Plebeians? Fools? Furthermore?? Georgette glared darkly at the asshole over her pizza, although it seemed Ivan was going to tear him to shreds. It would provide excellent lunch theatre. She watched them go back and forth. But Garrison interjected with the suggestion of a prayer circle. "I think you got it backwards. People usually pray before they eat not after." Georgette rolled her eyes a little. “I’ve not prayed in years and now twice in one day.” She dropped the pizza slice back onto the table and wiped her hands down her trousers. “Will this one be followed by a shot as well?”
"Now come my angels, we need to be cooking up a little grace and civility at the table." Garrison stretched out his hand. "A circle prayer." Ivan continued staring down Roy for a few tense seconds, then laughed nervously. "Hahahaha," she said, obviously faking it. "You're right, Mr. Charlie. Civility. Yesssss, civility. Ivan come to America for civility. Seen much bad things in Russia." She bowed her head to Roy. "I don't know what came over me. I am so very, very sorry. We should be welcoming to all! Hahahaha." She stepped closer and put her hand over his shoulder, holding him close even when he tried to squirm away from the touch of a mere peasant. "Are you sure you wouldn't like some pizza, sir?" But then she lowered her voice and whispered into his ear: "Not now, but soon. You're a dead man, you just don't know it yet."
Roy didn't squirm at her touch, he just gave her a pleasant smile, though, it didn't reach his eyes. "I don't end up dead, fools such as yourself do." He said, not even bothering to lower his voice, not caring who heard him. He wrenched his shoulder out of her grasp. "Ugh, Ivy, don't touch me, I think I'll get all itchy." He said, acting as if the words he had said only a minute before had never even come out of his mouth, he turned to Garrison. "Yeah, no, already touched enough drunks for today, 'sides, don't need to pray, god obviously loves me since I'm so awesome, though you all on the other hand... yeah, make sure to pray every day, maybe you can even get a millionth of a step to my level, unlikely though, later." He said with an impish grin, and with that, he walked out of the room.
Georgette let out a long breath as his highness left the break room. "Wow. Maybe we could feed him to the fishman?" she suggested lightly and shrugged. "More pizza for the rest of us I guess?"
“Have a nice day, Roy,” Ivan said with a smile and a wave as he fled the scene. “And remember, God loves you… ‘cuz the rest of us sure as hell don’t,” she mumbled after he was gone. "Wow. Maybe we could feed him to the fishman?" Pinky suggested lightly and shrugged. "More pizza for the rest of us I guess?" “Don’t worry your pretty little pink head,” Ivan said with a devious smirk as she grabbed a greasy slice of pizza. “I have a feeling he won’t be with the company for long.” She chomped off half of it in a single bite and turned to Garrison. “But, seriously, how’d that douchebag get hired?” she said, talking with a mouthful of cheese and slimy bread. “And who I gotta talk to ‘bout a promotion? I wanna whip this place into shape. The rest of you guys are solid,” she said, with a gesture to the employees gathered around the pizza banquet, “but without leadership, this place is gonna fall to shit… well, further into the shit than it already is. Ivan has solution to problem. Ivan is solution to problem.”
Garrison frowned. Nobody ever wanted to pray, if he was actually a Christian he’d of considered pushing for a Christian book section in the already jam packed store. But.....alas he wasn't! It was fun to come up with prayers though. "Like I said." He staring at Ivan. "I supposed Krystal liked his application and besides he's got spunk! I'm sure he'll come around." Garrison talk off his bowler hat, twirling it his fingers. "Well I'd like to think that I'm the leader around here." He snorted a laugh. "Doing active work is just a real drag is all, I'd much prefer just to chill around instead of dealing with those customers." He yawned. "Just as long as we make enough to scrape by and so King is happy."
