Work Text:
With a long sigh, exaggerated for no one in particular, Shadowheart popped open the cash register and slid in the drawer. She pushed it shut and flipped the switch to the light. Like clockwork. She hadn’t been working for that long, really, but the days could get repetitively dull. One could do with some excitement now and again.
“Shadowheart.”
“Hmm?” She looked up at the sound of her name. Her coworker, Wyll, stood at the side of her register, hands gripping the edge of the counter.
“We have a new cashier coming in today,” he informed her.
“About damn time,” she grumbled, thinking of all the complaints she’d heard about there not being enough registers open for hoards of impatient customers.
“You’ll be training her.”
“Me?” Shadowheart asked, eyes widening for a moment. It wasn’t that she was bad at her job or anything — hells, she considered herself a damn good cashier, thank you very much — but she knew someone like Wyll would be more fit as an instructor.
“Yes, you,” Wyll answered, an amused smile appearing on his kind face.
“Well, I guess it would make the day a bit—”
“Exciting?”
“That’s pushing it, Wyll. This is a Walmart. I don’t think anything that happens here even comes close to being ‘exciting.’”
Wyll raised his hands in an acceptance of defeat before backing off to his spot at the customer service desk. Honestly, it was a blessing that he was the one who worked up there and not someone like her.
The morning was slow, but that only eased Shadowheart into the rhythm. “Hello, how are you today?” Not that I care. “Would you like a bag?” Don’t just stand and stare as I pack it, jackass. “Have a good day.” Or don’t.
She was spacing out when someone approached her from the left, snapping her out of her personal little void.
A woman she had never seen before was standing there, glowering at her with golden, cat-like eyes. She was alien in appearance: olive-green skin, a pattern of spots across her face, large pointy, serrated ears. The word flew out of her mouth before she even considered she should maybe stop it.
“Gith.”
“Good, you have a set of functioning eyes,” growled the woman who, judging by the bright blue vest and freshly printed name tag, Shadowheart presumed to be the new cashier. ‘Lae’zel,’ according to the tag. “And what are you? Some kind of…” Lae’zel looks her up and down. “Elf?”
“Half- elf,” Shadowheart corrected, standing up straighter. Lae’zel rolled her eyes.
“Whatever. Are you able to teach me how to use the cashing device or not?” She jabbed a finger toward the register.
“It’s called a cash register. And yes, I can. And I will.”
Lae’zel narrowed her eyes — she clearly was not a fan of being corrected. Well, she’d better get used to it.
“Alright, just— just come over here. I can’t show you anything like that.” Great start. Lae’zel rounded the counter like a prowling predator and stood over Shadowheart’s shoulder. Oh, great. The gith had to be within her personal bubble for this. “I’ll walk you through the process when we get a customer— here.”
Despite the presence hovering over her, Shadowheart had no problem going about her job normally. She pressed the belt button and started grabbing items, moving them across the scanner. Of course, she flashed the customer a hopefully-not-too-sarcastic customer service smile. They returned it, but only briefly. Their eyes seemed to have caught sight of the individual looming behind Shadowheart, and they paled and averted their gaze.
Once she had walked Lae’zel through the transaction — total, card, hand over receipt — and the customer hurried off, she turned and shot the gith a look.
“You’re gonna have to stop scowling.”
“Chk,” she spat. “And why is that?”
“It scares the customers.”
“I fail to see how my face is any more frightening than yours.”
Shadowheart opened her mouth. In shock, offense, and in anticipation of uttering a retort. “Excuse me?”
“Is your face not also painted with black and twisted into a scowl?”
“I’m not always scowling. And my nose doesn’t make me look like some bat-faced freak.”
“Hi, friends. Pardon me interrupting.”
Shadowheart turned away from Lae’zel (who looked moments away from biting her nose off) to find Gale waiting politely on the other side of the register, bottle of water in hand. She smiled — genuinely, this time.
“Hello, Gale. Break time already?”
“Indeed! Now, nothing against you, dear Shadowheart, but I would like to give our new cashier a chance to cash me out.”
“Of course. She can handle that, I’m sure.” She shot Lae’zel a glare as they shifted places, her hips brushing against those of her new coworker as they did so. Ugh, why did the space behind the register have to be so small?
“Hello, I’m Gale,” Gale introduced, handing over his bottle of water for Lae’zel to scan.
“Lae’zel,” she grunted back, squinting at the bottle as she turned it around, trying to locate the barcode. She eventually found it, and moved it over the scanner with ease. “Hmph. Simple.”
