Let's Start Something

[umop-ap!sdn†]

Jaq walked into the Old Navy and looked around. There was a lot of jeans and a rack of sweaters. It was just a clothing shop, she could make herself comfortable here. It was a workplace, but not a prison.

Was employment really what she needed? Her parents threatened to cut her off last time they fought, and that was fucking annoying. She wasn't a spoiled little girl who needed petty things taken away from her to make her behave properly. She was a young, opinionated woman. And soon, she'd be independent too.

Her pointer and index finger twiddled the stapled papers as she walked towards the counter. She'd need to find a manager. Hopefully none of the workers here would rub her the wrong way before she even started. She looked straight ahead at the register, ignoring everything but her goal.

She hadn't even told her parents she was getting a job. Maybe she wouldn't. They didn't need to know where she was 24/7. She flipped through the papers one more time just to make sure everything was filled out. Don, Mrs. Howard, and Sensei had all been listed as contacts. Sensei had actually written his name as Sensei Pete, which looked stupid.

She smiled at the boy at the counter and held up her application. "Hey, is there a manager I can give this too?"

[jimmydalad]

((Cammy Davidson continued from Bitches be Crazy))

Cammy was shopping again, looking for the next piece of clothing she could wear. After all, her clothes were starting to get old and she really wanted tot ry out something new anyways. Her shop today, Old Navy. She had heard that classmates went shopping there so she decided to ask herself "Why not?" and decided to go along to the clothes shop.

With an excited look on her face, Cammy looked at all of the clothes on offer. She almost immediately went for the hoodies in the shop. After all, hoodies were practically her staple at school. They were comfortable and easy to wear. The fact that there were so many hoodies on offer just made her more excited to get some new clothes and she spent some time painstakingly going through each hoodie on offer and trying to find the one that suited her.

After finding a simple, grey hoodie that was emblazoned with "Old Navy" in white, Cammy made her way to the counter. She was surprised to see Jaquilyn there, apparently holding some papers. It didn't look like she was there to shop and the presence of papers made it seem like she was getting a job here. That was something new.

"Hey Jaquilyn!" Cammy called out happily, waving cheerfully. She made her way over to the girl and flashed her a wide, joyful smile. She was one of the more sporty kids in school like herself. However, she didn't do the same sports she did and she tended to hang out more with the guys in any case. That didn't matter to Cammy though. A known face was a friendly face in her mind.

"You thinking about getting a job here?" Cammy asked curiously, looking towards the papers before looking back at her.

"I didn't think you were the type to get a job, especially in a shop like this. Good for you. I hope you get the job." Cammy continued to exclaim happily, continuing to smile gleefully.

[Laurels]

((Rachael Langdon continued from If You Got It, Ball Out))

Okay, break's over. Back to the register.

Rachael finished punching back into work and began to make her way over to the registers. She had been working all day and had just finished her lunch break. It was time to continue earning money for books and college. Rachael enjoyed the register work a bit more than the clothes folding or dressing room assistance. There was something about ringing up several purchases and handling money that she really enjoyed, as long as there wasn't a big sale and she was swamped with customers. Still, she needed to get back to her register, and send her coworker on his break.

Rachael made her way over to the counter. There were two girls standing at the counter, but it didn't look like her coworker was helping them at the moment. She'd seen this before. Sometimes customers had second opinions on their purchases before buying the clothes, or they were waiting for someone else to join them. Rachael moved behind the counter and made her way to her coworker.

"Hey, I'm back," she said to her coworker. "I can take over if you're ready to go."

[Ruggahissy]

((Paris Ardennes continued from Earth as a Character Gallery ))

Paris walked into the Old Navy with a huge pair of headphones on his ears and a bounce in his step. He loved Old Navy. Hands down, his favorite clothing store. It wasn't very expensive, but he liked that. He hadn't inherited the super sleek stylish tastes of his parents. He was a more sporty, simple sort in his clothes and he appreciated that Old Navy clothes looked nice and were hard to mess up by putting pieces together.

Paris browsed through the men's section eventually settling on a green sweater with two black stripes and graphic t-shirt advertising a fictitious bait shop. He stood in line with his purchases and looked at the impulse counter. They had dog toys, but why didn't they have cat toys? he mused as he looked through the rubber bones.

