Chapter Text
Hana’s alarm clock was screaming next to her ear, but she tried everything in her power to ignore it. Sleep refused to leave her body, so she rolled around for a few minutes while her alarm continued to go off. A few of her small plush bunny stuffed animals fell off her bed with a soft plop , and Hana let out an annoyed groan. She slowly rose from under her blankets, slapped her alarm clock off, and rubbed her eyes. As her hands fell from her face, she peered out the window by her bed and saw that the sky was still pitch black.
It was her first day at her new job, and she was gonna have to get used to waking up to this.
Onto the hardwood floor of her dorm room apartment, she shuffled along into the bathroom and began her morning routine. Hana took a quick shower, and once she hopped out and dried herself off she dove right into teeth brushing. A spit take later, she pulled her hair into a bun and left the bathroom to get dressed.
As soon as she was fully clothed, she wrapped herself into her favorite winter coat, grabbed her small purse and keys and headed out the door.
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Her destination was not far; Hana kept her moped at a medium-fast speed as she rolled down the empty town road. Anyone who saw her driving underneath the streetlights would have a glimpse of her bright pink moped, its bumper covered in multiple bunny emblem stickers. She could see the building in the distance, and lowered her speed so she could safely pull into the curb. A woman with silver hair tied into a neat braid and pulled over a shoulder was standing outside the gated door, fumbling with a set of keys. The older woman had heard the moped’s motor running before it was cut off, and turned around to notice Hana hopping off of it. “Oh! Good to see you again,” the elder woman said with a smile. “I’m glad you’re here bright and early. Are you ready for your first day?” she asked.
Hana removed her helmet and grinned. “Absolutely, Ms. Amari! I can’t wait to get started.”
The other woman laughed. “You’re hired now, there’s no need for that. You can call me Ana from now on.”
The young adult grabbed her belongings and walked up alongside her new boss as she finally open the door to the diner. Ana let Hana enter first, and turned on all the lights as she walked behind her. Hana headed for the back of the diner and into a small locker room, placing her coat and other belongings into her assigned cubby. Before she placed her lock, she pulled a small white apron from her purse and tied it around her waist.
Day one of being a waitress.
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“Before you start your first day with us, I’d like to introduce you to our little family here,” Ana said cheerfully. She gestured towards her employees sitting by the bar area, and they all waved at her. The blonde woman was the first to approach Hana. “Welcome, my dear! My name is Angela,” she said warmly. “What brings you here to our little town?”
“Oh I’m uh, I’m going to the university nearby!” Hana replied. “Though I usually take classes in the afternoon and evening, so I decided to find a job to keep myself busy.”
Angela nodded. “Wonderful to hear. I’m a student myself! But I’ll tell you all about that later.”
The other waitress, a serious looking woman with long black hair and white prosthetic arm, stood up from the barstool she was perched and walked over to shake Hana’s hand. “Hello,” she began. “My name is Satya. I will be the one training you.”
“Oh, neat! Can’t wait for you to show me the ropes around here,” Hana said happily. Satya acknowledged her with a nod and a small smile, then made her way back to her seat.
The next person was a lot shorter than Hana, and he let out a warm and boisterous laugh as he placed a prosthetic hand into hers. “Hello lass! The name’s Torbjörn. I’m the fixer upper around here.”
Hana greeted him back and turned her attention to the last fellow who had yet to be introduced. He was a very tall and heavyset man, with messy gray hair tied into a small ponytail and swirling tattoos along his chin. His lack of a response and blank expression made her feel a bit put off. Hana wasn’t afraid of people who were twice her size, but his peculiar silence made her wonder if he didn’t like her.
Ana walked up behind Hana and cleared her throat. “The big one is our cook Mako,” she stated. “In case you’re wondering, it’s not you. He just doesn’t speak much. You’ll come to understand soon enough.”
Hana let out a small sigh at the reassurance. Looking back at her new co-workers, she felt giddy. They all seemed like a wonderful bunch; folks of different walks of life working together. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed Satya approach her.
“I will show you the basics before we open,” she told the shorter woman. “You will be waiting on our usual customers first so that your first day will run more smoothly.” Her tone unchanging, Satya leaned in closer. “But know this: I am not one to go easy on trainees. This is like any other career where I expect you to take your work very seriously.”
Hana nodded slowly. Angela let out a small giggle from behind. “Don’t sweat it Hana; Satya isn’t actually that scary. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Torbjörn snorted and hobbled across the room. “I hope so! The last few girls Satya trained, she sent them all home in tears.”
Ana shrugged. “She knew they weren’t taking their jobs seriously. I have no problem with her methods. One of those girls even tried to steal from the register.”
Hana turned to her in disbelief. “Who tries to rob a diner ?”
The older woman laughed. “You would be surprised, my dear.”
Torbjörn and Mako made their way into the back, and before they past through the swinging doors she caught a bit of conversation. “Hey, betcha the new girl’s gonna wait on your #1 fan, yeah?” Torbjörn laughed. Mako replied with an annoyed growl as he grabbed a dirty apron.
His #1 fan?
Ana patted Hana on the shoulder. “Well, I’ll be heading into my office. Satya will be sure to inform you of our regulars while she trains you. But don’t be nervous! If anything happens I will be out here right away.”
She gave Hana a thumbs up as she walked away. Satya came back into view, carrying a tub full of silverware. “Come along, we are to set the tables.”