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 Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:36 pm
Tick… Tick… Tick… Slowly, the last few minutes of the year began to ebb away as the seconds ticked by on the small clock resting on Shiloh’s cleaning cart. Such a shame it was to be alone during this time of year, even more so to be just working. But Shiloh didn’t mind all too much. He wasn’t very big on huge get togethers, honestly even small ones made him anxious, so just quietly mopping the entire building brought him peace. Well, there would be peace, were it not for the occasional soft booms that echoed through the empty walls.
Even this far uptown small fireworks could be heard going off. More than certainly illegal, but who could be so angry with those who who were having such a grand time? Their happiness and excitement seemed to rub off on Shiloh who, after a week nervous peeking and planning, finally worked up the courage to give his late-night companion a small gift. There was always one other person in the building this late at night, besides the security guard. From what the wall outside of his office stated, the man who seemed to be here even later than Shiloh normally was worked as a judge in the Destiny City Criminal Court. He was always there, his eyes focused on whatever case was in his hand, and the young janitor couldn’t help but admire him from his place outside.
Though something truly seemed lonely about seeing the man here all by himself every night. He wasn’t like Shiloh who was just some kid without a plan in his life… He was successful, hard working, and, from the glances In that bit of kindness and sweetness he felt toward the judge, Shiloh spent the last week making a small toy as a gift. The judge’s office was filled with nothing personal, nothing that expressed anything more than work. There weren’t even any pictures of family there… It felt so impersonal, so empty that something inside of him just truly wanted to see a change, even if it was just a tiny little sheep snuggled between a pastry from the bakery down the street and a small, plain mug with one of those little gift bags of gourmet coffee. It wasn’t much, Shiloh hardly made lots and lots of money working long nights cleaning, but he really did come from his heart. As much as a stranger could give it from, anyway.
After a long night of causally passing by the judge’s office, trying to find out when it would be empty the time finally came for his plan to go into action. For just a moment, he found the judge’s office empty and open, the perfect opportunity to put his little gift in a place for the judge to find, to smile at for just a moment, and maybe his final minutes of the year would be spent in a little bit of joy, rather than buried in work.
Yet in his diligence and eagerness, Shiloh spent far too much time setting up everything, working on making sure the judge saw his gift as soon as he walked in, and he didn’t even notice that the judge was closer than he had originally thought.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:38 pm
Alexei Marcellus was not one to waste time if he could afford doing so. Truthfully, he could have made plans to go out tonight and celebrate but he didn't want to. It was frivolous, and while he knew he would never drink enough to become publicly inebriated, he couldn't stand the thought of being in the presence of peers that were far less careful.
Still, he could only work for so long before his body needed a break. He left his suit jacket on the back of his chair and left to stretch. Coffee wasn't an option tonight; he was out of anything to brew and nowhere nearby was open.
His body was telling him to sleep but he was so close to finishing his work. He wasn't ready to give in.
A walk had been enough to get his blood flowing and return his focus.
He had only been gone for a few moments, but that made him all the more suspicious when he saw movement in his room.
Alexei moved to stand in the doorway, hand inching towards his phone in preparation to call the security guard--or police, if need be. He hesitated when he saw who was at his desk.
He hadn't ever really talked to the man; perhaps they had said a few cordial words in passing, but he knew next to nothing about him. Now, all he could tell was that the man wasn't going through anything on his desk, he was leaving something on his desk.
His fingers graced the cool surface of his phone for a moment longer before he made up his mind: Alexei crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway, watching silently.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:39 pm
Finally content with the setup of the little toy and it’s edible companions, Shiloh smiled a little to himself and pulled his hands away to turn to exit the room. As he turned, he nearly yelped out loud as his gaze landed on the very judge he intended to surprise himself. He had hardly expected to find the person whom the gifts were intended to, much more less to find him standing in the doorway, watching him so intently. A hottness quickly made it’s way across his cheeks and the tips of his ears as he struggled to justify his presence.
“E-excuse me, I was just… I mean I just wanted to…” His eyes flickered back and forth between focusing on the judge and the desk he was leaning partially against, trying to figure out the best possible solution to his guilty presence in the room, before finally deciding to step out of the way to reveal the gift behind him.
