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Post by Nako on Dec 7, 2008 22:04:39 GMT -5
He was a bit browbeaten by her comment, but the smile that was meant to be more for herself than him was misconstrued as something meant to be calming to him. Really, he was grasping for straws, literally clinging to anything that might keep his nerves in checks. Now, Mikael wasn't necessarily a nervous creature by habit; any young man applying for his first job at his age would certainly be at least a touch nervous.
He fumbled with the papers, bringing out his information, a few letters of recommendation from his professors from the Court of Hearts and other things of the sort. They were the typical writings... 'Smart young lad.' ... 'Creative'.
"Once I have the enrollment paperwork from Esterberry, I can bring proof of attendance papers as well.. in case you need them.." He cleared his throat, finding that it might be better if he just shut up. Taking the stack, he brought them up gently with the tips of his long fingers and tapped them carefully on the edge of the desk to stack them neatly, tilting them toward the Jack politely for her to grab them.
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Post by Greenie on Dec 7, 2008 22:16:29 GMT -5
"That won't be necessary," She responded flippantly. "If you don't show up, I'll fire you. I don't care if you've been late in the past or not, you won't be late here." The ferret said in a final tone, her flat, piercing stare meeting his.
Then she cleared her throat and smiled cheerfully as she accepted his papers. She glanced over the date on his birth certificate before handing it back, then set down the letters without bothering to read over them. Let him think she was saving them for later. The ferret then handed him the contracted. "Read it over, then sign at the bottom." She sat back, one eyebrow raised in wait for his response. It was always entertaining to see whether or not people would read their contracts, and with kids like Mikael she tended to put less-than-agreeable loopholes in so she could stick it to them when they realised they hadn't actually read it.
Such as having to clean latrines once a week despite the fact he was going to be working as a secretary.
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Post by Nako on Dec 7, 2008 22:27:13 GMT -5
Mikael grit his teeth.
There he was with his balls all but on a platter for her, and she found it necessary to lord this.. superiority over his head. His ears flattened back, and stayed that way even when her smile returned. The lad was careful though, not to snatch the paper, taking it delicately from her and using his spindly fingers to hold the parchment carefully open. He'd read it, all right. He'd make the bitch sit there while he read it, too. If he didn't, she'd probably say some spiteful shit about how brats nowadays never read the fine print.
And he was glad he did. His face contorted into such an odd look, the leather of his mask creaked with the strain of it. Cleaning latrines? What sort of nonsense was this? Carefully, he set the parchment down on a rare clear spot on the desk, tapping that sentence with the tip of his claw. "I didn't know we were so understaffed, that those that work a pen have to work a scrub brush as well. Would I be getting extra pay, for that?" He softened his voice most comically, not able to keep his sarcasm from his tone. Honestly, for the second that he actually thought that the job wouldn't be half bad, he's suddenly reminded of just how shitty it would really be. Literally!
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Post by Greenie on Dec 7, 2008 22:32:18 GMT -5
Vessatha frowned at him, then gently took the parchment back from him and scratched out the offending phrase. "Must've left that in on accident. This contract was changed from a maidservant's.." She smiled apologetically - though it was totally fake, she made it as sincere as her acting abilities provided for - and handed it back. It amused her that he'd caught it; no one else had, so far, and she had every intention of using it against said people. If nothing else, it would teach them to read what they were binding themselves to.
"Sign it if the terms are agreeable. You'll be working for minimum wage since you have no previous secretarial experience. Will you need quarters here, or will you be dorming at your school?" She asked, rising from her desk once he'd signed it.
"Can you start today? Regardless, I'm taking you to meet Donnie."
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Post by Nako on Dec 7, 2008 22:43:19 GMT -5
He laughed, but it was a dry one. He didn't quite trust this woman. Watching her cross it out, he gave a nod and took up the quill and dipped it into the ink pot, carefully scribing his name on the parchment. Pretty handwriting, for what it was worth.. not ridiculously girly, but certainly flowery enough to insult his status as male. Finished, he set it back onto its holder.
"Oh, residence in the Courts would be great, actually." He piped up, tone switching from suspicious to more cheerfully conversational. He was delighted to be living in a Court instead of some dormitory walled up with those stuck up Esterberries. Perhaps residing here would make him feel more at home...
"Oh, yes, today would be fine... Wai-whuh?" His oily fur stood on end when he realized what she had said, red eyed gaze dropping down to the parchment he'd just signed. No, it was a generic secretarial contract; it wouldn't have specified who he'd be working for other than whoever needed him in the courts. "Wait.. we're.. I.. uh.. Does... she always meet all the new employees like this?" He had misconstrued her meaning, surely. Obviously the Queen merely liked to see the new faces.. or maybe threaten the new throats...
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Post by Greenie on Dec 7, 2008 22:47:26 GMT -5
Vessatha had to withhold herself from snickering. He was certainly not the most masculine person she'd ever met, and his handwriting only sealed that thought. He'd fit in well if he acted like a girl, though; it seemed as if half of their nobles ended up being gay for some reason. Why shouldn't the staff follow suit?
