Cinder was terrified.
To say the past several months had been difficult was an understatement. Application after application, interview after interview, and always... nothing. But suddenly, weeks after applying with no response, she had finally received an email from one of the jobs she had applied too. To be contacted out of the blue, after such a long stretch of silence... Cinder held but a sliver of hope. But that hope did not come without fear. What if it was not good news? What if it was another rejection? No, this time was different. This time had to be different, what was the point of contacting her after so long? She had done her research, spent days preparing and practicing for the interview, which had gone well, or so she had thought, and yet there had been no follow up. Until now. She held out hope.
And it was dashed yet again, a feeling of despair settling upon her as she read.
Dear Cinder Fall,
We have received your application for the Office Receptionist role with Amadeus Archives, and appreciate you taking the time to express your interest. Although we are impressed with your skills and accomplishments, we have decided to pursue other applicants whom we believe more closely match the requirements for the position and needs of the company.
Thank you for your interest in Amadeus Archives and best wishes in your future endeavors.
Regards,
Yatsuhashi Daichi
Her last application... rejected. So much for celebration.
For eight long, excruciating months Cinder had been searching for a job, going through every job website, newspaper article and building with a Help Wanted sign in the window she could find, and she ended up coming out with... exactly what she had before. No job, no friends, no family that she knew of... no soulmate... nothing. Everything she cared about was already gone, and she was barely past thirty. What an accomplishment. Sure she had the education and skills to get practically any job she wanted, but all of that experience meant nothing when no one would hire her.
So there Cinder was, sitting on her lumpy bed, in the shamefully decrepit room she called her apartment. The wallpaper was dull, some of it even beginning to peel off the walls. Both the ceiling and carpet in the main room were stained, the former due to water spots, the latter from something Cinder could not even identify. And the kitchen... it was a bit of a disaster. There was a sizable crack in one of the windows, the stove did not always work properly, and a few of the tiles were cracked - bad enough that Cinder once cut her foot on one. What a fun day that was. Though notably not as much as the day she found cockroaches in her bathroom vanity. At least the hot water worked... most of the time.
Cinder sighed. Ever since her last interview she had been cooped up in her apartment. She needed some fresh air. Unfortunately going outside was not as easy as it used to be. Thanks to her... extensive disfigurement, the burns that dominated the left of her body, from head to toe. Not even her eye was spared. That at least could be hidden, but the rest...it was far too impractical, people always stared. She resorted to avoiding the public as much as she could. But this was needed. Lifting herself from the bed, Cinder opened her door, and stepped into the hallway.
As bad as the apartment itself was, the neighbourhood around it was worse, not that Cinder really cared at this point. People were constantly loitering in the hallways and stairwells of the building - most likely selling or maybe even doing drugs - she never stuck around long enough to find out. The streets were littered with homeless people, but thankfully they never bothered her. There were also a fair amount of prostitutes around the area, most of which never paid her any attention. They could probably tell that Cinder did not have any money to spend on them. But there was one - this quirky little redhead named Nora - who lived in the same building as her.
Ever since Cinder moved into that shithole of an apartment, Nora had been there. The friendly whore who had been her only source of joy in this dire chapter of her life. It was a slow process, with Nora initially trying to pick her up when they first met, before learning she had nothing to offer her. So she decided to give Cinder what she really needed - a friend. It started with simple greetings, asking how her day was, anything to try to get her to say more than a few words. But over time Nora gently poked and prodded until she finally started to open up more.
There were also several times where Nora bought her coffee, which was a nice gesture, but it took Cinder an embarrassingly long time to figure out that it was also a big gesture. Just like Cinder, she was not in the best financial situation, so buying anything for her showed that she cared enough to dip into her own savings for her. But there was always a nagging feeling in the back of Cinder's mind that said Nora was only pitying her. Of course she accepted it, because it's all she had, but a part of her did not entirely believe her friendship was real.
Unfortunately, whether it was real or not did not change her situation. Cinder had been good with conserving her money for the past eight months, but her bank account was slowly running dry. If she was lucky, she probably had a month or so of rent and groceries left. After that... well, that was it. At this point, running out of money was inevitable, so maybe it was time to start thinking about... going out on her own terms. As much as Cinder wanted to ask Nora for help, she could not do that. She had been enough of a burden on her.
