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 Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:28 pm
Jude had a love-hate relationship with work. He wanted to be useful, and he wanted to earn his money, but he missed the kind of jobs back home. Throwing hay around, cleaning horse crap out of stalls; real man work.
This was not man work or woman work. This was dog-of-the-system work.
Unfortunately, now that Hero had convinced running off to die so soon was no longer optional (yet), the need for food--which required money--took bitter priority over the boredom and disgrace that was working at Larry's Pizza. To be fair, it was at least a small, local business. Larry was an okay guy and Jude liked all his co-workers.
For now.
The day was as slow and agonizing a process as being chained down and forced to get a computer with Windows ME to do anything but crash and die. Barely any calls, barely any walk-ins. There were only so many things Jude and Barny could get away with at work, even with the boss out for the day. The third of their trio was on their way out the door, heading for home.
"The new guy will be here in a bit," he told them. "Try and be serious when you train him, Barny."
"Yeah, Price, try and be serious," Jude mocked at the boy beside him, both leaning on the counters like they deserved an award for Most Likely To Not Go To College. They had been muttering back-and-forth word games at each other for a while, trying fruitlessly to pass the time quicker. "Okay, what if you could do the hottest girl in the world, but first you had to sleep with her brother? Would you do it?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:36 pm
Barnaby hadn't started working to feel needed. Sure, the extra money was a good thing – his mother had never earned amazing wages – but it wasn't like his family was so desperate he'd want to start dumpster diving or only shopping at Walmart. But he was here because it was something to do, and the redhead always felt a little better having something to do. Otherwise he was left bored and alone in the world, and that was a sad thing indeed.
Having Jude on the pizza delivery team certainly made things more interesting. Though business was slow, the bluenette managed to keep him sufficiently occupied – in the platonic and non-gay way. It was almost a relief to learn that they had a new co-worker coming to be trained today. A trainee was ten times better than a bitchy women complaining that the cheese wasn't brown enough on her pizza. Seriously, that woman needed to chill out.
The redhead gave the departing member of their trio his best grin as he called back, "The only person who'd be more serious than me is Sirius Black, bro." Turning back to Jude – and making sure to lean against the counter in the opposite direction his friend was leaning – he made a face at the question.
"Man, that's a hard one. I'd probably fake out the sleeping with the brother bit. Get him drunk or something first so he won't remember the night and tell him in the morning that you and he totally did it."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:49 pm
Grayson Graves had never worked a day in his life.
Well, that wasn't entirely true, but he'd never worked an actual job. He'd danced, and he'd been paid for performances, but dancing had never really felt like an occupation. It had been more of a calling, one that he was neglecting lately in favor of Zodiac business and, now, an actual job. He wasn't pleased, but considering he literally had no other option, he'd applied at the first place his parents had suggested. It was either work somewhere or find somewhere else to live, and Grayson didn't think he'd make a particularly good hobo.
His parents loved him. They dearly, dearly loved him. He understood this and appreciated it, loved them in return. He was still a little disgruntled with them for the whole job situation. He'd been told that he wouldn't be required to work as long as he was in high school, because he was having a hard enough time scraping through his classes without another excuse not to do homework, but then he'd gone and died. For a year. He was still in high school, but now he was eighteen, and Van and Arthur had come to the conclusion that he was old enough to be working.
They were probably right. It didn't mean Gray liked it.
He also didn't like the hideously loud orange shirt that had heads craning toward him in search of a stop/slow sign. Gray didn't mind attention in the least, but if he was going to have it, he'd rather it be positive.
He was pretty sure not even a blind gorilla would be attracted to him in his present ensemble, especially not with the hat smashing his hair down as it was. He'd had to pull what he could through the back in a ponytail, and shove all the shorter layers up in his hat so that they wouldn't dangle all over the place. Larry's Pizza did not accommodate the side pony, apparently.
He slouched his way to the doors, then remembered his father's advice and straightened to his full height. He was six foot, which was tall but not obscenely so, and out of habit, he removed his hands from his pockets.
Idle and irresponsible he might have been, but he could at least attempt to look like someone who was enthusiastic about heading to work. For the first few moments.
He pushed through the door, automatically scanning the area for a familiar face (he only knew his hiring manager, and assumed that was who he would be trained by) but found none. He looked a little bemused, then lifted his shoulders a bit in ah oh, well kind of motion.
