Just try your best

[ichoosefight]

🧙 WHO: Stephanie Brown and Hifumi Izanami
⚔️️ WHAT: A job interview
🕒 WHEN: Early August
🗺️ WHERE: Enchantment
⚠️ WARNINGS: None

Steph thought to wear her best clothes for what was essentially an impromptu job interview. She found that all she owns are t-shirts and jeans, and not a lot of either. Whatever a host does, she hopes the pay is better than a barista's. She opts not to change clothes.

The building doesn't take long to find. She made a point of memorizing the streets when she first arrived in this world, though this particular business she had ignored because it didn't seem useful. Now she stands in front of the entrance, mentally listing all the reasons this is a bad idea: She doesn't know what this "club" actually does. Kipposhi's explanation, that people pay to hang out, was pretty vague. She already thinks all the clients are insane, morons, or both. She's awkward at fancy parties. She's not good at pretending to be someone she's not. She doesn't even know if they'll hire a girl, or if they're looking to hire anyone at all. The list goes on.

Bad plans have never stopped her before. She takes a deep breath, then enters.

She takes only a moment to look around before approaching the first person she spots that looks like they might be an employee. Nothing in this room answers any of the many, many questions she has.

"Hi," she begins quickly, hoping to cut off any sort of sales pitch. "I'm, uh... looking for a job, actually? Kipposhi said I should try asking here."

She hopes that recommendation is a good one. She can't quite picture Kipposhi as a good employee.

Comments

[champagnetower]

"Greetings, my beautiful little kitten," Hifumi greets Stephanie, walking towards her. A sales pitch definitely would have happened had she not mentioned "job" and "Kipposhi" in the same sentence straight away. That immediately piques his interest. "Ah, I see! I do have positions available!" He bows before Stephanie with the biggest smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my princess! I am Hifumi, the owner of this host club!"

Hifumi gestures towards the other end of the hall. "Let's have a chat about the position you are interested in while we take a walk to a quieter room of this establishment." Host clubs are very loud and energetic, so Hifumi starts guiding her to one of the nearby office spaces. "And I would love to hear a little about you too!"

[ichoosefight]

Having lived a primarily rough-and-tumble lifestyle, she's more offended than flattered by being called a 'little kitten'. She lets it slide, reminding herself that she isn't here to fight and doing her best to keep a straight face. This guy is about as weird as she was expecting.

She follows him away from the noise, shoving her hands in her pockets. Jeans apparently make it hard to remember to look professional.

"I'm Steph. Uh, Stephanie Brown. I've been here a few months. Since the minotaur, actually. That's how I met Kipposhi." She stops herself, realizing that fighting monsters is probably not the best anectdote for this particular interview.

[champagnetower]

"Miss Stephanie," Hifumi simply says, pulling a chair out for her to sit. "Please have a seat!" He goes over to sit on the other side of her before continuing with the interview.

"Everyone I have hired so far is interesting, therefore I expect anyone they know to be interesting as well!" Really he finds people interesting overall, hence why he has this job of chatting with people all night long. "But more than that, what are you looking to do? Did you and Kipposhi discuss anything in particular?" He counts on his fingers as he lists postitions. "We have cooking, bartending of sorts, security, and of course hosting. Hosting in a place like this is usually men, while hostess clubs are lady hosts, but that sort of vibe is a bit different and I'm open to trying new things!"

And not to sound super judgemental or anything, but he has to point this out. "We have a stylist who helps dress employees that suit their positions and personality, so depending on the role you're looking to fill, she can work with you on that as well!"

[ichoosefight]

She sits, looking properly attentive. She hadn't really thought there might be positions available besides hosting, but this was very last-minute, and she still doesn't really get what hosts do, anyway. She's actually relieved when he mentions a stylist. Her idea of fashion is more practical than anything else.

"He was pretty vague," she explains, "but I think he had hosting in mind. He did say he thought I'd look good in a three-piece suit." She shrugs at that idea. Most girls do look good in a suit, in her opinion, but she's nothing special.

"He couldn't really explain what the job is, beyond 'hanging out'. I'd never heard of this kind of thing before today, but I do enjoy meeting new people. I mentioned I'm..." she tries to find a tactful way to say 'in a crappy job', "looking for a change, and he sort of jumped on the idea."

[champagnetower]

"I see," he nods, taking in all that's being said. Hifumi takes a moment to think about it, understanding how this sort of thing can definitely seem strange to anyone who has never heard of an establishment like a host club. He had heard it many times from foreigners back home!

"I suppose in a nutshell, the job of a host is hanging out, partying with others..." he taps his chin in thought, then smiles. "There is definitely more to it than that, though! Since you enjoy meeting new people, that will greatly benefit you in a host position. The purpose of a host club is to entertain customers! In other words, chatting with customers, and being someone they enjoy talking to and spending time with. Hosts help make customers feel that they have a place to go to at the end of a hard day of work, and making them feel like they have someone to talk to when they have no one else. Sometimes it can involve helping a customer feel loved as well. It's really dependent on the reason a customer comes to the host club. It can be as simple as wanting to come to party all night, or coming to forget all their problems." Hifumi puts a hand on his chest. "It can be very difficult sometimes, especially if you're the type who really feels for people when they're sad and lonely... But at the end of the night, when they turn to you with a genuine smile and thank you for being the reason they had a blast, it feels amazing to know you helped someone have a night of happiness."

[ichoosefight]

She smiles a little sadly, thinking of all the times growing up that she had climbed up on the roof or gone to the neighborhood church just to get away. Even weirdos with too much money can find themselves trapped, she supposes. She can always get behind giving people someone to turn to.

