A Job to Do in Shreveport

[onceaviking]

The time has come for Jay to take a trip with Eric to Shreveport to secure his house.

Eric is waiting for him by the door, dressed much as he normally is in black jeans and a wife beater.

His door opens to his office at Fangtasia, where it's close to four in the morning and the staff is closing up. Nobody pays Jay any particular attention. Not getting into Eric's affairs is one of the things you learn when you work for him, and everyone here has learned that lesson.

Eric looks through his emails, while Jay waits, and then calls for Pam before heading out to the parking lot where his car is parked. It's a red Corvette, shiny and new.

Pam greets Jay with as much enthusiasm as she can muster, which is very little indeed. The ride to Eric's place takes place in silence and she is quickly out the door and inside the house.

The house is a large bungalow with a spacious garage, where Eric parks next to a rented pickup. Everything is very neat, almost hotel like. Inside, the kitchen is spotless and empty, apart from a bag in the counter and a calendar on the wall depicting a rough, coastal landscape.
Eric throws his keys on the counter and turns to face Jay.

"I've asked my day guy to stop by around 11. He'll get you lunch and whatever else you need. He knows where your hotel is as well. The Remington Suite it's called. Parking space has been reserved and the spa's included."

He nods at the plastic bag on the counter. "There's instant coffee, juice, and some sort of breakfast thing in there. The neighbors doesn't tend to be too nosy, but some of the soccer moms might try their luck. Feel free to take advantage, just don't take them inside. "

Comments

[onceaviking]

"I'll see you," Eric replies and then he walks out of the kitchen and down to the door to the basement. He presses the keypad to unlock it and disappears down into the darkness, leaving the house feeling empty . And very quiet.

The only sound is the hum of the refrigerator.

[runningred]

The code-lock precaution impresses Jay. Eric's a smart one. No wonder he's survived so long.

Jay dumps his stuff in the guest room for now and gets a couple of hours sleep but he's up with the dawn, digging in the prep-work for garden.

Once the stores are open, he takes the pick-up and hits up the plant stores for the supplies he needs.

By the time Thomas turns up, Jay has most of the ground work done and a truckfull of plants ready to go in.

[onceaviking]

Thomas arrives in a black SVU a little past eleven.
He jumps out of the car with the sort of overly athletic movement favoroured by people who have once been athletic. He's dressed in black, from his trainers to his sunglasses and the nod he gives Jay is courteous and with an air of self importance that doesn't quite match his role as glorified gopher.

His smile is friendly enough though.

He wipes his forehead and nods at the garden. "You've been busy, I see."

[runningred]

"Hey." Jay straightening up and dusting off his hands. "You must be Thomas."

He shrugs, "Got things to do, might as well get on it." Jay, who actually is athletic but because he needs to be for what he does rather than to look good, tries very hard not to look down on this guy.

[onceaviking]

"Yeah, yeah, know what you mean," Thomas replies.

"Mr. Northman has asked me to go get you some lunch. What would you like? "

He stuffs his hands in his pockets." He said, you've done work for vamps before? "

Thomas isn't in a hurry, it seems.

[runningred]

Jay shrugs, nonchalantly. "Couple of jobs. Geordia and Nevada." He makes a point of tidying up his tools before stopping work to talk. He is a professional after all.

"Don't know. What's good locally?" He runs his hands through his hair, pulling it back with a band. He really has to get that cut. "Mind showing me around a bit? It'd be nice to know where my hotel is so I can get cleaned up later."

[onceaviking]

Thomas nods, the way you do when you're in the know. Or want to look that way.

"Sure thing, "he says." It's a really nice place they've booked you into. Or so I've heard. No needs for hotels when you're local. "

He laughs.

"There's a bar and restaurant just 10 minutes away from here. They've got really good ribs. Their rice and beans ain't bad either."

[runningred]

Wow, such a toady. No wonder Eric keeps him. He'd be so easy to control.

Jay humours Thomas with a smile. "Thanks, I'd be grateful. It's awfully good of them to put me up somewhere nice."

"Lead the way. Rice and beans sounds good and filling."

