Description: Four Gedo students enter the Sleeping Dragon restaurant in Southtown's Chinatown district. Jellyfish is the house special for the night. Only two Gedo students leave. DUN DUN DUNNNNN.
Evening has come to Chinatown, Southtown and business at the restaurant known as the 'Sleeping Dragon' looks to finally have begun to pick up. A regular menagerie of locals and tourists make up the clientele of the restaurant, but not many actual restaurant employees can be seen. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any hostess or host on duty. Or perhaps they are merely caught up in trying to help the beleaguered wait staff with all the customers. If one was going to use a single word to describe the inside of the restaurant right now; that word would be chaotic.
And amidst this chaos, a young woman in a long, red cheong-sam and frilly pink apron reports to both random tables and back into the kitchen with more frequency than any of the other waitresses. This woman was none other than Kuradoberi Jam, owner and head chef! Disappearing into the kitchen for a moment, Jam reappears a moment later with two large trays of food being precariously balanced in her arms. It seems the latest order of food was up and it was up to Jam to deliver it safely to the hungry customers that ordered it!
Jingle, jangle! As the door creeps open, a young redheaded boy in a Gedo uniform is on the other side of the door -- looking more than a little put out by the condition of the place. "You sure this is the place, Miko?" He hesitates for a moment as he glances back, but from how quickly his head snaps forward again, it seems he got an answer, if not the one he'd wanted. Pushing the door open, it seems he's one of a party of four: a taller boy and two young women soon follow after him.
The taller boy states the obvious, "A lot of people here tonight..." While the 'leader' of the bunch scans the crowd, and begins striding over to the one empty four-top remaining, he looks back to his friends with a shrug, and begins to follow.
The leader -- made obvious by wearing not only the girls' uniform, but a longcoat similar to her guy friends -- slides into the seat giving her the best view of the restaurant's patrons. The others file in, taking seats around the table. Menu? Miko Kobayashi is already passingly familiar with the menu. Rolling her shoulders, she looks around, and upon noticing Jam, she only then does she belatedly respond to the comment: "This is the place." Whenever Jam happens to be glancing over, Miko gives her a smile and a friendly wave.
The other girl at the table whispers to the redheaded boy: "Did... did she just sm--" She doesn't get to finish her question, though, before getting kicked under the table.
The front door looks oddly brand new. In fact, its so new that it hasn't even been painted yet. But other than that, the restaurant is definitely more than a little run down, or very 'lived in' when it comes to appearance. Also, maybe some of the customers look like they came from the rough side of Chinatown, but there are definitely some totally normal (tm) customers here tonight too! Overall, it probably provides a very polarizing first impression to most customers.
Hearing the jingle of a new customer, Jam hurriedly drops off my tray of food before quickly getting rid of the second tray at another table. She almost collides straight into one of the other waitresses in the middle of all this, but the quick-footed young woman is able to dodge out of the way just in time.
Hearing the jingle of newly arrived customers, Jam starts to bob and weave her way through to crowd. She loses sight of what direction the group went, but Miko's wave acts like a beacon of light in the middle of a storm. The young chef hops on over and raises a hand proudly into the air. "Welcome to my restaurant!" She announces cheerfully before clapping her hands together and offering a bow to the newly arrived guests. "What can I get for everyone? Some drinks? Appetizers? Some orders of the House Special?" A big grin is aimed at their table now. "Or all of the above?"
Miko's expression may look severe, but her warm smile is anything but. "Normally... we call in our order." She's ordered from this restaurant before, but only over the phone... at least six times since the Southtown High School Prom. Her voice is probably recognizable, at any rate. "It is good to see you again, you seem to be doing quite well for yourself here." It's not criticism, per se: it's delivered with an expression that's more than friendly enough. "A pitcher of hot tea, two cokes, two of the appetizer sampler trays, a tray of xiao long bao, and a Peking duck." She pauses, just one beat, and adds, "You seem a bit... understaffed. Are you hiring?"
Saya, the other young lady at the table, blurts out, "Y-yeah, I was kinda looking for a job!" Blinking for a moment in apparent disorientation, she looks back down at the table somewhat, while Touji, the redhead, looks over at her with a similar level of confusion.
