I Didn't Even Fill Out The Application! (Charlie)

[Danielle Cooper]

Danielle walked through the mall with a slight bounce in her step and that dorky grin playing about her lips. In her left hand was a bag, and inside was the complete Firefly series on Blu-ray. Oh how was Dani excited. She already had the complete series on DVD, but it was Firefly. Fourteen and a half glorious hours of complete and total awesome, now in high definition.

As she walked through the mall, Dani’s stomach let out a loud growl. The teen glared down at her stomach, as if telling it to keep quiet, but it only replied with another grumble. She was hoping her hunger would wait until she was back in her dorm, where she could have eaten something without having to pay mall prices, especially after dropping $40 on her precious Blu-ray set. But a small snack wouldn’t hurt her wallet too much; she just had to have more self-control on spending for the rest of the month.

She scanned the mall and decided to try out The Holey Land. Dani had heard nothing but good things about it, but never had a chance to go there before. Stepping inside, the smell of doughnuts filled the air, and Dani immediately wondered why she never bothered to go there before. Dani dug into her drawstring bag and pulled out her wallet as she walked up to the counter. She wasn’t paying too much attention to the person behind it, but instead her focus was at the list of doughnuts. She didn’t realize there were so many options.

“Um… What do you suggest?” Dani asked, finally bringing her attention to the person behind the counter. Wow, it was a pretty girl. A really pretty girl. Dani gave her classic smile, trying to will away the pinkness that was starting to show in her cheeks. Damn you, hot women! One would think with how smooth she was behind closed doors, Dani would at least be able talk to an attractive girl without blushing, but nooooo. Life wouldn’t allow that, would it?

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie made the last few adjustments to the "Wanted" sign, throwing in a few firework scribbles on the side just for the fun of it. She had been interviewing people for the past few weeks, and so far had found two new employees; however, she still had a few open spots to fill, and the sign she had made a week or so ago was just looking old and boring to her. So, during a slow point in the day, she had created a new, bolder sign in hopes that it would spark people's interest.

Content with her work, she walked up to the front counter and taped the sign to the glass case surrounding the trays of donuts, hoping it would be more visible to people as they decided what to order. Just as she finished putting it in place, the bell rang signaling a customer and she straightened, brushing back her hair and putting on her most winning smile. Catching sight of the young woman, her eyes brightened. She was cuuuuute! It was hard to tell how old she was, but Charlie was just going to assume for her attraction's sake that she was at least eighteen. "What do I suggest?" she repeated, tapping a finger against her chin and glancing over at their freshest batches of pastries. "I personally love the Raspberry Romeo's - they have a lovely jam filling. Our most popular is probably the Oreo- or Fruitloop-covered donut. And if you're looking to try something new, well, we have bacon and green tea varieties as well. But honestly, I wouldn't suggest those, they're pretty rubbish," she added in a whisper, throwing in a wink. "Is this your first time here?" Charlie was fairly certain she would remember someone so pretty.

[Danielle Cooper]

Danielle didn’t realize that there were so many types of doughnuts, nor such creative ones. She bit her lower lip, something she did when thinking things over. After all, choosing doughnuts was very serious business. A bacon doughnut sounded just wrong, but somehow appealing. Dani’s favorite ice cream was green tea flavored, but for a doughnut? Maybe not. Plus, she was just warned they weren’t so great. Dani couldn’t help but to give a big, stupid grin as the other winked at her.

“Umm… I think I’ll try the Raspberry Romeo,” Dani replied with a nod. “I had always heard good things about this place, but this is my first time here. I don’t know why I didn’t check it out earlier, it’s a nice.” And a very attractive woman worked there. Dani considered making a trip to The Holey Land a weekly habit purely to try and get to know the woman behind the counter. Oh dear. Now Dani was getting ahead of herself. “Fun fact: The largest doughnut ever made was sixteen feet in diameter and weighed over one and a half tons.” Danielle suddenly blurted out, with no apparent reason for doing so. She had a bad habit of sharing random trivia, especially when she was flustered.

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie watched the young woman trying to decide, hiding a grin. She was so cute, looking all indecisive and biting her lip. She glanced away for just a moment so she didn't feel pressured to choose, and her eyes caught the recently-made sign on the glass case. A smile crept up her face, and she made a mental note to mention the openings.

