FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was nine o'clock on a clear Spring day. Inside the residence of a small apartment complex, a young man was waking up to the sound of his bedroom clock's alarm. His name was Michael Schmit, sometimes referred to as just Mike to his friends. Michael groaned as the alarm forced him to emerge from his once peaceful slumber before shutting the device off and crawling out from his bedsheets. Rising to his feet, the young man stretched his limbs as he formed an audible yawn. Next, Michael headed for the nearby bathroom and turned on the water pressure for his morning shower. After washing his form Michael gathered a fresh set of clothes, what few there were, and exited his bedroom while making his way to the main chamber of his apartment. He noticed a small pile of papers that had been left on the floor as he entered the room. Once gathered, Michael discovered that they were junk mail, the morning paper, a rent notification. It was nearing the time when he would have to pay the monthly rent or else be evicted from the premises. This made Michael sigh with depression. He had been slightly behind on his payments due to trouble finding a steady job.

Two years ago, Michael had graduated from his local university with a degree in engineering and was prepared to set out into the world to find a place to work. Unfortunately, there were few positions available in the area that benefited with his skill set and even then the position would always be taken by someone else. This left Michael with no choice but to search for other jobs. For the past two years, he worked at various jobs that had his performing differing tasks. Washing dishes. Scrubbing floors. Managing storage, waiting tables, and many other things. While this did work in providing him with a steady income to pay the apartment rent, the jobs never stuck as again he found himself being replaced by another employee and forcing him back into the market. He wished for just once he'd keep a job even if it wasn't one he'd be looking forward to every day.

Michael searched through the kitchen cabinets in search of something to eat and eventually found a box of cereal. Given his current saddened mindset he decided this was passable alongside some cold milk and a fresh apple. He gathered the remaining items and sat down to a small table and started eating his mediocre meal, eventually pulling out the morning newspaper to see which jobs were available. With any luck he'd find a decent one to keep for a few months. As he looked through the advertisements, Michael saw one in particular that stood out from the rest. It was an advertisement for the position of a security guard at a local pizzeria. The description included working with celebrity employees, a discount on food and games, and a one hundred and twenty dollar paycheck. Michael's eyes widened in disbelief from reading the article. It seemed too good to be true. Wasting no time, Michael finished his breakfast and put away his remaining dishes before gathering his supplies and racing out the door towards the nearest bus stop. When the bus eventually arrived he climbed aboard and sat down before the bus started to move.

During the ride, Michael went over his papers to ensure he had everything ready. As a result of his frequent employment he had prepared an actual set of résumés which he would edit with each relocation. But as he went over his employment papers memories of his numerous jobs began to replay in his head and Michael's spirits dampened as a result. He started to doubt himself as continued looking through the list of job experiences he listed until he eventually put the papers away, having no desire to reminded further of his past experiences. About half an hour later Michael exited the bus and stared at the building that stood before him, Fazbear's Pizzeria. The confidence and excitement he had when he first read the article had vanished. In the back of his head, Michael began to fear that the job might have already been taken by another person seeking employment. He simply stood silent looking at the building before releasing a somber breath of air. "Well Mike, it's now or never."

Entering the restuarant, Michael found the place to be filled with bright lights, loud sounds, and little children scurrying about the place under the watch of their respected families. He approached a podium placed only a few feet away from the main entrance yet found no one standing behind it. Michael looked around to see if a host or hostess was nearby but could not see anyone that resembled an employee. It was only a moment later that he saw a bright yellow chicken emerging from the kitchen carrying a few trays of pizza and approaching a group of children who crowded around her in anticipation for the food she carried. The hen smiled as she delivered the food to her hungry guests before turning to notice Michael and rushing over to him. As she approached him, Michael saw that she wore a white dress that was covered in flour, cheese, and what could be assumed as pizza sauce. There was also a small bib that hung over her chest that spelled out as 'Let's Eat'. When the chicken caught up to him she quickly apologized, presuming he had been waiting some time for her attendance.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir. I hope you weren't waiting for too long." Her voice sounded upset, as if she was disappointed with herself. Michael responded softly and with a smile, trying to put the bird's worries to rest. "It's alright, Miss, I only just came inside. I'm here to apply for the position of security guard you listed."

