Chapter Text
Cozyshot stared down at the papers on his table. The numbers written on them were too high. He sighed. Cozyshot needed to find a job. He couldn't leave his siblings to pay off his own debt. It was his fault for taking a risk that didn't pay off.
Valleystaff was working for a weird circus carnival thing that had a residential area and was decently far, meaning she couldn’t come visit often. Astroken was working some mysterious job that somehow brought money to the table yet made him unavailable both day and night. All the while, Cozyshot was unemployed. Unacceptable.
Cozyshot felt like he was drowning. Which he was, in debt, and he needed to get out. He massaged the bridge of his nose. He has had enough of this. Staring at numbers won’t change them, he needed to get out of his own head and find a job.
Cozyshot pocketed the keys to his apartment, took his phone from under a pile of paper, grabbed his coat off the hanger by the door and locked the doors to his shared apartment just before he left. Cozyshot didn't really have a plan. He was just wandering down the streets aimlessly. He walked by families laughing with each other, couples holding hands lovingly, friends embracing each other…
Cozyshot felt guilty. Because of him, his family had to work extra, to not only keep them afloat, but also to pay off a debt that didn’t even belong to them…
Yet no matter how guilty he felt, Cozyshot couldn't do anything about it because he couldn’t find a job! He rarely saw his siblings anymore. Whenever he saw Astroken, he always looked like a zombie that was about to die a second time. Whenever he saw Valleystaff, she looked tired and frayed around the edges, keeping up her smile and telling Cozyshot not to worry.
Cozyshot rubbed his face, leaning against a wire pole. He was so useless. Ugh. Looking up from where he leaned pathetically, a poster seemed to jump at him from the wire pole. It said: JOB OPPORTUNITY. It was so targeted, Cozyshot almost jumped out of his skin. That was embarrassing actually. He came out here looking for a job and then he finds an opportunity and gets scared? Cozyshot should be elated.
On the poster, there was a bunch of information. All medical injuries would be covered by the Korblox corporation. The staff would be provided a residential area should they require one. The job itself would be to man a cafe, take orders and make treats. The job paid really well. Surprisingly and suspiciously well. The only downside was that it was a whole region away. Aside from the location, the whole thing was really good actually. So good, Cozyshot had to call the number on the poster to make sure it wasn’t fake. It wasn’t and the operator on the phone even offered to make a physical contract for him if he agreed to work there.
Cozyshot needed the money. He would make it work. He agreed to the physical contract and was given a location to sign and a date for transportation paid by the company. It was all so surreal and disgustingly easy compared to his life not a few hours ago he was almost sure he was dreaming. Only the day for the contract came, he got interviewed, and he got his contract. He triple checked it to make sure there weren't any tricks. There wasn’t any. Then soon it was time to move to his new job site. Only then did the situation actually register. He was no longer dead weight.
He called both Astroken and Valleystaff just the night before, tears in his eyes. Things were finally looking up. Maybe he wasn’t doomed after all.
Oh how naive he was…