#viafraser

[ashnadir]

old year new year || vi & iann

Stonefruit was incredibly busy leading up to Old Year’s Night, which was to be expected.  The staff were well-prepared for the holiday rush, with a small reprieve after Boxing Day before it started ramping up again.  Iann didn’t mind, he reveled in the constant work, especially now that the Inn ran almost like a well-oiled machine.

Almost.  When it came to guests, there were always going to be unexpected hitches that no one - not himself or Freddie or even Pixi - could predict.

The Saturday started off normally, with Iann helping the cleaning staff with some turnaround in the UES suite and doing some fixes and repairs as needed.  For the most part though, he left the repair-work for Vi today, since she was on shift and her bartending shift was scheduled for tomorrow.  

But around midday, Pixi called Iann to let him know that the guest in the Garden Suite had a mattress issue.

“Dammit...” Iann swore to no one in particular.  “I knew that heather and bracken stuffing we got cheap was full of mold.  Gonna have to re-stuff the damn mattress....”  He’d need two pairs of hands for this, and he texted Vi.

[TXT] you done with hanging up the new paintings in the lounge?  I need you on floor 3

[TXT] meet me at the Garden Suite

@vifraser

[ashnadir]

Vi

Do I believe in Vi?  I sure do.  She’s a helluva talented witch, she’s exceptionally good at sweet-talking her way out of sticky situations with violent people, and she’s in it for herself while still being able to care about others, given how she treats her co-workers at Stonefruit.  

Hey! I should write this all up in her job evaluation report thingie.  Honestly I didn’t think she’d stick around long enough for me to do this, and for a while there I thought she was gone for good. But lo and behold, she blew back into town and sweet-talked herself back into my inn and on my payroll.  8D  

You just gotta place your bets on someone with that much moxie.

@imviapassmeabeer

[ashnadir]

repair work || vi & iann

[TXT] hey I know you’re on bartending shift today but think you can help me out with some fixit stuff?

[TXT] gotta get the rooftop winterized and shit

[TXT] also do you know a Ms DeLauder in the Upper East Side Suite?  

@imviapassmeabeer

[ashnadir]

the new guest

Everything at the Inn was currently running tickety-boo, as far as Iann was concerned.  His staff were efficient as always,  he and Freddie had roughly planned out a calendar of small events and booked functions, and they were still pondering changes to the Nightwalker suite.   And the guests were all surprisingly chill and amiable, any issues easily dealt with. Hell; even Ollie seemed happy with Iann so far, like he was granting Iann a trial run at being a friend to Freddie once more.

All in all a pretty good couple of weeks.  Vi Fraser, the newest employee, was also doing a bang-up job. She was keen and eager to learn, and truly lived up to her word of being an every-gal.  She helped Iann with repairs (and made for a good on-call repair person when Iann was busy, now that he was no longer living in the Inn), cleaned and tidied as needed, acted as a Porter for the guests (her wind magic seemed to help with any heavy luggage) and even did some serving in the bistro at a pinch.

Iann was glad they hired her, and he hoped Freddie was pleased as well.  

He was hanging out by the front counter with Pixi, going over some numbers when a beautiful woman entered.  She looked like something out of a glamour magazine from the 60′s - perfectly coiffed hair, stunning makeup, a tailored pencil-skirt suit, huge fur around her shoulders.  Her luggage was on wheels, magically following her to the front counter.

“Welcome to Stonefruit Inn - are you checking in?” Pixi asked brightly, and Iann stood to the side, letting her deal with the guest.  He only looked up when Pixi called his name - and referred to him as ‘Mr Cardero’ to boot.

“This, is Mrs Jacinto,” Pixi said, putting a polite but clear stress on the name.

“Missus...oh.  Oh!  Mrs Jacinto,” Iann said suddenly, remembering.  This was a special guest.  One of the ‘VIP’s, even though Stonefruit was a boutique of only 8 rooms, they still made provisions for guests who needed to be considered ‘VIP’s.  Jacinto was a witch and a businesswoman.  She knew Suky Toddry, one of Iann’s previous associates.  She was a powerful and influential woman.  

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Iann Cardero, co-owner,” Iann greeted with a grin, wishing it was Freddie doing this.  He was just so much better with molly-coddling rich, sophisticated people.  

“I would love to see your Inn some more, if you don’t mind, Mr Cardero.  Before I go up to my room. Would you like to show me around?”  Mrs Jacinto asked, but it wasn’t so much a question as it was an order.

@imviapassmeabeer

[ashnadir]

you don’t hate mondays

After Iann had wheedled agreement from Freddie (who was being very indulgent of Iann’s requests, by Freddie-standards) he was so pleased by it that the cast the issue of hiring a new Inn employee from his mind.

Almost entirely from his mind, in fact.  It was only when Monday rolled around and Iann found himself crabby, exhausted from a lack of sleep the night before, and in the lobby’s office at 8am in the morning that he felt something niggling him about this particular day. He checked his phone for reminders or messages;nothing.  He had even looked around the office (feeling the niggling was Inn-related) for a scribbled note or post-it stuck somewhere to remind himself - still nothing.

“Oh well.  Maybe it’s nothing,” Iann said to himself, but it had kept him distracted and entertained enough searching for the phantom reminder, that he was able to avoid the budget spreadsheets for at least a good ten minutes.

Ugh.  Why did work sometimes have to be...work?   Running an Inn had so far been pretty good for Iann’s fickle temperament; somehow where he failed, his fairy business partner exceeded, and vice versa.  They filled each other’s gaps.  But some tedium couldn’t be avoided - and budget spreadsheets, unfortunately, required both partners to go through them.  Iann had tried to pawn it off on Freddie or someone else (”Don’t we have an accountant for whatever for that?”) but it was a shared responsibility that even Iann couldn’t avoid or dodge.

“God...” Iann said, emerging from the office and rubbing blearily at his eyes.  He turned, heading towards the bar/lounge.  “I need a coffee.”

@imviapassmeabeer

[fractured-divide]

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