Here to Apply

DATE: AUGUST 2ND, 2015
TIME: APPROX. 8:30 PM

So, this was it. Hopefully tonight would be the night that Spenst finally lands himself a job. He had seen a new ad on the bulletin board the night before and decided that it would be perfect for him. There were no day hours, just night. Wonderful night! You see, a day job was pretty much impossible for an alien like Spenst, and the owner of the Drive-In, should he wish to know, would soon know why.

The outdoor theater, luckily enough for him, was pretty easy to find. As promised, the blinking sign by the road made it difficult to miss. He followed the sign, and it wasn't long before he found his destination. The Ectonurite took a moment to survey the venue. It certainly looked like it would be a great hangout spot. Perhaps his friend Ola would care to join him sometime? Well, there was no point in standing around like this for much longer. He had a job to nab!

And so the ghostly alien made his way to the concession stand, where he assumed was the best place to start looking for the owner, Knock Out. There was certainly a robot there, and he could only assume that it must be the owner. Welp, here goes nothing!

"Ah, excuse me! Knock Out, isn't it? I saw your ad, and I came to inquire about possibly working here."

Indeed, Knock Out was within the concession building, taking inventory behind the counter. Of course, since the place had not even been officially opened yet, he wasn't taking inventory to keep track of how much they had sold. Rather, the mech was making sure that nobody had sneaked into the building in the dark of the night, to pilfer some of the food while he was gone. Perhaps that was a downside to taking up a business that was in the Outer City; it was out of the ISOs jurisdiction. The upside? Knock Out could take care of any rule breakers himself! And he could be as sadistic was he wanted to be, as this area was free game!

Kneeled down upon one knee, Knock Out's servo reached through the inner part of the glass casing to grab several stacks of candy bars. Pinching the cardboard boxes easily between his sharp fingers, Knock Out set them out along the ground in groups, according to the Brand. The building was quite, aside from the sound of cardboard being set down, the scratch of pen writing and Knock Out's mumbles as he wrote. "15 boxes of Reese's Pieces, 12 boxes of M&Ms..." The Cybertronian snorted to himself. "Good thing this stuff has a long shelf life!" With no job applications so far, Knock Out wasn't sure when this place would officially open! Ah, but the sign had also only been up for a day. He couldn't expect too much, too soon!

By the time Spenst had come around, Knock Out had restocked the glass casing in the front of the concession stand, right below the register area. The doors had opened, the bell above them tingling it's sweet tune. Knock Out blinked, both brows shooting upwards as he shot up to a standing position behind the counter. There before him floated...a ghost? Knock Out blinked several times in rapid succession, both servoes flattening across the top of the counter as he leaned over it to peer at the new person. A strange looking ghost with a hat and a shirt, and apparently this little guy had seen his ad!

"Oh!" Knock Out glanced down at himself and pulled back away from the counter, both servoes ghosting over his front to brush away any bit of debris and dust from where he had been sitting on the floor. The mech walked around the side to walk out to the other side where Spenst was, holding his servo out for him to grab. "Yes, I'm Knock Out! Thank you for coming, uh...?" With his other servo, he gestured at Spenst. After getting his name, the mech half-turned to face the concession counter. "Well, if you work here, this is probably where you'll be spending the majority of your time." Knock Out turned back to Spenst, clasping his servoes together. Admittedly, this was the first time he'd ever conducted a job interview. "So...before we begin! Do you have any questions...?"

"You're very welcome! Oh, and Spenst, the name's Spenst," the alien responded to the mech. "You've got a nice place here. Now, just imagine what it'll be like when more people start pouring in. It's a sad thing, seeing a place like this so empty."

He stoked his chin, thinking for a moment.

"Questions? No, I don't really have any, but I guess it would help to say that I would prefer a position at one of the registers. If need be, however, I could be made to perform janitorial duties as well. Just don't ask me to cook! Though I am an okay cook, I'm only an okay cook. My cooking's not the best is what I'm trying to say."

Spenst? Knock Out didn't bother to hide the surprised look on his face upon hearing that name. It was...certainly a unique one! As Spenst continued speaking though, Knock Out was jostled out of his surprise. The mech puffed his chest out proudly, glancing around the building and through the doors to the parking spaces outside. "Why thank you~ It took a lot of work to get it fixed up, but it was worth it!" He rested a hand upon his chest in a self-assured manner, though the grin faltered. Indeed, without any customers...without any other cars here, and a movie playing on the big screen, it was rather...empty. Like a ghost town. "Well, that should be fixed soon. Once I hire a decent amount of people, I'm gonna open this place up, and every weekend will be movie night." And then they could both see if the place would look as they imagined it would.

