What I See in You - Chapter 1: Arrival
#1 of What I See in You
[Editing note: December 4, 2008 -- Spelling error, oops! Thanks to my friend for pointing that out.]
Had he known this would have happened, he would have done things differently.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Please..." Zulf muttered, as he clutched the smaller hand in his.
"Beep. Beep. Beep. Bee-e-e-e-e...."
"NO!" Zulf shouted. "NO!"
"G'night, boss." The young fox said. Zulf smiled. The black wolf at the bar was finishing up his duties before closing.
"Good night Lorrie. Be safe going home, y'hear?" He said. The female fox nodded and stepped out of the door, the little bell chiming slightly. Zulf sighed, and wiped off the countertop of the bar, and stared out the window. The rain was pouring, and he watched as Lorrie took a newspaper and used it as a sort of makeshift umbrella, and ran to her car.
He sighed, and continued to clean up. For a while, it had been only him and Lorrie working at the bar; she was a single mother and needed a job that gave her time in the morning to spend time with her kids. He was the owner of the bar, and worked just about everyday.
It was going to be a pretty dismal ride home.
The bell chimed its tiny jingle again, though Zulf's back was turned. He wiped down empty glasses for drinks and set them on the shelf. "Sorry, we're closed now." He said, but he heard the person shift a stool aside. He growled. Was this person ignoring him on purpose? What kind of drunk came out in this weather anyway?
The wolf turned around, glass in hand. "I said we're--" He started, but was cut off at the sight. Sitting there, on the bar stool, was a light brown ferret, completely soaked from the rain. On the stool beside him was a knapsack, just as soaked as he was. Zulf sighed. He looked too young to be drinking.
"Job." The ferret muttered. Zulf raised an eyebrow. "I'm here - for the job." The ferret said, with a slight sniffle in the middle of his sentence. Zulf put the glass to the side, and pulled up the stool he had behind the bar.
"You're here for the job?" The bartender asked, staring at the window. He wondered how long the wanted sign had been up there; dust had collected in large amounts on it. "Yeah, I'm looking for people. What do you know how to do?" Zulf asked. The ferret looked back at him.
"What?" The ferret asked, confused. "What do I know how to do?"
"Work-wise." The wolf said, with a slight growl. "Do you even have a resumé?" He asked. They both looked at his sodden bag.
"I-I d-did..." The ferret said, opening the bag. He pulled out what must have been paper at one point, and tried to flatten it out. It was still readable, at least. Zulf took it carefully as to not rip it, and read down the sheet.
Education? Dropped out of college. Work Experience? None. Volunteer Experience? None. Was this kid serious?
"How old are ya?" Zulf asked. "You even old enough to work here?" He joked.
"I'm 26..." The ferret muttered. Zulf raised another eyebrow. He sure didn't look 26. "I don't have experience... I know... but I learn fast. Honest." He said.
"If you're honest, you'd better tell me your name, then. I'll hold you to it." Zulf said, taking a class and wiping it dry.
"Zerrif, sir." The ferret replied. "My name is Zerrif." Zulf looked at him again. Something about this Zerrif kid irked him a little. He smirked, and then realised what it was.
Zerrif hadn't smiled, nor shown the slightest bit of happiness.
"You have your own transportation here? Your own ways of getting here? There're only two of us who work here, so you'll be working a lot." The wolf said. "That fine with you?"
"Yeah." Zerrif said, and Zulf realised there was little tone to his voice too. He looked back outside, at the weather, then back to Zerrif, and then he laughed internally.
"What size are you? Pants and shirt." Zulf asked. Zerrif looked up, with a slight hint of shock in his eyes. "For your uniform." Zulf said. "We wear a black shirt with our bar's logo on it, black dress pants, and the apron. What size are you?"
"Medium shirt, I guess." Zerrif said, trying to judge by sight from what Zulf wore. "Uh... I haven't measured my waist in a while. Thirty good enough?" He asked. Zulf stepped into the back, leaving the sodden ferret sitting there on the stool. There was the sound of heaving, and boxes being thrown around. A little packet of silence followed, and then Zulf stepped back out, a pile of clothes in his hand.
"Here." Zulf said, handing the ferret his new attire. "We open tomorrow at 7:30. We don't let customers in until 10:00, but you're going to need that time to learn." He said. Zerrif nodded, and took the clothes; but he still didn't smile. Now, the wolf was internally peeved. This little ferret didn't even show the slightest form of gratitude. "You do have a way of getting here, right?" He asked.
