The Old And The New

Posted on Tue Nov 11th, 2025 @ 8:34pm by Business Employee Kaden Martell & Business Owner Arianna Mallory

Mission: What Lies In The Darkness
Location: Mallory Diner, Club & Bar
Timeline: 248001.02 0900

Practically the moment the alert lifted, Kaden Martell was ordering his son to stay put while heading out the door. Then, standing just outside their small apartment, he straightened his collar, buttoning the top button, before heading away.

He was feeling a little nervous and hadn't expected to be. It had been a long time since he'd held a job. So as he walked through the Arcade, he started working on that, reminding himself why things were the way they were until he stood before the door to the Mallory Diner, Club & Bar. He entered and looked around, uncertain where to go from there.

The establishment was, as its name suggested, divided into three distinct and separate parts. Each part had its own space and was soundproofed from the other two so that people in one of the establishment's sections did not get auditory bleed over from the others. The one that Kaden walked into was the Diner. As such, it resembled one of those cute little sidewalk diners. The atmosphere was relaxed. Tables were solid wood of a dark color. Chairs were of the same wood but with thick, comfortable-looking cushions on them. The usual salt, pepper, and other condiments that sat at the center of tables in diners the universe over sat neatly in the center of each table.

To the back of the room was a long counter. Behind it, a woman stood cleaning it. She was neither tall nor short with long black hair that was tied neatly into a braid. When he entered, she looked up, and her midnight blue eyes gave him a once-over before locking with his. In hers was warmth and kindness that it was obvious were just part of who she was. She smiled and moved around the counter, approaching even as she motioned for him to come farther in.

"Come on in," she encouraged. "We aren't open yet, but you don't look like you're here for the food." Her smile was as warm as her eyes. "So what can I help you with?"

When she first smiled, Kaden had smiled in return and couldn't help but keep his eyes on hers as he took a few steps further. "My name is Kaden Martell. You can tell me if the owner or a manager is available. I'm here to enquire about a job."

Arianna laughed softly, amused at how he used her own question and turned it back on her. Good, he had wit. That would serve him well with her. "You're looking at her," she answered easily, eyes twinkling. She approached and extended her hand. "I'm Arianna Mallory, the owner."

"It's nice to meet you. Would you happen to need a bartender?" Kaden had a natural half-smile; he had given it to her, accepting her hand.

Arianna shook his hand firmly then released it. "I'm in need of pretty much everything," she admitted. "My staff on Earth had other obligations or simply didn't want to go this far out, so I have to replace all of them." She paused, her expression questioning. 'Are you asking about the bar itself or the lounge? Both will have a bar."

"Wherever I'm needed," he replied, and then felt the need to be upfront with what he was hoping for, "I'm looking for a job where I can work a split shift, although I will take any extra shift." He understood while split shifts weren't uncommon for bartenders, not all employers would want to offer it.

Arianna considered him for a moment then nodded. "Okay, well, I can put you in the bar with a split shift, sure, if that's your preference." Her tone and expression showed that she was agreeable to it if that was indeed his preference. She was pretty flexible and would adjust as needed to accommodate a good work/life balance for her employees. "The lounge and the diner will be open 24 hours, but they won't serve liquor except at the times when normal bars do. So if you'd prefer an overnight shift or a 9-5 shift, then that would open you up to the other two parts of my business. That was why I asked which you wanted. I want my employees to be happy working here. A happy employee is a productive employee, after all." She smiled.

Kaden nodded. "I understand." Then he considered her offer. "How about a late-night shift, starting at twenty-hundred hours?" A typical nine-to-five shift usually involved prep work and bartending from lunchtime to the afternoon. He preferred to bartend during peak hours when tips were more generous and the customers were less likely to nurse their drinks and use him as a psychologist. It was starting to feel that juggling everything with Jacob would be challenging no matter what he decided.

Arianna studied him for a moment. She liked that he knew what he wanted and was not afraid to let her know. Her smile returned. "I can work with that. That would, if you took a standard eight-hour shift, get you out at 0400. You're sure this is what you want?" She wasn't challenging it, merely making certain before drafting it into the contract.

He took another moment to think about it before nodding with certainty. "Yeah, it is. And, as I said before, I can take on extra shifts too." He then smiled good-naturedly. "So, may I fill out an application?"

Arianna studied him for a moment then laughed. "You just did," she told him with a smile. "What I need you to fill out is more of an employee file." She took a datapad from her apron and brought up a form on it, filling in the shift as negotiated before handing it to Kaden. "I've filled in the desired shift as we negotiated, but feel free to make sure that it's correct. And everything else must be filled in. You can stay here and do it, or you can take that with you and return it when you've finished."