No questions, though Spenst did have a few preferences for where he'd be working. Working the register was the best job for him, with janitorial duties being a possibilities. Cooking in the kitchen however, a big nope. Apparently Spenst wasn't the best cook around. Knock Out shrugged. "Message received. That's fine with me. The registers are pretty important, and so's being a janitor." Being a cook was also an important job for the concession stand, but he'd rather put people back there who knew what they were doing and were more than 'okay'. "So do you have experience working with registers?"

Spenst tensed up and the oh so important question of experience, hopefully not visibly. Ah, the struggles of getting a first job. Everyone wants experience, but of course you're not going to have it if you're looking for your first job. He had to be honest with the mech though, right? Of course! Lying to him right of the bat probably wouldn't make him look too good.

"Well, to be honest, I've never actually used a register," the ghostly alien confessed. "I have, however, done a bit of research on them, and they seem pretty self-explanatory to me. I shouldn't have too much trouble using them."

And that there was the cold hard truth!

Knock Out noticed some slight tensing on Spenst's part, one brow raising up curiously. Did the boy have cold feet? ...Oh wait, he didn't have any feet at all. A cold tail perhaps...it came together once Spenst admitted that he lacked experience with registers. Aah, so he was nervous! The ghost spoke of researching the registers however, finding them rather easy, and it gave Knock Out an idea. "You did some research, huh? You don't say, you don't saaay..." The mech's voice seemed to purr as he tapped his pointed finger tips together. "In that case, how about we have a little pop quiz?" He spread an arm towards the counter, the nearest register shiny and ready for duty. Once Spenst floated his way behind the counter to settle himself behind the register, Knock Out approached it from the opposite side, as if he were a normal customer.

"I'll be a paying customer, you be the vendor." Knock Out spun on his heel, turning his back to Spenst as he focused. Optics closed, he waved a servo over the top of his face as he got into character. Begin. Knock Out turned back around to face the counter, both fists now upon both of his fists. His weight shifted onto one hip, and crimson optics roamed the menu. Though, the menu had been memorized by Knock Out by this point, as he made the very thing up. It was merely for show. "Howdy there, space cadet!" The mech greeted in a boisterous, annoying voice with a badly done Western accent. "I'll take me an extra-large tub of popcorn, a medium Energon drink, a slice of pepperoni pizza and an order of M&Ms!" Giving Spenst a moment to soak it all in, he leaned one elbow upon the counter. "How much do I owe ya?" Well, Spenst?

Oh thank goodness! Knock Out did not seem to react negatively to Spenst's lack of personal experience with cash registers. In fact, the mech was more than willing to engage in some brief role play in order to quiz him on his online research of registers. The alien specter nodded in response to this notion.

"Yeah, sure! I can do that," he said before making his way behind the counter. There, he waited patiently for (hopefully) his future boss to get into character. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

Howdy there, space cadet! I'll take me an extra-large tub of popcorn, a medium Energon drink, a slice of pepperoni pizza and an order of M&Ms! How much do I owe ya?

"Ah, yes. That'll be 15 credits, Sir," Spenst replied to the 'customer.' Gotta throw a good 'sir' or 'm'am' in there, too. Courtesy, you need to be polite! And that was the right amount, right? Please be right!..

Spenst had no objections to the rather informal quiz, which was great because if he rejected the idea, Knock Out was still going to do it. The order was given, a rather hefty one in fact, and Spenst gave him the amount due. The mech mimed reaching in a pocket and withdrawing some amount of credits, even pretending to count them out. "Thirteen...fourteen...fifteen!" He held a servo out, passing the imaginary money over to Spenst. "Here ya go little feller!" Knock Out drawled, then moving to pretend to pick up his order. The 'tub' nestled in the crux of his elbow, left servo firmly clenching the drink, and the other servo balancing the pizza box with the M&Ms on top as if he were a waiter holding a plate of food. "Thank ya kindly!" Knock Out nodded his head, and turned again on his heel.

Both servos dropped, placing themselves upon Knock Out's hips as he turned once more to face the alien. "Not bad, not bad!" One servo came up to tap his chin, digit rubbing it lightly. "Hmm...I see some room for improvement though. The amount was correct, so you did that right! But...when you work in a job like this, it can help to offer things to the customers. For example, with my order, you could have suggested that he get the combo instead. That would get him another slice of pizza. Offering upgrades to drinks and popcorn can also be very useful, both for raking in the money and for making the customer feel like they should come back." The criticism did not mean Spenst was out of the door however!

