Chapter 10: Re-Grouping (In the Kitchen 10:45 AM)
After spending the next thirty minutes looking after the others, Chase decided to sit back and relax for a little.
"So far, so good!" He thought to himself as Rocky approached him.
"Hey, Chase! How's everything going on your end?"
"No drama over here! The pups are really starting to get a hang of things!"
"That's great! I wish I could say the same for my side."
"Why? What happened?"
"Nothing in particular. They just had trouble getting started with the flour, and I think they're still talking behind my back, but other than that, everything's A-okay!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive! Although, you should probably go check back on Skye and the others."
"Oh right! I almost forgot! We were supposed to rotate! Umm…! Here! You can go ahead and start watching over this side, while I'll go get Skye. Make sure there aren't any messes, alright?"
"You can count on me, Chase!" Rocky waved as the other pups eavesdropped on their conversation.
"You know… does that German Sheppard kind of remind you guys of Skipper?" A female pup asked.
"Kind of… I mean, they definitely have the same amount of energy, but it's too bad he couldn't stay safe from Mr. Lamebrain over there."
"Yeah, it's only a matter of time before he catches his brain disease."
"Ooooo! Just thinking about it gives me shivers! You think Leo can make him immune just like he did with us?"
"Probably. I mean, all he has to do is join Leo's team in an activity, then everything's alright."
"Yeah! Maybe he'll come around during today's game."
"We'll see! Now, let's finish rolling up this dough."
Later with Skye…
"Hey, Skye! Are you ready to switch out?" Chase began as Skye turned around.
"You bet! You guys have done a great job keeping everything organized." Skye remarked as Chase grinned.
"Thanks, but I'm kind of worried about Rocky though. He's trying his best to communicate with the others, but they're still talking behind his back."
"Yeah, I noticed it too, but I'm glad their words aren't getting to him anymore. He may not realize it, but he's actually pretty strong."
"Yeah. I don't think I'd be able to handle all of that pressure alone."
"Me neither! I guess that's why there are multiple pups in the universe."
"Yeah. Nobody deserves to be alone, am I right?"
"Yeah, you get it!" Skye cheered before standing up. "Well, I should get going now. I need to step up my game if I want to catch up to you guys!"
"I'm sure you'll be fine! Just remember to take your time, and ask anyone if they need assistance, alright?"
"You've got it! I'll see you around!
"See you!" Chase replied before sitting down. "Alright! This shouldn't be too hard!"
"Oh, I should probably check back on those other pups from earlier. " Skye thought to herself before making her way towards Colten and Mira.
"Okay, what's next?" Colten asked Mira.
"Umm…! I think we're supposed to mix it all now. You didn't forget anything, did you?"
"Nope, we should be good to go!"
"I'll leave that up to you since I really don't want to touch this stuff."
"Fine, but only because you're counting on me." Colten crowed.
"Geez, I wonder what's taking him so long."
"He's probably waiting for the equipment to cool down."
"But wouldn't he be back by now?"
"Eh… He's probably just thinking about the future or something. That's what he usually does when he's by himself for too long."
"Oh right… You've known him longer than I have…" Mira sighed. "Has… he ever mentioned anything about his past?"
"T-To me…? Umm… N-no. He said he doesn't like to talk about it. Why do you ask?" He lied. "No seriously… why!? You had all of this time, and you waited till now!?"
"Oh, I was just curious, you know? I mean, it's been three years since we all met and we don't know a thing about each other's past."
"W-well, my story is kind of long, but I'm willing to talk about it later on."
"Really?"
"Yeah! You'll have to remind me though. I tend to forget about-" He paused before looking at the bowl. "Oh... Umm..."
"Huh? What's-? Oh my gosh, is that your fur in our dough!?" Mira giggled while the other pups started facing their direction.
"C-can you keep it down a little?" Colten stammered as Mira rolled on the floor..
"When was the last time you went for a grooming?"
"About... . two months ago I think you keep it down!"
"I'm trying! It's just that… Bwahahahahaha! I've never seen this before!"
