Snow Day
"Attention Cloud 9 shoppers, we have escalated from a snow storm warning to a full on state-of-emergency, courtesy of the governor. That means public transit and all of the roads are going to be shut down soon, so I suggest you get the hell out of here. If you're an employee, please disregard this message- apparently, corporate does not care about our lives or how we'll get home. After all, to those button-down wearing asshats, we're only a badge number-"
"RIKA!"
"What? I'm not the one drunk off of the corporate kool-aid."
"I am not drunk off of the corporate kool-aid! Now read the corporate-approved announcements, please!"
"I proved my point."
"Are we still expected to stay for the rest of our shift?" Thomas grimaced at the grizzly view through the double doors of the entrance.
"I highly doubt we're going home early," Sarah supported herself with a mop.
"That's asinine! The cars are completely buried in the snow! How are we even going to leave the parking lot?!" Thomas exclaimed.
"I don't know, honey. I guess that's something the people up top don't care to consider," Sarah sighed.
*BAM*
"WHAT?! Are you kidding me?!" Izzy punched a shelf of canned vegetables piled up in a pyramid.
*clank clank clank clank clank*
"Oh no...," Thomas grimaced as he watched the cans topple to the ground.
"Okay, who stacked the cans like this?!" Izzy yelled.
"Don't look at us," Thomas winced.
"Honey, are you okay?" Sarah awkwardly asked.
"Um, let's see...we're still working despite the fact that we've got four feet of snow outside and we barely have any customers- oh, and I just found out that all of the other stores in our district got to close, except for us because we're in the middle of a mixed-use development!" Izzy ranted.
"Huh?" Thomas looked perplexed.
"Are you saying just because this store is located right in the middle of an expensive apartment complex, we have to stay open?" Sarah gasped.
"Correctomundo!" Izzy kicked a can in frustration. "Oh, and would one of you guys clean this up? Just damage this all out..."
"Uh, sure. We'll get on that...," Sarah grimaced.
"Thanks. If you need me- which please try not to, I'm going to scream my head off at the loading dock," Izzy stormed off.
"Should we be concerned?" Thomas hummed.
"Let's not cross that bridge until we have to get to it," Sarah shook her head as she gathered up the dropped cans of vegetables.
Jewellery & Cosmetics
"I want to go home...," Mimi whined.
"Same," TK sighed.
"Nobody's even here, I don't understand why we're still open," Davis leaned against a jewellery display case.
"Didn't Rika just announce that we're in a state of emergency right now? Why aren't we closing?" TK rested his elbows on a glass counter.
"HEY! If you have time to lean, you have time to clean!" Yolei snapped her fingers.
"Ugh, really?" Mimi wriggled her nose.
"Looks like you missed a spot...here," Yolei dunked her hand into her coffee and smeared it on several glass display cases.
"Whoa, seriously?" TK jumped back.
"It shouldn't take that long. There's also a stack of sweaters in softlines that could use some refolding, boys. Speaking of, you guys are never in your section. I need you to spread out and get back to your departments," Yolei pointed at Davis and TK.
"We were just on our way there," Davis made a face.
"Alright, get to it. You're distracting the other workers," Yolei tossed her coffee cup on the ground and walked off.
"She's such a bitch," Davis groaned.
"Tell me about it. Did she really have to mess up our sections?" Mimi made a face at the dirty glass.
"If you have time to lean, you have time to clean," TK mimicked.
"Oh my god, I haaaate that. It's so annoying!" Davis pulled his bottom eyelids down.
"Hey guys, I'm gonna need you to scatter. There's too many of you doing too much of nothing here," Tai briskly walked towards them.
"Dude, we were getting to it but Yolei dirtied up the display case!" Davis protested.
"And she messed up the sweater pile that we spent the first half of the morning folding!" TK added.
"You have to do something about this!" Mimi crossed her arms.
"In fact, you have to do something about all of this! Why are we even still open?" TK exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, but it's corporate policy. We haven't been given the okay to close yet," Tai shrugged.
"Tai, I never thought I'd picture the day where you'd be kissing ass to some guys in fancy suits," Davis smirked.
"Hey, I'm not being a kiss ass. I'm just trying to be responsible for once!" Tai protested.
"Do you think anything is responsible about us stuck here while a blizzard is going on? How are we going to get home?" Mimi whined.
"What are you going to do, Tai?" TK raised an eyebrow.
