[PKMN FULL] Cornered On The Market! [T](IC)

[Jauntier]

The Boulevard
5:29 AM | beside Spirited Away

Rounding the corner, the Pangoro and the Mismagius stood in the shadowy alleyway on the side of the latter's store, seconds too late to witness a suspicious act that slid quite literally under their noses and so quickly, leaving nothing behind but perhaps a faintly odd sense of unsettlement that barely tingled on Castiel's back--although he attributed it not to his ghostly intuition but to his own worry over his wandering employee. The two stood there for a moment, in the complete silence of the alley, staring down between brick and mortar walls at the scarce traces of litter loosed from a garbage can a stretch farther. Goro gave a gruff, terse utterance to Castiel, and understanding immediately, the cloaked Ghost followed beside Goro as they walked farther down the side alley, looking around at what few objects were there, searching for something for which the store owner did not know for sure to search. Seeing nothing of alarm after taking a few minutes to review the area for even the shape of a recognizable presence, Castiel turned his gaze to the Festival Guard beside him, finally posing a question that belied the hint of incredulity in his eyes.

"So, is there something of concern here, Goro? It came across to me as something urgent." Castiel's tone this time was genuine.

Goro kept his eyes straight ahead, silent. After a moment, he took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled it in one steady huff.

"I saw something," he grunted. Then he lowered his dark eyes to the Ghost. "You may leave."

That answer didn't comfort Castiel one bit. He wondered what did Goro see and did he see it just then as they two were searching. But the order to dismiss was something he was waiting for all the while, more than anything else.

"Well, maybe it was just a loose decoration, blown off onto the street. Who knows?" The Mismagius turned around, readying himself to depart, when directly across the street from him, he saw a Chimecho hauling off some ugly green paper lanterns to the garbage can on the side of Forget-Me-Not. He figured it was one of Amaryllis' employees. "Why don't you ask that Chimecho over there. They're carting off some breezy trash. Maybe they have something to do with it," he offered. The hefty bear turned around shot his gaze directly at the wind chime Pokemon. Castiel continued, "But thank you for bringing a potential issue to my attention, Goro. I need to get back to attending my employees, anyway. I hope to see you later."

Satisfied with the set up of a scapegoat, he tipped the brim of his brow to the Guard before he made his way back toward the front door of his store.​

__________________________________________

Forget-Me-Not
5:29 AM | Main Floor

After glancing at the others begin to carry out her orders just as she demanded of them, Amaryllis heard the Bidoof in front of her affirm her with a somewhat renewed vigor.

"Oh ho ho~ Now that's what I want to hear," Amaryllis sang. She pat the floral tie-wearing mouse-beaver on the shoulder reassuringly, telling him to follow her. She turned and glided off the tips of her leafy bottoms across the room at a leisurely pace, expecting Samuel to follow her. Sliding up Rina's basket of decorative supplies off her forearm and onto her shoulder to give her arms more freedom of movement, she made her way back to the Supply Room, cranking open the heavy door as she entered.

The Supply Room, though a little crowded, was not actually disorganized. Many of the shelves were labelled generally, from fragrances like incense, potpourri, and perfumes to small gardening tools like hand rakes, a watering pail, and spades. Whatever was out on the main floor was in stock back in Supply, even many of the common flowers that were being sold as singles were stocked fresh, though they never sat there for more than three days in the case of those living plants. The only thing one wouldn't find in this room are the paintings, bouquets, and small sculptures of Amaryllis' making.

"Okay, here we are," the Florges presented with a sweeping gesture of her hand. "You will be the first to start working on our project! That's exciting, isn't it? The most important thing that we need right now is, of course, a centerpiece. Something that just trills not only the theme, but also Forget-Me-Not. Naturally, that means it has to be something that is beyond tasteful. What you pick, Samuel, will influence the direction of the whole design, so choose wisely~" Although she kept a smile on her face and a dignified air about her, somewhere in her mind, a small part began to question if the Bidoof with the tie that looked cut straight from her grandmother's shower curtain was the person to consult for design choices. She dismissed it with a few bats of her eyes. "So! You can pick out anything in this room, dear." She then motioned to another door, made of the same metal of the door that lead in from the main floor into here. The latch on it was clearly set, and while the door was windowless, there was a small, slightly ajar window beside it, a ways. "See this other door here? It leads out to the fenced-in zen garden I took the liberty of tilling out of that infertile patch of cement gravel, which unfortunately came with the lease on this property. There are maybe four or five interesting stones in there as well, so as long as your stumpy little legs don't miss the stepping stones and mess up my zen, feel free to take a look, darling."​

 

[Greiger]

Gabriel
An Ingenious Idea​

Gabriel could hear the lumbering footsteps down below, though Gorro didn't seem to say anything. There was silence, and Gabriel had to wonder if he had been seen. No. He couldn't worry about that now. Gorro was heading deeper into the alleyway, which meant he was heading away from the street. He quickly crawled over to the edge of the storefront and glanced down at the small awnings that were placed above the windows. He could fall down onto one of them, then get onto the street, and start making his way over to Forget-Me-Not. It was a good plan. The only thing that could hurt him now was if Gorro made his way out and saw him in front of the store, or worse, over at the other store.

Taking in a deep breath, Gabriel laid himself along the edge of the roof and lowered himself down while clinging to the top of the roof. He let his claws go and twisted himself so that he could land on butt. He bounced a bit on the awning as he ended up falling off and onto the ground itself. Albeit a bit bruised, the fall wasn't that bad. He quickly got back up, having faced even greater injuries in the past, when he caught sight of Castiel. The ghost was just coming back from the alley. Gabriel gave him but the briefest of nods as he turned and began to make his way as quickly as he could across the street. As he made his dash he caught sight of another mon heading away from the store with something in her hands.

Okay, get to the other side of the store, hide against the wall and not against a window, and then make his way in. Or better… perhaps nudge a window open somewhere and hear whatever they were talking about. Of course, if he remained outside then Gorro would have a chance of finding him. If he went inside, then the lights inside would easily erase any shadowy areas he could hide in.

But… there was also another method to indulge in. These old human establishments had things known as fuse boxes. His father had taught him that the fuses in those boxes controlled electricity for the building. If you messed with it, then the electricity would fail. And… that was a perfect idea! Mess with their electricity and shut it all off. Even if he couldn't figure out what they were trying to do this day, he could at least leave them in the dark! It was ingenious.


​

 

[Evyl]

Varien the Kecleon
*image removed*
Mission: Find out about their Big Gimmick

Varien was frozen. He was still invisible, but he couldn't move. He took big breaths, closing his eyes, counting at each exhale. When he got to five, he opened his eyes to a darker room. There were employees in here, which mean he had to be careful.

