Author's Note: Another commission! This one's by the Mizki rp'er in our group and she requested MizkixGumo. In this one...while, I'll let the story speak for itself.
Refill?
Mizki smiled slightly as she locked the door to her apartment. It wasn't much, but it was a nice place. She got by with her maid job. She blushed a little at the thought. It was a maid cafe after all, which meant some display, as it were. But generally everyone was nice, though the occasional pervert did come by, they were usually kicked off the premises by the management or the more respectable patrons.
Mizki giggled at the thought of the gallant men who would say kind things and compliment her. She had been tempted a few times to accept their romantic propositions, but she always thought better of it. She hardly knew them after all. Besides, she'd find someone eventually, but it probably wouldn't be there. She ruminated on this as she hopped into her car and began driving to work.
She pulled in at the staff entrance, grabbing her purse before heading inside. The cool air nipped at any exposed skin and she pulled up her shirt collar a little to defend against it as she pushed open the door. Immediately, the warm air of the kitchens hit her and she sighed in relief. She gave a big shiver as she adjusted to the temperature.
"Cold out there?" asked a deep voice. Mizki smiled and turned, bowing.
"M...morning Ruko!" she greeted, mentally punching herself for stuttering. She would have thought that after being around her fellow employees so long, she'd have grown out of it. Then again, Ruko was kinda scary, as she was kinda the unofficial bouncer. A customer acted out of line, they would be faced with the the Amazoness. Her train of thought was derailed by Ruko's deep chuckle.
"I'm surprised you haven't been taken quicker. Stuttering is very popular with guys. They call it...what was that word, moe?" she taunted with a playful grin. Mizki blushed and retreated into her coat, as if she would disappear. Ruko patted her head. "Run along now. Better get ready, cause the shifts are gonna start soon and we know how many guys come here for their morning coffee" she chuckled. Mizki bowed again and ran off to the back corner of the kitchen, to the staff lockers.
Stepping in, she immediately bumped into a blur of red. Falling back, she realized she had accidentally bumped into Juon. "I'm s...so s...sorry!" she stuttered quickly. Juon giggled and stood up, extending a hand to Mizki.
"It's no problem Mizki!" she assured with a smile, taking Mizki's hand and pulling her up into a hug. Mizki smiled a little as the shorter girl held her tight. Juon finally let go and poked Mizki's nose playfully. "You better hurry up! We're close to opening!" she giggled, grabbing an apron, slipping it on and rolling up her sleeves. Mizki bowed.
"T...thank you Juon!" she blurted out, smiling nervously. Juon just smiled and began cooking some of the basic orders, to have them ready for the first customers. Mizki shook her head and began changing into her outfit.
"MIZKI!" shouted a voice as Mizki was assaulted from behind halfway through changing. Mizki felt herself in a tight hug, and upon looking behind her, saw that it was none other than Teto. Mizki smiled a little at the energetic girl behind her.
"Teto" she choked through the hug. "I have to change" she pointed out. Teto dropped her and rubbed her neck nervously, flashing her teeth in a smile.
"Sorry! I just like saying hi to my best friend!" she explained, bouncing with energy.
"Y..you might want to get changed" Mizki suggested with a small smile. Teto looked shocked. She began panicking.
"Oh right! I should probably…" she trailed as she began pulling her outfit from her locker and changing at light speed. It always surprised Mizki how fast Teto could change. Mizki wasn't even done by the time Teto was. "See you out there!" Teto waved as she skipped out. Mizki waved back softly, still changing.
Mizki barely finished in time as the first shift began. She hauled through the kitchen, Juon wishing her luck, halfway through swinging the cleaver through a big flank of meat (Mizki often wondered where she kept them, as there were none in the kitchen). She passed through the swinging doors just as Momo flipped the sign to open and bowed to the first customers. "Welcome to our establishment! Would you follow me to your table?" she said softly, leading the first group down.
Momo was the owner of the establishment, or at least, most recent. The old owner had left, and at the time, Momo had been one of the top maids in the place, knowing her job inside and out. She was so used to it, she wore the outfit outside of work. She was organized, and ran the place beautifully. She was also well known for being kind and generous, often giving out jobs to those who needed them.
Mizki adjusted her clothes and walked over to the table. "Morning! W...what can I get you today?" she asked. The men at the table smiled at her, and she knew why, but focused on her work.
"I think we'll have three coffees" one said, looking to his colleagues for confirmation. They nodded and thanked Mizki as she went over and stuck the order on the kitchen wheel. Juon nodded and began brewing the coffee, motioning to another table with her cleaver. Mizki nodded and headed over, smiling at the sight of a familiar customer.
"Hello Mister Hiyama! W...what will you have today?" she asked politely. Mr. Hiyama smiled at her, though it was a genuine, sincere smile.
