"Lily, right?" The bat asked, her voice sounding a bit sleepy.

"Yeah, I didn't hear you walk up."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot. Ms. Shinecrest, like, told me to come to get you."

Lily looked at her half-eaten cake and then back to the bat. For a moment, she considered taking the plate in with her but felt that wouldn't make the best first impression on a potential employer. Instead, the rabbit just nodded and got up from her seat.

As she followed the bat out of the restaurant, she glanced back one last time at the sleeping Danniel. Lily saw the wolf finally wake up and lift his head when she did. After letting out a yawn, his dreads parted. She locked onto his half-opened cobalt eyes just as she stepped out of sight.

"I'm Isabella by the by. Shinecrest says you, like, might be joining us?" The bat spoke as she led Lily down a hallway past the counter.

"Yeah, uh," Lily looked over her shoulder at the counter before turning her attention back to her guide, "hate to tell you how to do your job but who's gonna watch the counter?"

"Don't worry, Danny's got it covered."

"Uh-huh. Anyway, so what's it like to work here?"

"It's a nice place, for sure.

The pair turned a corner and could see Sandra standing beside a closed door at the end of another hallway. Lily stopped in her tracks as a thought struck her. Though new to this store, she had been inside the neighboring buildings as recently as that morning. Knowing this, her eyes narrowed while trying to plot out the location mentally, and she stood in but couldn't. If spaced correctly, the bear would be standing inside a shelf of candles two buildings over.

"You okay?" Isabella asked, having stopped a few feet ahead of her.

"Yeah, sorry, I had a weird thought."

"Those happen a lot around here," Isabella said before walking again towards Sandra.

"What?" Lily tilted her head as she started to follow Isabella again.

Isabella left the question unanswered. She actually didn't say anything else during their walk down the hallway. Now In that awkward silence, Lily looked out the windows that lined the walls of the pathway. They showed the Aldcrest shoreline populated by ships carrying trade and travelers from all around Aria.

"So, are you ready?" Sandra asked as the pair approached.

"I guess. Anything I should know?" Lily asked, watching as Isabella wordlessly headed back to the front.

"Don't let his demeanor fool you." Sandra started while opening the office door for the potential employee, "He seems scary, but he's a big softy. Just answer honestly, and you'll be fine." The bear gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before seeing her off to the interview. "Gonzi, this is Lily… um, I didn't get her last name."

"Thorne," Lily whispered to her.

"Oh yes, this is Lily Thorne."

As Sandra introduced her, Lily stepped quickly to the seat to start the meeting. She found herself staring at a gruff, older stallion. He didn't bother to look away from his computer screen and continued typing away for a few more minutes. The horse didn't speak a word either, and Lily found herself waiting in awkward silence. Finally, after what felt like an hour, Gonzi turned from his computer to Thorne. He leaned forward and folded his hands in front of his muzzle while studying the rabbit.

"So," Gonzi spoke, his voice deep and gravelly, "what makes you want to work in my establishment?"

"Honestly, Gonzi, can I call you Gonzi?"

"It's Mr. Collins."

"Alright. Well, Mr. Collins, I just need a job, and the nice cake lady said you were hiring."

"Right. Well, Ms. Thorne, I am not looking for a lot. I just need someone to watch the store during the week and keep the place looking good. Does it sound like something you can do?"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Doesn't sound too hard. When can I start?"

"Monday. We open at eight. You need to be here by seven." Gonzi answered flatly. He leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on his stomach. "Oh, Sandra wanted to see you before you left. Welcome to the team."

"Wait, just like that."

"Yes. You can leave now."

Lily excitedly nodded and made her way to the office door before a thought struck her. Turning back to look at her new employer, said employer having already returned to his task, Lily cleared her throat to get Gonzi's attention.

"One more thing. I just thought I should ask: what's the pay?"

"You will be making the same as Isabella, fifteen hundred credits a week."

The figure brought Lily a moment of pause. The amount was far too high. The shock gave way to a bit of awkward laughter from Lily to let Gonzi know she was in on the joke. "Good one, Gonzi. For real, how much?"