"Hi."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:01 pm
Barnaby Price and Jude Lawson were the kind of friends that knew each other for two weeks and acted like it was twenty years. They were too similar to do anything but click--in a non-gay way, of course--and the new age Sagittarius medal he planned to have hanging around Barny's neck within a reasonable time frame had not been forgotten. He loved Hero and he would live for her, but the next time he landed himself in his grave, he wanted to stay there. No revival. No fourth, fifth, sixth life. Just death and whatever came after that.
Eventually.
Now he was at a pizza place with someone who was arguably not only an unknowing heir but a best friend that his old one would have given the manly up nod of approval to.
"Dude, what? If I did do him--and I never would because that's sick--he would remember. No one forgets Jude Lawson. You should hear my girlfriend. It's like, oooh Jude for hours. The neighbors nearly called the cops last time it was so--"
"Hi," said Grayson.
"Graves?!" Alarmed, he turned to Barny. "This is the new guy?"
He had the hat. He had the eye-piercing orange shirt. Yes, Jude, this was obviously "the new guy".
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:15 pm
Indeed, Barnaby and Jude were the kind of people who come make an instant friendship. Nearly an hour of DDR would do that to a pair of guys. (If it didn't turn them gay first).
The redhead couldn't help but snort at Jude's response to the question. Honestly, were they back on the topic of his girlfriend? May God help him if he ever had to meet the girl in person. He'd have his friend's "Oooh Jude" moans on loop in his head the whole time. He may even have to ask her if she really used that particular pitch. … Yeah, hoping that they never met.
"No way man, that's totally not—"
He broke off when Jude broke off, surprised by both his question and the arrival of their new co-worker. Okay entering serious mo- wait what? "You know this dude?" Wow, did the uniform really look that shitty? Ouch. He really needed to "lose" his orange shirt before the next shift. No wonder he was getting weird looks. "Really? I thought you said we had to be serious, man."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:28 pm
Would Jude Lawson really be everywhere - everywhere - that he was lately?
Expression just as incredulous as Jude's, he simply stared, likely looking much more simple-minded than he actually was. It would be just his luck (and whether the his meant Grayson's or Jude's was difficult to say) that Grayson would happen to be hired at the establishment Jude presently worked within. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't even know Jude had a job; in retrospect, it made sense, considering Jude's family lived in Alabama, but it was still a little surreal to see him wearing the same obnoxiously orange shirt that Grayson had struggled to pull over his own head not an hour earlier.
Silence reigned, and he worked his jaw, considering. He and Jude weren't on the best of terms, but they were not, at least, on the worst of terms. Working together wouldn't be too bad. Out of gratitude for all that he'd done, in fact, Grayson would attempt to make it as painless as possible.
So, he smiled, shoulders relaxing, and strode over to them. He knew Jude, so he simply nodded to him with a pleasant, "Hello, Jude." before looking to the other.
Here, he extended his hand, saying cheerfully, "Grayson Graves. It's nice to meet you."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:37 pm
"Yeah, we go way back," Jude grumbled. The voice in which he did was so quiet Barny almost couldn't hear it. Probably because he was bitching just to b***h.
Today, Grayson Graves showed up at my job. FML.
Not too long ago he'd been standing before this same young man, preaching to him like he was Jesus Christ himself: You are the Zodiac. You are the savior. You are the Holy light in a city of darkness. All of us are. From that to this. Standing. Staring. --Glaring, however halfheartedly it was.
"Hey."
Then he moved to Barny, and there was this unusual instinct to punch him just for daring to talk to him. Because Jude knew from experience Graves was that kind of guy you couldn't hate no matter what, and he didn't want to lose what he'd found to anything.
Be it to death or another person, Barnaby Price was the beta to the Alpha Male, and now his territory was being walked all over.
He snorted at the introduction and shifted his weight away from the counter.
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:44 pm
Barnaby raised an eyebrow at Jude's comment, but he said nothing. Grayson didn't look like the type for people to be bitchy towards, but looks could be deceiving. For a moment he wondered if this may be the brother that Jude had to screw to get access to the hot sister, but dismissed that notion immediately. It wasn't that it wasn't plausible; it was just too damn weird for his small collection of brain cells to handle at this point in time.
