/hmofa/ leaving a furboi
“Anon? I think we have a situation up front.”

You look up from your spreadsheets at the speaker. Leanne, a young blonde girl who had just started working for you, was peeking her head through your office door. Her eyes were wide and frantic, and her voice was quiet, a far cry from her usual confident attitude. Frowning, you save any information you had been working on and rise. You’d been a manager at this supermarket for close to 3 years now, and you’d never seen a problem you couldn’t fix. Usually, you were pulled out of your office because some deadbeat was trying to pull a fast one on your workers, or some one was upset that their coupons were out of date. Simple and easy fixes, solved with a little flattery and discounts. But the look in Leanne’s eyes was disconcerting, and you find yourself probing a bit more as you pin your bronze manager’s tag to your chest.

“What’s the issue? Another mix up with Diana?”

Diana was a trainee you had brought on two days ago. She was honest and hardworking, but had a voice like a feather, and about as much self confidence. Yesterday you had to pacify an irritated customer after she had overcharged him for  his fruits. His eyes had nearly bugged out of his head when she claimed that the fruits he was buying would set him back close to 50 dollars. The poor raccoon still wasn’t used to working the register, and had nearly burst into tears when the final number showed up. A simple re-evaluation of his produce, along with some store credit for good measure, had seen him leave with a smile on his face. Again, easy fixes. But as you left the office, and entered the store proper, you felt a sinking feeling in your gut. It was a short walk to the cashier station, but you could already hear the squawks and shrieks of a checkout gone wrong. Whatever had happened, it seemed to be a bit more serious. As you round the corner, you motion to Diane, gesturing towards the emergency help line. You didn’t expect anything to happen, but if things did escalate, she’d know what to do. Preparations finished, you approach register 4, where Diana was scheduled. But as you do, you’re distracted by the belligerent hawk before her. He’s taller than you, maybe 6’6” to your own 6. Deep brown feathers mark his head, running down into a dirty wife-beater, which then give way to worn jeans. Thin forearms end in sharp yellow talons, one of which is brandishing an opened bottle of beer. A sharp hooked beak airs his grievances with Diane, the poor raccoon trying her best to hold her ground, but still shrinking back into her heat. Leo, a high school girl who’s worked for you for the last few months, is trying to reason with the birdman, but it’s plain to see that her mask of composure is a few seconds from cracking. As you approach the register, you make your presence known, and give a silent prayer to whatever deity might be watching, that things won’t end poorly.

“Hello sir. I am the manager how can I help you?”

You slide in behind Diana, who looks at you with teary eyes and a quivering lip. She’s clearly borne the brunt of the aggressive customer. Leo steps back, mouthing a few words of gratitude. Looks like you came just in time. She’s about to break into a quick synopsis when the birdman opens his mouth.

“You took your sweet time getting here, didn’t you,” he spits. 

It’s going to be one of those customers. Inwardly, you sigh. You’d rather not have to do this whole song and dance, but the sneer on his beak leaves no doubt that he expects a show. You put on your most convincing smile and ask him to explain exactly what has happened. He snorts and rolls his eyes.

“I’ll tell you exactly what happened. I was here, with all my shit, see,” motioning to the assortment of collected products lined up in front of the cash register. “When this bitch decides to knock my damn food over! And then demands I pay for it!” He’s yelling by the end of the sentence, sloshing the bottle of beer back and forth, nudging an overturned box of “kwik-n-ez” sushi with his foot. His story already has holes in it. Diana could barely demand anything of a broom, much less a being that was almost twice her size. Out of the corner of your eye, you see her start to draw herself up to say something, but Leo puts her hand on her shoulder. Indeed, all around you, you see other customers shaking their heads, or muttering under their breath. Including, you notice, the smaller bird of prey behind the angry customer. She still has the same wicked talons and beak that are typical of hawks. But where his feathers are a muddy brown, hers are a deeper, richer color. From the bottom of her beak, and riding down her chest, the brown feathers give way to pale, almost  white one. Strung across her chest, what isn’t hidden by her t-shirt and jean jacket, the feather tips are speckled with points of black. Her own eyes, a deeper, more chocolaty brown than her feathers, narrow as she glares at her belligerent companion. The larger hawk is clearly lying. Whatever he’s doing, it isn’t a planned con. Meaning the anger is genuine. Hopefully, though, it can be mollified. Making sure your smile is still in place, you try to interact again.

“I’m very sorry for that sir. This establishment strives to provide the best level of convenience possible for all of our customers.” 

At that, you bow your head a bit, and try your damnedest to convince the birdman in front of you that, no, you hadn’t just seen him lie to your face to try and fire a vulnerable young girl, and that yes, his reaction was totally reasonable for the issue. Sometimes, you just had to swallow your pride, and avoid any confrontation. With that in mind, you continue.

