[Jay Aspen]

    The takeout window shut. It shut very quietly and very nicely and not at all like it was going to break, which was impressive because Jay did, actually, very much, want to break the window. How hard was it not to be a dick to someone? That was the third guy in a row!
    Her head fell into her hands and Jay let out the biggest, longest, most infuriated groan that echoed in the small fast-food kitchen. Her hands dragged down her face and she stared out- dead-eyed and desperate- at @genie. "Dude, I swear to god that if I have to take another drive-thru order, I'm gonna," Murder someone, probably. Bust the fryer so they could go home early. "Put worms in their car until it explodes. Just so many, many worms."
    She dropped her hands and looked at her partner pleadingly. "I kno----ow it's just us, but like, c'mon, I'm gonna crawl through that window at a customer for cussing at me cuz I put two pickles on their burger instead of three. I'll do garbage and clean the grill if you swap with me and relieve me of this terrible, terrible burden."
    Okay, okay, she was being overdramatic, but the offer to switch was real. Her mouth twitched in a grin. No one could resist this. Jay definitely couldn't. Sue her, it'd make her feel better. Jay batted her eyelashes and pouted in a very bad impression of an sad anime girl. "Pwetty pwetty pwease? Wit' a chewwy on top?"

[Genesis Donovan]

[nospaces]

I'm a swallower of anger

I'm the tree that falls and makes no sound

[break]

[attr="class","GEN"]

---

[break]


Genie was so mad at the temp agency at the moment. They had assigned her to a fast food restaurant for three whole weeks. She knew that she was the one who got the shitty spot because she had been flaking out on a lot of the jobs they’d been sending her way lately, but that was the whole reason she worked for the company, so she could have time off without questions asked when she needed or wanted too. [break][break]

Apparently she had passed on too many jobs in the last year, however, and they told her that if she continued to refuse positions that she were going to drop her from the active employee list. So here she was, day three at the restaurant. Even though they claimed it was their bookkeeper who was out on leave, they were using her as a regular line employee. [break][break]

She even had a shiny name tag that read “Jenny”. The agency had her listed under the name Jennifer Tanner, preferred name Jenny. [break][break]

It was a couple hours into the shift, and it was pretty clear that the employee working the drive thru window was having it rough today. They came over, eyelids aflutter, begging Genie to swap places. It wouldn’t take all that much for Genie to agree, really. Running the grill was not her strong suit, and she was probably the reason most of the customers were being assholes. [break][break]

“If you want to switch, I’m good with it.” She shrugged and smirked. “There will probably be less customer complaints that way anyway. Sorry, I’m so awful at this kind of job. I don’t know how they even convinced the agency to send someone here because we usually only work office positions.” [break][break]

The whole shift so far, Genie had been trying to figure out why Jay looked familiar, but she still couldn’t place anything. [break][break]

“Just know that if anyone throws something at me, I’m out.” She’d heard horror stories about how terribly customers could act, and she knew that if someone pulled that crap with her she’d be likely to react poorly. [break][break]

---

[break]

Jay Aspen [break]
Lemme know for changes[break]
(ps - the tag for genie is @ genesis)

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[Jay Aspen]

    "Oh thank GOD," Jay said, hands flying up in the air in relief. "Aw dude, no it's fine. Grill takes some skill and everyone thinks is super easy, but it isn't. Honestly, I hate working drive-thru so much- if anyone gets mad at your for something, tell me and I'll punch them through the window. I don't think the managers would care after the night we've had but. Jesus. Christ."
    As he talked, Jay practically yanked off the headset and tossed it to-- "Is your name actually Jenny? You never respond to it so like, I can call you something else or break into the office and make you a new name tag." Crap, he shouldn't've said that. "… Just don't tell them I know how to get in there."
    As he talked, Jay checked over the grill with practiced ease. No, she hadn't been at this store very long, but all grills were the same and after a million different line cook jobs, she was basically an expert. "What agency are you with? I'm with HelpingHands mostly, and they got me this position." The frozen patties hit the grill with a greasy sizzle and he tossed a glance back at her. "Do you want something to eat?"

