In the game: help workers Also worker bartender barkeep barista ordering order doctor medic receiver assayer
Talk to working NPCs the way you would talk to a person.
Bartenders, baristas, clinic doctors, and civic buyers listen for their name or their job. Speak to them with say, with to <name> <text>, or in a pose. They answer out loud, and show you anything with numbers on it, like a menu or an offer sheet, privately.
Calling them
Use their name or their job anywhere a person would: at the start, at the end, or after a greeting.
say Bartender, what's on tap?
say A stout, please, Mara.
.lean on the bar and .catch Mara's eye. "Two stouts."
If two workers do the same job in one room, use a name. Once a worker is talking to you, you can reply without calling them again for a short while. After that, call them by name again.
Ordering
Ask in your own words, by name or by the number on the menu: I'll have the house stout, two gutshines and a stout, number 3, same again. The worker tells you the price first. Nothing is charged until you say yes.
Answer an offer with yes, go ahead, no thanks, or make it two. You can also .nod or .shake my head at the worker. Ask how much was that? to hear the price again.
Clinics and buyers
Tell a doctor what is wrong or who is hurt: Doctor, patch me up, Doctor, Alex needs help. Tell a buyer you have something to sell, then pick from the sheet by name or number: all of it, everything but the coal, 1-3.
When staff play a worker themselves, the worker answers you as a person instead.
See help bar and help roleplaying.