"Fine...is there a phone around here?" Tai reluctantly gasped.
"Here!" Mimi haughtily handed him a cordless phone.
"I'm calling corporate right now!" Tai bit his lip.
"Then do it. We're waiting," Davis taunted him.
"I am," Tai pressed some buttons on the phone.
"Put it on speaker. We want to hear," TK whispered.
"Fine," Tai rolled his eyes.
"Thank you for calling Cloud 9 Home Office. Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather, no one is available to take your call! Please try again on the next business day, Monday at 9 am-"
"Monday? Isn't that like two days from now?" Mimi hyperventilated.
"Are you freaking me?!" TK screamed.
"Tai! What the hell?!" Davis slapped the phone from Tai's hands.
"I-I-I," Tai stammered.
*boooom*
"Um, did the lights just go out?" Davis nervously said.
"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!"
*booooom*
"They're back on now," TK frowned.
"I think that's our emergency generator," Tai nervously smiled.
"Emergency generator?!" Mimi gasped.
"Attention Cloud 9 employees, head to the break room NOW!" Yolei barked over the intercom.
"As for you Cloud 9 shoppers, if there are any...just want to let you know, this is all your fault. Get bent. Thanks," Rika said through the mic.
"RIKA!"
Breakroom
"So you're saying we still have to stay until close?!" Zoe raised her hand.
"Yeah...," Tai sheepishly nodded.
"Couldn't you do something about this?!" Kari pleaded.
"He tried, but he was a bit too late...," Davis smirked.
"What do you mean too late?" Izzy clenched his jaw.
"He-he-he finally had the guts to call corporate, and they're closed!" Mimi splayed out on a table and cried in hysterics.
"Are you freaking serious?! Tai!" Izzy shot up from his chair.
"What?!" Tai turned red.
"I've been making conference calls all day with the district managers and other store managers, and you're twiddling your thumbs until you get ambushed by subordinates?" Izzy yelled.
"Hey, anyone think we need a change in management?" Koji muttered.
"You know they'll just replace Tai with someone worse," Kouichi meekly picked at the sleeves of his shirt.
"I made some calls too!" Tai exclaimed.
"Hmmm...," the crowd of employees shot him a dirty look.
"Okay, I made one call- but I sent many strongly-worded emails throughout the day!" Tai said.
"Ugh...," everyone groaned.
"Speaking of emails, did they send out the security codes for tonight and the following morning?" Yolei asked.
"Let me see," Tai scrolled through his phone. "Oh..."
"What?" Rika pressed her lips together.
"Soooo...they didn't send the lock codes for tonight," Tai bit his lip.
"What does that mean?" Angie nervously picked at her nails.
"That means without the lock codes, we can't leave the store," Henry slammed his fist against the table.
"Tai, are you serious?!" Kari exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I'll send an email to the head security office...oh," Tai nervously tapped at his smartphone.
"Oh? What's with the oh?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"I just got an auto-reply. The head security office won't be able to answer until tomorrow morning," Tai blushed.
"What?! They just left for the day without sending out the security codes for the store?!" Izzy exclaimed.
"How does this affect us?" Thomas asked.
"The security team is supposed to email out a generated security code to each store a half-hour before closing time. The code is changed every open and close, so it's not the same...however, if we don't have the code, we technically can't shut down the store," Henry explained.
"What?!" everyone gasped.
"That is the fucking stupidest thing I've ever heard- and I work Service Desk!" Ryo threw his hands up in the air.
"Pretty much. That's hard to beat," Rika sucked her teeth.
"So does that mean we're stuck here?!" Mimi gasped.
"Unfortunately, yes. I think we're going to have to stay here overnight until we get the new batch of codes in the morning," Tai pressed his lips together.
"Oh my god, are you serious?!" everyone started wailing.
"I don't know how long this emergency generator is going to last, but I'm going to see if there's any power settings we can cut down on to save some energy," Izzy rubbed his temples.
"Like disabling the cameras for starters. If home office isn't doing their job during the snow storm, I'm not either," Gennai snorted.
"We should probably disable the sliding doors while we're at it, so we don't get any snow or a rouge customer coming in," Henry frowned.
"And the registers," Angie added.
"Maybe dim the lights a bit? I don't know how much I can handle being under these icky fluorescents for so long!" Mimi exclaimed.
"Oh, and turn off the crappy Muzak!" Zoe said.
