"So, when I saw Sasha carrying a tray of bacon grease, I asked her to hold up a minute, then I took his precious veggie patty and soaked it right in that bacon grease until it was dripping, before I put it on the grill." The latest applicant laughed as he relayed a story to the interview panel. "I mean, he was making such a huge deal about it, 'are you sure it isn't made with animal fat? Is it cooked on the same grill with the meat patties?' God it had us laughing for ages when he took that burger." Allison, Chase and Riley all just blinked at him, just staring blankly.
"O...kay." Riley responded, looking to Allison. "You're the supervisor...thoughts?"
"That's...not really what I meant when I asked you to recount a time you dealt with a difficult customer." Allison responded. The guy being interviewed just looked a little confused. "Do you really think that's such a great story?"
"Well, he was being such a pain about it..."
"If he was making such a big deal about whether or not there was any animal fat in it, don't you think there might have been a REASON?" Allison suggested. The guy just continued to look gormless as she pressed the issue. "What if he'd had an allergy? You could have sent him to the hospital!"
"Thanks for coming. I think we've got everything we need." Chase told him as he gestured to the door, escorting the man out.
"Really?" He asked. "That's great! So, did I get it?"
"We'll let you know." Riley responded as forced a smile. "We still have people to see, and we do have to be fair to the others that applied."
"Right, got you!" The guy replied as he left. Chase closed the door behind him before bursting out laughing. Riley threw his pen over his shoulder, rolling his eyes, while Allison just smacked her head to the desk, pounding her fist to let out her frustration and disbelief.
"Is that guy even serious?" Riley asked. "How could ANYONE be that dumb?"
"What the hell has happened to the world?" Allison muttered. "Seriously, how does Ms Morgan deal with all the freaks that come in for interviews?"
"Should I show the next one in? Or do we need a minute?" Chase asked, trying to compose himself. Allison just gestured to him to open the door.
"Let's just get it over with." She grumbled. "NEXT!"
Over at the farm, Matt came to the house, finding his mother bringing in large pails of milk. He came over, taking one of the buckets from her as she struggled up the path with it.
"Mom, you know you're not meant to struggle with this stuff, there are plenty of people on the farm these days." Matt told her.
"Matt, those men work for Anton, not us." She reminded him.
"Anton also said they'd help us around the place." Matt reminded her. "If I'm not around, you can always ask them to..."
"Matt Griffin, I am perfectly capable of carrying a little milk." She said, seeming to become a little short.
"Really, do you think Dr White would agree?" Matt asked her. "You need to take care of yourself. You know your back is..."
"Matt, I was lugging around these pails long before you were born!" She answered.
"Mom, we have a visitor." Matt informed her, gesturing to Kendall to change the subject. Mrs Griffin, much like her boys had a stubborn streak, and although she was starting to accept the fact there were certain things that were just no longer practical for her to do. For one thing, she was only barely in the five foot region and was in no danger of breaking a hundred pounds. For another, she wasn't getting any younger. He knew he could, as he had several times, have this argument with his mother all day with no danger of winning, but if there was anything Mrs Griffin valued more than her pride in earning her own way through life, it was hospitality to a guest. She put the pail she was carrying down and came over to Kendall, smiling brightly.
"Kendall, it's wonderful to see you again! It's been far too long!" She greeted her. "Is Riley...?"
"It's just me I'm afraid, I'm taking a couple of days." Kendall told her with a smile. "Matt kept on at me to come to this harvest festival so I finally figured; maybe I'd take him up on it."
"She was going to stay in town." Matt said with a little smirk that betrayed the fact he knew exactly what his mom would say to that idea. He had already all but invited Kendall to stay himself.
"Oh, you will do no such thing Kendall! Here, give me that bag!" She told her, snatching Kendall's bag from her in a startling grip. "Come, I've got some wonderful sausage from the butcher...you're not vegetarian are you?"
"Not since the last time she was here." Matt answered as he was about to pick up the second pail. Kendall stopped him.
"I can take it." She told him. He just looked to her.
"Are you sure?" He asked her. Kendall just glared back.
"Are you saying I can't?" She replied. He just held up a hand.
"Hey, I know better than to try and stop you." He replied as he headed for the house. Kendall grabbed the pail and went to pick it up, but found herself stumbling as it barely moved. She tried again, but it just felt like she was more likely to tear her arm out its socket than shift it. She steadied herself and braced, this time lifting it with both hands. She managed to lift it, but she had to admit having a certain admiration for Mrs Griffin now that she saw what a full pail of milk actually weighed.
"Good grief." She managed to get out, steadying the weight of the pail as she made her way towards the house. She got into the kitchen, seeing the other pail on the floor. She was grateful to put it down. Mrs Griffin arrived back in the kitchen as she straightened herself out.
"This is really kind of you." Kendall told her. "I wouldn't mind getting a room in town, but I guess if Riley's not going to be here I could always use his room..."
