A Soviet's Struggle

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Mariya took a sharp, deep breath. This was it! A momentous occasion. Her first day on the job.

Through applications and interviews, months of waiting, Mariya happened to score a position as a waitress at Erik's Bar and Grill. The man who interviewed her was someone she had actually met before, a stoic croc named Yani; the friend of Hakeem the Hawk, and the Assistant Manager at Erik's. He was a 5th year, going for his masters, and later his PhD, in law. His father was the designated school security guard; Baldhardt not needing much security due to its fenced-in nature. Immigrants from Turkey, looking to start a new life in the northern wet colds of the Germanic world. He was fond of her - not in the romantic sense - but in the admiration sense. Mariya's pursuit in a job to help cover her costs of living, and how willing she was to sacrifice what she needed to get it, was admirable to the croc. It was what his mother, who was long deceased, and his father had taught him.

Deciding she was a welcome fit, Yani gave his opinion on the matter to his boss, who, despite Mariya's deformities, was keen on welcoming her aboard. She had done her training, coming in for the past 3 days to learn the in's and out's of serving, and what to expect. She shadowed Yani, not speaking to customers, and watching his every move.

Today was her first actual day on the job, with a steady pay of 13€ an hour. She steps into the restaurant for her shift, greets staff, clocks in, and gets briefed. Tonight is going to be one hell of a busy night.

Unbeknownst to Mariya, her friends had decided to celebrate in her honour by eating dinner at the adult restaurant; tipping her and sharing laughs, ultimately taking her home with them and spending the night partying. They gathered at 7:00, and made it to the restaurant at 7:15. Eager to eat an unhealthy amount of food, and see her friend, Xiao's legs tapped on the floor as she, and the rest of their group, waited for a table big enough to open. They had been waiting for 15 minutes. Next to her sat her friend, Chahsa, who was able to get Amy - the Canadian fire Ant who commissioned Mariya for Chahsa's portrait - to babysit for the night. Noticing her feline friend's nervousness, Chahsa grabbed Xiao by the paw, the two locking eyes.

"Someone's nervous!" the Ram exclaimed, chuckling softly. "What's wrong hon?"

Xiao looked to the floor, to her bouncing leg. What was wrong? She was never like this with other hangouts before. She's never nervous. Why was this different? Social anxiety? The large group? Secondhand embarrassment? She wasn't quite sure. She opened her mouth, but words wouldn't come out. All she could think about was why and her bouncing leg.

In response to Xiao's silence, Chahsa rubbed her paw with her thumb, leaning in closer to her distressed friend. She got close to her ear, whispering in soft tones: "You can tell me. I'm sure it's nothing to be nervous about."

As Xiao opened her mouth to again fall on deaf words, the hostess called Roberto's name. He was the one who was going to be paying for the meal, with Brittney's help. Each animalloid, one by one, got up from the seats and paced their way to the hostess; Chahsa and Xiao following suit shortly after.

"You can tell me later," the Ram spoke, helping Xiao up from the seat. "If you're comfortable."

It wasn't the fact that she wasn't comfortable, it was the fact that she didn't know what! It was frustrating, stressful, and as they inched closer to their table, warming to the body. She felt a wedge form in her throat, like something was telling her to run. She couldn't speak, and she certainly couldn't eat. Everything felt so stiff, like things were moving in slow motion.

Then, they sat.

She was wedged between Chahsa and Akari; who were both desperately awaiting their menus like starved, rabid animals. She was closer to the edge of the round corner table: Chahsa, Titus and Gerwalt being the only three between her and her escape. The hostess hands out menus; one for each animalloid. Xiao scans each page carefully. The hostess speaks: