Coffee At Dawn [Rita/Violet]

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

Rita found herself at the top of a cafe while visiting the City of Lights. Feeling the cool morning breeze against her skin caused the woman to sip her caramel-flavored coffee as its warm, sugary contents made her face brew over with a gentle smile.

As her eyes idly glossed over her phone, reflecting her schedule, she figured it was best to stay busy and engage with one of Vanyel's contacts he had recommended. She wasn't sure what the woman had to offer, but she trusted his opinion, and it couldn't hurt to be the bridge to someone coming out of a life of misery and poverty.

With a soft yawn that melted into a sigh, Rita tilted her head back, watching a few birds soar above. The sight stirred a fleeting melancholy within her, a reminder of another romantic interest that hadn’t worked out. It was part of the reason she’d given this meeting her full attention—better to stay busy than to dwell on things like that. Shaking off the feeling, her teal eyes scanned the area, searching for the woman.

"Hmmmmm, she should be here any minute."

She adjusted the collar of her jacket, the cool breeze catching the fabric as she leaned back in her chair. Glancing at her watch, she tapped her fingers lightly against the table, the rhythmic sound blending with the soft hum of the city around her.

Violet nervously walked up to the cafe, hands cupped in front of her, fiddling nervously with her fingers before walking inside. Since her previous outfits for her interviews must not have worked well, Violet decided to copy Vanyel and put on a suit. Until she knew she had the interview, she didn’t dare ask him for help, but of course when she did ask, he helped her pick one out that didn’t look horrible on her. It wasn’t the most comfortable, since it was her first time wearing one.

Even though Vanyel had given her a description of the woman she was looking for, she was terrified that she was going to stand here forever, not knowing who she was supposed to be talking to. It took her a second to remember that she needed to go up stairs. At a quickened pace, she hurried upstairs and looked around for someone that fit the description. There was only one. “Ms. Grace?”

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

"Ok, I see the vision."

Rita muttered something to herself, glancing at Violet approaching the rooftop. Her expression was neutral, but it soon turned into a gentle smile as she waved at the woman to make sure she knew she had the right person.

"Yeah, it's me. Thanks for coming out."

Mellow and relaxed, her tone of voice was an attempt at deflating her tensions. Judging from Violet's body language, it was natural to have some stress or anxiety when dealing with a woman like Rita. At least, that's what she was used to dealing with in previous candidates. Regardless, she tapped the table to motion Violet to sit.

"You hungry? You look a little tense, and food always helps. Don’t worry, I’m not here to bite your head off."

Rita let out a lighthearted chuckle as she placed one of her sleek black business cards on the table. With a smooth motion, she pulled out a menu featuring a variety of dishes from across the globe.

"This place is pretty awesome. They’ve got food from all over the world, so take your time and pick whatever you like."

Seeing Rita, one worry was replaced with the rest of the list. Violet tried returning a smile, but it was clearly hiding a pile of nerves. She sat down as the gesture was shown and politely thanked the woman before setting her hand in her lap.

“O-Oh, I can eat a little,” Violet said, keeping both her wallet and the fact that she made sure to eat before leaving home today in mind. Her nerves were clearly being worn on her sleeves. She was so not good at these types of interactions.

Violet became curious about the menu and picked her own up. Her eyes widened at the number of things she had not seen before, each item separated by where the dish was from. It did not take her long to decide what she wanted though, and once allowed, ordered a glass of milk French Toast with bananas.

“So, um… Ms. Grace,” Violet spoke up in an attempt to break the ice from her end. “I wanted to thank you for seeing me. Vanyel has spoken quite highly about you. I know someone like yourself is probably very busy, so this means a lot.”

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

"That a girl."

Rita grinned and was pleased with her decision. Following suit, she didn't waste time ordering her own food as well. On Rita's plate, there would be another large glass of caramel macchiato with extra espresso and Spinach, Feta & Egg White Wrap, and Shortbread Cookies. Waving the menu away with her card, she was promptly charged, and the cooks wasted no time working on the two women's orders. They'd find in no time that waiters would come up to the deck and promptly deliver their food.

Eager to dig in, Rita sat down her now empty drink and refueled with her new caramel macchiato, feeling the caffeine pulsating in her veins as if it were nectar from the gods granting her strength. With her bright teal eyes now in Violet's sight, she figured it was time to start chatting it up.

"You can just call me Rita~"

With a friendly nod, she continued.

"And yeah, Vanyel has spoken highly of you as well."

Taking another sip of her caramel drink, Rita chuckled lightly, deciding to get the formalities out of the way.

"As you probably know, we’re a corporation focused on essential supplies—medicine, food, hygiene products, pharmaceuticals. We also deal in real estate, offering housing, medical care, and travel resources. Right now, we’re expanding into humanitarian efforts and looking to go global."