"Oh, well...if you insist." Mrs Griffin answered. Kendall looked a little confused. "Well...I mean...I'd have thought you'd have been more comfortable in Matt's room."
"In...in Matt's..." Kendall started to say. Mrs Griffin just laughed a little.
"Please, we're all adults. I know these things happen." She told her.
"Mom, Kendall just arrived." Matt reminded her as he returned to the room, putting his arm around Kendall. "At least let her get unpacked before you give her the third degree."
"Dinner should be on the table shortly." She told them. "Matt, why don't you show her where everything is?"
Kendall was thankful for the interruption. While Mrs Griffin did know about the relationship between them, and supported it, Kendall wasn't entirely sure she was overly comfortable discussing the finer points of exactly where they were in the relationship with Matt's mom. He took Kendall by the hand and took her from the kitchen.
"I'm sorry about mom." Matt told her, taking Kendall upstairs. She breathed a little sigh of relief as they finally left the kitchen. "I know she can be a little full-on."
"That's one way of putting it." Kendall said as he took her upstairs. She could see the room that was clearly Riley's. There were posters on the walls depicting a number of old swashbuckling movies. The room was meticulously tidy and ordered, much like she'd expect from Riley. On the desk was a microscope, a computer, and a chemistry set, all of which looked completely out of place in the farmhouse. On the wall, there were a bunch of awards and certificates, likely for his academic achievements. On the desk, there was a chess set which was set up for a game that Riley had clearly abandoned when he went to Amber Beach, and a Rubik's cube.
"Mom insists she wants it to be just how he left it for any time he comes home." Matt told her, noticing the smile on her face as he closed the door over.
"That is...pretty much EXACTLY how I pictured Riley's room." She chuckled. "His room at the apartment is a little more...cluttered. I think the guys are a bad influence on him."
"Should I be concerned about how much time you spend thinking about my little brother's room?" He teased her as they got to his room. Kendall just shoved him playfully as he let her inside.
Matt's room was a lot less cluttered. In fact, it was by comparison practically empty. There was only a bed, a chair and a table. It looked almost more like a vacant motel room than a bedroom someone actually lived in. The only thing that indicated Matt used the room for anything other than sleeping was a rifle and a shotgun on a rack on the wall, and a small metal box on the desk, next to a pestle and mortar. Since there wasn't any noticeable means of cooking around, so she sincerely doubted he used it to grind herbs.
"Well, this is...nice." She said, trying to think of something to say about the room. Matt couldn't help smiling.
"It's a little different from Riley's right?" He asked her.
"I just...I guess I was expecting a few more personal touches." She told him. "You know, little nick nacks, souvenirs from places you've been. Some old toys perhaps maybe."
"My stuff's all over the house." He told her, coming across and putting his arms around her. "My shooting awards and my high school certificates are in the living room. As for souvenirs...well, you kind of have to go places to pick them up."
"So there were no little keepsakes?" She asked him. "No stamp collection? No toys?"
"Most of my old toys I handed down to Riley, the ones he wanted to keep anyway. Others went to the church." He answered. "I never had much use for them. Dad passed when I was fifteen. I spent most of my time working after that."
"Come on, surely there's something." She pressed on, taking the key necklace out of her blouse and showing it to him. "Even I have a few things just for myself in my room."
"I guess I just always thought of the farm as my own space." He answered her, drawing her closer. As he was about to kiss her, she noticed her suitcase on the bed. She just gave him a little look as she pulled away a little.
"You brought my bag to your room?" She asked him. "Don't you think that was a little presumptuous?"
"Are you objecting?" He asked her.
"I guess not." She replied, closing over the door. As he closed in, she held a hand to his chest, keeping him at arm's length.
"Matt, there is another reason I came here." She told him, reaching for her pocket. "There's something I want to give you..." Matt silenced her with a finger to her lips. He started to close in.
"I'm sure whatever you have to say can wait until after..."
"MATT! KENDALL!" Mrs Griffin shouted from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"
"Perfect timing mom." He chuckled. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait for now right?"
"I...I guess so." Kendall replied as he opened the door and headed for the kitchen.
"Mom, did you get the mustard...?"
"It's already on the table sweetheart!" Mrs Griffin assured him. Kendall pulled the Purple Energem out of her pocket, looking to it for a moment. She knew that they needed to get it bonded as soon as possible, certainly before Sledge found out about it. She knew that every moment the Purple Energem was unbonded, it increased the risk that Fury or one of the others would find out about it.
"Kendall, are you coming?" Matt called up to her. Kendall slipped the Energem back into her pocket and smiled. It was a calculated risk, but she was sure she could hold off on asking Matt to take the Energem until tomorrow.
"I'm just coming." She replied as she headed down the stairs.
Back at the museum, the interviews were barely going any better than they had been. There was some entertainment to be had at first, but as the day wore on, Allison's patience started to wear thin.
"So I grabbed that guy by the scruff of the neck and tossed him out!" The latest applicant told her. "I mean, who seriously tries to pay for a coffee with a hundred dollar bill and no change?"