"What? I personally love it! Dakiaitai hadaka doshi de...," Davis softly brushed his fingers against TK's jaw.
"...," TK sang along with Davis.
"A, ashita wa do naru...," Davis dramatically tugged at TK's hair.
"Rinkan wa iya da!" TK belted out.
"Sometimes, the two of you are very, very hard to tolerate," Izzy pressed his lips together.
"Yeah...we're definitely shutting off the music," Tai winced.
"This sucks so bad. I can't believe we'll be stuck here overnight," JP whined.
"Kids, let's just try to make the best of this. On the bright side, it's better than possibly being stuck on the side of the road," Sarah massaged the top of her scalp.
"You know what? Sarah's right! We just have to reframe the situation!" Yolei smiled.
"I think I get where you guys are headed! Let's not think of this as us being employees right now...but just regular civilians stuck at a store with plenty of stuff in it!" Rika stood up on her chair.
"No...I don't think that's what I meant," Yolei slowly said.
"You know what? That's so true! There's a lot of stuff here and with all of the security being disabled, there's a lot of freedom to do what we want with all the stuff," Ryo smirked.
"No! Nononono! Not what I was saying at all!" Yolei protested.
"You know what? We really could make something out of this," Kari smiled.
"Let's go!" Davis whipped off his work vest and tossed it to the ground.
"I'm down!" TK tore his vest off and whipped it in the air.
"Nonononono! Get back here!" Yolei stomped her feet.
"Last one out of the breakroom likes to take it in the a-!" Tommy whipped off his vest and dashed out of the room.
"Tommy?!" Yolei gasped.
"Hey, remember this Kodak moment. You helped create it," Koji patted Yolei on the shoulder before shoving people out of the way. "Move! Get out!"
Sales Floor
"I don't know if I should be scared or try to go with the flow," Thomas stiffly stood as he watched everyone rabidly sift through the aisles and pull out random objects.
"I'm just imagining the mess we're going to have to deal with after all of this dies down," Sarah groaned.
"Oh...so that's why I have this sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach right now," Thomas slowly nodded.
"Hey you guys! Why aren't you going crazy right now? The whole world is our oyster right now!" Marcus ran up and hung his arms on their shoulders.
"Oomph," Sarah struggled to keep her balance.
"I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time trying to get in the right mindset when I know we're going to have to clean all of this up before we open at 7am the next morning," Thomas frowned.
"We can worry about that in 15 hours! Right now, let's go and have some FUN!" Marcus yelled.
"Marcus, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sarah pressed her lips together.
"Come on! You guys gotta stop being sticks in the mud. Just live a little! Also, when's the next time something like this will come along?" Marcus shrugged.
"I guess that's true," Sarah pursed her lips.
"Sarah!" Thomas gasped.
"What? It's not like we're hurting anyone- in fact, I think this is the least the company could do for us for making us get stuck in a snowstorm. This could have been much more dangerous," Sarah tapped her fingers against her arms.
"Sarah...," Thomas's mouth dropped.
"You know deep down, she's speaking facts! Now come on, there's going to be a cool game going on by the cash wrap starting- even Tai's playing!" Marcus grabbed Thomas by the wrist.
"A cool game?" Thomas gulped.
"Oh, it seems like it should be fun! It's a drinking game too, which is perfect, cause it looks like you could loosen up a bit!" Marcus grinned.
"Momma?" Thomas looked at Sarah.
"I'm sorry honey, but some of the girls are going to play around with expensive skin care products and I want to try them out too. Have fun, boys!" Sarah meekly said.
"Okay...," Thomas whimpered.
"Uh, did you just call her Momma?" Marcus looked at him in disgust.
"I'm sorry...did I?" Thomas blushed.
"Yeah, you're definitely gonna need a drink," Marcus yanked him harder.
Cash Wrap
"Alright! Looks like we've got an interesting group of people. This should be for an interesting game," Yolei grinned.
"Is it too late to join Sarah at the makeup counter? I feel like this could go bad at any moment," Thomas whispered in Marcus's ear.
"If I'm staying, so are you. The video games and VR headsets are already taken up, and I'm not putting gooey crap on my face. Stay," Marcus firmly pressed his hand down on Thomas's shoulder.
"Okay...," Thomas sighed.
"I heard alcohol was gonna be here, so what are we doing?" Koji tightened up the knot on his bandana.
