Dancer #47c: Yield smaller change, or perish with much suffering!


    A small woman with unusual dark blue colored hair and eyes strolled into the Bean & Donut and headed straight for the counter.  She was wearing a zipped-up red fleece jacket and blue jeans.

    Behind the counter was a very, very large man who turned around and scowled at her.  “What does your feeble mind and weaker body desire?”  he asked loudly.

    The woman paused with her mouth open, unable to give a sufficient response.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You can’t insult the customers that way!”  Sarah Shepherdson announced as she came racing out of the kitchen.  She looked at the customer the large man’s insult was aimed at.  “Oh...Anna!  What would you like, sweetie?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Visionary sent me to pick up some crullers.”  Anna responded quickly, as she was clearly shaken by the whole scene.  She then paled as she remembered, “I...wasn’t supposed to say Visionary sent me.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It’s all right.  I’d have known, you don’t look like the cruller type.”  Sarah replied with a warm smile.  She tapped the tall man on the shoulder, nearly having to stand on her toes to do so.  “Dark Thugos...please give Anna some of the new light crullers for Visionary.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Those lack any significant food content.”  Dark Thugos protested.

    Sarah nodded, and as she headed back to the kitchen she said, “That’s exactly the point.”

    A moment later Dark Thugos dropped a white paper bag full of light crullers, yet still looked fairly empty, in front of Anna.  They lacked in weight as they did in food content.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You will surrender twelve dollars immediately, or pay the consequences!”  he warned.

    Anna swallowed patiently and pried a bill out of her pocket.  She passed it to Dark Thugos.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Fool!”  he yelled as he took the bill from Anna, “Dark Thugos does not carry change for a fifty!  Yield smaller change, or perish with much suffering!”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I can hear you from back here!”  Sarah warned from the kitchen.

    Still patient, Anna dug a twenty out of her pocket and passed it to Dark Thugos.  Without speaking another warning or threat, he passed her change.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Wait.”  Anna said just as she was about to leave.  “You made a mistake.  You only gave me seven dollars change.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What?”  Dark Thugos yelled.  “Dark Thugos doesn’t make mistakes!  You will die in pain for your insolence!”

    He reached over the counter and grabbed the small android by the throat, knocking over the napkin dispenser, the cash register, the tray of spare pennies, and the jar of donations to the children’s shelter.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh my god.”  Sarah said from the kitchen as she raced back toward the counter.

    She was blasted back into the kitchen when Anna’s eyes suddenly lit up red and hit Dark Thugos with a powerful blast of superheated air.  He flew into the kitchen partition, shattering the glass violently all over the current crop of new pastries.

    Anna leapt into the kitchen after him, knocking over several racks and shelves, and slammed both fists down upon his head.  The impact shattered tiles on the floor and split a water pipe beneath, causing a fountain to begin spraying everything.

    Violet the Part Time Cat had been preparing the next batch of pastries at the time.  She shrieked as the water sprayed her, and raced into the walk-in refrigerator to hide.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Stop!  Please, stop!”  Sarah cried.  She knelt on the floor and put her face in her hands...and began sobbing.

    It worked perfectly.  Anna rose to her feet, looking embarrassed.  Dark Thugos said nothing, and simply sat up and lowered his head sadly.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Dark Thugos will clean up the mess.”  Dark Thugos mumbled sheepishly.

    Anna looked at him, and then at Sarah, who was glancing at her expectingly.  The waitress had mysteriously and suddenly stopped crying.  “I...will repair the damage.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh thank you both so much!”  Sarah announced.  “You’ve both made me so happy!”

    As Sarah happily walked out back to take out the trash, Dark Thugos looked at Anna.  “Actors.  Dark Thugos believes he has been had.”

    Anna quietly nodded as she got to work.

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin