Clint sat at his desk, the dim blue light of Ahklut’s and Lusca’s tank light up the dark room.
Clint stared into the deep hypnotic blue and sighed, the store was finished, a week from today he would introduce the outside fluffies to their new homes, and to the new people he planned to hire.
Clint turned away from the tank to his computer, booting it up and going thru the usual emails, spam, adds for new iPhones, enlargement pills, etc., etc. Moving past that Clint looked at his Yes-Pile list, seeing roughly 20 to 30 applicants who had applied. It was a big store, three separate levels, all three needed staff. Clint based his Yes-Pile on who he thought would be the best fit, a few names stood out and a lot didn’t, but that didn’t matter, Clint was building a team and he needed people of all walks of life, Fluffy business was finally seeing a spike in California since Cleveland, and people realized that…
Hug-boxers AND Abusers wanted in, and Clint had quite a menagerie of both at his store. At first Clint didn’t want abusers in his store, but he would need people who would be okay with dealing with ferals, Abusers trying to steal and the messy work of taking care of stock that couldn’t be sold or saved.
Clint looked over the list again, feeling like he had read the list a thousand times, now calling applicants to tell them the news and their start date for training. After a half hour Clint got to his first promising hire.
Teodora Gloria - 28. (Hispanic, 5’5)
6-7 years experience with Fluffies, helped ran her own store, looking to get back into the Fluffy-Workforce. Over the phone she seems happy Clint had called, she explained her situation and how her old family store had gotten bought out and demolished. A very promising hire indeed!
Clint kept calling the applicants, he had started with the normal applicants first, leaving the abusers for last. The next applicant was another promising hire, an Older Woman who had left the workforce and got bored waiting for retired life to get fun.
Annalise Laney - 63. (Caucasian-American, 5’4)
Over 20 years of Pet-Store experience, retired at the age of 55, got bored and decided to come back to work with something new, Fluffies. Veterinarian training, and is an overall grandma.
When Clint gave her the news she cheered thru the phone saying that she had ‘missed that 9-5 grind’ and was eager for first day training.
As Clint finished up some more applicants another one that had caught Clint’s eye was next.
Pankaj Raju - 26. (Indian-American, 6’2)
A med school drop-out who only wanted to work with animals, Raju had bounced from one shelter to the next volunteering, now wanting to try his hand at selling Fluffies. Attached to Raju’s application was a very strongly written letter from his father that he was a lazy, drop-out slacker, who didn’t want a ‘real job’. Clint found this amusing and quickly hired the lad.
Clint finished the call and promptly felt his stomach grumble, but before he could even leave his desk, the office door opened. “Hey Sug, workin’ hard or hardly workin’?” Donna asked, a bag of KFC in tow.
“Any of that for me?” Clint said pointing to the bag, not realizing how actually hungry he was. “Nah i just brought you my trash is all- course! Wanted to surprise my big ol’ working man.” Donna giggled walking over behind the desk.
Clint promptly hugged and kissed Donna, only to devour a four piece tender-combo like it was a light snack. As Clint ate his food, Donna looked over to his computer and saw ‘Yes-Pile’.
“Anyone interesting?” Donna asked, glossing over the names on the list.
“Weww-gulp- so far I’ve gone thru about 15 or so, a few great picks, but I still have 20 or so to go.” Clint said while popping a biscuit into his mouth like a after meal mint.
As Donna read she saw a name that surprised her. “Well shit O’Connor, your stealing one of mine!” She said, slapping Clint in the shoulder.
Clint brushed off the slap and looked at the application.
Marguerite Anne-Sophie - 30. (French, 6’2)
Originally a French citizen, she had left with her family and became an American citizen. personally loving fluffies, she has worked with them for 10 years now, give or take. True to Donna’s word, she was in fact currently employed at the Shelter Clint visited not to long ago.
“Well… Should I not hire her?” Clint asked, not wanting to steal from his girlfriends work.
“Honestly, no, ill still get to see her on my days off when i visit you, so not like I’m losing my friend or anything, word of warning tho, she has the most ‘I’m French’ accent you will ever hear.” Donna explained, laughing and telling Clint not to put her on front staff.
“Wait why should she not handle the front?” Clint asked, seeing Donna’s laughing fit end and a perplexed one begin to show.
“Well… Let’s just say shes… Shes more Eye-Candy than she realizes.” Donna explained, making a motion around her chest that said ‘she has a great personality… Two of them’. Clint nodded, and rang her up, with Donna next to him, explaining she wasn’t mad she was leaving, but glad she was willing to branch out from one store to the next.
" Oh, zis eez wondarful! Thank you miss Donna, and thank you meestair Clint, ai cannot wait for my first dai!" Anne exclaimed just before hanging up the phone.
“… Wow yeah not front staff for her, i could barely understand her.” Clint said, sipping the rest of the iced tea he had been given.
“Yep, well, any sickos you hire yet?” Donna asks.
