FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hally looked around. It was another dark cavern, filled with the twin scents of danger and adventure. Fortunately, she had the skills and the tools to navigate such a treacherous place. Armed with a magic sword and a mirror shield, the brave adventurer stepped forth into the cave. Nothing happened, surely some manner of trap meant to lure the bold hero into a false sense of security. No, that wouldn't happen here. Not to Hally. She was too good to let her guard down. Suddenly, movement caught her keen eye and the Helioptile sprung, bringing her sword down on whatever foul beast that dared to challenge her!

"Hally!" A harsh voice called, snapping the small yellow lizard back to reality. She quickly took stock of her situation and remembered where she was. She was at work. Instead of being a brave hero, she was a underpaid mart employee, manning the register while customers milled around the store. Instead of a magic sword, she had a rolled up newspaper. Instead of a mirror shield, she had a laminated sheet containing various prices for assorted fruits and vegetables. Instead of some hideous beast, she had merely swatted a spider. The harsh voice didn't belong to a huge dragon, keeper of the lair, but a human in his mid forties who went bald long before his prime.

"Sorry, Mr. Kerran." She said sheepishly, putting away her not-so-legendary tools. "I sort of spaced out there for a second."

Frank shook his head. "It would be fine if it was once in a while, but I can't have you always zoned out on the clock, Hally. Especially if it means you're going to be shouting when you swat a bug. We need to have some manner of professionalism."

"To be fair, sir, spiders aren't bugs. They're arachnids." Hally said helpfully.

Frank pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not the point right now. Look, just... do what I asked you and try to keep it together for the rest of your shift. You're already on thin enough ice as it is."

Hally hadn't actually heard what he'd said. "Um, Mr. Kerran? I... could you repeat what you want me to do? Please?"

"I want you to clean up your register, then report to the cooler to stock dairy. Do you need me to write it out for you?"

Hally wanted to say yes, but she had a feeling he was being sarcastic and didn't want to push her luck. "N-no sir. I'll have it done in a flash."

He gave her a skeptical look, then turned and went back to his office.

The foul alien had fled, surely in terror from the mighty space ranger Hally. All that was left for her to do was clean up her cockpit and head off to the mess hall for some proper food. The cockpit wasn't that messy, just a little bit of making sure her manifest was properly stashed, and picking up some items that had shaken loose during the battle with the fierce alien from the Kerran race. Truly among the worst of the galaxy's criminals. Still, the daring captain restored her cockpit to good working order, and relieved herself to the mess hall, leaving her trusty lieutenant, an excitable but reliable Sandshrew to take her place at the wheel. One day, he would have a craft of his own, surely. His motivation and eagerness to please hadn't gone unnoticed by the legendary space captain. Maybe she'd even put a good word for him with star command when they docked at Ft. Pryor later that day. If he was lucky, that was.

So Hally's day went, occupying her dull day with assorted fantasies and delusions of grandeur. She braved the arctic chills of the north pole to provide sustenance to the locals as a fearless mountaineer, then donned her pith helmet and braved the treacherous bogs of Commodius, before heading to the vast keep of the dreaded Kerran. A multi-headed monster that preyed on the innocent, stealing their wealth and oppressing the townspeople. Clearly, this would not stand. It fell to the brave knight Hally to take this beast down! She charged into its lair and squared off with the beast. She lunged and it retaliated with scorching hot fire.

Wait, fire? Her daydream seemed to burn up like a storybook page in a roaring flame.

"That's right, fired. Seriously, Hally. I asked you to just keep it together for one day. One day, and you run around talking about yetis in the cooler and unnerving customers in the bathroom. I know the work we do isn't the most exciting, but I need team members who can keep their heads in the game and you just can't do that." Frank said a sympathetic frown. "I love your enthusiasm, but I can't keep you here if you're going to keep disrupting customers with your wild daydreams. I'm sorry."

"Wait, Mr. Kerran, I..." she started, her long flaps flaring open in shock.

"No, Hally. I can give you a decent recommendation for your enthusiasm and gusto, but I think you need to find another line of work. One where your..." he paused, considering his words "Particular flair for the dramatic is an asset rather than a liability."

Her earflaps closed and resumed drooping, as was their standard position. "I... see." She said finally. "I'm sorry I let you down, sir." She hopped off the chair, and made her way toward the door. She didn't bother to turn back, and Frank just went back to his paperwork. Not that it mattered. Cool girls didn't look at explosions. She walked out of the building, her head held high as it exploded into rubble behind her, a giant flaming ball that...