As Cinder continued walking down the street, idly gazing around at the various buildings, avoiding the passing stares, she noticed a Help Wanted sign in the window of a small bar.
The Perch
Cinder sighed. It was just another rejection waiting to happen. She thought as she resumed walking.
Then she stopped.
After persistently searching for job for months, Cinder could not pass up on an opportunity like that. It was at least worth a shot. So she timidly entered the building.
The first thing Cinder noticed was how dimly lit the room was, which was a stark contrast compared to outside. The only real sources of light were the various neon signs scattered around the walls and the deep red under-glow of the bar counter. Due to the time of day, it was rather sparse, aside from a few patrons between the booths and the bar as well as two staff members. One was behind the bar - a tall grey-haired man, slight stubble along his jawline, wearing a dark grey short-sleeved button-up. The other was serving a group of guests in one of the booths - a short-haired woman dressed in tight black dress pants and an equally-tight black button-up. Cinder could also see a rather elegant tattoo on her left arm of what looked like a bird. After handing the guests their drinks, she turned and noticed the raven-haired woman staring at her.
The waitress approached Cinder with the empty tray. "You lost or something?"
"I, um... saw the help wanted sign in the window..." Cinder managed.
"I see. Well the boss is out handling a delivery right now, so leave your details and she'll call you when she gets back." The waitress informed.
Cinder nodded. "Okay... do you... have a piece of paper?"
"Give me a sec." The waitress said before approaching the bar. "Grab me a pen and pad will you? We've got a chick here about the job."
"Sure thing." The man responded as he reached under the counter and passed the short-haired woman what she asked for.
"Here." The waitress held out the paper and pen for Cinder, which she took.
Cinder timidly smiled, writing down her name and scroll number before passing the items back to the waitress.
"Alright, Raven should be back in a few hours." The waitress told. "She'll give you a call when she's free."
"Thank you." Cinder nodded before turning to leave.
"Not up for a drink?"
Cinder shook her head. "I have something else I need to do."
"Suit yourself." The waitress shrugged. "See you around, Cinder."
On her way home, Cinder stopped by the liquor store, spending a pretty penny on an old favourite brand of wine. If this interview did not go well, rent and groceries would not matter for long.
Nothing would.
Unfortunately, once she arrived at her apartment, she had nothing to do but wait until she was called. Maybe she should take a nap... no, no that was a bad idea. What if she answered and sounded sleepy? Or even worse, what if she slept through the call altogether? Might as well just prepare and practice until then.
After a couple hours of preparation, Cinder's scroll rang from across the bed. Scrambling to catch it, she picked the device up and stopped, taking a deep breath before answering.
"Hello?"
"Is this Cinder Fall?" Came a smooth voice from the other side.
"Yes." Cinder responded, as calmly as possible.
"My name is Raven Branwen, the owner of the bar you visited today." The woman explained. "I just want to ask a few important questions, just formalities before an actual interview."
"What... sort of questions?" Cinder hesitantly wondered.
"Just about health issues - mental or physical - work history, transport and criminal history." Raven answered.
Cinder flinched at the words. Criminal history... Sure she was never convicted of anything, but that was a topic she would much rather not discuss. She was nervous enough. "Very well." Was not the response she wanted to give, but she had no choice. Risk another breakdown, or risk her last chance at a new start.
"Alright. Let's start with health then." Raven started. "Do you have any mental health issues?"
Probably depression. "None that I know of."
"Alright..." Raven started, maybe pausing to write it down. "Vernal mentioned you had some sort of mask covering the left side of your face, do you mind if I ask what it's for?" She inquired.
That was a question Cinder dreaded, but she could not lie. "I... sustained an injury some time ago... It... damaged the left side of my face, so I prefer to keep it covered."
"I see." Was all Raven responded with. She could probably sense that it was not something Cinder wanted to talk about. "What about job history?"
"My last job was at a software company, I was head of engineering... there for six years..." Cinder informed.
"Any restaurant jobs?"
"I worked at a few bars during college..." Cinder answered.
"Perfect. Do you have access to transportation?" Raven asked
Perfect. Cinder liked the way that sounded. "No... but my apartment is only a few blocks away from your bar... so I can walk."
"So you're close by, that's good." Raven acknowledged. "Last question; any criminal history?"
And there it was. The one thing Cinder hoped to the Maidens she would never have to speak of again. But... if she was even going to have a chance of working for this woman, it was something she had to tell her... as much as she wanted to bury it.
