"So, any bright ideas GPS?" Minh asked, letting go of my hand.
I stared at the street in front of us. People walking to and from, horse-pulled carts driving along the road.
"Well?" Minh nudged my elbow.
"Uh," I glance around the street.
I know I came from here with the kids. Why does everything look the same!
Minh turned away from me, "So we're lost. Wonderful."
"Hey, we're not lost, I just have to remember where we're going."
"Welp, might as well make this street corner our new home," he sighed, slumping down next to a lamp post.
"For fucks sake, just give me a minute!" I scanned the street.
Where is it?
... Oh, there it is!
"Minh, over there!" I beamed, pointing to a planter with small white flowers and oranges that sat below a shop's window across the street.
Minh looked up and stared at the shop.
"And?"
"I saw a poster on one of the shops near there, it said they're hiring," I explained, taking his hand and dragging him along.
I stopped at the road for a moment, took a deep breath, gripped Minh's hand, and ran.
"Race you!"
"We're holding hands, how is this a race?!"
We made it to the other side and started walking along the different shops. I know it's here somewhere.
"Is this it?" Minh asked, stopping at a medieval-looking place with a poster on the door.
I walked over and read it.
Hiring New Waiters: Please talk to the bartender
"Yup," I nodded.
Stepping forward, I push open the door to a lantern-lit place with round wooden tables scattered around the big room, and a bar counter at the left corner. Most of the tables were full, people drinking, playing cards, and whatever people do at taverns.
"Seriously?" Minh asked, peeking through the door.
"Mhm," I grinned before walking in.
Passing the hoards of drunk people, I made my way to the bar and sat in one of the empty chairs. I glance at the door and see Minh coming over, sitting in the seat next to me. I raise my hand up and call out to the lady behind the counter, looking over a cabinet of bottles.
She stopped and walked over to us, "Want anything?"
"Uh, yeah! We saw your poster and we're here for the job."
"Poster? Why exactly do you want to work here?"
"Well, we just landed from the airship and we're-"
"Broke. Broke and hungry," Minh interrupted, resting his head on the counter, "Oh, and desperate."
Dude... what the fuck? And here I thought, I was gonna be the one to fuck this up.
"Just landed hm? Where you from exactly?"
"Oh we're-"
"Vietnam, we can clean. I can cook and this miget here can serve customers," Minh interrupted, again.
I kicked his leg from under the table and continued, "Sorry about him, he's just had a bad day. Anyway, we just landed here and we're looking for work, we saw that you were hiring and thought to try our luck. We can clean, cook, and do... waitery stuff?"
God, that pitch was even worse.
The bartender stared at us for I swear was a few minutes and then finally responded, "Well, you don't look like no criminals. As long as you do your job you'll be fine. Come to the back and we'll talk from there."
Then she walked into a side door next to the shelf of bottles.
... We're hired?
"Holy shit that worked."
"I suppose being law-abiding citizens was worth it," Minh shrugged, a yawn following after.
Hooray for not committing crimes I guess. I got up, opened the half-door thing at the counter, and walked behind the bar. I turned to Minh.
"You coming?"
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, getting up and following me to the side door.
We sat down on some chairs in front of a table near a sink. We waited until the bartender came over. She pulled out a chair nearby and sat across from us.
"Since you're new staff, I'm gonna have you work in the back to get used to the place. You come in late morning, leave around the middle of the night, and get paid a gold coin by the end of the week. Sound good?"
"Um," I look at Minh next to me, then at the bartender, "Sure?"
"Good, you can call me Jacquin, you'll be starting today," she nodded before getting up and carrying something from the back of the room.
A stack of plates and pots was put on the table in front of us.
"For your first job, go clean these up. Put them on the table when you finish," she explained, turning back and leaving us with the dirty dishes on the table.
I turned to Minh as he got up and rolled up his sleeves, then at the stack of dishes. I'm starting to think we should've looked for another job.
—————
"My hands hurt."
"Deal with it."
I roll my eyes, "I wasn't even talking to you," I grumbled, scrubbing the dirt plate in the sink.
As I dunked the plate in the water, I turned to look at the stack of dirty dishes still there.
Why are there more dishes there than before? Actually, when's lunch? Do I even get a lunch break?! I look around the room. There has to be a clock here right?
"Get back to work."