"M-Mira…!" He whined as Skye approached their direction.
"Hey, guys! Is everything okay over here?" She asked as Mira pointed at the bowl.
"T-take a look at our bowl!" Mira snorted before Skye's eyes opened wider.
"Whoa! That's… You didn't cover up or anything...?" She gasped as Colten's face became warmer.
"I.. Umm... Ermmm…! I'm... really sorry!" He muttered while staring down and shaking his head.
"It's okay! We'll just get you guys a new bowl because I'm very sure you don't want to eat that…"
"Y-yeah!"
"Okay! Okay! Okay! I think I just used up all of my laughter for the day." Mira sighed before sitting up.
"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it…" Colten mumbled.
"Oh, cheer up, Colt! At least we know what to do now, so let's work twice as efficiently!"
"I'll stick around since you guys are still missing a teammate. Don't worry, we should be all caught up before everyone else finishes." Skye stated.
"Like I said earlier, I have no problem with being patient," Colten mentioned.
"Well, it seems like you're a step above most of us, so let's get to work!"
In the staff lounge (11:05 AM)
It's been hours ever since Skipper interacted with the pups, and despite being fully rested, the fear of breaking his promise still lingered within his mind. There, he remained on his side staring at a blank wall for the next few minutes. He knew he would have to get over it eventually, but with everything that was going on, it seemed kind of impossible. That's when Katie decided to check upon him.
"Hey, Skipper! How are you feeling?" She asked.
"I've been better…" He signed as he noticed something in her hand. "Whatcha got there?"
"This? Oh, it's just a granola bar. You want one?"
"No, thanks."
"You're still thinking about him, aren't you?"
"A little… I'm more concerned about the others."
"Well, it's fine if you're still thinking about Charlie. I know it's been a while-"
"N-no, really! I'm fine! It's just that… it's kind of hard keeping my cool after knowing so much about everyone's past. They're all looking up to me like I'm some kind of hero, but I don't feel like one at all. All of my solutions always turn out to be temporary, and sometimes, I don't even know the right words to say."
"Well, nobody is perfect, therefore we don't expect you to be. I know this can be very difficult since you're the only pup on the staff team, but just hang in there, alright? Maybe one day, we'll have someone else take over."
"That sounds like a miracle because I can barely handle all of it."
"You never know. Chase and Skye seemed to have left an influence on Rocky." Katie mentioned as Skipper tilted his head.
"An influence?"
"Yeah, after you left, they asked if they could volunteer to help out with breakfast, and he didn't seem to disagree with it."
"Hmm… I guess the probability is out there, but I think I'm going to need a little more proof to be certain…"
"I'm sure they'll be fine. And who knows? If this works out, then maybe we'll start having them help out more, okay?"
"I'm sure Mr. Jordan would appreciate that." He smiled. "Alright, I think I'm ready to get back to work now!"
"Hold on! You still have about an hour left of break time."
"Really…?" Huh… I guess time really does go slower when you're doing nothing. Okay then, I guess I'll wait a little longer."
"Atta-boy! Don't worry, you'll get back to work in no time. Just enjoy the rest of your break, and I'll see you around, okay?"
"Yes ma'am!"
In the Kitchen….
"Wow, I guess you were right Mira! This did turn out to be quicker than last time!" Colten stated.
"See? What did I tell you? I knew we could do it!" Mira smiled before turning to Skye. "We really appreciate your help, Skye! Thank you so much!"
"Anytime! Now, let's get this wrapped up and start cleaning up the place." Skye replied.
"You guys go on ahead. I think I'm going to go check up on Leo."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Mira asked.
"No, that's okay. I promise I'll be back in a few. I'll see you guys around, okay?"
"Okay, catch you later!" Skye waved as Colten left the room.
"You know, this actually turned out to be better than what I was expecting," Mira admitted.
"Yeah, same here! What were you expecting?"
"I'd prefer to stay quiet before I end up jinxing something. It's funny because our original plan was to have only us three help out so we can learn how to bake a little, but I'm guessing Colten accidentally said something else."