"Cinder?" Raven's voice pulled Cinder from her thoughts.
"Sorry!" Cinder burst. "It's just... hard to talk about..."
"No problem. Take your time."
After a couple minutes of silence, Cinder took a deep breath. "I was... falsely accused of arson at my prior workplace."
Relax. You've done this dozens upon dozens of times.
In... and out.
Cinder would get this job. She was sure of it... or at least extremely hopeful.
As much as she expected to break down during her call with Raven - especially during the explanation of her... incident - she was able to stay calm... somehow. Maybe it was due to only sticking to what happened, rather than... what she lost. Cinder shook the thoughts from her head. Don't focus on that now, you have an interview to prepare for. She told herself.
Reaching into her closet, Cinder pulled out the clothes that she used as her interview outfit. It was the only outfit she owned that was really nice enough for anything formal. Comprised of form-fitting black dress pants and a dark red long-sleeved dress shirt. It was nothing extravagant, but combined with a black silk glove for her left hand, it covered a lot, which was always a plus. Once dressed, she made her way to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Normally Cinder would not even bother with makeup - for obvious reasons - but this was an important occasion. Though she did not own nearly as much as she used to, it was still enough. She eventually settled on a small amount of black eye shadow and some ruby red lipstick. As for her hair, though it was not nearly as long as it once was, she was still able to style it in a way that allowed her to cover her area around her left eye - if only partially.
Once Cinder was done with her hair, she headed out. Like the prior day, it was a short walk of only a few blocks. As usual, there were passing stares, but she was both too excited and too nervous to care. As she approached the bars front entrance, she stopped. Sure, this could be the interview that turned her life around, but at the same time, if it did not go well... that was it. End of the line.
No pressure.
Cinder took a deep breath. You can do this. She told herself before entering the building. As expected, the bar was dead quiet, which made sense, as it was not even noon yet. The woman from last time - Vernal - was cleaning the booth tables, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Upon seeing her, Vernal smiled - or more smirked.
"Welcome back." Vernal greeted. "Raven's in her office. Follow me."
Leading her to the end of the bar, Vernal lifted the hatch for them to pass under. The short-haired woman opened a dark wooden door, revealing a small hallway to what appeared to be an employee break room. A single wooden table in the center, a few lockers along the back wall, and several shelves full of various supplies. There were also two doors - one labeled as the bathroom, the other as the exit. Directly to their right was another door labeled Manager, which Vernal provided a few swift knocks on.
"Come in." Came Raven's voice from the other side.
"Hey, you've got nothing to worry about." Vernal assured before opening the door for the other woman.
Cinder timidly nodded. "Thank you." As she slowly walked into the office, Vernal quietly closed the door behind her. Sitting at the desk in front of her was Raven, who looked a lot more intimidating than she sounded on the phone. Wild jet black hair, pale complexion - much like Cinder - and from what she could see, she was fairly muscular - at least enough so to be able to throw people out of the bar if she needed to.
"Cinder Fall?"
The younger woman nodded.
"Have a seat." Raven gestured to one of the wooden chairs in front of her desk. Cinder gave no verbal response, simply nodding again and choosing a chair to sit in. "Just to start, don't worry about being all formal and such, I'm not just after an employee, I'm looking for a coworker."
Cinder blinked. "Oh, um, okay..." Not exactly what she was expecting.
"This is a small business, we work in close quarters, with a lot of downtime, so getting along is more important than just being good at the job." Raven explained.
"I understand... having a close coworker that you don't get along with can be quite troublesome." Cinder recalled.
"We're family, so we know how to deal with each other, but it might take time for you to adjust." Raven continued. "Vernal can be rough, but she's just been through shit, Qrow's an ass but he'll treat you well, Yang's the one you'll have first shift with, she's the good one, talkative, but she doesn't drink on the job or bring girls behind the bar."
Vernal she already met, Qrow must have been that man behind the counter, and Yang... wait a minute. "That I'll have the first shift with...?"
"Right now we've had three people apply, the first two I didn't bother calling because one was sixteen and the other had gang tats and hit on my daughter. You haven't raised any flags so far, so I'm giving you a shot, a trial shift with Yang, see how you do." Raven clarified.
Cinder hesitated. "Not even my... incident?"
"You're not the only one with a mark on the record Cinder, life doesn't get better piling shit on the unfortunate."
