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Rays of light pierce through the window at the end of the tiny hall. The gang are shown, all sound asleep in the living room area. Melissa is snug in Zach’s arms, resting her head on his chest while across from them, Firework’s body is curled under the blanket. Echo lies against the motionless dragon with eyes closed and screens dimmed. Cotton wraps his tail around while burrowed in the Firework’s back fur. Amina sleeps alone on the couch between the two; her body extending across the cushions with her head sunk into a pillow. \nKnocking resonates throughout the apartment, rattling the others to open their eyes start sitting up while in their beds. “Hello?” calls a voice from behind the door next to Zach and Melissa, mostly Tara’s. “Are you guys ready?” \nMelissa calls to her. “Give us a minute!” She swings her legs to the side and stands from the bed. “Come on, guys. Let’s get up and get ready!” \n“Guess they like to be very early,” Zach states. “Let’s hurry. Want to be good-looking to make a nice first impression.” Melissa heads to the bathroom and shuts the door. Zach obtains his bandana from underneath the pillow and fixes it around his neck. \n“You wear that blue bandana as your only apparel?” asks Amina. Zach tells her that he does. “Why do you wear such a distinctive neckpiece? Does it bring luck?”\n“I wish it did,” Zach replies. “I always wore this because I was told it would make me confident in being a hero… That was all a lie…”\n“Why wear it if it only induces pain for a troubled past?”\n“Because it reminds me of someone from the orphanage. I don’t remember them too well, but they were the only one nice to me. They gave this bandana to me, and it’s all I have left to think of them.”\n“Who was it?”\n“One of the orphanage staff. It’s all I can remember.” Melissa emerges from the bathroom in her usual attire. Zach turns to her. “Ready?” The rabbit nods. \n“The kids and I are,” Amina utters. “Is there anything you’d like while we’re out with Pod-Cat?”\n“Maybe ask him where the supermarket is?” asks Melissa. “We’ll need food. Here.” She hands her a stack of dollar bills. “This should be enough to cover our supply of groceries.” Amina takes the stack and thanks her.\n“All right, let’s go,” Zach says. The others follow him out the door once the beds are made and flipped back into the loveseats. The fox and rabbit gather by Karma and Tara, who are waiting outside, and shut the door behind them, locking it with the key as their friends wander off with Pod-Cat down the stairs. “Okay. We’re ready.” \n\n*** \n\nThe first stop is the Pawmart a couple of ways not too far from where the friends live. As Melissa and Tara wait in the lobby, Zach sits in the office across the desk, which is visible through glass windows separating the lobby from the office. Karma is beside him with a dark figure across them. They stand over Zach, asking questions to him about safety and customer experience before getting onto situations in which Zach would encounter on the job. Zach answers him in a calm, relaxed way about how he would go about each situation ideally while Karma fills them in on what he knows. \nMelissa lets out a big sigh as she watches the animals engage in their conversation. “Boy, it sure is taking them quite some time.”\n“Karma’s supervisor’s just making sure Zach’s conscious of what he has to do,” implies Tara. “Working in Pawmart is not so easy. It involves a lot of stocking, helping customers, and checking them out.” The girls take notice of the fox and chameleon leaving the office. Zach approaches them as the supervisor heads off. “Well, how’d it go? What did he say?”\n“He likes my personality and my willingness to learn,” Zach tells them. “I start training with Karma tomorrow.”\n“Awesome!” Melissa smiles. “That’s wonderful to hear!”\n“Congratulations on getting the job,” says Tara. “Our next stop now is Pawbucks. It’s not too far from here.”\n\n*** \n\nPawbucks is the only brand-named coffee place in the entire city. The joint is packed with other animals who sit at the tables or stand on the line. Several of the tables are occupied with animals on their devices while taking small sips of their hot beverages or having a small bite to eat. Zach is alone at a table, until Karma comes back with two cups of coffee in his clutches as he sits down across the fox. \nThe chameleon slides the paper cup over to Zach. “Here you are. Pawbuck’s coffee. Take a drink.”\n“Thanks.” Zach takes a sip from the cup and gives it a taste. “It’s not bad… I can see why Melissa really likes this place so much.” \n“Tara loves it, too.” Karma shifts his head and spots the rabbit walking out alongside Tara. “So, how’d it go? Did you get the job, Bunny Girl?”\n“Yes!” Melissa says with glee. “I’m actually super excited I get to be brewing coffee at my favorite place. The manager says I’ll be training alongside Tara.”\n“Now I know where to come for coffee everyday before work,” jokes Zach. “I’ll come in, get to see your pretty face working the counter, and some coffee, too.” Melissa giggles.\n\n***\n\nInside the supermarket, the red fox walks down the aisles with the dragon and robot. “This place is quite complexed,” she states. “So much food, all in one place. I never had such easy access such as this before.” \n“Firework want chocolate,” the dragon says. “Firework love chocolate!” Cotton squeaks in excitement on Firework’s back.