"Yeah. I live nearby." The ferret said, nearly putting his clothes in his bag. He hesitated, then put them on the counter. "Can I leave these here? They'll get wet on the way home, and I don't have a dryer." Zerrif asked. Zulf grumbled, and took them, and placed them under the bar. "Thanks." He added again, once more without a smile. He made his way for the door, and the wolf just watched.
"You walkin' in that weather?" Zulf asked. Zerrif shrugged.
"How do you think I got here?" The ferret retorted, and stepped out into the bitter rain.
"Why do we open this early, if customers don't get here till 10:00?" Zerrif asked, putting on his apron. Lorrie seemed too tired to even function this early, and Zulf had been silent since he got here; the ferret seemed to be the only person actually awake this early in the morning.
"To get things ready, mostly." Zulf said, moving a box of specialty beers from the back fridge to the one behind the bar. "We also sell simple things like wings and fries, so we've gotta start on getting those done too. Trust me. There's always people here right at 10:00. Regulars, you could call em." He said, with a slight hinge of pity.
"Oh." The ferret replied, acceptingly. He stepped over to behind the bar, where Lorrie had been, getting things set up there. She smiled, and stepped aside, as Zerrif went to wash his hands.
"Nice to see someone's awake." She said, yawning. Zerrif shrugged. She stepped over to him, and motioned to a little monitor sitting there. "This is for orders. You just punch in what they ordered, and it comes up." She said. "I'll make you a password. What's your birthday?" She asked.
"Me? November 6th." Zerrif said. Lorrie nodded, and started punching things into the screen.
"There, it's set up. Your password is 1106. For November 6th." She said, with a smile. The ferret punched in the code, and was greeted with a huge array of orders. "And... here comes the first customer." She said. Zerrif looked up to see two smallish bears walk in, and take a seat at the counter.
"What can I get for you?" Zerrif asked, and Lorrie walked away to keep getting things ready.
"New face, huh?" One of the bears asked. "My regular's just a beer, Errik over here likes that imported stuff, don't you Errik?" The bear said. Errik just nodded, and Zerrif began to get their orders.
"Hey, Boss." Lorrie said, in the back.
"Hm?"
"That new kid you got... something bothers me about him." She added. Zulf grunted, and lifted a case of wings onto an upper shelf. "He don't smile, or laugh, or even blink at jokes. Just nods and shrugs all the time. You sure he's alive?" She said, smiling.
"I wouldn't complain. He learned everything this morning, unlike someone who took a few days." He replied with a smile back. Lorrie chuckled, and playfully punched the wolf's arm. "But yeah, I know what you mean. I wouldn't pay it any mind; some people just act oddly." Zulf said.
"It don't bother you?" Lorrie asked. "It don't worry you? Remember--" She started.
"Yes, I remember." Zulf said, saddened. Lorrie sighed. "Jayce is... was... I don't know."
"At least he's a good worker." She said, going back outside. "Don't worry about it too much, eh?" Zulf shrugged, and closed the storage door.
"Hey, Lorrie?" Zerrif said. The fox happily walked over to him. The bar had died down since the lunch rush; and now Zulf had gone out to get food for them. "Mind telling me why the Boss is upset?" He asked.
"Upset?" Lorrie asked. The ferret nodded.
"He came to ask me what I wanted for lunch, and I said I wasn't hungry. That kinda irked him, I guess; he withheld anger, and kinda just left." The ferret said. Lorrie sighed, and sat on the stool behind the bar.
"We used to have a bigger group working here, 7 of us. It was like a little family, y'know?" She said. She tucked her tray under her arm. "Problem was, a couple of them were involved in some stupid shit, and that got another one in trouble. That 'other one' was Jayce; Zulf's closest friend."
"Jayce... was a good kid." Errik said, slouched over on the bar. Lorrie smiled, and patted him on the head.
"Yeah, he was." She added, leaning back. "Jayce and the Boss were so close, like brothers you could say. But he got in trouble; cause of two others. That forced a separation, between him and the Boss. Then, the other two left. That left me, the Boss, and two others; but they were students and went back to school. They drop in from time-to-time; but school's got 'em boggled down and they can't find time to work." Her tail swished lightly behind her, and then she looked over. "What about you, you don't got school?" She asked.
