Trayline

by Karu Leonnese

Chapter One: WTF Puree?

Notes: Okay, I can almost guarantee that no one will read this. -laughs- But it's gonna get good, I swear. Uh…the charas I'm using are from about disc 3, which is as far as I've gotten so far. The Zorn and Thorn charas are a mix of game and Zarla's ficcehs. Go read 'Workaholic' and 'Power Age'. And for the companion ficceh to those (which is awesome as well) read Soshika's 'Juurai Arano'. And to anyone who cares, this is why I hate my life so much…except for the whole Kuja thing…

Warnings: Um…everyone hitting on everyone, some random molesting, language and maybeh some violence.

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I hereby swear that the information presented on this application is true to the extent of my knowledge.

Vivi Orunitia

Vivi looked the application over one last time. This was it, his last chance to back out. He knew he wasn't going to, but he liked to think of it that way. Truth was, he needed the job. It was manual work, which didn't suit the boy's small size, but not many places would hire a Black Mage for anything other than physical labor. There weren't really anymore around these days anyway.

Which was why Vivi needed a job. He couldn't live by himself and not work. It was just that simple. After 284 had disappeared, there was no one but himself to take care of him.

So if he wanted to keep living, he had to work. It was that logical, and Vivi didn't mind. It would be interesting to have a job, and to interact with people. He shrugged, slipping the paper in the mailbox as the secretary had instructed him.

How bad could it be?

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"It's HORRIBLE!" A rather small blond draped himself dramatically over the conveyer belt that served as the Central Kitchen's Trayline. "I can't believe this!"

"What's wrong with you this time?" a rat woman rolled her eyes, stacking plastic juice cartons at her station.

"Zidane's all whiny cuz Blank quit," a young girl with short blue hair stood next to him on a stack of boxes.

"Is that all?"

"Is that all? Freya, how could you!" Zidane said with no real anger. His long monkey tail swayed idly. "Blank was the best!"

"Another of your flings, I'm guessing," behind Zidane, a large redhead leaned against the wall, drying his huge hands with a dish towel.

Zidane suddenly grinned, leaning back. "Aww, don't worry Ama, you're the only one for me, baby."

"Don't think I won't hurt you."

"Has anyone seen Zorn and Thorn yet?" Freya asked, glancing at the empty station next to her, "We need to get started soon."

Across from her, a brunette woman shook her head. Freya turned to the blue-haired girl. "Eiko, did you see them in the storeroom?"

Eiko shrugged. "No, but Quina's down there. And I think I saw Steiner clocking in."

"They'll catch hell if Kuja gets here before they do," Amarant pushed himself off the wall.

"They probably overslept again," the rat girl sighed. "I really worry about their scheduling…"

"We are here!"

"Ready to work, we are!"

The two jesters, clad in blue and red and white, skidded to a halt at their station. Out of breath, they leaned on each other for support.

"Are we ready to start the line?" Zidane asked. "Garnet, you okay?"

The brunette nodded, leaning on the line as well.

"One question," Freya spoke up, "How far do you think you're going to get without a Starter?"

The monkey frowned. "Damn, I forgot about that," he laid on the line again, burying his head in his arms. "Oh Blank, why have you forsaken us!"

"Calm down already. Don't you know how early it is?" the door opened and a rather feminine-looking man with long silver hair walked in. A small Black Mage followed aprehensiously behind.

"Early for you maybe, but we do this every day," Zidane smirked. "So what's so important that it gets you out of bed during daylight, Kuja?"

"I've brought you a little present," Kuja replied, pulling the boy out of the doorway. "His name is Vivi and he's your new Starter."

The boy waved sheepishly, squeezing out a soft "Hi."

The blond flipped over so his back was on the line. He put a hand to his forehead dramatically. "Why Blank, why!"

Garnet reached over the coffee machine in her station and bopped Zidane with a cup.

Amarant snorted and Eiko burst out laughing. Freya rolled her eyes. "Don't mind them, they're morons. I'm Freya, and this is Garnet," she nodded to the brunette, who was admonishing Zidane silently, brandishing her cup.

Zidane backed up until he was out of Garnet's reach. "Ah, I'm just teasing you, kid. I'm Zidane. I'll be pimping the Steamtable."

"Molesting it, more like…" Amarant drawled.

"Don't be like that Ama. I still love you!"

"Save it for after hours, please," Kuja sighed, putting a delicate hand to his temple. "And I don't mean the supply closet, either."

"Damn, he's on to us…" Zidane muttered.

Vivi looked bewilderedly at the group. He really hadn't expected everyone to be so…energetic.

