|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 11:44 pm
Anamnesis Funeral Home. It wasn't her first, second, or even fith choice of places of employment, but freshly graduated from her program in floral work and a certification in botany under her belt, she was in need of work. So, Amaranth had sent in her application. She had sent in many applications for many places. After three months, this was the first place to give her a call back. The receptionist, a hearty-sounding woman by the name of 'Janice' had been very pleasant on the phone. Oddly jovial for someone who worked at a funeral home, Amaranth thought. none the less, the interview had been set up, and she began her research on her potential place of employment. Type, type, type, click!Checking out the website of the funeral home itself brought up first a picture of the front of the location - it was a very comely building of stone, plaster, a magnificent row of one-way windows and a great wooden door. The plant-life in front was your standard hedges and a row of mid-size trees creating a canopy over the walkway leading from the parking lot to the door. Scrolling down and there was the standard welcome message text, flanked to the right by a portrait of the current funeral director. Amaranth mused over this photo for a moment. Her certainly looked the role - dark, professional, not entirely off-putting, but intimidating, curiously scarred, but there was something soft and sympathetic in those pale eyes. Or sad. She hadn't quite made up her mind which. Anamnesis had within the past two years seen a change in ownership. The former director had turned it over to one of his employees, one 'Domcallion Veren Bloodmyre.' Since then, the new director had made many renovations to the funeral home, and had received some positive attention for networking with area mortuary schools, offering post-graduate internships and board. In addition, a deal had been struck with the nearby local coroner offices and hospitals. The details had been a bit of a snore to her - all that technical mambo-jumbo, but she did understand that the partnerships had allowed for increase in employee wages, and a rise in charitable work. And Destiny City had no shortage of mysterious deaths. Business was good, no doubt. She kept scrolling and - Ah! There it was. She clicked the 'Seeking Employment' button and there was the page she'd paid little mind to a few months ago in her flurry of filling out applications. She began re-reading over it. /Seeking On-Site florist.
Anamnesis Funeral Home is renovating it's courtyard
and has added a sizeable greenhouse, now it needs
a capable florist/botanist to offer on-site floral services./ Specs were given on the greenhouse - oh, that was plenty of space. Like, more than she could ever think of using, really. It would be like having her own flower fortress. And an entire courtyard garden as well. Certainly she could work the seasonal plants outdoors, and use the greenhouse for the less seasonal year-round needs. No one understood how hard it was to find lilies in October. Clicking through photographs of the area, she had to admit she was getting a bit more excited at the prospect of working there. Bonus - she wouldn't be putting up with any bridezillas! Okay, so maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She just needed to ace the interview. /On-site boarding available. A recently built
housing unit rests just half an acre beyond the
courtyard, with rooms available should the applicant
be in need of boarding. You will be living alongside
interns, as well as the funeral director himself. The
unit is comprised of five bedrooms, three and a half
bathrooms, and a shared den and kitchen, as well
as the owner's own basement apartment./ Amaranth was pretty sure she had checked the little check-mark for boarding. She certainly wasn't looking to stay in her parent's home any longer. Honestly, they were sweet people, but as a pair of old hippies who just couldn't leave the good old days behind, she was more than ready to leave the nest. She knew they were ready to be able to pack up and go road-tripping. Ha, tripping. There would probably be plenty of that too. But not for her - she already had her portfolio together, so now was just the mental rehearsal. She'd be up half the night playing the scenarios over in her head.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 11:28 am
The receptionist, Janice, put down the phone after setting up the interview and closed the applicant's folder with a smile. Just thereafter, Domcallon came striding by, reading from his clipboard.
"Hey, Dom," Janice called to him in that tone that said she had something to tell him.
Dom stopped, looking up from his clipboard, "Yes?" He gave a friendly smile. Janice had been working here long before he had arrived, and he was glad to have her here for his reign. She took care of so much, and he truly appreciated it.
"I've set up another interview for the florist position," She said, handing him the manila folder. "I think you'll like this one."
Dom's smile faltered for a moment, "Seventh time's the charm?" He replied, lifting a brow. Well, if he had a brows to lift he would have, but the muscle movement and shadows on his face translated well enough.
He had interviewed several applicants over the past few months that the job listing had been up, and while they all had been highly qualified, they all also had their problems that had made him hesitant to offer them the position. Either a lack of self-driven ambition, a desire to outsource too much of the gardening, or somewhere in between. Now, Dom didn't know a whole lot about the floral industry, but he knew work ethic, and knew to trust his instincts with people.