"Doing active work is just a real drag is all,” Garrison said. “I'd much prefer just to chill around instead of dealing with those customers." He yawned. "Just as long as we make enough to scrape by and so King is happy." “Well, that settles it,” Ivan said. She paused to choke down the last of her slice of pizza and chase it with a massive swig of vodka. “I’ll be taking over from now on.” The only thing she had in common with Gary was her lack of respect for ‘rules’ and ‘formalities.’ Their work ethics were completely opposite. He enjoyed sitting on his ass and collecting a paycheck for nothing. She couldn’t sit still if someone paid her to do it. She was perfect for the job. Well, as long as King could ignore her drinking, frequent drug use, swearing, threatening fellow employees, sexual harassment, tampering with the store’s computers and surveillance systems, breaking and entering… If he could ignore allll that shit stuff, she’d be perfect. Ivan suddenly realized she had stopped talking and was just standing there, smiling like an idiot. Mmmhm, the vodka just kicked in. Party time. “Ahem,” she coughed and cleared her throat. “Any objections?”
Lydia raised her hand high in the air. "If you're taking over, is there any way we could order new animals that like, won't die so easily?" She smiled at the woman who she'd seen around the store earlier in the morning. Lydia didn't agree with her explicit tongue or crass way of thinking, but she was just here to do her job. And she'd do her job the way she liked it no matter what a lazy bum or hot blooded Russian said. The animals came first. "Pet Palace across the street has a larger variety of animals for sale," she continued. "I think if we could get different kinds around here too, it would lead to a far greater profit and more interest in the department."
The thought of Ivan taking over was hilarious, slightly scary, but mostly hilarious. "If you're taking over, is there any way we could order new animals that like, won't die so easily?" asked Lydia in her pretty way. Georgette let out a short and sharp laugh. “Something that isn’t gerbils?” She frowned a moment and picked up her pizza. The cheese was starting to congeal. “Actually, did that rodent thieving janitor ever come back?”
Ivan’s eyes narrowed on Pinky, who seemed to find something incredibly amusing. The girl’s friendly tone wasn’t enough to mask the rapidly-suppressed bout of laughter that escaped her lips. “Did someone tell a joke or are you just giggly by nature?” Ivan said, a tad more sharply than intended. She promptly turned her attention to Pet Girl and donned a smile. “No, I can’t order more animals, since I’m not actually in charge-” she briefly shot a glare in Garrisson’s direction, “-but, if I were, I would. No one wants fucking gerbils. The store’s inventory records show we had more than gerbils and birds at some point. I suspect they all died.” She paused and adjusted her glasses, trying to look smart and bookish. “Yes, I actually read the store’s records… what little there was. When I’m boss, we’re going to do a lot better at keeping track of things. And there will be a keg in the break room.” She winked at Pinky. “That part was a joke. Now you can laugh.”
Garrison awkwardly swallowed another piece of pizza, this time almost in one gulp. "I can find a way to order new animals, if that's what you all want?" He said. "I'll contact Mr. King tomorrow about it and I'm sure he'll understand." Garrison leaned back a bored expression. "Anyway, what's all this about a keg? You know you can't drink on shift." He pointed out producing his flask and drowning down the left over that sat in his throat. "You've all got to be on poont......p....point." He slurred.
"Anyway, what's all this about a keg? You know you can't drink on shift," Garrisson said before taking a gulp from his flask. "You've all got to be on poont......p....point." Ivan opened her mouth to say something --probably a string of expletives, sandwiched between a very vivid description of obscene acts-- but stopped and decided not to give him a piece of her mind. She took a deep breath and spoke calmly. “I’m not going to let you drag me down to your level,” she said. “Pizza break’s over. I have work to do. I expect you all won’t be far behind, no?” She promptly turned and marched away, headed back out to greet whatever awaited them out there in the wonderful world of retail.