Knock Out turned his back to Spenst, and this time walked a few steps forward as if he were walking away. Before he could get too far, the mech turned back around and walked back to the counter, hips swaying in a rather feminine fashion. Both elbows landed with a small clack on the counter, Knock Out's chin nestled in between his own palms as he browsed the menu. "Hmm..." After seemingly browsing the menu for a good few seconds, crimson optics settled themselves back onto Spenst. "I'm not really sure what I waaaant..." The voice Knock Out had adopted this time was falsetto, and had a screech to it that could make dogs howl. "I'm in the mood for chicken, but it doesn't look like there's any chicken! And I definitely want a drink...but all of those combos look sooo gross! Burgers, eeew! What do you suggest, Sir? I want some meat, but I don't want a burger..." A test, if a rather...hard on the ears kind of test.

Spenst listened intently as the "customer" left and became Knock Out. He had the amount right, thank goodness, but the mech pointed out that he should never be afraid to suggest combos in the future. Customers usually do not mind such a thing. They get more food, the drive-in gets more money, and they often come back as a result. Everybody wins!

"Noted," the alien responded, now prepared for the next scenario.

Hmm... I'm not really sure what I waaaant... I'm in the mood for chicken, but it doesn't look like there's any chicken! And I definitely want a drink...but all of those combos look sooo gross! Burgers, eeew! What do you suggest, Sir? I want some meat, but I don't want a burger...

"No Sir, we do not have chicken, but perhaps you'd care for a Number One or Number Five combo if you don't want a burger. The Number One comes with a hot dog and a medium drink, and the Number Five comes with two slices of cheese or pepperoni pizza and a medium drink. I suppose the Number Five could count as meaty if you got the pepperoni pizza. Oh, and there's the Number Two! That's an order of nachos with a medium drink. We can put ground beef in the nachos if you'd like. So, how about it? Any of that sound appetizing?"

Knock Out couldn't help but grin as Spenst spoke to his 'customer', sounding very much like a true veteran as he offered combo suggestion like a pro. Faced with a picky customer who wanted meat, but didn't want a burger and couldn't get chicken due to it not being an option, the ghost alien first suggested a hot dog combo. The next suggestion he gave was the pizza combo, pointing out that with pepperoni on top it could count as a 'meat' dish. But the suggestion that really got Knock Out's attention was Spenst's idea to give the customer a nacho combo and put ground beef on top of it! The other two suggestions weren't exactly rocket science, but adding beef to an order of nachos...the mech had to admit that he wouldn't have thought of that.

Knock Out raised a digit to tap his chin, pretending to think over his options very carefully. Hot dog, pizza, or nachos... "Hm! I think that nacho idea could work! I don't like burgers, but I do love tacos, and that'd be just like a taco!" He giggled girlishly to himself for a moment. "Nacho combo it is!" He'd wait til he 'paid' for his 'meal' to give his review for this order.

Spenst smiled warmly at the "customer" as he took interest in the nacho idea. The alien guessed he was right. They were kinda similar to tacos, weren't they? At this point, he was feeling rather confident. He was on a roll right now!.. Hopefully Knock Out was thinking the same of him.

"Great choice, Sir. Nachos are great, aren't they? Now, that'll be 6 credits, if you will?" the Ectonurite responded, awaiting payment.

What do you say to that, Knock Out? Spenst awaited the mech's assessment. He was all ears, and was ready for any criticisms that the robot might have. Keyword might... Hopefully.

'Sir'? Knock Out's femme impression must have been worse than he thought it was! The mech stifled a snicker and just smiled at the cashier. "They sure are! 6 credits, on the way!" He mimed rummaging in a pocket, pulling out his imaginary credits once more and 'handing' 6 credits over to Spenst. One servo moved as if scooping something up, the nachos of course, and the other hand 'closed' around his medium drink. "Thank you for the food!" And away his 'customer' went, turning around and walking to the wall. Both arms dropped to the mech's hips once more and he sauntered back to the counter with a grin.

"Much better! You were personable, and you gave great suggestions! That ground beef in the nacho idea?" Knock Out shook his helm, chuckling. "You keep coming up with creative ideas like that, and you've got a real future here! But don't go too crazy." Beef in nachos was one thing, but another thing entirely would be some...monstrous amalgamation of the entire menu. That addition was more of an aside though, as otherwise it seems Knock Out had no criticisms to give. The alien had been less robotic in speech, offered good substitutions that fit in with what the customer demanded, and all with a professional air.

