Anyone who claims to have to worst job is a liar unless they work as sewer maintenance, antithesis cleaners, or hotel hospitality.

  -anonymous Reddit Poster.

  Harmony

  Waking up in the employees dorms was never really comfortable, no matter how nice it was to wake up in Desiree's arms. The bed was basically cloth thin on a wire frame, and the smell of mildew from the shared showers was overpowering.

  Desiree rolled off the bed, hitting the floor hard, yet not making much sound other than a soft grunt, indicating that she was, at least, alive. Stepping over her, I slap Bubie on the bunk above me. She always overslept, and all of us would be in trouble if she was late again.

  Entering the shower to take care of my business, I once more hated Jones for his fucking cost saving measure of combining the showers with toilets to save on water. I wanted to smash his fucking face in this backed up shit pipe every time his eyes roved across me. When the company offered to pay for my transition as a sign on bonus, I jumped at the chance, not realizing that they would shape me to be more appealing for the front counter. Only good piece of my new body I liked were my hips, and the fact that I didn't have a fucking stick slapping my thighs everything I walked.

  My thoughts are interrupted by the rest of my dorm mates joining me in the shower. Once the cheap sensors detect that all four of us are in, the cold water blasts us, forcing us to shit, piss, and wash up in ten minutes all at once. After years of doing this, we had mastered the act to the point that we could do it blindfolded. Thank the Saints I'm gay, at least. Seeing the others was the only piece of joy in my life left, even durring such a terrible situation.

  As the water stops, the next door opens for us, the “make up room”, we call it. Huge, industrial air blowers blast the water and grime off of us as our clothes are delivered to us in their dry cleaning bags. A simple emerald green blazer and thigh length emerald skirt with golden trim, and this stupidly cute triangle clip on hat amd flats. Once the air stops, our make up tables pop out of the walls. Getting dressed was the easiest part of the morning, no complicated straps, or stupid frills, and the makeup was simple as well. No words were spoken now, as we would have time to speak at breakfast.

  The entire process from waking up to leaving the dorm took less than thirty minutes thanks to our efficiency, and we were able to use the last few minutes before the door opens to the cafeteria to mark our makeup inventory. I was running out of foundation and eyeliner, and while Jones may be a bastard who didn't deserve his kneecaps, he was always prompt to maintain our makeup and uniforms to the highest degree. We'll, the highest degree available to us.

  Standing up, I feel Desiree grab my ass, causing me to giggle. I give her a kiss on the cheek as the final door unlocks and we are released to get food. Dozens of other doors open along the wall, releasing all of our other coworkers for this shift. The cafeteria smelled kinda spicy, which meant gumbo, the second most desired meal for us. Far better than tuna surprise we had yesterday.

  It takes five minutes to get a bowl and sit down with my pod, in which we inhale our food to give us time to chat. Meal time was thirty minutes, after all.

  Then I hear a bowl hit the floor, causing everyone to turn towards the sound. Penny, cute girl with red hair and freckles, has her hands covering her mouth as tears begin to stream down her face. A few girls rush over to her, then I hear Bubie gasp. “Check your email. ” She said, loudly enough for her voice to carry.

  Doing so, I see a new one at the top. Not our normal schedule email, but one from an address I don't recognize, a Cody Optic. Opening it and reading the first few lines I understand why my shift is crying around me.

  Good Morning Niltmore staff

  My name is Cody Optic, and as of 2:13 am last night, I have bought the Niltmore Hotel. All previous upper management has been fired due to their gross negligence of basic human dignity in the face of more profits, and as such I will be conducting an in person audit today at 11 AM sharp. Continue business as normal until I arrive.

  New management. That has historically only been horrible news that meant even more degrading conditions for us. I looked around and see many faces full of despair, and as the head of this shift, I had to do something.

  Standing, I raise my voice. “Litsen up, ladies! This is not the end of the world! This might be a good thing, considering the new owner has mentioned basic human dignity in the email. This means that the person is probably not a horrid piece of shit like Jones. Now, finish eating and get your game faces on!”

  I see my speech has done something for them as their faces grow numb, which I know is better than crying. While the tears wouldn't ruin our makeup, they would puff up our eyes, and that would be noticeable by our clients, and attention meant...

  I lean on Desiree and give her hand a squeeze. “Today was just a normal day, right?” I whisper.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  *********************************

  Taking over from Tracy as front desk concierge, I check our current bookings and see quite a number of sudden check outs early this morning, around four am, and a few cancellations as well. At this time, we only have three check ins between now and when the new owner is set to arrive.

  The lobby is also rather empty, considering Blizzard's Gala was last night. Unfortunately, I couldn't check on the news until my lunch, so I could only speculate that maybe some Samurai went ballistic or something. Considering Saint Blizzard died yet some fuckheads decided to go on with the Gala anyways, I couldn't say I would blame anyone who made a scene.

  I received a call from room Twelve o'Six and groaned internally. Miss Gadou the Grinch, eternal resident of that room. Never tipped, only complained, she was the bane of my existence, yet she paid her bills on time, so management put up with her.

  “Good morning, Miss Gadou-”

  “Shut it, whore.” Her voice was shrill and grating in my augs, yet I couldn't turn her down. “My breakfast arrived too early and the slut who delivered it simply walked into my room while I was showing! Fire her immediately!”

