Description
A Greater Society - Chapter 61: A Law I Once Heard by Ratte
Story
The Monday that followed was eerily comfortable, the gazes of the daystaff returning to normal. It was strange having grown almost used to the piercing eyes of that staffmember, though I couldn't say I missed their presence. He was still here, surely, as I'd see him with the other staff leading the couple pure charges in and out of the kitchen or taking them outside. To them he was quite kind, at least from what I could see, so I hadn't a reason to ask for his removal. All I wanted was to be left to my work and family as we had granted him and his coworkers.
In fact they seemed...more distant than usual somehow. Heather would still smile and wave as she carried on her duties, doing so even in front of the other staff lately. Maybe Morissey talked to more than just the one, but I wasn't about to go asking-- it wasn't my place or business.
Sura and Riv were both caught up with each other's academics by now, much to the little girl's delight. Though so shy and quiet it was nice to see her show some pride for her accomplishments, Daniel and I quick to reward both of them-- Sura for getting to where she needed to be, and Riv for helping her reach her goals. To celebrate we bought the two a small cake for the four of us to split that evening, Sura's warm brown eyes as wide as ever at the very notion of the idea. It tickled me seeing her smile and laugh with us, much of her anxiety put to rest by now.
Some weeks flew by and unfortunately I'd gotten older-- thirty-six years, though I hardly looked it given my awkward, tiny size. We spent the morning with Ulimi and the ramiotrans from the carpentry shop, all too happy to see us as well meet little Sura. Given she recently had her ninth birthday before her enrollment I thought it may be nice to celebrate hers as well, though belated. I asked those involved to instead get her some nice things for the occasion, my simply not needing anything in particular. Ulimi, of course, still insisted on bringing over an order of sweet cornbread for me...which I certainly didn't mind.
Sura received pastries, a nice jacket, and a couple sets of clothes. I couldn't help but notice that her drawings were often of clothing, showcasing things like augmentations or designs, or even simple things like mending. Having talked about it with Daniel we put aside some money to get her some sheets of inexpensive fabric and a small sewing kit. With all of these things bestowed she'd begun to cry, surely overwhelmed by everyone's kindness. Riv gave her a gentle hug and hung onto her, rubbing his blunt snout on her head like we might do. With a large late breakfast and pleasant company the morning was passed, the afternoon and evening spent indulging our hobbies and spending time together. Sura took immediate interest in the fabric and sewing kit, mending holes and making patches for some old jeans of Riv's. Riv thought it was amusing.
The night was spent comfortably in bed, my cuddling up to Daniel's back and rubbing my snout against the back of his neck. It never ceased to be funny to me how ticklish he could be and he never bothered trying to stop me, so surely it wasn't that bad. With my face snug up on the back of his shoulders and my arm around his ribs I soon fell asleep, warm and cozy under the comforter.
The following Friday I headed out to the lobby after breakfast. It'd be a little while before the others would join me, their handling dishes in the kitchen to allow me some time to get started with my shift. Everything seemed to be in order and I was much more relaxed being out in the lobby by myself again. It was a cool winter day, but nice and sunny. I waited behind my desk for Morissey to arrive, staring out the window to the hills far beyond the home.
Finally he arrived, work folder in hand, and walked up to my desk. As he'd been lately he appeared to be in a good mood, though a bit surprised that I was out here by myself.
"The other three are still cleaning up from breakfast, but they'll be out shortly," I said, handing him the finished work and taking the new assignments.
He looked at the folder I gave him, raising an eyebrow.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
His brow furrowed and he opened the folder. His eyes widened with whatever he saw as he frantically flipped through several pages.
"Reverend, is this some kind of joke?" he asked, looking through more sheets.
"I-I'm sorry?" I questioned. "Did I do something wrong?"
He handed me back the folder. Tilting it more in the light I saw a scribbled insult on the black folder, a detail that couldn't catch my eye normally from where I sat. I opened it to reveal what he'd seen: Every single page had been scribbled over in black marker, obfuscating much of the text and writing. I was at a loss for words as I couldn't find even a single page that hadn't been vandalized.