\n“Hold on, there,” Echo replies. “We can’t just take what we want. We need to be wise with our economy. I strongly suggest we stick with all the essentials; milk, eggs, butter, bread, meat, water, fruits and vegetables, and so forth.”\n“There are many deals going on right now,” Pod-Cat tells them. “You should be able to afford a lot of things.” \n“Deals?” Amina repeats. “What are these deals?” Pod-Cat fills her in on the information, as well as Echo. “Well, that should make things much simpler for us then, yes?” Amina stops and glances at a figure across the produce tables. To her surprise is a squirrel who shares her style with a periwinkle bra top and loincloth. Her blonde hair is bright against her brown fur and periwinkle face paint, along with the same color for her swirls on her arms. A purple scarf is snug around the squirrel’s neck. Amina remains frozen in her stance as she stares at the other animal.\nFirework stands beside her and turns up to her. Echo does as well, changing to orange. “What Amina stop for?” He looks in the direction she is. “What Amina looking at?”\n“That squirrel girl…” Amina points to where she’s got her eyes fixed. “Over there, picking some fruit.”\nEcho pivots his head and scans the sector. Nothing matching Amina’s description registers for him as the squirrel is out of view. “I do not see anything about a squirrel with tribal wear.”\n“What’s with you and tribal squirrels?” asks Pod-Cat. “Something ticks you off about them?”\nAmina turns to Pod-Cat. “Huh? Oh, no. I have no problem with the squirrel tribe… When I was little, I befriended one of them… My tribe and theirs were enemies, but me and this other squirrel weren’t… She was kind to me, sharing her stories and chatting alongside me… She even taught me how to do things. But my chief was not too pleased with our friendship; I struggled to learn from my masters, but not with my squirrel friend… Our tribes were enemies back then, which was difficult… He deemed me unfit and banished me from the village, but my friend had always been by my side to help me. We were separated when a flash flood swept through our lands… I never saw my friend ever again…” \n“How sweet,” Echo says. “What was her name?”\n“I cannot remember,” Amina answers. “It’s been long ago… However, I remember what she looked like… And the squirrel I just saw by the fruit almost looked like her grown up…”\n“Amina okay?” Firework queries.\nThe red fox sighs. “I… don’t know…”\n“Let us continue our task, shall we?” Echo suggests. The animals carry on with their shopping. Amina keeps her eyes on the spot where she first spotted the squirrel as she walks with the kids.\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"Darkness covers every corner of the apartment; pitch black within. Rays of light pierce through the window at the end of the tiny hall. The gang are shown, all sound asleep in the living room area. Melissa is snug in Zach’s arms, resting her head on his chest while across from them, Firework’s body is curled under the blanket. Echo lies against the motionless dragon with eyes closed and screens dimmed. Cotton wraps his tail around while burrowed in the Firework’s back fur. Amina sleeps alone on the couch between the two; her body extending across the cushions with her head sunk into a pillow.
Knocking resonates throughout the apartment, rattling the others to open their eyes start sitting up while in their beds. “Hello?” calls a voice from behind the door next to Zach and Melissa, mostly Tara’s. “Are you guys ready?”
Melissa calls to her. “Give us a minute!” She swings her legs to the side and stands from the bed. “Come on, guys. Let’s get up and get ready!”
“Guess they like to be very early,” Zach states. “Let’s hurry. Want to be good-looking to make a nice first impression.” Melissa heads to the bathroom and shuts the door. Zach obtains his bandana from underneath the pillow and fixes it around his neck.
“You wear that blue bandana as your only apparel?” asks Amina. Zach tells her that he does. “Why do you wear such a distinctive neckpiece? Does it bring luck?”
“I wish it did,” Zach replies. “I always wore this because I was told it would make me confident in being a hero… That was all a lie…”
“Why wear it if it only induces pain for a troubled past?”
“Because it reminds me of someone from the orphanage. I don’t remember them too well, but they were the only one nice to me. They gave this bandana to me, and it’s all I have left to think of them.”
“Who was it?”
“One of the orphanage staff. It’s all I can remember.” Melissa emerges from the bathroom in her usual attire. Zach turns to her. “Ready?” The rabbit nods.
“The kids and I are,” Amina utters. “Is there anything you’d like while we’re out with Pod-Cat?”
“Maybe ask him where the supermarket is?” asks Melissa. “We’ll need food. Here.” She hands her a stack of dollar bills. “This should be enough to cover our supply of groceries.” Amina takes the stack and thanks her.
“All right, let’s go,” Zach says. The others follow him out the door once the beds are made and flipped back into the loveseats. The fox and rabbit gather by Karma and Tara, who are waiting outside, and shut the door behind them, locking it with the key as their friends wander off with Pod-Cat down the stairs. “Okay. We’re ready.”