Gale chuckled. “Hah, quite. It is no wonder our customers believe themselves to be just as competent at our job as we. But do not be fooled, Lae’zel. The job of a cashier is quite taxing on the body and the spirit.”
“I accept the challenge, istik,” Lae’zel replied, placing the water bottle in front of Gale. He dropped a few bills into her hand. She stared at them, clearly puzzled.
Shadowheart spoke up. “That would be cash, Lae’zel. It goes in the—”
“Yes, I know what money is,” she spat back. “How do I utilize the machine? The customer before him used a card.”
“Oh, easy. Type in how much he gave you, and then hit that button.” Lae’zel followed her instructions, popping open the register drawer. Her pupils went wide for a second as she examined the cash. “Put it in and give him his change. You know how to count change, right?”
“I do. Do you think I am incompetent with your currency?”
“I mean, maybe.” Shadowheart just watched as Lae’zel aggressively counted back Gale’s change and slammed the drawer shut.
“Here,” she hissed, dropping coins into Gale’s outstretched hand.
He beamed. “Thank you, Lae’zel! And good luck with your teaching, Shadowheart.”
“Enjoy your break, Gale,” said Shadowheart. As soon as he was gone, Lae’zel whipped around and glared at her.
“Do not speak down to me when you instruct me, istik.”
“Or what? Threaten me and I can get you fired.”
“If I state my case, I am sure you will not be going unpunished for your treatment of me.”
Shadowheart bit her lip. Then she sighed. “Fine, yeah. I’ll stop.”
“Hmmh.”
She kept true to her word, and Lae’zel put up less of a fuss. Shadowheart actually gave her a few more turns behind the register itself rather than watching. Of course, she resented every time they had to move past each other.
When Wyll finally motioned for her to take her break, Shadowheart let out a long sigh and flipped the light switch.
“I’ll be back in fifteen. You can go hang around Gale until I’m back, I guess.”
“If you insist,” grumbled Lae’zel. Shadowheart rolled her eyes as they parted ways.
Shadowheart marched her way into the break room and cracked open her energy drink. She took a swig before putting it down on the table and turning to the vending machine.
Karlach, from her spot in the armchair against the wall, spoke up. “How’s the new girl? Wyll told me you’re training her.”
“She pisses me off,” Shadowheart stated, punching in her order and shoving some bills into the slot. “Has an attitude. Scares off the customers too, with that sour face of hers.”
“Really funny you say that. Remember when you couldn’t even smile convincingly? Hells, people still complain about your attitude sometimes.”
“You’re not helping. Ugh, but you don’t get it. She’s…” Shadowheart trailed off, peering at the bag of chips that was stuck in the machine. She huffed. “Karlach?”
“Hyup!” She heard Karlach jump up from her seat. Shadowheart took her own at the table, waiting patiently as Karlach kicked and shook the vending machine. The violent noises ceased, and Karlach triumphantly placed the loosened bag of chips in front of Shadowheart. “So, you were saying?”
“Right, well…I don’t know! I can’t request a simple task from her without her giving me some look. Or her stupid…thing that she does with her mouth.”
“Her…what?”
“Nevermind! It’s just really clear that she doesn’t want to be here. And— Karlach, before you say it— yes, I make it very clear I do not want to be here either. But it’s just such a pain! As if the work day doesn’t drag as-is.” After finishing her statement, she took another swig of her energy drink and popped open the bag of chips.
“Well, I dunno…why not try to bond over that sentiment, rather than being upset about it? Don’t you bitch with Astarion all the time? How is that any different?”
Shadowheart shoved chips in her mouth, because she honestly didn’t have an answer. “Whatever,” she finally uttered. “I have to get through the day somehow.”
When she returned to her register, she had a few customers come through before Lae’zel (rather begrudgingly, it seemed) returned to her side.
“I am back, Shadowheart,” she said her name with something of a growl. Gods! How could she not be irritated by her?
“Great. Just in time for a big one, too.” Shadowheart turned her attention to the customer and, importantly, the pathetic pile of bags that preceded their growing collection of groceries. She dragged the bags from one side to the other, turning to Lae’zel. “You can handle bagging these, right?”
“Bagging? I am sorry, but I was assigned the role of cashier, not ‘bag packer.’”
“Don’t let the cranky old people hear you say that, Lae’zel. As far as some of them are concerned, we’re their personal servants.” She sighed. “But for now, it helps to move things along quicker.”