Someone had said something, but he didn't hear it. Crouching down and crawling along the ground, moving behind the first shelf with merchandise. Varien needed to relax, so he reverted his colour to normal and took some more deep breaths, confident they wouldn't see him hidden behind the shelf in the dark. As long as the lights weren't on, he needn't keep invisible if he was out of the line of sight.

Now he needed to focus. Varien used all his strength to try and hear any conversations in the room. Kecleon weren't known for their hearing abilities. He heard something like mumbling, and then:

"Ah! Here we are, Heart Scales!"

Heart Scales? Decoration or sellable items? I should take one back for Amaryllis either way... Varien camouflaged himself again, slowly stepping forward in a crouching position. He peered around the shelf, not really seeing anything in the darkness. His eyes still needed to adjust, adrenaline keeping his heart rate fast and preventing him from staying calm and focused.

Then the lights came on.

Varien felt his body jump, though his feet didn't leave the floor. I need to hide!! He couldn't afford to be seen and caught! Glancing to his right, eyeing the checkout, Varien reacted faster than he ever had before. He zipped across the floor and over the counter, bumping something, he didn't know what, then hiding under the counter.

Razz Berries! If someone saw me I'll be done for! The end of everything! Varien needed to calm down, desperately. He was still invisible after all, and there was a chance no one saw his hasty movement to the checkout. If no one comes for me in 10 seconds, I'll peer out again...

Varien's worst fear was realised when a Braxien walked to the register, passing the faint blue stripe under the counter. Have they seen me? Razz Berries... Razz Berries! Varien could do nothing but wait until they moved away, every part of his body screaming to run.
​

 

[Xtrashy]

It was terrible, putting up the streamers hadn't taken that long at all. The easy task was accomplished soon enough for the bug, which led her to the vase. She should have taken far more time to set the streamers up, possibly shift them around a little just to seem like she was doing some actual decorating as opposed to simply putting them where she was told. But the plight was this, putting up streamers was dreadfully boring, even more so than her usual work. So it was with mixed feelings she ended the task to start another potentially even more boring one, she headed over and fetched the step stool, picking it up with great ease for someone so lazy.

She carefully brought it over to the shelf where the vase was stationed, setting it on the floor. Then she began positioning it correctly, sliding it into the right spot. Then she began her ascent, leaving the ground a whole foot or so behind as she traversed the wondrous step stool into the heavens. Of course she could have grabbed the vase before, but now that she had the step stool advantage grabbing the pottery was mere child's play.

 

[Fen-Fen]

After manning the register, Blair was about to start her "tasks" of manning the register when Castiel entered through the door. His entrance to the shop managed to overshadow the faint blue stripe that had magically appeared under the counter, which had gone unnoticed by the somewhat preoccupied Braixen for the time being. With the boss now able to update her employees, she asked, in a rather brusque tone, "Hey, boss, what's the news? Did Goro bust ya? Because I swear, I already got enough troubles without having to worry about being investigated by the law!"

She turned away from him in a defiant huff, not realizing that Goro had left Castiel off the hook. When she turned away, she happened to notice upon a suspicious shadow, one that seemed to be coming from under the counter. Ignoring her presumably annoyed boss, she bent down and looked under the counter, trying to find the source of the shadow. While she was down there, Blair finally noticed the faint blue stripe. Given the placement of the stripe, Blair thought that it was some oddity with the pattern on the floor that she never noticed before. As for the shadow, in Blair's mind, it was most likely a trick with the light. Consequentially, both were innocuous enough to dismiss and she went back to facing her boss and muttered "Huh, I didn't know the floor had blue in it."

 

[Foxrally]

Status: Trying his very best to be relevant

Click here to view Errol's application!

Errol the Qwilfish​

Errol huffed and puffed as he rolled along the paved stoneways of the nearly empty streets if Jubilee. Today is the day I arrive on time! the Qwilfish thought to himself, painfully oblivious to the fact he was thirty minutes late already.

He had even done his best and woken up two hours before opening hour, to give himself time to prepare. As the packed lunch he had prepared the day before had been accidentally eaten by his mother, he had spent another hour preparing a second one for himself. It was only after preparing it that he had realized there was no way for him carry the packed lunch while rolling, and had spent another half hour eating what he had just made - leaving the poor pokémon with only half an hour to roll across the distance between the beach and Jubilee.

The young qwilfish kept on rolling at a tremendous speed, almost reaching the walking speed of the baby hoothoot he had crossed earlier. Once every few moments one of his spikes snagged onto a crack in the floor or a leaf, causing him to trip and stumble forward as he bounced chaotically off objects and sometimes even people.

I just do hope eating that snack wasn't a problem. I hope I don't get sick. he thought to himself, feeling the contents of his stomach thrown around by the bumpy ride and deciding to take a breather to stop himself from Hydro Cannon-ing badly cooked and half digested fish all over the pavement. It was then that he noticed a figure galloping in the same direction he was going, somewhere in the distance. Oh, it's Mister Gareth! I should say hi. I don't want to wake everyone though, so I should be quiet. he thought. The second he opened his mouth, he felt suddenly sick as his 'early lunch' begged to escape from his stomach. He quickly closed it again and mentally noted not to repeat the same mistake.

It was only a few minutes later that Spirited Away's door swung open violently as an indistinguishable blue round mass rolled through uncontrollably, skidding do a stop using its spikes as it very nearly avoided both the Pokemon and merchandise in the store. Errol, through his dizzy stupor, could see Castiel near the counter, looking as if he had just entered the store again. Next to him was Blair, peering under the counter for some reason. Errol figured that he needed to confirm his tasks his Castiel, and so hopped forward to where the Mismagicus was.

"Good morning, Mister Castiel!" the Qwilfish greeted softly. "H-hello, Blair." he said to the Braixen, much more quietly. "I hope I'm not too late today."

 

[Ihsaan]

Samuel the Bidoof
*image removed*
Mission: "Prepare the Super Secret Project!"

Samuel carefully listened to Amaryllis's each and every word, and slowly nodded to the pace of her speaking. He actually understood her. If I do this right, then everyone will finally like me!. Samuel thought to himself gleefully.

"Yes boss! You can count on me!" Samuel replied firmly.

