audrey (bidabble) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-07-01 09:14:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, audrey, link |
Who: Link and Audrey Baxter
When: After this conversation Sometime in the afternoon?
Where: Baxter Bakery
What: Delivery of special milk
Rating/Warning: Low/None
Status: Complete
Audrey had a few samples of her different wares. She was looking forward to seeing and sampling this special milk--maybe it’d make a good addition to the shop! And if it was something that people would like... well, maybe she could buy up all of it. It’d be nice to have something that was exclusive to Baxter Bakery.
She was behind the counter, tidying up a little mess of spilled coffee grounds when she heard the front door chime.
Link had opened the door with his shoulder, walking backwards into the building. In his hands was a milkcrate filled with bottles. The creamy liquid inside caught the light and shimmered, announcing his arrival as much as the chime.
He turned around and scanned the room for a woman who looked like she might be named Audrey. The one behind the counter seemed like a likely bet. He smiled. “Hey.”
Audrey brightened considerably at the sight of the milk. He wasn’t kidding! It was all... shimmery! Magic! She broke into a bright grin and gave up on tidying the mess on the floor behind the counter. “Hey’s for horses.” She said, playfully. “...you must be Link.”
“Uh, yeah,” he said, nodding. He carried the crate to the counter and slid it on top, stretching his arms afterward. He held out his hand to shake Audrey’s, polite as always, and decided to try the greeting again. “Hello.”
“Hello,” Audrey said, reaching her hand out to shake his. She was a fairly tall lady, with curves--how could she not have a little extra weight working in a bakery?--and a very bright smile. Her dress looked like it would have been right in place on June Cleaver, and the apron didn’t help things at all. “Tell me more about this milk.” She said, turning her attention to the crate.
Link, meanwhile, looked like a stereotypical farmer, with patched jeans and a well-worn green t-shirt. He pulled one of the bottles from the crate, so the woman could get a closer look. “Well, in my dreams, the are these cows that give this fortified milk. And a few months ago, some of the cows on my farm started giving that milk, too.” And if Link was any indication of how healthful it was, the boy looked as strong as an ox.
“This is from your dreams, then?” Fortified milk? Audrey wondered what that meant. She gave a little nod, and accepted the bottle, looking at the milk as it moved behind the glass. “Does it have all the same properties as regular milk?” She asked. “Can I try some?”
Fortified, because he wasn’t sure what else to call it. With a nod, link twisted off the cap with a Pop! Like all fresh milk, it had a sweet smell, perhaps a little earthy as well. He held it out to her across the counter.
Audrey grabbed a clean glass from behind the counter. She accepted the bottle from Link, and poured some of the milk into the glass. It was shimmery. Beautiful. She smelled it--it smelled sweet! Just like regular milk. And she took a sip. It was just like milk, only... better? Her eyes lit up. “How much of this can you sell me?”
Oh yeah, some people liked to drink from glasses, didn't they? Link grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. He liked to hear his wares praised. "My cows give it everyday, so I could deliver it regularly. But don't you want to see how it bakes, first?"
“I’m thinking we’re going to offer it in espresso drinks first. Let me see how it steams.” She said, motioning for him to move to the end of the counter where the espresso machine was. She poured some of the shimmering milk into a steaming caraffe and then started to froth it and steam the milk. It looked even more beautiful steamed up. “Have you ever had it hot?” She asked, raising her voice over the sound of the machine.
“Uh, no,” Link replied. “Actually, I haven’t.” He was a black coffee kind of guy. He also wasn’t exactly a coffee shop kind of guy, although he’d gotten drinks with Zelda. She always ordered something insanely strong and sweet. Right now, he assumed Audrey was going to to offer him one of those fancy latte things.
Oh, she was. Hot milk, steamed to perfection, poured over a shot of sweet and bitter espresso. A cappuccino, perfectly crafted. Audrey was good at her job, and had had a lot of practice. Even with the coffee, the milk shimmered. She made two, and passed one across the bar to him.
"Moment of truth!" Audrey said, grinning, then lifted her mug for a sip.
It was good-smelling coffee, Link gave her that right off the bat. He was glad she hadn’t dumped a ton of sugar in the cup, too. He mirrored her, lifting the mug and taking a drink. It left behind a foam mustache, which he quickly licked off. “Is that good? I mean, it tastes good, but I don’t know anything about fancy coffee.”
“It’s good.” Audrey said, giving him a bright smile. “I mean, it’s not that different from regular milk--that’ll make people feel comfortable. But it’s sweet and fresh. I think you and I can definitely do business. How much are you charging for the milk?”
“Well, I was selling the regular milk at farmer’s markets for about three dollars a half-gallon, so... I could do this for four...” Math wasn’t his strength. He knew the special milk was worth more. If he sold nine half-gallons in a crate, that was... thirty-six a crate. And he guessed there should be a delivery fee, two. “Does forty sound fair?”
“Sounds fine. Sign me up for a couple of weeks. We’ll test the milk with the coffee market, and I’ll bake with it, see how that part goes. If things go well, we’ll talk contracts and bulk ordering?” Actually, her bookkeeper should talk about those sorts of things with him.
Link beamed. “Yeah. That sounds great.” Maybe his days being baffled as to what to do with the sparkly stuff were finally over. He reached his hand back across the counter. “Thanks!”
Audrey reached forward and gave his hand a firm shake. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you!”