"What...on earth happened here?" I whispered to myself. "Morissey, I-I swear this wasn't my doing. Everything was done and set aside normally yesterday evening."
He looked down at me and I began to shake, an entire day's work sitting destroyed in my hands. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and I could tell he wasn't sure what to think. The folder and ill-marked papers trembled in my hands as my eyes welled up, terrified of upsetting the man just before me and losing my job as a consequence.
The other three stood in the corridor. Daniel looked to me with worry as he held the hands of both children, seeing the tears streaming down my face as I looked down with wide, pained eyes. Seemingly without thinking he let go of their hands and trotted over to where I sat, looking down at the papers in my hands as I trembled.
"What happened here?" Daniel asked, looking between both Morissey and I.
"S-Someone tampered...w-with my work, Daniel," I sniffed. "The...The entire folder...everything in it was destroyed. An entire day's work...I...I don't understand."
Morissey looked over to my two children still standing in the corridor, his gaze immediately putting them on guard.
"You two," he called, trying to be gentle. "You didn't happen to...take a marker to your father's work, did you?"
"No," Riv answered. "...We don't even have any markers."
Sura shook her head.
"Th-They don't have markers, Morissey," I said, wiping my eyes. "The ink is...hard to clean, so they use pencils and crayons and other things that are cheaper and easier to manage. I-I truly don't know what happened here, I promise you!"
"...And neither of you did this?" he asked Daniel and I.
"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "Why would I ever do such a thing? I swear to you it wasn't like this when I put the folder down for the night!"
"This is the first I've been out in the lobby since yesterday evening, Morissey," Daniel said. "Pretty sure the same's the case for Reverend and the kids. I walked by the work several times yesterday and nothing was out of the ordinary, so...as much as I don't wanna suggest it, it may've been someone in your staff."
"W-We don't come back to the lobby very often after dinner," I sniffled, rubbing my nose. "There's...There's just no need to after I lock the door for the night. I'd never...I'd never do something like this..."
Morissey sighed, pinching the bridge of his snout and trying to think.
"I'm sorry, Reverend, but I can't pay you for this work," he said. "...And unless I get some kind of proof or evidence to what might have happened, I'll be docking a small amount from your pay. I can't afford things like this occurring; such matters come right back to impact me in the end."
"I-I'm...I'm so sorry," I whimpered. "I will put...put finished work in my room from now on to keep it safe."
"I would appreciate that very much," Morissey quietly said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I don't want to believe you did something like this, but...trust is a very fragile, fickle thing. I won't fire you over this, but I cannot have this happen again."
My head hung low. Even though I could keep my employment, losing a day's income and then some would not be the easiest to recover from. I had no doubt in my mind that, were I not in good standing, this would have been my final day.
"Reverend," Morissey whispered, placing his hand on my head. "If you keep up your usual work quality and pace, I have no issue raising your pay again in a few weeks to what it normally is with your current charges. If you would like more assignments to compensate for the loss I could accommodate you come this evening."
"...I would like that, yes," I replied.
"That is no problem," he affirmed. "I will come by later today. I have faith in you, so please keep your chin up."
I raised my head just enough to look back up at him, the sourness in his gaze replaced with an uncharacteristic nervous warmth. He handed me the bills for our payment and turned away to take his leave, the heavy wooden door closing behind him.
I handed Daniel his share and looked through mine: A day missing and what amounted to a five-percent cut. With a sigh I placed my elbows on my desk and buried my face in the crook of my arms, my nails digging into my scalp. I'd never do such a thing to my work-- for even as menial and tedious as my vocation may be it was still something I put my time and effort into. I dare say I was even proud of it.
Daniel wove his fingers under mine and gently tugged my claws away from my scalp, combing his fingers through my hair to calm me down. He leaned down to rub his snout between my ears, the two children coming up to the desk to see what all was the matter. I simply had no words.