When the secret project pops up in his mind, Samuel feels scared. So perhaps the right direction to go would be spooky? But at the same time, it has an air of mysticism to it, so maybe he should make something serene? As he thought about it, more and more options flooded his head, but spooky and mystic always stood out. He wanted Amaryllis's opinion really bad, but he kept mum. He would do this himself. But he could not choose. He was distraught and close to tears when suddenly, a bright idea popped in his head. That in itself called for a celebration, Samuel rarely had ideas, let alone good ones. Perhaps he could make a centrepiece that was both spooky and mystic? He began scrambling about the various sculptures, looking for a Pokemon that fit the description.​

​

 

[Dusty]

SILVER

​

Silver walked back into the front section of the store, pleased to see the lights come on just before she entered. Going over to the display table she put down the heart scales in her mouth and use her claw to push them into place, arranging them to look just right. Glancing back at Blair she said, "Hey, thanks for getting the lights."

After a moment Blair responded, slightly rudely, "So, why you so happy? It's way too early in the morning for that crap. Of course, I'm usually never ol' Ms. Jolly, but hey". She paused a moment, then went on, "That's what I get for trusting a certain unnamed individual."

"Uh...um…" Silver hesitated. Certain individual? She wasn't sure what Blair was talking about, but was it about her? Was it because she was being in a good mood and Blair was in a bad mood? "Um...are you talking about me? I...I'm sorry, I just-"

She was cut off mid sentence as Castiel entered again through the front door. The bells set by the door to alert of incoming customers chimed softly as their ghostly boss entered. "Oh, hey boss!" she said, "How'd all that go with Goro?"

Blair asked too, "Did Goro bust ya? Because I swear, I already got enough troubles without having to worry about being investigated by the law!"

They were once again interrupted as a small Quilfish rolled through the doorway as it was closing. He, being Errol, another one of the employees, timidly said, "Good morning, Mister Castiel! H-hello, Blair. I hope I'm not too late today."

Silver was not a huge fan of Errol. It wasn't that she disliked the guy, he was nice enough, although a bit shy. But he honestly didn't really belong here. She knew that Errol's mother had essentially blackmailed Castiel into hiring her son, something which Castiel had been quite vocal and livid about for a couple days when the application for the job came in. But the only thing that really bothered her about Errol was that he just wasn't great at his job. Hard to be good at running a store when you're a spiky round fish with no arms or legs. She did kind of feel bad for the guy too though.

Nevertheless, she smiled to the small spiky ball and cheerily said, "Morning Errol, good to see you!"​

​

 

[Jauntier]

Spirited Away
5:35 AM | Front door

Alright, Castiel. Just take a deep breath and retain your composure. Gabriel didn't... mess it up for you just yet.

Floating under the canopy at the front door of his store, he quietly sipped air into his mouth before just as smoothly blowing it out. His breath caught into the collar of his cloak. He sniffed. It smelled like hydrogen sulfide and peppermint. He couldn't help the various chemical compounds that mysteriously formed in the presumably dense and murky space that was his vaporous innards, he supposed. After all, he didn't so much as really open his mouth to talk as he happened to attune himself to the ether, and others would inexplicably and clearly hear. Something like that.

He glanced over to left. He did not see nor hear Goro coming up from the side alley. Castiel figured Goro too was contemplating his suggestion of the Pokemon across the street from him, an obvious employee of Forget-Me-Not tasked to take out their trash. He had not and did not make eye contact all the while he figured he was in the Chimecho's peripheral, he only breezed on by.

Turning his head to the right, he now stared down the broad boulevard. The reddening color of the sky as the sun now rose low in the sky was not the first thing he noticed. The first thing he noticed was Gabriel, standing himself up after what Castiel thought was the Weavile just lazing around in public.

Was Gabriel that presence I briefly felt a couple minutes ago, behind me? What would he be doing sitting on his rear doing nothing for? It's an empty street, for Origin's sake.

A stray pebble on the ground around the Ghost happened to flick itself precisely at the side of Gabriel's head. Castiel gave a strong, intense stare that said as much as it did little, before the door in front of him opened itself up for its owner to enter.

The Mismagius had just barely sulked in through the doorway when his crew--more alert at this hour than he had expected--didn't hesitate to greet and ask questions.

"No, Goro did no such busting, thank heavens," Castiel bitterly asserted to Blair's question, drifting over now toward the Checkout counter. The door behind him shit itself with a gust that seemed to blow from right under his pink cloak. "At first I thought Gabriel had blown it for us, and I was quite ready to disavow him if Goro took me to task. I'm trying to get us ahead of the game, not get us fined for loitering." He shut his eyes and, again, took a deep breath to calm his nerves. When he finally did, he was about to ask Silver how the project was going so far, when Blair mentioned something about blue on the floor.

"Blue? What?" Castiel glanced over at the tatter-caped Braixen. "Don't tell me someone spilled something on the floor. I told everyone not to bring back any more of those blue frozen slushie things from that snowball stand down the street during lunch breaks. You all know it drips everywhere, and then it gets tracked it in, and that's how we got infested with those little, squirmy black things last month. I know Silver remembers." Castiel shuddered at the thought. Never again.

"Blair, if it looks sticky or wet, go get the spray from Supplies and spritz it. The stain will naturally dissolve. Don't get it on your skin though, or it'll sting. I know Silver remembers that, too." There was a teasing hint in that last remark, all in good nature.

Then the front door burst open and a speeding mass of blue and beige curbed its bounding velocity just enough to stop in a manner that nothing was damaged, thankfully. It was Errol, the Qwilfish.

"Hello, Errol," Castiel greeted back with a somewhat distant tone that nearly feigned warmth. "Too late? Today? Oh ho, oh no. You're only half an hour late this time! That's progress! Isn't that progress, everyone?" Castiel attempted to smile with his eyes where his voice seemed to fail, but if one looked hard enough, his expression could have been discerned as a strong grimace.

At any rate, his question was rhetorical, as immediately he switched his attention back to Blair.

"While you're back there getting that solvent, please also get his plastic bowl and fill it with water from the bathroom. Errol needs his hydration and safe confinement."

At that, the orange gem on Castiel's chest began to glow with a subdued aura, and soon, Errol's frame was lined with a faint, atmospheric purple as the puffer fish began to levitate off the ground. The Qwilfish was gently carried over and set onto the counter top. The aura then released him.

"There. 'A flat, smooth, even surface with no incline'," Castiel recited, quoting a line of requested accommodations as listed in a contractual document Errol's mother had mailed him. "Don't move. I'm going to go check on Silver."

Beside Errol was a green peppermint candle, still lit. It was the one he had set down before talking to Goro. Now that the lights were turned on, which he waived, he gave the candle a hard look and in a blink, the flame went out.