“So, we can replace your purchase, and I’ll go ahead and give you the store discount as well to show how--“

“Fuck that. I want her gone.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You deaf too, smooth-skin?”

That shut everyone up. Including him. Judging by the surprised, but not quite ashamed look on his face, it must have just slipped out. Around him, though, the reaction was quite different. The muttering from other customers halted. Some were now looking on in blatant shock, while a few others, ducked their heads, and fled the store with their purchases. A few of the human customers threw the birdman dirty looks, while the furred and scaled patrons, did their best to avert their gazes. Behind the register, the scene was no different. Diana, had stopped trembling, a look of shock creeping onto her face, while Leo had narrowed her eyebrows, but was otherwise calm. You make a mental note to praise her in her letter to her high school. She’d performed phenomenally while under adverse conditions. A couple of registers down, you see Leanne speaking into the emergency phone receiver. You guess she’d feel better about the whole situation as long as the cops were nearby. Not really necessary yet, but far from a bad idea. Turning your attention back to the hawk, you try and unpack what he wants. 

“That is to say, you want me to fire my employee? I’m sorry sir, but that decision can’t be made easily. The most we can do right now is give you your food.”

“The most you can do is suck my dick, wet neck. She made me, your customer, feel unwelcome. I want her out, and I want my free food. If an honest fur ran this beat up shit show of a store, instead of a thieving hairless monkey like you and your kind, this never would have happened.”

Well, at least he’s stopped pretending to be kind that makes the next few parts easier. His language has caught the attention of everyone around, and no one seems to know what to do. Behind you, Diana’s eyes are as wide as saucers, her shifting eyes bouncing between you and Leo. Leo hasn’t quite taken this turn of events well. Her placid mask, has now shattered, revealing a furious leer beneath. Her hands are clenched and trembling, as if the only thing stopping her from leaping the table and giving the angry avian a piece of her mind was that Diana might actually cry. The smaller hawk girl’s eyes are also gaping, and her face is a picture of horror and disbelief. And, you notice, an underlying vein of regret. You wince in empathy as you gaze around the room again. She hasn’t done a single thing wrong, but being this close the perpetrator, and having arrived with him, she’s getting almost as many dirty looks by association. She turns her gaze towards you, and you realize that everyone’s eyes are on you. The angry birdman clearly want’s a fight, the woman just wants to leave. Half the room seems to expect you to go crazy on the guy, and the human half seems to want to go crazy on your behalf.

Looks like everyone’s going to be disappointed.

“Sir, I’m very sorry you feel that way. Unfortunately, I cannot give you your goods for free. If you feel that this is wrong, I urge you to write to our corporate headquarters expressing your disappointment. Otherwise, sir, I am afraid you will have to shop elsewhere.”

As the words leave your lips, you mentally wince. Maybe that was too eloquent? Maybe he would realize you effectively told him to get the hell out of the store? Maybe he would just get angrier and lash out. He looks at you, still sneering, but his eyes narrow in disappointment. Clearly his words didn’t have the desired effect. He probably expected you to swing first, or at least get upset, not deliver some robotic sales pitch. It’s not his fault, though. Though Leo was shaking in anger from the verbal onslaught, she was just a high school girl. You’d spent most of your youth on anonymous Internet forums for fun, where being called a “monkey loving wet neck cub snatcher” was the kindest phrase you could hope to hear. The hawk had no chance of ruffling your feathers, so to speak. You can see the gears turning in his head, and he’s clearly deciding whether to push the issue, or just cut loose and get out. He’s got to know by now that the crowd isn’t exactly supporting him, and a quick glance towards his companion shows that she’s not exactly cheering him on either. Before he can make up his mind though, the sliding doors chime, announcing the entrance of two new customers. Two uniformed, stern looking policemen, a large imposing bull, and a bearded scowling man, enter. That seems to make up the hawks mind. He tosses what remains in his beer bottle onto the register, and scowls. 

“Whatever. Let’s go babe”

Muttering under his breath, he marches towards the exit, chest puffed out, but refusing to meet the officers’ eyes as he passes. The scowling officer keeps his eye on him as he passes, until the mud-colored feathers are out of sight. The bird woman hesitates for a minute, staring at the assorted produce and meats for a minute, her grasping talons shuffling in her pockets. The moment passes, and she shoots you an apologetic glance, and scurries toward the exit. Her head is bowed, and she does her best to stare at the floor, all too aware of the hard looks she’s getting from the other patrons. Behind you, you hear Leo release a shuddering sigh, while Diana squeaks in relief. The two policemen approach your register, and you mentally prepare to answer a few pointed questions.