He follows Thomas to his car, looking at him sideways. "So have you been working with these guys long?"

[onceaviking]

They get in the car.
"It must be half a year or so. People will give you plenty of grief for working with vamps, but hey, money's money and they've never done me any wrong, you know? "

They hit the road and Thomas adds," And it's great, like with you, if they're happy with you, sometimes you can jobs with other vamps. Me, I like it here, but if Mr. Northman needed someone to go do something in his other houses, I wouldn't say no, you know. "

[runningred]

Thomas has to drive because that's who he is. Jay's trying so hard not to laugh.

Jay plays it very cool and shrugs. "I won't be around long enough for anyone to give me stick over it. They pay, I work. It's just that simple." He keeps his eyes out the window and keeps track as they drive, mapping the way.

"I won't turn down work if it's offered. I take it Mr Northman's a good one to work for?"

[onceaviking]

"He's alright," Thomas says. "But I have to admit, he can be pretty intense. I just stay out of his way, if things are hectic, you know.."

They reach the parking lot and Thomas turn sharply and finds a spot.

"His girlfriend or whatever, you just want to stay out of her hair. She's not a people person. "

[runningred]

So hard not to laugh. Jay finds himself wondering what colour Thomas would go if Jay told him Pam fucked him raw over Eric's desk.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep that in mind." He gets out carefully, trying not to scratch the car next to him. Thomas' parking is impressively crooked.

[onceaviking]

Thomas get out as well and leads the way into the restaurant where a waitress shows then to a table and hands them the menus. Thomas seems to be a regular.

The place is only half full and people seem to be inclined their own business, but Thomas still leans in and continues their talk in a hushed tone.

"People around here generally aren't too keen on the vamps, so keeping quiet about working for them is the best way to go about it most of the time. On the other hand, they've been good for the local businesses so it's not like anyone is turning their business away."

Their waitress brings them their drinks and he waits till she is gone before continuing.
"But things like them murders in Bon Temps, fangbangers showing up dead, that tend to turn the mood real quick, you know?"

[runningred]

Then maybe you could shut the fuck up. Jay thinks to himself, thanking the waitress.

"Better to let the subject lay then, hey?" Jay warns softly. "So, what else is worth checking out while I'm town?"

He makes a mental note to talk to Eric about the murders later.

[onceaviking]

"Well, there are casinos if you like that sort of thing. The big ones are across the river in Bossier. They've got the Louisiana Mall too. And there's the gator park, if you want to get a feel for the wildlife. There's a place with chimps too, but I think that's moser for families with kids. You've got kids?"

The food arrives and Thomas digs in straight away. It's hungry work, driving around in a car and talking.

[runningred]

"Nah, no kids. Just me. And Alligators aren't my thing." He has scars from tangling with Killer Croc

He looks around to see if there are pool tables here. Always worth a try to keep his hand in. "Maybe I'll just grab a quiet beer here before I move here."

He eats slowly, keep an eye on the quiet lunch time crowd. Call it habit.

[onceaviking]

"Yeah, me neither. I am seeing a girl in Jackson, but it's a bit on and off," Thomas says.

"There's a couple of night clubs too. And Mr, Northman's place as well of course, though it ain't always so quiet from what I hear. There's a bar at your hotel too. And one of them spa things."

He chews noisily. "There's a couple of strip clubs too, if that's your thing. Got a friend who works at one of them. If you're looking for something to do tonight, he could probably hook you up."

[runningred]

"Thanks but I think I'll be right. I don't think Mr Northman would be keen to have me hanging around his joint will I'm working for him."

He finishes off his meal and asks for a few sandwiches to go, for later. He'd pay for both of them but he's waiting to see if Thomas offers first.

[onceaviking]

He does, fishing out an envelope marked with Eric's handwriting.

He tips the waitress and gets up, waiting for Jay to join him. "Do you need anything else, before we head back? Something to drink or something? I'm pretty sure they've only got that fake blood in the house."

[runningred]

Jay's more than a little impressed by how well Eric has all this handled. "Yeah, I might grab some soda and some sports drinks. I'm use to heat but not the humidity."