Cinder placed her hand over her gloved one. "That it does not..."
"I have to ask though, this is a bar, drunks are drunks, people are going to pay attention, they're going to stare, they're going to comment, they're going to ask, can you handle that?" Raven inquired.
Cinder nodded. "I have been forced to deal with people staring, commenting, and asking since I received these injuries..."
"Good, I don't mind if you defend yourself against people getting handsy, but it's hard taking verbal assault to court." Raven grimaced, sighing. "Sorry this... is a pain to get through but I don't want to hire someone who doesn't understand the situation properly."
"I understand... You shouldn't hire someone who isn't prepared for the job." Cinder added.
"And so far I haven't, I don't expect you to be perfect Cinder, I just want you to come in prepared." Raven stressed.
"I will." Cinder "As I said over the phone, I worked at a few bars during college... Some people are nice, others... not so much..."
"And we try and get them out of the bar before they become problems." Raven added.
"Of course..." Cinder agreed. "But I must admit, I may not be able to physically do that with some people..."
"Do you have issues with your left side?" Raven asked.
"I... prefer to keep it covered, and the skin is rather sensitive... so when it comes to physical tasks, I am not as adept as I once was..." Cinder admitted.
"Well, we don't need a weightlifter to man the bar, as long as you can perform well it's okay if you can't lug a keg around." Raven assured.
Cinder nodded. "I will, thank you..."
"Don't thank me yet, we can have the trial tomorrow, if you don't have anything scheduled." Raven offered.
Cinder's heart clenched at the phrasing, old memories burned harsh in her mind. "No... I'm... I'm free tomorrow..."
"Good, good, how does just after lunch sound?" Raven wondered.
"That's fine for me..."
"Great, it'll go for...two hours to start with." Raven explained. "If you're doing well, you stay for the full shift, and if you're still going strong, we consider it your first day."
"You're... going to hire me?" Cinder balked.
"Barring a complete disaster? Yeah, it seems pretty likely." Raven affirmed.
Cinder could not believe what she was hearing. "Even with my record?"
"Your record doesn't concern me, people end up in shitty situations, and get screwed over for them. It's a fact of life everyone here understands." Raven continued. "As long as you work hard, and work consistently we're not going to have any problems, alright?"
And there it was. After eight long months, it was finally over. Feeling a tear running down her cheek and a smile on her face, she nodded. "Alright."
"Are... you gonna be ok? Do you need a tissue or something?"
"No I'm fine, sorry it's... just been a trying time for me." Cinder smiled, wiping her eye. "This means the world to me, I promise I won't let you down." She vowed as she stood.
"I believe you." Raven chuckled. "Hey, you want a drink before you go?"
Cinder shook her head. "Thank you but... I already have a bottle waiting for me at home."
"Well, enjoy your night then." Raven bid, extending her hand, the younger woman took it happily.
Cinder smiled. "I plan too."
Cinder still could not believe it. After months of searching she finally had a job. Well, sort of. There was still a trial to get through the next day, but as long as that went well, she would have a job. It was time for a celebration.
After arriving back at her apartment, Cinder changed into something more comfortable. No matter how good an outfit made her feel, it was always a nice feeling to strip it off in favour of a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Once she was redressed, she grabbed two things off her bed - the expensive bottle of wine... and a small bottle of pills. Her end of the line plan. If the interview with Raven did not go well, she was going to use them to... well, it did not matter anymore. Placing the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter, Cinder took the pills to the bathroom and flushed them down the toilet. She regretted even taking them out in the first place, and hoped she would never go that low again.
As for the wine, she figured after a successful interview, having a glass was well deserved. Entering the kitchen, Cinder grabbed a cup from the cupboard, and went to grab a corkscrew, but was unable to find it. Did she even own one? It would be rather embarrassing if she did not. After searching for a few minutes, it turned out the answer to that question was no. Cinder could not help but laugh... and cry. How sad was that? Sure, she had not had wine in... quite a while, but she never expected to not have a corkscrew of all things. Though she was planning to have a single drink alone first, it seemed that was not possible anymore, so taking bottle of wine, she headed over to Nora's apartment.
Cinder was thankful that her only friend lived in the same building as her. It was nice having her so close, especially when she needed her. As she approached Nora's door, she stopped, realizing that this was the first time she had ever been there on her own before. She was always the one being sought out by the redhead to hang out, talk, get coffee... Maybe now that I have a job I could afford to take her out sometime. Cinder thought as she knocked on the door.
