"Sean...buddy...pal," he started, putting an arm around his shoulder. X-Pac glared suspiciously. "You know, we have a lot of hungry people out there....and one waitress that can't serve them all...and you're free..." X-Pac's frown deepened.
"You didn't hire me to be a waitor." Hunter grinned like a cheesy used car salesman.
"True, true. But we need another special someone to help out..." He cut his sentence short, letting the words sink in. The effect was not the one he had anticipated.
"Hell no!" Sean yelled as he turned to make his way back out the door into the dining room. Hunter grabbed him and pulled him back, almost desperate.
"Listen to me, Sean. I'll double your pay tonight. You'll only have to pull a shift until these people leave, okay?" X-Pac replied with a sardonic smile.
"Oooh, double pay! You're going to pay me four dollars now? Wow!" and with that, he turned and walked out and back to his table, leaving Hunter shocked and out of options. He glanced about himself frantically, unsure of what exactly he could do. He decided he had only one option left- beg for all his worth.
Going out into the dining room and locating Syxx, he sat down across from him and put his hands palms-down on the table between them. "Please, Sean. I'm begging you. Please help me." X-Pac raised an eyebrow.
"Do I still have to clean up after everyone?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
X-Pac smiled. "Then all I can say is you're outta luck, pal." Hunter wailed.
"Please!" he screamed, making the perfect family across from them look their direction. He blushed then, noticing the many pairs of eyes boring holes in his head. He continued, softer this time. "I really need another waitre..er...waiter. I'll do anything, Sean. Please!" This, apparently, interested Sean greatly.
"Anything?" he repeated, an evil glint coming to his eyes. Hunter got the sudden feeling he was going to live to regret this, but he figured when he had one option left, it was worth the price. He nodded, and X-Pac grinned brightly. "Sure, I'll help ya out, buddy!" he replied heartily as he slapped HHH on his back, going back to the kitchen to get a notepad. Hunter breathed a sigh of relief. Now if only he could get Billy out of that trance...
It was tough getting all the people seated and waited on with only two people working the tables, but eventually everyone was satisfied, and the majority of the crowd was being fed happily, though half of what they ordered was either not what they wanted or merely resembled what they had ordered. However, getting everyone seated and taking their orders was only half the battle. There was still the food to be shipped out.
Chyna tore off the paper she had been writing on and handed it back to Hunter through the window in front of the kitchen. The State Health Department had informed him that things would have been much more efficient had he opted to take the techonological route as most restaurants did these days, and install computers and monitors everywhere. Sean had even offered free maitenance care on the systems. But no, Hunter was old fashioned in his ways and preferred the cheaper and, then it had seemed, less complicated route. He remembered all this with terrible clarity as he stared miserably at the growing pile of papers on the counter, finding it harder to tell one order from the other. He sighed, cracked an egg in the bowl, and began his fifty-third omelet of the night. "What kind of people eat omelets for dinner?" he muttered as he started the blender.
The doors to the kitchen swung open, and in bussled Syxx, holding a basket full of dirty dishes, glasses, and other miscellaneous items. He dumped the box's contents into the water beside the Outlaws, wondering how the hell they had ever gotten a job anywhere, then remembered he was pulling two shifts tonight. He cursed HHH under his breath and made his way back out the door. Road Dogg looked up just in time to see the plates about to fall from piling up so high.
"Oh dear.." he said softly as he quickly ran over to hold them in place. "Billy!" he yelled, hoping he could somehow get his distinguished counterpart to his side. He had no such luck. "BILLY!" he tried again. And again no response. Road Dogg gave up, letting the dishes fall to the floor. Hunter, hearing the crash, considered ordering paper plates next pay period. One good thing, however, did come of this; Billy Gunn, for the first time since he'd turned on the dish washer, was fully aware of his surroundings. Like a deer caught in headlights, he froze, looked about himself, then calmed back down. Road Dogg tapped his shoulders, pointed to the still-considerable amount of dirty dishes, and the two quickly got to "work" on cleaning the place up. Hunter sighed and called for one of his employees to take the veggie burger to the Goth in the corner. He wondered briefly if she was of any relation to Gangrel, then, shaking his head, went back to his cooking.