The small girl with wings waved at him. "Hey. I'm Eiko. And the clowns here are Zorn and Thorn."

"Hello!" Zorn said.

"To meet you, it is nice," Thorn continued.

Vivi nodded a greeting to them. Kuja, Zidane, Ama, Garnet, Eiko, Zorn and Thorn. The small Mage thought there was no way he could remember them all.

Zidane turned to Kuja. "Teacher, teacher! Rusty's late for class again!"

This warranted another cup beating from Garnet. Freya, who seemed to be the serious speaker for the group, shook her head. "Steiner's downstairs and Quina's in the storeroom. But we're all ready to go."

"Sounds good," Kuja nodded. "Vivi's station is next to yours, Zidane, so I'll leave you to get him acquainted with everything," before the monkey had a chance to object, the silver-haired man was back out the door, leaving Vivi to the wolves, so to speak.

"Who does he think I am, a people person?" Zidane grumbled.

"Show him the way, o great Steamtable Pimp," Amarant smirked, moving to the sink.

"Jealous?" Zidane grabbed Vivi by the hand. "C'mon kid, we're up front, away from these losers." He narrowly dodged a coffee cup lid thrown at his head. He turned back, sticking out his tongue. "Not quite, Garnet, dear!"

The blond led Vivi to the first station on the line. There was a stack of trays sitting there, with napkins, silverware, condiments and meal tickets waiting to be put on.

"Okay, here's the deal. You put a ticket on each tray," he did this as he said it, "and whatever silverware and condiments the ticket has on it, you put on. You also tell me what hot foods are on the ticket. Got it?"

Vivi cringed. "Well…"

Zidane smiled. "Don't worry. It might seem like a lot, but you'll get used to it. If you want, just focus on putting the trays together, and I'll read the ticket myself." He circled around to the second station, where there was a jungle of stacked plates surrounding a steel table with bins of food. He pulled the tray he'd made as an example down the line and read it. Then he served the food on it. "Ready?"

Vivi could barely see Zidane over the stacks of trays and plates. "I-I think so."

He nodded. "Tell me if you're having trouble," he turned to the end of the line, where Zorn and Thorn were pushing a large metal rolling cart to the edge. "Start the line guys."

"Starting the line!" Zorn yelled at the same time Thorn yelled, "The line, we are starting!"

The conveyer belt started to move, taking the tray to the next station, which was Freya. She put a few cups and a juice on it, and it went to Garnet. Garnet put a coffee cup on. Last it went to the jesters. Zorn put a lid over the plate and handed it to Thorn, who put it on the cart.

Vivi watched all this. It seemed pretty straightforward.

"Go ahead and make up a few trays before we start, just so you get used to the process," Zidane leaned over the line again. He did that a lot. "I'm on Steamtable. That's all the hot foods. Freya does Cold Foods and Juice. Garnet does Beverages, and Zorn and Thorn are your Loaders. Ama and Eiko aren't technically on the Line, but they're close enough. Ama's in charge of dishes, and Eiko runs the Storeroom. Steiner takes the carts out and Quina makes the food. You'll meet them later. And Kuja supervises…" he rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"There sure are a lot of people…" Vivi muttered, fumbling with the silverware in the bins.

Zidane smiled sympathetically. "It takes some getting used to, that's for sure. If you ever wanna know something about anyone, just come to me. I'm the expert on Trayline Relations."

"You mean you're a gossipy little priss…" Amarant corrected in passing, holding an armload of metal bins.

"That too…" he grinned. "Ama might seem like a hardass, but he's real fun once you get to know him…and get him drunk."

Amarant shook his head, walking on. Zidane laughed. Vivi finished his tray and set it on the line. "How do you know so much about everyone?"

He shrugged. "I pick up things. It's all part of the job. Ama, see, he's here cuz he's dodging the law. And Garnet can't talk. Trauma and all. Eiko's lived on her own for years. It's an unfounded rumor that Freya's playing for the other team. Zorn and Thorn are working like, six jobs other than this, AND going to college. And Quina's here because he—or she—likes food and no one else hires us inhumans. I guess that's kinda why you're here, huh?" In no real hurry, Zidane made up the plate and sent the tray on.

"I-I guess. I mean, I never really thought about working before, but m-my roommate ran off, so I kinda had to…" Vivi didn't think he was making nearly enough trays. He tried to go faster, eventhough the others didn't seem to mind.

"Well, don't worry about it," Freya cut in, leaning on the line so she could see the boys. "We're really an eccentric group here, so no one gets left out," she glared at Zidane. "And I'm not a lesbian." Vivi guessed this was sort of a running joke.

