Trouble for Tara and Rowan

Rowan was not a lazy employee. On especially good days, she could even be called “enthusiastic”. But when the aisle where she’d been working was occupied by a swarm of blondes three heads deep, there wasn’t any way in hell that she was going to be getting her assigned shelving done.

As such, she had rendezvoused with Tara, who was in the same position work-wise, and the pair of best friends had huddled together to wait out the customers.

Contrasting with the pale, leather-clad goth’s aesthetic, Tara could always be counted on to possess a fresh, constantly-updated supply of cute animal videos on her phone.

At the moment, the animal of choice was a cute cat, wandering around somebody’s yard while stuffed into a Disney Princess outfit.

It was a chore for the two employees to stifle their giggles and groans of mixed amusement and pity, at least until their entertainment was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing her throat.

Both of their heads came up immediately - the video had sound, but they’d kept it muted in order to be able to respond to any customer that needed help.

The throat-clearer was blonde, of course, but a dark shade thereof. Her hair was long and straight, and above her modest blouse and skirt she wore a heavy metal crucifix on a chain around her neck. When she spoke, her voice was strict and angry. "Are you recording me?!"

Rowan bristled, but Tara - in a better mood thanks to her earlier encounter - smiled appeasingly. "Of course not, ma'am." She reached out with the hand holding her phone, offering the device for the woman's examination.

It happened so quickly she could hardly process it. One moment her hand was outstretched, her precious cell phone sitting in her palm. The next, her hand received a sharp, stinging pain, a violent crack rang out through the air, and shards of black metal were scattered across the tile floor.

Both the employees blinked in shock. The woman had actually slapped Tara's phone straight out of her hand, and had done so hard enough to outright destroy it upon hitting the floor. For a moment no one moved, then the woman opened her mouth again, a confident look on her face, and at once Tara tackled her, her entire body impacting the blonde's midsection while an animal growl emerged from the goth's throat. Rowan followed only a step behind.