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 Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 8:02 pm
Jett observed without watching too closely. He’d already known that Orien could get defensive if you pointed out a weakness–being sick, making a mess. He assumed they were all pretty much the same in terms of pride.
Kaelan had a napkin in his hand, already ready and dabbing it up. He still hadn’t let go of Orien’s hand, but Kaelan had a tendency to react quickly. It was part of his instinctive need to please those around him, and part of his need to take care of Orien and make sure he was okay. He rubbed the back of Kaelan’s hand in his own, gently. He just wanted to give him something to focus on, something to relax with.
“Yeah, I am,” Jett answered; though he’d paused briefly, he carried on as if there hadn’t been any spill at all. It seemed best not to draw any more attention than necessary. “This can be a dangerous job. Sometimes you get in fights. Sometimes you get hurt.” It was worth it. He’d never thought that it wasn’t.
He’d also never really lost a fight, but he knew the toll the war had taken on others.
“We’ve got a good company plan. Includes vision and dental, too. Even if you’re only working part time, or just a few hours a month, I’ll still get you the best we have to offer. Just in case something happens. PTO and sick pay, too. Flexible schedule, work from home options. If you want a chance, I’ll give you one. When are you free to come in and discuss it all?”
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 8:19 pm
Orien mumbled his thanks to Kaelan, and did what he could to help clean up as well. He was grateful that Jett didn’t comment about it. Making a mess was embarrassing enough but…
He was going to guess that Jett would definitely want to keep him away from his antiques. Or maybe he thought it was a one time incident. It would be, if Orien could help it! He was mostly upset because he was looking forward to some soup, and he knew Kaelan wanted to eat the soup he got too.
The knowledge that the job could be dangerous was concerning. He squeezed Kaelan’s hand as he glanced over at him. He didn’t want Kaelan to get hurt.
“So, the more power we have, the more we can protect each other,” he guessed. That was fine. He could get stronger. “Not gonna lie. This all sounds too good to be true. People don’t just… give us a chance. You said you think we have potential but… you don’t even know us. I’m not trying to say no, that I don’t want to get whatever we can. It’s just…”
He glanced over at Kaelan again and shrugged. He wasn’t sure how to explain it. No one really gave them the opportunity to prove themselves, much less an opportunity without having to do anything.
“You’re not desperate for people to be in your Court, are you? Is that why you’re offering?” And really… he would take desperation. He just didn’t want to delude himself into thinking he was worth something, when Kaelan was the best part about him, because Kaelan wouldn’t leave his side.
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 8:43 pm
Kaelan was more concerned about Orien getting hurt than he was himself. He had a high pain tolerance and could put up with a lot, but Orien was far more reactive than Kaelan.
He didn’t want either of them to get hurt, but it didn’t seem like an impossibility. If you had magic, other people would have magic. If you were fighting for something they were against, of course there would be combat. He’d been in fights before, that wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t want to hurt someone.
He didn’t want to get in trouble.
“I’m not a desperate man. I’ll do it all myself, if I have to. I don’t beg, I don’t plead, and I don’t settle for anything less than the best. And maybe most people wouldn’t give you a chance. But I’m not ‘most people’. I didn’t get where I am by playing by their rules. So you’re right, I don’t know you, not really. But I know enough to have an idea.”
The food was ignored for a moment while Jett spoke; his attention was solely on them, and despite Kaelan’s hunger, he couldn’t help but focus on him.
Jett looked at Orien first. “You’re not a pushover. You’re a hard worker. You’re a bit hot headed, but it’ll keep people from trying to take advantage of you. You say you can fight. You want a chance. You’re not going to take it for granted.” Kaelan was next, though he immediately sat up straighter and seemed anxious when Jett faced him. “You’re thoughtful. Observant. He says you’re smart. You’ve got a good eye. I bet you two work well together, balance each other out. People work harder when it’s important to them. I like someone who’s motivated. I see potential. Maybe you haven’t had all the tools you needed to see it in yourselves, but I’m willing to take a chance on you. I do need people who are going to take this seriously. It’s a big job. Just because I’m willing to do it all on my own doesn’t mean I want to, and the more help we get, the better off we all are. Mirrorspace is a big place. It’s constantly changing, there’s always something new to find. I need people to help me gather the energy to sustain it. I need people who want to be involved. And if the only thing holding you back is your current situation, I’ll help you make something better out of it.”
Besides, the mirror had chosen them. If they didn’t join the Court, what would have happened to them? The Negaverse might have taken them. The White Moon might have. If they weren’t going to be his allies, they’d have just wound up his enemies.