“You mean me taking up this bag-packing role creates a more efficient operation?”
“Yes.”
“Then give me those bags.”
Shadowheart was honestly surprised by how easily Lae’zel was swayed. Then again, she seemed very set on making everything as “efficient” as possible. Shortcuts that had taken Shadowheart weeks — months, even — to learn, Lae’zel picked up in a snap. The only thing that seemed to slow Lae’zel down was learning where all the barcodes were located on each item.
It only took a few pointers from Shadowheart to have the bags all packed perfectly to her standards. She almost felt like paying Lae’zel some praise. The customer, however, seemed wary about the bags piled up on the counter. After shoving his receipt into his pocket, he looked from his groceries to Lae’zel.
“Oh, for the love of—” Shadowheart sighed. “She’s not going to bite you.”
“Right. Just didn’t realize they were hiring gith to handle the groceries now.”
Shadowheart noticed the flick of Lae’zel’s ear at the comment, but she did not utter anything. They watched as he transferred the bags into his cart and walked off. Once he was on his way out the door, Shadowheart turned to Lae’zel.
“Why didn’t you say anything? That was rude.”
“It would be improper to start a fight with a customer, would it not?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Besides, you have made similar comments. It is something I must simply adjust to.”
Shadowheart felt herself go hot with guilt and embarrassment. Yeah, she had been a real bitch to Lae’zel over something…honestly really fucking terrible for her to be a bitch over. What, did she assume the githyanki just didn’t have feelings? Maybe she had. It wasn’t an excuse at all to say Lae’zel just looked like she wouldn’t care.
Before she could spiral any more, Shadowheart turned to her new coworker. “I’m sorry. Those comments of mine were really awful.”
Lae’zel looked back at her, staring into her eyes, before jerking her head away with another flick of an ear. “Hmmh,” was all she responded with. Are you kidding me? At least say something!
They didn’t speak much after that. Lae’zel didn’t need any new instruction yet, and she seemed pretty eager to bag groceries.
That was, until a customer strolled up with a foul handful of dirty old bags. He plopped them on the counter in front of Lae’zel, and she physically recoiled from the stench. Still, she insisted on taking each item Shadowheart scanned and putting it in the bag.
It was only after Lae’zel sneezed (away from any groceries of course) that Shadowheart spoke.
“Thank you, Lae’zel, but I think Gale needs some help with his customer right now.” Instead of walking away wordlessly, Lae’zel only took a look at Gale’s workstation. She then continued to pack groceries.
“Gale is fine. I am not so weak that I cannot handle a cart full of groceries. Hand me those eggs.”
Shadowheart shot a glare at her as she placed the carton of eggs in Lae’zel’s outstretched hand. Okay, so clearly trying to be subtle was absolutely lost on this woman.
They pushed through the order and the customer’s stench like two brave soldiers, but as soon as they were once again alone in each other’s company, Shadowheart complained.
“I was trying to help you, you stubborn idiot!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I told you to help Gale because you were clearly bothered by the smell. Gods, Lae’zel, your eyes are watering.”
“It was nothing I could not handle.”
“You can just say no to packing bags.”
“I cannot let a bad smell get in the way of my duty.”
“Oh shut up.” Acting so serious about a customer service job? Her 'duty?’ Oh, let this day end already.
When Shadowheart returned to her apartment, she tossed her vest onto the nearest chair and flopped onto the couch, letting out a long groan. Astarion just stared at her.
“And what, darling, could possibly warrant dramatics like these?”
“A new coworker,” she answered, squinting at her roommate. He wasn’t scheduled that day — that lucky bastard — so he was still in a comfortable set of casual lounge clothes. Well, as casual and loungy as Astarion could get. Did he even own sweatpants? Probably not.
“Well, do tell,” Astarion said, finding a seat near her head. He moved her braid like he was plucking a dirty tissue off of the cushion before lowering himself onto the sofa. Shadowheart pushed herself up, rearranging herself so she was lounging with her legs across Astarion’s lap. He shot a disgusted look toward her feet, pushing them with a finger until they were as far away from him as they could be while still propped up on the arm of the sofa.
“I mean, okay, I was kind of a bitch to her.”
“Admitting your faults…okay, where is this going?”
“I’m just saying. I was mean to her, but you have to understand she’s infuriating. Hissing and growling over me asking her to push a damned button. She clearly does not want to be there, and makes it my problem, because no customer wants to get a death glare from the gith at my register.”
“I don’t know, this new girl sounds like a kindred spirit.”
