5 days later at Wankos
PA: All managers please take your lunches, we are shutting down for half an hour while the assistant managers conduct inventory checks
"I wonder if this inventory check is regarding the missing product I reported yesterday after Greg's shift, eh either way I get lunch early" says Cat as Tori walks over
"how's my girl doing today, you seemed stressed yesterday when I came over for lunch" says Tori
"why are you even here early" says Cat
"I was in the middle of shopping for Jade's wedding, you know the fabric, the chairs, stuff like that, also getting a few things for me" says Tori
"why is Jade having you do that stuff" asks Cat
"she sees the dresses I wear, oh and she asked me to be a brides maid, I was so honored that ate a fly when she asked me because my mouth dropped, she loves my fashion choices, it's a fairytale princess theme so I'm getting China dinnerware for the reception and stuff, don't worry she has agreed to pay me for it after, the song her and I did is on fire, last week alone she got two hundred grand from the one song alone, not even including the three other songs her and I did, she's getting rich the right way, the company doing her fairytale princess dress has already shipped it to the house, it should be here in a few days" says Tori
"of all the things I imagined her wedding looking like, a fairytale wedding was the absolute last thing I expected" says Cat
"I know right, this morning I showed her the email from the dress company saying it shipped and she fainted, she wasn't expecting it to be ready for at least a year, apparently they had one in stock that just needed some minor adjustments around the bust area, so everything for the wedding is being put on fast forward, it's a good thing she's getting money from the songs otherwise she'd have to borrow money to pay for it all" says Tori
"wait does that mean you've been getting the same amount of money" says Cat as they head to the food court area
"actually its been like seven hundred grand a week just for a few songs every week, she made an agreement that she'd only get two hundred grand per week for her songs, which will be just enough by the beginning of July for their wedding if they don't have it sooner, which just might happen" says Tori
"what is today May forth" says Cat
"actually it's May sixth, and the only thing stopping Jade from getting married was that dress, I have a feeling I'm going to have to re-write my contracts with Jade for the end of the month to address her new last name, Jade Shapiro, I don't think I'll ever get used to that, she's already referring to herself as Jade Shapiro, in her art, scripts and music so the wedding probably isn't as far off as we all thought it would be" says Tori
"you have to believe she's happy about it and that she's making the right choice getting married so quickly" says Cat
"I believe she's happy but I don't think it's the right decision to get married so quickly" says Tori
"oh really so why did I get a call from a chapel about the "Valentine/Vega wedding" huh" says Cat
"I said it wasn't good for her, she's freaking out from the stress, I was really hoping to make It a surprise but one week from today we will be married, don't worry we'll still have some big reception over the summer but I just can't wait, I'm the complete opposite of Jade and her anxiety about getting married" says Tori
"so what we go to that marriage office or something in that scary government building, they have us sign stuff and we're married" asks Cat
"basically ya, I was assured it wouldn't take more than two hours or so, the question remains do I take your name, do you take mine or do we hyphenate it" says Tori
"I like the sound of Tori Valentine myself personally" says Cat
"oooh I do like that actually though the initials TVV or CVV are also kinda cool to think about it" says Tori
PA: All managers please return to work, inventory has been completed
"that was fast, I thought I'd have at least forty minutes for lunch, anyway puppylove, I'm off about six tonight, apparently the night shift stock manager had some sort of emergency" says Cat
"kay, I better get that fabric for Jade's wedding pillows too" says Tori as she runs over to the fabric section
30 minutes later in Cat's office
"what's the inventory report Han, was I right, was stock missing" says Cat
"indeed there was, you're really fitting into this position well, how did you know to bring it up with me, how did you notice stock was missing" says Han
"yesterday Greg didn't record product on the shelves for half an hour, he also wouldn't respond to my walkie talkie prompts as is protocol, I thought it might be possible that he was just on lunch had he not already told me he had lunch already around noon yesterday as he normally seems to, it seemed sketchy to me, the only other possibility was that his walkie battery was dead as mine barely made it through my shifts but he never reported it to me and you'd have definitely asked me if I knew about a dead walkie during a shift, I hummed and hawed for fifteen minutes about reporting it as I am new to the position, I didn't want to get a strike for a false report" says Cat
"you did the right thing Catarina, you should be proud, Tori mentioned an appointment in two days and that you needed the day off" says Han
