Log:A Job Interview

A Job Interview
"Well, at least we know you meet the job requirements..."
Participants Ashe and Byron	2017.03.05 Byron seeks Ashe out as a possible employer where they find that they have more in common than just being Changelings. Hilarity and blood ensues.
Location The Whelan Chronicle
The rush of delivering Sunday morning papers and such had died down hours ago at the Whelan Chronicle. Most of the paper boys and delivery drivers have gone home for the day. The door to the building is unlocked though and there's no closed sign to be seen. Ashe however is still present, given she has a loft above the place. She's currently standing on a chair behind the receptionist desk and she's changing the lightbulbs in the fixture above the desk. She's dressed in jeans and a black sweater. Her long red hair is a mass of unruly curls for the moment. Well, if there's no closed sign and the door isn't locked, surely people would lock doors they don't want used. Byron isn't exactly the easiest thing to miss, but he can be REMARKABLY quiet, in opening the front door and looking around the mostly empty floor. Confused for a moment, he pushes the door closed most of the way behind him and eyes the pretty red hair and the figure with her back to him. And waits. Then clears his throat softly a couple of feet behind her, "I was looking for a Miss Whelan." Ashe doesn't hear him, but something else does. Red eyes stare down from the rafter above them, but for now it sits quietly and watches. The redhead behind the desk screws in the last bulb and turns with the rest of the box in her hands, "I'm Miss Whelan." she states as her black eyes fall on Byron. There's a misfire in her brain and the next second there's a box of lightbulbs shattering on the ground. She blinks at Byron and then shakes herself, "How can I help you? Apologies, I had a brainfart." she chuckles as she hops down from the chair and heads around the desk. Byron blinks as the bulbs shatter, much to slow to even have a hope of trying to catch any that were lost, though a hand is held out just in case the redhead starts to follow the box in the fall to the floor. When she recovers, he straightens back up a little and withdraws his hand, a furrow touching that stony brow in thought, delaying his answer for a second, "...yes. I was told you might be about to help people looking for employment that aren't settled very well into town yet." He watches her walk around the desk, then peers over it and asks, "If you have a broom, I can help, seeing as how I am a little responsible." Ashe shakes her head at the offer of help, "No, that's fine. I just...you're fine." she tells him as she stops a few feet away. She looks up to him and there's a smile, one that's genuine despite the stitches that give her a permanent one. She offers her hand in greeting, "I do prefer to employee the Lost, yes. It's just easier and sometimes proper paperwork is hard to get." she explains. "What sorta work are you looking for Mister...?" she offers with a quirk of her eyebrow. Byron nods slowly, accepting the decline of help, but watches her face for a few more seconds before murmuring, "I feel like I know you from somewhere, but I...well, I KNOW I've never been in this town before." He shakes his head lightly as if to clear it, which, with the little wing-like spines on his ears probably looks either more adorable or horrific than he intends, "Bryon. Bryon Dees, ma'am. I see you have delivery trucks and a printer here on site, so I was assuming that means you need folks to load your trucks each morning. Maybe you need another strong back for your loading dock?" He even smiles, just a little, "I'm pretty good at that." When Byron states that he feels like he knows her there's a shake of her head, "No, I don't think we've ever met." she tells him. Maybe another Keeper made Gargoyles?! There's a look to his ears and his stubby wings. Then back to his eyes, the silver striations in hers growing brighter for a moment, "It's nice to meet you, Byron." she tells him. Then she listens to his words and there's a nod, "As a matter of fact I just lost one of my loaders. Guy was moving on so we've got a spot open." she tells him with a smile. Byron leaves his attention fixated on her while she answers and explains, just taking in slow, massive breaths and letting them go. When she mentions she has a spot open, he smiles a little and perks up a bit, straightening up so he inadvertently looms a little higher, "What do I need to do if I would like to fill that spot? I've moved up here from Rhode Island, and I have no intention of moving for a while. It sounds like the area is still pretty dangerous." Ashe feels a little better when the lie is glanced over. She didn't want to scare the man. Not like SHE could scare HIM. Even if her Mantle is powerful. When he straightens up she gives him a smile, "Well, you'd just need to fill out some paperwork. It's just in case someone gets all suspicious really. Other than that, you look like you can do the job. Any days or nights you need off specifically? Do you prefer nights or days?" she asks him. Byron shakes his head slightly, "No ma'am. I haven't had enough time to get into any trouble here yet. Finding myself a safe place to sleep is the next goal." He smiles for a moment, allowing it to face before he