  I check and see who delivered her food and I see it's the new girl, Samantha. She just finished her transition two days ago and was not supposed to be on that floor.

  “Of course, Miss Gadou. Her papers will be filed momentarily.” I say in my customer service voice, simply shifting Samantha's work to a different floor, one six floors up. Miss Gadou never left her room except to move between there and the pool, so she would never know.

  The Grinch hangs up after grumbling some more, and I sigh internally, my smile never leaving my face. Can't let the customers see anything, after all.

  The rest of the morning is uneventful, thankfully. The three clients are all polite and pay in full and there are no other emergencies. I am surprised that Jones hasn't called me to prep me for the new owner's arrival. Not that I will complain, mind. That leech gave me hives simply by being near him.

  I glance at the clock. 10:54 am. I have lunch in two hours, and I hope the new owner doesn't interrupt that. I see the security guards shift a bit, reminding me they exist. They must be nervous, too.

  At Eleven AM on the dot, the doors open and in walks two people, a man and his son. The man looks around as if appraising the plaza while the kid walks with a hunch to the desk. The man Is wearing a wrinkled Hawaiian shirt and tan shorts with grey sneakers, while the kid is in a suit.

  The kid stops in front of me as I smile. “Good morning, sir, and welcome to the Niltmore. Would I be correct in assuming you are the new owner?” I humor the kid. He looks more professional than his father, at least.

  He nods, his face showing hints of annoyance. “You would be correct, Ms.Harmony. My name is Cody Optic and I am the new owner of this place. Would you be available to speak with me in the manager's office?”

  Oh Saints, he is the owner. “Certianly. Will your father be joining us?”

  The man laughs super hard, doubling over as Mr.Optics turns and glares at him. Sighing, he turns back to me. “He's not my father, but my mentor. He's here to make sure I don't miss anything. Anyways, come on, and don't worry about the counter, I will have one of my people take care of anything that pops up.” He walks briskly to the elevator banks with his mentor following.

  I didn't see anyone else enter the lobby, but I had no choice but to follow. The elevator takes him straight to the owner's penthouse, which I had never been to. Once the doors open, I saw how gaudy the place looked and was thankful I had never been here before.

  “Sands, this place sucks.” Mr.Optic says, the disgust in his voice palatable. My opinion of him rose slightly. We made our way to some couches and they sat down, motioning me to do the same. Taking a seat, I nearly let out a moan. Fucking Saints in an orgy, this thing was amazing. Miles better than my bed.

  “Alright, Ha- Ms.Harmony. I want you to walk me through your day. Don't leave anything out, don't skimp on the details. I will interrupt with questions, but you are to be as honest as possible.” He says.

  He looks like a pampered rich young master, but his eyes have an intensity to them that prevents me from looking down on him. And so, I tell him everything. I get through our dorms, the shower toilet, and the food situation before he punches the table between us, breaking it in two, causing me to jump slightly. I don't let my face show my fear, fear gets punished.

  “Who the fuck implemented these… barbaric practices?” Mr.Optic growled quietly.

  “That would have been assistant manager Jones, Mr.Optic.” I say, keeping my voice level, not allowing it to crack

  He nods slowly, muttering to himself. Then, the mentor waves his hand. “Please, continue, Ms.Harmony. He will be fine in a moment.”

  Nodding, I continue, speaking about our regulars and the problems of the hotel, about lunch and the net access, finally, about the debts that the hotel has all of its employees under. From quite a few of our transitions, uniform repairs, even client complaints. I held nothing back, as was demanded of me, and it felt good to simply get it all out.

  Once I was finished, I felt lighter than when I woke up this morning, then my stomach decided to make itself known. I feel my face blanche as I look between the two sitting before me. Mr.Optic went from angry to embarrassed. “Right, you need to eat something.” I see his augs flash in his eyes as. The mentor makes his way to the kitchen as Mr.Optic leans back and lets out a heavy sigh. “Right. Thank you for being honest about everything. So, a few pieces of good news. First, you will never see Jones again. No one will.” That sent a shiver down my spine. Jones was dead with a few words from Mr.Optic. “I will begin a full renovation of the staff living quarters today, as all of that should never be allowed. While that happens, all the staff will be given rooms, actual rooms, to rest in until it's finished. I will make sure the new quarters will be better than the ones our guests get, as well. Food will need to be overhauled, too, but that was already the plan. Those fuckhead customers will be thrown out by the end of the day, and those like them will never be welcome here again. All debts will be cleared, so if anyone wants to quit, they can, and I will personally give them enough credits to be able to live out their days in comfort.”

  The mentor returns with a few plates of sandwiches, placing one in front of me.

  “You will also be promoted, from shift lead to my assistant. I- I don't have time to run this place, and you know it better than I ever will. Don't worry about profits or the customers, this place has brand recognition and I will subsidize any losses incurred. I want this place to run well, but I want you girls to live more. And if any idiot tries anything, just tell them that this hotel is under the protection of Samurai War Games and to take it up with him.”

  ************************************

  At my insistence, all the staff gathered on the landing platform to watch us throw Jones off the edge. Everyone cheered and many tears were spilled.

  patreon! It is 10 chapters ahead of public release and I will do my best to keep it that way.