"Raspberry Romeo it is!" she chirped once the decision was made. "Is that for here or to go?" She reached down and plucked one of the half-dozen or so pastries, and, once the girl confirmed she wanted to eat it here, she placed it on a plate along with a napkin and fork (some people preferred eating them the less-messy way, so she always provided a utensil - but come on, eating it with your hands was WAY more fun). Ah, so she was a first-timer. It was always fun to chat with newbies, they always seemed to awed by the strange and wonderful varieties they carried. "Well, I'm glad you decided to visit! Hopefully you'll like us enough to come back," she grinned. There was no such thing as having enough attractive customers. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked, leaning over and handing the plate to the girl. She raised her eyebrows at the random trivia, and let out a giggle as she grinned. "I have never heard that before! That's fantastic! Unfortunately, I don't think our supply is quite large enough to make anything that large. And what on earth would someone do with a donut that big?"

She glanced Dani up and down briefly, then ventured,"You don't happen to be looking for a job, do you? We have a couple openings that I'm trying to fill, and I'm having a hard time finding people that I like. And if you're as likeable as you are pretty, you might just fit the bill," she finished with a flirtatious smile.

[Danielle Cooper]

As Charlie reached down to grab the doughnut, Dani’s eyes wandered slightly. “For here, please,” she replied, changing her original plan to go straight back to her dorm. “Oh, I’m sure I will. I like you enough to come back.” A pause. “Wait, that wasn’t right. I like it here enough to come back. Not that I don’t think you’re likable. You are.” By then, Dani just shut up. She really needed to learn to think before she spoke sometimes.

When Charlie leaned forward, Dani’s once again glanced where she shouldn’t have, but then quickly brought her gaze to the plate. “Oh, right. Drink. Umm… could I have chocolate milk, please?” Dani asked as she played with the fork given to her, trying to figure out if she was actually supposed to use it or if it was just given to her because some people happened to eat with them. Had she been eating doughnuts wrong all her life?

Dani was amazed that Charlie seemed actually interested in her trivia; most people thought it was weird. “It was done for a world record,” she said, “I don’t think there was much point in making it more than that.”

She hadn’t even noticed that Charlie had looked her up and down, and when Dani was suddenly asked if she was looking for work, she was surprised. She indeed was looking for a job to make a little extra cash (books and videogames aren’t free, after all…), but she had never considered working in a doughnut shop. She didn’t know much about making doughnuts, but she could always learn. Wikipedia was her friend. The added on compliment made Dani blush slightly, her goofy grin just growing bigger. “I am, actually,” she replied, “May I have an application?”

[Charlie Saynsberry]

I like you enough to come back. The comment had Charlie giggling, even when the girl corrected herself and then tried to backpedal and still throw in a compliment. She was so adorable! "Well thank you, my store and I are flattered," she grinned.

"Chocolate milk, coming right up." She disappeared around a corner for a moment, reappearing a few minutes later with the drink in hand. "That will be..." She pushed a few buttons at the register - "$3.00, please." The total had come to $3.50, but the extra fifty cents didn't really matter to her. She really should stop making a habit out of giving perks to customers she liked. It probably showed in the shop's profit.

"Well, then, I don't think we'll be breaking any world records anytime soon," Charlie sighed. "We do carry a Texas Challenge donut, but it's only about ten inches across. If a customer can eat it in under eighty seconds, they get their money back." She had only seen it done twice. Once by Sam Rixon - THAT was a sight to see.

She was looking for work! Charlie beamed. "Oh, that's wonderful," she replied. At the question, she thought for a moment, then said,"Actually, we can have an interview right here, right now if you'd like. I'm not one for... Traditional methods." Sure she was putting the girl on the spot, but it would help her know how well she responded to pressure. "I'll just ask a few questions, no biggie. Is that alright?" Of course, she would her a choice. If she didn't feel up for an interview now, then she could always come back some other time.

[Danielle Cooper]

“Thank you!” Dani said, taking the chocolate milk and taking a sip immediately. Putting the drink down on the counter, Dani pulled out exactly four dollars from her wallet, handing three to Charlie and putting the last in the tip jar. Typically, she didn’t tip very much at coffee shops or similar things, but Dani wanted to be extra nice to this very attractive woman who was possibly flirting with her. She wasn’t quite sure if it was flirting yet.