Kazuhito, the taller boy, asks, "Do you have any daily specials, by any chance?"
Jam ponders for a moment as her mind races to match the voice with the order with also her dressed up appearance at the prom versus now. Eventually everything comes to a screeching halt in Jam's mind when she finally puts it all together. Jam's brown eyes light up and claps her hands together happily before displaying her most winning smile to Miko and her entourage. "Oh, now I remember! Again, welcome to my restaurant! The first order of meatbuns are on the house!"
Jam suddenly looks from side to side before waving her arms. "For this table! Only for this table!" Phew. That was a close one. The young business owner than nods her head. "Yeah! I'm looking for help with deliveries, dishwashers, kitchen help, and some more waitresses!" That is quite the list already, but Jam then rolls her eyes as if she just remembered something. "Oh yeah! And a new hostess, I don't think I have one of those anymore." She looks around the restaurant again before shrugging her shoulders. Nope, no hostess!
Kazuhito's question causes Jam to nod her head. She then draws quiet as she tries to remember what today's special was supposed to be. In the end, it didn't really matter because she's the boss. "The jellyfish is on special today! And they are very fresh. I think some of them are still squirming!" Whether this is a joke or not may be hard to discern at the moment. "I'll get on the first part of the order right away!"
And with that, Jam smiles happily and then scurries off to the kitchen to start cooking up this order, check on the other meals, and then get ready to come back. It takes a few minutes, but Jam brings out the drinks and the appetizers out quickly enough. There seems to be some randomness to the order as the two sampler trays all have different stuff on them....or maybe it was whatever Jam could throw together in a hurry back in the kitchen. And so, Jam places utensils (chopsticks), plates, glasses, the free meatbuns and then the appetizers down on the table. "Tada! Any thought on the special?" Jam pauses briefly to collect her breath and her thoughts. "Oh! And how was the rest of the Prom?
Miko smiles in appreciation of the memory. Jam must have a -lot- of customers, so it pleased her to have made that much of an impact. ... Then again, as she's always buying for at least four people, she is contributing heavily to Jam's bottom line. Even if the meatbuns are on the house. She bows her head in thanks of -that- special dispensation.
Saya can't help but break into snickering at how Jam adds a qualification to her statement of free meatbuns. But... then her eyes widen at how many vacancies there are. "W-wow... That's a lot!"
Touji gives Saya the side-eye treatment: "You can't cook -or- clean, what exactly're you gonna do here?"
Saya snaps back, slugging Touji in the shoulder: "Shut up! She said hostess and waitress were open!"
Kazuhito looks over at Miko, mouthing the word for 'jellyfish?' To which the leader simply shrugs, letting Saya and Touji verbally duke it out for a little while. "Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger..."
Saya and Touji seem to have gotten whatever it was out of their systems by the time Jam returns. Miko, for her part, claps her hands together, bowing her head. "Smells delicious, as always, Miss Kuradoberi. I... think we'll try two orders of jellyfish." Kazuhito pales, but Miko flashes a wink back at the boy, before unwrapping her chopsticks and distributing the meatbun tray around the table. "... The rest of the prom? Oh... it was sweet. Lots of breakdancing, lots of... " She trails off, before raising a finger. "Well, it was fun!"
Saya, for her part, chimes in: "Hey, is... is there an application, or what? Where can I sign up? I'd like to be a waitress!"
And Touji flicks his hand up as well. "I'll wash dishes."
Miko chimes back in: "I... did have a question, though. I... understand this restaurant's been seeing its fair share of property damage. What... sort of unruly customers have you been having here? Do you need help taking care of them too? It's got to be tough to make a profit with people causing such a fuss." She quietly pours herself some tea and takes a sip, warming her hands.
Jam does serve a lot of customers on a daily basis. Or atleast she hopes that she does! Sometimes it doesn't quite work out that way, but tonight definitely was a good night customer wise. And with her also working the phones from time to time, she had a good chance at putting something together recollection wise.
Whatever part of the good-natured bickering that Jam overhears, she doesn't seem to pay any of it too much mind. There was a lot going on in the restaurant at once. But Jam does smile from to ear to ear when the order for some jellyfish is announced. "Great! I can try out my new cleaver!" Maybe she truly wasn't joking about the stills squirming part.