Teddy tip toed gingerly down the dairy aisle, a little more nervous than a lazy stoner should ever be. The lights high up in the warehouse ceiling glared across the marble floor and their constant buzzing was starting to drill into his mind. That was all he could hear. Teddy edged his head out of the aisle and into the cross section, hoping to see one of the workers stacking the shelves or more likely, sleeping on the job. And yet, there was no one. They had all vanished. He'd heard of government conspiracies before, and he was pretty sure he had tried to find some while he was high, but this was real. A haunting squeak echoed. Teddy spun just in time to catch a glimpse of a shopping trolley, disappearing past the cheeses. Footsteps. He spun again, locking eyes with an elderly lady, looking upon her horrifying face. There were too many lines, all bunching together towards a large nose at the centre of such paleness. She had eyes of white and two yellowish teeth which sat in her twisted smile. Teddy large stomach rose into his throat and she quickly vanished behind the milk, not before those white eyes wretched into his soul. Sweat began to appear on Teddy's brow. He was alone. And there were customers. Scary customers with questions. Oh god, not questions, not the endless questions. There was a moan, deep towards the office furniture section. He dared not move, his stomach shaking in fear - or maybe it was hunger - there was a definite pizza smell going about. The moan came again, and were it not for that delicious, cheese encrusted smell Teddy would have stayed frozen. Around the groceries he crept, eyes wide for any sudden movement or half price promo that might lead them to him. The moaning was louder now and Teddy was a corner away from realising the truth. Who was it? Were they in pain? The more harrowing thought was whether they were a customer. He stood with his back to the broccoli trying to will himself to turn around the corner and face this moaning demon, but all he could muster was a frightened whimper. Finally he tensed himself, threw some loose Lucky Charms from his pocket into his mouth and confronted the moaning. It was more hideous than he could have imagined. A woman - a customer - leant back in an office chair with a face of whitish sludge on her face, moaning limply under some sort of sedation. Teddy grimaced and flinched at the sight of her, unable to contain his horror and whispering, "W-what happened to you?" She bolted upright and he jumped a mile, back behind the broccoli with a vision of sludge burned into his mind. The worst part was that there were no eyes. "Is someone there? I've been having this facial massage for almost an hour now." Even pizza wasn't worth this. Teddy clamped his eyes shut, yet the harrowing image still lingered underneath his eyelids. This was too much, he never signed up for this. It had been two hours since his last joint so this was definitely real. Hmmm. Maybe I should do a joint, he pondered, the thought as gentle and calming as a Japanese zen garden. And so he shrugged, opened his eyes and went back to the electronics department fire exit. "Hello?" The sludge face woman continued.
"As your supervisor tis my duty to make it the most safe and caring." He squeezed her closer. "Work environment." He took off his bowler hat. "You are growing to be my favorite employee." She let him have his fun, for a little while. Ivan looped her arm around his waist and pulled him in closer. "Aww, I like you too, Garebear," she said as her hand slid down lower... closer to his crotch... and then latched on like a demon's claw. "These are company property," she said as her grip tightened. "These belong to me now." He let out a low grunt of pain his smile widening at her; his knees beginning to buckle. "Oh deary me, quite aggressive? Ivan....." He coughed. "Quite the predicament." "Just letting you know," she said, releasing him, "who's in charge. Ivan is boss, yes? So glad we cleared that up, Mr. Supervisor." She wiped her hand on his shirt. "Now go supervise something. I got work to do." He sighed falling to one knee but beamed. "Don't you think that somewhat counts as sexual harrassment? Not that I mind a good sexual harassing but nonetheless.....we can't have that around the work place." Garrison let out a giggle. "I wouldn't call a little thing like that 'sexual harassment,'" Ivan said with a smirk. "But you do look good on your knees." Garrison nodded holding up his right hand to wave Ivan a goodbye, his old friend whom was now a greasy Mexican inmate had once told him the same thing while they were in the old office showers together, ahhhh those were the days.
"Okay, I can do this!" a girl said, pumping her fist in anticipation. "Hand in the application, get the job, get the money, pay off student stuff, and buy pizza. I'm set!" She adjusted a wristband over the apple tattoo on her wrist, and started to briskly walk up to the store... The sound of two bodies colliding in mid-stride was enough to knock her to the ground. The red headed college kid she bumped into was looking at her in worry. "My bad!' She said, getting up and dusting off her skirt. "Hi, I'm Adalia!" She held out her hand, grinning. The red head took it and shook, gently and pulled out a small notepad. I'm Naut, he wrote, flipping the notebook to her. Nice to meet you. Adalia grinned, and flashed a "v" sign. "Nice to meet you too. Sorry to bump into you, but I got an application to put in and a paper to write. You going in?" The red head nodded and the two went in. --- "Excuse me, can I speak to a manager?" Adalia asked a random worker.
