DrowningXxSpirit
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Post by Indigo Noble on Aug 1, 2015 20:58:05 GMT -5
Indigo knew all about the crappy economy, but he was picky about where he applied anyway. No, selective. He had no interest in working at a joke shop or the quidditch supply store, so he hadn't even stopped there. His first round he'd applied at the book shop, the quills and parchment store, the robe shop, the jewelry shop and the nightclub. He'd thought it would be badass to become a bartender or a dj, but they didn't need a dj and he'd failed to impress them with his bartending attempts when he'd had no clue what went into a Daiquiri. Or a Margarita. Or an Old Fashioned, which was apparently hard to screw up. He'd managed somehow.
He hadn't heard back from anywhere yet, so he was making another round and being less picky this time. No, less selective. His first stop this time was the café. He stood in line like any paying customer, but when he reached the front, he didn't order a coffee. Instead, he asked if they were hiring and hoped he'd dressed appropriately. No one here was wearing a button-down shirt, tie, and slacks, but it was easier to explain to a wizard why he was wearing a tie than it was explaining to Muggles why he was wearing robes.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Aug 1, 2015 21:04:18 GMT -5
The person at the counter waved Mano, who had dropped by to see to a shipment from a new supplier, over, then focused on the next customer. Mano stepped toward the counter and let his eyes do a quick sweep of the man in front of him. "Not exactly, but I'm always interested in collecting interesting potentials," he said. The man, or well, he was more of a kid, really. It was funny how being married and mostly monogamous had changed his idea of just how young was too young. "Why are you interested? You go to the university?"
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DrowningXxSpirit
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Post by Indigo Noble on Aug 1, 2015 21:17:24 GMT -5
"Yes," Indigo said, trying to look as respectable as possible. He didn't know if that look-over had been due to his clothes or something else, but it had made him a little uncomfortable. That and the idea of being collected.
He blinked as he tried to think of why he wanted to work here, as opposed to somewhere else. Perhaps someone else would have told the truth, but this guy was an adult and so he should probably suck up. "I've heard a lot of good things about Aroma," he began. "It's getting really popular with the students, and with classes starting again soon, I thought I could be useful. I didn't see a Wi-Fi sign, but if you have internet I'd be great at helping people figure it out." What kind of cafe didn't have internet?
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Aug 1, 2015 21:22:59 GMT -5
"I only barely recognize those terms, much less offer them," Mano said. He thought he vaguely remembered some muggles talking about it, and perhaps Rhys and Matthew had discussed it a little at the house, but that was as far as his knowledge went. "Is that something I should have?" It seemed like the guy thought so, or he wouldn't have brought it up.
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DrowningXxSpirit
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Post by Indigo Noble on Aug 1, 2015 21:30:21 GMT -5
Indigo blinked again. "If you want more business from Muggle-related people, yes," he said. "A lot of Muggle-run restaurants have it, and it attracts business." In fact... "The bookstore in Hogsmeade has it. I went there as often as I could, and even if I couldn't afford to buy a book every time, I'd at least look at the new releases. I bought more than I would have otherwise. The ice cream shop on Diagon Alley has it too, and even if half the people I knew weren't sure what it was, they still talked about it."
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Aug 1, 2015 22:02:09 GMT -5
Mano considered for a moment, then gestured for Indigo to follow him away from the counter. As he stepped away from the counter, he slid his hands into his pockets. "I know the men who run the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley, they get a lot of business, but one of them is a muggle. What is your name, by the way? Mano Berwyn." He removed one of his hands from its pocket to offer it for a shake.
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DrowningXxSpirit
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Post by Indigo Noble on Aug 1, 2015 22:12:23 GMT -5
Part of Indigo worried that he'd said something stupid, but the man was offering him a hand. Indigo took it firmly. "Indigo Noble, and yeah, I know Rhys." Was he in trouble? It felt like the guy was interested, but that wouldn't get Indigo a job. He wanted to work here, not tell the guy how the internet worked, then never come back.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Aug 1, 2015 22:37:35 GMT -5
"He's a good man," Mano said, though his tone gave away that he wasn't really thinking about Rhys as he slid his hand away again. "If I were to let you talk me into adding this thing, how am I to know that I will make enough profit because of it to cover the costs? This isn't a muggle town, it would be far more difficult adding such a thing here than in Diagon Alley, which is in London." Pitch, applicant.
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DrowningXxSpirit
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Post by Indigo Noble on Aug 1, 2015 23:07:28 GMT -5
Part of Indigo wanted to keep his mouth shut, to ask what he'd get out of giving a man who already owned multiple shops business advice. Then he realized that he was in the unique position of offering a man wealthy enough to buy stores business advice. "Can we sit down?" he asked.
