Your stomach grumbles as if to answer you. You are starving, so you don’t delay in opening the bars and begin wolfing them down. They are thick and fudge, especially the free prize you got, but you don’t bother much with savoring them since you are so hungry, wanting to alleviate the empty feeling in your stomach as soon as possible. As they slide into your stomach, you feel much more relieved, giving a short sigh of relief before walking away to contemplate your next move. You need a job, and a place to live. Obviously you can’t really afford an apartment or hotel, so a job is the main focus for now. You could probably get a part time job or something at one of the stores along main street, so start heading that direction.
As you pass out of an alley, you huff a little, before a small belch escapes you, and you realize your feeling a little full. You guess those bars were a lot more potent then you realized. You look at the stores along the street, plenty of restaurants. You doubt that you could get a job at one of those fancy places, but a fast food place would be easy to get and solve the short term issue of money. You check the windows for any 'help wanted' signs, and spot one at a Pizza place. That would be perfect, you could probably even get some free pizza if they have left overs at the end of the day. You head over and walk in, and see a lion bent over behind the counter.
"Hey," you say, and see him rise up, for a moment wondering how the sun was rising inside the store, before realizing that that was merely the lions golden stomach spilling out from under an apron. "Hey, he says back, "What can I get you today?" His face looks friendly enough, with wobbly checks surrounded by a thick mane. You notice a name tag on his shirt, Lionard, and briefly wonder if that was a result of lazy naming, or if it was an intentional play on his species. "Um... I saw the help sign, I was wondering if the position was still open?" you ask. Lionard smiles, and you see his sharp teeth for the first time, and suddenly reconsider, wondering if his size was due to eating his employees. "Oh, I've been hoping for some help for a while. People get really intimidated by me, so I tend to scare off customers and potential employees." he says, and you feel a bit bad for thinking the same thing. "If your interested," he continues, "I'll take you right away, I need someone working the counter while I cook in the back!" His tone is enthusiastic, and your surprised at the strait forward offer and acceptance. "Wait," you say, a little blindsided, "Don't you want to ask me any questions, I mean, you don't know anything about me." It's an immediate offer, and your not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but generally people at least asked for a name before hiring.
The lion laughs a bit, belly shaking, "I get it, but I've had that up for a year now, and you look trustworthy enough, and quite frankly, I'm too desperate to ask questions. I need a friendly face, and a fox looks far more charming and less intimidating then a sharp toothed lion." You have to admit, he has a point, the store looks pretty empty except for a few people in the back, the furthest place from the counter. You can imagine he's struggling to make a profit if he's scaring away everyone. "So if you want the position, you've got it." he says, opening the counter and waving you in, "We'll get you into a uniform and you can start right now." You have to blink a little in surprise. That was much easier then you thought. You step through and he leads you to the staff room...
-----
After a 4 hour shift, in which a number of people come in, and from the Lions reaction, was a drastic increase in the stores productivity, he hands you an envelope. You check inside and find a load of bills, "Wait, this is far too much for a paycheck," you say, surprised. "Call it an incentive," he says, "This was the best day in I can't remember how long, just keep coming back, and I'll make sure your taken care of." he says. "In fact, here's a special thank you gift just for you," he says, and stacks three pizza boxes into your arms. You hardly know what to say, but obviously this seems like a great position. "Thank you," is all you can really say.
You go back to change into your cloths, thinking you'll now be able to actually buy some instead of stealing. As you tug up your pants, you have a brief weird feeling. Do they feel a bit... tighter then before? You look in the mirror, turning this way and that. You are thin as a rake... well, at least you thought that was the case, you hadn't really examined yourself in a mirror till now, you look normal, not the malnourished skin and bones as you originally thought you must be. Of course, these are new clothes your not used to, so it must be your imagination. You finish getting dressed and take the pizza, then head out and check into a hotel. Thankfully your 'paycheck' gives you plenty to work with for a while. And hey, you have free dinner to boot, which you have your fill of before you go to bed, ready to go back to your new job the next day...
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