The prom talk has Jam zeroing in on Miko. "Breakdancing? There weren't like slow dances and stuff?" It seems that she's skipping right to the part that she's most interested in hearing about. "I'm glad it was fun! I bet it would had been so much fun to go to something like that instead of working it." Jam looks vaguely down in the dumps for all of two seconds before flashing a grin at Miko and her friends.
The prospect of two new employees causes Jam to instantly shift her attention over on Saya and Touji. "Great you're both hired! You can borrow my apron and get right to it!" Her eyes then focus on Touji. "And there are tons and tons of dishes in the back, you get can started right away too! Also, I need someone to hold the jellyfish still while I chop!" Jam lets a food-stuffed minute reply before she starts giggling. "Actually, just call when you want to work! I do need the help!"
As if on cue, a crash and some breaking of plates can be heard from somewhere else. Jam fiercely glares in the direction of destroyed restaurant property before sheepishly smiling back at Miko. "I've been having the -worst- time with these vampires. First they come through the roof, then they break the front door, and another one warped..." Jam pauses to add some 'wor-wor-wor' sounds. "....right into a table and broke that! And then she paid with this like...weird coin. It wasn't even yen!" It seems that Jam is pretty up front about a lot of things, including her vampire problem.
The young woman then smacks herself on the forehead lightly. "Right! The jellyfish! Coming right up!" Jam then departs once more to go yell some things in Chinese at one of the other waitresses whom was sweeping up the broken dishes before disappearing into the kitchen where some very loud chop and thud noises can be heard. It will take a minute or two, but Jam will eventually return with the jellyfish which has been sliced up and cooked before being served on some noodles.
Kazuhito turns a pale shade of white when Jam mentions her cleaver. Oh dear... "Has... anyone else -tried- that tonight? Or... ever?" Please send help. Luckily Kazuhito has no -known- allergies...
Miko nods slowly. "... Well, the breakdancing was kind of in the last half of the... middle? The prom went on for -quite- some time. The slow dancing came afterwards." She smiles faintly, nodding. "The DJ really knew their stuff. I don't know much about music terminology or whatnot, but it was fun to dance to. If I hear of them hitting another club, I will be sure to come let you know."
Saya... well. She hadn't expected to be working so soon. "R-right now? Holy sh-" She jumps up before she can even finish her exclamation and starts reaching for the apron -- At least, until she realizes that it was just a feint. "... Oh." She takes her seat again, as Touji breaks into a gentle round of snickering on her behalf. "I mean, whatever, I wasn't dressed for it anyway..." she complains, in mock bitterness.
Touji raises a hand, though, "I'll help clean up after we eat."
All four of the Gedo students wince at the sound of the plates shattering. I mean, how can one NOT? It's loud! Miko looks back up to Jam with keen interest as she continues, mouthing the word 'vampires?' as Jam continues to speak. Came in through the roof, breaking the front door... that's problematic, Miko can definitely agree about that. While Saya breaks into another gigglefit at the sound effects Jam adds, Miko asks, "... Hmm, was this one night, or... is vampires a recurring problem? Perhaps there's a particular dish they enjoy?" She lets Jam run on about her business, though, as there's -plenty- of food to eat already. OM NOM NOM NOM.
"Touji, I swear, shut your damn mouth when you eat..." complains Saya, finishing off the last of her meatbun as Jam makes her return. And crosses her eyes at the jellyfish. "I... I can help in a little while too," she offers quietly.
Kazuhito's eyes cross too, at the platter of jellyfish. He may have been pale before, but now... well.
Miko, on the other hand, reaches for the plate, and setting it down before her, cracks open her chopsticks and takes a piece without hesitation. "C'mon, you big baby, you eat eel and squid just fine." Taking a bite, she savors the flavor for a moment, nods appraisingly. "... See? It's... crunchy." Nodding appraisingly, she flashes Jam a thumbs-up! "Not bad! I was afraid there wouldn't be much flavor, but -wow-."
Jam just sort of impishly smiles at Kazuhito when he starts to squirm like he was the jellyfish that was about to be served up. "It's a big hit! I mean, it -is- the special afterall." She points out in a rather matter-of-the-fact tone before smiling once more.
