2024-12-21 - Have a Spellferific Day

Close up: a pretty young goth girl named "Clair" sits in a comfortable chair wearing the Spellbound uniform. Her makeup is toned down to be socially acceptable, but still heavy on pale and dark black eyes and lips. She speaks to someone off camera.

"I can't believe they like gave you a job or whatever from your TikToks..."

Field view expands to show Star, next to Clair, glued to her phone screen.

A knock on a glass pane and a voice. "Excuse me...can you just give us our tickets?"

Pan left: a 'Karen' taps on the glass of the ticket booth, "...please?"

Clair sighs and grabs a few tickets that printed out like a minute and a half ago. Slides them under the window to the guest. "Have a Spellferific day..." she deadpans - but not without a charm all its own.

A man comes up and clearly says, "4 day passes please..."

Clair turns to look at Star, "I mean you're not even that interesting."

Clair turns back to face the man. "Welcome to Spellbound, can I take your ticket order?"

Star looks up from a massive textbook open on the counter, finally seeming to tune into the fact that Clair's speaking to her, even though she's also greeting guests (kinda) and selling tickets (kinda). The black-haired 20-something isn't wearing a park uniform. In fact, there's nothing that identifies her as a park employee other than the fact that she's inside the ticket booth.

"The number of texts from you in my phone says otherwise." She glances at the retreating back of the retreating glass-smudger who just copped some tickets. "Do you get a cookie if you upsell people to a fast pass or whatever?" She's ignoring whatever devise is panning to them, except to say, "Stop fucking with the ring light." Is she talking to Clair? A mystery third squished into the ticket booth filming them?

She turns her dark eyes on four passes guy and then back to Clair, then looks at the camera and rolls her eyes.

"4 day passes..." the man calmly repeats with only a hint of 'wtf'.

Clair side-glances over to Star and then slowly looks back to the man. "Okay. Would you like 4 fast passes with that?"

"No, that's..."

"I get a cookie for each fast pass upgrade," Clair slowly inserts.

"What? No. We don't need..."

"I'll give you one." Clair sighs.

"... No, really, just the Day passes pl..."

SIGH, "Ok I'll give you two," Clair states with a certain goth finality.

"...

"Are they chocolate chip?" the man asks.

"Yeah. Mmhmm." Clair says with a nod. "Yup."

"Okay. 4 day passes with 4 fast pass upgrades, please."

Clair quickly snatches a credit card and gets those bad boys printed before the words "customer back out" can be formed in the man's conscious mind. She swiftly slides the tickets under the glass. "Have a Spellferific day."

Star pops a piece of watermelon bubblegum into her mouth and watches Clair expertly upsell the dude on fast passes. She sits on the ledge of the ticket booth and picks up her phone, rapidly firing off a couple promo texts for ticket upgrades from the goth at Court of Portals ticketing.

"Just in time for Christmas which I won't be spending with Dad in the city, even though Christmas in the city is the best in the world." She knows this to be true, and will hear no arguments!

Star thumps her textbook closed, a massive tome. "Is this all you do all day? Over and over and over, Clairbear?"

"Oh yeah, merry Bishmas," spoken like she forgot. Please. Clair's been wearing her Santa skull neck chain all month and listening to A Dark Noel on repeat.

She looks annoyed when Star asks her if this is what she does all day. "Woman - you literally like ask me that every day."

She stares at the next guest waiting patiently for attention... Looks over to Star, "weren't you going to get us some cheddar popcorn? Isn't that why I let you bring Marcus today?" She squints at Star's videographer and ring-light novice.

A meek voice from outside, "Excuse me, miss? Can I..."

Clair interrupts, "Welcome to Spellbound, can I take your ticket order?"

"Merry bishmas to you too, bish," Star replies, jamming her enormous book into a cross body bag. It makes the counter vibrate when she thumps that down and pulls one of those cafe markers out of a cup on the desk near a walkie. She gives it a couple shakes and leans in to draw some holly around the perimeter of the window. "Over and overrrrrrrr."

"Marcus owes me money for a bet he was dumb enough to take." She doesn't even look at the camera. He knows what he did. "Do you want cheddar popcorn or do you want empanadas?"

"Empanadas duh..." Clair drawls.

"Hi, we'll take two day passes."

"Oh that reminds me, Star," Clair says as she prints two day passes with fast pass upgrades. Using Star's name? You know an ask is coming. "Can you guilt your dad into buying 20 charity raffle tix? I need to make my quota today."

Clair swipes the guest's credit card and slides the tickets and receipt back.

Guest looks at them and, "...oh. I didn't want the fast pass..."

Clair waves back, "Oh that's ok. Don't worry about it. No problem."

The meek guest blinks. "Oh-oh...ok. Uh, thanks." and goes off.

"Duh," Star repeats, but doesn't take out her phone, and doesn't move to leave the booth.

Almost like she already ordered up some empanadas for delivery to the kiosk, which should arrive in five.

She watches Clair scam someone into a fast pass and her brows go up. "Bish." She doesn't even shake her head. She's known Clair since high school. Why should she be surprised?

Deep sigh from Clair as Star tries to evade/ignore the goth bish's request to guilt papa Watanabe into purchasing raffle tickies.

Clair half-lid stares at Star... threatening to keep staring until her request is answered. Nevermind the couple with five kids waiting to be serviced.

Star glances over at yeah, absolutely ignoring the request to fleece her dad for money/tix. She chomps her watermelon gum and stares back at Clair. She turns to face her bestie and fully stares. Starey stares. Stare.

"Bish." Different intonation this time.

"Thanks," says Clair.