“Sure, until she’s treating the job like a competition. I can tell when she’s trying to input bananas in the register faster than me.”
“You’re upset with her over bananas, Shadowheart?”
“It’s not the bananas, it’s her attitude.”
“Right, of course.”
“And she clearly thinks she’s above my help. I tried to save her from the piss bags, but she gave me some stupid crap about how it’s her ‘duty’ or whatever to help the customer.”
“Hm, well. If it helps, Shadowheart, I would have accepted your help to escape a customer with piss bags.”
“Thank you, Astarion.” The reply was sarcastic in tone, but there was something genuine behind it.
Normally, Astarion would have transitioned into complaining about his work day. But, with no work day to complain about, it ended with that. They instead decided on what takeout they wanted for dinner and stayed on the couch watching TV until they were hungry enough to get it.
The next morning, Shadowheart threw on her vest and left the locker room. She took a quick drink from her water bottle as she made the trek all the way to the front end. Of course, of course, she was assigned to the register behind Gale’s that day. But Gale wasn’t the problem; it was Lae’zel, who was currently at his side. By the sound of his voice, he was in professor mode, testing Lae’zel on the things she had learned yesterday. Gale had trained Shadowheart, so she was all too familiar with his methods.
Lae’zel, however, looked moments away from collapsing. Even with all of the makeup on her face, Shadowheart could see the tiredness of her eyes. When Gale turned to greet a customer, Shadowheart dared to extend the olive branch. Or, well, in this case, the energy drink in her water bottle.
“You look tired. Do you want some? It’s a Monster, but don’t tell any of the managers that.”
Lae’zel’s pupils were narrow. She quirked an eyebrow.
“A monster? In your drinking vessel? Are you referring to—”
“Monster. It’s a drink. An energy drink.” She held out the bottle, which Lae’zel gingerly took from her. She unscrewed the cap, took a sniff, and scrunched her nose. Shadowheart held in a laugh. Why was that almost…cute? After a pause, Lae’zel took a sip. She frowned.
“This liquid is… sharp.”
“I think that’s the carbonation. Do you…not have carbonated drinks where you’re from?”
“If we do, I never had one. Hm…I do not feel any different.”
“It’s not some energy potion. It takes a bit to kick in. And you need to drink more than that. Go ahead, take it. You look like you need it more than I do.” Honestly, Shadowheart was a bit surprised at herself for being so nice to Lae’zel this morning. Maybe she was just feeling particularly nice today.
She watched as Lae’zel threw her head back and chugged the contents of the bottle. Shadowheart’s mouth hung open. When Lae’zel exhaled and pushed the now empty bottle back into her hands, she just stood there.
“What?”
“I— I didn’t expect you to down the whole thing.”
“I cannot let drinking distract me from my job.”
“...right.” Shadowheart just placed her bottle under her workspace. She’d fill it with water later.
They both gave Gale a glance; it appeared he was caught up in conversation with a customer. Lae’zel rolled her eyes and moved over to stand at the end of Shadowheart’s lane instead.
“He does that a lot,” Shadowheart told her, cracking a smile. Lae’zel only hummed.
“And he does not get punished for doing so?”
“For making conversation? No. Only if it’s holding up the line. And it’s only a casual intervention, not like he gets in trouble.”
“I see.” She watched Gale with considering eyes.
“So, Lae’zel.” Was she really making conversation with this woman? The one who she went on about being irritated by? Maybe she was being ridiculous. She still couldn’t shake the funny faces she had made earlier from her mind. “Why are you here? No offense, really — you just don’t seem like a customer service person.”
“I am not. That is why I am learning.” Lae’zel sighed. “If I am truthful, this job was the only one I could get easily.”
“Right. I guess…employers aren’t too keen on hiring githyanki?”
“With no former ‘work experience,’ yes.”
“What made you come to the city?”
“I did not exactly have a choice. I am branded hshar’lak by my people.” Lae’zel must have seen Shadowheart raise an eyebrow, because she elaborated. “A traitor. I held certain opinions about my— I mean, Vlaakith, the queen. And those who defy her face death.”
Oh. “So that means you’re here for…political asylum?”
“Correct.” Lae’zel had explained this all with a straight face, though there was a betraying flicker across those sharp golden eyes of hers. Shadowheart almost wanted to tell her it was okay to feel hurt over being cast out of her home, viewed as a threat that needed to be eliminated. But this was a Walmart, and she could see a customer pushing their cart into her lane. This conversation clearly had to wait for a better place and time.