"Suuuuure."

Freya sighed of one long-suffering. "I'd bring to question your current…fling…but I'm not sinking to your level."

This made Zidane laugh. "Oh c'mon, it's fun down here! You know you wanna…"

"No she doesn't," Amarant passed by again. For someone so big, Vivi was surprised just how easily he snuck up on everyone.

Freya nodded matter-of-factly. "This is neither the time nor the place for this. If you're not going to help Vivi then why don't you just keep quiet?"

Vivi toyed with the hem of his jacket. "I-I didn't mean to start any fights. I-I'm sorry…"

Amarant laughed a bit. "They're not fighting, they're playing around. Trust me, you'll know when they're fighting."

Vivi looked at them both. "Oh."

By this time, Zorn had come to join them as well. "Why has the line stopped?"

"Zidane's starting fights again, that's all," Freya turned back to her station, failing to hide her smile.

"Kuja won't like it if we are late…"

Zidane dismissed him with a wave. "Aww, don't worry about it, Z. Just tell him it's cuz I'm training Vivi. And if he's still pissy, send him to me."

Zorn turned on a heel, muttering something angrily.

"Okay then, let's get this stupid thing done. I'm ready for lunch!" the blond pushed himself up, going back to making plates.

Vivi moved a finished tray to the line, but he misjudged the distance and dropped it. It hit the floor with a crash, sending its contents flying. Vivi cringed, pulling the edges of his floppy hat against his head. "Oh no!"

Zidane hopped over the line to Vivi's station, helping the boy clean up the mess. "Hey, it's no problem. Everyone does that here sometimes."

"Wait again, must we?" Thorn folded his arms on the line.

"Hey, cut him some slack," the monkey snapped, pulling Vivi up from his kneeling position, "He's working as hard as he can here!"

Thorn glared at Zidane, but said nothing.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah Rusty, don't get your bolts twisted," Zidane didn't look up, but he rolled his eyes. "Just a little accident."

Vivi blinked. A man had just come in the kitchen, dressed in full-plate armor. He regarded the boy curiously. "Who is this?"

"I-I'm Vivi. I just started here today," Vivi was really bad at talking to people he didn't know. Too bad he was meeting so many new people.

"Rusty, here, is the Porter," Zidane explained, setting down a new tray for Vivi to use.

The man started indignantly. "My name is not Rusty. It is Adelbert Steiner, and I'll thank you to remember it!"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Hello…" Vivi kept his gaze on the floor.

"Vivi's our new Starter, since Blank quit. Don't give him any trouble, got it?" Zidane hoped back over the line. "Okay, try it again, Viv."

The boy nodded. Ticket, silverware, napkin, salt, pepper, sugar. Once the tray was complete, he set it on the line. Then he started on the next.

"Good job," Steiner nodded, taking the dropped tray. "Maybe after this, you can replace this lowlife here…"

"Go haul your cart, Rusty," Zidane narrowed his eyes. "We already covered for you with Kuja."

"Humph. Not like I asked you to…" Steiner replied, but left anyway.

Vivi set down another tray. "A-Are you okay?"

Zidane looked at him, as if just realizing he was scowling. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Rusty and I just don't get along. Probably thinks I'm setting a bad example for you. How're you doing?"

Vivi frowned a bit. "Okay, I guess. I just wish I could do it faster. I'm making everyone wait."

"Don't worry about it. We understand. Just take your time."

The rest of the meal went semi-regularly. It was slow, but it was steadily-paced. By the end of the sixteen carts, Vivi was out of breath. Zidane hopped the line, steadying the boy. "Ready for lunch?"

"I just wanna sit down," Vivi responded honestly.

Zidane laughed. The last cart was trays and hot food only, so everyone else had already left. Except Amarant, who strode up to them on their way out.

Vivi didn't know much about the place, but it was supposed to be a hospital. He also knew that it was BIG. Luckily Zidane seemed to sense the boy's hesitance. "C'mon. You can eat with us. I don't want you getting lost."

"T-Thanks," Vivi stuck close to the two, walking down the long halls. He put the route to memory, in case he had to go by himself later on.

The employee cafeteria was rather small. No one else from Trayline was there. Vivi supposed they left the building for lunch. He picked out a sandwich and drink, and followed Zidane and Amarant to the register.

"That's all you're getting?" the monkey asked, inspecting the boy's tray. Zidane had the same meal they had prepared in the kitchen.

"I don't eat much," Vivi replied. He gave the cashier his nametag, as he'd seen Amarant do before him. The cashier, a small green frog, swiped it through a small machine and handed it back.