---

Genesis Donovan ur good! =w= i did almost miss this tho rip
also sorry jay talks so much theres always like five questions to answer with him lmao

[Genesis Donovan]

[nospaces]

I'm a swallower of anger

I'm the tree that falls and makes no sound

[break]

[attr="class","GEN"]

---

[break]


Genie smirked, amused with the dramatic way that Jay reacted when she said she’d swap and work the window. She wasn’t very fond of doing the cooking anyway, even aside from the fact that she wasn’t good at it. This was the kind of job that she’d never wanted. [break][break]

“Oh, yeah, they actually got it right. I’m just a little spacy sometimes.” Genie hadn't realized that she had not been responding to Jenny like she should have been. Usually it wasn’t an issue, when she filled in at medical offices and administrative positions. Places that were generally more quiet than the fast food restaurant business was. Maybe it was just all the other noise around them that was making it harder to listen for when she was being spoken to. “I also don’t usually work in an environment this.. chaotic.” She gave a shrug and pulled the headset on. [break][break]

It was further amusing when Jay revealed that they were also working for a temp agency. She wouldn’t have assumed that with how much more comfortable and confident Jay seemed than how she felt. “I work for Robert Half. It’s convenient that it’s national and I can move and not have to find a new agency. It’s inconvenient that they’ve started taking jobs like this. I’m more suited to desk work. Data entry? I can do that in my sleep.” Genie complained, walking over to the window and hopping up on the back counter to sit. She probably wasn’t supposed to, but she didn’t really care. [break][break]

“What’d you do to get stuck with this gig?” She questioned, feeling more talkative than normal. Jay’s energy was catchy, it seemed. “I apparently turned down too many listings and it was either take this one or get dropped from the roster.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I could eat anything here after smelling it all day.” [break][break]

---

[break]

Jay Aspen [break]
Lemme know for changes

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[Jay Aspen]

       Jay blew a raspberry as he tested a burger and flipped it. "It's a tra---agic story," he said with a massive eyeroll that could be felt even across the kitchen. "'cause, you know, when you're a kid with behavioral issues and a dubiously available parent who lets you do whatever you want, and you drop out of high school halfway through junior year, it turns out that no one wants to hire you for anything and also you're socially underdeveloped and impulsive." No, he definitely wasn't getting over some issues.
      The spatula clanged as Jay set it down- hard, harder than he should've- with a sharp exhale and grimace. "Anyway," he muttered. Traumadumping on the new girl much? Christ, that had to be a great first impression. "So, I lost my last job for getting into a fight with my manager," and two other staff members, and then his Sector handler, but he wasn't going to say that was he? "and then, cuz I, like, stressed the guy out- or something- so bad that he had to go to the hospital and then he almost sued me- and I'm broke and." Jay looked up and wiggled his fingers like magic. "Special, so the government had to move me out here to avoid a whole mess."
      God, he was doing it again. He was basically a whole blabbermouth who said the first thing that popped into his head. "Basically, my life is a mess and I have no money," Jay joked. "Honestly, I think if you're able to work a desk job without wanting to jump off a high roof, you're doing great in life. I can't sit for eight hours on one spot without feeling like I'm gonna go monkey-mode and start mauling someone."
      He waved a hand and started toasting a bun. "It's definitely not the worst job I've worked though. Night shift lets me do pretty much whatever, and I've been here two months so I'm kinda de facto manager since the guy who's supposed to be running the place tonight doesn't show up half the time."

---

Genesis Donovan

[Genesis Donovan]

[nospaces]

I'm a swallower of anger

I'm the tree that falls and makes no sound

[break]

[attr="class","GEN"]

---

[break]


Genie was glad that Jay had such a dramatic personality. Usually, she wasn’t thrilled about people with exuberant personalities like that, she preferred to stick to herself and not really talk with coworkers, but with it being just the two of them on the shift that was sort of impossible. So at least since Jay was so enthusiastic they could do the majority of the talking while she listened and answered what was necessary. [break][break]

Jay went on about growing up with behavioral issues and parental issues. Seems like that was a constant, no matter who you were. Genie hadn't met anyone who talked to her about their parents who wasn’t fucked up by one or both of them in some way or another. It wasn’t until Jay waved their fingers and emphasized the word special that Genie really started honing in on what was not being said, what was between the lines. [break][break]

“Special?” She questioned, making a mental note that the government had some involvement as well. She wasn’t going to come out and ask ’are you gifted’ or anything like that. And honestly, she wasn’t sure how she felt about working with someone else who was. Maybe it was better if Jay had meant something else entirely, or if they had meant gifted, maybe it would be better if they lied about it now. Genie wasn’t sure she wanted to know. [break][break]

“Desk jobs are my standard. I’m so much better at those than I am at any of this.” She motioned around the restaurant. “I’m not what anyone would call a people person, not in the slightest.” No, Genie preferred quiet and solitude most of the time, at work and otherwise. “I’ve had enough chaos in life that I don’t like it when I’m trying to work.” [break]

---

[break]

Jay Aspen [break]
Genie is a mess. Let me know for any changes.

