A small group of Toons stood in front of Romeo and Rudy. All wearing matching white chef's hats and aprons with a logo of a duck throwing a cupcake, they stood attentively listening to their new boss. "Okay everybody. The day is finally here. Everybody here is experienced enough to know their jobs and understand what they need to do. I don't think anyone here needs me to boss them around. Unless you want me too." Romeo winked and watched as the group laughed, aside from a purple bear whose face had nothing to show. "Anyways guys, we have a few big orders from Toon HQ. We want to make a good first impression, so it is important that nail these so that way we can keep growing." The duck walked over to a similar looking blue duck and placed his hand on the duck's shoulder "Allen, today we're going to start you off slow. I just want you to clean up, and when somebody needs something to grab it for them. Once we have got caught up maybe we can have you working on small pastries like cupcakes." Allen grinned and gave the Toon salute, before wandering off in search of work. The rest of the group dispersed to their stations, eagerly awaiting the first order for Romeo's Riveting Cupcakes.
Rudy watched the other Toons completing their prep-work. Grabbing supplies, rolling dough, or other various small things. "Romeo, I'm actually surprised how well this is going. Now that we're doing this I guess I can tell you. I was actually a bit worried. You know, leaving my job and coming here. But once again you surprised me." She leaned in and kissed him on the bill. "Anyways, I have a kitchen to lead. Let me know if you need anything." Walking around she checked in with each of her colleagues, making small talk and giving direction when needed. Finally she reached Berry. When she had whispered to him a few days ago about a job offer, he hadn't imagined this is what was in store. He had thought she was going to be in charge, not this pathetic looking duck, still wet behind the ears and who probably couldn't tell a cream pie from a creme brulee. "Hey there, Berry. How's it going?" she leaned onto a counter, watching as the bear whisked away at a bowl. He didn't respond. "Alright then. Well if you need anything, let me know."
"Why the duck?" Berry grunted out, sarcastically. "No offense, but he seems to have no idea what he's doing." He continued mixing ingredients into the bowl, purposely ignoring Rudy's annoyed demeanor.
"Well if you must know. Romeo is my boyfriend, and I'm here to support him. You know, what couples do for each other? Support? I know that's hard to understand for you, but it's a pretty basic concept." She grabbed a small metal pie container and handed it to the hear, who only nodded.
"Ah, so this is the illustrious Romeo. I figured the name sounded familiar. Well whatever your reason is, I don't like him. I don't like the idea of working for someone with no experience. I've been doing this for fourteen years and I don't need a brat telling me how to do my job. As long as we keep ourselves apart, I figure everything should be fine." pouring the filling into the pan, he handed it back to Rudy. "Go put this in the oven." he stated bluntly, not even attempting to seem cordial.
Rudy huffed and grabbed the pie, walking over to an oven, not seeing that below her was a duck on the ground, scrubbing away at a small stain on the tiles. Rudy's leg connected with Allen's foot which had been stuck out, falling and watching as the pie seemed to fly through the air in slow motion, right towards another chef. She felt herself hit the floor right as the splatting sound of a liquid fruit pie made contact. "Oh my cog, Rudy what was that for?" the dog yelled out. Looking down, his brand new white apron had turned into a bright purple. Rudy looked over at Allen who quickly stood up and ran away.
"I'm sorry Dogbert. I'll go get a towel and a new apron for you." Walking into the office, she saw Romeo sitting at a computer typing away. ignoring him she wandered into the closet to look for a new apron. Meddling around she heard a figure approach behind her. Turning around it was just Romeo. She smiled sheepishly and kept up her search for a new apron.
Romeo put his hands on his hips and watched as the brown cat dug through large boxes of spare aprons, looking for the right size. "Everything okay out there? I heard a noise, and next thing I know I see Allen run by and you coming in here." Walking over, he helped clear boxes out of Rudy's way as she pulled up a long, white apron.
"Yes, sorry hon. Just an accident out there, tripped over Allen and spilled a pie. No big deal." Rudy started making her way out of the room when Romeo stopped her.
"Hey, is he okay?" Romeo asked concerned.