Gonzi moved his eyes to her from his computer screen with a snort. "First, It's Mr. Collins. Secondly, that's how much you earn working here. If that's not enough, you are more than welcome to find employment elsewhere."

"Shi- I mean no, no, no! I was expecting like five hundred or something! That's more than enough!"

"Good," His eyes returned to the screen, "now please go."

"Right!"

With the last question answered, Lily returned to the doorway. Upon opening it, the rabbit found herself confused. Expecting the path Isabella led her down, Lily found herself back at the entrance of the first hallway near the front counter. "Okay, no! Someone is going to have to explain this to me!" Lily shouted out in shock

"Shovi," Gonzi grumbled as he traced a circle in the air. Once the motion was complete, Lily felt a wall of force push her out of his office. The door slammed behind her once the rabbit's heels had crossed the threshold.

"Okay, look into that more later," Lily muttered before making her way to meet the bear. On her way there, she passed the front counter and saw Isabella chatting with the now awake Danniel. The two paused their conversation as Lily approached them.

"This is her. Like, I think her name was Lily or something," remarked Isabella.

"Lily Thorne, yeah. By the way, Isabella, you didn't really answer my question from earlier."

"Question?"

"What's it like to work here?"

Isabella and Danny shared a look before Isabella spoke up, "It's a nice place to work. Pays amazing. We see a few weirdos but nothing too rough. Like, if anyone acts up, Danny handles them.” The bat motioned at the dreadlocked wolf.

"Danniel Fila, nice to meet cha."

"The security guard, right?" Lily said with a tilt of her head. "I have got to ask, how do you watch this place while sleeping? Seems kinda difficult."

"Wow," Danny said with a chuckle, "Fair observation but don't worry, I'm a light sleeper. Starlight's quiet most of the time anyway."

"So, ultimately, you get paid to sleep?"

"Well, I patrol the store but yeah, kinda."

"Well, I am both jealous and concerned. I hate to cut this conversation short, but I just caught a glimpse of the clock. If I swing it right, I can catch the next train home, but I need to find a bear first. See you two, Monday." With that, Lily turned and hurried off to the Starlight Cafe in search of Sandra. The bear was ringing up a customer's order. She gave Lily a warm smile and wave after giving her the last customer their change. "Gonzi told me you wanted to see me before I left.

"Aye! Did you get the job?" Sandra asked while ducking under the counter.

"Yep. Starting Monday. Sandra, I can't thank you enough for the job. The pay's crazy good, and it's super simple. Oh, and your cake. You got any more of that, by the way?"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but no. That guy bought the last of today's carrot cake. Don't worry, though; I got something for you." Sandra answered while standing back up. In her hands were two dishes enclosed in large to-go containers. "I found these in the freezer, and they were a few days old. Thought you may want them."

"Sandra, wow. I'm sorry, but I don't think I have enough credits."

"Credits? No, no, no. These are too old. I can't sell these. I would rather you have 'em than throw them out. Think of them as welcoming gifts."

The unexpected kindness from this almost perfect stranger struck Lily like a ton of bricks. She stared silently at the two rather large dishes with a mixture of hunger and confusion." Why are you being so nice to me?!" Lily asked, leaning against the counter.

"Well, I wanted to make up for the whole door thing. I also figured some brownies and peach cobbler might help smooth things over."

"You didn't have to, but I will not say no." Lily grabbed the two boxes and glanced at the clock. "Oh, okay. Listen, I will see you on Monday."

With that, Lily ran through the cafe to the front door. The rabbit stopped at the door and turned to give the pair at the counter a quick wave goodbye before continuing on her way. The bat waved back eagerly while the wolf gave her a simple nod.

"What do you think?" Sandra asked while stepping out of the cafe

"I like her," Isabella said while turning her attention to her phone.

"A bit much for me.” Danniel chimed in, “ Be fun to see how she gets on with the old warhorse. I'm going to do a patrol; let me know if anything happens. "