13 C12 - Introducing Crystal Lockheart, the resident Puppy!

E/d note: From this chapter onwards, I will be putting some sneak peeks for the next chapter in the form of the chapter title + small bits of the chapter content! 

'Inner dialogue/thoughts'

"Normal dialogue"

[System]

[Diary entries]

(Word Count: 1,530)

~ With Natasha, after the interview ~

As she saw Luke getting stopped by some office ladies on his way to the staircase that led to the upper floor, Natasha's attention was grabbed by a bubbly voice. "Hey there! So, you're going to be our new part-time hire as a barista, right? That's great! Adam had been complaining about the workload being the only experienced barista we've had since the re-opening. I mean the rest of us try our best, but for the more complicated orders, well Adam's been the carry of the team! I should warn you, he may look scary and give off a gloomy vibe, but he's actually a big softie on the inside." Natasha was caught off-guard with the burst of energy from the person who had walked up to her, whom she assumed was Crystal.

Suddenly, the atmosphere became a touch colder as Crystal said in a serious tone. "Also, Adam's taken so keep your hands off him." Both Natasha and Crystal stared at each other for a moment, until Crystal broke the silence. "Okay? Oh, where are my manners. I'm Crystal Lockheart, resident puppy of the team as declared by Sully. I'm with HR but don't worry, we're not corporate so HR's actually pretty fun!" For the second time in a matter of moments, Natasha was once again caught off-guard with how Crystal could revert back to being the cheerful burst of sunshine she was before her serious moment. "Wait, Mr Sully?" Natasha asked, having a faint guess as to who that name belonged to.

"That's the name I have for Mr Sullivan. Pretty sweet right? I could give you a nickname too if you'd like! Everyone loves my nickname. Now come on, I'm going to show you around and introduce you to everybody!" Crystal said cheerfully as she hooked Natasha's arm and led her around the café. Natasha shook her head as she let herself be dragged by the whims of her blonde soon-to-be colleague.

(Image of Crystal Lockheart)

As Natasha followed Crystal through the cozy confines of the café, she couldn't help but notice the warmth atmosphere created by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee intermingled with the soft chatter of customers. Crystal, with her bright smile, led Natasha to the counter and introduced the counter staffs, "So, that big guy there is Adam. Told you he'd be a little scary, didn't I?"

"But he doesn-" Before Natasha could finish her sentence, she was cut off by Crystal. "And the lovely lady beside him is his wife, Evelyn, though I call her Eve for no other reason than to declare the couple our Adam and Eve. Linda's our third counter staff, but she's on medical leave at the moment, you'll get to meet her when she comes back." At her introduction, both Adam and Eve gave Natasha a smile and nod, to which she responded in kind.

Moving past the counter, Crystal brought Natasha to meet the kitchen staff, "This is Carmen Berzatto, but you can call him Carmie. And these two are his assistants, Sydney and Marcus, also known as Sid and Mark. Fun fact about Mark, he used to work at a bakery before Carmie brought him here. Now he makes the meanest pastries you'll ever taste." Crystal complimented as Mark affirmed, "You bet I do!"

After the tour of the ground floor concluded, Crystal joyfully led Natasha towards the upper floor. As they were making their way, their attention turned to Luke's interaction with the office ladies. Natasha couldn't help but approve his professionalism and tact in handling their advances. 'I wonder if he'll ever find peace again after losing Wanda.'

"So, how long have you been working here?" Natasha asked, her curiosity piqued as they ascended the steps

"About 5 months now like most of us. We were initially employed by the previous owners running an ice cream store, but when Sully took over, he had offered to retain our employment." Crystal replied, her voice filled with enthusiasm. Natasha nodded, intending to gather more information regarding Luke and the lifestyle he has lived in his short time spent on this world so far. "And what can you tell me about Luke?"

Crystal's expression softened as she began to speak about her caring employer, "Luke is… well, he's something else. Always has a knack for making everyone feel welcome. He always made it a point to get to know everyone who worked here and everyone who came in."

"Sounds like a great boss." Natasha remarked. At her response, Crystal brightened. "He's the best boss ever! He treats us well and even gave us an increase in salary because he felt that we were earning under the market rate in our last employment. He even included several employee benefits in the new contract!"

"Anything else? What about his habits?" Natasha prodded.

"Hmmm, oh, something does come to mind!" Crystal exclaimed. "You know that spot you had the interview with Sully? He loves that spot. Every time that he's around, he would make himself comfortable there. Says he gets the best view, though I disagree. I don't see the appeal at looking at the office buildings across the streets."

Their conversation drifted to lighter topics as they reached the upper floor and continued their tour, but Natasha's curiosity about Luke lingered. "Is Luke seeing anyone?" Natasha ventured, unable to shake the question from her mind. Crystal chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Not that I know of. He's still single, as far as I'm aware. Though we have only been friends for roughly 2 months, and most of the time he was in New York scouting the area for a potential expansion." At Crystal's reply, Natasha nodded.

Turning towards Natasha, Crystal grinned knowingly, a mischievous glint in her eye, "Oh, I see how it is. You've got your eye on the boss, don't you?" Natasha laughed, shaking her head in amusement, "No, nothing like that. I just like to know who I'm working for, that's all."

Suddenly, a crash from the gaming room followed by a pair of yelp interrupted their conversation. Natasha and Crystal exchanged glances before rushing over to investigate.

"Everything okay in here?" Crystal called out as they entered the room. To Natasha's credit, her first instinct was to check for any injuries on the two girls she had set her eyes on when she entered the room, "Are you two okay? Did you get hurt?".

"Oh, it's Anna and Sarah. Looks like Adam and Eve brough you little rascals over while they worked huh. These are their daughters. Meet the youngest, Anna, and her older sister, Sarah." Crystal introduced as she ruffled the hairs of the girls. "So, what happened?".

"It was Sarah's fault" / "It was Anna's fault" Came the response from the girls, unknowingly causing a sense of déjà vu for Crystal, remembering a scene that occurred earlier in the day. 'April and Sully are rubbing off too much on these girls.'

Natasha couldn't help but smile at the scene before her. Despite the chaos, there was a sense of familial love between the two girls. "Looks like you two have fun up here." Natasha remarked, unable to hide her amusement. Anna nodded, a grin spreading across her face, "Oh, we definitely do. It's all part of the café experience!"

As they helped cleaned up the mess, Natasha was gathering and organizing what she had learnt throughout the day about Luke's lifestyle and habits.

~ With Luke ~

After getting the documents prepared, Luke had went to look for Natasha and Crystal but was unable to find them. 'Guess Crystal must be going all out for the tour'.

Instead, Luke decided to head back to his favourite spot, and gazed at the passing office ladies discreetly through the window. 'Best view indeed.'

- End of Chapter 12 -

E/d note: Here to inform of the difference once again. So the MTL chapter was just Natasha and Selene gossiping about Luke. Yeah that's it. Just an entire chapter for that. And it appears that Selene was the only staff of the cafe since she's the one doing all the character interactions! So here's my take on what would happen! A full tour of the cafe while Natasha gets introduced to her new colleagues! First look at Crystal Lockheart! Will she and April have a role in the story besides that of background characters? We'll see in the future! 

Join my patreon to support my Hololive merchandise funds! Advanced chapters now live for viewing for as low as USD2! p@treon.com/The_Editor982 . My Patreon will also include some additional content such as deleted ideas from Chapter 16 onwards! These content will be posted as a free content, so you don't have to be a paid member to view them!

Next time in C13 - Report, Agent Romanoff!

"Agent Romanoff, if you're calling me this early into your mission then you'd better be damn well sure it's to report some good news." Announced Fury.