"Yes, a dozen." Dot confirmed. She was sitting in the Coffee Shop, speaking to one of her suppliers, Darcy.

"I don't know... With fabric that rare, I don't think I can do much." Darcy said, looking at her friend's frown. Dot changed her expression to a pouty face. It clearly read 'please try'. Darcy made a small sigh, then a grin. "I'll see what I can do." She stood from her seat.

"Yes! Thank you!" Dot thanked with a bright smile, "Anyways, sorry for pulling you out of work like that. I can see that you're in a hurry. You can leave now, and thanks again!" She watched Darcy nod, then leave, in a professional yet friendly kind of way.

Dot took a sip of her coffee. Her and a few other agents had the whole week off. Their vacation would last until next Monday. Dot didn't think much of the other agents when she was away from the agency. She had her own friends to think about. Penguins they probably don't even know.

But, there was that empty feeling.

When Dot's not working, she's doing work of her own. Being an agent and a fashion designer at the same time is tough. Clothing takes days to finish making, and missions come too quickly. It's not that it's stressful. It's not that it's boring either. Dot looked down at her cup. She knew what it was. It was loneliness. But what was she doing this for? Herself? Her family? What was the point of working so hard? Dot needed a reason. She needs someone to be that reason.

Suddenly, "Greetings." A voice. Dot jolted her head up, recognizing the voice. The voice she'd hear everyday, except on the weekends. She made a warm and welcoming smile. "Hi! Want to take a seat?" Dot asked, glancing at the seat in front of her.

Gary was standing behind the seat she glanced at. He smiled back and nodded lightly, then sat down. Dot stared at him. Gary wasn't wearing his lab coat. He wore casual clothes. To her surprise, he looked really fashionable with that black and blue shirt.

Gary was staring at Dot as well. She didn't look like herself. Her hair wasn't tied up, it was down, and curly. She wore a white, blue, and purple dress. Her look seemed laid back.

"You look different." Dot said in a professional voice.

"You do as well." Gary answered in the same tone.

There was a silence.

They barely ever see each other outside of work. So, it was almost awkward.

"What are you doing here?" Dot finally spoke.

"I came to pick up some coffee. And you?" Gary asked.

"I was meeting up with Darcy, but she left cause she had to go back to work."

"Oh, I see." He pretended to know who Darcy was, to prevent repetitive questioning. But, he did have something important to ask her. Gary looked down at the table. He adjusted his glasses and rested his flipper back on his lap. He hesitated to speak again, "There's something-"

"Yes?" Dot interrupted, eager to know what Gary wanted to know. She knew his little tells. Whenever he'd stare down like that and adjust his glasses, it was a clear sign he had something important to say.

"Well, you see, I am in a situation. I was hoping to get advice."

Dot had a blank stare. What kind of advice does he want? Fashion? Slowly, as Dot became more comfortable talking with him, she felt more relax than tense. She spoke in a more spunky voice than her usual professional agent voice. "Gary, if it's fashion advice, then you don't need it. That top really suits you!"

Gary flinched a bit, shocked by Dot using his real name, and not his nickname used at work, which was G. But, what else to expect? They weren't even at work at the moment. "It is not fashion advice." He told her, speaking in a less professional tone as well.

Dot thought for a moment. "Is it about work?" She guessed again.

Gary shook his head. He kept good eye contact, until he glanced away nervously.

Dot noticed this, and sensed it was something embarrassing, or an uncomfortable topic. That's when it hit her. She smirked. "It's romance, isn't it?" She sounded confident in her guess.

"Er... um..." Gary glanced away again, then adjusted his glasses. He had a small blush in his cheeks. Out of all the penguins he could talk to about this, why Dot? Because, she was one of Gary's closest female friends.

Dot's smile widened. She leaned in closer, showing major interest in the topic. "Tell me what happened." She asked in a desperate tone.

Gary sighed, realizing he couldn't take anything back. "I do not have any romantic feelings for her anymore." He said.

"Anymore? So, you used to?" Dot asked.

"Correct. We were childhood friends, and we grew distant when we turned twelve... But now, she is back in my life. I want to confess my old feelings to her."

"Ohh, I get it!" Dot was excited. Her and Gary were more relaxed now, and the need-to-be-professional aura had finally disappeared completely. "Mm, what if you took her to the Pizza Parlour? That's a good place to have any sort of talk, so she wouldn't expect anything."

"I cannot..."

"Alright, what if you brought her to a show? The excitement in the air and the entertainment to boot! It would be a great atmosphere to have a casual conversation."

"I can't take her anywhere. She can't leave her room."

Dot looked less excited, yet more interested, "What do you mean by that...?"

Gary looked down at the table. He looked depressed. He spoke in a quiet voice, "She's dying, Dot."

