Little Talks [Penny]

[Charlie]

[ Wearing ]

The competences required of someone working the bar were specific. Penny’s resume read well, though the blonde was admittedly curious about what the other was so openly secretive about. Non-professional atmosphere and of a more personal nature the message had read. Funnily enough, Charlie found the non-specific statement representative of her own experience prior to any formal training.

Formal training: in her humble opinion a necessary requirement to hire anyone at a bar. In Australia Charlie herself had been required to acquire a certificate in order to work as a bartender. In doing so, she learned how to deal with situations she had little to no experience with despite her time bartending in the UK.

The combination of accredited certification and over a year’s worth of experience suggested someone who knew would be confident without supervision. Penny Parker, on paper, seemed ideal. However, to work at Serpentine required far more than a gleaming resume. Some things couldn’t be reflected on a piece of paper. Furthermore, Serpentine catered to fetishists, the details of which were on a need to know basis. It was also important to Charlie that whoever she hired was up to her standard and, most importantly, could handle Jesse. A brief exchange with her coworkers had reassured her that she wasn’t the only one uncomfortable in his presence. Part of her wished he would be there when she interviewed Penny, but when she’d announced the date and time, he’d claimed to have more pressing engagements.

And so here she was, sitting at one of the booths while the back of house staff did their food prep for the evening. Nordic blue gaze scanned the balance sheets and receipts before her as she tallied the numbers for the first half of the day. With any luck she’d finish the banking before Penny arrived. A glance at her phone, laying in wait on the table, indicated it was only just 3PM. The time noted, Charlie returned her attention to the numbers, losing herself to mental calculations. With her free hand, she twirled a loose lock of hair.

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

“Charm was a scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately, no matter what the charmer had in mind.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions


Within the bounds of the cramped hotel room, Penny ran from the bathroom to the bedroom (all of 10 paces). Her clothing choices were laid out on the unmade bed. She wanted to make sure that everything was just so. The appointment she was getting ready for was for an interview at Serpentine for a position as a bartender.

It was important to the young woman to make a good impression, especially since her very livelihood could depend on it. She needed an apartment and money was definitely a necessity in the acquiring of one. Even in her short 23 years of life on this side of the dirt, she knew that a person would often size you up from the moment they first laid eyes on you up to the part where you say hello. Penny wasn't going to waste this opportunity to impress.

And thanks to her father, she also knew that you never walk into an interview without the proper knowledge of the place that you are seeking employment. Thanks to Google, she learned that the Serpentine served more than one purpose. It housed a tattoo parlour, bar and the added prize of a recreational gym, where one could enjoy a game of paintball and other pursuits.

It was definitely an interesting place and looked like a fun place to be employed. It would definitely serve as an exceptional place to meet interesting and colorful people (no tattoo pun intended).

Feeling confident about her credentials, she knew the securing of the job would heavily rely on her fitting in with the atmosphere, along with any charm that she possessed. With the scene of Serpentine being of an alternative nature, she felt an even larger boost in her opinion that she would be perfect for the job. Alternative, she could do. She had to admit, the thought of being associated with a tattoo parlour made her happy, after all - she had been trying to decide on some ink that she wanted to get done. Maybe she would be given a discount as an employee.

After finally settling on keeping it business casual, she slipped into a pair of black linen drawstring pants and paired it with a white cotton crew neck tshirt. The colors contrasted well against the darkness of her hair. Now, she had to decide if she should do away with her piercings or not. Her mind went back to the type of bar and the clientele that they probably catered to and she decided to keep her septum piercing in place. With that sorted, she arranged her long braids into a bun, on the top of her head.

Leaning forward, her forehead touched the cooled glass of the mirror. She stared into the reflection of her own eyes and took in a deep cleansing breath. "The reflection in the mirror is as deep as the person it reflects." She spoke aloud to herself. "Let my eyes open and be read in the context that will fulfill the need of the reader." She closed her eyes and then gently opened her mind. She knew within her thoughts there laid the anchor that was tied to self doubt. She needed to open herself and release all negativity. She pictured an open window with a breeze gently blowing against the curtains that hung in front of it. Penny then opened her eyes, ready.

Just to keep on the safe side, the witch quickly lighted a green candle that was anointed in bayberry oil for money and luck. She then said a quick prayer. Making sure the candle was not near anything that could catch fire, due to the open flame, Penny ran out the door, leaving the candle burning and working it's magic.

Luckily for her, the directions to the Serpentine were easy to follow and not too far from where she was residing. It only took a 30 minute train ride and a fifteen minute walk to get to the place.

