Double Trouble

Three

Oliver stood behind the counter, his azure eyes staring hesitantly at the two men who he assumed were handling the register. The pink-haired male has been standing there for the past five minutes, and none of the men had taken notice of him. Or maybe they did notice him but they chose not to acknowledge him.

The pair both had blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail, their faces holding a similar expression as their eyes focus on the magazines in their hands. The one on the left had a more strawberry blonde shade to his hair, and his eyes were a lilac color that seems to carry no life with them. The latter had a brighter shade of blonde and purple, dull eyes. Glancing at their name tags, the left one was 'James' and the one on the right was 'François'.

Both of them still haven't acknowledged the client right in front of them. They merely ignored him as they flipped through their reading as they remained silent through it all.

Oliver scanned his surroundings; he was inside a store named 'Le Chouchou', specifically a pet store that sold a variety of animals that range from puppies, kittens, gold fish, and more. He glimpsed at the different breeds of puppies collected at the left side, each living in their own little cubby. To his right were the fish tanks, dominating the entire wall. He could also see an adjacent room in the middle where he assumed where the other pets were located.

When Oliver first saw this store a few minutes ago, he didn't believe that Allen actually worked here. A store like this would never accept someone like Allen. This place required people who are gentle, kind, and patient in order to care for the little animals living here. And from what Oliver knows, gentle, kind, and patience were never part of Allen's dictionary. It was difficult for him to imagine Allen taking care of baby animals; it was unnerving.

But this was the address that Alfred had given him. He even double checked it before coming inside.

It was hard to believe that someone like Allen, who was tough and strict-looking, be accepted to work in a gentle, mundane environment. Maybe he was tasked to do labor work instead of tending to the animals? Or perhaps he organized the supplies and took inventory?

Whatever it was, Oliver wanted to know how Allen even got this job in the first place. It also made him wonder how these two, the ones sitting behind the register, landed a position in this shop. They radiated the same air as Allen; dark and menacing, but were silent and mysterious at the same time. At least they weren't in charge of the animals, but it was irritating seeing them ignore Oliver's presence. They pretended as if he wasn't even here!

"Ahem," Oliver cleared his throat to catch their attention. "Excuse me?"

François' somber eyes glanced up to look at him, his cold stare sending a chill down Oliver's spine. That was it? That was all he had to do to get them to notice him?

"Hello-"

"Are you a customer?"

"Not really…"

"Here to buy anything?"

"Er… no-"

"If you're not here to purchase anything then the exit is that way, little boy."

Oliver's cheeks flushed in anger. Now they were just plain rude. "I'm sorry, but I’m here to see someone,” he grumbled.