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 Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 3:55 pm
 The Benedict Center, located in the Gambino strip district, is the Day Care center specifically tailored to help Shattered children in their early ages. This is also considered the 'Home Base' for the Shattered, and group Rp as well as public and main RP should occur here.-Staff-Owner: Orestae Benedict Secretary: Alania Love Child Caretaker: Asrafel Love Playtime Instructor: Lillian Benedict Current Status: Open for RP! All are welcome!
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 4:31 pm
"Moooom! Make Asra put some pants on!"
The voice was shrill and strained, seeping into the dark, near-silent atmosphere of the kitchen pantry. There, in the darkness, Orestae Benedict sat amidst boxes of Teddy Grahams and Fruit Roll-Ups, half-buried beneath a mountain of sugary good that had collapsed on top of her when she'd brought the shelving unit down upon her own legs. Apparently, it wasn't stable enough for her to be using the bottom shelves as stepping stools to reach the box of Milano cookies on the top shelf. Nevertheless, she'd obviously managed to obtain them, considering that the top shelf was now resting just below her belly button.
By all logic, she should have been yelling for help or trying to remove the shelf, but Orestae found the consumption of a few weeks worth of snacktime food an equivalent exchange for the ache that was throbbing in every muscle below her waist.
She did, after all, follow the principles of alchemy.
"Thaaat's right," she hissed in the darkness, her words echoed by the crinkling of yet another fresh-seal bag being torn open, "I'm going to bite your little head off, you sweet, savory little morse-"
Click.
Light flooded Orestae's eyes, making her shy away from the bulb that was unfortunately positioned directly above where she had fallen. She made a faint hissing sound, a noise that was mimicked by Lillian's heavy sigh.
"Mom, I swear to God I'm putting a lock on this pantry. Get up, Deirdre stole Asra's ribbons again and I can't find where the Hell she put them."
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 5:27 pm
"Deirdre, come baaaaaack~!"
Asrafel was currently fluttering from one side of the Orphanage to the other, trying to swoop down and catch her in order to gently persuade the girl to give him back his ribbons. He was adamant about the lack of pants - he would not succumb! - but instead he had a towel wrapped around his lower body to prevent any unnecessary exposure.
"Deeeirdreeee.. pleaaaaase?"
He barely missed smacking into the door as it swung open, backpeddling in mid-air and swerving around it to greet the young woman who entered.
"Why hello! Welcome to The Benedict Center, can I help you?"
Alania stared up at the naked boy fluttering in mid-air in complete shock, before looking back down at the Help Wanted poster she had clutched in her hand. She looked back up at the naked boy, whose smile quirked softly as he awaited her answer. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact his towel had fallen off.
"I.. uh.. no."
She took a step back and he noticed the paper, his eyes widening. "MISS BENEDICT!! WE HAVE SOMEONE HERE FOR THE JOB!" He backflipped in mid-air, and felt the cool air slide against parts of his body that should be covered by a towel.
This elicited a high-pitched, girlish shriek, and he zoomed off to go hide, his tanned body turning red with embarrassment.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 5:41 pm
With a stubborn grunt and a hard shove, Orestae slipped out from under the shelving unit, grumbling something inappropriate given her location.
"Did you check the-"
"Yes," Lillian interrupted, hoisting herself up into the air-duct while balancing tediously upon one of the multi-colored plastic chairs of the playroom, "I checked the bathroom, I looked in the kitchen, I checked the garden, and I triple-checked the basement. They're nowhere to be found." A spark of lightning flickered in between the dark clouds of Lillian's wings.
"Well, they have to be somewhere. Where is the little two-tone anyways?"
Lillian shot her mother the same irritated glare that she did every time Orestae used that nickname, dusting herself off as she replaced the cover of the air duct. "Hell if I know."
"...You duct taped her to the chair again, didn't you."
"I wish."
Stae rolled her eyes, shaking her head and turning for the stairs to begin scouting the upstairs, "That's illegal in some places, you know."
"So is transmuting gold out of the First National Bank."
Stae paused, arching a brow as Lillian gave her a smug smile. "Smartass," she mumbled, hefting a bare foot up onto the first stair. She'd just barely begun her ascent as Asrafel shouted, flying by a moment later.
"GOD DAMNIT BOY PUT SOME PANTS ON!"
A moment later, Stae popped her turquoise-haired head out of the doorframe, eyeing their newest arrival up and down, "Sorry for the introduction," she said with a lopsided grin, extending an automail hand, "Orestae Benedict.'
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 6:29 pm
"NU!"
And he was gone.
Alania stared openly at Orestae, the steely glare just slightly opened in continued shock. "Do you realize there is a naked boy flying around your day care?" Alania stated with some sternness, taking the metal hand and shaking it firmly for just a brief moment before walking inside. She took a good, long look around, turning in place before ending up facing Orestae once more.