She sighed and looked back. The mart was still there, and she wasn't an action hero. She was an unemployed tiny lizard who had rent due and needed a new way to make money. She'd tried writing her fantasies into stories, but they were disjointed and hard to read. It always sounded better in her head. She found her way to her apartment - one that catered to mostly pokemon - and glumly fit the key in the lock. What work could she do? Where her propensity to daydream would be an asset instead of a problem? She would have to check the newspaper or the internet, or just... ask around. The mart wouldn't hire her again - they'd just fired her for the second time. She didn't think Frank was willing to give her a third chance. She considered the local pokemon center - she'd worked there when she was younger, but her bedside manner was... how to say, less than optimal. She bit her lip. They probably didn't want her back either.

She clipped cables to her ear flaps and ran them to her laptop, using her natural electric powers as a battery, to take a look at her resume. She'd worked almost every place in town, and had left or been asked to leave with varying levels of politeness from nearly everywhere in town. Prospects were not, as one might say, good. She needed a job. And soon. rent was coming up, and while she would have enough to probably scrape by this month, that was the end of the line.

No doubt about it. She was going to need to find work. Soon. She reviewed her work history. She'd been everywhere. She'd braved the arctic frosts of the local megamart, done battle with the fierce and dreaded multi-headed serpent when she worked for the local burger shop. She'd combed dense jungles as a secretary, and staved off bloodthirsty pirates at the library. If there was a job to do, she'd tried to do it only for her imagination to run wild with it. Even now, as she was trying to make sense of her reality, she could feel the nagging part of her brain wanting to go back into her grand adventures. She could see it now - the dejected noir beat cop, stripped of her badge for working outside of the law, chasing down her biggest case yet.

That's when he walked in, thought Hally, even though she was still alone. A human with a simple case. That's what it was supposed to be. My boss... well, former boss, chief Kerran. Always sounded like Karen to me, and that always spelled trouble. He seemed full of emotions when he demanded my badge. "You've gone too far Hally." he said. I took a long drag from my cigarette and looked out the window, turning my back to him. "This city's gone too far. Everything in it is corrupted to the core, and I'm the antidote to the toxin of destruction that consumes the poor citizens." Kerran shouted, "You gotta play by the rules kid. The book exists for a reason. One more slip like that and I have to take your badge, I don't care how good you are!" I laughed, low and quiet as I shutter the shades and turned back to him. The vein on his head was throbbing - he was really invested in this. I threw my badge on the desk. "Take it then. I play by my own rules and no one else's, even if it's not 'by the book.'"

Yeah, that's how it had happened. Not him getting fed up and firing her. She couldn't go back to the police office either. With her spotty employment record and flights of fancy, she didn't get past the first interview. Why was life so much harder outside her fantasies? As she looked over the score of employers, all of whom had terminated her for the same reason, she dreaded knowing where she was going to have to go next. The one place not on her resume. She hadn't even applied before. To her, this plan was always in her head as a last resort. What you did when plans A-Z failed and it was time to plunder the greek alphabet for new letters.

It was time to consider the sex industry. The thought that dwelled in the back of everyone's mind. Some jumped to it more quickly than others, sure, but Hally was always hoping she wouldn't have to go to it. Sure, she'd picked up no shortage of skills in her varied jobs - some computer repair, some mechanical repair work, some physical labor and other trade skills, but nothing licensed and nothing she could make a living out of. Her flaps drooped slightly as she printed her resume.

As the familiar churn of the waking kraken filled the air, and the foul creature began to spit its ink over the good ship Helio, she climbed the mizzenmast, and called out to stand firm against the horrid beast. There was a port in the storm off the aft, and the brave Captain was going to lead her ship to the last safe haven for criminals like her. As her ship approached, she let out a call, determined to secure landing at this hotbed of sin and villainy.

"Café Plaisir," came the voice from the other line. "How can we help you today?"

Hally paused for a second, trying to figure out what to say. It seemed a lot more straightforward in her head, but on the spot she was having a little difficulty. She opened her mouth to speak, before the line called back

"Hello? Hello?"

"H-hi. I mean, uh, hello! Um, my name is Hally and I'd like to work there."

The voice on the other line didn't miss a beat. "Oh, we're always looking for new talents! You can fill out an application online or in person. Once we have your application, our HR rep Coco will reach out to you for an interview. Or, if you really want, you can come in today and see her, try to get a job on the spot today!"