Rudy looked at him puzzled. "Yeah, he's fine. I'm the one that tripped on him, and Dogbert is the one who got splatted. Like I said, not a big deal."
"Okay, but just be more careful next time. This is an important day for us. We can't afford to mess this up." Sitting down at the computer, Romeo continued his work. "Also if you see Allen, please make sure to apologize. You know how he feels about physical contact."
Rolling her eyes, Rudy left the room and back into the kitchen. Handing the apron to Dogbert she noticed that the prior mess had already been cleaned. "Guess Allen already got here." she muttered to herself, heading back to her station to start on a birthday cake.
"You're welcome" a gritty voice sarcastically called out. Looking over, Rudy saw Berry with a stain covered rag, tossing it into a laundry pile. Doing her best to keep her calm, she continued her work. Rudy truly was an expert baker. The way she could multi-task, her excellent design skills, and unique way of turning weird ingredients into delicious foods was unlike anybody else. The normal hustle and bustle of the kitchen continued and the rest of the way went by without a hitch. True to his word, Berry and Romeo didn't even make eye contact. They had fulfilled every order with time to spare, and so the chefs were sent home early for their hard work.
As the Toons exited, only Romeo and Rudy remained. Rudy was covered in pie filling, flour, and other various stains she couldn't identify. Romeo himself was spotless. He had spent most of the day in the office, taking care of orders and marketing to different business owners throughout Donald's Dock. Watching as the final foot stepped out of the door, he walked over and hugged Rudy. "That was amazing!" he screamed, listening as his voice echoed through the mostly empty kitchen. "You guys rocked it today. Seriously, after that mess-up earlier I was expecting a long day. But you guys really pulled together and got things done." Smiling he looked at Rudy who could only put up on small smirk.
"Yeah pretty good. Anyways, I'm exhausted. Can we head home? I'm a bit hungry and just want to lay down and do nothing for a little while." Rudy yawned out. Grabbing her hand, Romeo escorted her out of the building and the two walked home. Exhausted, but excited after a successful first day. The next morning, Rudy woke up early. She had fallen asleep basically as soon as her head hit the couch pillow at home. Looking around, it was mostly dark out still. Checking her watch she cringed. "6:30 already?" she stretched and yawned, slowly pulling herself up. Romeo wasn't around, presumably upstairs sleeping. They didn't need to be at work until 8:00, however she really liked getting off early and figured she could get a head start on the day. Taking a quick shower, and getting dressed she peaked into the bedroom where Romeo was flopped across the bed snoring. Laughing to herself, she grabbed her teleportation hole and headed off to Donald's Dock. It was quite chilly in the morning, as the cool air made it's way off of the nearly frozen lake. After a few minute stroll down Barnacle Boulevard, she reached her destination. Looking up at the sign "Romeo's Riveting Delicacies." she grimaced at the name. Sliding a key into the lock, she was surprised when the door opened without any effort as if it had been opened previously. Nervously, Rudy opened the door slowly. Did they forget the lock the door last night? She was sure that they did. Reaching over she grabbed a rolling pin and traversed her way through the mostly dark building. Tip-toeing silently the darkness was soon broken by a light emanating from the kitchen. As quietly as she could, she made her way to the brightly lit area and peeked around the corner. Indeed she was not the only one in the building. Over near the storage container, a shadowy figure was rummaging through supplies. Gathering all of her courage, Rudy took a deep breath. Stepping around the corner she let out an ear piercing scream and charged the figure.
Bloople reached over and hit the snooze button on his alarm clock. Slowly opening one eye, he let the blurriness fade away as he looked at the time. "Ugh, 7:00 already?" Stretching out his arms and legs in bed, Bloople rolled around until he gathered the motivation to finally get up. Bloople's morning routine was almost always the same. he'd wake up, take a shower, and go downstairs to get the girls breakfast ready before taking them to school. Well, usually Pickle would make breakfast but she wasn't here so it was on him to do it. Usually he would cheat and just pick up something from the local bakery or put together a bowl of cereal. Of all the things his parents taught him, cooking was not one of them. Eventually wandering his way downstairs, he took a seat at the kitchen table and yawned. He didn't have the energy this morning, plopping his face down onto the table, he closed his eyes. Before he could escape his weariness, the sound of two young Toons running downstairs broke him out of the spell. Kneeling down, he hugged the two rambunctious creatures. "Morning you two, you guys are awake earlier than usual this morning!" he cheerily exclaimed.
