A Debt to Repay (SMG34)

Getting to Know Your Coworkers

It took a few days of getting to know the layout of the building, as well as learning how to do his job properly, before he was able to work the floors by himself. He wanted to do a good job, but he didn't want to work himself to the bone just because Mario got him into this mess. He sighed as he put away his cart of supplies, locking the door behind him before straitening out his shirt. He wasn't quite used to the uniform, which was a button-down shirt and a vest combo. It was even worse without his hat since his hair always did like to stick out in weird spots.

He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to smooth it down as he walked to the time clock. Once he clocked out, he sighed softly, ready to go home for the day. Though he was stopped as a pink haired woman in a long brown coat, he clocked in for the evening, looking at him. "Hey, you're new here, right?" She asked as she looked at the shorter man before her.

"Uh, yeah. I'm SMG4." He said, holding out his hand for her to shake. She shook his hand without much hesitation.

"Saiko Bichitaru. Do you mind helping my bandmate bring in a couple of things before you leave?" She asked as she took her hand back to unbutton her coat.

"I mean, I should get go..." SMG4 stopped himself as he saw Saiko take off her coat to reveal a sparkly orange floor length gown, barely held up by two straps with a long slit up the side. It hugged her body and made her form very visible. SMG4 felt his mouth go dry for a moment. "I...I'll go help them." He said, stepping out through the back door to find a man with white hair bringing in a couple of covered instrument pieces. "Hey, I was told by Saiko to come out and help you."

The man looked up as he carried in a bag. "Oh, yeah, sure. Feel free to grab a few bags and bring them to the backstage. I'll set them up afterward." He said as he walked inside.

SMG4 did as he was asked and moved to bring in the bags, setting them down next to the others. Once everything was inside, the other guy was getting the stuff out to set up. "So, how do you know Saiko?" SMG4 asked as he looked at the other.

"I'm her bandmate, Kaizo. We were friends before that." He admitted as he looked at SMG4 for a moment before returning to his setup.

"So, is Saiko seeing anyone?" SMG4 asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I wouldn't if I were you. You would be getting more than what you're bargaining for with dating Saiko. I'm giving you fair warning right now." Kaizo said seriously.

"Oh come on, she can't be that bad." SMG4 said with an eye roll.

"Hey, I'm just telling you the truth. You will probably get sent through a wall." Kaizo said with a shake of his head. "If you don't believe me, then ask her out after the show tonight. We're set to go on in about an hour if you want to just hang out at the bar." He said as he stood up.

"Maybe I will." SMG4 said as he moved to go back out to the main floor to get to the lounge. He saw the place was just as bustling as it was during the day, maybe a bit more busy actually. SMG4 loosened the top few buttons on the top of his shirt and took his place at the bar. He looked over at the orange haired bartender, ordering a scotch on the rocks.

"Coming right up." The bartender said as she made the drink up for him. "So, you're the new housekeeper?" She asked.

"Yeah, I am." SMG4 replied as he watched her make his drink.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Meggy." She said as she placed his drink in front of him.

"SMG4. It's nice to meet you too." He said, shaking her outstretched hand before sitting back down. He heard the microphone being tapped over the speaker and looked over at the stage, seeing a young man testing the mic before introducing Saiko to the stage.

"Oh right, it's Friday." Meggy said, making SMG4 look at her.

"What's so special about Friday?"

"It just means Saiko is back for the weekend as our lounge singer. She's actually really good." Meggy commented as the crowd in the lounge cheered as the curtains to the stage were drawn back to reveal the two on stage. Kaizo began to play slowly on a set of drums, the low sound of a piano could be heard off stage as Saiko went up to the microphone, her lips parting as she began to sing a slow song that SMG4 was unfamiliar with.

SMG4 enjoyed the music and atmosphere, staying longer than he normally would for anything. It was actually kind of nice to just relax a little bit despite everything that's happened the past few days. He stayed and watched the performance, soon seeing people leave as soon as it was done. SMG4 paid for his drink and got up to leave. "Hey, do you mind staying back a few minutes and walking me to my car? I don't like the idea of walking there in the dark by myself."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get there safely." SMG4 said with a friendly smile.

"Great. Let me just lock up and take care of these dishes in the back." Meggy said, walking around the front of the bar to lock the lounge doors before gathering the dirty dishes to wash in the back. SMG4 slipped off of his stool, heading over to the empty stage and walking on to it. He was a little startled as he heard the piano start playing again, but since he didn't see anyone he figured it was probably a set playlist for whoever was on stage. He did at least recognize this one song. He slowly went up to the microphone to see if it was still on, and when he saw it was, he hesitated for a moment. No one was here, so he could actually sing if he wanted. He decided to go for it.

Once he was done, he heard clapping and turned a bright red as he realized someone had been listening in. He quickly turned around and saw the curtain moving to reveal SMG3 sitting there, in front of a piano. "Well, if I knew you were such a great singer I would have put you as our fill in singer for the days that Saiko isn't here."

"You will forget you heard any of that!" SMG4 said in embarrassment. SMG3 chuckled. "It's not funny!"

"You're right, it's not, but you do actually have some talent." SMG3 said as he got off of the bench and made his way closer to SMG4, looking at him. "Keep it in mind when you're finished with the debt." He reminded him as he hopped off the stage. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said before leaving the lounge.

A minute later, Meggy came out from the back and walked over to SMG4. "Hey, you ready to head out?" She asked, making the man nod. They headed out the back, turning off the lights as they went. SMG4 walked her to her car like he said he would.

"Hey, did you need a ride home?" Meggy asked as she got into her car.

"Nah, I don't live that far from here. I can just walk."

"Okay, see you around SMG4." She said as she waved him off before driving out of the parking lot. SMG4 sighed and began the walk home. He was thankful that it was a clear night out for a walk. He soon made it home and walked in, going to the bathroom and taking a long shower. Getting out, he dried off and put on some comfy clothes for bed. He sighed softly and slowly got under the covers of his bed, snuggling into the pillow. He was about to fall asleep when he felt something nudge him underneath the covers.

He pulled back the covers to reveal Beeg, his little buddy and sort of pet. "Hey Beeg, you get cold?" He asked softly as he adjusted to let Beeg get comfy. "It's okay, you can sleep with me tonight." He said before yawning softly. He moved to lay on his back, Beeg laying against his side. "Hopefully tomorrow isn't so bad like it was today."