"I'll set you up with a room afterwords, then," She said after putting the signed contract away.
"Wonderful," She said with a bland smile, then began leading him out of the room toward's Donnie's office, just down the hall from her own. "Sometimes," The ferret responded vaguely, "She likes to meet those she'll be in close contact with before they start." She waited for him to catch up at Donnie's doorway, then knocked.
"Donnie? Is this a good time for you to meet your new secretary?"
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Post by Nako on Dec 7, 2008 22:57:24 GMT -5
Misconstrued, maybe? Yes! Yes! Wait.. No... Close contact? Numbly, he followed after her, the flats of his misshapen paws hitting the hard stone floor, long fingers rapping the stone with the nails in a steady rhythm as they went along. His mind was spinning, trying to make sense of these vague details she was throwing his way. Honestly.. who'd take a kid with no experience and assign him to the new Queen of Spades? Not -a- Queen, but -the- Queen which so happened to have a reputation for.. well... -killing- people! Well, only one, but everyone knew of how she brutally attacked the former Queen who had so humbly submitted.. who hadf begged for her life. There were many conflicted ideas about this woman. Mikael personally, was neutral. What she had done was justified... but so very harsh. The coyote mix honestly didn't think he had it in him to ever kill a person.
.. is it a good time to meet your new secretary?
That evil... evil bitch.
Immediately, Mikael wanted to vomit.. but that was a bad idea. He'd be left with three options. One of them involved death... another was far too disgusting to think about.. and the other involved taking off his mask and immediately suffering hallucinations that would make everyone in the room think he was off his freaking rocker. Actually.. that would end up in death as well. Keeping his breakfast down through sheer force of will, he stood there, tail curling up between his legs.
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 7, 2008 23:32:42 GMT -5
Donnie heard Vessatha's voice through the door, knowing she was one of only two people currently in the palace who might call her by her name without a title. She and her son were really a blessing during this first week. Not even seven days had passed since her fight with Lysaras and already things were starting to approach some semblance of order. It would be a long time before the palace truly calmed into a routine, but she could already see it taking shape. When she could stand to look, that was. After the bizarrely painful number Mia pulled with the glass and the darkness and the fucking bright flashes of light, she hadn't been able to see clearly for more than a handful of minutes at a time and she had to take frequent breaks to rest her eyes or risk a ridiculously painful headache. At least the frequency and severity of the attacks were fading, and the doctor who'd attended her - the same one who'd tended her after the fight - had hope that her sight wouldn't be permanently damaged from the encounter. She pulled a cool, damp rag from her eyes and squinted them open, blinking a few times before daring to leave them fully open. Well, no instant headache. That was progress. "It's as good as any, I suppose," she called back through the door. The woman had found her help already? Damn. She was impressed. That ferret was going to get some sort of thanks when she had time to breathe. Maybe she'd put her Jack's ability to use and fashion something pretty. Blue went with Kahmden colors rather well. Wincing, she stood up and then smoothed out her expression, taking her human form before approaching the door. She opened it and glanced up at the ferret, then down at... What was that? She blinked and had to squint, then looked at him normally. "Introductions?" she requested in a pleasantly neutral tone of voice. Was it male or female? |
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Post by Greenie on Dec 8, 2008 7:25:15 GMT -5
Vessatha glanced down at him and nearly cursed. Must he be quite so pathetic-looking? The boy looked sick, to be honest, and the last thing he needed was to toss his cookies in front of his new employer. Vessie had no idea what the big deal about working for the Queen was, probably because she'd been doing it for too long, but she gave Donnie a look meant to be interpreted as 'he's usually not quite this much of a pussy.'
"This is Mikael, a student. Mikael, this is Queen Donnie. I haven't gone over anything with him yet; I figured I'd let you do it on your own time." She said. The ferret hadn't been sure what all Donnie would want him to do, so instead of guessing and be wrong, it was best to let the wolverine do it herself.
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Post by Nako on Dec 8, 2008 11:06:05 GMT -5
She had opened the door, and Mikael's head was still intact... and he hadn't spontaneously burst on fire. That was a good thing, right? Though it was obvious that the Queen wasn't necessarily being friendly, it was enough for Mikael that she wasn't gnawing on his skull at their very first meeting. How she looked at him though... that was a touch embarrassing. His eyes shot down to the ground for a moment as he attempted to compose himself and keep his knees from clacking.
Vessatha was introducing him, and he forced himself to make eye contact with the taller, older Card. She was in human form. That was no surprising at all. "G-good day, Your Majesty.." Voice quavering just a bit, he managed to perk his ears up just a touch, low hanging tail giving the most gentle of wags. It.. wasn't necessarily the most socially acceptable thing to do, but hard pressed is a canine to control his tail at such a young age, especially in such an emotional state.
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