Her lips twitch when he puts a hand on his chest. It's a little much. But so is this place, really.

"I know what you mean," she says with a nod, relaxing as the conversation turns to more familiar territory.

"I spent most of the last year working at a free clinic. Plenty of patients were belligerent or entitled, but seeing the relief on someone's face when you tell them you can help... It's more than worth it."

[champagnetower]

His interest is piqued at the mention of 'free clinic.' Ah... it's like that. Everything he knows about people who work in clinics and related businesses, he knows from a close friend. This all suddenly makes sense to him now. "I'm glad to know you can understand the sentiment. Even if a host club isn't something that can save the lives of others, there are few similarities." Hifumi nods, smiling as he is relieved to know she must have great experience with helping people. "A friend of mine works at a clinic here and has made the comparison a couple times back home as well. Such careers requiring a heart of gold, in different ways, to help and care for others."

Hifumi changes his tone a little, if only because of some things that have come up in previous interviews. He taps his chin in thought before continuing. "I would like to clarify a couple of things in case they were on your mind. The most common question that comes up during these interviews is if a host club is the same as a brothel. The answer is no, so please don't worry about having to spend time with customers in that manner. Should anyone try to engage with you in any way that makes you uncomfortable, please do let me know and I can handle it for you, or I can send in some help if it's something that is escalating." And a pause before continuing. "The second thing people often ask is if you, as in hosts in general, have to drink copious amounts of alcohol. The answer to that is also no, if that's not your thing. What's most important is that you help customers have fun in your own way!"

[ichoosefight]

Steph shrugs, a little embarassed by the praise. She told someone not too long ago that she needed a break from medical work. She spent too much time around people who were too beaten by circumstances that were beating her just as badly. If she were such a great person she'd be working at a clinic now, not serving coffee.

She turns even more sheepish at the mention of a brothel, though there's plenty of amusement in her expression. That's definitely the first question she asked Kipposhi when he told her about the club.

"I can handle anyone who gets pushy," she's quick to reassure him, though it occurs to her that she should probably try to avoid doing any serious damage at her place of work. She'll have to keep her temper. The mention of alcohol does bring another question to mind, though.

"What about coffee? I don't know how much business you get earlier in the day, but I know some people drink coffee until the middle of the night." She means herself. 'Some people' is Steph.

[champagnetower]

"Coffee is an idea! There aren't usually many coffee drinkers when we operate, but perhaps that is only because we don't currently offer it," he nods, taking that into consideration. Anything that gives an opportunity to appease people is a good idea. Hifumi is sure that coffee can also provide an opportunity to create new alcoholic drinks as well to soothe people who would prefer it that way.

The topic of coffee brings him to the next important detail of the host club. "The reason I say there aren't many coffee drinkers when we operate is because we are open 7pm to midnight during the weekday." He hands her a sheet with the hours of operation, as well as other information on the host club such as things they have already covered and the courses offered. "For many hosts, evenings go even beyond the hours of operation if they choose to go out with their customers outside of the establishment, often for things like karaoke or a late dinner. This is due to the course we offer known as 'free time' on our menu. This part of the job is what makes people confuse host clubs for a brothel of sorts, because what people agree to do with their customers outside of the establishment is up to them and what they're comfortable doing. It is not a requirement, however, so do not feel pressured!" Hifumi has no idea if that helps to soothe her, especially since she's a woman and he absolutely did not want her to be taken advantage of ever. But he felt she should know about this part of the business. "I've worked at hosts clubs since I was back home, and I would often get home from work 8, 9 in the morning. It can be really exhausting, especially with the importance of a ranking system on top of it. But I had always told myself that if I owned a place, I would place importance on the comfort of my employees and do what I can to ensure them that they should do what makes them happy and not feel pressured to do things they don't like with no ranking system. We're all just trying to do our very best, after all, with what life throws at us."

[ichoosefight]

She scans the sheet over, but she's already grinning. She'd been hoping the hours would be later in the day. And karaoke, even if it's a little outside her normal comfort zone, is at least one idea for how to deal with people who expect her to entertain them. It also brings clubs to mind, something she's thinking about trying now that the risk of death is so much lower than back home.

"Well," she starts once she's looked over the information, "you'd have at least one coffee drinker. My usual day ends around 5 in the morning.

"And you don't have to worry about me feeling pressured." He does seem concerned about that, probably because she's a girl. It's not an unreasonable thought, so she doesn't hold it against him.

"Nobody's ever been able to pressure me into anything. I'd probably get into a lot less trouble if they could..."

[champagnetower]

Hifumi manages to find that really comforting, actually. If she's not one to be pressured into things, then maybe he won't have to worry about her as much as he feared. He knows how men can be, especially those in the flavor of host club type personalities (even though his own group is a bit more... unique than usual) and the types who come to pay for entertainment in businesses of this kind.

"I think you will be able to fit in just fine," is what he says with a laugh. "We can discuss when you are available to start, and on your first day we will set you up with our stylist and you can tell her all about what kind of look you hope to achieve that is in line with this type of business, and start your training!"

[ichoosefight]

"Awesome!" It's hard to hold on to that semblance of professionalism at the thought of quitting her job at the cafe. It's fairly thankless work of which she doesn't get nearly 40 hours a week, free coffee aside.

"It'll be interesting to see what they suggest." She's been turning the fashion question over in the back of her head, and hasn't really come up with anything beyond 'girl jock', which is... a lot like what she wears now.