier, I guess? Think thick crusty bread, not thin little crackers."

He laughed, hoping no one ever ordered the steak and kidney pudding for afters; they'd be severely confused. "I think I knew that. Well, over here pudding is usually just another word dessert. But there are some exceptions. If there are rules... I don't know them."

His eyes lit up as he spotted something they could sample. "For example," he said, picking up a plate of something that definitely looked sweet, "this is sticky toffee pudding."

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-14 09:49 pm UTC (link)
"Okay, yeah. I guess that makes sense." And it sounded like something that would probably be safe to order if she were out to eat and didn't spot anything else on the menu she recognized.

He had a really nice laugh, Alex noticed, and she turned her head and lifted a hand to tuck a bit of hair behind her ear as she tried to shake the thought off. The last thing she needed was to find anything interesting about the guys out here. A guy had gotten her into this mess, after all. "Eh, rules are boring anyway," she quipped, glancing back at him with a small grin.

When he picked up the plate, she looked at the concoction on it appraisingly, deciding that it looked quite sweet. She picked up a fork from the clean bin and cut into the little cake. Holding her free hand below the fork to catch any crumbs, she brought the bite to her mouth, careful not to scrap her teeth along the fork (she hated that sound!). Paying attention to the taste and texture, she finished off the bite and nodded her head slightly. "Oh, that's pretty good," she said. The cake was perfectly moist and spongey, and even though there was a flavor she couldn't quite place, the toffee sauce on top was identifiable and delicious.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-15 05:47 pm UTC (link)
"My thoughts exactly." Rules were made to be broken, even if they were just about what could and couldn't be called a pudding.

Albie picked up a fork of his own for a taste. "Hannah makes these herself," he explained, digging the tines into the soft sponge. "These are usually served warm. I like mine with custard, other people prefer a bit of vanilla ice cream." Albie could drink custard straight out of the jug given half a chance.

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-16 12:27 am UTC (link)
Alex couldn't say she'd had much custard in her life, but she had a weakness for most sweets, so she couldn't fault him his preference. "I'm trying to imagine what it would be like with custard. Does Hannah have any hiding anywhere?" she asked with a tempting little grin playing about her lips. It was easy to imagine ice cream on top. Ice cream was universal, she rather thought.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-16 04:37 pm UTC (link)
Albie grinned, deciding that he and Alex were going to get on just fine working together. "Hold this," he said, passing her the plate properly.

There was a jug at the bag of the shelf that looked promising. Albie picked it up, trying not to disturb anything else. He peered into it, relieved to see that it was indeed custard and not gravy. "Here," he poured some onto the pudding and got out his wand to heat everything up. The custard was beautifully cream and spotted with dark flecks of vanilla. "Hannah makes her own from scratch."

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-16 04:50 pm UTC (link)
Taking the plate, Alex watched as Albie scanned the shelf. Maybe if she just paid better attention, she wouldn't need to ask so many questions, and maybe this job would last longer than hers usually did.

Once he'd added the custard and heated it up, she took another bite, making sure there was a generous bit of custard with it. As the flavors mingled on her tongue, her eyes rolled back, eyelids fluttering just a bit. "Oh. My. God. That is amazing," she said. "I usually love the juxtaposition of ice cream with heated cake, but this is just... yeah. So good!" She stole another bite before holding the plate out for him to steal some too.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-16 05:46 pm UTC (link)
"Yeah, this is a pretty popular one," Albie agreed before taking a bite of his own.

"We've got regulars who order this literally every time they come in." He wasn't exaggerating either. "They've been coming in for decades and never change their orders." Albie took another forkful. "I'll have to introduce you to them. You'll get to know their faces really quickly."

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-16 06:26 pm UTC (link)
"I can't say I blame them!" She'd have to be careful about how often she ate it, though. This sort of decadence loved to go straight to her hips. "Ooh, are they good tippers?" she asked, in that casually tactless way that was common back home. She had no clue that tipping culture wasn't really a thing here and was operating on assumption based on her experiences back home, where tipping was the bread and butter of her income.

It also didn't help that when Hannah told her what the pay rate was, Alex had no frame of reference as to whether the wages were good. Even though Eve had given her a rundown of the currency here, that didn't mean she was any good at converting it to the American currency she'd grown up with.

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-16 06:57 pm UTC (link)
"Um..." Albie didn't really know how to answer that. He couldn't remember the last time someone had left him a cash tip. "Maybe around Christmas or Halloween? Tipping's not really a big thing in places like this." He frowned, trying to remember what Lyra had told him. "It's more of a proper restaurant thing, I guess?"

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-16 07:38 pm UTC (link)
Well, if tipping wasn't really a thing here, then the wages had to be decent on their own, right? "Ahh, okay. It's probably gonna take me a while to figure out the money stuff here. It's so different from back home," she admitted. "Sorry if that was an awkward question to ask. I'm still finding my footing, I guess."

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[info]albie_potter
2022-01-16 08:17 pm UTC (link)
"Hey," Albie chided with a smile. "What did I tell you earlier? There's no such thing as stupid questions in this kitchen. If you don't ask, how are you supposed to learn?" He suppressed a shudder, realising that was the sort of thing Rose or Lucy would say.

He picked up the menu, looking for more items that might be unfamiliar to the American palate. "Let's see if we can decode more of this, then we'll go and see if there's any regulars to introduce you to."

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[info]alexinking
2022-01-16 08:24 pm UTC (link)
Alex chuckled at that and shrugged. "Well, I did say awkward, not stupid," she pointed out, grinning. She was beyond relieved that he seemed so easygoing, though. Things just seemed so much more relaxed here than it was back home, like maybe she wouldn't be in a constant state of stress about how she would survive.

"Sounds like a plan!" she said, clapping her hands together, ready to get to it. She would have to remember to thank Eve for talking her into coming out here. It already felt like the most positive change she'd made in a very long time.

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