But let's see how the alien handled a bad customer. Knock Out turned on his heel once more, though almost as soon as he had, he was face front once more. His optics narrowed at Spenst before suddenly SLAM! Both servos came down upon the top of the counter as Knock Out leered close, glaring at Spenst. "Alright small fry! Listen up and listen good, because I'm not going to repeat myself if you miss something I order! I have a lot of friends with me, so I'm gonna need that party combo, the number 7! The pizza is half pepperoni, half sausage, all peppers. The drinks are sweet tea, unsweet tea, Dr. Pepper, and a frozen drink! For the frozen drink, I want you to mix raspberry with blueberry! The candies are 2 Reese's, one Crunch bar and some M&Ms! I also want an extra large tub of popcorn, and the number 6, kid combo! That is going to be a hot dog, and the candy is skittles!" He paused for a moment, seemingly giving Spenst time to get all of that straight before he leaned in closer. "Last time I was here, I missed half the movie because the other vendor took forever to get my food completed! You better not take more than 10 minutes, or I'll make you regret it."

Much better! You were personable, and you gave great suggestions! That ground beef in the nacho idea? You keep coming up with creative ideas like that, and you've got a real future here! But don't go too crazy.

Spenst was grinning widely at the mech's praise. It was awesome knowing that he was doing a good job. If he kept this up, he was going to be hired for sure!

"Oh, I promise I wont go too crazy. I doubt that many humans would appreciate most of the local cuisine of my home planet," he responded, chuckling at the thought. Sure, he was getting praised now, but Knock Out still wasn't done with him. It was time to set the scene again!

Alright small fry! Listen up and listen good, because I'm not going to repeat myself if you miss something I order! I have a lot of friends with me, so I'm gonna need that party combo, the number 7! The pizza is half pepperoni, half sausage, all peppers. The drinks are sweet tea, unsweet tea, Dr. Pepper, and a frozen drink! For the frozen drink, I want you to mix raspberry with blueberry! The candies are 2 Reese's, one Crunch bar and some M&Ms! I also want an extra large tub of popcorn, and the number 6, kid combo! That is going to be a hot dog, and the candy is skittles! Last time I was here, I missed half the movie because the other vendor took forever to get my food completed! You better not take more than 10 minutes, or I'll make you regret it.

Hoo boy, this one was gonna be a toughie. But the fact of the matter was that if Spenst got this job, he was probably going to have to deal with an angry and impatient customer eventually. Not only that, but some people were going to have large orders. Those were just the facts! Welp. Anyways, it was time to see to this new "customer."

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Sir," Spenst apologized, grabbing a pen to write down the order. He took a moment to count with his claws. "Alright, that'll be 31 credits, and I'll be sure that the cooks get your order ready ASAP."

Home planet, huh? So this ghost wasn't just a ghost! ...Unless of course he meant Earth, but still. Knock Out chose to take it to mean the little guy was a ghostly alien. Hey, Knock Out himself was a robotic alien, there were weirder things out there in space! "Oh, you and me both." The local cuisine on Cybertron was meant strictly for Cybertronians. The medic would hate to see the aftermaths of an organic attempting to drink Energon...purely gruesome.

The mech had to admit, playing the part of impatient jerk was more than a little fun! He almost wished Spenst was more frightened by the acting, though a good worker shouldn't look terrified of the patrons anyway. Just that sadistic streak cropping up...not even a whimper? Perhaps the next person to apply, then... "Sorry doesn't change the fact that the service here is awful!" He sneered, the apology tossed away as soon as it was given. The order was written down, the largest he had given the little alien. There was real potential for miscounting too, though Spenst managed to get the correct credits. 31 one of them, along with an assurance that he'd get the order completed as soon as he could. Unlike the last two exercises however, where Knock Out merely pretended to count the credits and hand them over, the crimson Cybertronian pounded on the counter once again, the candy displayed on the inside jostling at the force of it.

"31 credits?! What kind of highway robbery operation are you RUNNING here? You want me to hand over my hard earned money, all 31 credits of it, for some food I could get at a gas station for half the price?! It didn't even COST that much last time I was here!" Knock Out grit his dental plates before he raised a digit and pointed it right at Spenst, nearly jabbing him in the chest. "Anyone with half a processor could do your job!" He had graduated to making a scene. Were there other customers here, they'd surely be running off to avoid the screaming customer that refused to pay.

Spenst couldn't help but flinch a little at the "customer's" sudden outburst. The alien was able to grin and bear it up until he started screaming in his face. He could feel the sensation of something shifting under his clothing. Looking down, he could see that the tentacles in his chest had come out and were now trying to escape the confines of his jacket. It was a reflex. As quickly as they had come out, he had retracted them. They could come out if he needed them later.

"Sir, is it not possible that the vendor you had last time simply charged you less due to the poor service?" That was a possibilty, at least in Spenst's mind. "I assure you that the price is correct. Still, if you want to speak to the manager, I guess I could let you do that. Knock Out!"

He pretended to call for Knock Out. This should be good, watching the mech try to talk to himself.