Taking in a deep breath for confidence, she let it out as she walked into the area of the building that served as the bar. Penny's mahogany eyes scanned the area, looking for anyone that might would meet the idea of Charlie Taylor, the person whom she had been corresponding with, in regards to the job. Knowing that the woman would be expecting her, she was figuring on the woman addressing her first.

As she looked around she noticed a woman in a booth situated in the back. She seemed to be embedded in a pile of paperwork completely absorbed in whatever task was at hand. Penny smiled and thought, that she could very well be the Charlie that she was there to see. With that thought, she started to walk in her direction.

[Charlie]

Mathematics had been one Charlie’s strongest subjects in school. The daily banking lent itself to a moment of relaxation, numbers flitting past her mind’s eye, with whatever discordance leading to a faulty calculation or logical explanation. Arithmetic was constant, unlike much else in her life up until a few years ago. Consistency and stability had been something she had (eventually) found here in Harper Rock. It was the reason she was so hesitant to leave in spite of it being nearly five full months out of her allotted twelve in Canada. The same had been true for Australia, where she’d forgone the erratic lifestyle of a backpacker and instead settled into a steady job as soon as she could. Things had been different there, more… planned. Here, she occasionally worried about whether she’d find herself sponsored and be able to stay longer. The thought of returning to bonnie Scotland made her uneasy; there was nothing left for her there.

The crease between her eyebrows was beginning to hurt for her face was one rarely twisted into an unpleasant scowl. There was something missing from the inventory which wasn’t reflected in the numbers. It occurred to her that the first course of action was to recount the money in the box, but when she turned away from her paperwork intent for the metal box at her thigh, an unfamiliar silhouette caught the corner of her eye.

Glancing up, her features softened, broad smile settling across full lips.

“Penny?” she inquired, Scottish accent thick—it always was when she’d been caught in her head for so long. Not waiting for the young woman to reply, Charlie began to tidy up her makeshift desk, deliberately sliding Penny’s resume to the side as she piled the inventory sheet and receipts into one big heap.

“Please,” the blonde motioned towards the leather seating before her with an open hand. It was a far comfier setup than the chairs in the office. Her gaze was contemplative, first impressions underway.

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

The woman confirmed Penny's belief that she was Charlie, when she looked up and called her over using her name. The blonde's words were heavy with an accent. Penny's brain did a quick analysis and thought maybe it was either Irish, or Scottish, maybe even Welsh. She would need to hear her say more to be able to really flush it out. Either way, she was a sucker for an accent.

As she walked over to join her, she pulled her shoulders back and stood as tall as her five feet and 2 inch frame would allow her. If only she had worn heels instead of her flats...

After sliding into the seat of the booth, across from Charlie, Penny stretched out her arm, doing her best to avoid knocking over the stack of papers that Charlie had just shuffled together, and offered to shake her hand.

With a genuine smile that caused the corners of her eyes to wrinkle a bit, Penny spoke out, "it's so nice to finally meet you, Charlie."

[Charlie]

At first glance, Penny looked the part.
On paper, she looked the part as well.
Unfortunately for both of them, the hiring process wasn’t so easy.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” she countered, giving the hand one firm shake. “I have to admit, I couldn’t wait to have you in for an interview. Your resume reads incredibly well.”

After getting stuck with Tianna, Charlie wanted to be sure that Penny could, in fact, fill the shoes. Bartending was much harder than most people believed it to be. It was a physically demanding job, which a yoga instructor could surely handle. It was a balancing act of being friendly and unyielding, and it wasn’t suited for everyone. Fifteen months of experience was grand, but over the course of her employment Charlie had met more than her fair share of inexperienced ‘experienced’ people.

Without further ado, she got down to business.

“Tell me, Penny, how was your job at The District?”

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

As their grips relaxed and Penny pulled away from the handshake, she settled back into the booth. The cool hardness of the wood pushed against the spine of her back as she sat in front of Charlie with perfect posture. The two women may have been surrounded by the movements and the goings on of the Serpentine, but the booth provided them with semi-private quarters, making it easier for Penny, a sufferer of ADHD, to concentrate on the task at hand.

Penny's pink lips parted, as her tongue darted out, moistening her lips before she spoke. "It was a menagerie of sorts." Her eyes twinkled as she began to elaborate more on what she meant by that statement. "I found it to be rewarding, tiring, hard work and a job that I absolutely loved. If anything, it wasn't boring." She let out a small chuckle and leaned slightly forward, toward the table. "The District is located in one of the busier nightlife sections of Toronto, located on Spadina Avenue. It's not the fanciest, by any means. But, it does find a line that runs down the street and wraps around the corner of University, every Friday and Saturday night. I tallied up once that my average sales, on a weeknight, were $1,000.00-$3,000.00 a shift. They would double, sometimes triple, that on weekends. Fast hands and a quick tongue are two valuable commodities, when it comes to bartending." She gave the woman a quick wink. "As I am sure you know, one may hold the title of Bartender, but it is so much more....counselor, peacekeeper, entertainer and etcetera etcetera."