The story about the rest of the Prom causes Jam to dreamily slip off into her own dreamworld as she imagines what it must have been like. "Sounds like it got pretty romantic!" The club part of it causes Jam to stop to think about that for a minute. She then shrugs her shoulders and laughs. "Sure! I know just what I'd wear too!" In fact, her fighting cheongsam wouldn't be that out of place at all in most clubs.
Jam just smiles at Saya and Touji as atleast one of them fell for her most cunning ploy. Touji's raised hand causes Jam to raise a finger towards him. "I'm going to hold you to that! I hope you have some big muscles to scrub all the pots and pans with." That may sound a tad flirty, but Jam was also just informing him of the utter truth of the matter. It was pretty bad back there.
When Jam returns with the food she serves it up before finally getting the chance to reply to Miko about the vampires. "Well, it's mostly the one vampire that keeps coming back and trashing my place. The other vampire seemed to know him and even called him 'vampire-sama' or something like that...." The waitress/chef/jellyfish murderer trails off as she tries to actually recall what the title was. Nope, she forgot! And so, Jam just sort of shrugs her shoulders again.
The young chef does stick around a bit to see if everyone enjoys their meal. That was one of the most fun parts about being a chef afterall. Miko's taunt to get Kazuhito to dig in is met by Jam nodding her head in perfect agreement. And Miko's assessment is met by Jam jabbing a finger back at herself. "That's because I'm an awesome cook!" Jam's a lot of things, but humble she is not.
In response to Jam's teasing, Touji's response is a confident smirk and an even more confident/flirty wink. "I'll make do somehow, don't you worry."
Kazuhito eventually does try it; he's about a third of the way through the jellyfish by the time Jam gets back. Miko, however, has completely finished. As Miko explains, "See, if poisoning customers was a thing, it wouldn't be open very long." Touji and Saya have cleaned out the appetizer trays and the poor Peking Duck won't be doing any more peeking now.
Miko seems more than interesed to learn about the vampires. She assumes that some of them were seen in the recent fights, but... hm. It's not much data to correlate, but she assumes that if her two close friends are going to be working here, then that might solve many problems at once. "Well... whatever the case may be, I should probably introduce ourselves to make this -somewhat- less awkward. I'm Miko, and this is... " She gestures to each of her classmates in turn: "Saya, Touji, and Kazuhito." She pauses a moment, nodding her head. "And you, of course, are an awesome cook. Who... shall gain two employees out of this, and they -can- fight, so maybe they can even help you with your vampire problem?"
Miko looks around to her friends. It seems they've had their fill, but Kazuhito asks, "Could I get a to-go box for this jellyfish? I... I had a big lunch."
Jam continues to be pretty much all smiles around Touji, but she looks a little pale when Miko mentions poisoning customers in passing. Her brown eyes dart right and left as she hopes that not too many people overheard that comment. "Um, so the food is really good, right?" She stammers out with a nervous laugh.
The young chef smiles as Miko and her friends are all introduced. She then points towards herself again and announces, "And I'm Kuradoberi Jam-u! Your friendly neighborhood master chef and soon to be employer, for atleast two of you!" The vampire thing draws a serious nod from Jam. "That....is a great idea! I should replace my entire staff with people that can fight. And then the next time someone causes trouble here!" The kung fu chef quickly punches the air near her. "Wowcha! We toss those deadbeat vampires out onto the street!"
Jam suddenly turns and realizes that several of her employees were looking at her. "Ha. No, you all still have your jobs for now!" This does not do all that much to reassure her workers. Jam then sheepishly turns back towards Saya and Touji. "You two might actually have to start sooner rather than later," says the brunette chef with a nervous laugh following her words.
"To go box? No sweat! Enjoy the rest of the food while I go get it!" Jam announces as she leaves now to do many things. She has to placate her employees, finish cooking some food, ensure none of the jellyfish escaped, serve out some more food, and then finally give the to go box and the bill to Miko and company. It was sure going to be one busy night for Kuradoberi Jam!
Log created on 21:49:18 01/09/2015 by Honoka, and last modified on 14:16:22 01/19/2015.