Remi tries to bargain.

Remi could see her life flashing before her eyes-- or, more accurately, she could see her job flashing before her eyes. The SS Awesome Excelsior took failures very seriously, and they sided with the customer ninety-nine percent of the time. She had been punished on more than one occasion for problems that she hadn't even caused, and it seemed like she was on track for another of the same kind of incident today. Why hadn't she just minded her own business?

"Please don't," Remi pleaded. "I'm not even the usual maid here. My friend is. But she messed up and-- and she's down in the laundry room, and I agreed to cover her section so that things wouldn't get all screwed up, I promise that I really didn't do this." She gulped. "Sir."

The man still looked furious. Honestly, his face hadn't changed a bit. He waved the now-pink shirt in front of her face again. "Oh no, young lady," he said. "I know your excuses. That's a load of bull if I've ever come across one before, and I know bullshit!" How could he not see that Remi wasn't his usual maid? She and Safiya didn't look anything alike. She was black, for God's sake! Did these people really pay so little attention that they didn't have the faintest idea what their maid looked like?

"Sir, please," Remi said. "I swear, this wasn't me. I'll go get my friend, you'll recognize her, then it'll all make sense--" She was throwing Safiya under the bus here, but then again, Safiya had thrown her under the bus dozens of times with her laziness alone. Remi deserved a get-out-of-jail-free card off of Safiya's half-assery once in a while, and now was definitely the time to cash in. She could tell by the look on the man's face that he would take this as far as he could, even though the whole incident was just a minor laundry mishap. Customers always seemed to take their problems so seriously, even when they weren't really problems.

"Please," Remi said.