![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
x-forge.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsThis takes place this morning before the breaking news about Smichov.
After a week of volunteering to sort the mansion's mail, Crystal is horrified to find out she may have unintentionally joined the *gasp!* working class
Forge glanced up from his desk to the long table where Crystal was once more efficiently sorting the daily mail that came to the school. While he had been surprised by her offer to take over while Marius was incapacitated, Crystal's work ethic was definitely impressive, and Forge had certainly re-evaluated his opinion of the "spoiled little royal".
Given that the school usually received literally thousands of pieces of mail in any given week - personal correspondence, business letters for the Professor, bills and invoices, the occasional application, plus a deluge of hate mail that came with being a publicly-known mutant institution - the matter of sorting and delivering it in a timely manner had always been a chore, and one that Forge hadn't yet taken the time to devise a machine for.
Waiting until Crystal had finished another stack of letters, Forge cleared his throat softly to get her attention. "Crystal," he asked politely, "if you've got a moment?"
Crystal looked up from the mail and turned to face Forge. If she had 'got' a moment what? Look at another pile of mail? Speak with him? Fly into the path of an airplane?
"I am at a stopping point," Crystal told Forge with a smile. "Is there someone else that you need me to do, or is there something that you wish to speak with me about?"
Forge shook his head, opening his desk to remove an envelope, tapping it against his hand as he walked over to Crystal. "I just wanted to say that I, and the rest of the staff by association, really appreciate the work you've been doing here this past week. I know it's an often-thankless bit of drudgery, but you've been more than helpful. And so," he held out the envelope to her, smiling slightly, "compliments of the Professor and the payroll fund."
Crystal stared at Forge for a few moments, eyed the envelope warily, then looked back at Forge. What!? Payroll fund!? Surely she misunderstood. "Forge, what is in this envelope?" Crystal asked calmly, not making any move to touch it, let alone take it.
Slightly surprised at Crystal's reaction, Forge looked at the envelope to make sure he had the right one. "It's, er, your first week's paycheck. It's not a lot, but it's kind of a rite of passage for a lot of high school kids when they earn their first bit of money on their own. Kind of an independence thing. And you helping out with the mail means that it doesn't get shoved off to Dani, which means she can help more with the cooking classes and, well, you've earned it," he said, as if that explained everything.
"I did not earn it," Crystal said, making sure to keep her voice in a neutral tone. "I was never hired for an official job." This was a job? This wasn't a job! She had volunteered! She was volunteering herself for anything she found out about so that no one could "volunteer" her again like Mr. Marko had! "I am not working for pay; I am assisting you on a volunteer basis."
Forge resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but withdrew the envelope, tucking it under his arm. "All right then," he said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "I didn't want to presume that you were just being altruistic. If it was assumed that you were just volunteering to volunteer... you've got to realize, this is a pretty menial job, Crystal. I for one wouldn't want you to feel like your generosity was being taken advantage of."
He leaned against the wall, eyes falling upon the neatly-ordered stacks of sorted mail. "I didn't mean to give any offense. It's just that here, when you do something that most people would consider for the good of everyone, most of the time you get compensated for it. I apologize for misreading your intentions. Still," he held the envelope up, not quite extending it to Crystal a second time, "if you want to keep it as a memento, I don't know, frame it or something. Could be a nice reminder."
Forge was suggesting...people thought...what part of "volunteer" had they misunderstood? What was this not "volunteering to volunteer" idea Forge was talking about? The Professor, Forge, and who else believed that she, Lady Crystal Amaquelin of the royal family of Attilan, wanted to work sorting mail for pay!? That she had asked for a job!? That she needed to be compensated for what she had done!?
Whatever people around here seemed to think, as far as Crystal was concerned, she had excellent control over not allowing her powers to act out according to her emotional state. It was hard, but given what had happened in Forge's lab and the gym, Crystal was not about to let loose in here. All of what Forge had just said... and pointing out that she was doing menial labor!? She had volunteered to help Lorna with the nasty pumpkins and she had helped Mr. Marko twice, but the first time didn't count since that was due to the damage of school property that she herself had caused. Well, the damage had been created by an airborne Logan, but she had caused Logan to move through the air at a speed high enough to cause such damage...
"What I am doing is voluntary, Forge," Crystal told him with a smile. "I clearly stated that I wanted to volunteer." She was tempted to recite the definitions of the words she had stressed, but was afraid that doing so would come off as a rather rude action, Crystal eyed the proffered envelope again, then looked at Forge. It would be nice to have tangible proof of the insanity of the people at the school, but if she took it would that be the same as saying that she was working for pay? "I will take it if you promise me that it is the only one of its kind and that I was not suddenly find myself receiving a... paycheck for the duration of my voluntary assistance."
"Not a problem," Forge replied with a smile, completely oblivious to Crystal's inner conflict as he handed over the envelope. "And in case I haven't said it enough, the help really is appreciated."
