All In a Day's Work

It was just another normal day at the Tapestry of Horror. If any day at the Tapestry could genuinely be called normal.

"OY! CARLOTTA! GET YOUR SKINNY ARSE OVER HERE!"

The wolf girl scowled, setting down the sandbag she had slung over her shoulder. She was supposed to be weighing down the tent with them, and resented every moment stolen from that task because it was less time she would have when it was done for her break.

"What do you want, Yerdua?" she demanded crossly.

The plant creature crossed two of his tentacles. "My broom is missing."

Carlotta rolled her eyes, "How is that my problem? Go find it!"

"I could do that. Or, I could claim seniority and make you do it." He grinned, showing rows of sharp teeth. "Find my broom Thesealion. I'll be getting nachos from Crooked."

"You can't do that!" the wolf girl sputtered crossly, but it was too late. The plant man was gone.

Tempting though it was to just let Yerdua catch hell from Elly later when the floor wasn't swept, Carlotta did not want to have to deal with the ringmaster's temper for hours afterward. Grumbling to herself, she stomped off to find where the broom had gotten to. After several moments of fruitless searching, she heard a rather loud screech from the tent where performers got ready for their acts.

She turned in surprise and saw Lou the mouse run out of the tent. "I was just helping Cad get ready for his act, you lunatic!" she screeched. Hot on her heels came the goat woman Chordata, her face contorted with rage. Clenched in the alien's hands was Yerdua's much abused broom. She swung it at Lou, missing the mouse by inches.

"I told you, little rat, stay away from my makeup!" She snarled, lifting the broom to attack again. With a weary sigh, Carlotta trotted over to the pair and grabbed the broom handle.

"Yerdua is looking for this," she said. "I'll thank you to give it back."

Before the goat woman could react, Carlotta snatched the broom away, scooped up Lou and stormed off.

"Thanks," the kangaroo rat said. "I really don't know what that ugly goat's problem is."

The wolf girl shrugged, "I don't either, but you should probably stay out of her way for a while. I have to get back to work, but watch yourself, 'kay?"

"Aw, Chordata doesn't scare me," Lou scoffed. "She's all bark." With that, the tiny creature leapt down and trotted off in search of her partner. Carlotta headed in the other direction to deliver the broom to Yerdua.

However, just as she was about to walk out of the concession tent and resume her abandoned work, Crooked called after her. "Carl? If I could borrow you for a second?"

The woman sighed. Unlike Yerdua, who was a pain in the ass, Crooked was genuinely a nice guy. She could not in good conscience snub him. Turning around, she pasted a smile on her face. "What's up?"

The dragon sighed. "It's Megan. She has a fever, but refuses to stay in the infirmary and insists on sleeping in the concession storage to be closer to m- er, to familiar territory." He looked away blushing. "A-anyway, her temperature is starting to spike again but I can't leave the stand because it's rush time. Could you do me a favor and swing by the infirmary to get her medicine from Jacobin?"

The wolf girl winced. She had to admit, despite being a kid Megan gave her the willies. But when she listened, she could hear the bat child's rasping breath from somewhere behind Crooked, and her maternal instinct won out. "Alright, hold on a few minutes. I'll be right back."

Unfortunately, the infirmary was clear on the other side of the fairgrounds. With much huffing and cursing, the wolf girl finally got to her destination. "Oy! Jacobin! Crooked sent me to get medicine for Megan."

The monkey looked up from his current patient; the now wheelchair bound Marci. He was holding a catheter up to the woman, apparently trying to show her how to use them over her violent objections and furious blushes. "Ah, yes, I'll get it for you. Just a moment."

To Marci's obvious relief, Jacobin set down the catheter and began digging in his medicine cabinet. After several fruitless moments he finally presented Carlotta with a small bottle. "Here we are. Tell Crooked to give her two tablespoons of this with each meal."

The wolf girl frowned. "Isn't six tablespoons a day kind of a lot?"

"Well my major wasn't in pharmacy," he said dismissively. "The normal dose is one teaspoon twice a day, but if she takes more she should get better faster, right?"

Carlotta scowled. She really shouldn't have expected any less from the quack doctor. Making a mental note to tell Crooked the real dosage for the medicine, she turned back towards the mess tent.

She finally got her abandoned sand bag, and was hefting it over her shoulder, when a voice called her name sharply.

"Carlotta! Comrade Carloooootta!"

She looked around to see the kitten, Nicolai, dashing towards her. "Heya Nic! Look, I can't talk right now, I'm busy-"

"But Comrade!" the kitten interrupted. "Is being emergency!" He pointed his tail in the direction of the sky, and the wolf girl looked up in time to see a column of smoke billowing into the sky.

"Aw, bloody Hell! Don't tell me the tent is on fire again!"

"No," Nic said. "Not being tent."

"Oh thank God," Carlotta said. "I swear, if I have to douse that tent one more time-"

"Is being you trailer."