“Yeah, but I saved them for last, dont know how many of them are fake applicants, made to seem like good hires.” Clint explained, opening up another smaller folder in the Yes-Pile, labeled ‘Bad Eggs’.
The first to show up was already a… Unique case.
Jeffery Kenton - 24. (Caucasian-American, 6’1)
Jeffery was a unique case as this is his ‘first job’ he applied and admitted that he hated fluffies, but needed the work, asking to be put somewhere were the Smarty and Bitch-Mares are kept. Has no problem with taking care of fluffies but would prefer to deal with the bad ones.
Before Clint called, Donna excused herself, wanting to say hi to Clint’s Indoor Herd.
During the call with Jeffery, Clint explained the ‘law of the land’. “No killing without a double check, make sure all the paperwork is in order and whenever your on the main floor, i want to see Fluffies happy, got it?” Clint said, calmly.
“Hey if that’s how i gotta get paid, so be it man-er-boss!” Jeffery quickly corrected himself. Clint told Jeffery the start day, and to not be late. Clint didn’t want to bother with people who just wanted to hurt fluffies, he needed some to actually take care of them, then to do the dirty work and dispose of the ones who were bad stock.
The next few calls Clint made were either sent to voicemails, or answered with a roaring laugh, and how they ‘would never work in a Fluffy hell-scape like that’.
Clint was tired, only four of the ‘Bad-Eggs’ had been actual applicants, one or two who were on parole, one who had a history as a breeder in a mill. It wasn’t until the final ‘Bad-Egg’ that Clint finally felt good about hiring one of them.
Lucas Braxton - 29 (Australian, 5’10)
Lucas started the call surprisingly friendly, and polite, explained that he had a mixed history with Fluffies and had no trouble taking care of Normal Fluffies, how he had experience with subspecies but could learn more. He also explained that he really needs the job.
“Okay… Well before I give you a start date, some ground rules, No Killing off ANY Fluffy without double checking if their are assigned for euthanasia, termination, whatever, okay? And if your on the First Floor selling, You need to keep the Fluffies and the Customers happy, no ‘throw a enfie pal in the male pen to relieve stress’ or sick shit like that, got it?” Clint said, a more serious tone in his voice than usual.
“Sir, you have my word, no harm will come to Fluffy, Customer, Foal, Mare and the like while I am under your employ.” Lucas said, his accent was thick, but shrill, like someone had his throat in a vise.
“Okay, good. Cus’ I’m running a business, and I don’t want to have some weird rep like those breeding mills.” Clint said, finished the phone call with Lucas, informing him on when his day 1 training would start.
Clint had amassed around 24 workers from the 30 or so applicants, feeling satisfied, Clint opened the Smarty-Micro drawer of his desk and took out a small single Micro-Unicorn. He had a Shiny Gold coat, with a Hot Pink mane and tail.
“P-pwease nu put in scawwy wawa! Nu wan be bestes’ smawty nu mowe!” Cried the Micro.
“Well… How about I don’t put you in the scary wawa, how about instead i introduce you to the Fluffies i keep in the wawa? They are very friendly!” Clint lied, stroking the Micro’s mane, being gifted soft coo’s.
“N-nice Fwuffies? I-in wawa? Buh wawa am bad fow fwuffies! How dey in dewe su wongies?” The Micro said, confused, as he had never seen a sea-fuffy before…
Or an Angler-Fluffy.
“Here, ill put you here, so you can meet them closer!” Clint said, putting the Micro in the flooding chamber of the tank. “And don’t worry, they may seem scary at first, but they are nice, I promise!” Clint says, sealing the see thru chamber, not before petting the micro one last time.
“Huu-… Su cwose tu scawwy wawa… Nu wan be meanie tu nice fwuffies, wan be gud fwuffy and nu be smawty an- Oooooooo…” The Micro interrupted himself, seeing two bright glowing orbs getting closerand closer to him.
“Su pwetty! Nyu Fwends?” The Micro asked, tapping the glass that separated the water from the chamber. Clint’s hand stopping only a few inches away from the small plastic lever that would flood the micro.
“Nyu Fwends! Nu hab namesie tu shawe wiff nyu fwends, buh fwuffy stiww wub 'ou!” Cried the Micro, completely silent to the sounds of Clint snickering.
As the two Angler-Fluffies appeared into view of the Micro, it stopped all movement, not even uttering a sound as the sharp fangs of the tank-dwelers.
“N-nyu f-f-fwends?” The Micro finally uttered. Lusca and Ahklut looked at each other, then to Clint, shaking their heads.
Clint opened the air tight seal and scooped up the Micro. “Well, today’s your lucky day, Lusca and Ahklut seem to like ya, so you get to stay with me!” Clint said as he carried the Micro out of his Office, leading him to the safe-room.
While I plan/work on the ‘Store-Arc’. I plan on drawing more, mostly making adopts for other users to use in stories and the like, a real. “Hey these are our last chance Fluffies, were giving them away before termination.” kinda deal.
I do want to say most of my adopts may be on the new community website, but i will do some only for reddit.
Thanks for shopping and adopting!