Description
A Greater Society - Chapter 92: Contracts by Ratte
Story
I was a bit lost for words. I had so many thoughts, so many things to say, but the words I needed just wouldn't come to me. Everything was caught in a sort of bottleneck like water trying to permeate a dam.
"I don't...know where to begin," I said.
"How's about we go back as far as you can remember when things started taking a nosedive," he offered. "We'll work our way to the present from there."
"...I-I don't know what I can say," I said further. "I'm...I'm afraid of breaking my work contract and jeopardizing my job, and yours by extension. I don't think I could live with myself if I did that."
"I'd rather you not worry about my part as I could very well work elsewhere," Daniel said, placing his palm on my knee. "It's nice that you care, but if you recall I'm not tied to this place by signature like you are."
"I know, but--"
"Please, Sam, it's just us in here," he said again. "The shutters are closed, the door is locked. The foundation of the building is stone. By law I keep everything confidential in a locked filing cabinet. Are you afraid I'm gonna go and tattle on you?"
"...I'm afraid of a lot of things, Daniel," I quietly sighed. "Please...keep in mind that this is the...the only place I can work in this town. No other place or person will humor my work because of our children."
I felt his hand squeeze my knee.
"...While you could find work again, the same can't be said for me," I continued. "Even if what I do is meaningless, monotonous slog it's still...my job, and I take it seriously. It's...an extension of myself, the work I put in."
"I suppose that's true, though I wouldn't mind working for both of us if it came to it," he offered. "You take pride in your work, that ain't a bad thing, but you can't let it kill you like it's doing."
"I don't...want to be someone's financial burden, Daniel," I said, trying to hold back the water in my eyes. "I want to work. I want to...I want to prove that I can s-still do things, still take care of myself and those I hold dear."
"Of course you can still do things," he said, standing up from his chair and taking a seat next to me. "You've done a lot already, working hours that would drive anyone else to quit as soon as possible. As far as I can tell you even do it voluntarily."
He picks up on a lot more than I'd like.
"...I do," I admitted.
"Can I ask why?" he inquired. "If the work is killin' you like it is, why would you keep doing it, and to such an extent?"
"I need to pay for the children," I said. "I can't...do that unless I work and receive my weekly pay."
"Sure, but...you're not the only one here, Sam," he reminded me, that arm wrapping behind my back once again. "Please remember that I'm here, too, and I really do want to help more around here financially."
"...I don't know."
"They're my children, too, Samuel," he said, pulling me into his side. "You're my family. All of you. I want to take care of you just like you want to take care of us. I've tried to keep my involvement just in groceries as to not impose given what you've said, but I really would like to do more. I've basically just been putting money away into savings since I don't have anything else to do with it."
"...I'll think about it."
"I'll take what I can get," he chuckled, "but there's more that I've noticed. You seem to be taking on more work per child enrolled, and sometimes a bit less when we house pure children. The hours extra you take honestly surpass what's probably needed. Could you explain that one to me?"
"Just...want to have more on-hand for them--"
"...Not to mention the change in behavior," Daniel continued. "That's not a new thing; it's been going on for a couple years or so and getting worse. I can't really place a specific time or event given how gradual it is, but there was a pretty stark contrast in your reception between Connor's enrollment and those from Sura or Saffron."
"I-I--"
"You've always been such a sweet and loving little man that seeing something like that from you was horribly jarring and...dare I say it seemed...forced?" he observed. "Like I said this morning: I know you, and that ain't you."
My feet fidgeted as I tried to weigh my options.
"And...pardon me for a moment, but this has been bugging me," he said as he scooted a bit away and gently placed his hand around my chin.
My head was turned up and over to make me face him, his eyes staring intently into my own. At some point he seemed to find the answer he was searching for. He closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh.
"Explains a bit," he said. "I've worked around concealers enough to recognize them close up. The far ends of your sclerae are...well, they don't look good-- probably about as dark as the last time. I'll say that given some of the behaviors and lack of sudden panic attacks this seems like a different kind of energy, or possibly a mix of two."