“Texas Challenge doughnut, eh?” Dani let out a chuckle, it sounds like something she would have to attempt someday. She loved food and challenges; anything that involved both was even better. Dani was a small girl, but she sure loved to eat.

“Oh, right now?” Having an on the spot interview was NOT what Dani was expecting. But… why not? She was already there, and she wasn’t too bad at thinking on her feet. Maybe she could get away without the doughnut research. “Sure, as long as you don’t mind,” she replied after a couple seconds of thought, "I'm not one for doing things in a traditional way either." Dani added in with a grin. She was unsure if Charlie's statement had deeper meanings or not, but she was hoping it did. Overanalyzing what people said was another strange habit of Dani's.

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie beamed at the extra tip. "You're fantastic darling, thank you," she said. She put the rest of the cash in the machine and rested her hands against the countertop, not eager to end their conversation. Fortunately, the young woman kept talking as well. Charlie definitely got a sort of interested vibe from her, and wondered if her small hints at flirtation were causing it. "Oh yes, it's quite a sight to see," Charlie nodded. "Many people try, most fail. Personally I would never try it, just the thought makes me sick to my stomach," she laughed.

"Excellent! I don't mind at all, you can see the place isn't exactly busy right now," she reassured her. "And if someone comes in, I can just have Cam or Mia attend to them. Come on back; I don't have an office, but our break room has sort of served as my interview room." She led the way to said room, sitting down at a small circular table and motioning for Dani to sit across from her. "Traditional methods are overrated," she agreed with a sly grin. Yes, she was definitely getting some sort of vibe from this girl. She brushed back a few loose strands of hair before reaching our and offering a hand. "I'm Charlie, by the way. I should have introduced myself sooner. Are you a student around here?" Charlie assumed she was either a senior or going into college, but had no idea she was a meta-human. Of course, by the end of the interview she would let her know about her own abilities, but for now she just needed to start with the basics. "Okay, so do you have any previous work or volunteer experience?" She leaned in an added in a murmur,"If not, don't worry about it. Just because you may have spent three hundred hours volunteering for the local food bank doesn't make you any more qualified to make and sell pastries than someone who hasn't. It's just something I always need to ask." She grinned.

[Danielle Cooper]

Dani gave a nod and followed Charlie into the break room. When she noticed Charlie’s grin, Dani was starting to get the feeling it was flirting, but the interview had started, so Dani knew she had to behave… right? And if the interview went well, Charlie would be Dani’s boss. That definitely wouldn’t be allowed, right? Oh dear, Dani was over thinking things again.

Luckily, Charlie snapped Dani out of her thoughts by introducing herself. “Oh, right!” Dani laughed, realizing she had never introduced herself either, “I’m Danielle, but a lot of people just call me Dani. I’m a senior at Hammel Institute.” Dani wasn’t sure if she should mention being a meta-human or not, but stating she attended Hammel was pretty much stating she was if Charlie had any idea that Hammel was more than a private school.

The work experience question was the one that Dani feared most, she was never good at cooking, and didn’t have any experience working in an environment like The Holey Land. Dani gave a shy smile after Charlie mentioned that it was okay if she didn’t have any experience, it was like she read her mind. Wait. What if she was a meta and could read minds? Dani’s eyes grew wide for a second. Charlie would know that Dani thought she was hot and totally looked at her rear side when they were walking into the break room. Oh God. The idea terrified Dani, but she tried her best to continue with the interview. “Um… I don’t have any experience at all,” she mumbled, “But you guys sell coffee, right? I can do latte art…”

[Charlie Saynsberry]

"Dani, a pleasure to meet you," Charlie replied with a smile. She hadn't expected Dani to be a Hammel student, but when she mentioned it she only grinned wider. "You're kidding! I'm a Hammel alumnus myself, I graduated about... Six years ago? Phew, that makes me feel old." She could only wonder what Dani's ability was, but she found it rude to just go out and ask, so she decided to share hers instead. "I have firework manifestation," she explained, shooting off a tiny sparkler from her index finger. Oh, introducing people to her ability never got old. "I hope you don't mind a few sparks," she added with a wink. Sure, she meant literally, but if Dani was interested in the way she thought she was... Well then, that would only add to the fun.

