This is for you getitwrite12.
I do not own.
"Finally, done." Cricket wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve.
"Looks respectable." Skwydd agreed.
"Respectable? It's better than before." Tuck argued.
"Relax, mummy boy." Skwydd snorted. "It's not a whole lot better than before because we don't have any moola to really fix things up."
"I think we did a pretty decent job considering Quarry really trashed the place." Cricket looked around.
"Yeah, but fixing the hole with duct tape is kinda ghetto." Tuck pointed out.
"We live on the roof of a building. I think that's what makes it ghetto." Cricket observed wryly.
"Look, I'm just saying a little money can really improve this place. A little plaster, some wallpaper, a couple of rugs." Skwydd pointed to different areas.
"So now you're an interior decorator?" Cricket smirked. "How about some plants and curtains?"
"Oh and some decorative shams." Tuck added.
Cricket raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what a sham is?"
"No clue." Tuck admitted. "But I like saying sham. Sham sham sham." He chanted.
"I know we promise Rex we would keep it on the down low but it can't hurt..." Skwydd started
"No! Don't even go there." Cricket said firmly. "We don't want Providence coming after us for stealing."
"I never said stealing! I was going to suggest street performing." Skwydd said indignantly.
"Performing? Tuck asked incredulously. What would we do?" Tuck asked skeptically.
Do? Look at us. We're freaks. We might as well get paid for it. Skwydd said.
"I don't know. I don't like the idea of being exploited." Cricket wrinkled her nose.
"It's not exploration if we do it to ourselves. Look." Skwydd blew out some ink. The black cloud formed into a bunny before dissipating.
"Cute, but you think anyone would pay to see that?" Tuck asked.
"People pay for balloon animals." Skwydd replied.
"Yeah, but they can take that home with them." Cricket pointed out.
"And it deflates the next day. But this..." Skwydd did a few more animals. "I can do a bunch of ink animals for them. Go ahead ask me to do any animal."
"Kinkajou." Tuck said.
"What?" Skwydd's mouth hung open.
"You know a kinkajou." Tuck repeated.
"What the heck is a kinkajou?" Skwydd asked.
"It looks like a coati." Tuck answered.
"I don't know what either of those are." Skwydd said.
"You said any animal." Tuck argued.
"I mean normal animals like dog or cat or elephant." Skwydd said.
"Kinkachu's are normal." Cricket explained. "They live in the rainforest in Central and South America."
"Look a normal person on the street isn't going to ask for a kinkajou. They are going to ask for a dog or a giraffe." Skwydd insisted.
"Giraffes aren't normal either... They are an endangered species." Cricket noted.
"Forget it. You guys are not helping. Do you know any other way to get some money?" Skwydd snapped.
"We can get jobs." Tuck suggested.
"Yeah? Doing what?" Skwydd asked. "You think anyone's going to hire a bunch of freaks like us."
"There might be another..." Cricket started to say.
"Well, it doesn't hurt to try." Tuck ignoring her.
"You know, we can..." Cricket tried again.
"Fine, how about this. You go try performing and I'll go find a job. Whoever gets the most money first wins." Tuck proposed.
"What's the prize?" Skwydd asked.
"How about whoever loses has to do all the chores for a month?" Tuck said.
"Deal!" Skwydd jumped in.
The boys shook hands.
"But guys if you'll just listen..." Cricket began.
"Not now Cricket. We have money to make." Both left the water tower.
"Boys!" Cricket said in disgust.
0o0
A trenched coat figure walked to the corner of a street market in Hong Kong. He set down a crate and stood on top of it. Then in dramatic fashion he threw off his trench coat and announced.
"Come one come all and see the amazing ink work of the amazing walking human squid." Skwydd announced. He immediately blew out ink in the shape of a duck. Some people began to gather to watch.
"Any animal can be created by the amazing Skwydd!" He announced.
"How about a kinkajou?" Someone called out.
"What? Are you serious?" Skwydd snapped.
"Hey you! Do you have a license to perform here?" Some policemen called from down the street.
"Uh-oh." Skwydd grabbed his box and bolted with the cops behind him.
Meanwhile, Tuck holding a wanted ad walked into a restaurant.
"Hi! I'm looking for a job." He said to the man hauling some baskets from the kitchen.
"You have any experience?" He asked without looking up.
"I cook for my family." Tuck answered.
"Ok. I try you out. Kitchen over there." He said still not looking up.
Tuck walked into the little kitchen.
"One order of roast pork over rice." A waiter shouted into the kitchen.
"I need an order of wonton soup." Another one shouted.
The orders came in fast. Tuck using his bandages started cutting cooking and plating at the same time.
He was doing a fairly decent job until the owner walked in. For the first time he got a good look at his new employee.
"Aaahhhh! EVO." He screamed.
"Where?" Tuck spun around. "Oh you mean me. It's okay. I'm friendly."
But the owner started throwing dishes at him.
"Hey, be careful. Those are fragile." Tuck caught each one and laid them carefully down.
"Get out! Police! Help! I'm being attacked by an EVO." The owner screamed hysterically.
"Serious? You're the one throwing things at me. Can I at least get paid for the work I did?" The owner grabbed a roast duck from the hook and threw it at him.
"I was hoping for cash but I guess this will do." Tuck walked out calmly.
0o0
Later that evening, Tuck and Skwydd met back at the water tower.
"How'd you do?" Cricket asked looking at them from the couch.
"I got 20 cents, two buttons, and a bottle cap." Skwydd slapped down his take.
"I got roast duck and I think there's some fortune cookies somewhere in my wrap." He patted himself as small pieces fell. "Want some?"
"Uh, no thanks." Cricket looked at the unappetizing mess.
"I win." Skwydd declared. "That's not even money."
"Hey, it has more monetary value than that." Tuck said disdainfully
"The bet was money."
"And this has value."
"Uh hem." Cricket got up. "She plopped down a stack of bills."
The boy's mouth hung open.
"How did you get that?" Skwydd poked the stack making sure it was real.
"You didn't steal it, did you?" Tuck asked.
"Of course not!" She said indignantly. "But I was trying to tell you that there's a way to do both. The arcade was looking for some publicity for its store and I went to ask if they are interested in hiring EVOs to promote their store. They said yes."
"What do you have to do?" Tuck asked.
"All you do is play video games. A couple of verses game against opponents and you get paid." Cricket said.
"That's crazy!" Skwydd exclaimed.
"Not according to the stack of money." Cricket grinned. "So I guess that means I win and you guys can do the chores for a month."
"What no! That's just between me and Tuck." Skwydd protested.
"Well, I guess that means I get to decorate the water tower." Cricket smiled slyly. "I'm thinking of pink paint and doilies."
"Come on Skwydd she won fair and square." Tuck said. "Besides I want some shams."
"Fine." Skwydd grumbled. "But we have to spilt the work 60-40."
"What?" Tuck looked at him incredulously. "Why?"
"Because I won second place." Skwydd waved his money in Tuck's face.
"Nu-uh!" Tuck pushed his duck back in his friend's face.
"Fellas, fellas, come on. You can figure that out later." Cricket pushed the two apart. "How about we just go get some food?"
"Let's go to the night market." Tuck suggested.
"Where I can do some more ink drawings." Skwydd started moving to the door.
"Not if I can find a job there first." Tuck started after him.
"Ugh, maybe I should have told them the arcade would also hire them." She then cringed at the sound of crashing. "Or maybe not." She mused thinking about the potential damage they would cause.
I just got back from 1 of my 3 vacations this summer. I wrote this on the airplane. I was also working on my other stories. Don't worry. I didn't forget.