"C-Can that happen?" I asked dumbly.
"It can, it's just not as common as monotypes," he answered. "Life is complicated."
My ears fell back and my gaze again met the floor, too ashamed to look at him any longer now that he could tell I was relapsing. His thumb brushed my cheek in some effort to reassure me.
"Just like I said all those years ago, I'm not going anywhere," he softly said, bringing his snout to my hair and giving me a nuzzle. "No matter what happens, I'll always be here, okay? I'll help you however I can, but you gotta let me help."
I couldn't hold my tears back anymore, thick red liquid oozing from my eyes and down my cheeks.
"There, we're making some progress," he said into my hair as he felt the liquid trail down his hand. "Let me help you, Sam."
"I don't...I don't know what to do, Daniel," I managed to squeak through the tightness in my throat.
"Do about what?" he asked as he slowly rubbed my back with his other hand.
"Just...everything," I answered, pressing my eyes closed in a vain attempt to clear my vision.
He pulled me up against his front, his arms wrapped around me in a much-needed embrace with the side of his face against the side of my own.
"Start from the beginning," he urged. "This all seemed to come from your increased workload. Is this true, or am I mistaken?"
"...S-Some," I said into his shirt. "Th-There's...more to it, but I'm..."
"I'm still here."
"I-I'm so afraid of losing everything, of losing all I've worked for. Losing my job, my children... I've gone through...through all of that before when I lost my organs, when I lost my home and Esmé. That kind of pain isn't something I could go through again and come out alive, and I...I h-hate admitting that. I don't want to be anyone's burden or chore, something tolerated because I'll do something drastic."
He squeezed me a little tighter.
"I've had to work so hard to get what comes so easily to so many others," I choked, "what so many take for granted. I-I can't have biological children, my fiancée was murdered, my previous homes wanted me gone. I didn't want to die, Daniel, even when I had nothing to live for. I don't know what kept me going, but once I got a taste of the things I'd longed so long for I held fast, as tightly as I could, even if they came from sources I'd never have expected."
"I'm still listening, Sam."
"M-My children are all new types and...and you're a man," I said through a break in my labored breathing. "N-New types hurt and abused me, a man raped me. Back then I'd have never expected to have five children -- all new types -- or a male partner. Back then I surely wouldn't have expected to--"
"To...?"
"--...to love them so much," I finished. "I love you -- all of you -- so, so much. That's...That's why I work so much. That's why I want to do so much. I want to give to you all what m-my parents never gave me. I-I want...w-want to make y-you all happy, and here I-I am just making everything, e-everyone miserable."
"But you don't need to work this hard," Daniel whispered. "You're hurting yourself, wearing yourself out."
"...I do," I said. "I-I wouldn't work these grueling shifts i-if I th-thought I didn't need to. I want...want to be with my family, to spend evenings t-together like we used to. I m-miss it. I miss it s-so much."
"Why do you have to?" he asked. "I understand the idea of working a bit more per child enrolled, but...not really the extreme to which you take it."
I couldn't hold this back anymore. My arms squeezed tighter than they had in years, my fingers digging into Daniel's back and shoulders.
"...For every new type we take, my pay gets docked five percent," I finally confessed. "W-With five children, that means I lose a quarter of my wage. More than an entire day's work...just gone."
He froze.
"...Some time ago I'd been able to reason with Morissey to allow some...some leniency toward m-my situation because Sura and Riv shared a room, a-and I'd asked for similar when we took in Saffron," I recalled, bracing myself. "F-For a while it was granted, but I later asked for it to be revoked due to...circumstances beyond my control. That was...when I started working a lot more-- because I had to, j-just to make the same amount as I had been before."
"Revoked?" he asked. "Why?"
"...I've...already said more than I'm allowed to," I answered.
"...So, when I brought in Connor and Harley..." he trailed off.