Lae’zel ended up wandering back to Gale’s side. Shadowheart felt oddly… lonely without her presence. Hey, what happened to hating her guts? Now she liked Lae’zel? Wanted her around? Just because she was, what, relatable?
This store was making her lose her mind. She was sure of it.
Thoughts of Lae’zel were buried with work, specifically: piles of groceries and demanding customers. “No,” Shadowheart found herself saying, withholding some nastier words, “I’m sorry, we do not take Amazon gift cards. Do you have a card or cash with you?” This is it. Do it, Shar. Strike me down, here and now, you petty —
Something snatched the carton of blueberries from her hand. She turned to see Lae’zel, packing bags for the customer like her life depended on it. Her face, as was typical, was pinched into a scowl as she arranged groceries just so. Shadowheart had to tear her attention away to process the payment and grab the receipt.
“What,” she heard Lae’zel growl at her. She met her eyes, pupils drowning out the intense gold of her irises. “Was in that drink?”
“I don’t have the can on me, if that’s— oh.” She could see Lae’zel trying to still her jittering hands. “You’re feeling the caffeine, aren’t you.”
“Caffeine? You are telling me you brought stimulants to the workplace and had me partake!?”
“Perfectly legal stimulants, yes.” Shadowheart snorted. “First of all, I had no idea you would be opposed. Most people drink that stuff all the time — me included. Second, I could have told you downing the whole thing like you did would have hit you like this.”
“You have deceived me for the last time, Shadowheart.”
“I didn’t deceive you. I offered you an energy drink in your time of need.”
Lae’zel grumbled. Her fingers flexed, before she curled them into the palms of her hands, clenching her fists tight. Her next words were a bit calmer. “What is the protocol for an employee in need of the facilities?”
Shadowheart was quiet. This just seemed to irritate her. “Lae’zel, are you asking if you’re allowed to use the restroom? Just go!” After getting permission, Lae’zel hurried off. Well, she can complain if she must, but she sure as hells is wide awake now.
Lae’zel eventually stomped out of the restroom. The front of her vest was dark with splashes of water from the sink. She glared at Shadowheart before wordlessly returning to her spot beside Gale.
Shadowheart later found Lae’zel alone in the breakroom. The remnants of some meal were in a dish on the table in front of her. Her eyes were glued to her phone screen, but it was clear she knew Shadowheart walked in without having to look up.
“If it isn’t the coworker who tried to poison me.”
“I didn’t—! Lae’zel, I did not poison you. Look, I didn’t know you had anything against caffeine. Will you accept my apology if I say I’m sorry?”
“Hmm…fine.”
“Great.” She plopped down in the chair across from Lae’zel, earning her a suspicious look. “What? Do you not want me here?”
“No…you may stay.”
The silence in the room became awkward. Shadowheart kind of wished Karlach were there to lighten the mood. But, she was more interested in bringing up not-so-light topics that had come up earlier. Wow, she really was going to do this, huh?
“So,” she started, fiddling with her bangs. “You let me know earlier about your whole…situation.”
“Yes. You do not need to remind me. It is not as if I have memory problems.”
Shadowheart felt herself go tense. She spat her next words out like a bad piece of meat. “And just what would you know about memory problems?”
There was a shift — a softening — in Lae’zel’s posture. “Nothing. Personally, that is,” she said. “It appears I have said something insensitive. I…apologize, Shadowheart.”
Shadowheart made herself relax. “It’s not like you should have known. I don’t exactly walk around with ‘I have amnesia’ pinned to my chest.”
Lae’zel let out a huff of air. Was that a laugh? “No, you do not. That would be very silly.”
“It would.” Shadowheart smiled. “It would look ridiculous.”
“Never do it.”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t consider it. Ever.” She laughed this time. “Could you imagine? Customers already piss me off, I don’t need them calling into question my ability to recall basic things.”
“While I agree you should not have such vulnerability on display in the workplace, I appreciate you sharing it with me, Shadowheart. We have only just met.”
“Well, you told me your story. It’s only fair if I…mention something, right?” Sure, she left out the whole part about being raised in the dark basement of an evil cult for most of her life. Well, she had intended to say something about that. What in the hells am I thinking? I really did only just meet her. I can’t go dumping all of this on her. Why do I even want to? Because her honesty earlier struck a chord with me? Ugh!
“I did not expect you to give any information about yourself in return, but know that it is appreciated.”