"Morning Mizki! Just stopping by before a meeting later. I think I'll have a coffee and some pancakes if you don't mind" he said with a smile. "I think Kaai should be…"
"Mizki~!" came a little voice as Kaai latched onto Mizki's long legs. The little girl looked up and smiled at the older girl. "Hello!"
"Hi there Kaai! How are you?" she asked, picking her up and setting her in the seat.
"I'm good! Daddy's taking me out for breakfast" she said happily, hugging Mr. Hiyama's side. He chuckled happily, sliding and arm around his daughter comfortingly as she nuzzled his side.
"What would you like Kaai?" Mizki asked with a smile. Kaai sat up and pretended to look thoughtful, despite ordering the same thing every time.
"I'll have pancakes with apple juice and a fruit bowl!" she chirped. Mizki giggled and wrote down their orders, excusing herself politely as she stuck the orders on the wheel, briefly reading the orders Teto had filled as she grabbed the coffees for her first table. She barely caught a glimpse of Juon rushing about the kitchen, cutting things, flipping others, and generally performing her job faster than several others several times over.
"H...here you are s...sirs" she said with a polite smile, setting the coffees before them, bowing. They thanked her, grabbing their warm coffees. As she walked away, she could feel their gazes on her, and felt a little uncomfortable. Still, it wasn't too bad, and she was used to it.
"SAY THAT AGAIN?!" Juon roared, trying to claw at the man before her, Ruko holding both her arms behind her and generally keeping Juon from disemboweling the man on the floor. He looked up at her contemptuously.
"I said your food sucked" he spat. Juon's eye twitched and she ground her teeth. She closed her eyes and focused. She took a deep breath, standing straight. She opened her eyes and forced her speech through clenched teeth.
"Just be glad I'm calm. My psychologist told me I shouldn't go after people for such petty things" she said, heading back to the kitchen. The man smiled and opened his mouth to make a retort, when Ruko held her hand over his mouth and picked him up by his collar.
"You're a real asshole, you know that?" she pointed out, carrying him easily to the door. She pushed open the door with one hand, turning to face him with a malicious grin. "Consider yourself banned from this establishment." And with that, she one-handedly hurled him across the lawn. On contact, he rolled from the momentum and landed on his face in the dirt. Ruko "hmph"ed and went back inside.
Mizki hadn't exactly heard what had happened, but he had apparently insulted Juon's food. Harshly. She had just been going to pick up an order when Juon had bolted past her, reaching the man, grabbed him by his shirt, and swung him over her head, flooring him. She had gone after him, but Ruko had been quick and caught her.
Juon sighed inside the kitchen, then composed herself, resuming her work, handing Mizki the order for her most recent table, saying nothing. Mizki felt a little bad. Juon loved her job, but she was still struggling with her psychopathy, despite making great progress. She felt terrible whenever she had an episode. It was only because of Momo that Juon even had a job. No one else would accept her.
Mizki passed by the entrance, noticing a single, green-haired customer waiting there. "I'll direct you to a table in a moment" she smiled. They turned to face her, and she could see it was a guy. He flashed a charming smile at her.
"Sure thing beautiful" he said with a wink. Mizki blushed a little as she carried the order over to a table, bowing and thanking them for their patronage. She came back over and as soon as she was in view, the man flashed another smile, causing red to rocket into Mizki's cheeks.
"F...follow me sir" she said quietly, taking him to a table. He slid in cooly, smiling consistently. He leaned on the table as she handed him the menu. He flicked through it and then turned his eyes to Mizki. They held a kind, playful look.
"I wasn't kidding when I called you beautiful" he said with a grin, adjusting his goggles. Mizki felt her blush deepen.
"W...wh…what. w...would y...you l...like to or...order" she asked, stuttering far worse than she ever had. She realized she was barely understandable and hid her face in embarrassment. The man frowned and for a moment, Mizki thought she'd done her job terribly.
"I'm sorry madam. I didn't mean to throw you off. Was I too strong on the charm?" he asked playfully, though he looked honestly concerned. Mizki shook her head, despite thinking it was a little drastic. He smiled again. "Okay. And don't worry, I understood what you said" he assured. "By the way, what's your name?" he asked politely.
"M...Mizki" she offered with a small smile, nervously wringing her hands.
"My name's Gumo. Pleased to meet you" he said with a bright smile. "You have a gorgeous name" he offered. He looked back towards the door and jerked his thumb towards it. "Say, what was with that guy who decided to take flying lessons as I walked in?" he inquired.
"He was c...causing some trouble f...for our chef. H...he insulted her cooking and R…Ruko kicked him out" she explained nervously, afraid it would scare him away. Instead he smiled and nodded.
"Sounds like the jerk deserved it. If that's the case, I'll have whatever the chef recommends. I'm sure it'll be great" he said with a smile. Mizki bowed and carried the order over. Juon regarded it and tilted her head.