"How many of you have played 'Kings'?" Yolei asked.
"What's that?" Thomas asked.
"Dude, you never played?" Tai looked at him in surprise.
"No. I never really played much games. Could someone explain it to me?" Thomas made a face.
"Basically, we all sit in a circle with a deck of cards...which we're all doing right now, and when it's your turn to pick a card, you have to follow the rules according to whatever card you got. If you're the last person to follow the rule, or you forget to follow it, you have to drink. Of course, the most shitfaced person is the loser. Since this is your first time, we'll be easy on you," Yolei patted Thomas on the knee.
"Oh, fun...," Thomas looked into his cup.
"Oh, who should go first?" Tai shuffled a deck of cards.
"Maybe let's do it by the most recently hired person," Yolei squinted her eyes. "Oh, it's a tie between Thomas and Ken..."
"Oooh, so what happens?" Rika smirked.
"Rock paper scissors for it! Loser goes first- then clockwise," Tai proclaimed.
"Uh...," Thomas froze.
"Rock, paper, scissors...hah! Paper beats rock," Ken smirked.
"I-I-I wasn't even ready!" Thomas gasped.
"Sorry bud, no do over. Now, pick your card," Tai held up his stack of cards.
"Four of clubs?" Thomas raised his card.
"Four, hit the floor!" Yolei tapped the floor. "Last one to touch the ground has to take a drink, Thomas."
"Oh, okay," Thomas tapped the floor.
"Dammit...," Izzy took a drink.
"Thomas never played and he's doing better than Ron Weasley already?" Koji smirked.
"I have a problem following other people's direction. You should know," Izzy frowned.
"Or you're just bad at games," Koji remarked.
"Yeah, he's soooo bad at this game. That's why we picked it," Tai smirked.
"You assholes," Izzy grunted.
"Let's just say he's a wildcard. You never know what you'll get with this guy," Tai winked.
"Oh? How so?" Zoe raised her eyebrow.
"Some times, he'll be super friendly...other times, he gets bitchier than he already is," Yolei listed.
"Oh, remember the one time he cried all night?" Tai excitedly clapped his hands.
"Ooh, that was one crazy night," Yolei nodded frantically.
"He cried?" Koji snorted.
"You're lying! I don't remember that at all!" Izzy turned red.
"That's because you were drunk, numbnut," Tai rubbed his knuckles on Izzy's head.
"Cut it out!" Izzy swatted Tai away.
"Oooh, but nothing compared to what happened on New Year's," Yolei flashed an evil smile.
"What happened on New Year's?" Izzy turned red.
"You should have been there!" Yolei smirked.
"This guy should have been called Rizzy. He was laying it on real thick at the party," Yolei winked.
"Whoa, you were a big flirt?" Marcus heckled.
"I don't remember any of that! That's not true!" Izzy turned red.
"Oh, he was a smooth talker. Too bad it was towards inanimate objects," Tai smirked.
"What?! Now I know you're making this up!" Izzy yelled.
"No, we started putting stuff in front of you to see what you would do. You didn't seem to like the coat rack though," Yolei slapped Tai in the arm.
"Probably cause he doesn't want to be the short one in the relationship...," Tai heckled.
"Somehow I feel like that checks out," Kouichi mumbled as he idly peeled nail polish off his finger.
"Your pickup lines were pretty intense though, they even made me blush...," Yolei shook her head.
"Oh no, what did I say?" Izzy dragged hands down his face.
"Dude, I wouldn't feel comfortable repeating any of what you said to a real life person...," Tai winced.
"And you did nothing to stop me?!" Izzy screamed.
"Again, you're a wildcard. We never know what we're going to get with you! You see, life is like a box of chocolates-"
"Well, I hate chocolate! You're all assholes! The lot of you!" Izzy gritted his teeth.
"So this is going to be interesting...hopefully the drunk Izzy we get will be someone easy to deal with," Thomas muttered under his breath.
"Nah, I want something more chaotic!" Marcus grinned.
"You're probably in the majority there," Thomas sadly looked into his cup.
Jewellery and Cosmetics
"Are you sure we can just open up anything we want?" Kari carefully twirled a lip gloss between her fingers.
"Absolutely! I'll just damage it all out or whatever," Mimi shrugged.
"You know when you damage items out, the maintenance crew is supposed to collect the batch so we can destroy it, right?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.