continues, "I have good ID and addresses. Just tell me what you need to fill it out, and I can take care of it." When he falls quiet, he studies her face again for a moment, ultimately shrugging the thought off, "When would you like me to start?" Ashe keeps her gaze on his. She was sure if she asked about his Keeper that they would have to have an awkward talk. She gives a smile to him, "Excellent. Let me grab you the application and you can fill it out tonight or you can do it here if you like." she tells him. "You can start tomorrow or take some time to get settled and start next Monday? You're paid weekly and all of that." she adds. "Do you know anyone here? Have any leads on a place to stay?" she asks after a moment. Byron nods slowly, "I don't mind filling it out here if I'm not keeping you from something. As for a place...no. I have a little money to pay for a deposit or a couple month's rent, to keep a landlord happy, but I haven't found any good leads yet. The only people I know now, other than you, is the Warden that filled me in, and he's already been requested elsewhere." He pauses, then adds, "So. I guess just you." Ashe gives a grin and then she's heading back around to the desk to get an application. It's not anything huge. A one sided basic application. She settles it on the counter along with a pen, "No, I don't have anything going on." she states with a chuckle. Then she takes a seat on the edge of the desk as she watches him, "Welcome to town. I can show you around the Freehold if you like. Get you introduced to your Court and all of that." she offers. Byron waits patiently while the form is retrieved, looming over the counter for a few moments while he looks it over, then picks up a pen, finally glancing up at her and offering a small smile, "Thank you. I appreciate that. From the attractive scent that follows you, I believe....how does it go, your friends are my friends, in regards to court, so that would be very helpful if you have time for that." With that said, he takes a moment to start filling some things in, with short, spiky, stabby ltttle handwritten letters. Ashe keeps looking up to him when he looms. She'd not really seen anything like him in a long time. "It's no problem. I like making sure that new arrivals get settled. Especially if they are Autumn." she offers a smile to that. "My Entitlement lends the smell of apples as well. It's a good mix." she adds as she settles in to watch him write curiously. She was a people watcher. Byron murmurs while he scribbles, "I keep picking up the scent of hot mulled wine lately and hear the rustling of leaves when I am trying to walk quietly and am beginning to wonder if that is becoming part of me as well. On one hand, it is...reassuring to be well-settled with the court. On the other, I am either going to be craving mulled wine, or sick of it very very soon." He pauses to think for a moment, then fishes in a pocket of the sweatpants to pull out a little card that has details typed onto it, using some of it to fill the rest of the form out. It takes him a few more minutes to work, those little stubby wings occassionally fluttering to resettle when he moves his shoulders, "Have you found that people here feel they are safe and have nothing to be concerned with?" Ashe gives a quirk of her eyerbrow, "That sounds delicious actually." she chuckles. Then she crosses her legs indian style on top of the desk and rocks back and forth a bit. His question draws her to a stop though, "Well, we're never really safe. We have a lot to be worried about...or well...I don't really have the luxury of feeling completely safe. We've got some problems here. Probably things that we'll need help with. But no, I don't think everyone feels they are safe." she tells him honestly. Byron listens to her answer, and slowly nods, "Good. I have met some before I got here that thought they no longer had anything to fear. It was very disturbing to hear come out of the mouth of one of us." He glances down at the form again, making sure he has everything filled in, then looks back up at her and tilts his head curiously, watching her eyes and her face, then hands the paper over, "There's SOMETHING about your voice. I KNOW I've heard it before. I swear, there better not be little Disney animals appearing later on when your name gets mentioned, or I'm going to hunt down every Spring in this town and find out who is messing with me." That IS amusement touching the corners of that obsidian mouth, right? Ashe isn't going to be able to lie forever...and maybe it's best to get get shock out of the way. She stands up on top of the desk and faces him from behind the counter after he's done talking. "I don't think you'll have to worry about any Disney animals...that's not my calling card." she tells him in a cryptic tone. Then she leans in close to the side of his face, her breath tickling his ear as she whispers, "Report, Scout." Byron chuckles softly at the comment about Disney animals, his eyes following her up when she stands up, "Well, good. That would get annoy..." He trails off whenshe bends over close. Er, what is... She whispers, and he blinks. There's a full second as his eyes go wide, and she can even hear the catch in his breath. It might have been a few years since he escaped, and he might not remember some of the more truly horrible