"Silver," the Mismagius called as he flit his way over to the scarved, diminutive Absol, some slight hope in his fatigued voice, "Please show and tell me what all you managed to get done in the short time I was away."​

__________________________________________

Forget-Me-Not
5:35 AM | Supply Room

After the Bidoof accepted her offer and she congratulated him with a somewhat patronizing pat on his head, she slipped out of the Supply Room, though she did not shut the door all the way. For a minute or two, she peered back in through the slightly cracked door, watching Samuel, observing, hoping she made the right decision in letting him have any creative freedom whatsoever.

All the while, the Bidoof just stood there, a look on his face that appeared indicative of a hernia.

Presently, Amaryllis shut the door, and with it, any prospect of understanding such an oblivious creature.

"Spora, did you--" The Florges began to ask as she turned away from the door to look at her employee. "Oh! Yes, you did, the vase! Perfect! Yes, just set it down in the space where we're going to build our project. Our streamers are all in place, Rina is going to put up some ceiling ornaments, and Samuel is finding a centerpiece for us to design around. We have to start forming as soon as possible," she pushed. It became clear now that as she listed off the work her employees were currently doing, that progress was being generally made, and it gave her a bolster of confidence in her team that showed in her building energy.

She stepped alongside Spora as she oversaw the fungal creature's placement of the vase. "But you know? I was thinking to myself, What if we went 'minimalist'? You know, with our project design. Oh no, not there, over to the left a little." She pointed to a certain tile on the floor as if the Parasect, whose body was already low, would see it around such a wide vase, yet she had insisted. "I don't suspect you read many fashion and decor literature, darling, but I hear this is very modern and cutting edge design. Something about how some elite Smeargle contemporaries decided altogether that emotion and symbolism in art is all bunk and decided to focus on the glamour of materialism or something like that. I don't know, I'm not some academic, but I do know it's hot right now in the design world. You know, 'less is more.' Yes, right there, thank you, Spora. Set it down."

Amaryllis took a step back and examined the space. She made a frame with her dainty little fairy hands and peered through it as if through the lens of a camera. She was sure to keep the vase in view.

"So, what if we laid down a rug, put up three more vases at the corners, and called it a day? I think that's minimalist enough. It's all about making the best out of nothing, you know, thinking like low-income families, but ironically!" She beamed, fluffing up her flowery mane with her hand before rummaging through the goodie basket that still hung off her shoulder. "What do you think, Spora? I want ideas. I want us to look unique! Give me something," the Florges asked, failing to realize that in her earlier stupor, the Parasect was actually late to the project debriefing.​

__________________________________________

The Boulevard
5:36 AM | Center of the street

Goro flicked his tongue over the shoot of his Oran berry twig, pensive. It seemed as if the stark giant had considered Castiel's parting remark, as now his eyes were trained on the freckled blue Pokemon a short walk beyond the alley. When the cloaked Ghost nearly phased around the corner, Goro began to advance, headed straight toward the Chimecho over to Forget-Me-Not. It was made obvious with his daunting, almost thuggish glare upon whom he was intent.

"You," he deeply uttered across, as he now stepped onto the street, briskly and heavily walking towards his next interrogation. "A word."​

 

[Junier]

Rina the Chimecho ~ Forget-Me-Not

​

⇠ ➆ ⇢
Location: Jubilee; Left alleyway of Forget-Me-Not
Mentions: Goro, Amaryllis
Held Item: (Dropped) Ugly green lanterns (3)
Status: Tearful ↪ Terrified

For some reason, Rina found herself in the darkened corner of an alleyway, crumpled miserably to the ground beside the trash cans with a handful of hideous lanterns splayed out in front of her. She was sobbing without control. Boohoo! Boohoo! Oh, Rina, you are so very sensitive! You let something so small like that get at you so much, how will you hold any job? The thought, and many like it, left a scorch mark of shame and the little glassy chime only cried harder. She let out a ringing wail—"Uh-wah!"—before sealing her lips, translucent freckled cheeks flushing with color.

"Rina, darling! Pull yourself together…!" Him. It was always him, shoving her up and down, whisking her here and there and everywhere, mocking her but in that indirect way so that she would only realize he'd patronized her far after the fact…! Was that phantom menace of a father taking a page from Amaryllis' pampered playbook, or vise versa?

Just as she began to grow vindictive, Rina heard the most gruffest, roughest, fear-inducing voice anyone would fear to hear so early in the morning, in an empty, shaded-over alley.

He was like a broad statue, pounds upon pounds of pure muscle and kinked fur. Whenever he took a heavy step, the ground heaved; either that or Rina's sensational shaking created the feeling. The giant tread as if his toenails themselves were made of bricks and this hulking prowler of the dark was headed straight towards her like a freight train. The little orange-and-blue cap said it all—Festival Guard. Amaryllis' dainty little timetable, enveloped to Rina's household just yesterday, explained everything that needed to explained about the summer spectating security, but she couldn't have anticipated this. This… looked like trouble. Oh spirits, oh souls, what had she gotten herself into? What had Rina done to have such a beast sicced on her tail?

The Chimecho sprung up with a start, thinking quickly. What was the worst thing she could do in this situation? The door in which Rina had came lay tentatively up ahead, yet she dared not dash inside. Only consequences would await such a silly move. The guard's dark, searching eyes had already locked onto her. Escape would be temporary, futile. He was closing in quickly now, great legs moving in equally great strides. Instantaneously, Rina found herself cornered amongst the trash.

She ceased crying and started to perspire instead. Letting her tail drape loosely, Rina forced a weak and shaky smile, trembling ever-so-slightly as the great baseball-capped beast cast a shadow over her tiny, brittle form. But… he can not want anything bad, yes? Amaryllis would not send me out into the alley with this guard out if she knew he would go after me… right!? She has not gotten me into trouble…!?

"M-mister Guard, sir! I am so very sorry! Is there something wron—is there something you would like t-to…"

 

[Xtrashy]

She had no real idea what Amaryllis was going on about, but all things considered the only place to be putting anything was that empty spot, so she went ahead and began putting the vase over there, that's when her boss began telling her to move it around more. Ugh. Shifting it and moving it only inches at a time to accommodate for Amaryllis's ridiculous fashion ideas. Though eventually she had managed to get the vase in a spot that was good enough. Ignoring the japes about her taste in reading material, she was suspecting something was off here. Obviously something was going on here and she didn't quite understand what that was though.

Though she had to say something, as much as she hated it she has been put into a position where she had to answer her boss, and answer with something from her mind instead of some pre-loaded response she could just give out when needed. So she just winged it. "Well I mean if you want to unique I'd suggest less vases, cause we kinda have them all over the place you know." she stated trying to think of the right thing to say for this thing she didn't know anything about, hopefully Amaryllis wouldn't know she didn't know what she was talking about.