He looked up when the line moved and saw a few familiar girls from school. It must have been more popular than he remembered. He looked at the girl behind the counter and waved.

[umop-ap!sdn†]

Overwhelmed. So much was happening. She'd just started talking to register guy when the interruptions began.

"Hey Jaquilyn!"

The voice was familiar,  but not recognizable. It was clearly that of an overly perky girl who somehow knew her. She looked over her shoulder. She knew the girl's face from school, but that was all.

"You thinking about getting a job here?"

Actually she was turning in an application, so the thinking part was now over. She had thought about it, and she was now following through. This was the application part.

"Yeeaah..."

She wasn't expecting so much talking from somebody who was practically a stranger. She also had nothing to offer to the conversation, given she didn't even remember the girls' name. She'd just been "Peppy Girl" in Jaq's mind. Who she was and what she did had never really mattered to her.

"I didn't think you were the type to get a job..."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? What the hell did this girl know about her to make such an assumption. Sure, her family had money but that didn't mean Jaquilyn was a spoiled brat. That's why she was here, getting a job. Why would this girl even know about her socioeconomic status? Was her dad becoming a public figure?

"...especially in a shop like this."

Again, who was this girl? Apparently she was judgmental enough to assume Jaq didn't need a job and that Old Navy wasn't good enough for her. WELL GUESS WHAT! SHE WAS HERE FOR A JOB! IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE GLAMOROUS, IT JUST HAD TO BE A JOB. SHE COULD HAVE A JOB. SHE COULD HAVE A JOB HERE. WHAT DID THIS GIRL KNOW?

"Good for you."

Fuck you.

"I hope you get the job." Was she finally done talking? Did Jaq get to say something now?

"Same." She could grill the girl on what the fuck she meant or how she knew so much about her later. Or she could hold on to her fucks and save them for something important. Regardless, she wasn't here for an argument, she was here to get a job. A job she was entitled to have and that may or not be at Old Navy.

She turned back to the counter to see Register Guy had morphed into a petit, timid looking girl. Had she not been dressed for work and name-tagged, Jaquilyn might have recognized her as another Aurora student. But Rachael was on the clock and work ready, so Jaq overlooked the familiarity.

"Uh, hey. There was a guy here helping me a second ago?"

He was nowhere to be seen now. Peppy Chatty Girl had distracted her from her goal and now she was standing there stupidly. "Is he getting a manager or..."

[jimmydalad]

Looking at the counter, she noticed yet another person from Aurora High School. What a coincidence. It seemed like a lot of people from school were congregating around Old Navy for some reason. Maybe something was happening here that she didn't know about. In any case, it was nice to see people from school outside. Reinforces the fact that they have lives outside of school.

"Oh hi there Rachel~" Cammy exclaimed happily, waving excitedly as she quickly moved to the counter. She smiled widely as she took in the sights around her. The fact that she was going to buy a hoodie was lost on her.

"Jaquilyn wants to get a job here, so she wanted to see the manager about that. Are there any vacancies?" Cammy asked her, moving quickly as she felt the excitement travel through her. The opportunity to help others was always one that she wanted to take. After all, treat others the way you want to be treated was something her parents always told her.

[Laurels]

Rachael watched as her coworker left and took his place behind the register. The two girls were both Aurora students, what with the way brunette girl addressed her by name. The other girl, Jaquilyn, was apparently applying for work at Old Navy. Rachael figured that made sense to see job applicants at the store. The store did just lose two employees, one because her family moved to Wisconsin, and the other for being a lousy worker. She was sure there had been some people who skimmed the paper and noticed the ad her boss placed.

"Oh, he's probably going to give someone their break now, but I can help you," Rachael said about her coworker. "Do you have an interview scheduled today, or are you just dropping the papers off?"

Rachael then noticed that there was some boy waving at her. She raised her hand and waved back, trying to give a small smile as she did. She wasn't exactly sure who that boy was, but if it was like the two girls in front of her, it had to be someone from school.

Hm, I don't normally see this many Aurora students here at a time. Usually one at a time, but never three random students. Must be a special day or something.