things he did to other Lost, but something heard over and over and over on a regular basis can immediately cut through the memory. The caught breath melts into a low, deep, threatening growl, the counter creaking under how hard he forces himself away from it and her. Adorable little wings flaring out as if they'd make him look more frightening as he grabs the nearest big thing...a big wooden guest chair and FLINGS it at her as hard as he and Stone can manage. Okay, so there might be a little more than a box full lightbulbs that need cleaning up, in a moment. Ashe wasn't sure what to expect. She figured he'd walk out spitting and cursing at her. The next few seconds seem to register late as the large man throws a chair at her. And it hits her. That chair is heavier than the redhead and when it hits her there's a bit of a yelp and then the air in her lungs is gone as she hits the ground hard. The shards of broken glass from the lightbulbs cutting into her pale skin. Not to mention the busted lip from the chair and the bruises she'll have. She deserved that. She wasn't even mad. And Byron can't really tell what happened once she went backwards. Poor Byron. And then as just as fast as it flared up, the Stonebones rage is gone and the gargoyle is standing there arms still up and stubby little claws ready to be used, as silence falls. He blinks again, then mutters softly, "Oh /shit/. Miss Whelan?" Heavy footsteps approach the counter and then the HUGE figure is bounding up onto it, despite the protesting creak of wood screaming GET THIS THING OFF OF ME! and then he lands on the other side, in the middle of the mess he just made, shoving tumbled chair aside as he tries to check on her. A shadow flits down from the ceiling, a bat landing on Ashe's chest and then teetering up to her face, licking blood away carefully, "Breathe..." it hisses softly to her. Ashe's lungs hurt as she tries to draw in air and she knows she's going to be bleeding all over her floor. When she hears the incoming Ogre she tries to move Uvall, bloody hands reaching up to cradle the bat as she can't talk yet. Once the chair is removed the pale woman looks up to Byron, "I'm sorry." she rasps out as she tries to sit up. Byron eyes the little bat when he lands, then shifts his attention back to Ashe. She apologizes, and he gets a set to his jaw, but theres still a furrow of concern on his brow as he looks her over, then reaches down to attempt to GENTLY scoop her up, while he grunts in a low voice, "I've had worse job interviews." He makes an effort to at least dust and pick the broken glass off of her, and sit her butt down on the corner of the counter, while he cranes and looms around her, looking for things like desk pieces sticking out of her in unfortunate locations. Uvall snaps at Byron's fingers, but doesn't bite, "You big oaf!" he squeaks out at the Ogre. He was all bark. Bat... Ashe takes in a shakey breath as she is scooped up and sat down. To Byron, it's like moving a pillow. She does swat his hands away lightly once he's set her down on the desk, "I've had worse interviews." she muses. "I've never seen a Gargoyle outside of the realm...so I apologize." she whispers to him as she picks glass out of her arm. Byron hisses softly at Uvall and grumbles, "I have midnight snacks bigger than you." The swatting of his hands doesn't seem to make him immediately let go of her, though he does finaly pull away when she seems to be able to sit up on her own, His arms fold slowly across his chest while he watches her pick glass out of her arm, and observes, "You COULD have said something." but the tone of his voice seems to imply he's not REALLY that upset. Might even ultimately not finding too much fault in how she did it, because he finally sighs and murmurs, "I'm sorry I throw a chair at you." Uvall hisses at Byron one last time and then skitters around to hide under Ashe's long hair. His red eyes are the only thing that stick out from there. Ashe tsks at Uvall, "He didn't mean it..." she states. Was she talking to Byron or Uvall? They'd never know. She looks up to Byron and there's a lazy smile, "I did say something...just...wasn't what I should have said." she admits. "No, I took that chance once I spoke those words. You could have done much much worse I imagine." she points out. Byron mutters, "Maybe. I am usually in better control than that. I haven't been reminded of THAT so sharply in a while. It was like ripping a bandage off of a wound that had not healed." His brow still furrowed, that hand full of short stubby claws reaches up, "Hold still," while he reaches out to try and straighten her hair a little, "Do I need to find you a healer?" Ashe gives a nod of understanding when he mutters that word. She wasn't mad at him. "I had that moment when I dropped the lightbulbs." she admits to him. "I'm...we aren't the same people we were back then." she whispers. When he tells her to hold still, she does. She looks up to him as he does and gives a smile, "No, I should live with the pain for a few days. It'll remind me not to do that again." she tells him with a chuckle. Byron hmms but nods slowly, accepting that she does not want to be healed. Her hair is given a few more pulls of his claws to smooth it back into at least presentable appearance....and not make the little bat even more upset, "No. No, we aren't. I