It had been an entire year since Boris had shown up at the door of "The Abbey", the most run-down building in the city and home of many orphans, and asked if there were any children coming of age who he could hire for his new "empire". He was opening a Pet Store, the first one in the city, and needed an entire team to staff it. A very gracious opportunity from a very generous man, it seemed.
Boris, being the generous man he was, sought out a gaggle of 17-year olds with no prior work experience or field expertise, set them up in the building with everything they needed, got them apartments, had them completely comfortable to start their new lives as working adults.
And then he left.
Apparently he was at some training seminar that one year later was still going on, if the lack of his presence was anything to go by. The odd phone call was the only communication they really got from him...
Tala could still vividly remember the throngs of people bombarding him to talk to the owner their opening month and he really had no idea what to tell them. He was lucky Boris had made sure he knew the systems and procedures inside and out, because the redhead had no idea what he was doing for the first couple of months at all. It was all he could do to make sure his orders were out and the store wasn't somehow burned down!
But it had really paid to be a perfectionist; When Boris didn't answer any calls regarding how to handle the various mishaps and hiccups that happened along the way, Tala didn't stop researching and practicing the best management techniques for amateurs until he was sure he perfected them and could successfully run the store in his boss' absence.
Which worked, for the most part. It would have been perfect if he didn't have the most mismatched team of employees to ever walk the Earth.
Tala himself was normal enough, an aforementioned perfectionist who preferred to spend his time working or at home reading a book snuggled up to his wolfdog, Wolborg. Once he was properly prepared, he enjoyed his work...for the most part. There really weren't a lot of downsides to people bringing in their pets, big or small, and letting Tala and his staff pet and hold them while they were shopping.
The downsides came mostly from Bryan, his self-appointed second in command and head of the avian section. The absolute worst employee he could ever have, and the list as to why he had that honor was updated every single day. Foul-mouthed, disrespectful, and too unreliable, just to start. Habitually late due to hangovers, aware of but never adhering to the proper dress code (Tala really hated those boots - the man was going to fall off a ladder any day now), and RARELY looking up from his phone made him the absolute worst person he could imagine working for him.
Unfortunately no matter how many emails and voicemails Tala left, Boris never got back to him on firing him.
Then there was Spencer. Spencer always went above and beyond for people. He genuinely liked his job and enjoyed helping and contributing to the business. He'd volunteered to become a groomer when Boris had mentioned that he'd considered adding in a station, and was a staple in Chop 'n Shop. The customers loved him when he was in the store front, his grooming customers adored his work, and he was always on time, dressed appropriately given whatever his shift entailed, and was knowledgeable in all parts of the store.
He was employee of the month every single month for a reason. Tala had originally added that title as an incentive for Bryan to be a better employee but instead Bryan just bought Spencer breakfast every time the title renewed.
Like most things concerning Bryan, it had backfired.
But they managed. The store was always spotless, well-stocked (the only thing Bryan did well, but not as well as Spencer), and had a good reputation. All things Tala was very proud of.
Even their customers were friendly and interesting. They had many regulars, some of whom were very prominent in the pet industry themselves (breeders, show-goers, vets), and others who just really loved having a place to take their furry buddies. They had mostly dogs and cats, the odd small pets and birds, and a lot of older people with fish.
Then there was the odd request that would always manage to throw Tala for a loop.
Like this one.
"I already import Clarence's food from the most prestigious of companies, so that is not an issue. I just think I should get him a nice treat; His harness training has been going swimmingly and he really deserves a reward!"
Tala was stunned. Here in front of him was Robert's newest pet, 'Clarence'. Clarence was a 3 and a half foot long Indian peacock standing proudly in front of Tala, chest thrust out and head held high as he sported his new harness. Tala really had no clue how one would go about putting a harness on a volatile pheasant, but Robert somehow managed to master it and his bird was seemingly very thrilled about it.
He was really at a loss of words, much less action.