Shadowheart sunk in her seat. She decided to use the remainder of her break to text Astarion. He’d be showing up for his shift soon, but she had enough of being vulnerable in-person today; and at work of all places.
Days passed, and Shadowheart found Lae’zel becoming more than tolerable to be around. This did not go unnoticed by a very nosy coworker-and-roommate.
She came into work an hour after Astarion, narrowly avoiding the Girl Scout cookie sale stationed outside of the front doors. She would have slipped by if she had not locked eyes with Mol. It was at least preferable to get cookies out of her hard-earned money and remain in the kids’ good graces than to have her pockets picked.
Astarion was at the register behind hers today, and of course he was smirking at her. He was leaning on an elbow, propped up on the counter; something that would get him yelled at if the wrong manager caught him (but he didn’t care. None of the cashiers gave a shit).
“Where’s your new friend today, Shadowheart?”
“If you are referring to Lae’zel, I passed her in the back room. She is on break and will be back shortly. Hey— don’t give me that look!”
“What look?” he asked, feigning ignorance with those stupid puppy eyes of his and a pout.
“Like you think something is going on between us. It’s not.” Not yet, she found herself thinking.
“Darling, take her to dinner and give her a lovestruck look over a pasta dish. We have minimum wage to be making here.”
“Ugh, Astarion!” Her exclamation was followed by a sigh. “You know what? You’re right. Maybe she’d like to go out for coffee. Well, maybe she doesn’t want coffee. She threw a fit over the Monster I gave her the other morning.”
“You gave her your Monster? Shadowheart, are you in love?”
“Don’t be stupid.” Her cheeks felt hot. Of course Astarion would tease her like this. She shouldn’t let it get to her, but it was getting to her. Because, damn him, he was right. ‘In love’ was certainly an exaggeration, but it was hard to deny that she found Lae’zel attractive, especially after giving her a chance to talk without some weird bitter air between them. And now she just found every little thing she did utterly charming.
Oh, this job would be the end of her.
“Shadowheart,” she heard Gale pipe up, making his way over to the huddle at Astarion’s register (another thing that would surely get them scolded if they were caught). “Surely you are not planning to ask our new fellow cashier out on a date.”
“We’re just coworkers. It’s not like I’m her superior,” she argued. Gale seemed to take this into consideration with a tilt of his head.
“Right, right. Fair point. I am just surprised. I don’t think I’ve seen you take interest in anyone, Shadowheart. Even more surprising when, just the other day, you were looking at Lae’zel like you wanted to strangle her.”
“Well,” Shadowheart said, followed by a scoff. “It seems I’ve had a change of heart.”
“In that case, I can vouch for an excellent cafe in the lower city — one that is both Gale and Tara approved.”
“Tara? You mean your cat?”
“Ahem. Tara is a tressym, and she is my friend. I trust her judgement.”
The flip of a light switch and a familiar gruff groan announced Lae’zel’s return. She eyed the cashier huddle. Astarion chuckled.
“Oh, Shadowheart, what a charmer. You sure know how to pick them.”
Shadowheart huffed, “oh, be quiet.”
Like a moth to a freshly lit flame, a customer wheeled into Lae’zel’s lane.
“Well, don’t you look like you’re a long way from home.”
The group collectively went tense, exchanging looks. Everyone was familiar with that voice. Shadowheart walked right over to Lae’zel, whose inquisitive gaze was trained on the old woman in front of her.
“Just buy your things and slither on back to your swamp, hag,” Shadowheart spat. Ethel turned to her with a sneer.
“Well, if it isn’t Shar’s favorite little brat. Did she not listen to your whining and crying today?”
Shadowheart turned to Lae’zel. “Don’t listen to her. Just cash her out and send her on her way.”
“Pay her no mind, petal. Why don’t we talk a little? I’m sure it’s very hard for you having to work this new job in such an unfamiliar place.”
Lae’zel grunted, swiping various pieces of cookware across the scanner. The only reason the hag who tried preying on retail workers wasn’t outright banned from the store was because they didn’t want to lose a customer.
Ethel tried one more time to pry something out of Lae’zel, but Shadowheart chased her off with a glare and a threat to call management — a threat that only made the hag laugh, but still, she left.
“So,” Lae’zel started, “you are a worshiper of Shar?”
“I was a worshiper of Shar. It’s…complicated.”
“I see.” That was to say, she understood, and Shadowheart believed her. Smiling, she wondered if now was a good time to shoot her shot, so to say. But fate — or rather, the circumstances of being employed at a Walmart — had other plans. Customers. Always more customers.