"It's pancake day!" Miko screamed out.
"Yeah, pancakes!" Hula responded in turn, trying to contain their energy the two bounced around excitedly.
Every Thursday, Pickle would make pancakes for breakfast. It had become a weekly tradition, and one that Bloople had also been eager to partake in again, before realizing that he had no idea how to make a pancake. Walking over to a cupboard, he pulled out some pancake mix that he had bought a while back, but had never used. Pickle knew how to make them from scratch. But Bloople would take baby-steps and do what he could. Grabbing a frying pan and some other ingredients the two young Toons watched as he contorted himself and hastily attempted to mix together a concoction of pancake mix. "Don't forget the blueberries!" Miko reminded him.
"Wait, I want strawberries today.." Hula quietly added.
Laughing Bloople walked over to the fridge. "Don't worry girls, you can each have your own. Sure are giving your old dad a crash course today, aren't you?" Miko and Hula laughed, even though they didn't really understand it was still silly watching Bloople making a giant mess and silently cursing to himself as he overfilled the pan with blueberries. After an adventurous time, he had successfully created what could be called a pancake. To his delight Miko and Hula loved them, or pretended to, and the three walked to school. Coming back home, Bloople sat down on the couch. He still had some time before he had to go to work. Pulling out his whisper device he sent a message to Pickle. "Hey, how's it going?" Putting the device down he went about getting ready. Checking every few minutes, there was no response. He figured that she was busy. Stuffing it back into his pocket, he opened the door and headed out the door. Ready for his day.
Bloople worked as a painter at Goofy's Speedway. Wearing a stained t-shirt and shorts, he was in the middle of spray-painting flames onto a TUV when his whisper device started to rumble. Putting it on the table next to him to avoid getting paint on it he read from the corner of his eye. "Hey sorry for no response. They have been grinding us the last few days. Nonstop gag training, tactics, and all that stuff. Apparently I'm in the group headed to Cog Nation. Never would have thought as a kid I'd be going there. Anyways, they told us that once we get things under control we can go home. I hope that you guys didn't miss pancake day because of me. I look forward to seeing everyone. Love you guys!" Bloople smiled and went back to work. His daily dose of anxiety was stifled for now, but he was sure it would return eventually. Finishing up the job, he looked at the clock. "Time for lunch" he called out to a group of other Toons, all cheering.
"Hey Bloople, how are you today?" A bright yellow monkey named Greise walked over, covered in oil and other vehicle fluids he slapped Bloople on the back and the two sat down at a table. Pulling out a sandwich from his pocket, the yellow monkey began chowing down. In between muffled bites, he managed to get out a few words. "So, heard that Toons are gonna be invading Cog Nation sometime later this week."
Bloople's stomach churned at the thought. Trying to keep his cool, he responded quickly. "Oh yeah. Pretty crazy, right?"
"Yeah. I mean I've heard there's these like, hybrid cogs? They're supposed to be more powerful. I heard the ones that invaded Animationville reached level fourteen. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid I had nightmares of encountering a level SEVEN. Double that power? Yeah, right." Griese chewed on, unaware of his own ignorance.
"I'm sure that's just a myth, right? How could that be possible?" Bloople could feel his anxiety rising.
A soothing voice called out from behind the pair. Turning around they looked at Four-Leaf Clover, a forest green cat. She was tall and thin, wearing a mechanic's uniform, she sat down next to the too. Bloople's anxiety began to rise again, for a different reason. Clover and him had gone to school together and now worked at the same mechanic. He always had a crush on her, but she was usually dating somebody else. Even now that she was single, he could not get over his self-confidence issues. I mean, he certainly was no Brad Kitt Kat. Plus who would want to be with a single dad? There was a whole life to live that didn't involve play dates and band rehearsals. Sitting down at the table with a tray, she gazed over at the pair and giggled. "Come on Griese, stop scaring Bloople. You know that Pickle was drafted, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry Bloople. You know I was just monkeying-around. Get it? Because I'm.. ugh, nevermind. Anyways, I have something I need to finish up. You guys enjoy lunch for me!" Griese stood up and finished off his sandwich, walking back over to a leaking Speedster and scratched his head.