A kick hit my knee from the side. "Ow! Okay, okay, I got it!" I huffed, "fucking asshole."
I finished rinsing my plate and went on to scrub the next.
This is gonna take forever!
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Minh, I'm tired!" Phuong whined
"Deal with it, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go fuck our homeless selves somewhere else," I retort, "It's just washing dishes anyway, you're not that tired."
"I am though," Phuong pouted, slumping to the floor like the whiny bitch she is.
I send a swift kick her way, best to beat the lazy out early.
"Ow! Okay, okay, fine!" she whined once again as she got up from the floor and went to go mope somewhere else.
Lazy ass. I let out a groan. "Just keep scrubbing, there'll be an end eventually," I mutter to myself, scrubbing off the grime on the plate and placing it in the sink with the other dishes.
After who knows how long. All the dish were in pristine condition and all stack atop of each on the table.
"FINALLY!" Phuong cheered, slumping onto the table.
"For now," I roll my eyes. It's a five-minute break, we'll get back to work soon anyway.
"Can you just once not ruin anything?" She pouted, resting her head on the table.
"Hm... no thank you, but I appreciate the offer," I shrugged, placing a stack of clean plates on the table before sitting across from her.
She rolled her eyes with a groan, burying her face in her arms in typical fashion. Then the door of the backroom opened, and the barkeep came in, taking the plates on the table to the front, and before she left she turned to us.
"While you're on your break, can you take out the trash to the bin outback," she said before leaving.
Ah yes, just like actual managers in our world. 'If you got time to lean, you got time to clean' they say; give us a raise and maybe we'll actually put in the effort. Phuong raised her head as I looked at the, bin? No, more like above average-height crate of something, with about a dozen flies surveying that area. And I tried so hard to ignore it too. As expected the world is a cruel place for the impoverished. I look back at Phuong, she stares at me back. I held out my hand, placing a fist on top of it as she did the same.
"Rock, paper, scissors... shoot!"
A tie
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
Another tie
"Rock paper scissor shoot!"
God damn it.
We both stare at our open palms, having picked the same thing for three rounds now. I look at Phuong, she looks back.
"Should we just?" she started.
"Let's go."
She nodded, "Yup, got it."
I walked over to the tall crate of who knows what. Swatting away the flies that looked quite homey there, I grip one side of the crate.
Oh god, it smells so bad.
Phuong comes over, taking the other side as I hold my breath, and we carry it to the back door. I pushed it open, pulling the crate into the alleyway behind the tavern. Carrying it to the mother trash where it belongs. Or we would have if Phuong didn't drop the whole thing! The crate crashed to the ground, whatever was inside spilling out, and what's worst is that it almost dropped on my foot.
Now, I may not be a lawyer, but personally, I call this an attempted murder. When did my toes do anything to you, you heathen of a sister!
I look up from the fallen crate, giving the thousand-yard stare at the bane of my existence who so happens to have my dumb face.
"Phuong! What the fu- oh shit."
There at the end of the alley was a splash of crimson dripping from the walls to the ground, a pool of it forming into a trail that led to a closed crate, chunks of something I don't want to think about following it. I close my hands into a fist to stop them from shaking, my eyes moving to Phuong who looks just as horrified. I keep my eyes on her, even though she's ugly, it's better than what I was looking at before. She turned to me, eyes wide, mouth bit shut. I took a deep breath as I stepped closer to her, taking her shaking hand. I could feel her grip, it hurt, but it's not the best time to complain right now. I squeezed her hand.
"Close your eyes and breathe, you don't have to look at it," I comforted, it's been a while since I did that.
I felt another squeeze before I watched her close her eyes, taking shaky breaths, her grip getting tighter with each one. I look back at the end of the alley.
A familiar smell wafted into my nose, the same smell I smelled when helping ông butcher chickens back home. Not paint. I take another breath. It's either an animal or a person, and I pray to any god that exists that it's the first one.
A/N
Ello readers! It's been a while, I've decided on a schedule for future posting and here are my plans:
I'll only be posting once a week, Traveling Star, Wandering Chaos being posted on Saturdays and Flower Among Jade on sundays. In the future, I think I should stick to one novel at a time, solely to keep my workaholic self from breaking down in the future. Hope you understand, and best wishes to you all! ٩( ᐛ )و