“I just wanted to leave you a gift! T-that’s all, I promise! I just see you here all the time and you’re always here so late and you work so hard and I just thought that you deserved a gift! I-I mean, it’s Christmas time, err, was Christmas time and you were around even then, I mean it’s New Year’s now, well, not NOW per say but now as in soon, and I thought maybe you’d want something to drink, since you drink coffee all the time and you seemed to have run out, and quite frankly the stuff they serve in the little kitchen area is unpleasant and cheap, so I got you this really fancy stuff, but it’s probably not as fancy as the stuff you normally get, I’m sorry, I don’t actually have all that much money. T-that doesn’t explain the food though, that was because I thought maybe something sweet would go well with your coffee, but I don’t really like coffee so I don’t know if you’ll like it or if it will go will with the drink, I wasn’t sure what you liked either so I just got what looked tasty to me, but that was selfish of me, I’m so so very sorry! A-and the sheep was something I made to go with it, it doesn’t really mean anything, I don’t even really know why I chose a sheep, it’s not even the year of the sheep! It’s the year of the rooster, and last year was the year of the monkey so it doesn’t make sense at all! I just really like sheep I guess, another selfish thing, I’m so sorry!” His speech was rushed and panicked, hands fiddling anxiously with the name tag that dangled against his chest. Shiloh tried to keep eye contact with the judge, but his gaze always shot back down to his feet, far too nervous and embarrassed to keep them lingering upwards for long. When he finally fell silent, he just felt the heat on his cheeks burning hotter and hotter, to the point where he truly felt that the red of his face was brighter than his own hair.
“I.. I um… I will leave now. I’m sorry for coming into your office like this…” As he said that, his feet did not move. After all, the judge stood in his only escape route, and from this high up, the window wasn’t quite a viable escape route. Not that he actually thought of escaping that way.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:40 pm
Alexei remained leaning against the doorframe, apparently impassive to the display before him. The truth was, though his face remained a nearly perfect mask, one corner of his lip had twitched into the faintest half smile. The shadows in the room did well to hide it though, but more than that it made him seem a little more ominous.
His eyes drifted to the items on his desk and then back to Shiloh--and his nametag--before he pushed himself from the doorframe. When he moved it was strangely fluid, like a cat. He looked more like a predator, stalking his prey.
"You talk a lot," he said, passing by Shiloh. He stood by his desk and reached down, picking up the sheep to examine it. He held it carefully, but it was clear that he was scrutinizing the item.
The seconds ticked by; he was dragging them out deliberately. "Shiloh," he said, testing the name he'd read on the name tag. Another few seconds ticked along before he looked up to meet the smaller male's gaze.
"This is an extremely considerate gift to give to a stranger. Are you sure you aren't looking for special favors?"
There was a hint of accusation, but it didn't seem angry. He was cautious, testing the waters.
He didn't deal with people like Shiloh, and though he wouldn't admit it, he wasn't sure what to do with him. He couldn't help but be suspicious.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:40 pm
“No sir, I don’t really! I just.. Uh…” Shiloh’s voice dropped down in volume, and he turned his gaze back to his feet. “I’m just nervous... “
He surprised even himself at how he so readily admit that. Then again, he wasn’t much of a liar, or one to hide his feelings, he just wasn’t sure HOW to deal with people, especially not someone like this man, who held such power. At least more power than he could ever imagine having. And it was that same feeling that caused him to flinch when judge came closer to him, and flinch again when his name was used. For just a brief moment, Shiloh was terrified that the man knew his name without being told, before it hit him that he wore a name tag.
Now that the pathway was clear there was the opportunity to flee, to disappear down the dark hallway with his cart and out of the judge’s way. But nerves had locked his legs in place, and he stood there, stuck, waiting for whatever punishment the judge wanted to deal to him for invading his space.
To his surprise, it never came. In fact, it was a small, bit of a compliment, sorta… The question certainly threw him off guard.
“Sir…? N-No, I promise you, it was just a gift… You do seem to work very hard, and very late, and are always alone and I just… Thought it was a nice thing to do.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:41 pm
Alexei hummed a thoughtful noise for a second and then set the sheep down where Shiloh had deposited it. "Your honesty is refreshing, I suppose. You don't really seem like you've got it in you to lie."
He dealt with liars all day. Lawyers, criminals, even victims lied. Everyone lied, about something.