Roy looked over at the girl that had asked him about the manager. "You really want to speak to that drunkard? Are you certain? I mean you'll probably lose a lot of your sanity within the first ten seconds." He crossed his arms. "I'm sure your frail plebeian mind can barely even function as it is. If you go talk to him, I'm certain that it'll completely shut down..." He paused for a second and put his hand on his cheek, an impish grin beginning to spread across his face. "On second thought, yeah, go talk to him, then your family can sue this store and that drunk in its entirety for making you a vegetable." He pointed her toward the employee's lounge.
"Excuse me, can I speak to a manager?" Adalia asked a random worker. "On second thought, yeah, go talk to him, then your family can sue this store and that drunk in its entirety for making you a vegetable." "Hello beautiful young people!" Garrison said pulling himself off the ground; the pain finally subsiding. He waved to both Adalia and Naut. "I can see you've already met Roy, he's new here as well or in fact everyone is new today!" "I assume you two have either come for work or....perhaps to complain? If it is to complain please take it up with Roy, he loves people." Garrison's hand clasped around Roy's wrist forcing the boy to wave at the two newcomers.
He gritted his teeth, and then composed himself. "Ahahaha... let go of my wrist Drinky, or I'll beat you to such a consistency that not even you yourself will be able to recognize what you are afterwards." He smiled at Garrison, not showing an ounce of anger or annoyance.
Naut followed the exchange, his face neutral, his mind racing. So, the employee badmouthed his boss... and his boss is either really thick, really corrupt, or both. Absently, he produced a filled job application and handed it to the manager. Adalia jumped a couple of times in excitement as she also handed her job application to the manager.
"Relax Roy....." Garrison's voice trailed off. "You have good smelling hair by the way, do you want take up the janitorial position?" "Would you like to do what you should have before and died in an alleyway, black out drunk?" Roy's smile never faltered, despite the horrible things he was saying. "I could arrange it you know, a disgraceful death, for a disgraceful human." He grinned. Garrison released Roy with a frown. "All I said was that your hair smelled nice....." He sighed. "You should try and set an example for these kids." "You want me to what?" Roy snickered. "You're completely off your wagon, aren't you?" He tilted his head. "Well, I guess it isn't surprising, I mean whenever you walk into a room, everything smells like a brewery." "That's not a brewery, its passion." Garrison said taking both applications from two. "Would you two like to step into my office for a bit of a review?" He said grinning.
Bale stood with a box of supplies in his well-muscled arms and a confused look on his face. Did Ivan just become the new store manager? When did the new employees show up? Where did their old janitor go and was Roy going to be their new janitor or was he going to kill Garrison and just get the smack talking over with? He sighed. Where was Lydia? She seemed to be the only normal employee in this store. Well, perhaps the new comers were normal. Bale set his box down, straightened his already tight muscle-shirt and trotted over to couple who had just handed in their applications. "Hello, I'm Bale. I'm a stocker and cashier. What are your names?" He asked with a pleasant smile that seemed to make him that much more handsome.
Naut's brain decided to take a short drip down hormone station before taking the long trip back to base. He wrote on his notepad. "Hi, I'm Naut," the writing said. "I can't speak." "And I'm Adalia!" Adalia grinned. "Nice to meet you! I hope to do well here!" Naut decided to study the newcomer more fully. Everything about him indicated that he knew he was good looking, but he seemed friendly enough. Obviously someone who knew that good impressions came first.
Bale nodded at Naut and smiled at Adalia. "Its nice to meet you both. I'm certain you'll both do fine. The, erm, manager is a bit lax so..." He shrugged. "What positions are you two filling? And if I may ask, are you together or siblings?"
"What positions are you two filling? And if I may ask, are you together or siblings?" "We do quite need a new janitor don't you think Bale?" Garrison asked. "Ever since Mr. Chunk left earlier, I can't help but feel he won't be coming back." Every respectable store needed a good clean up on aisle thirteen. It was always aisle thirteen wasn't it, in the movies? "So yes....." He patted Adalia on the head. "Which of you two brother and sister pair are the best at cleaning? I bet its you." He said speaking to Adalia. "You look like you have a washer woman's hands, not a dirt spot on them." Garrison grinned at Bale.