 

[Dusty]

SILVER

​

"Don't tell me someone spilled something on the floor. I told everyone not to bring back any more of those blue frozen slushie things from that snowball stand down the street during lunch breaks. You all know it drips everywhere, and then it gets tracked it in, and that's how we got infested with those little, squirmy black things last month. I know Silver remembers." Castiel paused for a moment, shuddering. "Blair, if it looks sticky or wet, go get the spray from Supplies and spritz it. The stain will naturally dissolve. Don't get it on your skin though, or it'll sting. I know Silver remembers that, too."

Silver shuddered remembering the intense stinging and itching feeling from a month ago. She shrunk back, trying not to meet Castiel's gaze. She'd gotten more than an earful before about the slushie incident in question. That being said, it wasn't her fault this time! She had only eaten those outside from that point on, and definitely never near the register. She silently slunk back to the supply room, not wanting to get involved in whatever this new stain was. Whatever it was, she'd had enough of mysterious stains and their causes.

Getting her mind back to task, she looked around the storage room again. What else would they need? She had found the glass ball earlier, although she didn't want to touch it without permission. What else was needed? Maybe a deck of cards? Some sticks? She didn't really know exactly what else she was supposed to. Digging around in a few boxes led to some success. The store regularly sold decks of cards, so finding a fancy looking deck was easy enough. She started placing all of the stuff they had gathered so far into a single empty box. Scarves, candles, cards, a few other odds and ends that looked kind of spooky.

"Silver", a tired and irritated voice said behind her, causing her to jump in shock.

"I'm sorry, whatever that stain was, I didn't do it! Not my fault!" Silver spouted in a panic.

Castiel smiled slightly, seemingly amused."Please show and tell me what all you managed to get done in the short time I was away." Oh? He wasn't mad at her, guess she overreacted.

"Right!" She said, trying to get her mind straight again. "So, um, Blair found a table that we can use. I'm not sure where that is, she didn't tell me. I'll have to ask her for that. But I figured we have enough scarves that we could use some of them as a tablecloth while still having enough for whoever we are dressing up. I also found a deck of cards for...well, I dunno. Magic stuff I guess, I'm not good at this kind of thing. Oh! And I found a glass ball over here in…" she looked around at the boxes again, poking her head in a couple till she found the one she was looking for, "this one! I didn't want to touch it without permission, it looked kind of expensive. But we could use it if that's okay with you. Or, ya know, could use something else too if you don't want us to touch that."

She thought for a moment, "I think that's all I've got for the project right now. I didn't want to do anything too suspicious with Goro around, so I just stocked some stuff that didn't get done last night." She didn't want Castiel to think that she had been just slacking off while he was out, and she honestly hadn't gotten much done on the project…

​

 

[Foxrally]

Status: Trying his very best to be relevant

Click here to view Errol's application!

Errol the Qwilfish​

"Hello, Errol. Too late? Today? Oh ho, oh no. You're only half an hour late this time! That's progress! Isn't that progress, everyone?"

Errol looked up his boss in confusion. Progress? Despite me being late? he thought and asked himself. I don't think I understand how that works... Wow, mister Castiel is sure good at math then.

"Thank you, sir!" Errol replied with a timid smile; he was surprised that Castiel had gone as far as to let everyone know of the good news. He waited patiently as the Mismagius gave Blair her orders, one of which was to fill and bring his water bowl for the day. Errol shivered slightly at the thought of Blair handing him sewer water instead. She seemed very smart, but she was scary too.

"Morning Errol, good to see you!" a voice called behind him; it has Silver, the Absol. Errol did his best to 'wave' back at her amicably with his tail. He liked Silver. She was probably his favorite employee at the store, mostly because she was so nice and Errol felt a little more comfortable around her - since both were fairly small - than the rest of his much taller colleagues.

As he was contemplating the thought of offering to help clean up the blue spill, Errol suddenly felt himself floating upwards, surrounded by a purple aura. "There. 'A flat, smooth, even surface with no incline'." Castiel said, placing Errol on the checkout counter in his usual spot. This was where Errol would spent the majority of his time if none of the customers needed his help - mostly because every other surface in the store didn't meet his mother's requirements. The requirements which Errol's mother made sure were met every evening, going as far as visiting him at work sometimes or spying outside the store. The counter in question was nothing too interesting. There were a few books piled on the side, including titles such as 'How to Curse your Neighbor', 'A Guide to Fortune Telling', and 'Mienshao Kampf.' Aside from that, there were a few miscellaneous odds and ends scattered around the till.

As Castiel set Errol down he turned around to Silver. "Don't move. I'm going to go check on Silver."

Errol nodded, and looked around patiently around the counter. 'Psychic Moves for Dummies', the book which he had been reading for the past few weeks - or rather, the book whose pictures he had been looking at - was still open on the last page he had left it on. A bright picture of an Espeon using psybeam could be seen in the corner, along will a wall of text Errol wouldn't bother to read, since Qwilfish couldn't learn psybeam anyway.

 

[Greiger]

Gabriel
Sneaky as he can be​

As Gabriel made his way across the street he was treated to a terrifying sight. Goro had made his way likewise over to the store. If he got too close, then the large guard would surely catch sight of him!

… Or maybe not.

Already the Pangoro was heading to the mon that was outside of the establishment. Now his attention was right on her! And her attention was on him! Thinking fast, Gabriel made his way past the front of the building and pressed his back against the leftmost wall. There was a part of the building that jutted out, and he could see through the window that this looked to be an office of some sort. He quickly crouched down and moved along the ground on his stomach. He couldn't very well risk anyone noticing him now!

He knew exactly what to do next. He would head to the rear of the building and see if the building's fuse box was situated there. He was more than grateful that Goro was occupied. If everything went accordingly then he could at least get behind the building without being seen at all. One small slip past this office and he would be golden! From there it would be turning the lights out, trying to get a few peeks of what they were doing, and then getting back to Castiel.

​

 

[Ihsaan]

Samuel the Bidoof
*image removed*
Mission: "Don't screw this up Samuel. Seriously dude, this could be your big break. DON'T. MESS. UP.""Present the Centrepiece!"