Fortunately Charlie didn't have telepathy (oh God help us all if she did), but it was easy enough to read Dani's emotions on her face. She was glad she had mentioned the fact that previous work experience wasn't necessary, because Dani looked scared enough admitting that she didn't have any. "It's alright, really, you don't need-" she stopped and her eyes widened at the mention of coffee art. "You... You make coffee art?" she asked, mouth agape. That was like.... The coolest thing ever. So Dani was cute, friendly, AND could make customers happy with awesome designs in their drinks? She was sold.

But, she forced herself to remain calm and continue like a normal manager would. "I really don't have anything else to ask. I want you working for me, now." ... Okay. Maybe not a normal manager. But come on, it wasn't like working at a donut shop was seriously hard work, and she was far more attracted to this young girl than she would like to admit. Which, really, was enough of a prerequisite in her book. It was a wonder how she had gotten this manager position in the first place. "When can you start?"

[Danielle Cooper]

“It’s nice to meet you too!” Dani said, and as Charlie explained that she too had gone to Hammel, Dani smiled, so she was a meta! Dani’s eyes lit up with awe as she watched Charlie’s mini firework show. How cool was that!? Not to mention, Dani was thankful to find that Charlie wasn’t a psychic. Her dignity was saved… for now. “Oh, I really don’t mind sparks considering…” Dani reached over and touched Charlie’s hand with her own, giving Charlie a bit of a shock, not enough to hurt, but more than your average static shock, “I can manipulate electricity and travel through outlets.” Dani said with a grin. “So sparks would definitely fly.” Oh dear. Dani knew she shouldn’t have been flirting with Charlie, especially after she just learned the other was six years her senior. Not that Dani had any thought Charlie was under the age of eighteen, but confirmation just made it worse.

… She’d worry about that age thing later. Legal matters were boring anyway.

Dani was happy to see that Charlie seemed impressed about the coffee art deal. “Yeah, I used to make it for my mom all the time,” she explained, “I always thought it was fun to make cute designs.” Then suddenly, the interview was over. “Wait, you mean I got the job?” Dani asked, surprised by the sudden outcome. “I can work immediately!” She beamed with excitement.

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie flinched only slightly at the shock, watching the hairs on her arm raise as the electricity went through it. "Oooh that's so cool," she breathed, eyes wide. It was funny that their powers were a little similar. Sparks were involved in each, at least. She thought it was a really neat power, especially the fact that she could, in a sense, become electricity. "You can travel through outlets?" she repeated in awe. "Wow. I wish I could become a firework sometimes, but I just have to settle with going by the nickname Firecracker." She shrugged with a grin. "I love my ability anyway. Although sometimes it does get a little complicated if I accidentally set one off in... Intimate situations," she added in a whisper with a giggle. They were flirting, so she thought this was a good thing to share. More than once she had had to assure the person she was hooking up with that no, their hair was not on fire, they were just imagining it... As she tried to put the flames out without them knowing. It made things interesting, that was for sure, and nobody had ever gotten too seriously injured. Yet. But it was only a matter of time.

But anyway.

She was of the same mindset as Dani - legal matters were dumb, and laws were made to be broken, as long as you didn't get caught. Which, so far, she hadn't.

"Yes, you got the job," Charlie laughed. "I told you, I'm not one for traditional methods. I like you, I like coffee art, that's enough for me." She could be easy to please sometimes. "What sorts of shapes can you make?" Charlie asked, even though she had already made the decision to hire her. "Would you mind showing me, as your first task as my employee?" She stood, motioning the girl to follow her back out to the front where the coffee makers were. She was intrigued to see what she could do. Maybe she should have checked to see if she could actually do it first, but Dani had no reason to lie, so Charlie trusted her. Not to mention Charlie was having fun watching Dani from behind as she went to work.

She really was a terrible person. But she just couldn't help herself.