"Oh, really? Yeah, he told us that you guys wanted all of the pups to join in."
"I thought so…" Mira sighed.
"Heh, this is also our first time baking as well."
"Well, you guys are off to a great start if you ask me!"
"Thanks! I take it, you guys enjoyed our breakfast?"
"I loved it! They taste way better than the grocery's recipe."
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it!" Skye smiled. "And if it's okay with Mr. Jordan, then we'll be more than happy to have you guys around."
"We would, but I don't know if the others would appreciate working with-!" Suddenly, another conversation could be heard from the background.
"Hey, guys! What's up?"
"Nothing much, what happened to the rest of your group?"
"Oh, we already finished, but the others are talking to Mr. Lamebrain over there, so I left while I still could."
"Really? How bad was it?"
"Eh, it wasn't really that bad. I just didn't want to stick around because… you know... I really can't stand him."
"Understandable!" The group giggled as Mira looked down.
"That name again…?" She mumbled.
"Huh? What about it?" Skye asked.
"It's been going around ever since I became a part of this animal shelter. At first, I thought everyone was just talking about a fictional character or something, so I left a few insults as well, but it wasn't until Skipper told us to stop when I realized something was wrong."
"Mr. Lamebrain is…"
"Yeah, it's Rocky. He never showed his face at the time, so I would have never guessed it was an actual pup. I mean, I know we all have an issue with him, but I don't think insulting him will fix anything. I just wish I knew how to stop this..."
"Well, maybe you can. I'm not sure what Rocky did to make you guys so upset, but I promise you, he's not a bad guy! Maybe if you took some time to get to know him, you'll see what I mean!"
"I'm not sure..."
"Please? I mean, you even said it yourself. You don't like the name-calling, so why not give him a chance? We all have our flaws, but I bet if we set those aside, then we can all get along!"
"Heh, you sound like that one guy Katie is always talking about," Mira smirked as Skye tilted her head.
"Umm… is that a compliment…?"
"Yeah! I'll see if I can get Leo and Colten's opinion as well. If they agree with it, then I'm in."
"YES!" Skye howled before covering her mouth. "Oops! Got a little too excited. Don't worry, you won't regret this, and I'll make sure of it!"
"Alright!" Mira smiled as Mr. Jordan entered the room.
"Whoa… what is all of this?" He asks as Skye and Mira turn their heads.
"Oh, Mr. Jordan! I.. It's kind of hard to explain…" Skye stammered.
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
"Well…. I… Uhh…"
"Colten and I overheard them talking about making a pizza, and we asked if we could help out, but… we weren't really specific… umm… Colten accidentally included the rest of the pups without knowing, and by the time we realized something was off, they were already here..." Mira explained.
"B-but so far, everything is working out fine, see?"
"Well, I must say, it does look pretty organized in here. I'm impressed! Did anyone else come in here besides me?"
"Nope. Just you!"
"Hmmm… Even Skipper had problems organizing activities like this…" Mr. Jordan thought to himself. "Well, I guess you guys didn't really have a choice, so I'll let this one slide, but next time this happens, just let me know, okay?"
"That's another thing, we're definitely going to need some help tossing the dough and handling the oven tomorrow, so can you…?"
"Yeah, I can lend you a hand."
"Great! And, if everything works out in the end, do you think we can do this more often?"
"Assuming there are no issues by tomorrow, I'll have to ask the staff. But so far, it looks like you guys are more than capable of handling these kinds of situations, so I highly doubt they'd decline."
"Really? Thank you, Mr. Jordan!" Skye smiled.
"Don't thank me yet! We've still got to see how everything goes by the end of tomorrow. I'll go ahead and get started on the goulash right now. You guys continue what you're doing for now. If anyone asks for me, tell them I'm in the back, okay?"
"Alright, we'll see you around!" Mira waved.
Well, let's get started on cleanup, shall we?"
"Yeah, let's go!" Skye concurred.