••• Meanwhile... •••

"Two Vegetarian Pizza slices, hold the tomato and the mushrooms. I need one Hawaiian Pizza with extra meat and pineapples." The customer spoke quickly. Rookie was jotting everything down on a notepad. It was hard to keep up and his handwriting is always a mess when he rushes.

"Waiter!" A customer called out.

"Why is there only one waiter here?" Someone said.

"Terrible service." Another stated.

"P-please hold on, I'll be with you guys in a second!" Rookie said, pausing in his writing.

The customer Rookie was serving continued his order. "And three-" The rest of his sentence was too quiet to hear, since the other customers shouted louder.

"Sorry, what was that?" Rookie asked.

"Forget it." The customer turned and left the building.

Someone approached Rookie. "Excuse me, my friend and I have been waiting for more than half an hour." She complained.

Another approached him and spoke, "Where is your boss? I'd like to speak to them."

A customer bumped into the three penguins when he was coming in. "Don't block the door!" He said then stormed past them.

"Calm down... you need this." Rookie whispered to himself. He needed the money from this job. Although Rookie started working only a few hours ago, he wanted to quit.

He looked around the room. Penguins were arguing over the microphone and others were messing with the keys on the piano. All of the seats were full except one table which was reserved, and customers who were waiting for a seat was complaining about it.

Although Rookie was an agent, and it was a high paying job, he still couldn't buy things for himself. This was because he's made plenty of mistakes and caused many accidents that caused damage of property. The damage varied from five thousand coins to ten thousand coins. Basically, there were a lot of bills to pay.

Rookie couldn't take it anymore, "I quit!" He shouted and took off his apron, then left. As he was storming out of the building, he bumped into a penguin. It was Jet Pack Guy.

"J-Jet Pack Guy!" Rookie said, taking a few steps back, knowing his friend was very serious about personal space.

"Hey." He greeted, with no smile. "What was going on in there? I could hear the shouting from outside."

Rookie looked behind himself to see the Pizza Parlour, then looked back at JPG. He saw him exit the building, which is why he asked. "They were going nuts." Rookie said slowly, like he was scarred from the experience.

Jet Pack Guy wasn't wearing his suit and tie. Instead, he wore a black hoodie, and his usual sunglasses. However, he still had his jet pack. Obviously. But, the new look shocked Rookie a bit.

"What is it?" Jet Pack Guy asked, realizing his friend was staring at him.

"Your not wearing your suit." Rookie said.

"Well, it's just my work clothes." JPG answered, noticing that Rookie was still wearing his Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses, and propeller cap. "I have more clothes than just a suit and tie, you know."

Although Rookie had many friends, he treated them all the same, even his co-workers. Jet Pack Guy would always be serious and professional. Around everyone. But when he's more relaxed, he's less intense and more laid back.

"I only have three pairs of the same shirt!" Rookie said, pointing at his Hawaiian shirt. He spoke in his usual happy voice. He doesn't have a professional and serious voice. He was looking at his friend's expressionless face. The face he's known to have most of the time.

JPG was a bit shocked. He imagined him to have a big closet filled with crazy outfits. But only three shirts? That are the exact same? "Well, why won't you buy some new shirts?" He asked.

Rookie hesitated. "I don't have enough money." He said. He noticed Jet Pack Guy's confused expression. They both knew of the high amount of money they get on their pay checks. JPG was about to speak, but Rookie immediately changed the topic, "Anyways! You shouldn't go in the Pizza Parlour unless you like crowds that complain a lot." The loud voices could still be heard from outside the building, "How about we head to the Town? It's probably more sane." There were penguins in the Plaza who were waiting for the Pizza Parlour to calm down so they get get pizza. However, they weren't calm either.

"Sure." JPG answered with a small nod. They turned towards the exit of the Plaza and began walking side by side.

"So, what were you up to before I bumped into you? Wait wait lemme guess." Rookie put on a thoughtful look. Jet Pack Guy awaited his guess. His flippers were in the pockets of his hoodie. There was a short silence before Rookie spoke again, "Were you meeting up with some friends?"

"No." Jet Pack Guy answered. He knew that it's usually better not to give more information than what you needed to say, but then Rookie asked,

"Why?"

JPG glanced at Rookie. "I don't have many friends. I prefer to be alone."

"What?!" Rookie asked, stopping in his tracks. Jet Pack Guy stopped too. They were both standing near the exit of the Plaza. "You know that's not true, you don't want to be alone!" Once again, Rookie shocked him. 'How did he know...?' Jet Pack Guy thought. There was a silence. His friend spoke again, "You never want to be alone. I'm right, aren't I?"

JPG was stunned. He felt like Rookie could see his true feelings. Like he could see what he was really thinking. He was speechless.

"Uuummm, JPG?" Rookie asked. "Helooooo?"

"You're right." Jet Pack Guy admitted. That's when it happened. He smiled. Rookie made him smile.

It's not that he never smiles, but that simple grin on his face, made Rookie grin too. It also made him think,

'There's a whole other side to you, JPG, isn't there?'