[Ruggahissy]

Paris saw the wave back, smiled, then went back to looking at the impulse items while whistling a bit, music still going. He tapped his foot and cradled his purchases. He looked back up and noticed it was three girls that he recognized from school all talking together. He was mildly confused. Only one of them looked like she had items she wanted, but she wasn't in the process of purchasing. Then there was the employee, no brainer there, and then a third girl who appeared to be neither working, nor purchasing.

He looked around for a moment to see if he was missing something. It appeared he wasn't. Paris slid the headphones off his ears, down around his neck and approached the checkout. He put his two desired tops on the table just before the scanner and pulled out his wallet.

"Afternoon, ladies. How goes it?" he said with an upbeat inflection.

[umop-ap!sdn†]

"Oh hi there Rachel..."

Oh Lord, she was coming over. And Rachel? That name rang a bell with the girls appearence, she was from school as well.

"Oh, he's probably going to give someone their break now, but I can help you."

Alright, everything was still going acording to plan. She just needed to turn in the form and maybe answer a few questions. This was cake. Jaq opened her mouth to speak, but Peppy was now beside her.

"Jaquilyn wants to get a job here, so she wanted to see the manager about that. Are there any vacancies?"

The words spewed from her mouth like bullets from a machine gun. DAMN Peppy was a talker.

Apparently I have a representative present.

"Uh," Jaq started to make sound just before realizing she didn't have to say much more. "Yeah," she pulled the application out of the folder. There were other applications in there, but she hoped Peppy didn't notice. She might offer to come along store-to-store with Jaquilyn, and that would drain her.

"Do you have an interview scheduled today, or are you just dropping the papers off?"

Was she suppossed to schedule an interview? Crap! Well, she was dropping papers off, but did that mean schedule the interview now? She sighed to herself, ashamed that she was a senior in highschool applying for her first job.

"Just papers today..." She placed the ones with the correct logo on the counter keeping a protective finger on top, she wasn't sure if the girl would take it or if it was meant for a manager.

"But I should probably schedule an interview. Who do I talk to about that?"

"Afternoon, ladies. How goes it?"

It was a confident sounding male voice. The tone was different, but in a unique attention-grabbing way.

But my attention is currently unavailable. I'll look after this. Hopefully, whoever it is is not associating me with the Energizer Bunny here.

Maybe she'd go over and talk to him, leaving her to finish her task on her own. Actually, if Jaq ignored him, Whatsername would probably be nice and go talk to him. Then her and Rachel could get this thing turned in and interview scheduled and she could move on. She'd look back and say hi to the voice's owner eventually, but on her way out.

[jimmydalad]

Another familiar voice appeared in the fray and Cammy's head whipped rapidly to that direction, hoping to catch the attention of whoever had spoken. She actually recognized him from her few ventures into church, one of the only times that her parents actually succeeded in getting her to go. He did tend to prattle on about religion, something Cammy really didn't care about, but it wasn't so bad that it was unbearable.

"Hey there Paris." Cammy greeted, moving over to him so that Rachel and Jaquilyn could deal with the debacle they had going on. In any case, it was rare for her to see so many people from Aurora High School in the same place at the same time without it being organized. It was a lovely coincidence and a chance for her to get to know her classmates better. She knew names, but not much else.

"Don't mind Jaquilyn and Rachel, Jaquilyn just wants to get a job here." Cammy explained to Paris, hoping that he wasn't going to be offended by how she ignored Paris's greeting. It took her a moment to realize that she was carrying a hoodie and she let out a slight gasp of surprise as she remembered why she came here in the first place.

"What did you get to buy?" Cammy quickly asked, breaking the ice and starting to make conversation with Paris. Hopefully he could keep him distracted so that the others could focus.

[Laurels]

"Oh, I think if you're just dropping off an application, my manager will review it, and if he wants to schedule an interview, he'll contact you to set a date," Rachael said to Jaquilyn. "I believe my manager is currently on lunch break, so I could probably pass the papers on to him, if you'd like."

Rachael gave a small smile to Jaquilyn. It looked like Jaquilyn had never applied for a job before, something that Rachael herself found a bit frightening and nerve racking when she applied for the job. She was sure Jaquilyn would be okay though.