"Um...yeah, a treat would be a good move...Positive reinforcement is always the best training method..." He improvised, staring down at the bird who happily cawed at him.
Apparently it liked the treat idea...
"Yes, that's what I said!" Robert beamed, patting Clarence on the head gently. "His breeder said treating him would just spoil him but I think after all that training he deserves a reward."
"Alright...Let's go look at some treats then..."
"Talaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Bryan called out musically, the phone ringing insistently in the background. Tala ignored him. "So we have some pumpkin over here, seeds and pulp, they really love that, I hear, and.." "TALAAAAAAAA" He called again, louder, the phone still ringing. Tala closed his eyes a moment, took a breath, and continued, "..They also really like mealworms, and of course, they are really high in protein, so great to feed this time of year." He finished, showing Robert the aforementioned items. "TALA!" More forceful this time. Tala leaned out from behind the aisle toward the counter, where Bryan stood by the phone, which was STILL RINGING. "WHAT!?" He asked, irritated. "CATCH!" And with that, the cordless phone was pitched across the room at him, smacking him in the face.
He fell to his knees holding his nose, where the phone struck him. A bit of blood seeped from between his fingers. Robert looked down at him, mildly concerned. "Are you alright?" He asked. Tala raised his index finger to him, indicating he would be with him in a moment, and walked briskly to the bathroom to try and stop the bleeding. He took the phone with him, which was no longer ringing, and checked the display. There was a voicemail waiting, and the name on the screen was Boris'. He passed Bryan on the way to get cleaned up. "It was Boris, you idiot! " He snarled. "Go do your job and help Robert while I get this blood off me!"
Once the bleeding stopped, and he was cleaned up as much as possible, he tried to call Boris back. No answer. He checked the voicemail, hoping he left something useful this time, and not some sort of unclear and ambiguous task to take care of, as per usual. "Tala! You really should be answering the phone, you know! Very unprofessional. Anyway, I'm sending over a new employee. His name is Kai. He is the grandson of Voltaire, a business partner of mine, and he wants Kai to learn some responsibility. He will be full time, of course, and I know you can use an extra hand. Also, he has a bird of some kind, so give the boy some real work, and put him in charge of aviary. Something he can learn from. I know you won't let me down, my little assistant manager! I'll be at a series of meetings for the next two weeks, by the way, so you won't be able to reach me. Ta-ta!"
Tala groaned. Great. A little rich boy who probably doesn't want to work, to take over the section of the not rich boy who doesn't want to work. He stepped back out onto the floor, to watch Robert leaving with a large bag, Bryan looking pleased with himself. "I sold him some mealworms, some pumpkin, and that watermelon in the fridge!" He boasted. "That watermelon was my lunch, Bryan..." Tala replied, not even surprised. "Well, I sold it." He reaffirmed, still looking pleased. "For twenty dollars." Tala raised his eyebrows. "What? Bryan, there was a small container of watermelon pieces there. That much would have cost pennies! The whole damn melon is only worth about four dollars at a grocery store!" Bryan laughed. "Yeah, I know. I figured we could just pocket it though, split the money. I mean, it's not like it came out of store inventory." "Great, so now we're swindling our best customers... Give me the money, Bryan. I'm going to give it back to him the next time he's in! God, if he ever actually goes to a store and sees the price of watermelon..." He trailed off, snatching the bills from Bryan's hand, and taking it to the safe.
"By the way," Bryan started, following Tala to the counter, "This section is tough. I mean, birds are so frigging difficult! They all seem to need different seed, vegetables to supplement, stuff to keep their beaks a certain way, talons clipped, I mean, COME ON! It's a bird!" He finished dramatically. Tala continued his task, stowing the money away, and writing a note to himself to give back the money for the melon. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way." He said. Bryan's face scrunched. "What? Why?" "Because that call you refused to answer was Boris leaving a message that we're getting a new guy, and that this kid is taking over your section." He slammed the safe shut, and returned to the sales floor. Bryan looked livid. "What the fuck?!"
