Boss attacks: Fast Food AU pt.2 - Varick, Purrgatory, and William

Varick was nervous as he approached the fast food building. Today was his first official day of work as a Pizza Bell employee. The brown Clydesdale had spent yesterday in the back office watching training videos and was now ready to work with customers. As he entered the building through the back entrance, Purrgatory, the assistant manager, greeted Varick.

 

    “There’s my new hire,” the purple cat cheerily exclaimed. “We are so happy to have you as our newest Pizza Bell team member. I put a uniform for you in locker five. Get that on, and then meet me at the register.” Varick nodded and did as instructed. The lockers were large enough to hold his uniform shirt but not much else. As the horse dressed, a grey-furred folf breezed in and threw open locker three. He looked enormous and threatening with an eyepatch over his right eye.

 

    “A new kid, interesting,” the folf mumbled, quickly throwing on his uniform shirt and leaving. Varick finished buttoning his shirt and headed to the front register. The shirt was slightly loose, but he could easily take it in half a size. With the restaurant opening in twenty minutes, the smells of breakfast items filled the air.

 

    “We’re not open yet,” the grey folf growled into the headset he now wore. “Come back in twenty, or just sit there and wait. Either way, I don’t care.” Angry shouting came back over his headset before the canine cut the microphone off.

 

    “William, drink your coffee and be nice to the early birds,” Purrgatory fake scolded the folf as she walked by him on her way to Varick. “Don’t mind him; he’s nicer once he gets some caffeine. Now have you ever used a register before?”

 

    “Back home at my parent’s shop, I occasionally ran the register for them when we were busy,” the blonde Clydesdale replied confidently. Varick took over running the register if his mom or dad were busy measuring or altering clothes on a busy day. As a result, he was a whiz at making change and ringing up products.

 

    “Good, you’ll need that experience because these are temperamental,” the feline laughed as she gave the machine a light slap. “For the most part, they work just like the video claims they do, but we haven’t gotten upgraded since we opened, so they have some personality issues. Don’t worry if anything happens. I’ll be here to help you because we are a team! Yay! Any questions?” Varick didn’t have any, so the manager excused herself to open the doors for customers. At first, the horse was a little nervous, but soon, he fell into a rhythm with the customers from the morning rush.

 

    “No, we can’t make the Queen of Queso meal without any cheese,” William groaned into his headset. “Well, if you’re lactose intolerant, don’t order it. Cheese is almost eighty-five percent of that monstrosity. You take that out; all you’ve got is a tortilla and five pepperonis.” Purrgatory shot William a look, but he held up his phone to display a baby picture. This tactic immediately disarmed the purple cat, who momentarily stopped to faun over the child before turning to Varick.

 

    “How are you doing so far? Any questions,” Purrgatory asked as she scanned the interior of the fast food shop.

 

    “No, I think I’ve got everything down,” Varick replied with a slight nod. “But how much coffee does it take to make William nice?” William yawned as if on cue before taking a large gulp from his cup. This cup was the fourth; Varick had watched him drink this morning and noticed no change in his temperament.

 

    “Normally, he’d be good by now, but the newborn has been keeping him up at night, so at this pace, he’ll probably be good by about two,” Purrgatory explained as Varick took an order from a customer. The change drawer failed to open as the transaction finished despite the register claiming it was open. “Here, sometimes you have to shake it lightly to get it to pop,” the manager told the horse as she shook the machine, but to no avail. William walked by on his way to the bathroom but stopped to growl at the register. The drawer popped open as he did to allow Varick to finish the transaction.

 

    “Technology fears me,” the folf laughed before turning to the Clydesdale as the customer sat to wait for their food. “You play Mega Fight Guys, newbie? We have a weekly tournament on Saturday nights.” With his piece said, William continued on his journey to the bathroom.

 

    “Was that him being nice,” Varick inquired, confused.

 

    “More of him thinks you’re a competent coworker,” Purrgatory answered as she handed a bag of food to a customer. “Honestly, from him, that’s high praise. Which is hard to come by from him, so treasure it while you can. Ok, if you’re good, I need to check on the rest of the house but yell if you need me. I come bouncing back up here in a jiff.” Varick smiled as the manager skipped to the back to check in with the cooks. This job might be part-time while he was in school, but it felt like he would enjoy his time here.