She handed Orestae the slightly crumbled paper and stood rigidly before her. "Alania Love. I'm here about the position. That is.. if it's still open? And if it's one I can do fully clothed." Her lips twitched in a slight ghost of a smirk, before thinning once more.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 6:43 pm
"Naked b- Oh!" Orestae stuttered in sudden realization, "Yeah, well, he's special."
"Special Ed," Lillian snorted, passing through the small lobby with an armful of squirming Deirde.
"LET ME GOOOOOO!!!" The little Tahnee's wails faded just slightly as Lillian hauled Deirdre into the kitchen and kicked the door shut, "No! Not the chair! Not the chaaair!"
Orestae smiled at the door and shook her head, seemingly disturbed by neither the shrieks of horror and squeal of duct tape being unrolled nor the strands of turquoise that fell in front of her eyes, "Those kids," she laughed, "Well, the position's open, and I really would prefer if you kept your clothes on." Momentarily, Stae's eyes drifted over the woman from head to toe, sighing faintly as though unsure whether or not she really meant that.
"You won't have to worry about the kids." Her brief pause was filled with wails of agony and a shrill, 'They're in the toilet tank! The toilet taaaank!' Stae smiled briefly, and waited for Lillian to slip out of the room, dragging Deirdre and the chair she was taped to behind her, before speaking again, "The job doesn't require much besides answering phones and scheduling appointments. We offer room and board in the apartments on the third floor if you're interested, and pay starts at double minimum wage. Still interested?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 10:46 pm
Alania looked just a little disturbed by the way the children were acting. Still.. they weren't her children.
And she would make sure all of her children stayed far, far away from this place.
"Yes, I was going to ask about that.. I know the position said secretary but I wanted to make sure I wasn't going in to something a little more.. ah.."
She was interrupted by a blur of brown, as Asrafel zoomed out of the room she was in, clad in yet another towel, and headed down towards the room with the toilet tank.
".. hands on."
She turned to Orestae, giving her one quick once over, before sighing deeply. If only she didn't need a job..
"I've got a home actually. I'll be commuting. Otherwise you've got yourself a new secretary."
"EWWW! There's icky gunk all over them now!!!!"
".. I don't do laundry. When do I start?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 11:13 pm
Orestae grinned at Asra, though it was more of an impatient gritting of teeth than anything else. "Nah, nothing like what Lillian or Asra or I are subjected to."
"The only thing you're subjected to is teddy grahams and apple juice," came the call from one room over, causing Orestae to give an embarrassed sort of smile, "And shelving units, because you're a ******** midget."
"I am not a midget," Stae sighed, kicking the door to the playroom shut and turning towards her new secretary. Being 5'2" didn't qualify anyone for midget status, as far as she was concerned. "Anyways, you'll start immediately, if at all possible. The hours are an even nine to five, Mondays through Fridays, two weeks worth of paid vacation distributed throughout the year however you want it, maternity leave is.." Stae paused, looking Alania up and down once, "Probably not something we'll have to worry about, I'd say.
"Your office is through that door," she gestured vaguely to one of the doors attached to the lobby, "mine's up on the second floor. That said," she gave an awry grin, "Welcome to the Benedict center."
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:13 am
Alania wasn't much taller than Orestae, but enough to find the thought of her being a midget at least a little amusing. It elicited a small, almost unseen smile - though even that dropped to a stern frown when the idea of maternity leave being unnecessary was mentioned.
She had half the mind to ask the woman how she had the nerve to say something like that, but remembered that this same woman would be signing her paycheck.
Her ego had never taken so much bruising without some kind of physical repurcussion.
Orestae's grin was received with a stern, tight lipped facade. "Thank you, Miss Benedict." She barely managed to let out without hissing, before heading to her office without another word.
Asrafel fluttered out as the woman passed, giving her a quick look before double taking. She looked so.. so.. familiar! But right now, his mind was on more important things.
"Miss Orestaaaaaaae.. can someone wash my ribbons? Pleaaaaaase?" He held them up with a pout. They were dripping, soggy, and oh so dirty. He looked altogether crushed.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:24 pm
"You might want to get that stick out of your a**!" Stae shouted with a laugh, lips breaking a wide grin, "Could be dangerous if the kids get ahold of it." Shaking her head quietly, Stae spun on her heels, finding herself face to face with Asra's dirty ribbons.
"Lil, could y-"
"Not a chance in Hell." Lillian interrupted in placid tones from the other room.
"Fine," Stae grumble, snatching away the ribbons, "Just.. keep your towel on, Asra. They'll be clean in an hour." Trailed by a long line of color and muck, Stae made her way into the playroom, yanking open the door that lead down into the basement.
"How long you think she'll last?" Lillian said with a vague smile as Orestae began her descent, causing the twenty year old to pause, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Well, the last one lasted four days. I give this one two weeks."