The yellow chicken's eyes widened in surprise when he brought up the subject of employment. She quickly calmed herself before taking Michael by the hand and escorting him across the restaurant. As the two of them walked Michael looked around and saw two other animals which appeared to be other employees at the establishment. There was a purple bunny standing proud upon an elevated stage as she strummed her guitar for the crowd of young kinds cheering her on. She was sporting a red bow tie along with an open jacket, undershirt, and jeans. On the other side of the building was a red colored fox dressed up as a pirate, including an eye-patch and a decorative hook for a right hand. She was telling stories of her days venturing the seven seas with her pirate crew in search of adventure. The gathering mass of children sat in silence, listening to her tales with excitement in their eyes. Eventually, the yellow bird brought Michael to a door that read out as the manager's office. She gently knocked on the door and asked to see if the owner was inside. "Freda, are you in?"

"Yes, Chica. Come in, please." Came a response. The yellow bird, now known as Chica, smiled and turned to Michael. "Alright then. Just go in there and do your best. I have to get back to the kitchen. Good luck!"

With that said, Chica rushed back to the kitchen leaving Michael to face the owner in asking for employment. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and came face to face with the restaurant's owner. She was a brown colored bear with matching brunette hair while wearing a black suit and red bow. Freda eyed Michael with a perplexed expression, wondering why he had entered her office and not Chica. Michael hadn't said anything which quickly tested her patience.

"Can I help you, sir?" She asked sounding slightly annoyed. Michael gulped and stuttered in his response. "Yes, ma'am. My name is Michael Schmit and I'm here to apply for the job of security guard, Ms. Fazbear."

Freda paused and blinked before she sighed in irritation, rubbing her forehead as she did so.

"Please, call me Freda, my mother was Ms. Fazbear. Anyways, you're here for the position of security you say?" Michael nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am. I have my résumé if you would like to reference."

Freda obliged the nervous man and took the short list of papers from him and began reading through it. She sounded a few hums of interest which came off as positive for Michael. When she was finished, Freda placed the papers down and turned back to him. "Well Mr. Schmit, while I can say your résumé is quite impressive I think you might be over qualified for the job. Tell me exactly why you would want to work here instead of choosing any other career options out there."

Michael cleared his throat before began explaining himself. "Well Ms. Freda, I did intend to apply elsewhere for a job multiple times but unfortunately there were no other local positions available that suited my skills. For the past two years I've been roaming around from one place to another seeking employment so I can keep a roof over my head. Whenever I did find a job it wasn't long before I was replaced by someone else and back on the streets looking for another place to work. I don't mean to be rude but choosing here was sort of a last resort for me. Although I'd be lying if I said a part of me wasn't at least somewhat excited in the thought of working here as I used to come here as a child. I guess part of me wanted to see what had become of the place alongside hoping there was a job available."

Freda stayed silent and listened to his story. After he had finished, she stood up from her desk and held her arm out while forming a warm smile. "Congratulations, Mr. Schmit. You've got the job."

Michael's eyes widened in utter disbelief. He quickly rose up to meet Freda's level and began shaking her hand with much enthusiasm, thanking her enough times to where the bear began to blush with embarrassment. When he finally released her from his grip, Freda explained his position requirements such as wearing his uniform, working hours, and equipment. Michael understood his responsibilities and was offered a tour of the restaurant alongside getting a proper introduction to the other employees. Michael accepted whole-heartedly and proceeded to follow Freda out of her office. During the tour Freda gave a basic description for a few of the business attractions and other locations of the building. There was the kitchen where Chica prepared the food. The main stage where the purple rabbit, Bonnie, performed. And then there was the Pirate's Cove where Foxy told her stories to the kids. Unfortunately, aside from Chica, neither of the fore mentioned employees at their regular stations. When asked about this, Freda suggested that they might have been in the private lounge. Sure enough, both girls were found inside the employee lounge taking a break from entertaining costumers. Bonnie was busy reading through a magazine centered on music and guitars while Foxy was taking shots from a bottle of booze she had beside her. The sight of the alcoholic beverage turned Freda's bright mood into complete rage as she stomped towards the red fox with a livid look in her face.