PANT PANT
"Y-Yes!" Samuel ecstatically exclaimed. After what had seemed like an eternity elapsed, Samuel finally found the perfect bust. Sweat matted his fur and dripped down his brow as he carefully clasped the magnificent bust with his tail and stubby paws, and slowly brought it down. Please, Oh Sweet Arceus, I'm sorry for my sins, I swear I'll pray to you everyday; just please don't let the bust break Samuel thought intensely. As the bust was close enough for a safe drop, Samuel let out a sigh of relief which caused his tail to momentarily relax. He yelped in pain as the heavy bust lay flat on his small brown tail.

A drop of liquid fell on the face of the magnificent Pokemon. It was either a tear or sweat; he couldn't tell. He was too busy trying to get the damn thing off his tail. At first he tried lifting his tail. It obviously didn't work, as his tail was short and mostly fat and fur. He then tried to use his stubby fore and hind paws in unison, in a sloppy attempt to pick it up. Long story short, they were too short. In a rare burst of anger Samuel yelled, well more like loudly whispered; "Dangit!". That felt good., Samuel thought contentedly. That molasses-like drop of content slowly faded away, as the throbbing pain in his tail brought him back to reality. So an obvious way to alleviate pain was to jump back into the drab motel room that was his mind palace.

Gosh, I hope the Boss likes my idea!; he thought longingly. I thought of taking a Lucario first, but Lucarios are nice and not always scary! I saw a wonderful Mega Alakazam, but the beard was too long, and was too heavy. I looked and looked and then I found it! A Mismagius!; he reveried. They're scary as heck, but they're beautiful too. I haven't met a Mismagius, but for some reason they seem very familiar! Well, mom always says that every Pokemon is linked to each other. Maybe that's why it seemed so familiar. Samuel had forgotten that their opposing store was managed and owned by a rather terrifying Mismagius. Why, he had even applied there as well! Once again his train of thought was derailed by the pain, now amplified by at least a 1000, if Samuel had done his Math right which, knowing Samuel, was unlikely. He decided, or rather was forced to abandon his pride and call for help.

"Boss! Rina! A-Anybody! Help!" Samuel yelled.​

​

 

[Jauntier]

The Boulevard
5:37 AM | beside Forget-Me-Not

Goro did not wait for a fumbling, stumbling, and clearly intimidated wind chime to stammer out a coherent sentence.

"Have you seen any suspicious persons in the nearby alleys today?" For asking a question, he hardly inflected it like one, forming it as if it were a statement that demanded a counter. His speech was as rigid as his tall, authoritative stance.​

__________________________________________

Forget-Me-Not
5:39 AM | Main Floor

"Less vases...?"

Amaryllis stood there for a moment, hands on her hips as she stared back out at the single large vase, hands on her hips, contemplating.

"Huh. You know, that sort of makes me wonder if those idiot art elitists ever considered how having nothing at all is ultimately minimalist." She turned around and gave Spora an exasperated look as she shook her little hands as if flicking soapy water off them. "And I certainly can't have nothing as my stand. What were those people thinking? Frankly, these new age fashion movements are starting to get ridiculous. It's almost as if they have no actual talent because all the good stuff has already been done!" She huffed, having felt indignant about even believing that minimalism was some kind of viable form of art.

"What if we did like a garden look, with some small potted trees encircling the center. Isn't that serene? Oh! Or a bunch of streamers from the ceiling, and you walk right through them and sit in the middle and it's like you're enclosed in a breeze space--Rina might like that, she could set that up for us!" She didn't wait for Spora's response as she looked over her shoulder at the front door.

"I need more opinions," she demanded to no one in particular. "What's taking her so long, anyway? It's just taking out the trash. I know she's done that before, it's not like Chimecho only hang from trees and let fruit fall into their mouths." She turned back to Spora with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "I'm going to go check on her. I just hope she hasn't gotten her big head stuck in a trash can."

Without a second thought, the floral Fairy glided over to the front door, but just as she was about to twist the knob and pull back, she heard a cry coming from the Supply Room.

Samuel had probably messed up.

"SPORA, GO GET SAMUEL, I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS," she hollered, and she quickly removed herself from the store in a frazzled huff.

She kept the front door slightly ajar as she blindly glided her way down toward the side alley trash cans, patting her frizzed out wig down, leaving a trail of petals behind her. "Rina," she called, though not particularly loudly, "Rina where are you? Are you getting mugged?"​

__________________________________________

Spirited Away
5:39 AM | Front door

The Mismagius just smiled with his eyes, and there was some warmth to his tone this time around.

"Let's leave that deck alone for now--even the glass orb, though I like the sound of that one. Instead let's focus on getting the foundation of our project set up."

He turned toward a rack and with just his eyes, began to search with movements that looked like those of an expert magazine leafer, or a die-hard tennis spectator. "Now, the scarf idea is a good one, but for a table? Well, I do have table cloths if you'd prefer. I just have to find them. But, Silver, take the box of scarves and go out. Blair's on her way back here anyway, just ask her in passing where she set the table, if it's for some tragic reason not it's not in the space I told her we'd have it all constructed."

He then pried his eyes away from searching to turn around and rest his eyes on the little Absol, a genuine look of impress under his brim.

"Thank you for being so proactive with this project, Silver."​

Silver earned +1 Favor!
"Thank you for being so proactive!"

 

[Evyl]

Varien the Kecleon
*image removed*
Mission: Find out about their Big Gimmick

Calm down... Calm down... Varien could do nothing but keep exactly where he was as the Braixen examined his stripe. His species had the ability to remain frozen in place for hours and hours, so in theory he would be fine. Being under stress, Varien's sense of time was off; less than a minute of just crouching felt like hours, his body starting to ache, instincts ironically telling him to run away.

I need to focus on something else. He knew the only way he could keep himself invisible was if he listened to the conversations happening in the store. That was why he was here, after all. Ignoring the slightly confused fox-face in front of him, Varien closed his eyes and tried to hear words from the other side of the counter.

The door must have opened, because Castiel's voice was inside, though still distant and hard to understand. He seemed to be bothered by the blue stain under the counter - Varien's zigzag stripe! He had to move from here the second he got the chance. Castiel told the Braixen to leave, so Varien opened his eyes to a less flattering angle, but he knew this was a chance to move once they were out of the way.

Then there was a new voice, barely audible, strangely reminding him of the Bidoof back at Forget-Me-Not. Being late probably meant they were useless, never going to climb the ladder like Varien was. Castiel and the new voice exchanged a few words. Errol... That is the new voice. Silver is somewhere else, and Blair is the Braixen... That doesn't help...

Varien wished they would talk about something else, just say what their big gimmick was so he could go back to safety. No. This was necessary. A risk like this would get him a lot of praise from Amaryllis, build up his reputation as a good worker, get him places. This was something he needed to do well, something he needed to put his all into for good results.

