Slow Business Days

[murasa]

The festivities in Nimbasa made business relatively slow; slower than usual one may add. The typical hustle and bustle of up and coming trainers dwindled down to a scattered few. Service has been extremely slow this evening. It's not something Baddap prefers in terms of work environment. In all actuality he enjoyed it when the establishment was overflowing with clients. There was a higher chance of up and coming trainers wishing to challenge the gym leader, one of three triplets, all of which run this place.

He likes to consider himself one of the underlings, the trainers whom test the strength of the challengers through a battle of their own.

Maroon eyes observed his current workload. Next to no one is here. Probably off to Nimbasa, like he'd expect them to be. He plans on visiting the big city as well, however, not now. Perhaps soon, but not now. Not while he's on the job. For now he must cope with how little there is to do in a restaurant as empty as Striaton's.

Not for long. Someone, a customer, came in. He heard the tiny chime of the bell as the door swung open, then closed. They took their seat. None of the other employees chose to approach, so Baddap stepped forward, notepad and pencil at hand and pok?balls readily clipped to his belt. It's time to look moderately presentable.

"Welcome. Is there anything you wish to start with? A drink or perhaps an appetizer?"

There's an off chance that this individual wished to challenge the gym leaders as well. He couldn't say that outright, though. Challenging the trainers pre-leader isn't his primary job.

[joestar]

Damn, was it cold. Cold and windy. His hat pulled tight over his ears, Johnny could not fathom why anyone would want to travel all the way to Nimbasa City in this weather. It was somewhat convenient for him, however, that few people were out and about this time of year. It surely made getting around a lot easier, especially now that the ground was coated in a fine dusting of snow. And if there's one thing his wheel chair didn't like, it was snow. And having to maneuver around crowds of people only made it worse.

He sighed, slowly pushing himself along with gloved hands that were locked in a curled position from the cold. With a shiver and a sniffle through a red, chill-bitten nose, he brought himself to a halt in front of the Striaton Restaurant and sneezed violently into the thick scarf that was wrapped around his neck. A particularly stinging blast of wind suddenly blew past him, and Johnny thought now would be as good a time as ever to get inside.

Seeing no better alternative, he steered himself into the restaurant, leaning forward and swinging the door open for himself. A small bell chimed, and as he took his seat, a waiter approached him.

"Welcome. Is there anything you wish to start with? A drink or perhaps an appetizer?"

"Just a coffee would be fine," Johnny replied as he removed his gloves and scarf. He placed them off to the side, giving only a scarce glance to his server. "Please," he added, as if it was an afterthought. He saw the Pok?balls clipped to the waiter's belt, and for a fleeting moment felt the urge to battle. But he felt he really was in no state to battle, and getting this bone-deep chill out of his body was priority.

[murasa]

The final "pleased" seemed unnatural-- forced, almost. That was the first thing to come to Baddap's mind. The second one would be the customer's... disability, for lack of a better word. With the pen's tip to the notepad, Baddap questioned in his mind how this guy managed to make it to the restaurant in such cold weather, alone, and bound to a wheelchair. To question this outright would be rude and an invasion of privacy. The soldier-like male brushed the thought away.

"Right away."

With that said, he backed away to prepare the coffee. It wasn't long until he returned with a mug filled about half-way with black coffee, set on a tray with a pot of warm milk and assorted sugars. It's better to let him cream and sugar his caffeine however he pleases. These assorted beverage items were placed on the table. Baddap took a step back.

There was a second of contemplative silence before he lowered his head and spoke.

"Please, enjoy the coffee."

Aside from the other miscellaneous workers, the restaurant remained quite empty. He recalls some waiters striking conversation with the customers, however, topics of relative interest (and appropriateness) were absent in his mind. Then again, silence isn't something he disliked. The question is, though, does this stranger prefer a conversation over silence?

[joestar]

Paying little attention to the waiter as he departed, Johnny turned his gaze to the rest of the restaurant, his eyes wandering from empty table to empty table. Seeing only scarce customers and the occasional staff, he figured the festivities in Nimbasa must've been affecting more than just the streets. Even the local restaurant--which was usually bustling with up-and-coming trainers wanting to challenge the gym leaders--was lacking its usual crowds.

