Crash#2: Zippy's Candy Shoppe

[Crash Bandicoot]

Cuz I wanted him to have a job where he has to dress all cute! Haha <3

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash stood outside the entrance of Zippy's in the uniform outfit. An outfit he thought had to be THE most retarded thing he'd ever seen. He was wearing a black tuxedo vest over a long sleeved white shirt and black pants...and bright pink bunny ears. So basically he looked like a waitor with bunny ears...and a bushy tail. He sighed and bit the inside of his cheek as he stood there holding a tray of caramel apples. Just so long as he didn't see anyone he knew....oh hell. He was screwed either way. He looked like a fucking rabbit.

"Welcome to Zippy's....Where every day is a Zippadee doo da day." He slowly clenched his hand into a fist, wanting nothing more than to run into the store and wail on the manager for making him say that every time someone came even remotely close to him. The two girls who'd come up to him to get candy giggled. "Can we take a picture with you?" one of them asked, holding up a camera.

Crash looked down at them in a menacing glare. "Fuck. Off", he growled slowly. The girls stared at Crash in disbelief before giggling like idiots and standing on either side of him so they could take pictures anyway. He sighed, almost feeling his bunny ears drooping in defeat.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari walked past Zippy's on her way to the library. She was completely oblivious until she saw an idiot dressed in a ridiculous bunny suit. She stopped and looked at the poor sap.

It was Crash.

Ari doubled over laughing, pointing and snorting at his stupid getup.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Hearing someone laughing, Crash's hand clenched into a fist and he turned to knock the person out, only stopping short when he noticed it was Ari. His whole face turned red in embarrassment and he lowered his hand as the two girls ran away giggling. He turned to face her and sighed. "Go ahead. Laugh it up. While you're at it, woulda take these god damn caramels? I've been out here for two hours", he mumbled, still embarrassed.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari giggled. "I'd rather not. But I will..." she said, pulling his bunny ears off his head, "take these adorable ears." She shoved them on her own head and curtsied.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash looked at her and smirked, his eyes moving up and down before he took his cell phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture. He stared at it for a while and chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Nice, kiddo. Now do me a favor and hippity hop down the bunny trail for about an hour cuz that's when I'll be done here."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari looked down at her outfit. "I'm wearing a black shirt and jeans. I'd look like a dirty bunny." She laughed after a second. "That came out wrong."

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash chuckled. "Yup", he said, popping the 'p'. He looked at one of the caramels and tossed it in his mouth. "So long as you don't strip to your bra and underwear, though, I think we'll be ok. Though by all means, if the urge suddenly comes over you, don't let the bartender rabbit stop you. He's the idiot who got roped into humiliating himself, after all."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari slapped his arm. "Don't get your hopes up. So... why are you working here again?"

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash blinked and leaned back so he was leaning against the building. "Well...me and Neil came in here a couple days ago and Neil dared me to try and fit as many marshmallows as I could into my mouth. So when I kicked Neil in the back of the legs, he ended up falling into an expensive statue and breaking it. So...in order to pay it off, the manager forced me to work here...even though it was clearly Neil's fault."

[Arianna Rivers]

"So in other words, you need better friends," Ari said, leaning against the side of the building and taking a caramel.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash nodded. "Pretty much. It's his dumb-ass fault I have to wear this retarded costume in the first place..." He looked down at it and shook his head. "So what have you been up to?" he asked, still looking at his bartender getup.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari shrugged. "Not much. Just heading towards the library... the parents are in this weekend," she said off-handedly, playing with the ends of her hair.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash's eyebrows raised in surprise. "That so...well we'll just have to pay them a visit, won't we?" He tossed another caramel in his mouth and looked down to see the plate was half gone. Pursing his lips, he went inside Zippy's, placed the platter on a counter, and came back out. "Come on. I'm on break now", he lied.