"NEXT!"
"So, would you mind paying me cash in hand? I kind of have a little issue with the IRS..."
"NEXT!"
"My religion forbids me from taking orders from a woman or serving meat..."
"And so you apply for a job in a burger joint?" She snapped, throwing her hands up in the air. "NEXT!"
As Chase showed the latest applicant out, Allison just banged her head on the desk in frustration.
"When...will...it...end?" She said, continuing to bang her head.
"Well, don't worry; it looks like we only have a couple left." Chase said, looking to the waiting area. "You, the blonde one, in you come."
A girl came around the door as Chase showed her in, looking a little nervous as she entered. She was only around five foot three, and very slight in frame, with shoulder-length blonde hair, which she wore in a distinctive style, with two long plaits pulled back and tied behind her, holding the rest of the hair back out of her face. She had bright blue eyes, and was wearing an aquamarine shirt and black denims. She smiled as she got to the desk, putting down her CV.
"Leanne?" Riley asked excitedly, seeing her sitting opposite the interview panel. "What are you doing here?"
"You know each other?" Chase asked him. Leanne put her hand over her mouth as she laughed a little, while shaking Riley's hand.
"We met a few months ago." Leanne told them. "We met at the...um...LARP group."
"LARP group?" Allison asked as chase closed the door to ensure no one else outside the office heard them. "You mean the tournament?"
"You...you know about that?" Leanne asked as they all looked to her. Riley just smiled and looked to the others.
"Yeah, I met Leanne at the tournament. She gave me a favour before my final joust." Riley told them. He could see that she was a little surprised that Riley was so forthcoming about the tournament. The Mystics were very selective about who they allowed to even know about the All Realms Tournament, much less compete. "But...I thought you lived in Briarwood!"
"My folks moved out here a couple of months back. I've been going to the local High School." Leanne informed him. "I figured it was about time I got a part-time job and when I saw this place advertised, I remembered you saying something about it."
She looked to the other two people in the room.
"So...you know about Riley?" She asked them. Riley just nodded.
"You know how I was able to change?" Riley asked her. "Well, Chase is a member of my team. Allison helps us out."
"So...you know." Allison sighed.
"I guess that could come in handy." Chase responded. "You know, one less person we have to lie to about what we're doing when we get an alarm."
"There are just a few more things we need to check on." Allison asked her. "Do you have any issues with the IRS?"
"No." Leanne asked, looking a little confused.
"Any violent outbursts towards customers?" She asked.
"No." Leanne answered, completely confused. "Though the trolls could really try my patience at the last place I worked."
"The internet is full of assholes I agree." Allison told her.
"Um...I meant ACTUAL trolls." She clarified. "Believe me, when a river troll tries to argue the finer points of the difference between medium rare and medium well it rarely ends on friendly terms."
"So you're used to dealing with difficult customers is how I think I'll phrase that." Allison answered. "You have a lot of experience in food service?"
"I've been serving in cafes since I was...um...I've been in food service for about five years." She answered. Allison looked to her.
"Just one last question." She replied. "What's your favourite dinosaur?"
"I guess...the Oviaptor?" She suggested. Allison just reached for the button maker, writing Leanne's name down under a picture of an Oviaptor and put it in, twisting the handle and popping out a fresh button for her.
"Please tell me you can start tomorrow!" Allison begged her. Leanne covered her mouth as she giggled a little.
"Are you serious? I have the job?" She asked. Riley rounded the table, hugging her tightly.
"Welcome aboard!" He declared loudly, before letting her go, and backing up a little, offering her a handshake. "Um...well...you know...welcome to the team."
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Koda arrived at Alessandra's motel. He had spent hours wandering the streets, trying to think of what he would say to her. Kendall had told him that during the time he was away, she had stumbled onto the base, and so she knew who the Rangers were.
Koda had always disliked lying to her, and a part of him was happy that Alessandra now knew he was a Ranger, but Kendall had also told him that that was all she had told her. She hadn't told her anything about where, or more accurately when Koda had come from. That filled Koda with a sense of dread, knowing that was still something he had to explain to her.
The thought had occurred to him that it was a conversation he would have to have eventually. Even, all going well, once Sledge and his crew were gone and the Rangers were no longer needed; he knew that eventually he would have to tell her if he wanted any kind of lasting relationship.
He loved her more than anything. He would often find himself thinking of her whenever she wasn't around. He was working hard to learn how to make a life for himself in the world, but now, he wasn't thinking about a life of his own. He had imagined a life with her; he had considered the possibility of a family, all the things he had hoped for back in his own time. He knew that none of it would be possible though without her knowing everything.
He made his way to the door and knocked on it, waiting for an answer. Eventually, Alessandra answered it. She was happy to see him, and greeted him, but it was a lot more subdued than he was expecting. Was she already having difficulty with the fact he had hidden who he was from her.
"We need talk." Koda began. Alessandra just nodded her head and showed him inside.