***

The first stop is the Pawmart a couple of ways not too far from where the friends live. As Melissa and Tara wait in the lobby, Zach sits in the office across the desk, which is visible through glass windows separating the lobby from the office. Karma is beside him with a dark figure across them. They stand over Zach, asking questions to him about safety and customer experience before getting onto situations in which Zach would encounter on the job. Zach answers him in a calm, relaxed way about how he would go about each situation ideally while Karma fills them in on what he knows.
Melissa lets out a big sigh as she watches the animals engage in their conversation. “Boy, it sure is taking them quite some time.”
“Karma’s supervisor’s just making sure Zach’s conscious of what he has to do,” implies Tara. “Working in Pawmart is not so easy. It involves a lot of stocking, helping customers, and checking them out.” The girls take notice of the fox and chameleon leaving the office. Zach approaches them as the supervisor heads off. “Well, how’d it go? What did he say?”
“He likes my personality and my willingness to learn,” Zach tells them. “I start training with Karma tomorrow.”
“Awesome!” Melissa smiles. “That’s wonderful to hear!”
“Congratulations on getting the job,” says Tara. “Our next stop now is Pawbucks. It’s not too far from here.”

***

Pawbucks is the only brand-named coffee place in the entire city. The joint is packed with other animals who sit at the tables or stand on the line. Several of the tables are occupied with animals on their devices while taking small sips of their hot beverages or having a small bite to eat. Zach is alone at a table, until Karma comes back with two cups of coffee in his clutches as he sits down across the fox.
The chameleon slides the paper cup over to Zach. “Here you are. Pawbuck’s coffee. Take a drink.”
“Thanks.” Zach takes a sip from the cup and gives it a taste. “It’s not bad… I can see why Melissa really likes this place so much.”
“Tara loves it, too.” Karma shifts his head and spots the rabbit walking out alongside Tara. “So, how’d it go? Did you get the job, Bunny Girl?”
“Yes!” Melissa says with glee. “I’m actually super excited I get to be brewing coffee at my favorite place. The manager says I’ll be training alongside Tara.”
“Now I know where to come for coffee everyday before work,” jokes Zach. “I’ll come in, get to see your pretty face working the counter, and some coffee, too.” Melissa giggles.

***

Inside the supermarket, the red fox walks down the aisles with the dragon and robot. “This place is quite complexed,” she states. “So much food, all in one place. I never had such easy access such as this before.”
“Firework want chocolate,” the dragon says. “Firework love chocolate!” Cotton squeaks in excitement on Firework’s back.
“Hold on, there,” Echo replies. “We can’t just take what we want. We need to be wise with our economy. I strongly suggest we stick with all the essentials; milk, eggs, butter, bread, meat, water, fruits and vegetables, and so forth.”
“There are many deals going on right now,” Pod-Cat tells them. “You should be able to afford a lot of things.”
“Deals?” Amina repeats. “What are these deals?” Pod-Cat fills her in on the information, as well as Echo. “Well, that should make things much simpler for us then, yes?” Amina stops and glances at a figure across the produce tables. To her surprise is a squirrel who shares her style with a periwinkle bra top and loincloth. Her blonde hair is bright against her brown fur and periwinkle face paint, along with the same color for her swirls on her arms. A purple scarf is snug around the squirrel’s neck. Amina remains frozen in her stance as she stares at the other animal.
Firework stands beside her and turns up to her. Echo does as well, changing to orange. “What Amina stop for?” He looks in the direction she is. “What Amina looking at?”
“That squirrel girl…” Amina points to where she’s got her eyes fixed. “Over there, picking some fruit.”
Echo pivots his head and scans the sector. Nothing matching Amina’s description registers for him as the squirrel is out of view. “I do not see anything about a squirrel with tribal wear.”
“What’s with you and tribal squirrels?” asks Pod-Cat. “Something ticks you off about them?”
Amina turns to Pod-Cat. “Huh? Oh, no. I have no problem with the squirrel tribe… When I was little, I befriended one of them… My tribe and theirs were enemies, but me and this other squirrel weren’t… She was kind to me, sharing her stories and chatting alongside me… She even taught me how to do things. But my chief was not too pleased with our friendship; I struggled to learn from my masters, but not with my squirrel friend… Our tribes were enemies back then, which was difficult… He deemed me unfit and banished me from the village, but my friend had always been by my side to help me. We were separated when a flash flood swept through our lands… I never saw my friend ever again…”
“How sweet,” Echo says. “What was her name?”
“I cannot remember,” Amina answers. “It’s been long ago… However, I remember what she looked like… And the squirrel I just saw by the fruit almost looked like her grown up…”
“Amina okay?” Firework queries.
The red fox sighs. “I… don’t know…”
“Let us continue our task, shall we?” Echo suggests. The animals carry on with their shopping. Amina keeps her eyes on the spot where she first spotted the squirrel as she walks with the kids.
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