[Arianna Rivers]

"Can I wear your ears?" Ari asked, looping her arm through his.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash looked at the bunny ears sitting on her head and just shook his. "They're all yours. At least now whoever passes us will assume you're just being cute and there's absolutely nothing wrong with me." As they walked arm in arm, Crash felt the hint of a smile covering his face...then he forced it off and looked at Ari. "So your parents are back at your place right now? They just get in from a flight?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari sighed, shaking her head. "They've been here since yesterday, apparently, yet they decided not to call to warn me that they were coming. They spent the night on the town, separately, of course, and then showed up on my doorstep. I've been kicked out of my bedroom- I'm forced to sleep on the couch; Mom took my room, Dad took the guest room." Ari brushed her hair out of her face, fixing her rabbit ears.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash just frowned at her. "What the hell? I mean I understand them coming to stay with you but they didn't have to kick you out of your own room. I'd tell them a thing or two if I were you. Buy them inflatable mattreses or something." He caught his reflection in a store window and pursed his lips. He looked pretty good in a bartender getup...

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari smiled. "I probably should... but they're my parents. I only see them once a month or two for a weekend, so if they want to stay in my room, then I should let them. I mean, they pay my bills, give me a generous allowance... it's not like they don't do anything," she said, trying to stick up for them.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He looked away from the reflection and shrugged half-hartedly. "I guess. I'm sure they're not bad people or anything. So should I go home and change into my usual getup or should I just keep the bartender one?" He smirked, picturing Ari's parents reaction to him.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari raised her eyebrow. "Um... hmm... they did show up randomly at my house, so I'm kind of ticked at them. And it's not like I care what they think... I only see them once in a while... so I'd stick with the bartender one," she said, giggling.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash smirked. "Great", he mumbled with a note of sarcasm. Once they'd made it to Ari's house, Crash pursed his lips and knocked loudly on the door--or more like banged on the door with his fist. Then he blinked and looked at Ari with a smirk. "Decent greeting, right?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari's eyes widened. "Um... sure." Suddenly, the door opened wide and her father stood in the doorway, all 6 ft 5 of him. "Yes?" he asked, in his deep bass of a voice. "And who might you be?"

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash blinked, frozen for a second, his eyes meeting with Ari's father's chest. He couldn't seem to look away. "Uhm...." When he finally pulled his head up, he just stared at Mr. Rivers' face for a good ten seconds before answering. "Crash. I'm a friend of Ari's. She mentioned her parents were in town and I figured I'd drop by on my work break. So nice to meet ya, big guy." He offered his hand with a semi-smirk.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari bit her lip, looking up at her father. "Hi Daddy. Just bringing a friend home," she said, emphasizing the word 'friend'. She ducked under her father's arm and dragged Crash with her.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He stumbled after Ari, looking back over his shoulder at her dad before gently ripping himself out of her grasp and waltzing back to Mr. Rivers. "Right. So before your daughter interrupted us, we were in the middle of introductions. Like I said, I'm Crash Bandicoot." Crash offered his hand again, planting his heels into the ground.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari's eyes widened and she huddled behind Crash. Her father towered over him, glaring first before reluctantly shaking his hand. "Mr. Jacob Rivers. Nice to meet you."

[Crash Bandicoot]

"Uhm...same, I guess", Crash said, muttering the last part after he took in Mr. Rivers' glare. Was that really necessary? He hadn't done anything yet. Crash walked over to the couch, dragging Ari with him as he smiled at her mother. "Hi Mrs. Rivers. Nice to meet you."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari's mom made a small smile, almost like a grimace. She held her head in her right hand and closed her eyes, waving.

Ari leaned into Crash. "I told you they went out on the town last night."

[Crash Bandicoot]

"Well could they maybe stop being hungover for 5 seconds to give me a proper greeting? I'm dressed like a bartender for fuck's sake", Crash said to Ari though it was loud and intended for her parents to hear too. He didn't even know if they were drunk ; he just said the first thing that came to mind to ensure a reaction from them.