"Th--thank you. I mean, uh, yeah. Thank you." Hally felt kind of awkward. Here the person she'd called was all confident and cocksure and she was just sitting here barely able to string words together.

"No problem hun. I look forward to seeing you soon~"

If she'd been into... what she guessed was another girl, that might have been erotic. Not that the thought hadn't crossed her mind during some of her more racy spy thriller daydreams. Maybe if the right girl came along and coaxed her.

There was a giggling on the other line. "You're definitely going to be fun. I can't wait to see you in person."

To Hally's dread, the line was still connected. She mumbled a squeaky thank you before hanging up. She removed her clips and shut the computer down before curling up in bed under her covers while her mind replayed the events... with a more positive spin on it.

She wasn't some under experienced girl, uneasy with the idea of selling herself for money but as porn star extraordinaire, Velvet Undertail. Instead of her usual diminutive, yellow form, she was tall and lanky, looking more like a Salazzle. In her mind, she'd handled the conversation with the similar level of charm that... that...

Wait, what was her name? Hally racked her brain - she hadn't gotten a name from the female voice on the phone. Had she given her own? She'd been so flustered she couldn't remember the barest details, beyond that she'd called and was pretty sure she had been flirted with. With the doubts came worry - would they be able to tell her sexual experience extended little farther than a drunken hook up after work one day? She and her co-worker, a machop by the name of Len, never really talked the same way after. It was always kind of... awkward and stilted. Like they never knew where they stood with each other anymore.

It made her a little sad to think about - they had always been good friends before. It was why they'd hooked up in the first place. If she could take it back... well, that was in the past now. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad. Maybe after she went to Plaisir and had her interview... wait, did she even _schedule_an interview? Did she really just blurt out that she wanted to work there? She slapped her face into her palm, her fins covering her eyes as she did so.

Okay. she thought, grabbing some things for her back, like she was packing to go on an epic quest. I'll give Len a call after I get an interview. Maybe enough time has passed. Maybe we can talk again. Maybe it won't be so weird.

Hally surveyed her bag, as if she was a hero inspecting her pack. Hally the hero had been on many a quest but this! This was to be her greatest quest yet. To head to the lair of the succubus queen, slay her, and capture her wealth! She was equipped with a mace (which was really just an adjustable wrench slung in an old toolbelt she had from working at the hardware store), a shield (which might have been some discarded 2x4 boards from that same job), her trusty backpack, a hat with a signature conical shape that draped back over her head, like some video game hero, and a snack, so she wouldn't have to worry about stamina on the way to the lair of the succubus queen.

Onward, brave hero! Hally started strong, walking with her shield strapped to one arm, hand on her weapon as she made her way through the town. Truly, she had enemies everywhere! Eyes seemed to watch her wherever she went. More than once she had to stand and fight a terrible possessed villain! Some of whom were shapeshifters! None strong enough to escape Hally's watchful eyes!

In reality, beyond the pale of her fiction, she knew she was just hitting a fire hydrant with a wrench, but it was the fantasy that really mattered. A little escapism never hurt anyone. Especially given the day she'd had. Once she moved out of the town and into the woods, the rate of encounters seemed to drastically reduce. It was actually a really nice day, all things considered. Hally couldn't resist letting her fins open up to catch sunlight as it filtered through some of the trees on the side of the road.

A short while later, her navigator fairy told her she was close. Time for her to steel herself for the final battle! The fortress of the succubus queen stood tall and imposing. Hally was made of stronger stuff than that! To be scared by a mere building? Ha! The very idea was laughable! Hally the hero feared nothing! She charged up the stairs, ready to face the succubus queen in decisive combat!

Inside the halls of Café Plaisir, the helioptile couldn't help but feel a touch silly. A lopunny at the door smiled as she entered. "Welcome to Café Plaisir. How can we help you?"

"My name is... um, Hally. I called earlier expressing interest for an interview."

"Oh! Hally! Yes, I remember you from the phone. My name is Cheryl, but if you're looking for an interview you'll want to talk to Coco. I told her you were coming. If you want to have a seat at the bar, you're welcome to. I'm sure she'll have someone come get you when they're ready for you."

Hally nodded and said thank you in a very heroic squeak, before making her way up to the main bar, where an Espeon and Umbreon were serving drinks. She didn't have the money to order anything - she was just waiting where Cheryl told her to wait. The Umbreon approached her.