But the creature standing before him looked like a deer in headlights, and perhaps some part of Alexei took pity on him for it. Some people were very good liars, but he couldn't imagine anyone faking such nervousness, such anxiety so well.
At least, not if they wanted any trouble.
"It is a nice gesture. One you shouldn't repeat, though. I am in no need of spoiling. You spend enough nights here yourself, perhaps you should reward yourself with some finer coffee?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:42 pm
Refreshing…? He supposed it made sense, this man was a judge after all. Day in and day out he had to deal with liars, Shiloh bet, but surely there were some good people out there who really were speaking the truth. Though he felt he SHOULD be insulted about the whole lying comment, he knew it was true. He couldn’t even think of the last time he spoke a lie… Why would he bother with lying to people if he already was disappointing them anyway? It seemed at least a better sign of his integrity to tell the truth as an honest failure than lie about his successes.
“Thank you, sir, but I’m not one for rewarding myself. The rewards are in my work itself, and knowing that I’ve done as best as I could manage, even if it’s not very good.” He paused, then finally took a step away to stand closer to the door. It didn’t seem right to leave just yet but as soon as he was permitted, it was time to scramble back into the dark recesses of the building and hide out from the judge until all the cleaning was done.
“I’m pretty simple, I’m okay without coffee, and after I’m done here, I sleep my full eight hours so I’m happy to provide a small bit of my appreciation of all your hard work… I hope it does meet your expectations, as little as they may be.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:42 pm
Once more, Alexei watched him. "Appreciation?" he asked, though barely so. His voice held a strange amount of noncommittal curiosity. He remained standing, as if unwilling to take a seat in the presence of another. It may have been a pride thing, or some instinctive territorial thing; the fingertips of one hand remained lightly poised atop his desk.
"Do you follow my trials?"
His golden eyes were trained on Shiloh, like a hawk to a mouse. His posture was relaxed, though; he seemed comfortable.
Almost, even, like he might be enjoying this.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:43 pm
Shiloh couldn't understand why the judge was torturing him like this. Maybe it wasn't intentional but it certainly felt like he was on the stands, slowly being grilled over what he knew. And in his further embarrassment, he knew nothing.
“I… I don't actually follow too many cases… There's just so much messed up in the world that if I focus too hard on it, it makes me unreasonably upset. I guess that's a little naive of me, I'm sorry…” A brief, sheepish smile reached his lips, though he was still very much tense.
“I mean, I guess I just assumed you worked very hard… I’m sorry, sir… This was a foolish idea, I swear I won't bother you again…” Further and further Shiloh inched towards the door. He was almost free! He could taste it!
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:43 pm
When Shiloh neared the door, Alexei lifted his head just slightly. He wore the faintest smile now and the subtle change seemed to immediately make him seem less threatening.
He couldn't blame the other man for not following any cases; truthfully, there wasn't much reason to unless you were involved in them--or were looking for something to be upset with. Humans were not the best of beings, and Alexei had learned a long time ago that there that even the good ones were dangerous.
Still, Shiloh seemed about as threatening as a child. Perhaps it was the way he seemed so uncertain, or so eager to leave now that he'd been caught--or just the fact that he had left him a homemade gift--but he found himself touched by the gesture. Suspicious, still, and unwilling to admit that he was fond of the sheep.
He nodded to the man and finally took a seat at his desk. "I appreciate the distraction, nonetheless. You are a hard worker yourself. In all the time I've been here, I've never had a complaint of the cleanliness. Thank you. I don't think I could handle working in a building that felt filthy. And," he reached for his papers. "I suppose it's nice not to feel all alone."
One of the reasons he didn't go home was because he hated the emptiness. He might not have spoken with Shiloh, but he had seen him, most nights. He was still there. That thought alone was comforting in the late hours of the night.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:44 pm
Finally nearing the exit, Shiloh shifted his gaze from his feet to the judge once more and found himself hesitating. Smiles always felt like a rare occurrence to the young man, at least when he was on the receiving side of one. And it was there, and he knew it was directed to him, so how could he leave…? He found himself wanting to be in the presence of the smile for a just a little longer, maybe even see it grow more, but at this rate, he wasn’t sure if he was even welcomed. Sure, the judge was almost terrifying in the beginning, but the sheep was still on his desk, as was everything else, so there must have been some happiness found by all of this.. Right?