'Help' you mistakenly believed required pay, Crystal thought as she reluctantly took the envelope, and the paycheck, from Forge. Less than one week, she told herself. Just one more trapped weekend here; on Monday no one will be able to volunteer you without asking. Holding the envelope gingerly, Crystal opened her purse and placed it inside. Rite of passage indeed. Why didn't she just get the kidnapping rite of passage like everyone else here? She knew some people thought she'd come shockingly close to going evil and she'd nearly blown up Forge's lab; all that was left now was kidnapping. And possibly the lake, she was sure she'd heard something about people getting tossed into the lake, although good luck to anyone who thought they could actually throw her into the lake.
"Thank you for letting me know that someone appreciates my efforts," Crystal told Forge.
"Well, you do what needs to be done and you don't complain," Forge said with a shrug. "I have to admit, I was surprised when you volunteered. I assumed you'd think this was something... I don't know, beneath you. I really owe you an apology for that, you've proven me wrong."
Crystal's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, I... thank you, Forge. It is no trouble at all." And it was certainly a much better alternative than other options she could think of. It was quiet here. Perhaps now you will not be so 'huffy' when someone speaks about me.
"No, it's not," Forge agreed, "but it still needed to be said. You do good work." With that, he nodded and headed back over to his desk. "And remember, if anything's too heavy, you can always draft Marius as a packhorse," he called.
"Unless Marius has suddenly developed super-strength, that will not be necessary," Crystal replied. "Plus, I would not dare to ask anything of him that might upset his 'wife'." She gave Forge a look to indicate that she was not being serious about believing that Jennie and Marius were married.
Forge's face went expressionless for a moment before he put on a large smile. "Yes, wouldn't want to upset the little woman. Besides, given his new non-biting hands, I'm sure he'd whine for days about being asked to do any manual labor with them. Let me know if you need anything. Otherwise..." he glanced at his watch, "I have a staff meeting. I'll make sure to reiterate your volunteer status, okay?"
Yes, surely he had a staff meeting right at this very moment. "I am fine, Forge," she told him. "This" she indicated the mail with a wave of a hand "is nothing that I am incapable of handling on my own."
"I have no doubts," Forge said over his shoulder as he walked out the door. "The great Crystal Amaquelin stymied by the postal system? Never!"
Crystal looked towards the door for a few moments, shook her head, and returned to her voluntary, unpaid, not-job.
After a week of volunteering to sort the mansion's mail, Crystal is horrified to find out she may have unintentionally joined the *gasp!* working class
Forge glanced up from his desk to the long table where Crystal was once more efficiently sorting the daily mail that came to the school. While he had been surprised by her offer to take over while Marius was incapacitated, Crystal's work ethic was definitely impressive, and Forge had certainly re-evaluated his opinion of the "spoiled little royal".
Given that the school usually received literally thousands of pieces of mail in any given week - personal correspondence, business letters for the Professor, bills and invoices, the occasional application, plus a deluge of hate mail that came with being a publicly-known mutant institution - the matter of sorting and delivering it in a timely manner had always been a chore, and one that Forge hadn't yet taken the time to devise a machine for.
Waiting until Crystal had finished another stack of letters, Forge cleared his throat softly to get her attention. "Crystal," he asked politely, "if you've got a moment?"
Crystal looked up from the mail and turned to face Forge. If she had 'got' a moment what? Look at another pile of mail? Speak with him? Fly into the path of an airplane?
"I am at a stopping point," Crystal told Forge with a smile. "Is there someone else that you need me to do, or is there something that you wish to speak with me about?"
Forge shook his head, opening his desk to remove an envelope, tapping it against his hand as he walked over to Crystal. "I just wanted to say that I, and the rest of the staff by association, really appreciate the work you've been doing here this past week. I know it's an often-thankless bit of drudgery, but you've been more than helpful. And so," he held out the envelope to her, smiling slightly, "compliments of the Professor and the payroll fund."
Crystal stared at Forge for a few moments, eyed the envelope warily, then looked back at Forge. What!? Payroll fund!? Surely she misunderstood. "Forge, what is in this envelope?" Crystal asked calmly, not making any move to touch it, let alone take it.
Slightly surprised at Crystal's reaction, Forge looked at the envelope to make sure he had the right one. "It's, er, your first week's paycheck. It's not a lot, but it's kind of a rite of passage for a lot of high school kids when they earn their first bit of money on their own. Kind of an independence thing. And you helping out with the mail means that it doesn't get shoved off to Dani, which means she can help more with the cooking classes and, well, you've earned it," he said, as if that explained everything.
"I did not earn it," Crystal said, making sure to keep her voice in a neutral tone. "I was never hired for an official job." This was a job? This wasn't a job! She had volunteered! She was volunteering herself for anything she found out about so that no one could "volunteer" her again like Mr. Marko had! "I am not working for pay; I am assisting you on a volunteer basis."
