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Blight Bubbles, a soda parlor, for a lack of a better term, sits in Bonesborough Mall, the highest-rated drink shop in town. It's merely one of many stores owned by the Blight Family, but before a successor can be declared, Amity thought it would be easy seeing just what the staff would deal with on a daily basis. She now hates herself for believing such a thing, though she refuses to quit, knowing she's proving herself to not merely acting as a higher-up. At least this way she can prove she cares about the company, but she can't say she doesn't understand exactly why employees threaten to quit sometimes.
It's far from the first time Amity has come across a Karen, but never in her life has one of them this annoying before. She can put up with annoying, but on top of a high voice and unrelenting complaints, it's lead her to disdain the mere idea of customer service. She remembers laughing at cashiers when she was a child, swearing if she meets her younger self that she will knock some sense into her one way or another.
Today's no different, the plump woman approaching while holding up her medium diet root beer with extra foam and exactly fifteen graham cracker pieces. Never before this woman has she heard of such an odd combination, the smell not agreeing with her stomach, but she purchased it. She repeats in her mind that she must push through; it's one order out of thousands.
"What's this?" Karen growls, holding up her root beer.
"Your order. Is there something that went wrong, ma'am?" the younger woman sighs, trying and failing to see what's wrong.
"I specifically ordered my root beer with fifteen graham cracker pieces, but I only see fourteen and a half!" the woman shouts, not caring if she disrupts anyone else's day. "I've been a loyal customer, and you can't even offer me the courtesy of making my drink right?! I oughta speak with your manager and see you fired, young lady!"
"I'm so sorry, I'll see to it that this mistake is rectified. Could I take a look at your drink please?" the green-haired employee deadpans, her hand outstretched to prevent the fifth thrown cup of soda in a row.
Fortunately for Amity, Karen shoves the drink into her hand, barely avoiding in spilling it, and letting her see the "egregious mistake". The foam is extra foamy, the root beer is precisely the right amount for the ingredients to fit, and she counts fifteen graham cracker pieces. The only thing that comes to mind, however, is the single chipped piece of graham cracker, more crumbled than the rest. It's the only thing that seems to make sense, leading her to sigh before turning to the customer.
"Ma'am, there's one that's simply broken. The crumbs have probably sunk to the bottom of the cup," she reasons, trying to prevent another blowup. "So sorry for the confusion."
"I know, and now you've wasted my time!" the lady grumbles, unwilling to compromise. "Make the entire drink again and don't screw it up! Also, don't expect a-"
chink
The sound of cash being put into the tip jar alerts both Amity and Karen, turning to the right to find a Dominican-American woman in a purple shirt with a dark violet snake across the front, dark gray sweatpants, and white shoes. Amity snaps herself out of her stare, trying to ignore how the woman is about five inches taller than Karen.
"As I was saying, why can't you just be a good little cashier and respect the customer?! You think you can rise the corporate ladder with this incompetence?!" Karen continues, trying to ignore the newcomer. "Why is everyone so-?!"
chink
Amity sees more money in the tip jar, much to her intrigue and gratitude, the third woman simply observing the scene, presumably waiting while Karen looks on with disbelief. The lack of context unnerves both the barista and Karen, but she's doing nothing more.
"...Now be a good server and remake my drink!" Karen continues, watching Amity return to recreating the drink, this time taking extra time to ensure each ingredient is precisely what the woman wants.
The newcomer doesn't dare interrupt, her expression neutral as she watches the server do her best to appease the rude woman. Karen can only look back with a mixture of confusion and anger, only aware the newcomer appeared and gave a supposedly incompetent woman money. Only then does Amity return, only to find the drink has slightly less root beer than it had otherwise.
"Excuse me, do you get a kick out of ripping off your customers?!" Karen shouts once more, refusing to even disguise her disgust. "Were you raised in a barn?! You'll never have a good future with this kind of service!! There's less root beer! Where's your-?!
CHINK
Karen's eyes snap toward the woman, having dropped what must be five times the cash from before. She didn't even have a reason to interrupt, at least in her eyes, redirecting her attention from the barista to the taller woman. Said woman only stares back with a deadpan expression, almost as if she's bored with what's going on.
"Okay, what in Titan's name is your problem?!" the customer roars, her patience having completely faded. "Why do you keep tipping the brat?!"
"You're being rude. I don't need a better excuse," the tan woman explains in an even tone, equally as flat as her face implies.
Amity's eyes light up at the response, finally understanding why the new customer is otherwise giving her money via tips.
