It is, without doubt, the quietest shift Angus has ever had.
He gives the place a good tidy up and a damp dust. He restocks the tea leaves and syrups. And that only takes him till ten to ten. He'd go over jobs he'd already done just to kill time. He even read his book on the sly.
Occasional Angus also takes Mrs Cosie a brew as she wades through invoices out voices and the like. He even lays out some of the usual baking prep ready for her in the kitchen. She is itching to get stuck into some dough. But given there's still a full tray of pastries out front and as yet untouched, there's little point in making much more for the day.
By eleven, Cosies' Tea Room has only had about half a baker's dozen of customers. Most of those were takeaway teas and coffees. Not many sit ins. Angus thinks he only clears one table that morning. And Mr Dawes jr the elderly for example, who normally takes an order of six to ten people, (sometimes as many as fifteen even), only wants the two today. Because none of their office workers are in because of the bank holiday so it's just him and his business partner.
As Mrs Cosie had thought it would be, with the market on the other side of town, not many people who'd normally pop in on the way to or from visit the shop today. Plus it's too nice a day to stay in, so those customers who come in are taking their usuals to go. Or to sit outside the shop in the case of Mrs Nos, Mrs Pryhawn and the babies in their buggies.
It seems daft to froth milk for that one customer who does order a latte? So Angus does it with magic. He gets compliments on it's very beautiful heart he's put in in the foam.
The most interesting part of the morning was a chat with Miss Ada. She picks a decafe-chumpiestchump-special, with hazelnut. and another chump coffee for Ms Hecate, the half elf and other teacher who'd been with her a few times. It turns out they're now dating; Miss Hecate having confessed her feelings at the sick bay!
Anyway, Ms Ada tells Angus apparently there's a gryphon on the tracks just outside of Neverwinter; so no trains could come in and out of the station anyway, strike or no strike. Not even goods wagons.
Mrs Cosie comes out of her office for a brief respite and the two have a natter too. To the point Angus makes Miss Ada another coffee and reheats the other for her girlfriend. Who's probably wondering where she's got to.
The morning drags on. Even toward lunch time it showed no sign of picking up.
At eleven thirty-ish, an older tiefling shuffled through the door. With a "good morning" and "oh thank you dear" . (Angus had seen her coming a good five minutes ago and held the door open as she got nearer the shop.)
As always, Mrs Gwendolyn Rowan Webb senior, asked if she could order at her table. Then Mrs Rowan Webb would sit at said table and get comfy for around five minutes or so. And if someone went over before they were waved over, she would shake her head and say she was still debating over the cakes or would ask what the specials were today. Angus and most of the staff knew her order off by heart though; black tea and a slice of tiffen. She had it every time and she'd pay in exact change.
Today the routine was a little different. At least for Angus. Because just as Mrs Rowan Webb sat down, the bell above the shop door rang again. And who should walk in but Captain Davenport …