"Can I to get you anything?" he asked in thickish, vaguely middle-eastern accent. Hally guessed Egypt, based on the Egyptian eye thing the umbreon had around his left eye.

"Let me tell ya, Slim." Hally said, leaning on the bar, like a grizzled detective. "I want enough booze to knock down a wailord. But I gotta keep my wits about me. Danger can lurk around any corner. I gotta be ready for it. You understand, don'tcha, Slim?"

The Umbreon looked confused. "Who is this 'Slim' you are speaking of? I do not understand you. Can I get for you a drink, or would you perhaps like to see the menu?"

Hally was quiet for a second. "Cher...yl told me to wait here. I'm supposed to have an interview with Coco soon."

"Oh! So you are trying to get a job! Do not worry. This is a good place to work. They will treat you well. What are you applying to?"

"Um, I was... thinking I could be a waiter? I've done it before at another place." Hally said.

The Umbreon nodded. "We see many of those. If you do get to be that, come back, see me. I will give you a drink. To celebrate." he smiled. It was surprisingly warm, for how cold his eye seemed to be. It felt like it was staring into her soul.

She tried to shake it off. "So, do you have a name, or should I call you Slim?"

"Oh! You meant that I am slim!" He laughed. Hally wasn't sure if that was a joke, or if he was just getting it. "My name is Aravi, and the Espeon is Vara. We do not bite, unless that is what you are in to!" He laughed again, larger than the first.

Hally let out a nervous laugh. Avari had a... sense. It wasn't exactly a sense of humor, per se,, but man, he sure had a sense all right. Aravi was mercifully called away by another patron, leaving Hally to sit, shield still strapped to her arm. It was more than a shield, really -- it also could be unfolded and used as a chair. Hally had some pretty crazy ideas when it came to building things sometimes. So her trusty shield could repurpose as a chair she could carry around strapped to an arm. It helped draw less eyes at times.

Times like this, even.

But... she couldn't unfold it here -- she was already in a chair! A tall one, that came up to the bar. The one she had was short. Very Hally-sized. Maybe if this interview fell through, she could just build her own house in the woods. Live off the grid.

As her mind started to wander, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Yer Hally, right?" asked the gruff voice of a female Raichu. "Coco's ready for ya."

"Are you Coco?" Hally asked, turning on her seat.

"Nah. The name's Kate. I do maintenance and utilities. I guess I'm also Coco's errand bitch since I was headin' this way anyway. I have to fix the fuckin' tap again. I don't know what these 'eons keep doing to it. Fuck me, it might be Vesper or Jack, but somethin' always breaking."

"Oh..." Hally said. "I guess you're not going to lead me there?"

Kate frowned, sighed, rolled her eyes and started walking, waving a hand in a sort of defeated "Follow me" gesture.

Hally hopped up and quickly followed along behind the raichu. She was... direct. Hally had to give that to her. Between her and Aravi, the brave hero was starting to have second thoughts. "Have you been working here long?"

"I dunno. Maybe about a year?" Kate said, not looking back at Hally. "Probably not for much longer unless they give me some fucking help."

Hally wondered about this. "You mean... it's just you? To fix everything?"

"More or less. Sure, the cleaning mice take care of some things -- toilet clogs and bedroom mishaps, but if something breaks guess who fuckin' has to worry about it. And don't say Rand, even if he's the closest thing I've had to help, sad as that is. Can be as simple as a bulb burning out in the main bar to having to fix the internet connection for our 'director of digital media'." She said, not bothering to hide how silly she thought the position was. "Or if one of that bitch Clarice's twelve million air conditioners break, guess whose ass she rides?"

"I... see. Why haven't they found someone else for you?"

"No one wants to do the hard shit, kid." Kate said, as if it was obvious. "They come to Café Plaisir because they wanna get paid to fuck, or have no other options. You look like a #2."

Hally froze in place. It took her a second to recover, and start tagging along behind the Raichu again. "What... what makes you say that?"

"That thing strapped to your arm. You remind me of one of those LARPers I see in town sometime. I figure they don't have what you might call an abundance of sexual experience. Not like some of the waiters we have here."

"H-hey! I've had sex before!" Hally said indignantly, louder than she meant to.

"Sure you have kid. I didn't say you didn't have sex, I said you don't strike me as someone who knows what they're doing. Though, frankly, I wouldn't doubt ya ain't had it at all before, and are just saying that so I think you're not a complete greenhorn."