He kept one eye on the Braxien, ready for his chance to move, and focused everything else onto the sounds in the shop. There was a soft tap above the counter, more words of greeting, then something about a glass orb, a scarf, table clo... table cloths... Varien couldn't hear anything else. He needed to move out from under the counter so he could hear better and actually see what was going on, though his chance was yet to arrive.
​

 

[Junier]

Rina the Chimecho ~ Forget-Me-Not

​

⇠ ➇ ⇢
Location: Jubilee; Left alleyway of Forget-Me-Not ↪ headed towards the front door of Forget-Me-Not
Mentions: Goro, Amaryllis
Held Item: (Trashed) Ugly green lanterns (3)
Status: Pretty peeved and slightly nervous

His voice thundered over her's. The festival guard must have anticipated Rina's response before she'd uttered it but his frankness left her nonetheless irritated. He was undeniably a Daunting presence with his furrowed brow and austere expression, the way he chewed a berry stem like tobacco, but Rina allowed herself to become more peeved than anything, now, as so to not sound as if she was being jostled around in a windstorm.

But what he wanted, it confused her, scared her. "Suspicious… persons?" Rina echoed worriedly. "No, I…" Her voice trailed off as she considered how she should go about answering the inquiry. In truth, the Chimecho had had no chance to spot any 'mon she'd label "suspicious" passing through. She hadn't seen anyone excluding herself in this particular alleyway, but a truly untrustworthy street-wanderer wouldn't have come near anyway, would they? The chime felt a sort of coldness accumulate in her belly. If the festival guard supposed someone worth concern they were unable to pinpoint was out and about, it couldn't mean anything good.

"No, I have not seen any person that is suspicious, Mr. Guard, sir. I am very sorry. Are you looking for someone in-particular that is necessary to look out for?"

But then, along came Amaryllis, intimated by her fluffing her flowery 'fro and making a mess in the process. She was the sort of 'mon that drew attention in her direction, almost instinctively, like a flamboyant Magneton. You could smell her coming too and Rina cursed her creators for having cursed her with all her microscopic, head-spanning pores in which to smell the Florges' gaudy floral scent, hinted with overbearing peppermint. The Chimecho also realized, at the sight of her boss, that the peat-green lanterns no longer hung from her tail and were instead crumbled below her floating self. She gathered them up instantly and shot a hurried glance towards the trash bins up ahead.

The Chimecho had recollected there was a job in-need of her to finish. "Amaryllis!" she called in surprise, straining to move past the hunkering wall that was the ursine guard. Her employer's tone was disgustingly unconcerned, as usual. Rina almost wanted to dive into a trashcan herself and shut the lid in order to stifle their intolerably flouncy voice, especially now that the Chimecho could identify why she hated the sound of it.

I have no time to spare for this. Amaryllis can deal with this 'mon, the guard. I am going to go inside.

"Amaryllis, there is someone here and I have been speaking to them", she called, and proceeded to depart. Rina performed a polite but hastily-done bow in the guard's direction as she managed to squeeze past them and edge towards the trash cans. Rina finally threw the lanterns away before making a beeline to the front doors of Forget-Me-Not without another sign of acknowledgement towards its frilly owner.

 

[Greiger]

Gabriel
The Mystical Search for a Fusebox​

Gabriel continued to crawl forward, feeling more and more secure in his decision as he heard the booming voice of Goro coming from the front of the store. Before he hadn't wanted to risk crouching over, given that Goro would have probably spotted him in the darkness. Now that he was certain that the bear would be spending a few more minutes near the front of the store he felt more confident in himself. He crouched himself low enough so that he wouldn't be seen through the windows along the walls and walked along the wall. He made his way slowly to the back as he heard another shout, this one sounding a bit more feminine. Something about mugging, but that didn't matter to him.

With a relieved smile the Weavile found himself at the rear of the store, but he couldn't quite let his guard down yet! Just because Goro wasn't back here didn't mean that there weren't employees on watch back here. First off, see if he could spot the fuse box back here. Second, see if there any mon back here who could potentially spot him. Third, get past them and mess with that box. He would have to toss the various fuses about and hide them as best as he could. The more chaotic the mess was made to be, the more time he would have to peer around and figure out what they were trying to do.

He peered out, smiling as he saw that no one was standing about outside. Okay, that was one worry off his mind. They were probably all busy inside. Though, another worry loomed in his mind. If he messed with the fuse box too much, then it would be a clear indication that someone had sabotaged them. They would be looking for him. He bit his lower lip as he couldn't help but be worried about that. Maybe… maybe not mess up the fuse box entirely. He could just take one important fuse and discard it somewhere. It could be seen more as someone forgetting to close the box and one of the fuses accidentally falling down to the floor. Once he was set on leaving, THEN he could truly mess with the box, if he had enough time of course.

For now, his eyes scanned the back walls, hoping that he could spy the fuse box out here. Something else he did spy was that of a ajar window. Not fully open, but it was ajar enough so that Gabriel would have no trouble with slipping his claws through it and wiggling it open a bit more. The problem? It was actually situated higher upon the wall. Even from the distance he crouched at he could tell that a simple jump wouldn't be enough to gain access to the window. He could try jumping for it, but then he wouldn't have any leverage to open it up. He would have to think of another way to slip in then.

​

 

[Who's Kiyo?]

" I often treat myself and order just a cup of iced soy milk from coffee shops because for some reason it tastes better. "

​

♢ Cicaro the Eleventh ♢
- Shiny Furret -- - Level 23
- Forget-Me-Not Employee (+0)

Today's Achievements

Irresponsibility went full circle and made you on schedule!

Made cat-caller question his sexuality and find the music within himself!

Obtained Sack of Mulch and Crushing Realization!

Envisioned a better business policy!

​

-------- " In his twenty-first consecutive hour of being awake. "

----------After announcing that all her employees should arrive to the store promptly at five the next morning to begin preparations for the Summer Festival, Amaryllis pulled Cicaro aside to chat privately. Wearing that saccharine yet mischievous glint she always has stuck in her eye, she asked very delicately if he'd put in an extra hour or two ahead of time and pick up a package for her. She lured him in with the offer of a free herbal tea waiting when he got back or an extra half-hour at lunch, but those claims were more salad dressing than anything: fake penance for a if-you-want-to-keep-your-job sort of favor. And Cicaro, glazing over his eyes and stretching out an empty smile, humbly accepted, and asked if she could make it a chilan berry tea instead.
----------To his credit, the ferret Pokémon found that being active so early wasn't a difficult at all; assuming one never went to bed in the first place. So in the chilly haunting hour of three ante meridiem, Cicaro wrapped his favorite hideous scarf around his head like a babushka, tucked into worn worn mittens, and headed towards the direction of Verdant Landscaping in his twenty-first consecutive hour of being awake.