Despite his friend's attitude to their new co-worker, the redhead took it upon himself to be the man in the situation and be polite. Just because Jude didn't like him didn't mean they should automatically shun him and force him to man the phone for the rest of the shift. He hadn't done anything to deserve that kind of torture yet.
"Barnaby Price, and the same to you. Fancy you knowing this guy here. Here I thought he was a total recluse save for his girlfriend." He shot Jude a grin as he leaned back on his elbows. "Did they tell you anything about the job or was it just 'Hi have this unusually unattractive T-shirt you're hired'?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:53 pm
Barnaby didn't immediately spit in his face and kick him anywhere sensitive, which meant that Grayson's smile remained in place, easy and comfortable. To his thinking, Jude would be most at his ease if Grayson acted toward him the way he always did, which was mostly giving him his own space and, beyond a greeting, speaking only when prompted. That in mind, he decided that his best bet was to keep things professional and polite.
He could manage polite, anyway.
"I was given a basic explanation." He lifted one shoulder, pursed his lips as he thought. "Which wasn't much. And, oh, yes, Jude and I know one another. We don't spend a lot of time together, though, if we can avoid it."
It wasn't said with malice or distaste, simply as a statement of fact. Grayson harbored no ill will toward Jude; quite the contrary. He was a little surprised to hear of a girlfriend, but he supposed that Hero had finally admitted to reciprocating his feelings. Good for her, and good for Jude. Grayson thought they were cute together, in the kind of way that it was entirely none of his business and he didn't intend to get involved to any degree.
Personal life was personal. He was a very thorough advocate of that.
He placed his hands lightly on the counter, tipped his head a bit. "I should be honest: this is my first job. I don't have much of a work ethic, but it's this or be kicked out of my house, so I'll do my best."
That was a good start, right? Best to let Barnaby know what kind of guy he was right off the bat. Jude already knew.
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:31 pm
Jude already knew, indeed. He already knew Graves was like that same as he knew Graves was too close to what was so important to him. The man himself didn't know the true extent to which he was ready to attack the slightest risk to Barny's health or relationship with him. He was vicious about it, rabid about it.
No, you crazy fangirls, not because he wanted to take him to the jungle. Rather, Jude wanted to take him to the jungle. Because She needed to meet him, know him, love him if he was going to be the next Sagittarius.
Jude needed Barnaby to die like he needed Hero to live.
One brick edged out of place and the whole house would come tumbling down. From the rubble and ashes, he would rise again courtesy of Chronos, and repeat the cycle over and over again. He could not--could not under any circumstances--lose Barnaby Price.
He'd rather he was compared to an angry big cat than Obsidian, but the fact was he resembled his first and foremost enemy almost exactly pacing around the place in a silent fit. The only difference was there was no dead body laying anywhere.
No one called and no one came in or there might have been. He was dead set on following them. Watching Graves, watching Price, just to make sure. He relaxed when they got to the final stop: the freezer.
Jude went in first as Barnaby rambled on about the ingredients and other by-the-book things the manager had trained him to do. The Alpha Male turned to remind them to keep that damn door open until Larry could get it fixed unless they wanted to be trapped in here forever, but it was too late.
The door closed with a thump and Jude thrust his palm against his forehead and said: "Great."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:46 pm
Leave it to Larry to give the newest recruit a shitty explanation. Barnaby had an inkling as to why, but he didn't say it. If Larry had been the one to give him the training then any mistake the newbie made would be on his head. If he said that he had passed it off to one of this "senior staff" then he could blame them all when something went wrong. Larry may not have been the smartest man in Destiny City, but he certainly knew how to avoid taking the blame for anything.
Grayson's honest and upfront reason for his current employment came as a bit of a surprise, but the redhead tried to just roll with the punches. Indeed, it was better that he knew what he was dealing with. "Well, I'll do my best to try and keep you around then. No promises, but you know. Seeing as it's pretty darn slow in here today, might as well give you the run down now then." He opened up the little "staff only" ledge to allow Grayson in behind the counter, and beckoned for the other teen to follow him.
"Tour first. Stop me if you have any questions, okay?"
Barnaby then proceeded to lead Grayson around the meagre space that constituted "behind the counter." The redhead showed him the cash register, the phone, the order pads, explaining how each worked before they moved onto the ovens, the Tupperware containers of ingredients, the little spinning pizza heater, and finally the freezer. He had been so engrossed in his tour that he'd forgotten to stick the little peg in the door of the freezer. It was only when the door closed behind them that he realized what he'd done.