Surprised, Vivi watched the cashier glare at Zidane. "I thought I told you to -ribbit- stop doing that."

Zidane flashed him a winning smile. "What are you talking about Cid? I made this myself!"

The frog named Cid rolled his eyes. "Just sit down."

Zidane and Vivi Amarant at one of the tables in the back. "Why is he mad at you?"

"I'm technically not supposed to take food off the line," the blond shrugged.

"But you do it anyway, and get caught like a moron," Amarant took a sip of his drink.

"You're against me too, Ama?"

He shook his head. "Only when you get caught."

Vivi frowned. "I don't see why it's not allowed. You're just taking a few leftovers. It's not like you take it before all the trays are done…"

"Exactly. But then they lose money cuz we don't buy cafeteria food," Zidane replied logically.

"There's so many rules in this place…" Vivi shook his head before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Really, only Cid and Kuja will give you trouble. The rest of us are pretty laid-back. Even Rusty."

"The jesters have their moments too. Sometimes they're Kuja's little pets, but usually they keep to themselves," Amarant nodded.

"Yeah, cuz we cover for them when they're late—which they are a lot," the blond changed the subject. "So Vivi, what's your story?"

Vivi was taken slightly aback. He hadn't expected anyone to be curious about him. "W-Well, I lived with my roommate 284, but he disappeared a few weeks ago. So I needed a job to keep the apartment."

"What do you do for fun?" Zidane asked around a mouthful of chicken.

"Fun? Well…I like to play card games," he blinked. "I suppose I'm not that interesting."

"Are you kidding? I've never talked to a Black Mage before. Anyway, you should come with us this weekend to Treno."

"What's that?"

Amarant sighed. "It's sort of like a club or something. Kuja drags Zidane there all the time, and he tries to recruit us into it too."

"Oh. Are you and Kuja close?" Vivi asked. "You didn't seem like it."

"Kuja's my brother," Zidane toyed with his straw. "We live together, and he hates going out alone."

Vivi shrugged. "if you want me to, then I guess I will."

"Great! We're going straight after work tomorrow. Bring a change of clothes if you want."

The boy nodded, busying himself with his lunch. His first day there and he was already invited out after work. He wondered if it would be fun.

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"Hey Viv, do me a favour and get me a couple of grey-handled scoops," Zidane asked when they were getting ready for the next round of carts.

Vivi left his station to the back of the kitchen. The kitchen equipment was located in a narrow dead-ended hall between Amarant's station and the cook he'd yet to meet. He dug into the utensil bin and pulled out two ice cream scoops, which the Trayline used for serving the hot food.

Suddenly the corner got dark. Vivi turned around, confronted with a giant white being with a huge lolling tongue. "You want yummie-yummies!"

Eyes wide, Vivi screamed.

This caused the creature to scream as well. They were both still screaming when Zidane, Amarant and Freya rounded the corner.

"What's going on?" Zidane was at the boy's side in a flash. "Viv, what's wrong?"

Freya stood between Vivi and the white thing. "Quina, what happened?"

"S/he probably cornered the kid and scared him," Amarant shrugged, dumping a bin of used utensils into the sink.

"Quina ask tiny Mage if he want yummie-yummies and he scream. It scare Quina, so Quina scream too!" Quina replied.

Zidane was trying hard not to laugh. "It's okay Quina. Vivi's new here and you just shook him up a bit. Vivi, this is Quina, our chef."

Vivi's face flushed. "S-Sorry. I-I was just surprised. N-nice to meet you."

Quina nodded, apparently not phased in the slightest. "Quina like tiny Mage Vivi. Vivi very loud."

"Well, if the crisis is adverted, we really need to get the line started," Freya said with a trace of amusement.

Vivi handed Zidane the scoops with still-trembling hands. "I-I didn't mean to scream. That was really rude of me…"

Now Zidane did laugh. "It's okay Viv. Quina's pretty shocking the first time around. Let's just get back to the line." He noticed the boy was still shaking. He put a hand on the Mage's shoulder. "Okay, calm down. Just take a deep breath…"

Vivi did so, closing his eyes. "It's okay, I'm fine now. I just get really scared when people sneak up on me."

The monkey led him back to the line. Vivi set up his station the way it had been in the morning. He made the first tray and put it on the line.

Zidane grinned, spinning the scoop in his hand before putting it in the food. "Starting Trayline!"

Vivi thought it sounded appropriate.

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And the first chappeh is complete! God, this wouldn't END! The other ones most likely won't beh this long, really. And to anyone who actually follows this, you get special love from the Vivi plushie!