He opened the folder and on top of the application was a photo. He took it with his nimble fingers and held it up to look at it better. Looking back at him was the pale lavender, almost opalescent, eyes of a young and confident looking lady with dual-color hair, and a smattering of freckles. He then looked back to Janice, who just held her bright smile.
"You're not trying to set me up again, are you?"
"Pffft," Janice laughed, "Now when would I ever try a thing like that?!" She deflected. But alas, she was guilty as charged. However... "She was the last applicant in the queue. It's not my fault is she's a pretty little thing, too."
The incredulous look on Dom's face as he shook his head and placed the photo back in the folder spoke to his amusement, rather than any irritation, and he even gave a crooked grin.
"You left her till last on purpose," He accused.
Janice feigned innocence, "I'd never!"
The two soon parted from their good natured fun as Dom exited the funeral home from the back doors, crossing the courtyard, and to the cottage. He sat the clipboard and manila folder on the kitchen table, and sighed. It wasn't a tired or exasperated sigh, but an amused one.
"I guess I should start a batch of cookies then..."
Hospitality was a specialty of his, after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 9:41 pm
-- The following morning --
Today was the day of the interview. Amaranth looked herself over in the mirror; today she had decided to wear her long lavender and purple hair in two chunky braids framing her face. When selecting what to wear she chose conservatively from her wardrobe that was riddled with ruffles, layers, layers of ruffles, and lace in favor of a simple over-sized sage-green light weight sweater layered over a sleeveless button-up top with a collar which she tied a simple small bow around, and a black bubble skirt with black stockings and flats. It seemed satisfactory. Nothing too over-the top.
With that, she flipped once more through her portfolio to assure nothing was amiss before sticking it in her small cotton tote bag and leaving the house for her little green Volkswagen. She was nervous, biting her plum-lacquered lip as she set out for her destination.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 10:06 pm
Mornings were always early for Domcallion, who had already been up for hours before the sun even rose to greet the sky. It didn't feel like any different a morning - he'd had his coffee and light breakfast before boxing up the buttery shortbread cookies he'd made the afternoon before. They were something of a specialty of his - a comforting offering in his office to grieving parties as they discussed services or, in this case, to interviewees to ease nerves as they spoke.
And shortbread cookies were certainly the safest of treats. They also paired well with tea, of which he had a variety to offer. He recalled the interview Janice had set up was scheduled for first thing this morning, which was just as well. Better to get it done before the smell of formaldehyde permeated his clothing. And he did have a full day of work ahead of him. At current he wasn't hosting any students to entrust any of his workload to, and his coolers never seemed to be lacking in work. If any of the past interviews were any indication, this wouldn't take up too much of his day. As much as he was hoping to finally fill this little florist role in his business, he wasn't optimistic.
It wasn't too long until he heard the front door to his establishment unlock as Janice walked in, the clacking of her heels getting louder until she finally reached the breakroom kitchenette area of the establishment - no doubt to make her second cup of coffee for the morning.
"Good morning, Dom!" came her cheery voice.
"Good morning," He returned her greeting with his own sedate reply, "There are fresh cookies, just leave enough for the interview." It was a tease - he'd made an excessive amount.
"You know, your cookies are the reason I just can't drop these last thirty pounds!" Janice scolded. None the less...she'd have it no other way. And after her coffee was done brewing and doctored to perfection, she piled a few on to a napkin and got seated in her little reception desk.
Meanwhile Domcallion opened the cabinets to ponder over tea sets and trays.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 10:26 pm
It was about 7:45 when she pulled into the parking lot. Her interview was at 8:15. So she had time to sit and gather herself.
Anamnesis Funeral Home sat just a little ways outside of the main city limits of Destiny City, just before you get to a part of the highway that would take you up the mountain. To one side of the property, about two acres out, you could see a vast expanse of coast just past the rocky cliff-side. The funeral home building itself had about three acres before dense forest became its scenic backdrop. She wondered if maybe it was the same forest as the old camp she went to when she was seven was part of. She remembered all the trails and the lake and the fun. Memories of those times put a smile to her face and calmed her nerves.
Soon it was 8:00, and in the interest of being fashionably early, she stepped out of her vehicle, up the arbored walkway to the doors of Anamnesis, and entered.
She was greeted by the same cheery voice that had talked to her on the phone the previous day.
"Hello, Hello! You must be Miss Shelly!"
Amaranth smiled back as she walked up to the receptionist's desk, "I am. Please, just call me Amaranth."
"Absolutely! It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Janice. If you don't mind, just hold there a second and I'll let Dom know you're here!"