[onceaviking]

"There's a convenience store two doors down," Thomas says as they walk outside. "We can get what you need now and then head back. And yeah, the humidity takes some getting used to. Where're you from, Jay? Texas?"

[runningred]

Jay wanders that direction and starts stocking up on bottled water and sports drinks. "New York originally but I travel a lot with what I do. Spent a bit of time doing desert work recently." More Sahara than Nevada but Thomas doesn't need to know that.

He carries everything to the counter, grabbing a couple of energy bars too. "How about you? Born and bred local?"

[onceaviking]

Thomas trails after him and has the envelope ready when the cashier is done ringing Jay's purchase up.

"Yeah, my folks still live at the other side of the river. Bossier and Shreveport are sorta twin cities. I spent a cole of years in New Orleans, but I came back here cause my cousin could get me a job at a building site. I worked for them on and off and a guy there knew that the owner of the vamp bar was hiring. So that's how I got myself that job. I thought I'd be working nights, but it turned out they need humans for stuff during the day more. So I take care of taking stuff to the post office and picking things up. Stuff like that. Between you and me -" he leans in a little, " it's a pretty cushy gig. Most days I can get everything done in a couple of hours, maybe four, and the pays pretty damn good. Got free use of a car and a phone."

[runningred]

"Sounds it. I'll have to keep my eyes out, see if anyone else is hiring." Personally it sounds like hell to Jay but each to their own and Thomas is exactly the self importance little twirp for the job. "I could use the down time."

He heads back to the car, happy to let Thomas pay. "Mind showing me past the hotel before I get cracking on. I'd like to get the foundation work done before sunset."

[onceaviking]

"Sure thing," Thomas says as they get back to the car.

The hotel is only a short drive away. It looks the part with a neo classical facade and a doorman standing by. There's private parking in the basement according to the signage.

They return to Eric's house, Thomas chatting all the way. Despite the fact that he works for vampires, he doesn't seem to know much about them. He likes his job, he is obviously scared of Pam but less so of Eric, and he knows preciously little about what goes on once he goes home.

He drops Jay off and heads off.

[runningred]

Nice. Jay's impressed with Eric's taste in hotels. Definitely making the most of that spa tonight.

He hides a smile at Thomas' ignorance, feigning interest in his self-important chatter. "Thanks for the ride and the tips around the area. Have a good one, man."

Once he waves Thomas off, he gets back to work. It takes him the better part of the daylight to get the ground work done and the first line of sensors hidden under the new plants along the front of the property. He smiles politely to any neighbours who happen by, trying to keep a low profile. Which might be hard to do given how close his wife-beater is clinging to his chest in this heat.

[onceaviking]

And at around four in the afternoon it does trove to be very hard indeed, as a group of teenage girls approach. After a bit of giggly showing one of them, a tall girl who's likely pretty beneath the makeup, says, "Hey, you ain't local, are you?"

Her friends are clustered together behind her, but they all keep their distance. It might have more to do with the house than him.

[runningred]

"No, I'm not. I'm from New York." Or close enough. Jay keeps working as he talks to them, making sure anything more interesting than plants are out of sight. "I'm just passing through."

[onceaviking]

"You know who you're working for?" one of the others say from the back of the group.
The ringleader has walked a little closer. Making sure her top is showing her off to her best advantage.

[runningred]

"The Willis Todd landscaping company." Jay replies with a smile, pulling a business card from his back pocket. Pays to be prepared. "Beyond that, no idea. The company books the jobs, I just do them." Very carefully not noticing jailbait cleavage.

[onceaviking]

The girls all come closer.
Cleavage leans forward and half whispers.

"They're vampires," with the sort of secret thrill teenagers master better than any others. "One if them is dreamy," one of her friends sighs.

[runningred]

Jay feigns surprise, glancing back at the house. "Really? That explains why they're paying so well."

"I can't say I've seem them around but then, I only work during the day. I just figured the owners of the place were out of town. We get a lot of people who want their yards done up while they're on vacation."