I removed my face from my arms and looked at the folder in front of me, the work I had to sort out for the day. There was no use crying over what I couldn't do anything about, so it was best I grab my pen and just...move forward from here.
---
Come evening I scooped up the folder and brought it upstairs with me, placing it within a locked drawer of my desk. I rarely used this drawer for anything but my concealers. Closing the door and walking back down the hall I had a sneaking suspicion that the one daystaff may have been behind it, though...why would he? At least from what I'd seen thus far everything seemed to be back to normal.
...No matter. Without any actual proof, there was no point in entertaining the thought.
I returned to the lower floor to help Daniel make dinner, spending time with my family as we made and prepared a nice, hot pot of chicken soup for the chilly day. It was one of Riv's favorites and a pleasant comfort food for horrible days like today. The boy leaned against me as we ate, his own way of trying to help me feel better even if he didn't quite understand what was going on. I smiled and put down my spoon to pet his head.
"Will you be okay?" he asked.
"...I will be okay, honey," I answered. "Today just...really was not a good day for me."
"What happened?"
"Someone...took a marker to my work from yesterday, destroying it," I responded, fidgeting with my spoon. "I don't know when or why. As far as I know none of us had been in the lobby since yesterday evening when work was finished and the door was locked."
"I wasn't downstairs," Riv was quick to say.
"...I wasn't, either," Sura quietly said from across the bench.
"We're practically joined at the hip so you know I wasn't down here," Daniel sighed. "Like I told your boss, I'm pretty sure it was someone in his staff. Kinda strange, though...really came outta nowhere. You don't think it may've been the one...?"
"...That was my suspicion, but I have no evidence," I exhaled, resting my head on my hand. "Without that the most I can do is speculate."
"Well, I'll take care'a groceries and such for a bit so you've less to worry about," Daniel said, putting his hand on mine. "I got no problem helpin' out a bit more financially, else I just throw everything into savings. Might as well use some of it."
"I don't want to make you do that," I whined.
"You're not, I'm just goin' out and doin' it," he laughed. "Ya work hard, Reverend, and my actual job ain't often needed beyond some headaches, scrapes, and seasonal bugs. Just let me help ya a bit."
"...Fine," I relented. "You're just going to do it anyway if I say no."
"Aw, you know me so well," he giggled, leaning forward and rubbing his nose on mine.
Even I couldn't help but smile, though I really...really didn't like needing help from others. Though I hadn't much of an appetite I finished my dinner, not wanting to cause the other three any more stress. As they sorted out dishes I went back out to the lobby to wait for Morissey. Once the clock hit six I heard a knock on the door, my bracing myself for the worst and pulling it open.
Morissey stood on the porch with another folder in his hand. I was hesitant to take it from him at first, pausing before I could grab it. He tilted his head and I finally looked up to meet his gaze, his normally fiery eyes much more gentle and reserved. He put the folder forward to get me to take it, my finally accepting it after a moment.
"I thought you wanted some weekend assignments?" he asked. "Did you change your mind?"
"N-No, I did want them, just..." I couldn't really put the thought into words.
"I don't hate you, Reverend," he said. "I'm upset that it happened and my trust has been hurt, but...I have a hard time believing you're the cause of this. If it matters, it wasn't just your pay I docked-- the same was applied to the daystaff as they'd be the only others present, and by the same amount."
He put his hand forward, waiting for mine to take it. I did so after a few seconds, his shaking mine surely and firmly.
"...If you still wanted to go for a walk, I would be more than happy to wait for you to bring that folder upstairs," he said, bringing his hands behind his back. "Of course, if you'd rather take that time to work, I have little issue going back to my residence. It is up to you."
"...I will be right back," I quietly said, closing the door and heading upstairs.
I brought the folder to my room, walking by my family in the staff room. With the folder locked away safely in my desk I closed the door and reentered the hallway, quickly hugging Daniel and my children before heading back downstairs. I made it back to the front door, Morissey still there and waiting patiently.