"Ohhhh, so that's why there's two lines for signatures after printing out the damage report!" Mimi pulled a binder from under the cash register and plopped it on the glass counter.
"Mimi...there's a lot of stuff you damaged out," Kari flipped through the binder.
"Most of it is stuff that gets damaged by customers, but I do have to sneak some of my personal items in there from time to time. Like how do you think I can afford my glass skin routine with this minimum wage salary?" Mimi softly brushed her fingers against her cheek.
"And you haven't been caught yet?" Angie gasped.
"I didn't know what you were supposed to do with the damages- I thought you just left the trash bag by the back of the building," Mimi shrugged.
"Didn't you read the employee handbook?" Sarah asked.
"Nobody reads that until your paycheck looks a little funny," Kari shook her head.
"As long as my shrinkage rate is below 5%, I'm fine!" Mimi scoffed.
"Well...," Angie tapped her fingers against the countertop.
"I'm at 3% for now, but if you ladies see anything you like...," Mimi hummed.
"I did want to get the Alcoholic Giraffe bronzy drops, but it's so expensive...," Angie toyed with a small rectangluar container.
"And the Dominican DumDum crème smells sooo good," Kari spread a glob of thick lotion on her arm.
"Take it. I'll damage it out," Mimi smirked.
"I have always wanted to try out this sea moss moisturizer, but I don't know-" Sarah held up a tiny, white tub.
"La Merde? Totally overrated and way overpriced for what it it is, but this is your opportunity to try it. After all, you only live once," Mimi winked.
"Oh...I can really take it?" Sarah's mouth dropped.
"Yeah. Just mum's the word. This stays between us," Mimi put her finger to her lips.
"You got it," Kari jumped in place excitedly.
"Oh, this is even better than I imagined," Angie pulled out a dropper out from a small container and squeezed the rubber handle.
Cash Wrap
"I dunno about you, but I'm feeling a little toasted," Izzy rested his head on Tai's shoulder.
"I'm surprised he held on this long," Thomas remarked.
"Hey, Red! You know you're supposed to follow the rules of the cards, right?" Marcus yelled from across the circle.
"I'm aware," Izzy glared at him.
"Alright, Ginger Spice. Your turn. Pick a card, any card!" Yolei held up the deck of cards.
"Aww man, eight again?" Izzy groaned.
"That's a six-" Thomas said.
"Shut up, it's an eight," Yolei winked. "You heard the card, drink with your mate!"
"Ugh...bottoms up whoever you are," Izzy shook his cup in the air.
"Cin cin," Marcus held up his cup and took a sip.
"Okay, my turn. Ten...categories," Zoe smirked.
"Okay Zoe. So, what's your category?" Yolei hummed.
"Makeup products," Zoe smiled. "Starting off with lipstick."
"Chapstick," TK said.
"Mascara," Davis said.
"Blush," Kouichi added.
"Eyeliner," Koji shrugged.
"Toenail polish," Daigo winked.
"Oh god, of course he would...," Thomas muttered under his breath.
"Highlighter," Tai said.
"Is that a thing?" Marcus asked.
"Yes. Yes it is," Yolei nodded.
"Bronzer," Ken smirked.
"Is that a thing?" Thomas asked.
"If you have to ask, it probably is," Yolei crossed her arms.
"Uh...the eye colour stuff," Thomas swiped his finger against his eyelid.
"Eh, close enough," Yolei shrugged.
"On the same note, those creepy crawly eyelash thingies," Marcus flicked his finger along his eyelashes.
"You boys...," Yolei sighed.
"Lip pencil," Rika said.
"Primer," Ryo said.
"Foundation," Yolei smiled.
"Uh...uh...dammit. You gotta be kidding me!" Izzy yelled.
"Sorry. Drink up," Yolei mockingly sang.
"You guys picked that category on purpose, didn't you?" Izzy grumbled.
"It wouldn't matter, at the rate you're playing, you'd still probably lose if it were something easy like colors or TV shows," Ken smirked.
"Screw you...," Izzy flipped Ken off as he finished his drink.
*crash*
"Uh, Izzy just passed out," Tai raised an eyebrow.
"Wow," Rika blinked in surprise.
"So, it appears we got a clear loser. Maaaaybe we should wrap up this game...," TK pouted.
"Does that mean we have to stop drinking?" Davis whined.
"Hell no! Let's party on!" TK grabbed some bottles of liquor and everyone got up from the circle, leaving Izzy on the ground.