"So, anyways. Clover. Um. How's the uh, how's work going?" Bloople's small-talk had never been very advanced. He had never dated before, and his best friend was his sister. Plus him raising two kids for the last 3 years, he never had much time to socialize. He blushed at his own stupidity. Why was he so awkward? If he was a girl, he'd hate him too."
Clover peeled a banana and threw the remains into a large racing box. "I'm sorry about your sister, Bloople." a melancholy look on her face. "My older sister was drafted too. I know that doesn't really make things better for you, but I just wanted you to know you're not alone."
Smiling, Bloople looked up and noticed Clover was blushing too. "Thanks, Clover. The girls took it pretty hard for a few days, but they have been able to stay optimistic. They dragged me to that arts and crafts store in Minnie's Melodyland so we could make a huge welcome back sign for her. Neither of them can spell very well though, but I figured the thought counts."
"Oh my cog, that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" Clover exclaimed. "Kids are so precious. I love how innocent and carefree they are. They don't worry about money, or relationships, or work or anything. They just live and do what they want. They're lucky to have such a great dad. I'd NEVER get caught wearing that pair of rainbow wings in public." snickering she stood up and placed her tray on a large garbage can. "But maybe if they would like to practice their accessorizing, I'm sure I could find some time. You know, if they were interested or something." Waving to Bloople, she jogged back to her station, blushing as red as a foghorn. Bloople could not believe what he had just heard. Was it true? Had she really seen him wearing those rainbow wings? He shuddered with embarrassment. No way she'd ever agree to go on a date with him now. Finishing up his lunch, he went back to work. Anxiety free, he whistled and began the second half of the day. Eager to see what tomorrow would bring.
"Wrong.. Wrong... WRONG!" Clerk Clara yelled out. Throughout the training room, units of Toons in groups of four faced their respective "cogs." They were generally dummies, or hand-drawn paper cut outs when supplies ran out. Marching down the aisles, the frustrated rabbit turned even redder than usual. "We do not use a storm alone on a level ten!" she disciplined a group in the middle who had continued to struggle with basic techniques. Walking back to the front, she joined three other Toons - Reessess, a duck named Tuba, and a crocodile named Walter. The four were all high level rangers, with at least 130 laff points. "Let's try again!" The four continued showing off ideal strategies for various situations.
Raindrop and Cookie stood towards the back, with two other Toons, a pink pig named Spoink, and a white bear named Snowman. The two were staring attentively at the officers. Cookie turned to Raindrop and let out an exaggerated sign. "I'm so sick of doing this. I feel like we're back in Professor Rainbow's class when she lectures us. Actually I think I'd prefer that because when she gets going she doesn't notice me skipping class. Like, this isn't that hard. Why are people struggling with this?" Mimicking holding a storm cloud he pointed to an invisible cog. "I'm going to storm this level four, someone help me, please!" He quietly cried out. Turning around, an avocado green mouse turned around and glared at him, putting his fingers to his lips.
"Looks like you made a friend, Cookie." Raindrop quietly snickered. Grabbing a fake cream pie, he pretended to throw it in an exaggerated motion, completely missing his "target."
Cookie had to stifle his laughter to not catch any attention. Looking around, he made sure nobody else was looking. Nudging Raindrop with his elbow, he pointed towards the mouse. "Watch and learn my friend." attaching a squirt flower to his shirt, he checked his surroundings one last time and with one quick motion he sprayed the flower, nailing the mouse in the back of the head.
Spinning around violently the angry Toon let out an enormous screech. "Hey what's your problem, pal!" The rest of the room went silent. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were now on Cookie, Raindrop, and this fuming mouse. Whistling innocently, Cookie looked around. "Don't play stupid, I know it was you!" walking towards Cookie, the mouse's hands turned into fists, her face now redder than Clara's earlier. You could feel the heat radiating from her pure anger.