"Tori's my fiancé, I guess that's what she meant by this time next week that we'd be married" says Cat a waver in her voice
"you don't seem too happy" says Han
"it's just that I just started this job, Tori and I haven't even been together a year yet, it just seems rushed" says Cat
"ahh she put the pressure on you huh, I know the feeling, however Tori is the center of a lot of companies attentions, she got an unheard of deal with Pear, makes millions a month, lots of companies want partnership deals with her, including Wankos, want exclusive product lines like t-shirts, lunch bags and stuff which would give her more money to spread around, even federal and state government are taking notice of how she presents herself, take it from me, it's easier to get married before signing contracts than it is after, Pear must be getting ready to redo the contract or I doubt she'd have even given thought to it" says Han
"you think they're going to give her less don't you, that's what she's afraid of, as am I" says Cat
"I doubt pear would give her less just because of her fans, her image means a lot more to them than she thinks, if they've brought a new offer to the table it's probably to stop her from signing contracts with competitors" says Han
"how do you know so much about her current situation, that's exactly what's going on right now" says Cat
"David Vega is a friend of mine from back in high school and boy does he ever talk a lot, he's constantly worried about how public her life has become, about what signing six year contracts could mean" says Han
"what did you tell him" asks Cat
"I told him that he can only nudge her in the right direction but that she's her own person making her own money and that he or his wife can't tell her what she should do unless she asks for it" says Han
"I assume he didn't take it well" asks Cat
"does any father take it well, no he definitely did not, anyway you have files to report and I have a business to run" says Han
"ok, by Han" says Cat as she gets ready to work
30 minutes later
"you slimy girl you reported me" says Greg
"it's my job Greg, if you didn't want me to notice that product was going missing maybe you should have faked it better, now get out of my office" says Cat
"I will not have a little girl boss me around, I will be talking to Han about this" says Greg as he storms out
"go right ahead dude, you're no pleasure to work with anyway" says Cat under her breath
7pm that night
"what happened kitty you said you'd be home around six-ish" says Tori worried
"I reported Greg for stealing products yesterday, that's what the half hour shut down was about, they were seeing just how much was missing, he was none too pleased about being reported so he had words for me, so we went to see Han after my shift, Han had this big speech about being accountable for Greg and he was promptly fired and arrested for theft" says Cat
"how do you know that it was Greg who stole and not another employee" says Tori
"because the other employees and managers fear Hans wrath, Greg was gunning for the stock manager position for the past year, he wanted to put the blame on me, tried to say I couldn't do the job because I was a defenceless little girl" says Cat
"we all know the defenseless part isn't true, I wonder if Jade would apply for a stocking job, she's out of work anyway since Record world is collapsing around it's greed" says Tori as Jade walks over
"I'm sorry you want me to stock shelves for minimum wage" says Jade
"hey Han verts my boss said I was doing an amazing job as Stock floor manager" says Cat
"oh great so I'd have to follow your orders if I apply and get the job" says Jade upset
"look Jade I understand that you are stressed because of the fast forward nature of your wedding but I stopped a thief, he stole something like fifty grand worth of product solely because a little girl was his boss, you know who found out his little scheme, that's right me his boss, they aren't looking for just floor level shelve stockers, Greg was the assistant floor manager of the store it was his job not to just stock certain shelves but to keep a record of all products in the store which is my job to keep that record, if I can't keep records of what products we receive how can I direct which shelves deserve the most attention and if shelves start being empty then customers get angry, if customers get angry then my job is at risk" says Cat
"wow you really are serious about this manager job huh" says Jade impressed
"not many people know because of my obsession with stuffies and the mess of my room as a child but I definitely have OCD and things just have to be the right way, I'm also a neat freak" says Cat
"you….., a neat freak, I'm gonna need an example" says Jade
"our en-suite bathroom is spotless Jade, you could literally eat off anything even the toilet and you'd be fine, one roll of TP at a time in the bathroom, toothbrushes and toothpaste do NOT stay in the bathroom, I clean absolutely everything before work, beds made, toilet cleaned, sink scrubbed" says Cat
"that borders on germaphobe behaviour" says Jade
"true and I definitely fear people who get sick around me, like Beck was sick yesterday and I absolutely avoided him like the plague" says Cat