[onceaviking]

"There are at least two, a man and a woman. She's old."
It's said with all the scorn of the young.

One of the others says,"Maybe she's his mom?" But that doesn't see to be a popular theory.

"I saw them the other night," one of the girls announces. She too seems to favor the jailbait look too. "And he winked at me. The tall, good looking one."

"Did not," the others cry out, followed up with, "Your're such a liar, Brianna."

[runningred]

"Do vampires even have mothers?" Jay asks, "God, could you imagine never being able to get away from your mom. Ever." He pulls a face.

Jay cocks an eyebrow at Brianna. "Do you really want a vampire paying attention to you. I hear that's not always a bad thing."

[onceaviking]

They all laugh at his joke, far more than it deserves.

He is cute.

"Totally," Brianna says. "He's so hot. And I heard about a girl over in Bossier who'd gotten with a vamp, and he bought her a car."

"Yeah, right," one of the others say. "Or you end up dead like those chicks from Bon Temps."

"Nobody knows if that was vampires," one of the quieter ( and more dressed) girls offer, but the general consensus seems to be, that it had got to be.

Strangely enough, it doesn't seem to diminish the appeal of the local vampires any.

Or their handyman for that matter.

"You staying in town long?" Brianna asks. Fowardly.

[runningred]

Interesting that the murders keep coming up, and that not everyone seems so set that it's someone in the vampire community. Unfortunately it's harder to take the quiet, sensible one aside with the silly ones vying for attention. "Sounds like this Bon Temps thing has a lot of people shaken up. How far away is Bon Temps from here?"

The part of him that was trained by the world's greatest detective is having trouble shutting up.

"Oh, I'm only here for a couple of days. Just till I get this job done, then who knows where they'll send me next."

[onceaviking]

"You should go hang out with us, sometime," Brianna says and is then pushed with equal amounts of glee and embarrassment by one other friends.

"Bon Temps is just a tiny little hick town," one of the other girls say. "They've got vampires there too though. Ever since they came out of the coffin they're everywhere."

"As long as they're as fine as the ones here ..." One of the others mock simper and the others laugh. High pitched, girly laughs.

"Anyway, " Brianna says, "He was totally checking me out. They were standing around outside, waiting for a ride or something and he saw me looking at them, and he was so checking me out."

The others do not seem convinced.

[runningred]

"Thanks but," you're way too young, "I'm in town for such a short time. And if I don't get this job done in time, I won't get paid. It was nice talking to you, though." He smiles at Brianna, "And if he was checking you out, he's clearly a man of taste. Now if you'll excuse me, ladies. I better get back to work."

He intentionally moves to the far back of the yard, clearly out of chatting range. Even though the age difference isn't that great (Jay's technically only just 21) in life experience, he's worlds away from the giggling girls. Enough to make him feel painfully old and a bit of a pervert for chatting to them.

[onceaviking]

And his parting remarks does nothing to decrease the giggling.

The girls slowly move away, down the street, tittering on about hot vampires and their hot help and leave the street empty and quiet.

[runningred]

Jay gets on with the work, getting the first line of defence in and hidden by new plants and flower beds.

There was something far too enjoyable about designing Eric's new garden, as more than just cover for shock mines and gas dispensers. The garden drew on all the best research on defencive fortifications Jay could find. The shape of the gardens and placement of taller and shorter plants limited the path an intruder could use to get to the house to the defences could be more targeted.

It had been a complex exercise to design but putting it all together what labourous. Not that Jay minded, it give him time to think. About the murders associated with vampire mostly.

Was it a vampire? Then surely Eric would be involved as the district sheriff. Or was someone trying to set up the local vampires? Did it have to do with the blonde he mentioned?

As it started to get dark, Jay packed up the tools, shifting everything into the garage for the night before sitting on the front step with a big bottle of water and an energy bar, surveying his days work.

[runningred]

Happy with the day's work, Jay makes sure everything is clean and tidy before leaving a note for Eric.

Hey. Bit under halfway there. Have gone to the hotel to clean up. Call me if you need anything from me. J.