honestly cannot tell you if I am happy to see you or not. But if you've sworn to the freehold you are not working for Him, then I'll accept that. And if you don't mind a worker that tried to kill you with a chair...I'd still like the job." The last, he does smirk rather wryly at. Ashe doesn't know how to act when someone is touching her. So she just stays very still. There's a smile once her hair is presentable again and there's a nod to him. "Well, with the initial 'oh fuck!' out of the way, we should be fine. Unless one of us remembers something pretty horrible." she tells him. Ashe was Eidetic, so she was trying to make him feel better. "I don't work for them, no." she shakes her head vigorously. Then she grins, "Well, you've demonstrated that you can lift heavy things and move them efficiently. So I think you've got the job." she winks. There's a moment of delay between her last statement, and the sudden soft snort that comes out of the gargoyle. A grin spreads across his face and he starts snickering softly. He takes a step back and shakes his head, trying to fight off the snickers turning into an outright laugh at just the absurdity of it. It takes him a minute or two before he reaches up to rub a tear away from one eye, then offers, "I suppose that part does work in my favor." Ashe looks up to him and when he laughs at what she said there's a smile to him. He could have killed her if he'd wanted, the chair could be replaced. They'd be fine. "See, Autumn's have jokes as well." she muses. "And yes, it does work in your favor." she nods to him. "I think I need to clean this up, Mister Dees. If you need a place to crash, there's an extra room in the apartment, but I understand if that's too weird." she tells him. Byron mmms, "Find me a broom and I will /help/ clean it up. We both made this mess, yes?" He kneels down to pick the chair up, assessing if it's still usable or not before putting it back into place. "As for the apartment. I do not mind, but it will feel a little like I am encroaching on your safe space. Maybe for a night or two and we will see? And I will pay you rent." The last added as if he was stating two and two was four. Ashe gives a bit of a chuckle, "Not arguing with that logic." she tells him as she slides off of the desk. Uvall skitters down her back and flies back up to the rafters. Peering down at them. She gives Byron a look and shake of her head, "If it's just a few nights, then don't worry on it really. And..safe space is a relative term. I'm not afraid of much." she admits. "Especially if we're over the initial chair throwing." she teases him as she goes to grab the broom. The smile lingers for a little while longer on his face, "I can't promise I wont throw any more chairs, but it's not a weekly thing for me, if that makes it any better?" With that said, he tilts his head up to look for those little red accusing eyes, "And what was your name, little cranky one?" and a little louder, "What does he like to eat?" Byron's little wings flap as he watches the little bat - whether or not that's a conscious action or something inadvertent is hard to tell. Ashe gives a look up to him when she comes back with the broom and there's a chuckle, "Okay, done throwing chairs at me." she makes that distinction. As she sweeps the glass up there's a look up to Uvall as Byron speaks to him. She lets the bat talk for himself as she goes about cleaning. The vampire bat puffs up as he drops down to talk to Byron, "I'm Archduke Uvall and I will eat most anything. I like meat though." he chomps at Byron non threateningly. Uvall then plops down on top of Byron's head, "Hmmm. This is an excellent roost." he hisses out. Byron looks up for a moment vaguely crosseyed when the little bat lands on him, then blinks his eyes a couple of times and looks at Ashe. When she starts sweeping, he bends down and simply picks up the desk she's sweeping around, holding it up with a soft grunt so she can get beneath it, "then perhaps I will go to the store and pick up some of that cubed stew meat, if Miss Whelan believes you deserve something special." And also so he doesn't have to deal with a hedgebeast pranking a Warden while he sleeps. Ashe gives a look to Byron when he just picks the desk up. Points for efficiency! She chuckles and gets the glass out from under it easily. "Thank you, Mister Dees." she tells him as she finishes sweeping. Seems that everything is in order again. Then there's a look to her bat and then to Byron, "It's fine if you feed him. He's not overly cranky." she muses. Byron mmhmms, and turns his head to try and look at the little creature, "Mhmm. Archduke, you say?" The desk is put back down and Byron takes a moment to straighten back up and roll his shoulders, then focuses his attention on Ashe, "Thank you, Miss Wheland. Ashe. I will take a look. If you find yourself with nothing pressing to do later, perhaps I can impose upon you to introduce me to the rest of the court?" "Archduke Uvall is a demon in hell. He lead 37 legions. He liked the name." Ashe tells Byron about Uvall's name. The bat in question takes off to the rafters again and hangs there for the moment. She looks to Byron and there's a little bow of her head, "Of course I can do that. We'll get you all situated over the next few days." she states as she settles the broom behind the counter.