They were interrupted by the door chiming, and a boy in his late teens entering, looking around distastefully. Tala approached him. "Hi there! Is there anything I can help you find?" The boy gave Tala a lookover, noted his badge, and met his eyes again, looking rather petulant. "I'm Kai. I work here now, apparently." "Ah! Well, I'm Tala, the assistant manager. Good to have you on the team, Kai!" Tala held his hand out to shake. Kai glanced at it, and walked past him further into the store. "Okay..." Tala sighed, resigned that this kid was going to be exactly what he pictured him to be.
Tala trailed behind him, noticing that Kai was wearing jeans and a tee shirt, finding it odd that Boris hadn't given him the store shirt, at the very least. "So, did Boris give you the uniform and shoe requirements?" He asked, watching Kai poke and prod at various items in the store, fixing the position of the ones he pushed dangerously to the ends of the shelves and were threatening to fall off. "Yeah, he gave me an ugly shirt, like the one you're wearing and said something about black pants and shoes. I didn't really pay attention. I like what I'm wearing better."
Tala pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, we do have a dress code, and you DO have to adhere to it. Today it's fine, it's your first day, but after this, you have to wear the polo shirt, the black dress pants and the black non skid shoes. It's not a request; it's required. Everyone here has to adhere to it." He finished his much practiced spiel. He did, after all, have to recite it to Bryan on many occasions. Kai made a non-committal noise, and went to stand at the counter. "So; you're going to work in aviary-" Bryan huffed at this. "- And you're going to be tentatively in charge of the section." "What's aviary mean?" Kai asked, staring out the shop window at the foot traffic on the sidewalk. "Um. Birds." Tala answered, "I thought you had one?" "Oh, yeah. Dranzer. So do I get to tell people what to do?" He asked, his interest in the subject lifting slightly. "No, you're just in charge of telling people what they should be feeding their birds, advising about the products and helping to choose items relevant to the particularities of people's pets."
Kai lost all interest now. "Oh. Whatever." Bryan came to the counter now, sizing up the new kid. "So, Tala, it's pretty quiet, maybe the kid should do the floors? Get him used to where stuff is a little better, if he has to walk the aisles." He said with a grin. "What do I do to the floors?" Kai asked, confused. Tala and Bryan stared at him. "You sweep then mop them." Tala answered patiently. "Oh, right. Well, I don't do that." Kai said simply, and took out his phone to start texting. Bryan barked out a laugh, while Tala tried his best to stay calm. "Well, now you do." He said shortly, passing him the broom. "Sweep." Kai set the broom aside, and went back to texting. Tala ground his teeth.
"Listen, you little brat-" Tala started, but was cut off by the swinging door to the grooming room being thrown open, smacking against the wall behind it. Everyone looked up to see a very large, very wet, and very sudsy St. Bernard barrel out of the room. Tala and Bryan were quick to move away, but Kai, new to the shop, stood his ground staring. The dog stopped dead in front of him, and shook. He covered Kai in a wonderfully gooey mix of soap, water, and drool. Kai stood frozen, only able to close his eyes in time; his mouth took quite a bit in, though. Spencer came out behind the dog, took in the scene before him, and his lips twitched up in a small smile. Kai was soaked, and Bryan and Tala were hiding behind a display, the sounds of Bryan's laughter echoing through the store. "Sorry 'bout that." Spencer said, approaching the dog and soaked teenager. Kai opened his eyes, his face a funny mix of complete anger, and confusion. In an amazing feat of strength, Spencer simply picked up the two hundred pound dog, and carried him back into the grooming area.
Kai finally came around from his ordeal, sputtering and spitting the slimy mix from his mouth, and desperately trying to wring out his shirt. Tala and Bryan came back around, Bryan laughing harder at the sight of Kai. Kai afforded the two one look of pure hatred, and stalked out of the store. Tala watched him leave, irritated. "Well, he beat your record for shortest shift ever." He said to Bryan. "A half an hour. He'd best show up looking proper tomorrow..."