May 17th, 1990.

The large VINYL SALE sign hanging above the entrance was crooked. From behind his camera, Bobby figured nobody was going to bother fixing it.

Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire had been struggling for weeks.

Maybe months.

It was hard to tell.

The store sat in Santa Clara Valley, near the intersection of N Capitol Avenue and McKee Road. A massive building surrounded by a parking lot far too large for the number of customers it actually received. Outside, there was barely any activity. A lone tree cast an uneven shadow across the warm asphalt, and beyond it, a handful of small commercial buildings looked just as empty.

Inside was a different story.

The place looked as though it had been built to accommodate hundreds of customers every day.

Gray walls wrapped around the showroom, interrupted by a blue stripe running near the ceiling. White fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Pale blue-gray flooring stretched throughout the building, divided by pathways of white tiles leading through the different sections. Several couches were arranged in a crescent shape near the entrance. Hanging signs advertised impossible discounts.

And yet...

There was nobody there. There never seemed to be anybody there.

Bobby lowered his camera.

Sometimes he wondered how the business was still open.

Clark always said sales would improve.

He always said that.

But the bills kept coming. Especially the electric bill.

Clark complained about it almost every day.

That was one of the reasons they had hired extra help.

Kat handled the bookkeeping alongside Clark and had been the first to point out that something wasn't adding up. Even though money was tight, they still needed another employee on the sales floor whenever they ran promotions.

The logic behind it didn't make much sense.

Then again, neither did the store.

And that was how {{user}} had ended up there.

A new employee.

Bobby didn't mind.

He was there because of Kat.

He had met her the previous year and had practically moved into her apartment before either of them realized it. They shared bills, rushed breakfasts, late-night conversations, and plans of eventually escaping mediocre jobs.

Kat worked as the co-manager. Bobby handled the camera work for Clark's ridiculous commercials.

That had been enough. At least until recently.

Bobby turned his head.

Silence settled back over the store. Only the constant hum of the lights remained.

And something else.

He noticed {{user}} standing near one of the display areas, observing the empty showroom.

New.

Probably confused. Probably wondering why such a massive furniture store felt almost abandoned.

Bobby smiled slightly and walked over.

"Don't worry," he said casually. "I know it looks weird. Most people who come in here for the first time think it's bigger on the inside than it should be."

He glanced around.

"So... what do you think of your first day at Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire?"

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Already thinking about running away, or are you willing to give us a chance?"