"No... I dropped out." Zerrif replied. He took a seat on another stool. "My dad died on job; he was a police officer. My mom married some other guy, but he was a tool, and used a lot of our money. Eventually we had so little, I dropped out so that she didn't have to pay for school. I've been working the odd job here and there, to try and raise money for them; but he always has a handle on it, and she just forked it over. Then, I left; but there was no way I could pay for school myself." He said.
"Shit, I'm sorry." Lorrie said, and she walked over to Zerrif. Without warning she gave him a hug; but of course, he didn't respond. He wasn't even frowning, or didn't show the slightest hinge of sadness at his retelling. "I didn't mean to--"
"Nah, it's alright." He said, pushing her back lightly. "I don't really care much for that situation anymore; I'm just trying to get by. Besides, you don't have it easier... Zulf told me you're a single mom." He added. He realised he shouldn't have said it that way, and he knew it came out offensive, but Lorrie just smiled.
"Hah! He did, did he? Well, I know it ain't my place to talk about him." She said, with a smile. "But yeah. That bastard of a husband of mine just upped and left with some other fox. Threatened to take my kids, but he ain't taking that from me. He might have taken my dignity and respect, but he ain't having my life. Those are my kids, dammit. They know it too." She said. "I'm so proud of em. They're tryin' real hard for their mom. Work hard at school, work hard after school, so I gotta make it up to them."
"That's amazing." Zerrif interjected. She looked over at the ferret, and smiled. For a split second, she thought he had a slight smile on his face; but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "Your kids should be proud." He said.
"Damn right. I work hard for my money." She said, with a laugh. Zerrif silently let a 'heh' escape from his lips, but returned to work as Errik ordered another beer.
"Here. I don't know what the hell ferrets really eat, so I just got you a salad." Zulf said, coming back from getting food. He dumped a styrofoam container in front of Zerrif, and rummaged inside for a fork.
"Thanks." Zerrif said, and smiled slightly. Lorrie's eyes widened, and Zerrif returned to his neutral state. The fox then pulled Zulf to the back, their food going along with them.
"Did he just say thanks? And smile?" She asked. Zulf shrugged.
"It just takes a while for some people to come out of their shell." He muttered, handing Lorrie her food. "Just like Jayce."
"Speaking about Jayce..." She said. Zulf's eyebrow raised "He... uh... he asked about it..."
"You told him?!" Zulf said, placing his hands squarely on the fox's shoulders.
"N-not in detail! I just said... y'know... he was a cool kid and used to work here. Said you two were close, is all!" She said, in defense. Zulf sighed, and let her go. "You need to be able to let go, too." She said. "Not just me, but Jayce too."
With that, she stepped out of the back room.
The day had been long, and finally, the last customer had picked up his stuff and left. Zerrif sighed, leaning over the counter, exhausted.
"Hah, the new blood can't take it." Lorrie joked. The ferret let out some sort of garbled mumble.
"Don't worry." Zulf said, stacking some chairs on their tables after wiping the tables down. "Only weekends are this long; we don't open on weekdays till later."
"Okay." Zerrif replied, standing up and yawning. He watched Zulf shake his head, and bend over to pick up a fallen chair, then caught Lorrie eyeing him. He immediately looked away, starting to clean up behind the counter, and she just laughed silently.
"Hey, Boss, I have to go. The kids'll get worried if I'm not home before 11." Lorrie said, taking off her apron. Zulf nodded without looking at her, and waved his hand in the air. "See ya, kiddo." She said, and Zerrif waved back.
"Hey, c'mere would ya?" The wolf called. Zerrif nodded, and moved over, and squatted down, as the two heaved up a table that had been pushed over. "You got a ride home tonight?" Zulf asked.
"I live near the bar." Zerrif replied quickly. "I'll just walk again." He said.
"It's cold, and dangerous." Zulf muttered, wiping down the table. The ferret picked up a chair and put it on the table.
"I made it home in the rain, didn't I? I can make it home in the dark." Zerrif said. He looked out the window, and shrugged. "I've got the lamp posts, anyway." He said. He heard Zulf grumble something, but just went back to the bar.
"You can go now." Zulf said, as Zerrif had just started to clean glasses.
"What?" Zerrif said, a little surprised.
"Go, before it's too dark." Zulf added. "There isn't too much to do, I can do the rest." He stopped wiping down tables, and just stared at Zerrif, who had ignored him. "Zerrif."