Meanwhile, the Outlaws were hard at work, with Billy closely inspecting the dishes in the sink. Jesse picked up a nearby cookie sheet and grinned madly.
"Hey Billy..." he started, sneaking up behind him. "Hey Billy, turn around!" Gunn did as instructed and was promptly hit over the head with the pan. He fell on the floor, down but not out, then quickly got back up. For some strange reason, Jesse got the urge to start singing "Tubthumping", but he quickly decided against it. Gunn slowly rose to his feet, grabbing a nearby bottle of mustard to defend himself. He began squirting it at his tag partner, Jesse using the cookie sheet as a shield until he found the bottle of ketchup that had been beside the mustard. They both then began fighting each other armed with table condiments. Gunn soon learned that his weapon was not going to do much and, finding a bowl of fruit punch Hunter had set out to be taken to a table, dumped it over James's head. That was a mistake. Jesse screamed and then began aimlessly running through the kitchen, successfully scaring Hunter lifeless. Gunn swiftly moved behind him.
"....the hell did you do to him?!" HHH demanded, looking beside him to the shocked Billy. He shook his head slowly, not quite sure himself.
"You know the scene in 'Carrie' where she totally flips out and starts frying people at the prom?" Hunter nodded. "Well..." Hunter nodded again, this time a bit more reluctantly. About that time, Syxx ran in with two more baskets of dishes and, seeing the irate Road Dogg, left just as quickly as he had come. This was a strange, strange day. All he wanted was to go to sleep.
* * *
X-Pac scrubbed the table one last time, then threw the rag in the basket where the other dishes had been piled. "ahhhh...I hate this damned job...." he grumbled in a gruff voice, pulling the cigarette from his mouth and looking down at the table. "Stupid kids. Can't clean up after themselves." Various items had been spilled everywhere, and Sean had learned that dried ketchup was not kind to wooden tables. "Good enough." The last customer had left just as they were closing nearly half an hour ago, and the restaurant was still recovering from the scare they had experienced earlier. Two ketchup fights, a mad cook with a knife whose steak had been insulted, and a Carrie reinactment later, they were all still alive to tell about it, and for that, Sean was grateful. The Outlaws had long since fallen asleep in the back, Billy clutching a rolling pin next to him as an added safety precaution. Hunter had been left to clean up the kitchen by himself, but Syxx was not in the least sorry for him. He looked up and over to see Chyna sitting happily by herself, counting and recounting the considerable amount of tips she had made. She noticed him staring at her and smiled cheerfully. He smiled sarcastically in return.
"Well, guys, looks like we're alive for another day, huh?" Hunter asked as he walked out of the kitchen, sitting down at the table Sean had been scrubbing for the past five minutes. Much to his surprise, Syxx smiled.
"An eventful evening it was, pal," he said, putting emphasis on the last word. Hunter suddenly felt uneasy. "And about that deal..."
* * *
"No, no, no...she wants the maxis with the WINGS, Hunter...I'm sorry, these won't do." Syxx handed the small package back to the cook, sending him back into the store. This made his third trip back to Krogers, and Sean was sure that that number could, and likely would, increase. Earlier he had been given a rather embarassing shopping list from his significant other and, while he would always strive to please her, he never promised her that it would be *him* that did the actual shopping. Fifteen minutes later, Hunter reimerged from the store, red faced and quiet. He shoved the bag at Sean. Digging through it, Syxx held up the packages of various female items and showed Hunter the pantyhose.
"Hunter...I told you control top. The list clearly states that you would get control top!" Hunter groaned.
"Come on...they had to blare out over the speakers asking if they could have help in the women's sanitary department! Don't be cruel to me like this, Sean, I'm still a human!" Sean grinned and handed the bag back to him.
"As far as I'm concerned, you sold your soul to the devil. Now go, errand boy. I don't have all day." Hunter cursed under his breath and headed back into the store yet again. Syxx leaned back in his seat in the car and turned the sterio up louder. He always knew Hunter was good for something.