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 9:04 pm
Orien frowned the entire time Jett spoke, but under the table he held tightly to Kaelan’s hand, brushing his thumb over the back. He could feel his hands still trembling a little, so he kept both out of sight, even though he was still hungry.
He didn’t think he was a hot head, he just -- okay, maybe he was a hot head. But it wasn’t his fault after everything he and Kaelan had survived. It was sometimes better to fight first and question later if it meant surviving or not.
And Orien would do anything to ensure Kaelan survived.
“I’ll work for you. Whatever you need. I don’t care what it is. Grunt work, heavy lifting, janitorial, whatever.” He doubted his chance would extend beyond that, anyway.
“And Kaelan gets every resource needed to get him into school. The more time he has to focus on that, the faster he’ll graduate, so it’ll be an investment to let him focus on that,” Orien pointed out.
Jett said he wasn’t desperate, but he was going to try to negotiate to make sure they had what they needed, and would give them what they needed to help with Mirrorspace.
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 10:23 pm
The corners of Jett’s lip twitched into a smile. “A negotiator, too? That’s useful. Eat your food, we’re going to have to make room before she brings the rest over. When I get back to the office tomorrow, I’ll see what positions we have open and what I can move around for you two. I’ll get the scholarship information, you can ‘apply’. Part of the criteria is being accepted into a college, so we’ll start with that. I can write a recommendation letter but that means I’ll have to get to know you a little better. I can bullshit it all, but if I’m going to stick my name on it, I’d like to make sure you’re as invested as I am.”
“I am,” Kaelan blurted, uncharacteristically vocal in what he wanted. “I can’t afford the application fee and I wasn’t going to spend it just so they could reject me. I’m halfway through an Associate degree and I have my transcripts back home. I have a 3.8 GPA. And I’m okay at writing essays, I entered a few competitions. And won some of them. Well–they’re under Orien’s name, but I can write winning essays.”
Jett watched him for a moment, considered, and then glanced at the untouched bowl of soup in front of him before meeting his eyes again. Flustered, Kaelan drew the bowl closer and had a quick spoonful and–it was good! So, of course, the first thing he thought to do was get another spoonful and offer it to Orien.
Jett nodded, then. “That’s good, that’s promising. I can work with that. What are they paying you to wash dishes, Orien? And all your side hustles, about how much are you making per week between the two of you with plasma and fountains and taking out the trash?”
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 6:59 am
While he didn’t want to take food from Kaelan, especially since he seemed like he was enjoying it, Orien was hungry. So after a moment of hesitation, he opened his mouth to accept the spoonful. It was probably less messy for him to be fed than to try to eat it himself, as potentially embarrassing as it was. Not with Kaelan! Just if anyone else saw and commented.
“They have me scheduled a couple hours under full time, and only pay minimum at eleven. Of course, if there’s more work to do they make me stay and threaten to fire me if I say that I’m not scheduled longer,” he shrugged. He didn’t like it, but he’d survived this long by picking his battles.
Well, it was thanks to Kaelan that he survived this long. He might have still been fighting everything if he didn’t have something to look forward to.
“At night they have me anywhere from ten to twenty hours, and that’s ten an hour, but it’s not like they’re taking taxes out of it.”
Saying it out loud seemed to surprise him, and it was no wonder why he was so tired all the time, so irritable all the time. He barely had time to spend with Kaelan when he wasn’t working. But to make sure Kaelan had a roof over his head and food to eat, it was worth it.
“So… I don’t know. Maybe around eight hundred or so a week? Rent’s going up in June, so… as long as we manage more than that,” he grumbled. Because it was embarrassing! It was even more embarrassing that Orien could have been saving more, but got himself into trouble, and then sick. But he was trying to make up for it! It was just… a lot.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 9:23 am
Kaelan fed himself soup while Orien spoke, and then when he’d finished, he held up another spoon for him as if to remind him to also eat. They shared everything, anyway; his hand might as well have been Orien’s, anyway.
“You’re spending a lot of time working,” Jett noted. No wonder he was sick. “I’m not going to tell you to stop, I’m going to give you the chance to come meet with me and go over options. I’ll pay,” he shrugged. “Let’s say eighteen and a half. That’s a take home of, what, about fifteen an hour after tax? You work forty hours, that’s about six hundred a week. If you still want to work other jobs, fine. But if you give me fifty five hours between the two of you, you’re making eight hundred or so a week. But if I’m hiring you for that, I expect you to give me your best, so you have to take care of yourself. No overworking yourselves. And you have to make time to help the Court.”
It was a bit more than he’d have started someone else off with, but the Court was worth a little extra sacrifice, and if he got his money out of it anyway, good.