"Fine." Zerrif said, putting the glass down, and the cloth back near the sink. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, Boss." He mumbled, before stepping out of the shop. Zulf sighed, and sat back on a table he'd just cleaned.
"... That's almost scary." He mumbled to himself. "He reminds me way too much of Jayce..."
So it had taken Zulf a little longer to finish without Zerrif's help than he had thought. At least his mind rested easy knowing that Zerrif had the time to get home safely.
At least, he thought so. His mind began to worry again when he saw a familiar tail swishing along as someone walked down the sidewalk.
"Zerrif?" Zulf called. The ferret jumped, and turned back. "I thought you went home!"
"I..." Zerrif started. "I'm still on my way." He said. Zulf glared at him. "I-I'm almost there! Really!"
"Get in the car." Zulf said, pulling up beside him. Zerrif looked around, then walked around to the passenger seat. He buckled himself in, but seemed to hug the door; or at least, he liked his space. Zulf just shrugged, and then began to drive off again. "Where do you live?" Zulf asked. Zerrif sat silent. "Hey, I'm talking to you, kid."
"... Anthis Towers." Zerrif muttered. Zulf's jaw dropped, and he pulled over again. He looked over, to see Zerrif wince in his seat.
"Anthis Towers??" Zulf said. "That's almost an hour walk! You don't live close to the bar!" He said, angrily. "You walked home in the rain, all the way there? And you were thinking of doing that every night?"
"... Can I just... go home?" Zerrif said. Zulf clenched the steering wheel, and began to drive in silence. "I... I'm sorry..." Zerrif mumbled. Zulf looked over.
"What?" Zulf asked. Zerrif looked out the window.
"... Didn't want to worry anyone." He said. "Here. That apartment building there." Zerrif said, pointing out the window. Zulf pulled into the drop-off area; which was like a half-circle. Zerrif stayed put. "I'm sorry."
"Listen, the reason why I asked, was because you didn't even realise you're on my way home. I don't mind picking you up and dropping you off each day, if it'll get you to work safely." Zulf said. Zerrif chose that point to get out of the car.
"I should show you which apartment then, huh?" The ferret mumbled. Zulf raised his eyebrow. "So you know where to pick me up, then?"
"Yeah. That'd be good. Give me a second to park the car." The wolf replied, calming down. Zerrif nodded, and got out of the car, and Zulf drove off to the temporary parking.
"... Here." Zerrif said, reaching his room. Zulf noticed that Zerrif didn't even pull out any keys; he just opened the door and walked in.
"What's wrong with you, kid?" Zulf said, shutting the door behind him. He looked around at just where Zerrif lived, and was surprised. The apartment was somewhat large, especially for a single, down on his luck guy living alone. The entry led into the living room, which had a shootoff to the bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen.
It felt more like some bachelor's pad, than an apartment some college kid would have.
"Nice place." Zulf said. He looked over to see the ferret already hanging up his apron and stuff in the closet. He left it open without a word, and Zulf assumed he was meant to put his things in there too.
"Want a drink? I have water, juice, or milk." Zerrif said. Zulf was startled at how he had seemingly come from nowhere. He was already changed from his work clothes; standing behind him in sweatpants and a t shirt.
"Uh, juice will be fine." Zulf said. Zerrif nodded, and shuffled over to his kitchen, leaving Zulf standing by the closet. He moved over into the living room, and realised there was something weird about it.
The furniture was new and really expensive looking too. So where in the world did Zerrif get all this?
"I got it cheap because it was used to smuggle drugs." Zerrif said, sitting down on a chair. He placed two glasses of water on the nearby glass table, and Zulf looked up. "People always ask about the furniture." He added.
Zulf sighed. "So, you have other people in here too?" He asked, sounding worried. In truth, he probably was. Zerrif didn't seem like the type to protest, or say anything against what someone else said.
"Movers, auditors, business people, y'know." Zerrif said, sitting down.
"Oh." Zulf said, awkwardly. Zerrif didn't even have friends, huh?
"No friends, no family. I'm not even from this town." Zerrif added, drinking his water. Zulf looked skeptically over at him. "Kind of wanted a fresh start, you know?" Zerrif added, looking out the window. He had a nice terrace view of most of the city, being on the edge and so high up.
"Fresh start? You keep talking like you want to leave the old life you had behind." Zulf said. "What happened?"
"It's not that I want to leave it behind." Zerrif said. "It's more... it left me behind, instead."