A New Investment

[Linalia Soft]

The ship finally put down on Zeltros. It landed with a slight jolt that sent an angry frown across Linalia's face. She was already grumpy for having to travel all this way. Here was to hope that this was an investment that would work out in her favor. It had set her back a few million credits. She had worked hard to steal all that money, now she was trying her hand at business. God willing it worked out.

Paradise was a lush, very exquisite cantina. Vegitation covered many parts of it with very fine areas covered in cobblestone and wooden huts for the various services offered there. Many of said services were illegal or very, very promiscuous. At the top of a couple-story tall waterfall sat a particularly luxurious hut. This was Linalia's new office for the cantina.

A protocol droid stood awaiting her arrival "Hello Mistress Linalia," it said. The voice was a very nive model and almost sounded human-like. "Hmm," she growled back at it, still grumpy from the flight. It began talking about expense reports and other boring business crap that, quite honestly, Linalia couldn't care about. She shoved past the droid and slammed the door shut behind her. Lina slumped in a chair with a laborious sigh. She had to conduct interviews to replace waitresses that had left with the original owner. What a drag. Unfortunately, she had bought a business and some things would be necessary before she made money out of this joint.

[member="Saoirse Reyes"]

 

[Miya Ashera]

[member="Linalia Soft"]

Finally Saoirse had made her way to Zeltros. It had been on her mind ever since leaving Balosar, but lack of money and a few thugs on her neck had made making smooth travel plans a challenge. There had been a few pit stops here and there, with some kind of misery awaiting her in each location. Saoirse had high hopes for Zeltros. She felt like she deserved a break. People were too busy being high on life, alcohol and spice here anyway, right? Speaking of, if she could just get her hands on some spice, her day would be perfect...

Of course, if she planned on staying she would need credits. She could only live on free stuff for so long. It was a little tempting to see how long she could make it. Her looks had gotten far in the past. Although remembering all the trouble she had gone through recently, she decided against it. Those things were not best left to chance.

Spoiler

Saoirse entered into the exquisite cantina dressed in an all-black outfit. A long, tight skirt where the edges reached just beyond her knee, with a high cut up on her right hip. Her top was cut off, exposing her stomach, and it also covered up the neck tattoo she was so proud of. But it would have to do. For once she actually wore heels.

Looking around the rest of the clientèle, she wasn't exactly sure if she matched the dress code. Hopefully it would not work against her. It was an easy thing to adjust into something else. She couldn't get a hold of the bartender, but after asking the waitress she came across, she was directed towards Linalia's hut. Saoirse needed a job, any job, and Linalia was apparently the person who could give it to her. She walked over and knocked on the door.

 

[Linalia Soft]

An hour after Lina settled in, she'd had a few drinks and was much happier. When finally a knock came on her door. "K7, who is it?" she said with a sigh. "Madame, it appears to be one of your candidates for waitressing," the droid replied back.

"Very well, come in."

In through the door came a particularly good looking woman. Lina put her feet on the ground, which had previously been propped up on her desk. The desk itself had papers scattered everywhere with a few empty glasses on it. She looked directly at the woman who had come in. Linalia had never been to concerned with the gender of whom she was attracted to. And this woman certainly proved she was not only attracted to men. But years of dealing with low-lifes kept her demeanor in check. "Welcome, please have a seat. And if you have any problems with the mess, that's entirely a personal issue," she said curtly. "What is your name, dear?"

[member="Saoirse Reyes"]

 

[Miya Ashera]

[member="Linalia Soft"]

Saoirse walked in. Her eyes quickly scanned the room before dropping onto the person seated at the desk. It brought a smirk to her lips. The image reminded her of herself, a few months back. She had been managing affairs at Club Tranquillity. That was, of course, until a lost spice shipment, slave raid, and subsequent punishment from the local crime syndicate. They hadn't been too happy about the spice situation. Saoirse had escaped from it all. She wondered if the situation was similar or much different on Zeltros than on Balosar?

"Thanks" she said, closing the door behind her. She didn't hesitate to walk over and take a seat. "I don't have problems. I just solve them" she said with a little wink. Too much? Job interviews, man, you never knew how to act. It was hard to get a read off the woman in front of her and her personality type before doing a little prodding. What she could tell, however, was that she looked good and dressed well.

"I'm Saoirse Reyes."

