reporting for duty

You manage to find your way to the Queen Fish, after researching the place you couldn't find much more than it was a nightclub. From the outside, it looked closed, but then it was four in the afternoon. There wasn't much else you could find out about it, however, which seemed like a terrible idea for a nightclub these days.

Over the front door was a large neon QF sign currently turned off. Inside you were met with a beautiful girl filing her nails, clearly not expecting you or anyone to walk in at this hour. "Hey?" She smiled curiously.

"I have..I'm supposed to be interning here? I think?"

Her confused smile turned genuine and bubbly, "Oh, Hey! We've been expecting you." She rushed around the podium and gave you a big hug then kissed you once on each cheek. "I'm Blaire. You follow me okay?" She turned around confident that you would follow her. The way her hips were swaying you would follow her over a cliff honestly.

She threw open heavy drapes just beyond a coat check and lead you through a large room filled with tables leading up to an elevated stage. You saw a few girls sitting at a couple of tables having lunch, a boy and a girl about your age on stage with what you supposed were scripts going over lines. "I don't know anything about acting." You immediately wished the ground would open up and swallow you.

Blaire giggled, "I'm not much one for acting either, I sing." She suddenly turned around and you barely kept from toppling over her. "Maybe we can do a duet."

"I...I'm not a singer." You had to fight with all your might to not look down her shirt.

She looked you up and down before smiling, "Voice like that? I bet it wouldn't take much to make you one." You blushed as she turned around and walked up the stage, waving at the guy and girl on stage. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the girl whispering to the boy and pointing at you.

Finally, backstage you met another beautiful, albeit older, woman at a sewing machine. "Madame Laganja, the intern is here."

"Oh, Alex." She held up the sequin gown she had been working on, "What do you think?"

"Uh...it sure is shiny."

"You're right, I like it too." She smiled and laid the dress back onto the table before standing up and walking over to you. "Mrs. Blaire, be a dear and see that Roy is ready for his act."

"Yes, momma." She smiled at you and glided out of the room.

"She's your daughter?"

"Some of the girls here call me momma." She smiled warmly and guided you into a back office. The walls were lined with pictures of what was clearly her in her younger days on various stages and in various costumes. "So Alex, this must all be strange to you, huh?"

"Well, I'm no theater geek...I mean I don't know how I could help."

"Even theater troupes need someone to work the till and serve drinks. Can you stand up for me?" Confused, since you just sat down, you stood back up. She spun her finger telling you to turn around. You did as you were told, giving a slow turn. She sat for a moment, appraising you, "You'll do." She stood up and took you back outside of her office. She walked you around the backstage, pointing to the bathroom and dressing rooms for the "headliners". The rest of the backstage was an open dressing room.

"First thing's first. Laundry." She pushed a linen cart filled with worn dresses, panties and bras and showed you how to wash them. In the back room, there were a dozen more similar carts. "Our usual girl had to call in sick so you'll be alone I'm afraid."

"Great."

"Not the most glamorous job, I know, but chin up. Maybe one day you'll be a headliner."

"...Great." You had no desire to be a headliner let alone wash clothes.

Madame Laganja smiled and handed you a binder, "There's plenty of instructions here. And if you get bored there are plenty of other manuals on the shelves." she left you to the wash. An hour in and you were only down two carts, luckily she had left a book of instructions on how to wash everything. It was all pretty straightforward but some of the dresses looked pretty expensive so you didn't want to make a mistake. Bored you decided to pick up another manual.