- Irresponsibility went full circle and made you on schedule!​

----------The general Pocket Monster populace are shorter than the previous human inhabitants of Jubilee, and the impressive architecture they left behind aggressively reminds those like Cicaro, standing at a stubby three feet, of this fact every instance it takes an unjustifiable amount of time to walk down even just one boulevard. He had heard stories of some breeds of Furret growing to nearly six feet and while that did seem enviable at first, if his lineage was such a breed, the town his family lived in would've probably been condemned for unholy infestation. He refused to scurry on all fours to gain speed - feeling that sort of thing should be left to quadrupeds, children, or politicians - and instead listened to the ambient sound of cool breeze and humming nocturnal bug-types as he roamed the streets.
----------" Hey-eyyyy sweetheart, " one such bug-type said to him as they passed, a kind of roughish Heracross idly fluttering a pair of sickly-green wings on his back. " How you doin'? "
----------" Great, thanks. " he replied, continuing to walk.
----------" … You're not a chick. " the Heracross stuttered.
----------" No, but my name is Chic, and that's close, if it makes you feel any better. "
----------" Sorry man, I … you just kinda looked like a … pretty girl. "
----------" You're completely correct, I'm gorgeous and you should want me, " and as Cicaro was leaving talking range, he said " the sound your wings make when they flutter is really lovely! "
----------Facing front and getting back on track, Cicaro checked the time on a clock in the window of an antiques shop. A half-hour had slipped by unnoticed and he grunted to himself in indifference. This walk was taking longer than he imagined, but it wasn't at the point where time felt restraining or was of any real concern. He was a few minutes outside the street the place was located on anyway, so he quietly strolled for those moments to the slowly distancing tune of a lovely pair of buzzing insect wings.

- Made cat-caller question his sexuality and find
the music within himself!​

----------Verdant Landscaping was unassuming and like other buildings hallowed out and converted into stores; whatever that means to the observer. It was plain yet homey, earthy but tidy, and most notably dark and unlit when someone should be out waiting for Cicaro to arrive. He pulled the portion of his scarf covering his head back down to his neck and stuffed his mittens inside the collar, and uttered out an audible sound of confusion after failing to materialize someone by banging his tiny arms on the door. His destination seemed more desolate than the street he walked to get there, and he probably would've ruffled himself over it had he not noticed a giant burlap sack tucked away on the side of the front stairs.
----------The front proudly displayed Verdant Mulch underscored by "Special Blend" like it was a high-end brand of coffee for flora, with a single small piece of paper pinned to the top.
----------" Kid, " it read, " Sorry I couldn't meet you in person. That's an early hour to get up and I have lots at home I need to attend to before the Festival that will keep me up real late. Hope you don't mind lugging it to Forget-Me-Not by yourself. "
----------Cicaro looked immediately up at the bag of mulch, not acknowledging the cursive signature of "Verne the Simisage" at the bottom of the note before crumpling it up and tossing it over his shoulder. After exhaling a breath laden with curiosity, he grabbed onto the bag and tugged it onto the street. It took an absorbent amount of energy to heave just this small distance, and as Cicaro's thoughts moved onto the idea of how far he'd have to drag it around, a pit began to form in his stomach.
----------" Oh no … " he mumbled to himself. Shaking out his paws, he grabbed both sides of the sack and hoisted it up to his chest. He sustained the lift for a lofty five seconds before his first step toppled both him and the sack forward into the sidewalk.
----------" No, no, no, no. " He said more genuinely, scrambling to pick it up once more. " No, absolutely not, no, oh goddamnit, this is just no, unacceptable, mother - "

- Obtained Sack of Mulch and Crushing Realization!​

----------And now, a tip for Pokémon interested in owning their own small business. Whether you sell playing cards or greeting cards, there is one universal truth that must be acknowledged if you plan on being successful: always be practical! For example, if you are low on the food chain, it's not practical to hire potential predators without a certification of their docility or basic domestication. The human world was always very careful to scan the background of employees for any history of cannibalistic tendencies, and there were very few recorded instances of individuals who murdered and devoured the flesh of their boss in the entire scope of their world! Shooting for this goal shouldn't have to be a romantic dream within our own society.
----------To give you another completely unrelated and unbiased example, assume that you hired a stumpy, nihilistic ferret creature with pink fur and a slight air of narcissism. If you required him to be up before the sun to procure an order you placed at a shop on the other side of town, you may want to re-think your strategy. This particular brand of woodland critter is not built for manual labor of this kind, especially when the item is a sack that weighs in roughly at thirty to " holy hell what is made of, the crystallized souls of the obese?! " pounds. Delegate the task to a more practical person under your employment, like one naturally built for constructing large dams or one that has an affinity for wearing giant parasitic mushrooms, or why not " pick up the damn package yourself, you pollinating trollop. "

- Envisioned a better business policy!​

----------It wasn't until about twenty to Six when Cicaro finally managed to reach the store. His fur marked the stress of the trip: mangled tufts on his belly and back indicating where he had heft the mulch for long periods. When he was a few storefronts away from reaching the end of the street where Forget-Me-Not was located, he noticed Amaryllis standing in the doorway, calling for someone in that light, unconcerned way of hers.
----------Cicaro shot a glance to the opposing store, Spirited Away, curious if it had anything to do with why his boss was outside. The blinds that covered the windows did much to cover up the light in the store, save for what few rays peeked out from the cracks and imperfect closings. It reminded the Furret a lot of his job back home, and while the owner appeared much younger (if age is really a thing to consider with Ghosts) and alluringly mysterious than his old boss, Cicaro decided against submitting an application in the end; it was all too familiar, and he wasn't eager to sign another waiver form starting with "I, _____, relinquish the owner of this establishment from responsibility for any injury, generational-spanning curse, or incurable disease I may obtain from any of the merchandise."
----------He slapped the mulch on the sidewalk when he was in earshot of Amaryllis. He silently caught his breath, making some effort to seem collected, and tried to mimic the rascally glare the Florges always had in her eyes.
----------" Hey Mom, " he said, " Verne didn't show up to help me with the mulch. You're still good for that tea, right? "
----------A heavy breath clung to that last word, finally expressing how winded he was, and a waft of tiredness flew in and pervaded his senses. Oh no, he thought, encroaching his twenty-fourth hour of consciousness.

​