"...My wage took a hit," I finished. "I-I'd make less and for more responsibility. Y-You're not under a contract s-so your pay isn't impacted."
Daniel choked, like all the gears in his head jammed.
"...Sam, I'm...I'm so sorry," he apologized, releasing me to face me directly. "I-I had no idea. I just...I just wanted to help those kids, not make your life harder, I promise!"
"I know, Daniel," I squeaked through my sobbing. "I-I know you'd...never do something like that on purpose. This isn't anything you did, it's...a consequence I always knew could happen. I just didn't...think it actually would."
"You knew?"
"...It was a stipulation of my contract, among...others," I recalled, already worrying about what the future had in store for us.
"Well...I won't push you for more than that," he sighed. "I promise you that nothing will leave this infirmary."
"...Thank you."
"...So the increased workload was because your pay drops per new type child," he thought aloud. "You'd have to work more to pay for more, but you'd also be making less per hour-- a constant uphill struggle, no steps forward and two steps back."
He brought his hand up to his face, rubbing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his snout.
"Gotta admit, this is quite a knot you're tied up in," he exhaled. "Look-- while I know you value your work and you don't want to be someone's responsibility I absolutely implore you to let me pitch in more. Like you said, my wage ain't impacted by these contracts. You've let me help with your work in the past and, while I can't make you do that again, I'd like you to consider before you break. I've plenty of time to spare."
"...I'm afraid of the staff finding out and saying something if I do that," I said. "They've...gotten worse. They're starting to target the children and I-I can't be everywhere. I can barely leave my desk to use the bathroom, let alone m-monitor the five of them."
"Is that what happened this morning, by chance?" he inquired with a tilt of his head. "I've known for a while that they've been at odds with you in particular, which is why I figured Riv was tied up in the lobby. That ain't something you'd do on your own but you're..."
"...I'm afraid of what might happen if I don't comply given what all has already happened here," I winced. "Worse: I'm afraid of what they might do to the children unless I take over."
"What happened this morning, then?" he asked, wiping away some of the tears from my drenched face.
"...Like I said, he was caught stealing and they wanted to beat him with a belt over something so stupid and petty," I said, my brow furrowed harshly just remembering the audacity. "I did what I did because at least he wouldn't be hurt. I-I think Riv...understood my intention, even if he were upset at the matter as a whole."
"He went along with it willingly, I assume?" he asked.
"Yes, but...the way he looked at me..." I trailed off, the memory chilling my spine. "...It hinted at something a little deeper."
"Hm?"
"...After I released him this morning, he told me that he hadn't stolen anything and that the milk he'd taken was actually ours," I said, looking down to the cot. "He said he saw them take something from our kitchen early this morning and when he'd gone to check the icebox our milk was gone. When he'd gone to the other kitchen to investigate he found it in their icebox and went to take it back, not thinking much of it. Which is fair, I suppose, as I'd probably feel the same way."
"You know, for as convoluted as all of that is, it honestly makes more sense than theft," Daniel reasoned. "Maybe I'm biased, but Riv doesn't seem like the type to resort to stealing unless it's, like, an absolute need."
"I can't help but...shake the idea that it was all done on purpose," I quietly said. "I think they were trying to entrap someone, be it myself or one of the children. I know they don't like us, so why not try to frame someone for theft?"
"...Try to get you fired either directly or by complaint that the kids are dangerous, especially now that Riv is nearly an adult and well dwarfs all of them," Daniel thought, his ears pivoting back and face scrunching up in disgust. "God, I really hate shit like this."
"I think it was just bad timing on their part that they were spotted," I continued. "Of course, I can't corroborate Riv's side of the story and only go off his claim. He said the same thing. Even so, just...it's such a stupid, petty incident and they wanted to beat him for it unless I did something. The piece of rope I used was very worn and frayed and I tied it loosely enough that he could get out of it if he really wanted to. That he was still on the floor when you saw him...he was complying for my sake, not because he was truly bound. After I put him there I felt horribly sick and had to go vomit in the bathroom."