Kaden nodded again as he accepted the pad, listening to what she had to say. "I can fill it out here... And thank you," he replied happily, looking it all over, regardless.

Arianna nodded, handing him the stylus. "No problem. Would you like a tea or something while you do?"

"Ah, yeah,' he answered, looking up at her from the pad. "Thank you. Coffee would be great. I like it black."

Arianna frowned slightly. "You like that bitter Earth coffee?" she asked. Her tone was not judgmental, but it did sound a bit surprised, or was that confused. "I mean no offense. If you do like it, I'll get it for you. But I also have other varieties that are smoother if you prefer."

Kaden furrowed his brows and smiled. "It doesn't sound like you've ever tried Arabica beans. If brewed right, they're not even close to bitter."

Arianna chuckled softly. "Or the person who served them to me didn't brew them correctly," she offered in return with a wink, only half playing. It was true; the first time she'd had that particular breed of the thing, the person had not brewed it correctly. But she had, as a point of pride in her job and her establishment made a point to learn to brew them correctly. "I can make that for you. I did learn the proper way to brew them." Her expression shifted to be a bit sheepish. "I do apologize for the assumption. Living on Earth, and in what used to be the United States, as long as I have, I've learned that mostly when someone asks for coffee, it's that bitter kind. So my response was a bit of reflex." She smiled again and moved off to make the desired coffee. Yes, make. She didn't use Synthesizers unless absolutely necessary.

Kaden gave her a small smile in return; he hadn't meant to make her feel like she needed to apologize. He felt briefly awkward about that and watched her closely. "I'm sure it's going to be great," he said.

Arianna didn't miss the momentary discomfiture, and she wished that she had not caused it. However, there was nothing for it now, so she only smiled again and said, "Well, I'll let you be the judge of that." She then moved off to make the coffee, humming softly as she did, leaving him to fill out the form for her.

After a few minutes, the smell of the coffee wafted out of the kitchen, and she emerged, carrying a tray containing a mug of the coffee, a small container of cream, another small container of sugar, and a spoon on a spoon caddy. It was clear that the whole thing was a set, and it had been well-loved and well-used. Approaching, she set it down in front of him, 'Do you want anything in it?"

"A teaspoon of sugar would be perfect," he replied, placing the pad down; he had finished filling it out and then smiled at the set before him. It felt personal in a friendly way. "I finished the application," he said pleasantly, reaching for the spoon.

Arianna smiled again, taking the tablet from the table with one hand while motioning toward the tea set with the other. "Please, help yourself," she encouraged. And while he did that, she sat across from him, leaned back in the chair, and read over his application. "Very nice," she said after reading it. "I don't see any reason we shouldn't try this out." Looking up, she tilted her head slightly. "Is the coffee to your liking?"

Having just taken a sip of his coffee, he had nodded a thank you to her compliment on his application. "I could drink this every morning. Thank you," he added, feeling more comfortable with his decision to apply there; Arrianna was coming across as a thoughtful person.

That warm smile of hers returned. "I'm glad you like it." She flicked two fingers across the screen of the tablet which sent the information in that form to the database and opened the contract form, pre-filled with his information as needed. This, she handed to him now. "This is the contract form. Read through it and let me know if there is anything you'd like that I didn't include or anything that you don't like that we can negotiate removal of."

Well," he started looking it over, "It appears standard." He continued reading it while drinking his coffee and, when finished, handed it back with a smile. "It looks good to me."

Arianna nodded, taking it. Removing the stylus from the side of the tablet, she handed them both to him. Pointing to a space at the end of the document, she said, "Then just sign here. I will sign below yours. And then you will be provided with a copy of it."

Kaden signed it and then handed it back. "I really appreciate this opportunity..." He stopped and asked, "How would you prefer to be addressed by your employees?"

Arianna took the tablet and gave it a once-over before putting it behind the counter. At his question, she looked back at him. "Arianna is fine," she answered easily, adding for clarification, "I prefer a more family-like atmosphere among my employees."

Kaden smiled. "Understood, Arianna. I'm looking forward to joining the family." He took another sip of his coffee. "Do you know when you'll need me to begin?"

Arianna frowned slightly, but it was more of a frown of thought. "Hm... well, we were all closed down for a time, but I've been told we can open as soon as we're ready. I'm thinking of opening the doors tomorrow, but if you need more time to get things settled, I can work with that."

"I appreciate that," Kaden replied thoughtfully, "but tomorrow works well for me."

Arianna smiled again. "Well then, I will see you tomorrow." She held out her hand once more. "And once more, welcome to the family."

Kaden took her hand and replied with a large smile, "Thank you, I'm looking forward to it."

~End