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Titus was tentatively looking for a different arrangement when it came to work. Not that he wasn't grateful to Riyo for helping him find a job but without a car getting to the maid cafe was difficult and he didn't really enjoy riding backseat on Riyo's motorcycle to get there everyday. And while the people were nice enough, though Titus had made an effort not to be an outright arse, the maid outfits made him nine kinds of uncomfortable and that feeling had yet to waver. He knew Riyo would probably be mad once she found out but somehow he felt the owner, as eccentric as he was, would be understanding.

Still, finding a job at all had been difficult and looking for a second one closer to school was proving to be just the same. He only had so many skill sets but since he was at least good at making coffee and customers seemed to like the latte art he decided maybe another cafe was the way to go.

He wasn't sure how often he had passed the little cafe in Amity but somehow it had escaped his attention until he was actually looking for it. There was no notice about hiring but it didn't hurt to ask right? Taking in a deep breath he reminded himself to play nice and pushed his way through the door just as Xiu was calling to the back. He paused for a moment realizing she was familiar but couldn't dredge up her actual name to save his life. Instead the only thing that came to mind was the nickname he had given her.

"Wingnut?"

Titus wasn't completely surprised by the delayed response but was a tad baffled by the smile, though likely it was forced. The baku also hadn't corrected him, which really gave him no leads on what her real name was and from the looks of things she worked here. This was off to a great start. Hopefully she didn't have any pull when it came to hiring because he was pretty sure she would not be putting in a good word for him. In fact, he wondered if he should just turn and leave.

No, no, he just had to stick this out and ask. He could get his act together and do that much.

"Well," He drew out the word as his eyes drifted around the little shop, a hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck idly. He looked a little nervous and for all accounts he was. "I didn't really come here to eat." He never ate, food was just not his thing. "I actually came in to see if this place was hiring. Is there....a manager I can talk to?" At least he had managed to get it out there though now he waited for what he imagined to be a bad response. Surely she would just tell him to leave or laugh him out the door.

Either her initial reply was a build up to rejection or out of simple courtesy but knowing they were hiring was a start. He could probably tolerate working with the baku he just needed to get his foot in the door and....

...Wait....

"Co-owned?" His attention fell to the tiny hand being offered to him in greeting, disbelief clear on his face. This was going about as well as he could have hoped so he wasn't sure why he was surprised. Of course she would be the co-owner. Of course he would have been a jerk to her at school. Though in his defense he was a jerk to pretty much everyone.

Taking in a deep breath he let it out in an exasperated sigh as he reached out and took her hand to give it a small shake. A part of him wanted to ask if they should just skip to the part where she asked him to leave but instead he went with, "Half a job for a half pint. Seems suiting." Jack dammit brain. Way to drop the ball. You had one job and it was to play nice with the other scarelings.

Titus physically groaned the moment the words passed his lips and he placed his face in his hand. This was not starting off well. "S-sorry, it just sort of slipped out." He grumbled his apology quietly, the word sorry still feeling awkward in his mouth.

Titus suspected that was it. This adventure had been a train wreck waiting to happen the moment he stepped through the door. The filter between his mind and his mouth was nearly non-existent. He knew this, it was why he had struggled to find a job to begin with and why he had been rejected outright at so many before that.

In his mind he was already preparing to leave. Apology or not the baku was probably done so when she spoke it took him a moment to digest the fact that she was inviting him to sit instead of telling him to take a hike.

"Wait you..." His eyes followed her gesturing hand to the table she pointed out among the many only to snap back toward her retreating form as she disappeared into the kitchen. Okay...he could take a hint. Slowly he made his way toward the table frowning down at the too short chairs for his too long legs. He took a seat regardless, his knees hitting the underside of the table as he tried to keep them close. When Xiu returned with a teapot and two cups he couldn't help but feel like an adult at a small child's tea party. Thankfully this time he kept his mental thoughts to himself.

"So who is Gene?"

With a cup set in front of him Titus scooted it a bit closer but left it on the table. He wasn't sure of the etiquette when it came to drinking tea over a...was this an interview or just a chit chat? Either way Titus left the tea untouched while the baku explained about her friend and opening the cafe after graduation. He actually was a little envious of the fact that she had a plan in life. While his family was trying to shove ideas down his throat left and right he really had no mind of his own when it came to what he wanted to do.

When the conversation was directed back to him Titus hesitated. "Fine." Was his first and short reply but somehow he felt he needed to supply more than that. This was meant as a way for the baku to get to know him in order to deem him hire-able or not but there wasn't a lot of good things to tell. Somehow he actually managed to ignore the asshat remark, mostly because he couldn't sort out the instance she had called him that from any other time he had been called a colorful name of one variety or another.

"I was gone for a while. Back home." And Jack had he hated it. Titus let his hands rest around the teacup so they had something to do, soaking up the warmth even through his gloves. "Since I got back things have been..." Chaotic, nightmarish, traumatic, one disaster after another. "...interesting." But it was still better than being home.

"So when did you graduate anyway? Same time as Kidget..err...Hel?" He was trying, he really was but the nicknames just rolled off his tongue so naturally.

Titus made a face that was something between disgusted and hesitant when the baku asked him about school. Technically, he was still suspended. He had yet to go back to talk to the counselor about finishing his community service so that he could attend classes. It was a minor detail really because he still lived on campus. At least for now. But the baku said they were hiring students and Titus wasn't certain how well it would go over if he told her he wasn't currently going. Not to mention he didn't want to explain why.

"School is...fine." Fine he says. Leaving things vague all over the place. He really needed to steer this conversation away from things he didn't want to talk about and focus on something that mattered. And she had even said she had gotten wrapped up in something that was interesting. That word was being used rather freely and he was certain it meant she didn't want to talk about it.

"Are you at all curious why I would come into a cafe looking for a job?" He had been tentatively waiting for the 'why are you here' question but it had never come. Honestly he hadn't completely sorted out his answer to it but he was winging things as they were.

Thank Jack. The conversation was back on a topic he could work with. Now if he could keep up the nice act he might be able to get through this.

"I'm not," He admitted without pause looking to the tea as she gestured to it. "Food is not my thing and I don't quite get the whole set up of a cafe. Its like some sort of social network cesspool for snobs and...." He paused for a moment realizing he was derailing. "N-not that...your place is like that?" Jack dammit, a sentence in and he was already digging himself a hole.

He sighed lifting a hand so that he could pinch the bridge of his nose while he attempted to concentrate. Playing nice was hard and he didn't have a lot of experience with it. "Look..." He took a breath and started slow while he gathered his thoughts. Maybe a little honesty would help in the matter.

"I know I'm not the kind of person you would probably want to work with. We don't exactly have the best history." Understatement of the century. "And I am still working on this whole not being a...what was the word you used? Asshat. But I need money and I will work. I can clean and make coffee and tea and I can even do the stupid latte art." He had more than his fair share of making things that were cute and it killed him a little inside each time he put a happy little face on a foam kitty for someone but there was actually something satisfying about creating art. It had been so long he had forgotten how much he liked to draw and make things and it was probably thanks to community service that he didn't mind cleaning up. Trash pick up and working in the cafeteria at school really put things in perspective.