"For incompetence?!" Karen once more shouts, enraged someone would treat someone with a minimum wage job as a person.
"For putting up with your nonsense. The more you hold up the line and treat her like cat litter, the more I'll tip her," the brown-eyed woman further explains, sliding a bill into the tip jar for further emphasis.
Karen bites her tongue, realizing her own cruelty is rewarding a barista for her services, trying to appease her. She snaps her head toward the taller woman, prepared to say something, the newcomer merely staring. The woman isn't even doing anything out of the ordinary, merely waiting her turn to order. Karen then turns, only to turn, the woman still refusing to so much as glare. Only then does Karen speak.
"Just finish up your job and get me my drink," she grumbles, the soda still in her hand, opening the lid for emphasis.
Amity almost feels a smile creep across her lips, careful to pour as much of the next few drops as possible. Only then does she close up the lid and return the drink, only for Karen to glare once more before she mutters one more thing.
"I'd like a refund for you wasting my time."
CHINK
"YOU MOTHERF-!!!"
Karen is dragged out of Bubble Blights by the police with a "Do Not Serve" mark on the company's record. Amity still can't believe how quickly everything happened. An assault charge thanks to tossing a drink at the taller woman, the woman calling the police without skipping a beat, and now she's drinking a cup of Spirit with nothing else, for once a simple order. Even the tip jar is fuller than it's ever been before, holding at least two hundred bucks in cash from the woman's tips alone. She isn't even sure what to say aside from thanks, shop soon closing up thanks to both the commotion and her shift change. Never before has she been happy for a shift to end so quickly.
Before she leaves however, she approaches the newcomer, several questions coming to mind. The customer can't help but get a good look at the girl in front of her, at least a foot shorter than Karen and with lilac-purple hair.
"Hey, uh... thanks back there. I'm Amity," the smaller woman murmurs softly, still reeling from how easily the situation was cleared up. "I just wanted to talk with you is all. Why did you do that back there?"
"It's okay. She was being a pain in the neck, so I wanted to make it easier to tolerate her," the taller woman states without even a hint of deception. "I'm Luz, by the way. I just wanted a soda, I saw her being a jerk, I had spare cash, and I wanted to see if it was okay to ask you out. If not, that's okay; the lady was being rude anyway."
Amity can't help but feel slightly off-put by the woman's straightforward responses. She could have done nothing at all, but she wanted to be nice, even without wanting to date her. She can't help but find the approach almost too easy for her own love life in return, hesitant to answer back.
"I... I don't know, it's just so sudden," the youngest Blight admits, unable to deny her attraction isn't entirely one-sided. "Just... how about a warm-up date, see if we can get along? If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, right?"
"Yeah that's okay," Luz agrees, finishing up her drink. "How about something simple, like going to the park?"
Amity nods, unable to come up with another idea, before she's given a phone number. She suspects it's meant to be in case the date is called off or an emergency comes up, writing her own number on a nearby napkin. At least this way they can both say something went right.
"I'll... see you Saturday?" Amity suggests, relived to see a nod from the stoic woman.
"See you then."
Amity wasn't sure what to expect. She's met Luz for no more than an hour, and she's already fallen for her, at least to some degree. All she did was prevent Karen from boss her around over some soda, and here she is yearning for her voice and presence all over again. She reminds herself again and again that a mere two days isn't enough to have good reason to fall in love with another woman. Even her dad didn't fall for her mom from a single meeting; they knew one another enough and then married. The reminder, however, does little to change how she feels.
The taller woman's bronze skin and gentle brown eyes make her feel small, but not as if she were less of a person. She felt watched, protected, despite their lack of immediately-clear connection. It feels right, knowing she's finally able to meet someone beyond the family who doesn't see her position as worthless. Only as she shakes herself out of such delusions does she spot the woman who helped her, dressed in a more refined set of black dress pants and a light purple dress shirt, her shoes replaced with black dress shoes. The subtle hint of grapes emanates from her, at least as far as the she can tell.
'Wow she cleans up nicely.'
Luz can't help but get a good look at her date, more than enjoying what she's seeing. The classy woman, now out of her work uniform, is dressed with a light purple skirt with a black dress, black heeled boots setting a pleasant contrast, at least for her. She can't help but notice the soft scent of cotton candy, gleaming down toward Amity's face, her frazzled lilac hair now straightened up as she looks back up with purple eyes.
"And here I thought you couldn't look greater," the taller woman compliments, neutral both in tone and expression yet no less sincere.
"Thanks, you too," Amity confirms, unable to stop herself from stepping closer. "So... what now?"