When they were sitting at a booth, Indigo pulled out his smartphone and his mirror and set both on the table. "This," he said, tapping the mirror, "is a magical item that I can use to talk to someone just by saying his name. Muggles aren't that efficient. They need things like this," he went on, tapping his phone. Though they were similar in size and shape, his phone was significantly thicker.
"With something like this, I can talk with other people that are far away, send pictures, and find information. Don't worry, I won't get into that. The point is that Muggles can't use things like this." He tapped the mirror. "So anyone with Muggle friends or family either has to use owl post or something like this." He tapped the phone.
"Internet is a service that lets people use these for more things. You can make coffee, but making espresso takes it to another level. Adding flavors and toppings takes it up even more. Internet takes these to another level. If you offer it for free you'll get people coming in just to use it, but really, I don't think many people could sit here for an hour without getting seriously hungry." A good cafe smelled amazing, there was no denying it.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Aug 1, 2015 23:46:24 GMT -5
Dear mother and father, I know you still haven't made a formal decision on my marriage, but I wanted to let you know I'm also now specifically catering to muggle-borns. One corner of Mano's mouth quirked up, but he managed to keep a straight face out of respect for the person sitting across from him. There was plenty of money flowing into his pockets to fund just about anything he wanted to, especially when he had Eros as a partner he could ask for aid if necessary, but he knew little of muggle technology and was hesitant to immediately jump on the change. However...he did tend to take risks...
"Let's assume I hired you to implement this in this location," Mano said, linking his fingers together atop the table. "Would you be able to handle the startup and maintenance on your own? Would this require my employees to learn about it, and if so, would you be able to teach them?"
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Post by Indigo Noble on Aug 2, 2015 0:00:24 GMT -5
Indigo only paused a moment, during which countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Him training employees, maintaining internet in a wizarding business. Startup. That was the only thing he didn't already know about.
"Yes," he said. He could figure it out. He'd ask Rhys and Matthew how they'd done it. He'd ask his dad for advice. He'd scour the internet and ask anyone he could think of if it came to that. He blinked at a thought. The girl at the book shop in Hogsmeade had told him how she did it.
"Yes, definitely," Indigo said, more confident this time. "I can teach anyone who needs taught, even if they've never used Muggle technology." Indigo's lips curved with another thought. "I can even get you advertising specifically for tech-friendly wizards." He wouldn't use his blog to pimp the place out, but it would be easy to get the word out.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Aug 2, 2015 9:39:27 GMT -5
Mano leaned back in his seat, gazing at Indigo with measured curiosity and interest. "I would have to consider for a time before agreeing to such a change," he said after some moments, "but I could possibly offer you a position here while I consider so that you can learn how the cafe runs. It would be no good for you to try advertisements and training without knowledge of the place. Have you ever worked anywhere like this before?" Probably not, if he was a university student. Most of them seemed to not be the working sort.
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Post by Indigo Noble on Aug 2, 2015 11:17:15 GMT -5
"No," Indigo confessed, "but I'm a fast learner, a hard worker, and I can think on my feet." He was fairly certain he'd been proving that last since he'd walked in the door. Did he really want to work here this badly? Maybe, but maybe not. He didn't want to be a nobody, but if Mano was being honest, it wouldn't be for long.
"I don't have a problem with working," Indigo explained, hoping he was making the right decision. "I never really needed to, and I put everything into school, but I'm ready for this." /Sucking up, Indigo thought.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Aug 2, 2015 23:09:56 GMT -5
Mano did smile a little at Indigo's assertion he could think on his feet. The guy had done admirably since the start of their admittedly short conversation. "I do work around course schedules; you won't be the only student I've employed, and due to the close proximity to the school most of my employees here are students. However, I prefer no last-minute changes whenever possible. I will not be here regularly during the next month, but the manager here communicates with me regularly through owl, if you need to send me any information. Is this all agreeable?"
No background checks, no complex hoops to jump through or forms to fill out. By this point in his life, Mano had a damn good idea of what people were like even from short conversations, and it was low-risk to hire a basic employee, especially one who came in with his own ideas of how to improve the business. While he tended not to appreciate someone telling him how to run his cafes, Indigo had pleaded his case well.
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Post by Indigo Noble on Aug 3, 2015 17:16:41 GMT -5
Indigo looked at the man a moment, giving himself one last chance to think and back out. He took a deep breath. "Yes," he said at last. He offered his hand across the table for another shake. If Mano was honest and Indigo moved up, he'd work hard. If he got screwed over, it would be all over the Wizarding corner of the internet, and he'd spread the news through VU as quickly as possible. He had the foresight not to announce it, though. There was no point in making an enemy with potential still in the air.
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