The day went on, and Shadowheart could feel herself retreating into her own head. The beep of the registers faded into the background, and Shadowheart slid items across her scanner at an even pace. Handing change back to the customer and wishing them a good day was such an ingrained habit at this point that she did not need to remain entirely present to do so.
It was Lae’zel who once again snapped her out of this trance. If she were the princess in an old, cheesy fairy tale, Lae’zel was surely her knight in shining armor. Except instead of kissing her out of a coma or something, her shouting at a customer snapped her back into reality.
“Keep your hands off of the belt switch, istik, or I will gut you where you stand!”
It seemed Lae’zel was attracting all of the trouble today. Shadowheart turned to see the gnome in the checkout lane retract his hand from where he had reached across to make the belt move forward.
“Are you threatening me!? I am in a hurry, and I don’t have time for your incompetence.”
If it was socially acceptable to punt a man into the fluorescent lights, someone would have done it to Wulbren Bongle long ago. Lae’zel resorted to growling as she scanned his items, sliding them across to the other side so violently that Shadowheart expected them to just fly off onto the floor.
“Your manager will hear of the appalling service I have received,” Wulbren snapped, gathering his things and shoving them back into his cart. He spun it around and marched off towards the customer service desk. His head was barely above the handle of the cart at the angle he was speed-walking, but that didn’t stop him.
“Shka’keth!” Lae’zel hissed, kicking the underside of the counter.
“I would have loved to see you gut him, personally,” Astarion quipped. Lae’zel looked back at him and huffed, crossing her arms and slumping against the back panel.
Pretty soon, Wyll was making his way over to Lae’zel. He leaned over the counter, his posture bordering on something casual.
“Lae’zel,” he said quietly. All he got was a grunt in response. “I just need to professionally inform you that you are not allowed to threaten customers with acts of violence.”
“Chk, of course. Consider me warned.”
“Now, I should tell a manager. Probably. But,” he cracked a smile then, “I like you, and I think Wulbren is an absolute arsehole. So, as far as I’m concerned…keep up the good work.”
He offered her a pat on the shoulder, which she accepted a bit awkwardly. Even with her straight face, Shadowheart could pick up on the bashfulness in the way her ears drooped slightly.
There was a lull in the flow of customers, but once Shadowheart had returned from her lunch break, it was busy again. The positive to this was that it passed the time. However, Shadowheart could feel her stress rising, even as the end of her shift approached.
When two older women made their way into her lane and began placing their groceries on the belt, she continued as usual: moving up the belt, moving items across…
The first woman moved up to pay, and Shadowheart printed her receipt and handed it to her with a smile. Shadowheart’s focus then went to scanning everything the other lady had placed on the belt.
The shuffling of items to her left drew her attention. The first customer began throwing things into her cart with a lot of unnecessary force. One jug of iced tea landed in the basket with a thud and a rattle. When the second jug landed, it hit the bottom of the cart and broke open. Tea went everywhere, pouring from the jug until the woman set it upright, muttering under her breath.
Well, okay…someone would have to clean that up. Shadowheart moved to flip off her light, so that no one else would wander into the mess.
“Do you not bag groceries here?” an irate voice questioned. The lady who had just hurled her iced tea was in front of her.
“I— pardon me?”
The other lady piped up, speaking to her like she was a child in need of a lecture. “She’s upset because you didn’t pack her bags.”
“Well I—”
“Why do we even bother coming here anymore?” continued the first, throwing the rest of her groceries into bags and then into her cart. Shadowheart felt the sweat in her palms. They never handed her any bags to pack, did they? And what entitled them to expect such a service from her? Are their hands not working perfectly fine?
“If you had asked nicely in favor of throwing a tantrum, maybe I would have packed them,” she told her, customer service smile long gone and replaced by the most disgusted frown she could muster. She was met with a furious look, and a raised hand. Shadowheart felt herself flinch away and tense up, anticipating it to come down upon her. It slammed down on top of her register.
“I don’t want to hear any lip from you, girl!” The woman removed her hand and placed it on her cart. “Lazy fucks don’t want to work anymore.”
As the two of them walked away, cart wheels trailing through the giant puddle of iced tea, Shadowheart was still. Her heart raced, her eyes burned. She was… furious, but absolutely humiliated.
“Shadowheart?”
She snapped towards Wyll’s voice, swallowing hard to keep her tears at bay. With a shaky pair of legs, Shadowheart traversed the mess to stand beside Wyll. She wanted to melt into him and sob her eyes out, but she refrained.
