Benti took the honor of unlocking the door to their future business the first time. Benti leaned in the doorway, seeing if anything changes while Skylar was stacking supplies on a pallet. It wasn't a pretty sight; cracked counters, overturned tables and chairs, broken tiles, busted appliances and dust covered everything, just like when Benti signed the lease. But the structure was sound, way better than a few of the other buildings this close to the center of town.
Really they didn't need to use the door, as the big picture window had been smashed in a long time ago and no one had bothered to clean up. Taking inspiration from the Stampfer both Benti and Skylar had formed four feet with extremely thick skin, and still strong but slightly less thick skin covering the rest of their body.
"Oh my Eye." Skylar said as they looked through the broken glass. "You said this was the building in the best condition."
"It is." Benti insisted as they pushed open the door wide enough for Skylar to stand at their side. "It still has some furniture and all the interior walls and doors. Not to mention the indoor plumbing is still intact."
"Well, the indoor plumbing is a great asset." Skylar said. "But..." They kicked one of the wooden chairs laying on its side near the door and both of them watched it crumble. "I think we have more junk than usable furniture."
"Fine. But we still have the indoor plumbing." Benti crossed two arms and pointed with a third to the bathrooms off to the left.
"Okay okay." Skylar rotated their eye. "You don't have to defend the plumbing anymore." They waved their arms to encompass the rotting furniture, shattered glass, and broken appliances. "Let's get to work clearing this place out."
Benti nodded and reached for the brooms Skylar had stacked on the pallet. "I'll take left."
"Okie dokie artichoke."
Benti giggled. "The sayings you brought back from Earth are hilarious." The two got to work, punctuated by laughter as Skylar shared some of the strange says and stories they learned on Earth.
Word count: 354
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