"We should probably ask each other things. It's not a fancy dinner, but it's something," Luz suggests, for the first time seeming uncertain with what happens next.
Seated upon a bench, the park's lamplight illuminating their location, Amity learns Luz is trying to find out what she wants in life. Earning enough money to live comfortably isn't necessarily a bad thing, but she fears she won't know what to do next in life. What point is there in reaching her goal if there's nothing to use her reward for? Amity understands such a sentiment, stating her refusal to be little more than a nepotism hire for Blight Bubbles; she sees no point rising the corporate ladder if she can't prove herself. Why should she reach the top without at least understanding what the lower ranks have to go through?
Noceda finally understands why her date was so willing to take such verbal lashings during the day. However, she doesn't want to see her suffer such a thing again, making a suggestion. She considers such a thing an attempt at a good first impression, wanting her to see the bright side in her current position.
"If it's any help, seeing things as a barista or cashier means you know what should be kept and thrown out. Maybe a 'We refuse to serve unruly customers' sign or something similar could deter customers from acting like... what was her name? Karen?" the taller woman ponders, barely able to remember such a face. "You want to go higher, so that means you can implement at least some changes."
The youngest Blight nods, finding such an idea more than entertaining enough. The last thing customers need is an unsafe environment, and discouraging such a thing by banning troublemakers would be more than beneficial. All she needs now is someone who can implement such a thing without digging into profits.
However, such comments and explanations tell little about one another. Luz and Amity now know each other's wishes, but not necessarily each other as people. A question comes to Amity's mind, her face gaining a subtle pink tint that continues to grow by the second.
"So... Any books you've been reading?" the barista asks with curiosity, noticing a subtle spark in her date's eyes.
"Mostly fantasy, stuff with happy settings, or at least with happy endings. It's a little childish, but not everything we do has to be so depressing, you know?" the stoic figure comments, her passion more apparent than a raincloud in an otherwise clear sky. "It's why series like One Puzzle comics and especially Good Witch Azura novels are some of my favorites. Any stories you're a fan of?"
The mention of a certain book series catches the lilac-haired woman's ear, her blush growing as she admits, "I-I like the Azura novels too. Azura's a trusting woman, but she always tries to do the right thing, even if others think doing so is stupid. She even gave the Gildersnake a chance to stand down, only to finish him off with the Staff Bazooka... seriously, what kind of move is that?"
It warms Luz's heart knowing she's not the only person in town who enjoys the Good Witch Azura's books, eyes widening slightly as she explains, "It's more of a channeling attempt. How one holds a staff when attacking can tell a few things. For example, Hecate's backwards hold during her debut is overconfidence, which turns upright to symbolize her turned humility. At least that's my take on the matter."
"I... never thought about staff grip," the smaller woman comments with intrigue. "She did act really cocky early on."
After a short while, their talk felt less like a date and more akin to friends who happen to share an interest. Amity pays such a detail little mind, just sure she and Luz have only known each other for a couple of days at most, but now they know they want to see where things go. What she can't help but notice, however, is that Luz continues to explain and speak with a neutral tone and with almost no expression, seeming bored. However, her word choice and the way she pays attention tell her that the tan woman is indeed paying attention. Her behavior is sincere, proof she's indeed interested beyond a casual hook-up. She feels seen.
Luz notices her new friend's stare and intrigue, glad to know she's seen as weird in a good way. The classy little lady indeed seems to want to be with her, Luz lowering a hand so it reaches just above her head. Only then does Amity feel her blush grow deeper still, eyes wide with intrigue and from becoming flustered.
"I don't know if a kiss is too forward, so would you be alright with a headpat?" Luz asks, refusing to budge her hand an inch lower without express permission. "If it's too forward, that's okay."
A single nod follows, Luz feeling her cheeks grow warm as her love interest accepts the offer. Her lilac hair is soft to the touch, the Dominican-American's fingers tenderly scritching her head, never more than a gentle scratch. She can see Amity's reactions clearly thanks to the lamplight, her fascination with the barista growing by the second as she spoils her. Never before has she wanted to smother someone with affection as much as she does now.
The smaller woman's breath hitches as she leans into the touch, embracing her possible girlfriend's kindness and affection without a hint of irony. What can she say that can deny her pleasure? What can she claim to deny that she wants more? She's been pat on the head by one or two people, but never before has she felt such a tender jolt across her body before, feeling more loved than she has from beyond the family before.
Needless to say, both the customer and the employee wish to see where life takes them next, the first date more successful than either of them could have imagined.