With that, the cheery woman stood up from behind her desk and tottled on down the hall. Peeking her head in to the break room she whispered; "Your lady awaits!" and winked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 10:43 pm
'Your lady awaits.'
Those words made Domcallion set down the teacup he had just been re-cleaning a little more sharply than he intended. Now, he knew Janice's heart was in the right place when she tried to play match-maker for him, but there was just one thing, one little thing, he had noticed when he had looked over the applicant's information yesterday.
"You do know she is nineteen, right?"
"Yes, yes, there is an age gap, but dear, it falls withing The Rules," Janice replied as she stepped in the room.
"Rules?" Dom echoed incredulously.
"Yes! Yeees! The 'half-your-age-plus-seven' rule. It's fine!"
Dom just looked at her, dumbfounded, "And how old do you think I am?"
"Oh, you surely haven't even hit 30 yet!"
"34."
"Oh....Oooooh. Well. She's still legal."
Domcallion looked wide-eyed up at the ceiling, containing his exasperation, "No matter. This is an interview for a florist, not a girlfriend. I'll be right along."
With that, Janice left. Dom had to watch out, or she might try hooking him up with one of her grandchildren at this rate... As much fun as the elderly woman had with trying to set him up, he wasn't looking for anything. He was not exactly your traditionally handsome man, had a job most women would find creepy, and didn't have the time. He was effectively married to his work. He pulled up the collar of his light-weight turtleneck sweater, conscious of the scar it hid across his throat. He also had a myriad of other, more personal, reasons.
This was just an interview.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 11:01 pm
Amaranth stood patiently until at last Janice returned. Following not far behind her was...
..Oh come on, She knew she was short (barely pushing 5 foot tall in heels) but there was tall, and then there was excessively tall. At least, that was the first thing she noticed about one Domcallion Varen Bloodmyre. The second was that he also checked off 'dark' in the grand trio of descriptors. As for 'handsome,' well.... Hmmmm, no. At least, not really?
She turned to face the two of them as Janice introduced them.
"Amaranth, this is Do- Mr.Bloodmyre. Now, I'll leave you two to your interview!" She then sat back at her desk, pretending not to pay attention to the two.
Amaranth now stood before Domcallion, looking up at him, and mustering a pleasant smile, "A pleasure to meet you, Mr.Bloodmyre."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 11:15 pm
Domcallion had followed shortly after Janice, and seemed to walk blind in his own thoughts until finally toe-to-toe with the young florist, and finally his vision seemed to clear again, and he found himself mentally stumbling to collect himself as Janice introduced him.
Oh. Oh she was smol. Not just small, but smol. A petite little pixie of a woman.
'A pleasure to meet you, Mr.Bloodmyre.'
"Ah, the pleasure is mine," he croaked out in his usual quiet voice. Then finally, collecting himself, continued, "You may call me Domcallion. Or Dom. Most do."
Good. Good. He shook off the initial shooketh-ness and slipped into his usual hostly-charm, and gave a rather charming crooked smile with thin dark lips as he looked down on her with pale eyes rimmed by dark circles.
"Now, would you prefer we interview over there-" He gestured further down the open area to the seating just before the patio doors, "-or my office? Would you like any tea?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 11:26 pm
His voice - it was not what she expected. It was a quiet near-whisper and seemed to slightly break here and there, yet still had a gravel to it. Very fine gravel. Maybe more like sand. It reminded her of listening to old Bryan Adams CDs in the summer. But he also had a slight accent - or maybe it was some sort of lisp? It wasn't unpleasant. It was the kind of voice that she could imagine listening to read audio-books that she would peacefully fall asleep to.
"Over there is fine," She replied, indicating the offer to interview out in the open. Not that she felt uncomfortable going in to his office, but she felt like it would be less nerve-wracking out here.
Then he offered tea. Well, how could she refuse a good cup of tea? He certainly had a sense of hospitality that she hadn't been expecting.
"Tea sounds wonderful, thank you," She then walked with him as he lead her over to the sitting area, where she took a seat on one of the couches that, well, weren't the most comfortable things, but she didn't suppose they were there to be a comfortable sitting place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 11:45 pm
Seeing the young lady over to her seat, and with the offer of tea accepted, Domcallion gave an almost butler-like bow before turning to walk back to the breakroom and prepare said tea.
And let out a loooooooong breath.
'A pleasure to meet you, Mr.Bloodmyre.'
