[MTFF] The Sound of Bells

[muffinstud]

Stewart opens the door to his blue Civic and stops, shivering as he feels the wind around him for that brief moment. "You hear that?" All at once, it's gone and he is left unsure whether or not it really happened. "Hmm. Thought I heard something." He shrugs the sensation off and gets into his car. It's older and showing signs of age, but at least it's payed off.

[Zoey]

Just as Stewart sits down he feels his butt tingle and shiver, followed by a ring tone... of his cellphone! Upon inspection it came from work... hurrah....

[muffinstud]

He groans as he whips out the cell phone. He didn't need to be in for another 20 minutes, at least. The highly competitive and interesting world of paint could wait, couldn't it? "Hello, this is Stewart. What's going on?" He assumes the vibration and tingling are from the ringing of the phone.

[Zoey]

"Hey Stew, where are you? I'm boooooored man" replies the voice of a Tony one of his co-workers. "The st- Oh shit, the witch is here. Call you back later!" he quickly added before hanging up. The witch being their nagging, yet odly good looking boss trying to keep her slacking workers in line.

[muffinstud]

Stew rolls his eyes and sets the phone down. "Honestly Tony, can't you wait until I start work to goof off at work?" He sighs and makes it to the drive-thru of the coffee shop. "One grande chai latte, please!"

[Just some lady]

"...one grand chai coming up!"

The man at the window ducks quickly away for a, vanishing like a spectre. Stew can hear the distinct sounds of running as the man quickly runs several cups out to tables inside, pauses at a coffee machine to get it going, answers the pnone, yells welcome to someone who just walked into the cafe, slides a dish into the washing machine, hangs up after a moment of fervent pubblic relations, and pops back up at the window thirty seconds later, his hat slightly askew. Pausing, he tips a small bit of milk into the completed drink.

"Right! That will be $3.50pleasecomeagain!"

This place had just opened recently, and it was floundering already. Lucky for Stew his company was going places.

[muffinstud]

Stew gives the wired guy a 5 dollar bill. "Use the change for a decaf." He drives off and hands the drink to Alice. "Don't drink the whole thing at once or you'll end up like him." He contentedly drives her to the school, confident of the course of the day. Today he'll interview with the manager, get bumped up to assistant manager, and within a year he'll be managing his own paint store. It may be a retail chain, but it'll still be his store, and today is the first great stepping stone towards achieving that goal.

Before he even realizes it, they're at the school. "Have fun, be safe. Call me if you want a ride back later."

[Zoey]

Ah school, so much memories abound here from Stew's past. All the girls who fought over their image. All the boys trying to prove their manhood to the other jocks and girls. Copying off friends homeworks answers... good times. As Stew glances around he might see an old man with a balding head. Wait, was that Mr. Collins? The man who almost failed Stew on a project just because he forgot to write his name of the papers. Stubborn, old school, evil teacher as they come, that was him. Even if it's been YEARS since those years just watching his smug face was enough to make anyone who was his former student want to punch him in the face.

Anyways apart from that little episode of rage which made his stomach churn a bit. Not churn in the sence his stomach didn't like the food he put in it, but more like the stomach shifted or something. But thats imposible, right? Maybe its just seeing that smug bastards face again thats got him riled up a bit.

[muffinstud]

Stew gives his old teacher an icy stare. The anger churning in his gut doesn't exactly feel good, but he knows better than to act upon it. He'd outgrown the rash behavior of his youth. With a smile and a wave to Alice as she steps out of the car, he drives off with the stereo turned up louder to help him drown out old memories and unwanted feelings. Soon enough, he arrives at work with just one minute to spare.

[Zoey]

As Stew arrives at his work place, he see's that the store is of course almost empty at this hour. Not many people's first priorities in the morning was paint so only one costumers car was parked. As Stew walks in he see's Tony with an old woman. She was wearing a long pink polkadoted white dress with covered the whole woman and her huge hump in her pack. The woman was wearing curlers and huge glasses.

"Miss, I've told you. It's basically the same color! Either way, when its outside on the sun all they day i'll lighten the color! We don't have that brand!" says Tony lugging around a can on paint with a desperate look on his face.
"Sonny! I've painted always painted my house with Daylight Paints! 67 YEARS! Best paint I've..."
"Ever used'... I know...." says Tony finishing the woman's sentence, rolling his eyes. "Look, give it a try! If it doesn't work we'll give you a full refund and then some..."

The old woman adjusts her glasses and looks at the can. "FINE! If it doesn't your coming home and repainting it!" says the woman walking to the check out counter with small steps. Tony walking faster and getting behind the counter, giving Stew a wave of the hand. The old lady took out a checkbook and started to write a check. Tony leaned on the counter with his face resting on his palm.

"Hey Stew... You're missing out on the fun..." T___T

[muffinstud]

"I can see that. I wouldn't want to deprive you though. You did say you were bored earlier." Stew snickers and heads to the back to punch in. Now on the clock and equipped with his trusty nametag, Stew grabs the inventory report and heads back out to the floor to start doing his job. He leaves the thermos laying innocently in the back room where he can get to it later if he needs it.

[Just some lady]

Unfortunately for Stew--there's one thing standing between him and his job. An age-old nemesis, that will stop at nothing to keep him from getting any work done: His boss, Miss. Flannerty.
Though only about 5'5", Flannerty seemed always in a state of looming. Her faded blonde hair pulled into a tight bun, it doesn't compare with how tight the skin sometimes seems to pull around her skull. She wasn't even bad-looking for a woman in her mid-40s...it was just the way that she held herself.

And the way she spoke.

"Mr. Ryder."

Her voice had about the same feel to it as when one clanged metal on metal. He'd often suspected that her teeth were filled with titanium.

"So glad to see you on time this morning. I was just looking for someone to doublecheck our hard files..."

Her gaze flickered to a door at the far end of the hall. She always assigned someone to look over the company's papers when she was in a snit. Not that they really used them--everything had been scanned to their online database ages ago.

[muffinstud]

Stew's chin juts out as he contemplates the older woman. Why does everything she do have to be confrontational? "I'm sure Tony would love to look over the files for you. I want to get inventory done so we can get our product for next month ordered. You do want me to get product for next month, don't you?"

He held the clipboard in front of him to shield himself from the lady's gaze. Glancing to the side, he noticed Tom still struggling with his customer. He should leap at the chance to goof off like this. "Oh, and when are we going to have the interview? I'm excited to help make this store more profitable."

[Just some lady]

The woman's gaze seems to sear through his clipboard like a high-intensity space laser.

"Alright, Mr. Ryder. I expect the inventory done by this afternoon."

Glancing at her watch, she pauses, as if confused why Stew is still there.

"Your interview...? Oh. Yes. The day after tomorrow."

[muffinstud]

Stew blinks. He blinks again. "Day after tomorrow? I thought we agreed to have it today!" Over the initial shock, he furrows his brow. "Is there any particular reason why it's being delayed?" Stew does his best to stare right back at her. That means he holds the clipboard up a little higher and turns his head slightly as he stares, so as not to bring about her full wrath. Sometimes I wonder if she just hates me, or the whole world...