“I… Y-you’re welcome… Do you…? “ He paused, trying to find the best way to go about what dwelled on his mind, but he couldn’t simply ask out right. What if the judge said no? Would he think him an idiot? What if he was pressing his luck in trying to linger nearby, and then the judge tried to charge him with harassment? He couldn’t fight against something like that. He had not the money nor resources to fight such an accusation… At a pace that seemed far too quick for his tastes, the clock was slowly nearing midnight, taunting him with the idea that he truly would be alone for the New year. There was just no way for him to say that out loud, but maybe he could subtly say it. His father did always used to say that if you wanted to stay around, you should make yourself useful…
“Would you, perhaps, maybe… Like some coffee right now? I-I could brew some of it for you! That is, if you’d like… I-I could grab my lunch too, and.. I just thought maybe.. I don’t know…” He was getting far too close to saying it, so his voice simply trailed off, leaving the question lingering in the air like the faint remains of something someone was putting together but gave up part way through. A huge part of him wanted the judge to say no. He was simply a janitor, and he probably was wasting the judges’ time and keeping him from going home. What right did he have to any of that?
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:44 pm
For a moment, Alexei said nothing; he seemed like he was waiting for Shiloh to finish, but when it became obvious that the young man was done talking, he shifted positions. Briefly, he looked to the coffee he had been gifted and seemed to be considering it.
Whatever was going on inside his head was destined to stay there, but he found himself nodding.
"I think," he said after a few more seconds. "I would appreciate that."
He waved his hand dismissively. "In a little while they'll be setting off fireworks. It will be too loud to focus, so I suppose it's not really worth it to try and get any work done. You may join me, if you like. But," he was stern, "'Do not make a mess. And," he reached into his pocket to pull out a few dollars. He handed them out to Shiloh and said, "Bring me back something from the vending machine. If there's something you like, treat yourself. All right?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:44 pm
Shiloh seemed confused at what was happening… Was that a yes? Did he just tell him not to make a mess…? Nothing seemed to make sense, but before he came to wrapping his head around it he had given the judge a quick nod, grabbed the mug on the desk, and dashed out of the room.
And now here he was, standing in front of the little coffee maker, waiting for the single serve brew to complete. Already in his arms were several bags of random savory snacks, and his own little lunch box. Once the focus came back into his eyes, Shiloh just barely stopped himself from curling up in a ball of embarrassment and nerves! But underneath the panic and distress he felt, there was something that could only be described as joy. It only seemed to simmer softly under everything else he felt, yet it was there.
Coffee brewed, Shiloh very carefully carried it back to the judge’s office, setting it on a coaster on his well-polished desk, then setting the variety of snacks down as well.
“I hope these are okay, I didn’t know what to get you so… So I got alot… I’m sorry, I spent everything. I didn’t buy myself anything though! I just grabbed my lunch, so I’ll be okay.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:45 pm
Though Alexei had mentioned that it would be too distracting to work, it seemed that he had indulged in scanning a few more papers and jotting a few more notes while Shiloh was gone. He looked up from his papers. Surprise flashed only in his eyes as he looked at the sheer quantity of snacks the other male had brought.
"...Are you sure you don't want anything?" he asked slowly, eying the pile of snacks. "...I'll be honest, I don't think I can eat all of this in one sitting."
He seemed more interested in the coffee than the snacks, so reached for that and offered a soft word of thanks. He did not hesitate to take a sip. It might not have been his coffee, but his eyes fluttered shut as the warm liquid spilled down his throat.
Coffee was coffee, and he needed that little kick to keep him going.
Which meant, this coffee was perfect, and it was just about the best gift anyone could have given him.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:45 pm
“Oh, no sir! I’m okay! Like I said, I have my lunch, so I’m alright… Maybe you could save them for later; I’m sure you’ll be here late again, right?” Shiloh waited a moment longer before he took a seat for himself, attempting to make himself as small as possible in the leather chairs that sat before the Judge’s desk. He still very much felt out of place in this large, well maintained office, but at least the judges eyes seemed to be gentler on him than earlier.
His lunch was rather simple, just a few cheese sandwiches, a pre-peeled orange, and a couple of baby carrots. There wasn’t a huge love for cold food, but he hated using the microwave right after he cleaned it, and this provided less of a mess than most other things, so it worked.
“How is the coffee…? I hope it’s okay. Did you need any sweetener?”
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