"That...sounds like you," he said. "Sounds like both of you, in fact."
"I'm...not sure if he said anything about the matter to you, but...I did try to apologize for the whole matter when I let him go, and he was released only a few minutes after you brought Harley in. The staff seemed...less than pleased about that given I said I would keep him out there for the morning, but...discipline by humiliation is just not a tactic I support, especially over something like that."
Rather than a verbal response I was tangled up in a pair of big arms and brought once again into his front, his snout resting against my head. I didn't know how to react, both relieved and terrified for what all this day had brought. This had easily been one of the worst days in my history, pushed and pulled like a rubber band and I was about ready to snap. I probably would have if not for my children and partner to keep me stable and sane, even if the things they did -- unbeknownst to them -- exacerbated a much deeper matter.
It festered like an infection, but while I tried my best to hide it, it still caused me great pain. In that pain I would lash out, I would hurt and alienate those I loved.
I would turn into a man no better than my own father.
Daniel sighed.
"...Alright, I've a plan I'd like you to follow, as will I," he said against my head. "I know you won't like it, but it's imperative you work with me on this. Okay?"
"...Okay."
"So, from here on I'm going to be contributing more toward the finances of this place so you can work a more normal schedule," he began. "I'm not looking to take your work away so please don't think that, but I'd like to free up a couple hours per night if for no other reason than so you can get more sleep and feel less drained and sore during the day. I'm still gonna put extra money into savings until we've got a nice sum to rent a wagon and move out of here with enough to get a residence and some to sit on while we find work."
"I'm...not sure," I said, just slightly louder than a whisper. "I'm afraid of their taking notice of anything changing too drastically."
"Does Morissey know about the things they're doing?" came that lingering question.
"...I can't...answer that," I replied. "I'm sorry."
"...Okay," he irritably exhaled. "Samuel, you're getting to the point where you can't keep doing this without some pretty severe repercussions. I'm trying to help you avoid a repeat of nine years ago, but you're going to need to humor me."
"...I will try."
I felt two large hands against my cheeks and a snout atop my head, followed by a little smack from a kiss.
"We'll take it slowly to try to fly under their radar, but if push comes to shove I can and will spring us from this place," he said, rubbing his thumbs against my cheeks. "In the meantime I'll be doing some snooping of my own."
"Wh-What?"
"Gonna ask a few people in town about what they see and go from there," he said. "Nothing major, just wondering what goes on behind our backs."
I'd have to take that at face value, though given just how perceptive he was I could tell there was more to it.
He reached behind him to grab the file, putting it on a clipboard and offering me a pen so I could sign it. I signed my name along the bottom of the form, one I wasn't used to seeing, and gave it back. He stood up, unlocked the big filing cabinet, and safely stowed the file in my personal folder.
"It's getting late so let's head in for now," he said, locking the drawers and offering me his open hand. "Thank you so, so much for trusting me with these things, and I assure you that everything is safe with me."
He gave me a little smile as I took his hand and he helped me off the cot, walking with me to the front door of the infirmary. After turning off the building lights we departed the small building, the heavy door swinging closed behind us with another key to lock it up tight. Once it was secured his hand returned to mine, walking with me back to the house and doing the same with the front door.
"I'm gonna go take care of some dishes," he said as he walked across the lobby. "I'd like ya to consider going to bed early, maybe get an actual full night in. I'll try to poke around the medicine cabinet for something that could help ya sleep."
He disappeared down the hall. With how stubborn tomato sauce can be to clean I couldn't blame him.
I briefly looked back out the window. The sky was now a deep black and peppered with little white stars. With the moonlit silhouettes of the hills against the inky blackness it was hard to believe, even if just for a moment, that anything like what we were facing were possible in such an idyllic place.
A sound from behind me caught my ears.
"You told him."
---
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Tarov
MemberI like Daniel. He might be my favorite character. So sweet and protective of Reverend.
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