When she said that and looked up at him with those lavender-opalescent eyes, he knew he was in trouble. He was pretty good at stilling himself from attraction - it had been a life-long practice. And with all the teasing from Janice, the notion had all but worn itself out. Love at First sight was such a worn-out notion. Yet like Hades when he first gazed upon Persephone, even the god of the underworld had not been immune to Eros' arrow.
He was grateful that she had accepted his offer for tea. If only to give him this moment to gather himself and squash out such notions.
'She is nineteen, and your are not letting Janice win this one, you are married to your job, and all those other things...' he thought scoldingly to himself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 12:07 am
Alone for the moment, Amaranth had some time to think.
Well, the receptionist was just an elderly bundle of sunshine, and Domcallion...He didn't really seem as intimidating as she first thought he might be from his picture. Sure, he was tall and had that whole 'lord of darkness' look to him, but he was hospitable and pleasant thus far. Professional. He looked like he could use with some sunlight and a bit more sleep, but also like he fit his profession like a glove. It would be a lie to say she wasn't the least bit curious about those scars on his forehead and hand. Were those the only scars? How had he gotten them? It would have been rude to mention them and even ruder to ask. And she was the one that was about to be questioned anyway!
Amaranth looked out the large glass paneled doors that opened to the patio and courtyard beyond. The courtyard was currently bare, save for the concrete area around the large fountain in the middle. From here she couldn't quite make out the statue that made up the centerpiece of the fountain. Leaning forwards, she could slightly see the large greenhouse that she knew must of been empty at the moment.
There was so much possibility.
That thought seemed kind of strange to have in a place such as this. Excitement, hope, inspiration...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 12:24 am
"It is dreadfully barren out there, I'm afraid," Domcallion said as he sat the tray with the tea set and shortbread cookies down on the large oval coffee table before them.
When he had set about making renovations to Anamnesis he had thought about having the courtyard completely landscaped by a professional, until the idea to hire an in-house florist birthed in his brain. Afterwards he had been told that his greenhouse plans were excessive enough without having the courtyard tended by them as well, but he stood by his idea. A few of the previous applicants had not been enthused by the idea of so much work. Wasn't making flower arrangements enough? Domcallion had been told he was asking for too much from one person. He'd been told that most florists these days don't grow their own flowers, that they were only trained in arrangement making.
Was he being too ambitious? Or were people these days just lazy and lacking in that same ambition?
In looking over Amaranth's application the night before, that was something he had noted - She seemed very self-motivated, driven, passionate, and organized when it came to her hobbies and the things she did, and although she didn't have the years of experience that the other applicants had, those other traits made up for it in his eyes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 6:27 pm
Amaranth about jumped out of her skin. She hadn't heard Domcallionreturn at all! Hand an her now racing heart, she straightened herself back up and regained her composure.
"That just means it has potential," she replied, sweetly.
She then looked at the lovely tray with it's ornate brass handles and the matching tea set. He had even brought cookies! Okay, this man was on top of the hospitality thing. As he poured her a cup of tea, she inhaled its lovely scent and smiled.
"Mmmm, lavender and chamomile?" she guessed.
It was certainly an interesting choice, but if you were going for soothing and calm, this would be the right one. And it certainly beat the typical green tea or earl gray she'd been expecting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:31 pm
"My apologies," Domcallion quickly apologized for startling her, and took a seat on the adjacent chair, and poured her cup of tea, allowing Amaranth to add sugar to her own taste.
Potential, she said. It was a favorable reply. She didn't sound burdened by the blank canvas that could potentially become her responsibility.
Domcallion smiled softly, pouring his own cup of tea now.
"It was either that, or the vanilla chai. I'm afraid my peppermint tea is a bit out of season now."
Easing back into his chair with saucer and teacup rested on one of his legs and secured by one large hand, Domcallion pulled his clipboard out of a bag he had earlier sat by the chair. Resting it on his other leg, he flipped one page up, taking a quick glance at the photo underneath before smoothing it back down.
Everything had looked good. She looked goo- It was well done. Done well.
Damnit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:39 pm
Well, out of those options, he had chosen well. Amaranth added a bit of sugar to her tea, and while waiting for the steaming beverage to cool down, she delicately reached for one of the small rectangular cookies.
Bringing it to her lips and taking a bit she was pretty sure she was able to silence to moan as the rich taste of the buttery shortbread cookie practically melted in her mouth.
Okay, so she thought those special Christmas shortbread cookies were amazing, but these were to die for. Okay, probably not the best phrase to use in a funeral home, but...
"These are really good!" Amaranth said, resisting the urge to immediately reach for another.
Pace yourself, girl! No pigging out during an interview!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