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[Jay Aspen]

     "God, I'm nothing but chaos," Jay said with one hand wave and a finger wiggle. The other was busy picking out lettuce and onion. "It's the ADHD, apparently. Something something, a lack of support in school and in the family, something something, behavioral issues and parental neglect, something something teachers are narcs and tattled to the government, and then they had to step in and move me around to like, I dunno, make life bearable for everyone else."
     Mustard and mayo blarted onto the bun. It's not exactly like she was lying- it was true, kinda. Like, yes, the ADHD was real, and yeah, okay, maybe it’s something she should be medicating or properly seeking help for beyond the occasional Sector-mandated therapy sessions, and yes she had anger issues stemming from that, which did make daily life difficult, but it wasn't actually the reason the government had to step in.
     No, that was her Gift. With great power came great responsibility. Or, at least, great capacity to harm. But it wasn't like it was something she was going to advertise around in great big flashing letters. She'd gotten so many lectures about not using her power, except in controlled environments, and even then only in limited amounts. Like she was going to, on purpose, hurt someone more than she already had.
     "Anyway, what about you? Any deep dark secrets you wanna share with a stranger you'll never see again, Genesis Donovan ?" The burger had finally been assembled, and Jay settled onto the step ladder. "If you confess to a murder or something, I promise I won't judge or tell the cops," she said, one hand over her heart in mock promise. "Or anyone else. Not that I have anyone else to tell, but y'know."

[Genesis Donovan]

[nospaces]

I'm a swallower of anger

I'm the tree that falls and makes no sound

[break]

[attr="class","GEN"]

---

[break]


Jay declared they were nothing but chaos, and Genie felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. She could see that, and could imagine that it wasn’t just at work that they were like this. They mentioned ADHD, and Genie nodded. She understood how that could be a factor, even if she didn’t suffer from the same. But then Jay went on, talking about being moved around frequently, something Genie could very much relate to. [break][break]

“You were in foster care?” She asked, watching as Jay haphazardly assembled the burger. “Me too.” Genie scrunched her nose and shook her head slightly. “Definitely not the best way to grow up.” What would be the best way? In a house with two loving parents? Or at least one loving parent? When she was younger, Genie would daydream about what it would have been like if her mom had gotten away with her that day, if she’d gotten packed and out of the house before Ray had gotten home. [break][break]

She liked to think that they would have made it safely away from Ray. Genie would have grown up in one place, going to school with the same people from kindergarten through graduation. She’d still have a good relationship with her mother now, and she never would have had to kill anyone. She never would have had to fight for her own life, not like she’d been doing since she was only thirteen years old. [break][break]

Even if she knew it was all an illusion, that it would never have really happened like that, it had brought her some comfort when she was younger. Now, she generally didn’t allow herself to dwell on those kinds of thoughts. She’d seen enough families to know even loving and caring parents screwed their kids up. Besides, it was just as likely that they’d be on the run like she was with her father, for fear of him catching up with them. She was never destined to have a normal life. [break][break]

“Oh, absolutely a murderer. The worst there is.” Genie gave a wink and forced a small laugh, playing it off as the joke it was expected to be. “I don’t know about any deep dark secrets. I mean, I guess the closest I’ve got is that my dad was a criminal?” She shrugged again. “My life is pretty boring, honestly. I just do what I can to get by, and try to keep my own head down. Don’t want to stick out for the wrong reasons, you know?” [break][break]

Genie wondered what Jay would do if she told them the truth, that she had killed people, that her real job was working for the Guild. Would any of it even make sense? “I guess after moving around so much as I did, I didn’t want the drama once I was out of the system.” It was easy to lie when the lie was backed by half truths. [break][break]

---

[break]

Jay Aspen | Let me know for any changes.

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