Kaelan was checking the math in his head, and the numbers sounded right, so he nodded along even without being certain. He could do twenty hours a week and juggle school, he was certain of it. If he could get in, at least. Maybe he could do more, he didn’t know. It was dangerous, he felt himself getting hopeful again. He’d have been happier if he wasn’t donating plasma, happier if Orien wasn’t somewhere that seemed ready to fire him. He’d have been happy making a few extra dollars, going to school...
He squeezed Orien’s hand because he wanted this to work out.
…There were just things Jett didn’t know. Things that might make him change his mind.
So, he didn’t mention them. Maybe he wouldn’t have to. Maybe this could just work.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 10:09 am
Orien took another bite of the soup that Kaelan offered him, but he perked up at the thought of getting paid more than just minimum or less.
“We’ll do it,” he agreed quickly, because he didn’t want Jett changing his mind. “I’ll work at least forty-five hours a week, and Kay can do the other ten, but I’ll cover for those if he doesn’t have time -- You’ll have classes and homework and projects. You’ll need the extra time to do everything else,” Orien said as he squeezed Kaelan’s hand before turning back to Jett.
“Thank you. You won’t regret it,” he promised, already determined to do his best. Even though he was uncertain as to how good his best was.
“If we can cover our bills with that, then I can use the extra time I would have usually been working to collect energy. We can both use our extra time,” he added, glancing over to Kaelan to make sure he wasn’t getting overwhelmed or that he wasn’t saying too much.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 10:27 am
Kaelan wasn’t overwhelmed–surprised!–but it wasn’t too much for him. He nodded, but there was something stubborn in his expression. “I can do more than ten hours a week, Orien. We don’t even know if I’ll be accepted into college,” he added, a bit quieter. It’s not like Jett wouldn’t hear, he couldn’t whisper that well and still get his point across.
“But–yeah, I agree. That sounds good to us,” he said quickly, even if he couldn’t quite meet Jett’s gaze immediately. “Thank you.”
“Okay,” Jett said, as simple as that. “Then, let’s meet up tomorrow and we’ll start going over the fine details. Paperwork, what you’ll need, what I’ll need. I’ll be free between, let’s say eleven and one. I’ll be at the antique store, meet me there or call if something comes up. Oh, and if you still want to sell that bird, bring it by. If you’ve got any more, bring them by, too. I’ve got a lady that calls every week trying to recreate her mother’s collection.”
“Um. Yeah, okay. I’ll check,” he said, glancing briefly at Orien. He was squeezing his hand tightly, and now it was just getting harder not to be excited. Orien seemed like he was going along with it, and–well, it paid more. Jett was sitting here, listening to them. He fed them! He might help him go to school!
His stomach felt like it was tumbling in all directions, and it wasn’t just out of hunger. He was trying not to smile, in case that was just tacky, but.
He was very much overwhelmed. For the first time in a long time, it just wasn’t because everything was so bad.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 10:36 am
“You’ll get accepted,” Orien said confidently. “You’re the smartest, most creative person I know. Anyone would be happy to accept you into their college.”
He really believed that, too! Kaelan was so intelligent. He helped Orien catch up and get through his high school years. And Orien was absolutely certain no one else could have had the patience to do that.
“Maybe with whatever that bird is worth, we can pay for the application fees for the schools you want to go to,” he quietly suggested, and leaned close to press a quick kiss on Kaelan’s cheek.
They actually had something to look forward to. Maybe being magical wouldn’t be so bad after all. And maybe Orien didn’t give Jett enough of a chance when they first met. But he didn’t seem to hold their first meeting against him, which Orien was grateful for.
“Yeah, that sounds good, uh… boss?” What was the right thing to call him?
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 11:20 am
It wasn’t his grades or abilities that had him worried, but despite his doubts, Kaelan smiled because he was just smitten by Orien and he didn’t want to dampen his spirits. He wanted to believe that it would all work out.
Jett didn’t ask what they were so worried about; he could see the waitress again, and sat up straight to move a few things around to make room for their next batch of food.
She asked a few questions, made sure they were all right, and promised to be back in a few minutes with more. Jett thanked her, and when she was walking away he said to the two teenagers, “Sounds good to me, too. Now, no more business talk. Your food’s going to get cold and I suspect you’ll already have to take some of it home. I want to give you two time to rest and get ready for tomorrow. And, we’ve got an appointment with a Mauvian in half an hour. It’ll only take a moment, but it’s best to get this done tonight. Just in case. We’ll get you two your pens, the devices you need to function in the Court, and then you’re free for the rest of the night.”
They seemed ready to try and take on the world, and Jett wouldn’t lie–he liked to see it.
He just wanted to make sure they actually had time to figure this out and let everything sink in.
So far, so good.
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