Thursday Morning: A Warehouse formerly named George...

[badassprodigy]

While most of the island was still dealing with the lack of clothes and a heatwave, there was one warehouse that was dealing with some interdimensional weirdness of its own.

One moment everything was fine and in the next there was a rip in time and space. Gusts of wind blew debris and sand around the warehouse as a human sized figure fell through to the ground.

"All right! Send my shit through!" he shouted through the portal.

Various metallic crates began to shoot through the portal causing Barry to dodge and swear.

"Jesus fucking Christ! Be careful with those!"

Eventually all the crates came through and the portal sealed up behind Barry as he took a look at his old warehouse.

It was there, still standing. Barry stood outside and felt the sentimentality wash over him. It was here that he had his first date. Where he had made the dreadful mistake of trying to create a gremlin vaccine. Where he nearly lost his mind watching the evils of science and how it nearly destroyed the humanity of Eleanor’s universe. It was where one of his favorite teaches had adopted him as a… little brother? (That thought was immediately pushed away as he soon remembered how he and his girlfriend used to have sex on nearly every piece of furniture in the place)

Barry had made friends before Fandom. He’d also known love. But it was here in this warehouse that he realized just how important those things were. How they were more important than even (gasp) science.

The lock on it was new but not a challenge for Barry. It fell to the ground and with a slight hesitation he pushed open the door…

To find out that Kathy had redecorated.

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! WHAT IS WITH ALL THIS IKEA BULLSHIT?! WHO GETS RID OF STAIRS AND REPLACES IT WITH A FUCKING ROPE! GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!”

Barry paused. Took a deep breath and let it go. Easy Barry. It’s been ten years. Lots of changes. It’s okay. Changes are good. And at least some of the same stuff was there where he left it.

Dragging in his equipment he immediately kicked on the power generator and stepped over to his communication array and started the process of downloading five years of information to review.

And that's when he caught one email in particular. A notification he never got while dimension-hopping.


"Oh. Oh, no."

There's only a few things that can shake Barry to the core. Losing a friend and not being to do anything about it? That was the first one on the list.

He sat there for a long time just sitting there stunned.

"Fuck."

He was going to be that way for a while.

[ooc: Open. Trigger warning for link as it involves character death.]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"That sounds like you," Kathy said softly. "Helping yourself by helping other people."

But before Barry could complain about getting soppy, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and added, "We would have been friends anyway. Nyah."

[badassprodigy]

"Probably," Barry said with a small smirk. "Good thing too. There would have been at least one person criticizing me for trying to chip people I like. Though I really wish someone had worked harder to stop me from making a gremlin vaccine."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I picked my battles," Kathy snorted. "You were going to make that gremlin vaccine no matter what."

[badassprodigy]

"Yeah, that's what happens when you are a stubborn asshat," Barry admitted ruefully. He let out a long sigh. "So. How often can I expect visits from you now that you're off fighting demons with your boyfriends?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Well, I try to come out to the island at least once a week, being a respectable business owner and all," Kathy mused. "Speaking of, if you're looking for a job for any reason..."

KATHY THAT WAS MEAN.

[badassprodigy]

Barry mused over that for a few seconds. "Let me guess: This is a ploy to get me out of the warehouse more than once a week," he replied. "Yeah. Okay. Might be good to interact with people outside of my mad scientist's lair."

When Barry finds out what exactly this store is for then YES HE WILL AGREE THAT KATHY IS MEAN.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I mean, I'm also planning to drag you to Limbo City so start preparing yourself for that, too," Kathy said cheerfully.

"...And wait, are you serious about working for me?" She can't help but laugh. "There's a swap from the olden days."

[badassprodigy]

"Great. A scientist going into world loaded up with demons," Barry joked. "Yeah. That'll fucking end well. And as for a job... yeah. For the past five years I've been dealing with tribes and a telepathic gorilla. Maybe getting back in touch with the human race would be a good thing. And you still work for me too. Gotta have at least one fucking person to keep me on the straight and narrow."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Much to Dante's eternal chagrin," Kathy muttered, smiling a little bit.

But bi jokes were unimportant here. At least compared to..."Barry, do you know what store I own?"

[badassprodigy]

"No."

Barry made some probability calculations in his head.

"The pet store?"

Clearly Barry was going on old data.

[spin_kick_snap]

Oh Barry. Bless.

"Ah. No." She looks distinctly amused at that, actually. "I own Dite's now."

[badassprodigy]

There was a split second where Barry just had a look of complete horror which was followed by a violent smack to his own face.

"You're going to hold me to that verbal contract, aren't you?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"I think exposure therapy could really help you with someone of your concerns," Kathy said. "And this way, you could work on two at once!"

[badassprodigy]

Barry let out a loooooong sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose and tapping his foot while he did. Deep breaths in and out.

"Yeah, okay. Fuck it," Barry giving up on even thinking of a way to argue out of it. "I'll do it. At least this way I can use my employee discount to send my friends embarrassing stuff."

Jeremy was totally getting an inflatable sheep.

[spin_kick_snap]

"If it helps, most of our business is online," Kathy said, torn between sympathy and amusement. "You might not even get any customers?"

Which might be worse. Because then all that was left was to stare at the merchandise.

[badassprodigy]

Barry was doing quantum calculations on the atomic clusters that he had observed on various materials in Ramaat just so he wouldn't think about the merchandise.

"Yeah. Well. Maybe it will be good for me. If not we'll talk about it," Barry said with a shrug. "Honestly having provided Jeremy all the free porn he could ever want when we were ten should have prepared me for this."

It didn't.

[spin_kick_snap]

What was he going to do when he was required to handle the merchandise?

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Kathy said. "And there's a breakroom! If you need to just go somewhere and chill for a bit!"

...Don't bring a blacklight.

[badassprodigy]

Sorry, Kathy. After sharing a warehouse with Reno and Rikku, Barry brought a blacklight everywhere.

"Yeah. I'll be all right. Give me a week or two and I'll be able to make dildo recommendations with the best of them."

And that breakroom is going to be cleaner than ever.

[spin_kick_snap]

Oh god, he was going to be blinded the first time he checked the warehouse.

"Yeah, but it's the vibrators that really sell," Kathy said, giving him a grin.

[badassprodigy]

See that subtle facial expression? That was Barry's brain breaking the tiniest bit.

"Duly noted," he said carefully and quietly. "I'm sure there are plenty of technical manuals I can read so I can fully versed on the subject."

And since he can't forget anything that will be in his mind forever.

[spin_kick_snap]

'Subtle.'

"Let me know if you need personal suggestions," Kathy said, giving him a shit-eating grin. "Or if you need testers in order to form your own opinions."

[badassprodigy]

At the mention of personal suggestions, Barry winced.

Then at the mention of testers, Barry was full out making a face.

NopeNopeNopeNopeNopeNope

"Yeah. Ahhhhh. Sure. I'll let you know."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Aren't you glad you're back?" Kathy asked.

She was.

She was utterly delighted.

[badassprodigy]

That was enough to make Barry burst out laughing.

When he was done he was looking at Kathy and shaking his head.

"Yes," he said sincerely. "I really am. I know you're giving me shit but it's very good to see a friend here."

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's good to have you back," Kathy said, looking up at him with a heartfelt smile. "I missed you a lot, Barry. You were one of my very first and very best friends."

Even if you had stolen her eyes' innocence.