 

[Linalia Soft]

"I bid you a very warm welcome," the sarcasm evident in her voice. "I just recently acquired this place. This isn't your standard cantina. This is a place for much higher end people. Things here run smooth," she continued. The woman in front of her rolled smoothly with everything Linalia had said thus far. Beautiful and collected. A good start though far. But her hard outer shell would test this [member="Saoirse Reyes"] heavily. "I am more or less new to business, but I do know how to manage my money. If I decide to hire you, you will be responsible for handling said money, as well as making sure things run smooth. This place is not called Paradise for nothing," Lina glared at the woman, watching her face for any flicker in will. Without pause, Linalia continued, "I expect you will be able to uphold these desires of mine?" Linalia was here for money, not for friendships, not for fun. Her greedy mindset was hard and wouldn't be shaken by...by this...woman. Not easily at least.

 

[Miya Ashera]

[member="Linalia Soft"]

Saoirse seemed unfazed by the sarcasm. She was a frequent user of it herself. "Nice" Saoirse said with a nod of the head, a little absent-minded as she was taking in the info. So she was new to this? That was good. Saoirse had experience... Or, well. She had been new to it too, and now she had lost it all. But details. "I can adapt to whatever clientèle you want to cater to, high or low" Saoirse said confidently, without really thinking through the implications. She'd deal with it when that time came. For now, her primary concern was just getting hired. After that it would be much easier to work out any issues. At worst, it'd give her an income while she looked for something better.

"I used to manage a nightclub myself. It's not a new business for me. I'm sure I could make things run smooth, as I did then. I'm good with money" particularly good with spending it. Preferably on spice. "Upholding desires is my speciality. I won't cause trouble in Paradise." she said with a smile, holding herself back to keep it from developing into a full-on laugh. "So, would it be a kind of managing position? What kind of tasks exactly would my role entail?" She'd rather get the full picture now, than get a nasty surprise later.

 

[Linalia Soft]

Linalia sat forward, in complete silence she studied the woman in front of her. Confident. And knowledgeable. There was no doubt that Saoirse must have heard this was for being a waitress. But they way she threw in the drop at wanting to be a manager of sorts finally cause a maniacal laugh to rise up out of Lina. When she had finished, she composed herself, the sadistic smile still on her face. "I like you. You know this was only to be a waitress right?" she asked with a small chuckle. Before [member="Saoirse Reyes"] could reply, she carried on, "Nevermind that. You have what it takes to do more than that. But first I must see you work." Linalia rummaged through the papers on her desk before uncovering a datapad. "Take this," she said. "You have 24 hours to learn all that you can about this bar. You won't learn all of it. At least I hardly doubt it. When you return to me, I will test you on all the information, I will determine how well you did, then you will work as a waitress. If that goes well, we talk more. Any questions?" her face had gone back to being serious by this point, not wavering a bit as she spouted all of the information.

 

[Miya Ashera]

[member="Linalia Soft"]

Saoirse did not take kindly to be laughed at, something she found hard to cover up from the expression in her face. She'd make her pay for that one, one day. A crime to fit the slight. For it was only a slight, and nothing major. Perhaps take a little of the credits for herself to get some spice, and blame it on someone else. Who knew what she'd think of. "Then wha-" she never got to finish that sentence before she was interrupted by Linalia. Sure, she knew it was primarily a waitress they had been looking for, but when Linalia had mentioned she'd be handling her money and make sure things run smooth, it had thrown her off. At least it was all cleared out now. Saoirse didn't mind. A job was a job. A temporary stepping stone on her way to something greater.

Saoirse didn't seem troubled about the 24 hours to learn what she needed. If others could do it, she could as well. She had a feeling that her previous experience from Club Tranquillity would give her the insight she needed to know what to look for and where, what was important to know and what could be left out. All in all, she was feeling pretty confident and overqualified. "Just one. Is there a dress code?" she asked, trying to figure out whether there was a uniform to put on there, or if Linalia wanted her to dress a certain style. After an answer to her question, she was ready to take her leave and prepare for the next day.

 

[Linalia Soft]

Linalia noticed the flame of emotion that burst up in Saoirse. But rest assured, this woman would be calmed by the outcome of this job. She was probably unaware the hundreds of thousands of credits she could make. As for the dress code, Lina had one rule: "Skin. That's how you will make money. That is the dress code. Thank you," she said, showing the woman out. Now that she was alone, it was time for her to see to the other applicants. She felt like none of them would stand up to [member="Saoirse Reyes"]. And they didn't. After she finished all of her interviews, it was time to sleep. Tomorrow, she would see just how well Saoirse would do.