"Hey, Thomas, ready to continue the party?" Marcus grinned.
"Just a minute... I'm going to take care of something first. I'll meet you guys in a few," Thomas said.
"Okay! Don't take too long," Marcus shrugged and walked off.
"Yeah...," Thomas stared down at an unconscious Izzy, making a mental note to return back with sports drinks, ibuprofen, towels, and a large bucket. Something told Thomas that those items were going to come in handy.
Homegoods
"I really like how we literally just made this one posh sleepover!" Mimi grabbed a stack of magazines and plopped them on a demo bed.
"I thought I would hate being stuck at work, but if it's like this all the time, I don't think I would mind," Kari pushed another bed closer to all the other beds.
"Oh, I really like this mattress, it's so much more comfortable than what I have at home," Sarah sighed as she wrapped herself up in a comforter.
"You know, if you are approved for our Cloud 9 Rewards Card, you can get 20% off aaaaandddd 0% financing for 24 months on your first purchase," Angie jokingly said.
"Bahahahahahah!" the girls cackled.
"I'm sorry, love but no," Sarah mockingly smiled.
"Are you sure? You also get points for every purchase you make, which you can redeem for Angel Bucks back," Angie laughed.
"Not today, dear," Sarah said.
"But if you apply today, you'd potentially save...," Angie squinted at the price tag. "Whatever 20% of $2500 is!"
"That's $500," Kari added.
"Oh, that sounds good but another time," Sarah giggled.
"Ahem!" Mimi stuffed a pillow down her shirt and stood on her tippy toes. "I see you didn't get another credit card sale!"
"The customer didn't want it, Yolei," Angie pouted.
"Did you explain to them all of the benefits?" Mimi mockingly said.
"Yeah...," Angie snickered.
"Did you ask the customer three times? Remember, three is a lucky number!" Mimi stuck her tongue out.
"Yes, Yolei...I did. By the third time, the customer almost bitched slapped me, but I persevered because we needed to sell those cards," Angie let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Next time, try harder or I'll bitch slap you with my big tits," Mimi pursed her lips and then burst out laughing.
"Hahahahahahah!" the girls cracked up again.
"Times like this makes me grateful that I work at the cafe," Kari wiped her tears dry.
"I would rather clean toilets all day than try to convince people to sign up for a terrible credit card," Sarah nodded in unison.
"I feel like it should totes be illegal. I didn't get anyone to sign up last week, and Yolei cut my hours this week and scheduled me on crappy shifts!" Mimi took the pillow out of her shirt.
"Oh my god, same here!" Angie exclaimed.
"What do they expect is going to happen if for instance, a lot of people end up getting the card? Then what?" Kari asked.
"Oh honey, there's always a potential customer. You just have to ask," Mimi stuck her tongue out.
"Ask them three times," Angie sarcastically said, the girls breaking out in manic laughter seconds later.
Electronics
"Do you smell that?" Henry sniffed the air.
"Smells like the outside of my room after midnight," Takato put down his controller.
"That's pot," Tommy casually said, as he fiddled with a VR headset.
"Pot? Like marijuana pot?" Takato's mouth dropped.
"We should probably scope out the scene," Henry pulled a baton out from his belt loop.
"You're still on patrol mode?" JP asked.
"Someone should be. We're a bunch of sitting ducks here. Anyone want to come along?" Henry asked.
"Are you asking if we want to possibly cross paths with a serial killer?! On purpose?!" JP raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, never mind...you'd all get in the way. Anyways, I'm going to check out the scene. You guys stay here," Henry shook his head and walked off.
"Did he just say we'd just all be in the way?" Takato gasped.
"Come on. Take a real, honest look at us and tell me if he's wrong," JP picked up his video game controller.
"Oh...I guess not," Takato frowned.
"Wanna start over?" JP shook his game controller.
"Why not?" Takato shrugged.
Bakery
*clank clank clank*
"Anyone else hear that? Or did I smoke too much?" Zoe grabbed onto Koji's arm.
"No...I heard it too," Kouichi frowned.
"Look kids, don't be shy. I think we might be done with the oui'd, but I got enough party supplies to last the night," Daigo emptied a pill container out on the counter.
"Huh," Yolei raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I think we're okay for now," Thomas picked up the pill bottle and winced.
"But don't let us stop you from having a good time," Marcus took a puff from his vape pen.