He was silent for a moment before he said, "Well… this kind of sucks."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:11 pm
It all seemed pretty standard fare, and truth be told, Grayson wasn't exactly a stranger to cooking. The scale was larger, the kitchen unfamiliar, but he could probably throw together a pizza with his eyes closed if he had to. Pizza seemed to be Elke's favorite dish, or at least her favorite one to make, so when she visited, it seemed like that was what they had for dinner. His parents were easy when they didn't have to cook; the fridge always had cheese, pasta sauce, pepperonis. Though Larry's had certain things that would never make their way onto a Graves pizza (bell peppers, really) he was pretty sure he could adjust.
He asked questions only when he needed clarification, which wasn't often, and by the time they got to the freezer, he was hoping it was over. He wasn't against learning something new, he just wanted to get to the part where he had a task. That way, he could say he'd done something productive without lying, and his parents wouldn't give him the evil eye when he got home.
He stepped into the freezer, arms automatically coming up to ward off the chill. Grayson hated the cold; he hoped the freezer part wasn't long.
Of course, not knowing Larry's Pizza well, nor having ever been inside a restaurant's freezer, he failed to comprehend the gravity of their situation.
He glanced from Barnaby to Jude, back to Barnaby. "What sucks?"
Then, to Jude. "Why are you hitting yourself in the forehead, Jude?"
With an expression that clearly said, That's a silly thing to do, Jude.
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:19 pm
Jude's mind was like his temper; both got more use than casual friends like Barnaby would know. An unfortunate difference was that his anger seemed to spawn at appropriate times (Graves needed to stay away from Price) where as his mind? Yeah, that never got put to work when it was most needed due to him having far too much of a never-send-a-woman-to-do-a-man's-job attitude.
Women were smarter about many things; he acknowledged this. They could be trusted to solve puzzles with their minds alone. Men (real, true men) used force when necessary.
They couldn't very well stay locked in a freezer until tomorrow.
"The door is stuck." And it would stay stuck in spite of Jude throwing himself at it. Once. He couldn't manage much more than that before he was holding his arm that still had not completely healed.
Obsidian still caused him problems, the b*****d.
"Alright. Sooo..."
Who was the closet to a woman among them? You guessed it.
"Graves. Got any bright ideas?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:26 pm
Barnaby gave a somewhat dramatic sigh, though he tried to pass it off as a disgruntled huff. Damn. How had he managed to be so absentminded as to let the door shut on them? Honestly, whoever saved them wasn't going to let any of them live this down. Ever.
Though Jude answered the question, he clarified with. "The door jams something awful when it shuts. I got shut in here by accident on my first shift because I didn't know any better." And now they were all locked in here. Well, at least if the need became dire they could always share body heat. In a completely platonic way.
Having no bright ideas of his own, Barnaby decided to follow Jude's lead and look to Grayson. If his bluenette friend thought that their black-haired counterpart was the idea man then he certainly wasn't going to complain.
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:32 pm
They were both looking at him. Expectantly.
Grayson hadn't even been on the job a half an hour.
He blinked, violet eyes framed by thick lashes, and for just a moment, looked every bit the girl that Jude (apparently) thought he was. So they were locked in a freezer, and the two regular employees of the shop didn't have the slightest idea how to break free. Was this some kind of prank? Did they do this to every new guy, see if he would think to push on the door himself, see if he would panic? Grayson wasn't a complete idiot; he knew such things happened, especially among boys of their age. He even considered the possibility for a moment.
Then, he looked at Jude, and he considered it some more. No, that wasn't Jude's style. Jude might not like him, but he wouldn't be needlessly cruel. Therefore, without even asking, he decided the situation was legitimate, and he began to give it real thought.
This was, possibly, irritating, considering he did all of this in silence. Grayson apparently took his sweet time talking, even when the air was hovering not-so-hospitably somewhere between zero degrees and ten.
"Well." He fished in his pocket, pulled out a brand new cell phone. With a casual flick of his thumb, he slid the screen up, looked to the top right corner to check for reception. Damn; none.
"Apparently, I don't get reception in freezers." He chewed his bottom lip, looked up again, sighed. "Are you expecting any more employees, anyone who would notice that the store is completely unmanned at the moment?" Anyone who might go looking for dumb, dumber, and dumbest in the freezer?
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