Hally didn't have anything to say to that.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Kate said. "Coco's gonna eat you alive." the Raichu sighed. "You know, I'm sorry, Hally. I don't mean to be so rough around the edges. I've just been overworked lately. I'm sure you understand what it gets like. I don't mean to scare you off or anything." She paused. "So... Tell me about that thing you've got there?"

Hally wasn't expecting an apology, especially not after all this Raichu had said. "It... um, happens? As for this? It's my shield. I made it myself. It... turns into a chair. I wanted something that could serve defensively, but also have practical purpose."

"Oh, sorta like those chairs in bags some people carry along with them."

"Yeah! But mine's made out of wood instead. Honestly, I like working with my hands."

"I bet you're pretty good at fixing stuff." Kate said, not looking back. Her voice was softer now, after having vented that frustration.

"Oh sure. I fixed everything at my old job. Computers, shelves, lights... I even fixed the coolers once or twice. Mr. Kerran... Frank said I was better suited to that work anyway."

"Did he now?"

"Well, yeah. It kept me away from people! It was where I could really be creative in a way that helped the store, rather than scare customers off." Hally shuffled a bit behind Kate as she explained. The Raichu didn't seem to notice.

"It's true -- repairs do sometimes require some creativity." Kate laughed. It was a surprisingly melodious laugh. "I'm guessing that creativity has caused some problems in the past?"

"Well... yeah. It's probably my biggest weakness. I just can't stop daydreaming sometimes."

"Are you having one right now?" the jailer asked in a gruff voice. Hally couldn't help but feel like she was just an inconvenience to her warden. Kate walked ahead, dressed in the tan uniform one might expect. Not that she had much choice in the matter.

"...Yes." Hally admitted. No sense in lying now. Her days had run out. Her hours had run out. Her minutes, however, were still numbered. Fitting, they'd send a raichu to power the chair. She briefly wondered if the electric chair would work on an electric type, before something snapped her attention.

"Explain it to me."

"I... I'm imagining you as a jailer, walking me to my cell. Gonna get my last meal and get sent off to the chair." Hally explained, sounding a little embarrassed.

"Arceus alive kid." Kate said, slowing down and looking back, "This isn't a death sentence!"

"I... I know. Plaisir just wasn't my first choice. Or second. Or twenty-sixth. I'm not exactly looking forward to being a waiter, but I'm sort of out of options."

"See? I knew you were a #2." Kate laughed. "Either way, we're here now. Let me get back into character."

Hally paused. Into... character?

The Raichu pounded on the door. "Hey Coco! I'm here and I brought Hally!"

The door opened. Inside sat a vulpix and the one who opened the door, a feminine looking Jolteon.

"Yes, thank you Kate." Coco said from her desk. The warden. Her eyes stared right through inmate 003012101799, or, as she was known on the streets, H-core. Because she was so hardcore. Hally took a breath and tried to get out of character.

Hally nervously walked into the room. As she took a few hesitant steps, she felt something on her back. It was Kate's thunderbolt-like tail.

The Jolteon stepped aside as Hally walked in. Kate stepped inside too.

"Yes, Kate?" Coco asked, looking at the Raichu.

"I'm here for the interview."

"We have Masala here for that. Cheryl said she was applying to be a waiter."

"Look at her, Coco. Does she really look like she's here to be a waiter?"

Coco peered over her desk, getting a better look at Hally, who slid her shield off her arm and pulled down the legs, turning it into a little stool for her to sit on.

"I suppose she could be. I've seen others less prepared." Coco said.

"Nah, see, Hally here, she really wants to be in maintenance. Don't you, Hally?"

Hally was confused, but high rollers like her? High rollers knew how to keep a poker face, and how to bluff when she was holding nothing.

"That's right." Hally nodded.

"Cheryl said she was interested in being a waiter, though."

"Well, yeah. Of course Cheryl would say that." Kate said waving a hand in the air. "I bet'cha Hally didn't know maintenance was an option when she called. I seen the website. You don't have jobs posted up there."

"I suppose that's true." Coco said. "Hally, do you want to work in Maintenance?"

"I do." Hally nodded again. "I don't think I would be a good waiter, but I do know my way around a set of tools!"

Coco sighed. "Thank you for coming, Masala, but it doesn't look like we need you for this interview."

The Jolteon nodded, and made her way out the door, back towards the main bar.

