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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 13, 2008 17:04:35 GMT -5
Henry glanced up when he finally heard the child's quiet footsteps in the otherwise silent room. He suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that, had the boy not willed it, he would not have heard his approach. He shook his head and blamed such silly notions on the late hour; though the boy looked like some kind of ghost, that did not make him one.
His eyes fell on the knife and then, without missing a beat, fixed the child with the most no-nonsense look he could muster.
"Really, Erik, threatening a prospective employer is not the most sensible way to go about procuring employment. I would dearly like to utilize your services, but I am more than ready to look elsewhere if you intend to make me worry about my safety every waking minute. Put the knife down, please, and take a seat. It has been a trying day, and though you and I have a few things to discuss, I wish to go to bed as soon as possible."
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 13, 2008 17:35:14 GMT -5
Erik watched him silently for a moment, unmoving. Then, as if it was no matter to him at all, he casually slid the knife into his boot.
"You've nothing to worry about, if you don't harm me or him," Erik said smoothly. He walked to the chair Jamison had arranged and sat calmly, as if to demonstrate the professor's lack of effect on him.
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 14, 2008 19:24:19 GMT -5
Henry nearly rolled his eyes at the child's show of bravado, but he managed to keep them planted firmly on his papers, shuffling them about until the boy took the chair he had set out for him.
"I'll thank you for more promptness in the future, M. Erik. You are young, but there won't always be time for dallying about when there is work to be done. But we can discuss such things later; I suppose to start I shall have to know a bit more about you, and you of course will want to know what kind of work I am expecting you to do. If you like, we can also discuss your wage tonight--and I am willing to pay you quite fairly for an assistant position, I assure you." He finally glanced up, realizing he had been rambling, straightened the papers one last time, and began to hold them out to the boy. A thought, however, made him pause.
"I say, you do read and write, don't you, Erik?"
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 15, 2008 11:42:45 GMT -5
Erik frowned, and if he did not snatch the papers away, it was very nearly that.
"Of course," he scoffed, as if the question offended him. Which it did. Why did everyone assume the worst? He knew the answer, of course. He longed for the day when there was no doubt about his worth. His... superiority.
"How much?"
((I'm not sure what's in the papers.))
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 15, 2008 15:55:08 GMT -5
((Outline of his duties, prompts for information--like last name, next of kin, so on--a "legal agreement" discussing the upkeep and ownership of Izame, etc.)
"We can get to that," Jamison snipped. "Let's discuss more important things first, hm? I have outlined your duties for you on those pages. I would like you to be in charge of the creature's upkeep: you will feed it its primary fare--fish and apples for now--twice daily; the tank must be cleaned once a week, and we will figure out how that will be accomplished later; I would also like you to go to the market once a week and replenish its food supplies, and I will provide you with money for that. I suppose you can also clean the laboratory if there is nothing else to be done." He hummed for a moment and took out a new piece of paper, scribbling on it as thoughts came to him.
"And I suppose, if you show any aptitude or desire, I can educate you, as well, and give you more important duties later on."
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 16, 2008 1:04:21 GMT -5
Erik thought he could do all those things. After all, he'd been planning to, without getting paid. And if something happened, well, they could always get out then. In the meantime, his curiosity was piqued.
"Laboratory?" he said, trying to sound casual but, being eight, falling a bit short. He scanned the pages. He didn't want to give a last name, didn't want one. He didn't want...
"I haven't any family," he said suddenly, looking up at Jamison. "It's just Erik."
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 16, 2008 12:24:34 GMT -5
Jamison quirked a brow. "Is it now? Then whom should I contact in the event you become injured or ill? I don't suppose there was anyone in that circus who might be responsible for you, or would like to know if something happens?" Or whom I could contact in the event you abscond with my fish, he thought to himself.
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 16, 2008 12:45:09 GMT -5
"There's no one," Erik reiterated, his voice nearly a growl. No one cared if he fell ill or died. His family had made it clear he was not one of them; and he had never acquired a substitute. "There's no circus anymore, either. I'm the only one who cares if something happens. So that's who you've got to work with."
He looked at Jamison shrewdly.
"I guess you'd have to rely on the proper authorities, if something... happened."
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 16, 2008 13:13:03 GMT -5
((Erik must be a little mind reader XD))
"You certainly are rather bold for such a small boy, my young friend, but perhaps a few weeks of honest work and polite company will teach you some better manners and a bit more finesse, hm?"
He handed Erik a pen and watched him expectantly.
"Why don't you just fill in as much information as you can for now. I will take you upstairs to one of the spare rooms after that, and in the morning I will show you around the laboratory--which is this entire room, Erik--and we can further discuss your schooling, should you be interested. Who knows, if you take well to your studies, perhaps you will be able to assist me in more detailed work."
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 16, 2008 14:00:34 GMT -5
((No, he's just wicked smart! And very suspicious.))
Probably not.
Erik had as many manners as he wished. He knew to hold doors for ladies and not to burp in public and how to speak properly. After that, arrogance and ill-treatment took over. But for now, he took the pen and began filling in what he could, not always helpfully. There was only so much the boy knew about some things, and others he wished obscured. Much historical data was left blank. He didn't see the point of disclosing where he was from. But he put "legerdemain" in his list of skills, along with "knife throwing," because he was proud of those. His hand was spidery, his letters unjoined despite his obvious facility with language.
At the bottom of the contract, he inserted the text,
Employee will not be beaten by employer for any reason whatsoever.
He calmly handed the papers back to Jamison.
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 18, 2008 18:30:10 GMT -5
Jamison scanned the "completed" papers, frowning at the scanty answers. He had almost nothing he could not have guessed himself from the short time he had been able to spend observing the child, and who knows how many of his answers were half-truths or lies. Still, he supposed he could learn more over time. The mask was a touch worrisome, but Jamison thought it would be bad to raise the subject so soon. Judging from his emaciated figure and the curious color of his spindly fingers, the mask had nothing to do with disguising his identity.
He reached the final item on the list and raised an eyebrow, then fixed the boy with a level gaze.
"Is this the only condition of your employment, M. Erik? To be perfectly honest, I had expected you to make demands on subjects that were somewhat less... obvious. Holidays, for example. You need not worry about ever receiving an unkind hand from me."
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 19, 2008 10:25:20 GMT -5
((Sorry he's hard to respond to! I'm trying hard to figure out how he'd be.))
Erik's eyes shifted uncomfortably, betraying his experience at the hands of others that made such a demand an overriding concern.
"Holidays?" he repeated. "Where would I go?"
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 20, 2008 18:07:47 GMT -5
((Likewise! Plus, I'm just plain forgetful XD))
Jamison did his best to ignore the boy's obvious discomfort. The less nervous the child was, the more likely he could make this unpleasant evening turn into a beneficial situation. He shuffled the papers and picked up a pen.
"I don't rightly know what young gentlemen do for fun nowadays, but I do know it is standard to have at least one day off a week. Let's say Thursdays, and you can have Sunday afternoons as well." He jotted the days down on the sheet next to the boy's single, scribbled condition, then tapped his chin with the pen. "I suppose I'll also include room and board conditions on here, too, unless you would care to sleep in the alley round back?"
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 23, 2008 11:09:32 GMT -5
The boy was silent for a moment, wondering if he was serious about the room. He seemed to be about the days off, which meant that perhaps the man was not aware of Erik's condition, which was all to the best. On the other hand, there was no telling what a man who would pay to house a unique merman in his own residence might do.
"Does it lock? The room, I mean."
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 25, 2008 13:44:31 GMT -5
"Well, it does, but I keep a master key, of course. Does that bother you, Erik?"
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