*clank clank clank*
"I hear it again," Tai stammered.
"Here, maybe this little baby will help drown out those noises and mellow you out," Daigo handed Tai a small, white bar-shaped pill.
"No!" Thomas slapped Daigo's hand.
"Oh, that's right. Let's start off with a quarter. I love how there's little lines on this pill so you can cut them in sections," Daigo grabbed a knife.
"Ugh...," Thomas rubbed his temples and walked towards the cake displays.
*clank clank*
"There it goes again," Ryo hid behind Rika.
"Ugh, what are you doing?" Rika scoffed.
"Well, if it's a monster, you can be my shield," Ryo shrugged.
"What? No, you should be my shield! You're half metal!" Rika pulled away from Ryo's grip and hid behind him.
"No! You get murdered first for once," Ryo struggled to free himself from Rika.
"No! You get murdered first!" Rika put Ryo in a headlock.
"No, you get murdered first!" Ryo bucked and kicked.
"No, yoooou get murdered first!" Rika grunted.
"Nobody's getting murdered! It's just me!"
"Henry?!" everyone gasped.
"Yep, I was just checking out the scene. I smelled pot, so I just wanted to check out the source. I guess it checks out," Henry shook his head.
"Can you believe I have to work with this guy?" Gennai laughed as he breathed in from a glass pipe.
"Gennai?!" Henry exclaimed.
"Come on, loosen up," Daigo shrugged.
"We're going to make pizza in a minute, we're so hungry," Tai said.
"Do you guys know how to make pizza?" Henry asked.
"I do!" Zoe beamed.
"Of course she does...the know-it-all," Koji smirked.
"We're all gonna make pizza! I'll teach you guys! Wouldn't that be fun?" Zoe asked.
"I guess I could stick around," Henry shrugged.
Cash Wrap
"Huh...only one person I know would have been thoughtful or smart enough to leave this stuff here," Izzy groggily woke up to find a bucket, ibuprofen, some towels and sports drinks by his side. He immediately felt the urge to grab the bucket and stuck his head inside. "Bleccch..."
"Hey, just checking up on you. I see you found everything," Thomas winced.
"Thanks. I appreciate this...what happened?" Izzy asked.
"We were playing 'Kings' and we had to cut the game early. I think you can guess why," Thomas smirked.
"I always forget how much I get messed up in that game," Izzy reached for his bucket.
"Uh, anyways... I'm just passing out pizzas throughout the store. Zoe used way too many ingredients, so I think we'll be baking all night. You should probably eat something," Thomas slid a pizza box towards him.
"Yeah, sure...thanks," Izzy plopped himself down on the floor.
"Maybe you might want to find somewhere more comfortable to rest. I'm pretty sure there's plenty of furniture by Homegoods," Thomas said.
"That's not a bad idea," Izzy groggily nodded.
"Feel better, I gotta keep going before these get cold," Thomas said.
"Thanks," Izzy sat up on the floor and grabbed a piece of pizza. He washed it down with a sports drink and waited for a minute for it to settle down. He then took an ibuprofen and made his way to the toothpaste aisle. He grabbed a tube of toothpaste, opened up a toothbrush, began brushing his teeth, and rinsed it out with a mouthwash. He then trudged his way over to the men's department and sifted through the clothes until he found something comfortable. He walked to the dressing rooms and tried to open several doors but they were all locked.
*bang bang bang*
"Oh Daddy..."
"You're in big trouble now...,"
"Oh yeah? Show me..."
"TK, Davis!" Izzy pounded his fists against the door.
"Yes?" the banging stopped.
"Nothing...I figured it was you. Carry on," Izzy shook his head.
"Kay!" the boys said in unison.
"Ugh...," Izzy sighed as he switched his clothes outside the dressing room. He decided to take Thomas's suggestion and find someplace comfortable to crash in the Homegoods section. One particular bed caught his eye, it looked super comfortable and plushy like a cloud- that was the one he wanted. "Oh, aren't you so pretty, I just want to bury my face deep in you. In fact, I wouldn't mind being inside you all night long. Maybe even into the next morning, if time allows," Izzy slurred as he plopped down on the mattress.
"Ooh, I knew you couldn't get enough of me," Mimi wriggled out of a mess of bedsheets.
"Ahhhhhh!" Izzy screamed and fell off.
"Izzy!" Mimi gasped.