Cookie took a few steps back, putting his arms up, when he was stopped by Ranger Spoink. "Ey what you think you're pullin' here pal. be straight, because this pork don't like pulled!" On the other side, Clara had gotten a hold of the mouse's shirt, holding her while she swung her fists in circles towards Cookie.
"Okay, enough of this!" Clara yelled. Cookie, Guacamole, come with me this instant!" Sulking behind the Rabbit Ranger, the two angry toons were escorted by Spoink, as the rest of the recruits settled their eyes back on the front with Reessess and Snowman
Reessess took charge of the training. Stepping up on a box, she spoke with an elegance that could only come from someone of her immense experience. "Okay everybody, let's try and re-group. I know sometimes tempers rise, and we understand. But please try to save that energy for the cogs, okay? Because at the end of the day, if you're down to fifteen laff, your teammates are the only ones you have. We don't need Toons going sad over a silly dispute." Pulling out a lipstick, she slapped a kiss out at Snowman who laughed heartily. "Well anyways, looks like we're down to two Toons up here. Unfortunately this is something that will likely happen to some of you. Whether you get split from your unit, or worse, you need to be prepared. But that's a lesson for another day. I think we could use a couple of volunteers up here!" She scanned the room and settled on two Toons. "Okay, how about you.. Donut Hole, and Raindrop you look lonely back there! Come join me up here." She watched as Raindrop, and a brown deer hustled to the front and gave the Toon salute. "No need for that Rangers, take your places."
"So, when you're facing a large horde of cogs. A great strategy is to balance your sound gags. Sound is efficient for taking out multiple cogs, but it is certainly weaker than other attacks. If you only have two foghorns, and you're facing level twelve cogs, it's probably best to save those for another battle. However, now that wave is gone and you have four level elevens? Bust those babies out!" Snowman and Reessess pulled out their foghorns, motioning for the other two to sound with them, the pair pulled out aoogahs. Snowman continued his lecture. "Now when using sound, don't worry about going hoarse with these. A small yell will be all you need. These things will do the work for you. The four coordinated their attacks, watching as the dummies spun around and fell to the floor. The crowd clapped excitedly. "Now, throw. This is where things get a bit trickier. Aiming a wedding cake or a cream pie may seem easy, but it takes a lot of practice, and careful timing. Cogs are tricky and will jump out of the way if you don't do things just right." Pulling out a cream pie, he handed it to Donut Hole. "Alright, son. How about you show these Toons a thing or two and hit that Big Cheese right there." The cog dummy stood about ten feet away, a decent distance for somebody without much experience. Revving up his throwing arm, Donut stuck out his tongue, closed one eye and focused. launching the pie, everyone watched as it sailed right by the cog's head and splatted the ground behind him. A small batch of laughter broke out among the crowd.
Throwing her arm around Donut, Reessess gave an assuring smile. "No worries Donut. You'll get better. Nobody can hit these things reliably at first. Keep practicing and you'll be splatting Flunkies with cupcakes at twenty feet in no time." Walking over to Raindrop she winked and headed him a cream pie. "You think you can wipe the smirk off that cog's face?" standing back she smiled, knowing that this was a walk in the park for him. Raindrop looked at the cog and laughed. Then looking over, he saw the deer dropping with disappointment. Taking a deep breath, he launched the pie.. and it flew over the cogs head. The crowd burst out into laughter again, while Snowman went and calmed them down. "Okay everybody, I think it's time we take a break for today." Reessess called out. Patting Raindrop and Donut, acknowledging their work she sent them back to their original units. As the Toons dispersed for lunch, she ran to catch up with Raindrop. "Hey, what was that? You were crushing cogs from fifty feet the other night? I hope I didn't put you in the spot up there." Frowning, she placed her hand on her head.
"No, that's not in." Raindrop looked over at the deer, over with his unit who were all tossing imaginary pies at each other. "Just a bad throw I guess!" He laughed and the two walked to catch up with his group.
Reessess grabbed his shoulder and smiled. "You're going to make for a great Ranger, Raindrop. I'm proud to have you here."Continuing their walk, the pair made small talk and prepared for a long afternoon.