[Danielle Cooper]

Dani left her hand on Charlie’s for what was probably two seconds too long to be considered appropriate before pulling away. “Yeah, but I can’t travel very far yet,” she explained. Hearing Charlie mention setting fireworks off in bed made Dani raise an eyebrow, and give a grin. “Sounds hot, for lack of a better pun.” Dani felt her cheeks heat up; she always was bad at flirting, for she always got flustered. “But I know what you mean. I’ve been known to, uh, shock a few people.” Dani didn’t feel a need to go into much more detail than that, and she found herself thinking of what sort of sparks would fly between the two of them. Dani was known to have slight loss over her powers when her emotions were high, especially if she was excited, and intimacy was certainly exciting.

Luckily, the subject was changed and Dani was asked to show off her coffee art. “Oh, I can make a bunch of different things,” she explained, but before she could go into detail, Charlie asked her to make some. “Oh, of course!” Dani followed Charlie out front, and prepared a shot of espresso and some steamed milk. She poured the espresso into a small coffee cup then started pouring in the steamed milk carefully. Once the milk was almost towards the top of the cup, she poured it heavier to make a large circle in the middle, and then made another small circle at the bottom of the first before turning the cup around and making two small circles at the top. From there, she took a toothpick and used it to etch the fine details before she turned towards Charlie, handing her the latte, which had a bear face in it. “Here you go!” She announced with a smile, “I hope you like teddy bears.”

[Charlie Saynsberry]

"Oh trust me, hot is a good description," Charlie agreed, wiggling her eyebrows. She really should ask if Dani was legal, but at this point she decided she didn't care. She said she was a senior, so that almost certainly meant she was ALMOST eighteen. Close enough. Like Dani, Charlie's abilities sometimes went a little wacky when she was experiencing extreme emotions, namely rage or ecstasy, so she was fortunate she had never, well, exploded someone's face off. Fortunately Hammel had helped her control herself, but she still had her moments of loss of control. She could only wonder what would happen if she and Dani got together... Would they burn a house down? How exciting!

Charlie watched in fascination as Dani went to work - she had obviously had a lot of practice, she was very quick. She was already glad she had decided to hire her; even if she ended up being unable to make donuts well, just doing coffee was enough! When the artwork was done, she let out an excited squeal. It wasn't just good, it was amazing! "Oh Dani, that is wonderful!" she exclaimed setting the drink on the counter and pulling the girl into a hug. She probably held it for a little too long, but oh well. A ring at the door signaled a customer, and she pulled away hurriedly with a sly grin. "I gotta handle this customer. Can you come it at, say, nine o'clock tomorrow? We can decide your hours and stuff, and figure out just what sort of position I want you in." ... Okay, she hadn't actually meant to sound THAT suggestive, she had just blurted it out. Oops. "Er, rather, I'll figure out what exactly I'll want you to be doing," she added, biting her lip and letting out a giggle. "Does that work for you?"

[Danielle Cooper]

Dani welcomed Charlie’s hug with a big grin, not at all minding the length of it. In the back of her mind, she was a little disappointed when a customer came in. “Yeah, nine is perfect!” Dani replied, and as Charlie talked of positions she wanted Dani in, the teen’s pink cheeks turned about three shades darker. Well that was an interesting image put into her head. She couldn’t contain a soft giggle from escaping her lips after Charlie corrected herself. “I’ll do whatever you want,” she said with a nod, but then paused, “um, no, I mean yeah. I mean… I’ll see you tomorrow!” Dani gave an awkward, embarrassed smile and slide out from behind the counter before quickly making an exit.

Once outside The Holey Land, she let out a long breath and ran a hand through her hair. Well, that certainly wasn’t what she had been expecting. But it certainly had been Dani’s lucky day; she had gotten a job and the woman that hired her was as hot as a firecracker. Dani laughed to herself at the pun and started walking towards the exit of the mall.

Oh, wait…

Within a few minutes, Dani poked her head back into The Holey Land with a sheepish grin. “Um, sorry… I forgot my doughnut,” she explained, walking back up to the counter. “But, uh, I can take it to go.” Now that she had gotten the job, Dani knew she had to get some stuff done before tomorrow, such as call her mom to let her know the good news, figure out what to wear—oh right, what to wear. “Is there any sort of uniform guide that I should follow?” She inquired, for most of her work experience was in a theatre, where she was required to wear all black, and she wasn’t positive if she owned the right sort of clothes for this job.