I took a step off the threshold and onto the porch, twisting my ankle and losing my balance. Morissey quickly reached forward to catch me before I fell, much to my shock.
"Are you alright?" he asked, standing me back up.
"...Yes, sorry," I whispered, cowering and tugging at my sleeve. "My ankle rolled and I lost my balance. S-Sorry..."
"Please, those things happen," he said with a little smile. "Are you okay to walk?"
"I-I think so..." I said, taking a step.
"Shall we be on our way, then? If you don't feel up to it I would understand."
"I'll...be alright," I said, my ankle smarting a bit from my step.
He took my hand to help me off the porch to prevent a second rolled ankle. Gritting my teeth through the ache in my foot we pressed onward. He seemed to look forward to these outings and I didn't want to disappoint him. All the while I still felt scopaesthetic, my looking around often in search of a source.
I tried to keep up with his pace as long as I could, but after a while I found my pace gradually slowing. Try as I might, the soreness in my foot was getting to be a bit much, his pace slowing to be in tune with mine. He'd frequently look over to me but not say anything. A path he took passed by a bench by which he stopped, so I stopped.
"Please take a seat," he said.
"I-I'm sorry?"
"I can tell you're in pain," he answered. "Please sit down for a moment."
My ears fell back and my arms hugged my front, but I did as requested and planted my rear gingerly upon the wooden bench. Morissey squat down, gently grabbing the crus of my leg and lifting it to take a look at the affected foot. He poked and nudged around my ankle, looking back up to me when he heard my stifled gasp.
"There's a fair amount of swelling here," he observed. "Reverend, why didn't you say you were hurting? I would not have minded if you stayed home tonight."
"...You seem to look forward to these outings and I didn't want to disappoint you more than I already have today," I confessed.
"You've been one of my best employees at your rank," he said, carefully putting my foot back down. "I admit that for a while your family and choices disappointed me, but...I'm trying to see past those things."
Something about those last words sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn't the words, themselves, but rather that piercing feeling of being watched seemed to grow that much stronger. I looked around me but saw nothing. Something in my chest felt uneasy-- a nagging bad feeling.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "It wasn't something I said, was it?"
"No, i-it's not you," I quietly said, looking over my shoulder. "...Just an uneasy feeling."
"Well, let's not have you out here any longer than you need to be," he said, extending a hand. "I'll take you home."
"...I'm sorry," I muttered, taking his hand.
"Please don't apologize," he replied, pulling me up off the bench and putting my arm around his shoulder to keep my weight off my swollen ankle.
Slowly we headed back to my house, the nagging feeling of eyes following us all the way back. Morissey didn't seem to feel it, or at least didn't indicate such, and oddly I felt safer this way. Perhaps if I'd been out by myself it would be more than just a feeling.
We made it back to my home, but rather than leaving me on the porch he went as far as taking me inside. He carefully sat me down on one of the chairs to Riv's little table, just in front of the large front window, and went upstairs without a word. When he returned he was with Daniel and the children, the larger man quickening his pace toward me.
"Thank you for letting me know, Morissey," Daniel said, taking a knee before me. "I'll take care of this from here."
"It is no problem," Morissey said as he came over to meet us. "Reverend, may I see your hand for a moment?"
I hesitated for a second, but offered my hand. He flipped it over to bring up my palm and placed a few bills in my hand, his closing my fingers around them. I looked to the offering, confused.
"Please take it easy the next few days," he said. "I'll see you again on Monday."
"Th-Thank you," I said, looking back up at him.
With a conflicted little smile he left us, looking back once to my children and I before closing the door behind him.
---
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Tarov
MemberWow an accidental injury. Those seem few and far between in this story. A nice change, but still like...ouchie.
Also def a staff member
I've dealt with kids before, and know that they wouldn't have the patience to scribble out every singe page. They'd get bored after like 10
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