"So." started Coco after Kate shut the door behind Masala, "What experience do you have?"

"Well, I'm actually a hobbyist carpenter." Hally said. "I made this chair of mine. Even made it so it can be worn."

"See, Coco? She's perfect." Kate said, a wry grin growing on her face.

"Do you know much about computers?" Coco asked, ignoring Kate.

"Oh, I do! I used to work in town for one of those electric repair shops. I was pretty good at fixing stuff that came in, but... I sort of got creative with the solutions."

"Creative how?" Coco asked.

"Well, like, not only would I fix it, I would try to make it better!" Hally said.

"So... what's the problem with that?" Coco asked, sounding confused.

"My money's on the bosses didn't like her creativity." Kate said.

"Kate." Coco chided her.

"No, she's right." Hally piped up. "I did things customers didn't want when I made their stuff better, so they were unhappy with the service. Even though it was better!"

"Well... I assume you're not going to be taking those liberties with staff electronics?" Coco asked.

"Not unless it's asked of me." Hally replied.

"Alright. Well. Why did you leave your last job."

"I was fired for daydreaming on the clock instead of doing my job. They called it insubordination."

"And the job before that?" Coco asked.

"Fired for insubordination."

And... the one before that?"

"Fired for insub..."

"I think I get the picture." Coco said, shaking her head. "So you are seen as insubordinate because you daydream instead of working?"

"Not instead of! Just... usually... during." Hally offered meekly, doing her best to maintain eye contact.

"During your work?" Coco asked, raising an eyebrow

Hally recoiled back from the warden's gaze, dark eyes under the hard cap reflecting the '80s fluorescent lighting of the office. She nodded.

"Was it really disrupting your work that much?" Coco asked, skeptically

"It was more that it was disruptive to the customers." Hally said sheepishly

"But you're not looking for a customer-facing job here. Still, with your record, I have some concerns..."

It was at this time, Kate inserted herself once more. "Coco, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but shove your concerns up between those six tails of yours. I need fucking help. This place is always falling apart, and I need more hands. We have a promising candidate with experience and training, and you're going to turn her away because she likes to daydream at _work?!_Stop the fucking presses."

Kate paused to compose herself. "Look, just hire her, call her an apprentice, put her on 90 day probation and let me get back to work. I'll show her the ropes, and if she can't get her act together in 90 days, fire her. I don't think, however, we're gonna have a problem with her."

Hally was thrown off -- she hadn't seemed so angry as they approached the door. She couldn't help but flinch.

"I know you're short-staffed and overworked, Kate." Coco said, frowning. "There's no need to be rude about it. It's not like we have techs knocking at our door every day to get hired. Finding you help is not easy!"

"You have a trained tech right here. She wants to work." Kate said, gesturing lazily to Hally. "She's experienced. She's fixed all kinds of stuff from simple to mechanical, and she's got a technical mind to build stuff like no one else here. If you're really worried about her rampant creativity causing a problem, I'll keep a close eye on her. I got a good feeling about her, so just let me have this."

"Fine." Coco said after a short pause. "If it means that much to you, and if you really think it will help; Hally, you're hired on a probationary basis. If you can prove to be as good as Kate thinks you are, we'll review in 3 months about hiring you on permanently, which will come with a pay bump. Just come around to my computer and we'll get things finalized."

Kate leaned against the door, arms crossed as Hally made her way behind the desk and filled out some paperwork on Coco's computer. She had to create a username and a password and... oh, it was all so official. Sure, she was little better than a temp, but she had a job! Sure, she was at the whim of the Raichu she couldn't get a read on, but who cared?! She had a job!

"So, you start onboa--"

"You start now." Kate said, interrupting Coco. "Come on. We have a tap to fix."

Hally's view moved from Kate to Coco, who looked very much like she wanted something stiff to drink, and waved Hally off.

Hally nodded, and muttered out a quick, excited "Thank you" to Coco as she scampered off after Kate. The sidekick to the superhero that was Kate, who stepped in and saved the poor defenseless Helioptile when the chips were down, this paragon of...

"Hey, grab your chair, kid." Kate's voice said from the hallway. "We don't got all day."

"Right!" Hally said, doubling back for her shield, smile on her face. Maybe, for as abrasive as Kate was, maybe she would be really good for the little daydreamer. She thanked Coco again as she folded up her chair and slid it back on her arm, before hurrying off to catch up with the real hero and her new mentor, Kate.