[Charlie]

Charlie found herself paying more attention the young woman’s mannerisms than her words. She committed to memory the sale numbers and made a mental note to check their veracity once she got around to calling the references. Her gaze drifted to the bottom of the resume where the names were listed. There was no indication of which references held what role, but she wasn’t ready to reveal that she’d yet to call.

Focused gaze settling back on Penny, the blonde inched the resume closer with the tip of her fingers, then set her pen on it. She clasped her hands before her on the table, back straight and feet firmly on the ground beneath the table.

“Serpentine caters to a wide variety of customers what with the parkour course downstairs and the parlour next door,” she tipped her head to the left, where the glass floor revealed part of the training course below and the glass wall showcased Jesse’s neighbouring tattoo studio. It was all a little bit mismatched and eccentric, which suited the owner of this place rather well. “It’s an alternative scene, but there are certain whims we cater to that don’t set well with the general population. How open are you to fetishistic lifestyles?”

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

Penny's brown eyes followed Charlie's nod, that seemed to take aim at the glass floor and wall, which revealed the tattoo parlour and the parkour that she spoke of. The place was definitely unique, to say the least.

Penny had never seen anything like it in Toronto. It was this uniqueness that made the place even more appealing to the young woman. She had never fashioned herself as being any sort of hipster, but she did have an eclectic soul and style about her, so the thought of a wide variety of customers made her smile and nod as she turned to look back on the face of Charlie.

"Fetishistic lifestyles? If you mean things like the bondage community and the such? I have a strong belief in the latin phrase, Suum cuique. To each his own." Her forehead wrinkled with the lifting of her brows. This was absolute truth for her. She was not one to judge, especially since most of her life she had been on the receiving end of prejudicial blows. As her face softened into a smile, she continued, "If you are worried about something freaking me out, I am rather imperviable when it comes to many things."

Unsure if these were the answers that Charlie was seeking, Penny knew she was speaking the truth. Whether or not it got her the job, that was something she would have to find out.

[Charlie]

A private smile graced her lips at the mention of bondage. Charlie offhandedly realised the month was coming to an end, the parade imminent. It had been nearly four weeks since the LGBT Month kickoff party at Powerhouse, one of the many private ‘clubs’ in the city. There were a handful of dungeons in Harper Rock which she’d referenced upon arrival, but had yet to explore. Serpentine had a wide range of clients, some which might easily be part of the community, but the blonde strongly doubted they made up a considerable percentage of their clientele here. In any case, her misworded question was answered beyond satisfactorily.

Imperviable

“Brilliant.”
Her smile widened then, brow furrowing emphatically.

Charlie wondered just how impervious Penny was, and without much thought, posed her next question. As she did, she leaned back, clasped hands dropping to her lap. The answer Penny had given her provided more relief than she thought she’d require. It wasn’t a done deal, of course, but it made the progression of the interview a lot easier.

That said, she wouldn’t give away any details until she’d made her mind up.

“How do you cut someone off?”
Harper Rock’s laws were generous in regards to opening hours, more so than any other she’d encountered. It had admittedly surprised her to find out how late bars and clubs were allowed to stay open considered she’d lived in two countries where drinking was practically a national sport.

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

The raven haired woman leaned back against the wall of the booth, once more. Her spine was straight, as was her face. This was a subject that every well trained Bartender needed to always take seriously, which was exactly how Penny took it. "TIPS. I am certified in TIPS, which is, of course, training for intervention procedures. It is not only my duty as an employee, but also as a decent human being, to make sure that no harm comes from someone drinking by my hand, that includes intoxication that can cause drinking and driving or any other harmful behaviours." She paused and leaned forward slightly, while pushing her right index finger onto the table, in front of her. "First, I keep it private and discreet. If i think I need to, I will let my manager know and then tell my patron respectfully, but firmly, that they are cut off. For example: I would says something like, 'I’m the one who helped get you into this mess, and now I’m going to be the one who helps you get out of it' I also make sure that they aren't driving while intoxicated." She pulled her finger from the table and sat up straight, again. "Of course it doesn't hurt to get a little help from their friends, that is if they came with some. You know, if the patron isn't cooperating or if they need a ride. If they are alone, I will arrange for a cab." Penny took in a breath and then smiled. "I have been known to prove to a few that I may be small, but that doesn't mean that I am not capable."

Another breath in and then out; she waited for Charlie's next question.