Hope, Skye, and Tornado returned home that night, bringing a pixie sized pizza with them for their mom and dad to try. It was already late, so they went to bed.

Yet, Hope didn’t sleep. She tried to, but she was too excited to sleep. Designs for the pizzeria uniforms danced through her mind; her creativity itched to get out. Before she blinked, her hands needed to draw what was in her mind’s eye.

Good thing she kept a sketchpad next to her bed. She reached over and snatched it. Then she grabbed the box of oil pastels that she kept under her pillow, and she began to work.

She began with the logo, designing one that was a traditional, white Chef’s hat. On the cap, the initials M&P rested above the image of a pizza. One slice of the pizza was away from the others. Though, its point still occupied the space that its absence created in the pizza.

Next, Hope started on the pixie uniforms. The female uniforms used over-the-knee stockings with combat boots. A black, pleated skirt covered a puffy underskirt. A white, halter neck, button-down shirt tucked in at the waist.

A dark blue corset went over the halter neck. It had vertical, black stripes running up and down on each side.

A wide belt wrapped over the corset. The belt was brown with two large grommets near the top and bottom on each side. From the top holes, a chain ran across the front of the uniform, hanging at a slight arc. The bottom grommets connected with a parallel chain.

Sleeves with the pizzeria logo covered the forearms. The cherry on top of the uniform was the little, black bowties.

The male pixies’ uniforms used the same belts and combat boots. But for their tops, they used long-sleeved, button-up white shirts. The sleeves ended in wide cuffs.

Dark blue, padded vests were over the shirts. The vests had stripes running up and down like on the girls’ corsets. The bar on the right side had buckles to put on and take off the vest. A brown pad with vertical stripes covered each shoulder.

On their left shoulder, they wore a patch with the store logo. For pants, they wore simple black trousers.

Next, she made Mod’s. His would be a human-sized version of the ones the male pixies would wear.

For Pete, she knew he needed something that would withstand combat. She saw what the tomato monsters had done to his shirt before. Even so, it still needed to match the other uniforms.

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She began with black, leather pants tucked into dark blue, leather combat boots. To protect Pete’s upper body, he’d wear a padded white shirt with long sleeves. Over the shirt, he’d have a dark blue leather vest. A black bandoleer ran from his left shoulder to his right hip.

The last person to need a uniform was Zoey. Hope wasn’t sure if Zoey would fight monsters with Pete or stay in the store. As such, Hope wasn’t sure if to make it from cloth or something more durable. She decided to err on the side of caution, and she began to draw.

A dark blue leather corset covered a black, padded vest. Unlike the corsets on the pixie uniforms, Zoey’s was a form of legitimate armor, thick and durable. It would protect her against slashing attacks. Black, leather bracers protected her forearms, both bracers boasting the pizzeria’s logo.

A steel skirt hung over black shorts. Over-knee-stockings combined with leather padding at the knee. She’d have the same combat boots as the other uniforms.

All the uniforms had hats. Mod’s would be the same baker’s hat as always. The only difference would be the company logo front and center.

Everyone else would have a hat like pizzas with the bill. Pete had called it a baseball cap. Hope didn’t know what baseball was, but she knew how to draw the hats. All of them had the same company logo. Pete’s and Zoey’s would be made of sturdy leather instead of fabric.

By the time she finished her designs, it was three in the morning. With her work done, she closed her eyes, and in an instant, she was asleep.

As the sun rose, she awoke with a renewed vigor. For only four hours of sleep, it didn’t seem normal to be so full of life. But the excitement she felt for her designs energized her. She couldn’t wait to share them.

At the breakfast table, she finished fast, asked permission from her parents to go out, and hurried to the pizza restaurant: knocking on its tin door, hoping someone would be there, her elation building.

* * *

Ting. Ting. Ting. Mod recognized the sound. It was the door to his restaurant. “Coming,” he shouted as he pulled a pie from the oven. He set it on the counter before hurrying to the front door.

He wasn’t used to guests that early in the morning, so he wondered who it was. When he reached the door, he wiped his eyes with his forearm to clear flour from them. Then he pulled open the door.

“I finished the job you gave me.” Hope zipped in before Mod could greet her. “Look at these. I have costumes for everyone.” She began to lay her designs over a table, talking fast without taking a breath. “The pixies have their own uniforms, Pete has one, Zoey has one, and I made one for you, Mod. Look. There is a logo, too. We should get a sign.” Hope’s eyes widened. “Do you think I can design the sign?”

Mod smiled. “Let’s look at these designs first, and we’ll go from there.” He picked up one of the sheets and began to look it over. “These look amazing, Hope. You did a great job. I love the logo. It’s my hat with a pizza on it.” He grinned. “We can’t afford a sign yet. But when we can, you have the job of designing it.”

“Thank you.” Hope smiled ear to ear. “I worked hard on these. They were a lot of work.”

“This morning, Pete was going to show Zoey the town. While they are out, I’ll have them stop by the smith and the tailor so they can commission your designs with Joey and Tay.”

“I hope they make them fast.” The small pixie hugged her hands to her chest. “I’m so excited.”