[PRP] Wage Review (Lawr + H)

[Baneful]

In the wake of the chaos on the island most people were taking stock of being an adult again and cleaning up the mess their younger selves had created. Lawrence didn't spend much time getting his bearings again, simply tidying the house and sorting out his vandalised twitter.

The next thing on his list was of course checking his finances, grievously wounded by the fact that his child self had spent twenty US dollars on drinks out of his own cash.

He also hadn't been paid. Which was strange because he knew his exact pay day.

So he did what any reasonable employee with no sense of self preservation would do and he headed to take it up with his boss, still very tetchy indeed and convinced that due to the medicine still in his system he would gain several pounds.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

The doctor was in his office, going over a fairly large pile of paper work. Glancing up at Lawrence as the man entered, he gave the other a curious look.

baneful

 

[Baneful]

Having spent so much time around elderly Floridians, Lawrence was really good at his "I want to speak to the manager mode". He crossed his arms, exuded an air of indignation and spoke up.

"I haven't been paid this month." he said, as if highlighting yet another failing of a failing division.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Clarice, bring up Lawrence Weiman's payout history," the doctor sighed. It was a close as he got to rolling his eyes.

A woman's voice smoothly began to speak, "Lawrence Weiman; Full hunter wage; no specialization bonuses. One mission bonus. Monthly payout: negative $117,739.85. Billed for: Fear Type E specimen losses, pod repair, infirmary fees for America Jones...Horace Nokomi...efficiency loss for...Melvin Wood...morale loss for...Mikael Lindstrom..."

"Quite enough, Clarice," the doctor interrupted gently. "In truth, the minipet issue was likely what opened your account to the rest of your history." Another sigh, "We keep a balance you see, stay out of debt by remaining useful. Don't make your presence more costly than your usefulness."

baneful

 

[Baneful]

Lawrence fell silent. There wasn't much that could really rankle him or get under his skin, but the loss of his money was something that really, really did. His entire family had lived on next to nothing for years, frugal and essentially poor for his whole childhood. He'd left that behind to live a better life and had been doing well until this exact point. What tiny amount of colour he had drained out of his face.

"The minipets wasn't even me in my right mind, and Melvin is FINE. He works harder than ever at his runic nonsense."

He'd be working without pay for potentially YEARS. "Are you trying to price me out of your division?" he said coldly. "You know with my wage there is no way I will be able to clear that much debt, how am I ever supposed to earn that back?"

"This is ridiculous, it is frankly bullying."

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Melvin is unfocused, and I'm afraid he's been broken to the point of never realizing his potential in the division. To be fair, you're only partially at fault. Unfortunately the sleeping candidates in those two pods..." The doctor shrugged, "We'll never find out about their potential, now will we?"

He gave Lawr a considering look, "You simply have to be worth more than you cost. Unfortunately you lack...drive, creativity, innovation, curiosity...at least when it comes to your work. You're a functioning piece of the infirmary, and that seems to be the extent of it, Lawrence." The looked turned to pity, "You see yourself as special, don't you? A predator, even."

baneful

 

[Baneful]

Lawrence didn't agree that Melvin's potential had been damaged in any way. "When I found him he was traumatised and hiding in a greenhouse waiting to die, I fail to see what sort of potential you expected from a broken man who I fixed. You're welcome." The intonation of the phrase was clearly stolen from the teenager formerly known as America.

"I don't know how to be valuable to you." he said with open irritation. "I know what I am." And as far as he was concerned he was a predator, he was exceptional, not flawed, the fact that he didn't constantly try to curry favour with this horrible man the way some people did in the division had nothing to do with his worth. "Perhaps it is your vision that is narrow, perhaps you lack creativity yourself."

"I'm permitted nothing more than to be a functioning cog in your infirmary, nothing more than where I am, and even that is hardly worth the permanent indentured servitude it would represent at this point." He clenched his hand. "What about compensation from emotional trauma from whatever happened during that mess?" He wasn't traumatised by the flashbacks, but any normal person undoubtedly would have been.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"If you'd like compensation, then siphon off money from one of your hosts and hire a lawyer. If you need to me to make you more than you are," another sigh, a gesture in the air, "...that's not what I do. I help people become their best selves. All I could do for you was separate off one of your more interesting pieces of personality. She's doing well, by the by. If you'd like to offer another one for research, then perhaps that would settle your debts?"

A pause, and then, "Or, you could aspire to something greater than life as a tick, latching on and growing fat from whoever is conveniently amenable to being used. So you have options, Lawrence. You can propose some new purpose and project that pushes both yourself and the division forward or you can lay down in a pod and offer up another slice of fictional personality."

baneful

 

[Baneful]

Lawrence gave H a hollow stare as he spoke, feeling a sort of helplessness at the idea of having to find a new purpose or project. He didn't have good ideas, essentially at the core of it he wasn't smart or scientific, he'd done well as a vet simply because he excelled at routine and mimicking things that other people did.

"I've tried to improve myself." he said, and he had, carefully doing what he was good at which was learning new information on how to treat humans versus animals, essentially it wasn't flashy, it wasn't anything special, it wasn't something normal humans couldn't do.

He didn't have much of an imagination and in spite of it being a solution that he wished would solve his problems, he was also realistic about the prospects. The mention of Chantelle made him feel dizzy and off-kilter, the thought of how different she'd become and out of his control making him uncomfortable.

"If Jan would pay off the debts, you can have him if you need your pound of flesh." Though the thought of giving up one of his oldest means of fitting in, of being harmless and eccentric made him even more uncomfortable than Chantelle. Chantelle was new, she was still in the testing phase, Jan was everything he'd privately ever wanted to be.

 

[lizbot]

"Very well," the lead seemed actually disappointed with the decision. "Your dependence on the idea of wealth in a place where it isn't needed is a bit of a sad curiosity in and of itself. Perhaps losing Jan will take the edge off of that need. I'll give you a week to say goodbye, and then you'll be spending some time in a golem."

baneful

 

[Baneful]

Consistently he became less and less of a person on this island, the tax for living here far outstripping anything he'd encountered. It was always his coping mechanisms and tools they took away from him.

"I would prefer an alternative." He said, "But I will be the first to say that imagination was never my strong suit."  

[lizbot]

The doctor made a noncommital sound, "Well, you have a week then, to come to these terms or create new ones."

baneful

 

[Baneful]

Lawrence just sighed in irritation, turned and left.