Her tone was casual, but her gaze sharpened slightly, as if assessing Violet’s potential. After a pause, Rita leaned in just a bit, the most important question now on the table.

"Knowing that... what strengths do you think you can contribute, Violet?"

With her love of milk, Violet’s first decision brought the cold glass to her lips to let her empty a little under half before setting it back down. With a sweet smile, she set the glass down, feeling the butterflies in her stomach wash away.

“Oh, okay then, Rita,” Violet nodded as she took her first bit of the French Toast. She hid it well, but she was disappointed. ‘Vanyel’s is better…’ she thought to herself. No one would call this food bad, but Violet had her biased preferences.

Violet’s cheeks reddened, a mixture of surprise and curiosity widening her eyes. She wondered what Vanyel could even have to say about her, and of course, here came those butterflies again. Oh well, at least she had a momentary respite.

Violet felt so small under the weight of Rita’s gaze. She lowered her nervous eyes to the table, hands back in her lap as she desperately tried to order the words in her head in someway that would make sense, be honest, but not also blow her chance at a decent career. From what Vanyel explained, this wasn’t some part-time gig for teenagers wanting a bit of cash; Rita could take her places in life.

“I was a manager for a clothing boutique not that long ago,” Violet said, trying to feign a level of confidence. “I worked the floor, communicated with customers and dealt with all of the back-room projects, like money handling, organization, laying out work schedules… I know how to keep things in order. I know I could make a good secretary, a clerk, a receptionist, or an assistant of some sort, maybe?"

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

"Assistant, huh? That might actually be useful."

Rita’s interest piqued as Violet mentioned her organizational skills. Running her empire had never been Rita’s favorite part of the job. Sure, she had systems in place, but she wasn’t the type to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty of daily operations. Having someone skilled at handling those details would be a welcome addition. Deciding to dig a bit deeper, Rita leaned forward slightly, her teal eyes focused on Violet.

"How do you stay organized and ensure deadlines are met? We could use more people who know how to build systems and workflows that can make the people in our organization more productive. So don't be shy about your experience."

Rita’s tone was casual but direct, her curiosity genuine. She wasn’t the type to dance around what she wanted to know. Noting the brief blush that had crossed Violet’s cheeks earlier, she chuckled softly, leaning back in her seat and waiting for Violet’s response with a keen sense of interest.

Seeing that level of interest come off Rita, Violet clasped her hands tightly together, letting as much nervousness she she could out through the tension the grip created. “Um, well... at the boutique, we used this, uh, AI-driven task manager. I-It helped organize just about everything. It would remind people of their tasks through this app the company had designed. I could submit things ahead of time, and, um, set weekly or even daily reminders to make sure everything got done.

Once the tasks were finished, they’d submit them back through the app... Oh, and the app was custom-made for the boutique. They had to hire someone to do it, but, I-I-I do remember the designer’s name, if you’d like that?” Violet began rummaging through her purse, until she pulled out her phone and found the number for "Vossenova Digital Design." "Her name is Elara Voss; she's good."

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

Rita nodded her head along with Violet's answers, taking a look at the app herself and jotting down Elara Voss's number. If nothing else, it was nice to know she had prior experience, knew how to handle a work environment, and had someone to vouch for her like Vanyel. So, she remained quiet momentarily, taking time to observe her before slowly coming to her next question.

"Since you mentioned organizing tasks ahead of time, how would you prioritize tasks if you were working under multiple managers or departments? It’s not always a straight line from task to task here."

As she leaned back in her chair, she took another sip from her coffee and gave her time to digest the question. She wasn't sure how intense her words, body language or aura was; but she could see the tension in Violet. It was a real do or die moment for her and perhaps there was nothing Rita could really do until this interview was done as it's always a nerve wrecking process; especially when you are dealing with a head of a company. So it's to be expected.

Refocusing her gaze on Violet, Rita decided to offer a bit of reassurance.

"And if you did work with us, don’t worry too much. You’d probably be working under Vanyel most of the time, given how well you two seem to click. He’d direct you on day-to-day tasks, and you’d see me here and there, but no need to stress over it."

Her words were casual, almost nonchalant, as she gave Violet the space to answer without adding more pressure. Rita wanted to see how she’d handle herself under these circumstances.

Violet’s eyes widened, surprise being worn very clearly on her face. “I-I have never done something like that before,” Violet said, once again wondering what Vanyel must have told Rita about her. She had worked in one store as a manager. She didn’t run a district or anything like that. The idea was intimidating and she was not sure that she could handle that much chaos… or the pressure.

Violet’s gaze rarely left the table. Her mind wandered to what exactly she would be doing. In hearing she would be working under Vanyel, Violet calmed down quite a bit. "He is already teaching me martial arts, so learning the job from him should be a breeze," she said, a more comfortable smile growing. "Could be fun."