truitt-story

[truitt-story]

"Yeah, no problem." It did occur to Tiana that this might distract Judy from her job, but Tiana figured if it were really a big deal, someone else would handle it. "You want it the usual way?" Tiana did her best to keep track of people's orders— it reminded her a little of her relationships with her regulars at Tiana's Place.

@officer-judy-moon

"I suppose you're right. It was just strange enough to try to pursue it," Judy admitted. She couldn't help but react when she saw them take off. But now at least she would be able to enjoy a more calm morning. "Oh... a coffee would be amazing." She'd had to abandon her tea, and now she did think a coffee would suit her a lot more. "Thank you."

@truitt-story

[truitt-story]

The idea wouldn't have occurred to Tiana, that people would find her easier to talk to than any of the business owners. But Tiana was on the younger side, and she'd especially been on the younger side when she'd first opened the restaurant. And hey, just because Tiana didn't put much thought into whether or not she was approachable, that didn't mean she wasn't.

It was nice to be thought of that way, honestly. Made Tiana feel like something good could come of her very public failure. Or maybe that it wasn't even much of a failure at all.

"Oh- uh, well, I'm glad to hear you don't think I'm intimidating. I definitely don't want to be," Tiana said, maybe a little awkwardly. "I appreciate that. Uh, ask away."

@a-merman-not-a-guppy

Need Advice | Finn & Tiana

[truitt-story]

"I'm good, I swear!" Tiana promised, although a break and some caffeine honestly did sound pretty good right now. She went to at least get herself some tea. "Do you need a drink or anything? You were working just as hard as me."

@auntcass-hamada

Out of the Frying Pan & Into the Fryer | Castiana

[truitt-story]

"I don't know about karma, but it's definitely genetics," Tiana replied, continuing to rock Primrose back and forth. "Seriously, though, if I can ever help with babysitting or anything, just let me know, alright? I've got the time now."

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

Welcome to Earth || Open

[truitt-story]

"Perfect. This is, like, R&D," Tiana joked as she swirled the berries around the colander. "You know, I've actually been doing a little bit of that at the Lucky Cat. It's mostly Cass's ideas, since it's her cafe but she lets me try my own thing now and then."

@alzcomicbarn

Just a Spoonful of Sugar! || Alti

[truitt-story]

"And you wanna ask me?" Tiana asked, not quite believing it. And then she realized how that came out— pretty dismissive. Finn was a sweet kid, and Tiana didn't want to make him feel bad. "Sorry, I mean- I did just have my business fail in a pretty public way."

@a-merman-not-a-guppy

Need Advice | Finn & Tiana

[truitt-story]

Tiana could tell she'd startled Hunter, and she did feel bad about that. She'd gotten the vibe that Hunter was a little skittish. But Tiana didn't want to embarrass him by pointing that out.

"I can get it," Tiana said, ducking under the counter to go get the trash from the main dining area. "So, you doing anything fun after this?"

@thegcldenguard

Closing Crew | Huntiana

[truitt-story]

Tiana shrugged. "I dunno, I feel like there's all kinds of reasons people run from cops, honestly," she said. "But who knows? It's just weird that it's, like, this early. Anyway, I should probably get back inside. You want a coffee? We're not really busy."

@officer-judy-moon

Judy couldn't help but snort. "It does seem that way. But there's no way to be sure about their motives. I was going to check in with Tink, but that guy took off before I could even figure out what was going on." She shrugged her shoulders. "I mean... I don't see why a person would run unless they felt that they really had done something wrong." It just didn't make sense to Judy.

@truitt-story

[truitt-story]

Tiana shook her head. "You're not bothering me," she said. Tiana remembered Finn— he'd taken some headshots for her back when she'd needed those for professional purposes. He was a nice kid, and if there was a way Tiana could help him out, she wanted to.

Unfortuantely, Tiana didn't really think she had much to offer him, whatever he was going to ask her. So she was a little worried she might let him down.

@a-merman-not-a-guppy

Need Advice | Finn & Tiana

[truitt-story]

"Already!" Tiana looked up, astonished. Then again, Eilonwy was a precocious twenty two year old. It made sense that she'd have a precocious kid. "I shouldn't be surprised, actually knowing you." Tiana chuckled.

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

Welcome to Earth || Open

[truitt-story]

"Uhh, let me check. Behind!" Tiana called out as she slipped past Cass toward the double doors that separated the kitchen from the front of the restaurant. "Uh, everything's pretty much in good shape except the taiyaki. I can help with that, but- hold on."

More customers had arrived, and while Tiana tended to mostly help in the kitchen, she wasn't going to leave a customer hanging. "What can I get started for ya?" she asked.

It was another thirty minutes until things finally started to slow down. Tiana leaned against the countertop and wiped at her forehead with a towel. "Damn," she said, catching her breath. "I kind of missed that."

@auntcass-hamada

Out of the Frying Pan & Into the Fryer | Castiana

[truitt-story]

Tiana beamed, captivated by the simple joy of holding a little human. Primrose had bright, expressive eyes, and she wiggled a little as Tiana held her. "Hi!" Tiana said in a hushed voice. "You're about to have so many aunties trying to hold you, huh?"

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

Welcome to Earth || Open

[truitt-story]

Tiana was still getting used to where everything went, so it didn't bother her that the tomatoes were in an unusual place. She didn't even know they were in an unusual place!

"Girl, me too," Tiana chuckled. She'd always resented her height— it made a lot of things harder as a chef. "I'll go find 'em, thanks. Maybe we should talk to Cass about getting a step stool in here. Humiliating as it sounds, it's actually pretty useful."

@veeva-la-vida

Day Shift | TV

[truitt-story]

"Damn. Kicked out of Pixie's in broad daylight? Must have been a weird one," Tiana said with a shrug. "Did you talk to Tink at all? Maybe she'd know something."

It wasn't exactly Tiana's job to be investigating here, but she couldn't resist. She was too curious now.

@officer-judy-moon

Oh, it was Tiana! How delightful. At least it wasn't someone who might laugh at her attempts at...doing something. It was strange behavior in the morning. Something she hadn't really been ready for but it happened.

"It was. Really I'm not sure if the guy was spooked cause he saw me or if he did something at Pixie's. I saw that he'd been kicked out of there. He started running as soon as he saw me though and it just seemed... off you know? But either way, I couldn't catch up so I guess we'll never know fully."

@truitt-story

[truitt-story]

"On it, chef," Tiana replied, bringing the fruit over to the sink to rinse. That was partially her being cheeky, calling Al "chef," but it was also kind of a habit she was still in. Tiana's Place hadn't followed all of the fine dining rules, but everyone had been "chef" there. "Vixey's gonna love this. I wish I could see her face when you bring it to her."

@alzcomicbarn

Just a Spoonful of Sugar! || Alti

[truitt-story]

Ayo Edebiri | 56th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, California | February 22, 2025

[truitt-story]

Slowly, Tiana was getting to know the rest of the Lucky Cat staff. They were mostly Pride U kids; Tiana was the oldest except for Cass. So she didn't know most of them. But they all seemed to have good attitudes and they worked hard. Tiana liked them.

She wanted to get to know them more, though. Tiana was used to knowing her coworkers, chattering the shift away. It was time to break the ice.

"Hey!" Tiana said, walking out of the kitchen into the front, where Hunter was cleaning up. "I'm pretty much all set in the kitchen. Need help out here?"

@thegcldenguard

Closing Crew | Huntiana