"Chef's preference?" she asked, scratching her head.
"He said he'll have whatever you want to cook" she explained nervously. Juon turned her gaze up and smiled, her eyes glittering excitedly. She began leaning out the window, looking around.
"Which is he?" she asked happily. Mizki pointed to Gumo, blushing a little. Juon noticed immediately and grinned maniacally at Mizki. "Seems like a charmer. And if he appreciates food, he's a keeper" she said, elbowing Mizki gently and sliding back into the kitchen, turning the burners up to max, causing a pillar of fire to form while Juon laughed maniacally. "He's gonna love this!" she chuckled.
Miki smiled nervously. When Juon got into something, it was hard to get her attention on something else. Someone else would have to cook the other orders in the meanwhile. Mizki nervously approached Teto. "T...teto? Juon's a little busy in the kitchen. W...would you go and help?" she asked. Teto smiled and hugged Mizki tightly.
"No problem~! I'll get Neru to fill in for me!" she said, skipping into the kitchen. Luckily, it would be a little bit till the lunch rush and Mizki could man the tables by herself.
A while later, Neru showed up, looking unamused at the prospect of being there. "Hey Mizki. Heard you guys needed some help. Teto called me" she said, resting her hands on her hips. Mizki nodded.
"The lunch rush is going to start soon and we needed help. Juon's a bit wrapped up…" she said, pointing to the light coming from the kitchen. Neru cocked an eyebrow.
"Haven't seen Juon like that in a while" she said quietly, then shrugged. "Sure, I'll help. Give me a sec to switch into the outfit." Neru flipped her phone closed and slipped it into her pocket.
Mizki thanked her and returned to the customers. She stopped by Gumo's table. "S...sorry for the wait. Our cook is a little...wrapped up in making your meal" she explained nervously. Gumo smiled and eyed the light coming under the kitchen door.
"Looks like it's gonna be good! I don't mind" he explained, checking his watch. "Say, it'll be lunch soon, mind taking your lunch break with me? I promise I don't bite" he said with a smile. Mizki blushed. It would be nice…
"I...I'll see" she said, excusing herself. Glancing at the clock she saw it was indeed close to the lunch break…
"DONE!" said Juon suddenly, pushing a plate full of various foods through the window. Mizki couldn't even identify all the things on it, but it all looked tantalizingly good. Juon herself was looking through the window with a smile.
"Wow...it looks absolutely amazing" Mizki complemented, and Juon bounced up and down excitedly.
"I hope he enjoys it!" Juon chirped.
"I hope so too…" Mizki accidentally let slip. Juon grinned as Mizki tried to take it back.
"Why not go sit with him? It is the lunch break after all" she offered with a smile. Mizki shook her head.
"There'll be too many customers. Both Teto and you need to man the kitchen, leaving only me and Neru to take…"
"I'll take some" Ruko suddenly said from behind Mizki. She turned and looked at Ruko in surprise. Ruko just smiled, leaning against the top of the window. "Seriously, go enjoy yourself before I make you." Mizki blushed and nodded, grabbing the tray. She felt the support of her co-workers as she approached.
Gumo smiled as she approached, causing Mizki to turn red again. She set the massive tray down, glad to be relieved of its weight. "Here's your order" she said, nervously taking a seat at the table. Gumo's smile broadened.
"Decided to join me eh?" he asked, taking up his cutlery, surprisingly holding them in the proper fashion as he tested one of the items. He hummed his appreciation. "It's really good! Have some!"
Mizki politely took a bite, her eyes widening as she realized how good it tasted. She moaned slightly as she tasted it. When did Juon learn to cook like this? Gumo smiled as Mizki took another bite.
"Good right?" he pointed out, eating a piece of something else. "Wow. Give my compliments to the chef!" he said with a laugh. Mizki nodded happily.
Soon, they had eaten a good portion of the meal, and had sampled everything. Mizki reached down for her purse, to which Gumo raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I ate half...so I'll pay half…" she explained. Gumo frowned, whipping open his wallet. He pulled out his debit card, along with a couple of twenties. "One for you, one for the chef" he explained with a smile. Mizki stared in disbelief at the money as Gumo stood. She snapped back as she realized she had to run his card.
"Here you are sir" she said, handing it back to him. Gumo smiled, and leaned against the counter.
"Just call me Gumo" he said, kissing her on the cheek. He turned and began to walk towards the door. "I'll have to come here more often" he said over his shoulder, flashing his smile.
Mizki stood blankly for a moment, then realized she hadn't said bye. "I hope to see you soon!" she blurted before he closed the door. He turned and sent her a smile that melted her.
"He's a real charmer isn't he?" teased Ruko behind her. Mizki blushed and covered her face, but all in all…
She couldn't wait till he came back.