"I give her one."
Stae smirked, "We'll see." And with that, she was off to take care of Asra's dirty ribbons.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:07 pm
Alania paused in the doorway, already inside but still close enough to be able to hear her new 'boss' clearly. Her entire body stiffened, and her shoulders hunched for a moment, as she tried to calm her anger.
"Nnnngggh.."
She walked in and sat down behind her new desk, her hands reaching out to rest on the wood and bury her nails into it. She dug them deep, scratching the surface until her tension felt released enough and she let go.
"It's not worth it.. it's not." She mumbled to herself, trying to convince herself that a paycheck was not worth this kind of demeaning environment. But with four new children to take care of.. Alania just couldn't do it alone. She was a mother.. a jobless mother.
She did what she had to.
Silently she started taking inventory of what supplies were available, checked the phone for service, and began breaking pencil in half religiously.
It would be a long day.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:30 pm
Several minutes, or forty-five, later, Orestae was dragging herself up the stairs, battered and bruised as a result of her grueling battle with the washing machine. On the good side, she had emerged victorious and Asra's ribbons were shiny and clean. On the bad side, her victory had come as a result of transmuting her washing machine into excess scrap metal.
Well, you win some, you lose some.
Kicking the door shut behind her, Stae threw the ribbons at Asra, "Please, for the sake of us all, put them on immediately. Lil, how's our new girl doing?"
Lillian looked up from her seat in the corner and frowned, "She's still here." The Shattered teen shrugged, returning her attention to the book in her hands.
"Well, hey, good for her," Stae said, a little bit of a bounce adding itself to her step as she rounded the corner and walked herself into her Secretary's office. Planting one hand on the desk, Stae hopped on top of the polished wooden surface, sat cross-legged, and settled her hands with palms flat on either side of her. Very briefly, the wood surrounding her palms glowed a faint blue, and the scattered pencil fragments returned to their original forms.
Plucking the pencils off of the desk, Stae eyed Alania, that seemingly permanent grin of dazed preoccupation carved onto her dark features, "So, what's your story?" She asked bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:10 pm
Asrafel squealed in delight as the ribbons were thrown at him, and he let the towel fall even before they got there, reaching out with his hands and catching the ribbons. He threw them up in the air haphazardly, and they began winding around him of their own accord, asphixiating themselves in ways we really don't want to know about. Soon he was as clothed as ever, everything important fully covered and nothing else left to the imagination.
"Oh Miss Orestae, thank you so much!" He chirped, twirling in the air happily. "I feel so much better now!" He almost felt cleaner now that they had been washed.
Alania's eyes remained on the desk even as Orestae's hands slammed down onto the wood, but they widened as they watched the woman flagrantly show off her powers just to fix all the pencils she had broken in her angsty little tension fest. Once the light show was finished, she looked up at the woman with cold amber eyes, and frowned.
"I don't have a story. What exactly are you asking? Are you looking for some kind of background check or something?"
Yeah, Stae. Go ask her for her birth certificate or something. I'm sure that'll go over real well.
Asrafel could feel the tension coming from that room, so thick he could cut it with a knife. It was a good thing he didn't play with knives! He crept near the door, eavesdropping as best he could.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:23 pm
Stae chuckled lowly, leaning back just a bit and shaking her head, "No, no," she half-murmured, eyeing the woman from beneath slightly drawn brows. "I was thinking more along the lines of why a woman whose skin I'm already crawling under is still here. You don't exactly seem to adore taking care of other people's children, you're definitely not in it because it pays well, and most secretaries don't start snapping pencils until at least the second week."
One brow was smoothly arched, a tanned hand lifting to flick a fringe of teal out of her eyes, "So again, what's your story."
Lillian glanced up from her book, catching the faintest flickers of ribbon at the edge of the door that lead out into the lobby. Pushing herself up, the teenager crept quietly over, nudging Asra over a bit so she could listen too.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:35 pm
Asrafel was only too willing to comply, feeling a little less guilty when Lillian joined him. He floated up into the air silently, so that she could rest near the door and he would float above her, then they would both be able to hear! How considerate.
Alania turned the seat to the side, and leaned back in it, reaching her arms out and resting them on her head. "It's simple, really. I've got a dozen children to house and feed, and while I've managed somehow without a job for years, things have started to catch up with me. I have no background, no job experience, no skills.. so what better job than this?" She smiled up at Orestae at this last sentence, though the smile was hollow and smile.
"Besides," She murmured as the smile faded and she turned back to looking straight ahead, letting her head rest back against her hands. "Everybody gets under my skin. You'd be no different. If I tried to find a job where someone didn't piss me off.. I'd have to work at a nunnery."
Hey.. that wasn't such a bad idea.. she made mental note to check out the wanted ad's for any jobs in nunneries.
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