Rachael then noticed that the girl with Jaquilyn was talking to that boy who waved to her earlier. They both had some clothes with them, the boy had already placed his on the counter and fished out his wallet.

Oh, I better handle these purchases now.

[Ruggahissy]

"Hello Cammy," he said casually. He turned his items over in his hands, looking at them and re-folding them  before passing them forward towards the scanner.

He looked back up at the mention of the other two girls with her. One of them had a name tag that said Rachel so it was pretty easy to deduce which was which since Cammy had mentioned two girls' names. He leaned with his elbow on the station near the card swiper and his hand holding his cheek as if he were thinking while looking at them.

"Oh, is she?" he said lightly. He smiled and looked to the odd girl out, more exotic looking by a mile than the other two. "Good luck." Cammy went on to ask him about his purchases and looked to her, still smiling.


"Bananas," he said simply. He waited a beat and chuckled. "You're quite the inquisitive one, aren't you?" he teased. Paris tilted his head and poked at the folded garments. "I'm buying clothes, of course. Just some hanging-out shirts."

Paris pulled a silver card out of his wallet and started flipping it back and forth between his fingers like a coin.  "Whenever you're ready," he said to Rachel, while he stole another look at Jaquilyn.

[umop-ap!sdn†]

Peppy was pepping up the boy now, and she was back on track. Jaquilyn nodded at what what Rachael said, everything made sense. Having to wait for a call was a little more daunting than setting up an interview right away, but if that was the system that was the system.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

She drummed a moment on the table, it seemed she was pretty much done here. She looked over her shoulder to see who had greeted her earlier. She saw Peppy gabbing it up, and then- Oh.

She found a handsome boy with a defined face. His body was lean, but still fit. Maybe he wasn't a big burly jock, but he was cute and seemed confident.

"Bananas." Huh? "You're quite the inquisitive one, aren't you?"

It seemed he was getting overwhelmed too. His eyes flashed at Jaquilyn for a moment, and she smiled back. Peppy was a talker, she almost wanted to verbally wish him luck shaking her. He moved up to the counter, apparently ready to make a purchase.

She looked at the t-shirts in his hands, and then at his arms. They were muscular, and very defined. She smiled and looked back up, pushing back her hair. She had a minute to talk before leaving.

"Hey. Got the app in!" She gave an exasperated smile. "Now I just wait for the manager to call me back and set up a date."

She grabbed one of the shirts he was holding and gently lifted it up, wanting to see the design on it. He must have been confident in his size selection to not try a fitting room.

She held the shirt up to his torso, pinching the sleeve seams with her freshly decorated fingertips. "This color'll look great on you."

[jimmydalad]

((Sorry for lateness, life tends to get in the way))

"You can buy bananas here? I didn't see any when I looked around." Cammy replied in a confused tone. She tilted her head sideways and tried to sneak a peak at what Paris bought. It didn't look like bananas.

"Oh. Yeah. That makes sense." Cammy answered sheepishly, blushing as she realized how silly it was to believe his bananas joke at face value. Why the hell would they sell bananas here? She did a great job at making herself look silly, that was for sure.

When Cammy saw the card in his hand, her mouth nearly dropped. He had a credit card? His parents must be wealthy. Cammy would never be allowed a credit card from her parents. That was like, impossible. It made the money she carried on hand seem really cheap in comparison and she waited for the others to finish with their transaction.

"Hope you get the job Jaquilyn~" Cammy kindly said, noticing she had finished conversing with the clerk.

[Laurels]

Rachael took Jaquilyn's application and set it under the counter. She'd have to remember to hand it to her boss when he next came to the counter to check on her. It wouldn't be the first time she forgot something. One day, she almost made it home when she realized that she left her copy of A Feast for Crows in the break room. Jaquilyn's application was more important, so she'd have to really remember it.

It looked like the waving boy was ready to check out, since he had a credit card in hand. Rachael quickly brushed her bangs behind her ears.

"Oh, I'm ready whenever you are," she said to the boy.

Rachael grabbed her handheld scanner and smiled.

Okay, let's do this. Checkout time!