"Foxy!" She shouted. "How many times have I told you 'No drinking on the job'!" Foxy, who had only taken a few shots, turned to look at her boss with an uninterested expression. "Calm down, Freda. I was only taking a few sips. I wasn't going to drink the whole bottle."

Freda was not amused by her cohort's excuse and proceeded to lecture Foxy like a disobedient child. Bonnie sighed, clearly not enthusiastic about hearing the two argue when she noticed Michael standing beside her. Curious, she nudged him slightly to get his attention and was successful in doing so. When Michael turned to look at her, Bonnie introduced herself and started conversing with him in an effort to drown out her coworkers nearby arguing.

"What's your name, guy?" She asked. Michael answered her and was then asked why he was in the employee lounge. When he answered her question again, informing that he was the new security guard, Bonnie sighed with relief. "That's good news. For a moment there I thought you were an inspector and Freda forgot to inform us about it. Anyways, the name's Bonnie but most people call me Bonbon. Either is good with me. I'm actually surprised you managed to impress Freda to get the job, usually she just tosses anyone out who comes looking for work."

Michael was surprise by this but continued talking with Bonnie while Freda and Foxy resumed yelling at each other. The two managed to get well acquainted with each other during their talk before there was a knock on the door. Everyone stopped and turned to see Chica entering the room with a nervous look on her face and carrying a large flat box. Her voice was barely audible as she tried to talk. "Excuse me, Freda, but there's a call for you coming from your office."

Freda sighed and told Chica that she would take care of it before turning back to Foxy and stating that their business was not over with. After that, she left, closing the door behind her and leaving the remaining four employees alone in the room. Foxy groaned before taking another shot from her glass, acting as if nothing had occurred a moment ago. Meanwhile, Bonnie introduced Michael to Chica as the new security guard. This made the hen smile with delight as she congratulated Michael on getting hired via a warm embracing. Michael, although caught off guard, welcomed her hug all the same. Bonbon smiled seeing the two hug before asking the hen what was inside the box she was carrying. Chica explained that it was a cheese pizza she planned on giving Michael whether or not he got the job or not. "I figured if you didn't get hired then it would serve as a 'better luck next time' gift but since you did it's now officially a 'welcome to the family' pizza instead."

Michael smiled as he took the pizza box from the chicken's offering hands and thanked her for the gift, even if it initially meant something else. Although thinking about it, he recalled Bonnie having mentioned their boss more inclined to decline him the position like previous applicants. He asked them, "Excuse me, but may I ask what's this with Freda turning people down when offering to work here?"

Both the rabbit and hen froze, clearly hesitant towards answering his question. However a certain red, slightly intoxicated, fox came about to answering his question.

"It's because of her father being the former owner and having to live up to his reputation. When he was in charge there was an 'accident' that nearly got the place shut down. It's only because Freda took over as the new manager and revived the place that we stayed open for this long." She paused to take another shot before changing the subject towards address Michael himself. "So you're the new security guard around here, eh? Well you may have passed Freda's test to get the job but now comes the hard part - keeping it. I'm warning you now that she's gonna watching you like your own shadow, so I'd watch out if I were you."

Foxy had finished talking to Michael and proceeded to consume more of her beer. Michael had gotten nervous upon hearing about Freda's high standards for him and began to form a slight shiver as a result. Both Bonnie and Chica were quick to notice this and tried to put his fears to rest.

"Don't listen to Foxy, Michael." Chica said softly. "Take it from us, Freda isn't anything like she's described. We've known he as long as Foxy and she's never been unreasonable."

"Yeah. No need to get bent out of shape, Mikey." Bonnie chimed in. "Just do your job as best you can and Freda will be cool with you. Trust us on this."

Michael listened to his new coworkers' advice and found himself back at an eased state from before listening to Foxy's speech. Chica offered to talk somewhere else in order to avoid another situation with Foxy. Bonnie arose from her seat in agreement before following the chicken outside. Michael, on the other hand, remained silent as he looked at the red fox with curiosity. He could see a small hint of sadness on the fox's muzzle and figured that Foxy might not have wanted to said what she did to him. Unfortunately his focus was interrupted when he heard Chica called his name. With slightly hesitation, Michael walked out of the lounge and left Foxy alone with only her drinks and the internal silence as company.