"you know that before Cat started as manager of shelve stocking shelves of certain departments were almost bare, now the moment one product is out of stock on shelves and she has more to put out its out before the next person wants one of them, she's incredibly efficient, I have to say that I myself had doubts that she'd be that good but I was in the store around nine getting stuff and there she was taking notes of all product on the shelves checking for expired products and marking and taking away any expired product" says Tori
"how do I get in touch with Han" says Jade impressed
"I'll ask if he can interview you tomorrow at noon but I can't promise anything" says Cat
"that's pretty typical for Wankos" says Jade
2 days later
"Catarina Beatrice Valentine do you swear to love and behold Tori Gretchen Vega as your lawfully wedded wife till death do you part" says Priest John
"I do" says Cat
"Tori Gretchen Vega do you swear to love and behold Catarina Beatrice Valentine as your lawfully wedded wife till death do you part" says Priest John
"I do" says Tori
"you may kiss the bride" says John as they kiss
6 minutes later
"ok Ladies if you don't mind I'm actually kinda busy today, you can continue kissing at home" says John
"oh right sorry" says Tori
Back at home
"something is different, I was at Wankos today and I didn't see Cat working" says Jade suspiciously
"I had the day off" says Cat defensively
"that's a odd coincidence, If I remember correctly you told Tori that you wouldn't get many days off" says Jade
"I asked Han to give her the day off Jade, he's a friend of my dad's, cat was stressed about how Greg was being a little douche about being reported and was quite aggressive" says Tori
"oh ok that makes sense" says Jade as she walks to the pool
In the bedroom
"I can't believe you lied your ass off to Jade about us being married in secret and that she believed it" says Cat
"Greg was angry towards you, he called my dad thinking that because he was a cop he'd rein you in and make you quit, all I did was embellish the truth a bit, look Jade's obviously suspicious of our little outing, I didn't need her jealous that we got married before her and Robbie did, she's quite competitive that way" says Tori
"I know Jade is competitive, she was my friend well before she was yours" says Cat upset
"I wasn't even implying that she wasn't your friend Cat" says Tori defensively
"then stop trying to out compete her, I know that's really what this was about, our secret wedding was so you could brag, don't get me wrong I like to brag every now and then but love shouldn't be a competition, it should be about loving the other person" Yells cat
"Jade started it, she was making me pick everything up for her wedding so I couldn't focus on my own wedding supplies, I'm not trying to argue Cat" says Tori
"oh right sorry, that does seem like something she would do, I guess I love arguing as much as I love you, which is to say a c*p ton" says Cat censoring herself
"you barely ever swear, in fact I've only heard it once the whole time I've known you and that was this morning when I told you that I bought a ring just for the secret wedding" says Tori
"to be fair that ring was the one I'd always dreamed about for my wedding, my mom would take me for a little bit of jewelry shopping and I always had to see if that ring was still being made, to be honest I thought they stopped selling it" says Cat
"this was actually the last one in the store I went to" says Tori
"you know you're lucky I found my grandmother's gold wedding band that she gave to me after Grampa died, I haven't seen it in years and I wasn't even sure it would even fit" says Cat
"to be fair my hands are kinda small in comparison to my fingers or arm length, no idea why but it's always made playing with myself awkward, anyhow I love the ring, it is just my kinda ring, not too flashy but just enough to say hey I'm married to this beautiful young woman" says Tori
"oh I thought you were gonna head down a more seductive line of thinking, I was just about to go put on the lingerie you bought me today so we could play around a bit" says Cat
"oh I mean by all means put it on but you have to go to work early tomorrow for that meeting and I was just kind of hoping we could cuddle and watch movies for the next seven hours, maybe make out a little, not every moment has to be about sex…… kitty, besides if we have sex now you know it will be a battle to see who can scream the loudest and we don't need you going to work with a bad headache again" says Tori
"you just basically called me a sex kitten and I'm not even offended that's new, anyway you were always better at logic stuff, I'm more of a long haul brains girl, so what movies did you have planned" says Cat
"Let's knot two, big sister six, the realm of princesses and the open dolphin worlds three" says Tori
"ooh my favourites, you sure know how to make me smile" says Cat
"and you know how to absent mindedly glue my face to what is basically clay and only get me slightly mad at you" says Tori
"that face mask wasn't my fault Tori, the website lied, they said it wouldn't stick to skin" says Cat
"I'm not blaming you, it was meant as a compliment" says Tori