It had a strangely lonely atmosphere, Johnny thought as the waiter returned, depositing a tray upon which a mug of coffee and various sugars was set. Muttering a quiet "thank you," Johnny quickly went about spooning a small bit of sugar into the coffee, before bringing it to his lips and blowing gently. Steam swirled about in the air, bringing with it a warm and welcoming aroma. Sipping a bit of the coffee to test the taste, he sighed as the warmth spread through his chest. He set the mug down, not taking his hands off of it as if to get as much warmth from it as he could.

Tapping his finger against the ceramic, he stole a glance at his server. Johnny shuddered as he felt the constricting silence between them, and decided that even though idle chit-chat wasn't exactly a specialty of his, it wouldn't hurt to strike up some small talk.

Clearing his throat, he tried his best to act approachable. "I can't believe anyone would want to travel all the way to Nimbasa in this weather," he said, taking another sip of coffee. He hoped it would at least be enough to warrant a response, but that wouldn't be for him to decide.

[murasa]

The silence he seldom minded. Business typically kept him occupied wiether it be running back and forth between customers or the usual Pok?mon battle. Today he had none of that. Nimbasa's festivities gradually sucked away the possible visitors, leading them far from Striaton and closer to where the real fun would be had. All the activities and decorations Baddap found little interest in.

The handicapped stranger spoke up. Red eyes focused back on him. It sounds like he shared the same curiosities Baddap himself had.

"I wouldn't know. The snow is heavy right now. Why would anyone want to travel to Nimbasa just for a festival?"

The topic of traveling made Baddap a little bit curious. Pulling out a chair from an adjacent table, the currently-waiter took his seat. It's best to stay within range of someone talking to you. It's only common courtesy.

"Did you arrive from far off?" He only had to wonder, considering the customer's... well... disability.

[joestar]

Johnny watched as his server sat down, taking a moment to take another sip of coffee. He shrugged at the question, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I guess some people just crave the excitement." He spooned more sugar into the black liquid, stirring it around carefully.

"Did you arrive from far off?"

Johnny blinked, shaking his head. "No, I live here in town." He fell silent, turning his attention to absentmindedly stirring his coffee. "And yes, more than the weather is keeping me from going to Nimbasa," he said suddenly, before taking another sip. He had expected this, of course, but it was always enjoyable to tease those who get flustered by his disability.

"What about you?" Johnny asked, trying to buffer the slight sly dig. "Why aren't you enjoying the festivities?" He understood having to be on the job, but with such little traffic, it wouldn't hurt to leave for a little while and visit the festival.

[murasa]

So he lived in town. Strange-- maybe Baddap hadn't paid much attention, but he has never seen a handicapped person around town before. Those would be pretty noticeable, wouldn't they? Considering how... actually, never mind. He won't delve too deeply into this sort of thing-- that's sort of disrespectful.

"It's a big city," he responded, "I'm not surprised that I've never once seen you around since I've lived here."

The way he spoke, so stern and devoid of feeling, could ward off even the most talkative of partners. Small talk felt forced by now-- why do most waiters have to talk to their clients? Sure, he wanted to just to kill time but he did not realize just how painful small-talk is.

Johnny questioned why he did not go to Nimbasa. Simple. There's a simple answer to that question and Johnny could easily figure it out if he could read his voice and body language. A plebeian wouldn't read into a new face so quickly, unfortunately, or so Baddap thinks.

"I don't have a reason to go. Festivals are best enjoyed in pairs, and I prefer solitude. Unfortunately, most trainers are off to Nimbasa and they were my source of training. "

The soldier's eyes met his client's. "If I travel miles upon miles just to have a few Pokémon battles, that would be a waste of time and energy, wouldn't it? That's all a singular human being can do at a festival: enjoy what they want to enjoy and nothing else, the reason simply being that their interests don't stay for that long."