Neena Thurman pours drinks, kicks ass. (fallsinplace) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-09-28 09:09:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !complete, lara croft, neena thurman (domino) |
Who: Lara Croft and Neena Thurman
What: a job interview
When: recently
Where: The Den
Rating: PG
Status: complete
Neena wasn’t doing as well today as she’d like. She was having trouble keeping food down, and had to keep running to the bathroom. She knew she was overdoing it a little with all these job interviews. She could let James do it alone, but she hated the idea of strangers working at her bar.
She was trying to settle her stomach with soda water, but it wasn’t working as well as normal. This was going to be fun. She slumped on the bar, wishing Lara would just arrive so she could drag her ass home.
Lara had dressed in a nice pair of slacks and a button up navy blouse that made her look professional. She’d opted for a french braid down her back. She wanted to look nice, but not too nice, casual, but not too casual. She wasn’t sure of the dress code - she’d worked everywhere from grunge to classy, in London.
She looked around with keen eyes. “Hello? Miss Thurman?”
Neena waved a hand and sat up, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. “That’s me.” She slid off the stool and went to shake Lara’s hand. She was pretty sure she could get through this interview without throwing up. Almost positive.
“Are you alright?” Lara asked. She had a firm grip, and despite her general lack of social grace, she felt more at home in a bar like this than most of the clubs she got dragged to. Blame Roth.
“Well enough, thank you.” Neena gave her a tense smile. “Alright, explain to me why I should hire you while you make your five best drinks.” She pulled out a stopwatch. “Your time starts when you get behind the bar.”
"Five best drinks?" She looked around the bar as she stepped behind it and took quick stock of what she had available. This was going to be fun. "I've worked at three pubs, back in London, and you know how the brits get about their drinks. I really should card you, you know." It was 21 in the states, right?
She looked up at Neena and smiled as she started with a simple margarita. She liked to make it with just enough flavor and just enough of a kick. She set it on the table and started to mix another drink. This one was fruitier and intended to mask the alcohol.
She moved gracefully, but she conserved her motions. Nothing exaggerated or with too much flair. "I've probably spent hours poring over different mixed drinks, but the hardest adjustment will be when people expect ice." She smirked as she set down the fruity drink and then made a tall glass of a 'kick you in the face' type of drink. She liked being behind a bar. It was easier to talk to people this way, and she had less expected of her in a social setting. A fourth drink, and then the last drink, that she secretly called the 'Sam Special.' It could possibly blind you, but only because it was the kind of drink that was delicious and deceptive.
Neena waved down James, who sighed at the collection of girly drinks. Neena rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, I’m anticipating a lot of complaints on those lines, but those pansies can suck it up and specify when they want shit iced.” The drinks looked really good, and Lara’s time wasn’t bad. “Alright, so do you have an issue with serving old perverts? They’re mostly harmless, but times were different back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and these guys like a little sass with their drinks.”
Lara tilted her head. "Assuming I even notice them flirting? I'm pretty sure I can handle it." Blush a little, but snark. She was British after all.
Neena nodded and watched James try the drinks. He nodded after each one. “Not bad. I’ll need a gin and tonic to get rid of all the fruit flavor.”
“You post on the network a lot about history, which might interest some of the guys but this is a sports bar, so do you know about sports?”
“No, but give me three hours and I will,” she replied, looking forward to the research. “At least American sports, anyway.”
“Uh, yeah. You know there’s more than two, right?” Neena sipped her soda water. Confidence was fine, but there was more to know about sports than just what they were and basic rules.
“Football, hockey, baseball, and basketball. Those are the big ones, right? I’ve actually seen a game of both of the latter. My … father figure took me to them once, but he was much bigger on real football. Soccer. We used to have arguments, because he was a Chelsea man.”
“We have a bunch of guys into horse racing, too. Look, the point is these are complicated games my patrons love, so you’re going to hear about them a lot in great detail.” She sipped her tonic and propped her head up on her hand. “You’ll hate working weekends if you’re not into the games at least a little.”
“It won’t be an issue,” She assured her. “You learn fast how to at least feign interest when you hang around a true soccer fan.”
Neena snorted. “The more you know the better your tips will be, and I’d really rather not have a bored bartender smiling and nodding at my clients.”
“Three hours, and I’ll be able to recite things like who won the 1974 superbowl, as well as MVP,” Lara countered. “And sound interested while doing it.”
“Alright.” Neena said with a shrug. “See you in three hours.” She’d take a bet like that.
Lara grinned. She knew someone she could ask, and she also knew where she’d need to look. “I’ll see you then.”
Neena started her timer, taking another sip of her tonic. “I’m gonna grab a salad or something from the pizza place, I’ll be here when you’re done.”
Nodding her head, Lara headed out of the bar. She hit up a coffee shop, it was closer and she had her laptop. While researching, she rang up Roth to ask him if he knew any fun and unusual facts about American sports.
Neena got a salad and a personal pizza for James and paid bills. She even had time to take a nap in her office.
Lara plopped into a stool by the bar and ordered a lager while she waited for Neena to come out.
Neena rubbed her eyes and yawned, turning her cell phone’s ringer off. “Alright, so tell me what Hank Aaron’s famous for and pour me a glass of soda water.”
"He broke Babe Ruth's career home run record," Lara replied, pouring her the drink. "Also his RBI record."
“Alright.” Neena sipped her water. “What’s and RBI, and why is it important?”
Lara smiled, picking up a glass to clean it. "Runs batted in. When a batter gets credit for a run being scored when he's at bat."
“Alright. What’s a down, and what’s the name of the game it happens in?” Because of course Neena had to ask about the real version of football.
"In football here in the states, which is different from football where I'm from, but no less fun," Lara said with a grin, as though she was talking to a customer. "A down is a period of play. It begins when the ball goes into motion and ends when the player holding the ball can't advance it anymore. Tackle, fumble, and so forth. It's sort of like a tackle in rugby, actually."
“Alright, tell my your favorite thing about a local sports team.”
"Anaheim Ducks," Lara answered. In truth, she'd been drawn to hockey out of the choices (and there weren't many even if you spread out to LA. "Though the Lakers are a close second. Honestly? I like the mascot. Have you ever actually fed ducks? They're little bastards!"
Neena snorted. “Yeah, you’ll be fine. Show up tomorrow at three and wear closed toe shoes. James’ll show you around and do your paperwork.”
“Thank you! What about..” she gestured at her shirt. “Is this fine? More casual? Less?”
“You’re fine. If your ass crack is showing someone’s going to put ice in it, so watch out for that.” Neena said with a laugh.
“That will not be a problem, Miss Thurman,” she replied, waving her hand.
Neena nodded and stood up. “Have fun. Let me know if you need anything.” She was ready to go home and be miserable in private.
“I hope you feel better.” Smiling, Lara headed out. She felt much better, she hated being useless. She liked to earn her way.