Then she heard it - a feint slapping noise coming from within the apartment... Wait, is that...
"Little busy at the moment!" Came Nora's half yelled, half moaned response from inside. Oh...
"I'm sorry!" Cinder blurted, slowly backing away from the door as her face began to heat up, realizing what her friend was doing.
"Cindy!" Nora gasped. "Is that you?"
"Ye-Yes..." Cinder hesitantly responded, wondering if Nora could even hear her over her... activities.
"Just give me a second!" Nora called.
And so, Cinder idly stood outside her friend's door while she waited. She heard muffled voices inside, but was unable to understand what they were saying. A couple minutes went by before the apartment door swung open, causing Cinder to yelp in surprise as rather large disgruntled man passed her on his way out. Nora appeared in the doorway soon after, dressed in only a pink bath robe.
"Cindy!" Nora burst, throwing herself at the other woman to wrap her in a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"I come bearing good news... for once." Cinder half-smiled as the redhead released her.
"That's great!" Nora cheered. "Did you win something? Did you make a new friend?" She paused. "Did you get laid?"
Cinder could not help but chuckle. That girl could always make her laugh. "No Nora, none of those. But... I did manage to get a job."
Nora gasped. "You did?! Congrats!" She praised, wrapping her friend in another hug. "You wanna celebrate?"
After being released again, Cinder held up the wine bottle. "Why else would I have this?"
"Oooh, fancy!"
"So? Would you like to go inside and share it?" Cinder wondered.
"Oh! No no, my apartment smells like sex, and I like yours better!" Nora chirped.
Cinder raised a brow. "You like mine better? Nora are you sure you don't smoke anything?"
"Yep!" Nora grinned, turning back to re-enter her apartment. "Be right back!"
Cinder watched as Nora proceeded to strip off her bath robe, throwing it onto her bed before heading to her closet - all with her apartment door still wide open. It once again reminded her of how jealous she was of the redhead. Nora had perfect skin, sizable breasts, a shapely rear... things that Cinder only wished she had... even before the accident when she was still proud of her own body.
Soon enough Nora was dressed in something other than a bath robe - a white t-shirt and a pair of pink shorts - and she was at the door, ready to go.
"Oh, do you happen to have a corkscrew?" Cinder asked. "I learned today I don't have one..."
"Sure do!" Nora smiled before heading back into her apartment to grab it. When she returned, she handed Cinder something that appeared to be a corkscrew, but was... different. It was a small red pudgy figure, with a screw coming out of it's... oh. Of course a corkscrew Nora owned looked like that.
It made Cinder chuckle. "Alright Nora let's go." She hummed as Nora locked her door and the pair left for the older woman's apartment.
Once the two arrived, it did not take long for them to get into the wine - since there was not much else for them to do anyway. As the afternoon progressed, the wine was slowly consumed, and Cinder began to realize something. Interrupting Nora while she was... busy must have left her rather... unsatisfied, so there was a possibility that the celebration would become more enjoyable for the both of them if the drinking continued.
As the evening came, the pair decided to order some Mistrali takeout. Nora tried to pay her share, but Cinder insisted it was her treat. After all, she finally had a job, so she would not have to worry about money nearly as much anymore. Plus, it helped her to start to feel normal again. After finishing both their meal and the rest of the wine, the pair sat on Cinder's bed against the wall, the older woman lying back against Nora. Neither of them said anything, simply enjoying each other's company.
Though that peace and quiet did not last very long, as Cinder felt arms snake their way around her stomach. She could not help but smile, knowing exactly what the redhead was up to. Soon enough one of those arms made its way up to her breast as Nora started trailing kisses along her neck. It was not long before her breath grew heavy, a familiar heat flaring within her. After a minute or two Cinder could not take it anymore. Turning around, she shifted herself to straddle Nora before meeting her in a tender kiss. Once they parted, the younger woman giggled.
"I love seeing you like this." Nora hummed.
"Like what? On top of you?" Cinder chuckled.
Nora just smiled. "Happy."
Cinder blinked, not expecting such a genuine answer. Rather than responding, she simply met Nora in a much more passionate kiss.
They had a fun night ahead of them.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Excited to start this one!
Your feedback fuels me!