"I'm sorry! I didn't see you! I just need someplace to crash, I'm a little shitfaced right now," Izzy rubbed the palms of his hands on the sides of his face.
"It's okay! Here, there's plenty of room...kind of. Try not to hog all the sheets though," Mimi extended her hand out and pulled Izzy up.
"I just want a bed. Take all the sheets, pillows, just take everything for all I care," Izzy climbed back into the bed and immediately passed out face down on the mattress.
"Don't mind if I do," Mimi smirked as she playfully trailed her fingers down his back.
Toy Section
"I know I should be enjoying this, but this whole place is a mess, and I know ultimately I'll be responsible for getting everything back to standard before we open tomorrow...or more like in a couple of hours," Thomas looked at his watch in disdain. He wheeled a large garbage can through the aisles and sighed at all of the trash that was scattered through the floor.
"Hahahahahah, that tickles..."
"Huh?" Thomas broke out in a cold sweat.
"Elmo's not ticklish there...oh boy!"
"You know I'll get you..."
"Jeri?" Thomas stepped closer into the shadow.
"Oh! Hi Thomas!" Jeri beamed.
"What are you doing here by yourself?" Thomas asked.
"Nothing. Just playing around with some of the toys. It's peaceful at night where no one bothers you. This was my little brother's favorite toy. Then my dad choked him to death-"
"Okay, I'd like to continue this story, but maybe another time...I have to get back to work," Thomas walked in place.
"I understand. My stepmom says I like to share too much details on my home life with strangers, and that's not a good thing because then CPS gets involved-"
"Jeri, I have to go. Have fun with your toys," Thomas nodded nervously and sprinted off with his cart.
"Okay, bye!" Jeri solemnly waved goodbye.
"That was creep...oh god, what is this?" Thomas turned the other corner to see Cody splayed out in the other aisle with candles around him and a Oujia board out.
"I always wondered, why did you pick the name Cody for me?" Cody held onto a planchette. "A-G-E-N-T-C-O-D-Y...wait a minute! Seriously Dad?! You named me after a shitty Frankie Muniz movie?! Goodbye?! No! Not goodbye! Fuck you, Dad!"
"I'm never coming back to the toy section again," Thomas quietly tiptoed away from the aisle.
Service Desk
*ring ring ring*
"Uh, is the phone seriously ringing? Shut it off," Ryo groaned.
"Holy crap, it's 11 in the morning," Rika smirked.
"Oops," Ryo stuck his tongue out.
"Don't feel bad. It's not like we're the only ones who dropped the ball," Rika said.
*ring ring ring*
"Hi, Pino's Pizzeria. How can we help you?" Rika picked up the phone.
"Rika, you're so bad," Ryo silently laughed.
"No, you got the wrong number. Yeah... we're off by one number or something because we keep getting their calls. Why are you even calling? Have you seen the roads? Be ashamed of yourself. Bye," Rika hung up the phone.
"Rika!" Ryo gasped.
"What? They deserve to have a bad day," Rika crossed her arms.
"AYAYAYAYAYAYA!" Tai ran around the whole store and yelped.
"Okay, if the phones didn't wake people up, that should," Ryo remarked.
"EVERYONE, GET UP! IT'S ELEVEN IN THE MORNING!" Tai yelled.
"Um, Tai? Wouldn't it be illegal for us to be working for more than 24 hours straight technically?" Kari asked.
"She's got a point. It's not like we voluntarily wanted to be here overnight," Angie said.
"This wouldn't be a good look on paper for them, especially with how negligent they were with us," Rika tapped her fingers.
"And we are still getting paid for being here, right?" Ryo raised an eyebrow.
"Okay okay, I'll be right back!" Tai grabbed a phone from a register and stormed to the back of the store.
"Cha ching, overtime!" Ryo winked.
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind if we had more snow days like this. Did you have fun, Thomas?" Angie asked.
"I dunno, I barely got any sleep," Thomas tied up another trash bag closed.
"Okay! We got the okay to close for the day! They don't want to pay the extra overtime, so we're closed till Monday," Tai made his way back to the front of the store.
"We are still getting paid for being here overnight though, right?" Kari said.
"I mentioned certain hot-button words like liabilities and damages, and they said it's a done deal. They'd rather pay that than go through a legal proceeding," Tai shrugged.
*ring ring ring*
"I'm disconnecting this phone," Rika pulled the phone out of it's cord.
"Good call," Tai groaned.