“I’m fine,” she said, despite knowing how obvious a lie it was. “It was just a lot.”
“We’ve got someone heading here to clean up the mess. How about you go to the break room and sit down for a bit?”
Shadowheart nodded, accepting the offer without hesitation. She hurried off, avoiding any eye contact on her way to the back.
She went straight to her locker, rotating the combination lock with a shaky hand. Once opened, she grabbed the box of Thin Mints and shut the door. In the break room, she took a seat in the armchair, tore open the cookies, and shoved one in her mouth all before she noticed Lae’zel was there. Shadowheart chewed and swallowed.
“Heading home?” she managed to utter in a mostly-normal tone. Lae’zel frowned.
“I was, yes.” She inched closer, staring her down like a curious cat. “You are shaking.”
“I am?” She knew she was. She could feel it.
“Yes.” Her eyes narrowed. “Did something happen?”
“Yes, but it’s no big deal, really.” Shadowheart could feel her lips starting to quiver, so she shoved another cookie in her mouth.
“I told you, Shadowheart. You will not be deceiving me.”
She finished the cookie with a gulp. “Okay, fine. It was a big deal to me. But if I told you, you’d realize how ridiculous I’m being.” She shouldn’t be this upset over some insignificant asshole. But the breaking things, the yelling, the hand that she was sure would strike her — it worked her up into a panic, and she had no idea why. Trying to piece together the reasoning felt like hitting her head against the wall, and it made her want to cry more.
“I doubt it is as ridiculous as you think,” Lae’zel said, pulling a chair from one of the tables up beside Shadowheart. She sat down, folding her arms over the back of the chair. “Tell me.”
With a sigh, Shadowheart recounted the event, beginning with how normal it all was until the iced tea was all over the floor. Lae’zel listened intently, her gaze not straying once from her face as she told the whole story.
“...and then Wyll told me to come back here and sit down,” she finished. Lae’zel hummed.
“I hope they end up deciding not to come back. If they are demanding and unappreciative of our services, they do not deserve them.”
“Heh, right.”
“And, I believe your reaction to being yelled at is a normal one.”
Shadowheart let out a sniffle. “Yeah?”
“If you had shown such weakness as crying in a situation like this back at my crèche, it is highly likely you would have been punished. Perhaps even killed.”
Shadowheart frowned, and found just enough sarcasm for a sentence. “Wow, Lae’zel. You really know what to say to make a girl feel better.”
“I did not finish,” Lae’zel interjected, lip curling slightly in irritation. “It is for this reason, among others, that I am glad to have turned my back on my ‘home.’ I will never call this behavior of yours weak or ridiculous, Shadowheart. I wish for you to be comfortable sharing your hurt with me.”
The sound Shadowheart let out then was much closer to a sob. She wiped the hot, wet tears from her eyes; no doubt she smudged her makeup in the process. She dug another cookie out of the box and held it out.
“...do you want a cookie?” Her face went warm. She should have responded with something meaningful, but she just didn’t have the mental energy to do so.
Thankfully, Lae’zel took it well, and did not press her. She accepted the offered treat, looking it over and giving it a sniff. She popped it into her mouth and chewed. Her pupils dilated into round saucers, and Shadowheart giggled.
“You can have more. I bought a whole box.”
“...if you are offering.”
They sat in comfortable silence, sharing the box of cookies until Shadowheart felt her heart settle. She had just under an hour of her shift left, and she should probably get back to it.
Before she did, however, she decided to ask, “Lae’zel, are you free anytime soon? Do you have a day off?”
“Tomorrow, yes. Why do you ask?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast with me. Gale told me about a really nice cafe. If— If you’re into that sort of thing.”
“Hm, yes. I have yet to visit a ‘cafe,’ but I have heard it is enjoyable with company. Especially in the company of the individual you desire romantically.”
Shadowheart was glad she had put down the Thin Mints, because she was pretty sure she would have choked. “You desire me?”
“Very much.” Lae’zel’s intense gaze went soft as her ears drooped. “If I have overstepped—”
“No, no! Lae’zel, I feel the same.” Fuck, fuck, now she was going to cry for a whole new reason. She cleared her throat. “I’ll text you after work. We can figure out a time that works.”
“I look forward to it.”
When Shadowheart returned to the front, she held onto the whole conversation for the remainder of her shift. Work sucked. People sucked. But her day ended on a high note after all. And she deserved a damn good day.