Lunch was sent up to the second floor with a dumbwaiter lift, and Tessa set all the dishes out on the table for examination before they started to eat. This was the employment test for their new team of four chefs, and none of them had been to the restaurant where they formerly worked.
Sure, they had experience. But what if the food there was terrible?
It actually smelled wonderful, and Lotus surely would have stopped them if they were making mistakes, so Karl wasn't too concerned as he took his seat and waited for everyone.
"What is the order?" Wendy whispered as she noticed there were no assigned seats.
"Everyone just sits wherever they want. If you're speaking with someone when a meal starts, it makes sense to sit together. Or if you want to spend more time around someone, move to be near them." Karl replied with a shrug.
That was how he ended up with Dana on one side of him, and Wendy on the other, with Cara taking the chair beside Wendy, much to the young Demoness' confusion.
Once everyone was seated, Wendy turned to Cara and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Wendy Jones. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Cara replied with a bow, and motioned for Karl to respond.
"That is Cara, our resident Winged Void Badger. She can be a bit of a prankster, but she's really a sweet person. Unfortunately, she cannot speak any of the common languages due to her form." Karl explained.
Cara nodded in satisfaction. That was a good description.
Wendy smiled, and slid her hands up the side of her head. Then, she removed the black wig that she was wearing, revealing a pair of short, flesh toned horns on her bald head as her skin tone changed slightly, and her features became more demonic.
Oni Demon, Karl realized. That was what her father was, and likely hiding his horns with a spell, the same as Wendy had been. Wendy put the wig on Cara's head, and the Void Badger shifted to a humanoid form similar to Wendy's.
"There, now you can speak at dinner." The young mage announced proudly.
Cara giggled and carefully picked up the utensils, something that she had never tried before. Her first attempt was a failure, and all the food fell off before she could eat it. The second went slightly better, but Cara was already out of patience, and carefully rearranged the wig on Wendy's head before digging in to her meal face first with her front paws on the table.
"I guess she's not big on talking." Wendy giggled.
Cara giggled and carefully picked up the utensils, something that she had never tried before. Her first attempt was a failure, and all the food fell off before she could eat it. The second went slightly better, but Cara was already out of patience, and carefully rearranged the wig on Wendy's head before digging in to her meal face first with her front paws on the table.
"I guess she's not big on talking." Wendy giggled.
"I think she just got frustrated with the fork. I will work with her to learn a humanoid transformation ability later if she wants it." Karl suggested.
Cara waved off his concern. Badgers were much better than humans.
The kids who had been boarding at the house under Caretaker Jo's supervision were completely stunned by the quality of the meal. They had taken turns cooking before, and it was rarely what anyone would consider good, and often considering it edible was questionable.
But this meal, it had all the richness of a high-class restaurant meal.
Karl watched them wolfing down the meal with satisfaction. With a proper reference, they should be able to find work quickly, and staying here would no longer be a stain on their applications.
But in the aftermath of the attack, there would be countless people shifting homes and looking for work, so it really was a great opportunity for them in the middle of a disaster.
It would be hard to judge people on the neighbourhood that they were staying in when a large portion of the city was destroyed, after all.
After lunch, Caretaker Jo took out a piece of paper, then shook her head and ran out to the guard station to go get something.
While the guards had been rather disdainful to her the first time that they had spoken about the Caretaker, this time they seemed much more accommodating. They handed her a new piece of paper, and the Caretaker came back in with it in her hands.
"I have the day's new job listings. I know we're a bit late, but this one just updated for tomorrow's jobs." She explained.
She began drawing circles around various jobs, and then writing notes for different residents.
"Here, take this. I know that they have been looking for workers for a while, and they lost three during the battle. Then for you, and you." One after another, she made job notes for all her charges and sent them out into the city with their referrals to go apply for work.
Karl noticed that the letters had his name and the Darklight Host Guild on them as a home reference, as they were staying with him, while the work history was individualized to the residents.
That left the house somewhat empty, with just six new people in addition to Karl's team, while the house was designed for close to sixty, an entire guard unit.
"What do you think the chances that they find permanent employment are?" Karl asked the Caretaker.
"I would say pretty good. I have a skill that tells me what the best way to take care of people and keep my place clean are. Finding them work does both." Jo explained.
Karl laughed quietly. That was a rather unique way to use an Obsession Magic skill.
"Well, I suppose that we will find out soon enough whether they have found work. Then we will have to find them a place to live." Karl agreed.
Caretaker Jo shook her head. "If they find work at these places, they should be given rooms in the new towers and the buildings that will be going up behind them today.
The towers are empty concrete, but they all have Systems, so they've got their bedding and other essentials with them until they can get their first pay and get settled in."
It would be strange having the house so empty already, but once they started hiring crafters and sales staff, they would have a decent portion of the second floor full.
"Well, if they don't, we might be able to hire one or two as general sales people, with Davis as the appraiser." Karl agreed.
Thor nodded in satisfaction. A larger pack was better.