 

[Miya Ashera]

Saorise had returned to her temporary quarters in some random hostel. It was centrally placed yet the conditions were far from ideal. It's main selling point was the fact that it was affordable. Her evening had started out with her studying for the second part of the interview the next day. She was trying to soak up as much knowledge as she could in the little time that she had. However she felt confident that her experience managing a nightclub would help her knowing which pieces of information were important to look for and which could be ignored. The evening had gone smoothly until one distraction after the other hit her, and one finally became too hard to resist. She had at least gotten some research done, right? Time for a little reward. She went off with some people from the hostel for another wild night of debauchery on Zeltros.

The next day she showed up. Her hangover was masked with a pill that felt like magic, and appropriate make-up. Saoirse had taken the advice from [member="Linalia Soft"] in terms of the dress code. These places looked different, but in the end they were all the same, and she knew what kind of place this was. She wore heels, a black mini-skirt and a white crop top. Unlike the day before she got the chance to flaunt her tattoos, from the ones on her arms, to the intricate patterns surrounding her neck.

 

[Linalia Soft]

Once her prized applicant had returned to her, Linalia had to take a moment to clear her mind. Saoirse had taken the dress code to heart. Clearing her throat she finally spoke, "I see you took my advice to heart." Her voice was a tad weak. But before it could be noticed she moved on. "I trust you have studied the material I gave you? Because here is where we begin." Linalia grabbed up a paper nearby with some messy handwriting scrawled on the page.

"What," she said with a brief pause for a deep breath, "is the most popular drink in the bar? How is it made? How does one pick out the richest and most valuable patrons? Where are the secret spice dens? What is the most exclusive area of the bar? How do you approach a new patron that needs to be waited on?" She kept rambling questions off. About eight more of them and she stopped. Abruptly, looking up to Saoirse. If she could handle all that at once, then she was hired.

[member="Saoirse Reyes"]

 

[Miya Ashera]

[member="Linalia Soft"]

Saoirse smiled when she spotted [member="Linalia Soft"]. Had to make a good impression on her first day, right? Besides, the appreciative smile came easy, she had an appreciatable appearance. "I did." Saoirse said with a little smirk, looking herself over once. "Do you like it? Is it right for this place?" she wondered out of mere curiosity, not insecurity. She had tried to take her advice on dress code to heart, though she'd be curious to hear if the other woman would have preferred to make any tweaks, minor or major.

"Of course" Saoirse said with confidence, although her priorities from the night before had left her a little bit unsure whether she knew as much as she ought to. What if her answers didn't satisfy? What then? Was she out, or could she still find a way to land this thing? After all, how demanding could she be of someone who'd just be a waitress?

Now came the questions. Saoirse took her time to ponder, eyes darting slowly to the side as if the answer was to present itself. She knew some of these though, she thought. Memories triggered by the questions themselves, she spoke out loud the information that was re-surfacing on the go. What was the most popular drink? Was it the Splendid Stupor? No, that had been an instant hit when it came out but had since then faded. "The most popular drink here is Pink Nebula. You fill the glass with ice, pour in one and a half ounce of Tihaar, 1.2 ounce of Pink Kurkesh, 2 fluid ounces sour mix. Then you fill to the top with lemon-lime soda. Garnish the top with a lemon wedge, serve with a straw" she'd made it before, though the type of drinks preferred where she came from was far grittier. This was a much welcomed improvement. Though it wasn't part of the question, she added "I make a mean Sith Scorcher. I can show your bartenders how to make it right. Yours tasted a little tame. No offence." Fortunately for her, being a former bartender, how to make drinks fell right within her area of expertise.

"You pick out the richest by how they dress. Anyone can wear a suit, but can you tell if it's tailored? Men don't go with jewellery too much, but look for the quality of the watch, if they have one. It's harder to tell with jewellery on women, it could come from a rich admirer. But that just means she hangs in rich circles. If she likes the place, maybe she'll bring him. Aside from clothes and attitude, you see the people they surround themselves with, how they are treated. Usually though, in my experience. How do you know if someone's rich? They tell you." she hadn't studied any of this and didn't know if it matched Linalia's expectations. It was just based off of her own experience.

"What you gave me said nothing about spice dens. I'm guessing it's because it's a less than official side-business... I don't mind though. Actually, it's smart. You make a lot of money that way. I should know. " she had finished that one with a little wink. She didn't explicitly say she had dealt in spice but it was highly implied. And so she continued with the rest of the questions. The once she knew she'd lay out in good detail, otherwise she'd just go off of personal experience. Hopefully if it didn't end up being the exact answer she was looking for, it at least showed enough of experience and ability to blend well into the work environment of a cantina.