Forge resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but withdrew the envelope, tucking it under his arm. "All right then," he said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "I didn't want to presume that you were just being altruistic. If it was assumed that you were just volunteering to volunteer... you've got to realize, this is a pretty menial job, Crystal. I for one wouldn't want you to feel like your generosity was being taken advantage of."
He leaned against the wall, eyes falling upon the neatly-ordered stacks of sorted mail. "I didn't mean to give any offense. It's just that here, when you do something that most people would consider for the good of everyone, most of the time you get compensated for it. I apologize for misreading your intentions. Still," he held the envelope up, not quite extending it to Crystal a second time, "if you want to keep it as a memento, I don't know, frame it or something. Could be a nice reminder."
Forge was suggesting...people thought...what part of "volunteer" had they misunderstood? What was this not "volunteering to volunteer" idea Forge was talking about? The Professor, Forge, and who else believed that she, Lady Crystal Amaquelin of the royal family of Attilan, wanted to work sorting mail for pay!? That she had asked for a job!? That she needed to be compensated for what she had done!?
Whatever people around here seemed to think, as far as Crystal was concerned, she had excellent control over not allowing her powers to act out according to her emotional state. It was hard, but given what had happened in Forge's lab and the gym, Crystal was not about to let loose in here. All of what Forge had just said... and pointing out that she was doing menial labor!? She had volunteered to help Lorna with the nasty pumpkins and she had helped Mr. Marko twice, but the first time didn't count since that was due to the damage of school property that she herself had caused. Well, the damage had been created by an airborne Logan, but she had caused Logan to move through the air at a speed high enough to cause such damage...
"What I am doing is voluntary, Forge," Crystal told him with a smile. "I clearly stated that I wanted to volunteer." She was tempted to recite the definitions of the words she had stressed, but was afraid that doing so would come off as a rather rude action, Crystal eyed the proffered envelope again, then looked at Forge. It would be nice to have tangible proof of the insanity of the people at the school, but if she took it would that be the same as saying that she was working for pay? "I will take it if you promise me that it is the only one of its kind and that I was not suddenly find myself receiving a... paycheck for the duration of my voluntary assistance."
"Not a problem," Forge replied with a smile, completely oblivious to Crystal's inner conflict as he handed over the envelope. "And in case I haven't said it enough, the help really is appreciated."
'Help' you mistakenly believed required pay, Crystal thought as she reluctantly took the envelope, and the paycheck, from Forge. Less than one week, she told herself. Just one more trapped weekend here; on Monday no one will be able to volunteer you without asking. Holding the envelope gingerly, Crystal opened her purse and placed it inside. Rite of passage indeed. Why didn't she just get the kidnapping rite of passage like everyone else here? She knew some people thought she'd come shockingly close to going evil and she'd nearly blown up Forge's lab; all that was left now was kidnapping. And possibly the lake, she was sure she'd heard something about people getting tossed into the lake, although good luck to anyone who thought they could actually throw her into the lake.
"Thank you for letting me know that someone appreciates my efforts," Crystal told Forge.
"Well, you do what needs to be done and you don't complain," Forge said with a shrug. "I have to admit, I was surprised when you volunteered. I assumed you'd think this was something... I don't know, beneath you. I really owe you an apology for that, you've proven me wrong."
Crystal's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, I... thank you, Forge. It is no trouble at all." And it was certainly a much better alternative than other options she could think of. It was quiet here. Perhaps now you will not be so 'huffy' when someone speaks about me.
"No, it's not," Forge agreed, "but it still needed to be said. You do good work." With that, he nodded and headed back over to his desk. "And remember, if anything's too heavy, you can always draft Marius as a packhorse," he called.
"Unless Marius has suddenly developed super-strength, that will not be necessary," Crystal replied. "Plus, I would not dare to ask anything of him that might upset his 'wife'." She gave Forge a look to indicate that she was not being serious about believing that Jennie and Marius were married.
Forge's face went expressionless for a moment before he put on a large smile. "Yes, wouldn't want to upset the little woman. Besides, given his new non-biting hands, I'm sure he'd whine for days about being asked to do any manual labor with them. Let me know if you need anything. Otherwise..." he glanced at his watch, "I have a staff meeting. I'll make sure to reiterate your volunteer status, okay?"
Yes, surely he had a staff meeting right at this very moment. "I am fine, Forge," she told him. "This" she indicated the mail with a wave of a hand "is nothing that I am incapable of handling on my own."
"I have no doubts," Forge said over his shoulder as he walked out the door. "The great Crystal Amaquelin stymied by the postal system? Never!"
Crystal looked towards the door for a few moments, shook her head, and returned to her voluntary, unpaid, not-job.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 10:00 pm (UTC)Fantastic job, guys.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 11:25 pm (UTC)