Kate Freelander (nostraygrenades) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-01-29 16:33:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, commander tyra shepard, kate freelander |
Who: Kate Freelander, Commander Shepard
What: Job Interview
When: Wednesday, January 15
Where: Shepard’s Ranch
Rating/Warnings: Low
Status: Complete!
It was Wednesday. And she’d made a commitment, which meant something. She might have never had much respect for the boundaries of the law, but she didn’t make promises she didn’t intend to keep.
Kate checked the address again before shoving the scrap of paper in her back pocket. “Here goes nothing.”
The road up to the ranch was pretty long and the sign was easy to miss. A simple sign that said Urdnot Ranch. At the end of the road was the ranch house that had been converted into the offices, and a dozen larger buildings were visible nearby.
She found the place without too much trouble, making it to the offices without incident. And a few moments later, she’d decided which door to head toward, releasing a nervous breath as she started that direction.
The last time she’d had a job interview had been…well, never. The people she usually worked for came to her and then she agreed to do whatever they asked as long as they paid her. Somehow she thought this was going to go a little differently. But that was good, right? First time for everything.
A short brunette greeted Kate. “Shepard is in her office. Just head to your left and then take the second door on the right!”
In her office, the blonde woman was busy reading through some reports about the kids. Dr. Hussain was requesting making Cricket a legitimate sport for them, rather than something they did on the side.
Kate flashed a small smile at the girl, “Thanks,” then headed left, stopping at the second door. Etiquette demanded she knock, but she didn’t quite carry it through to waiting for permission before she entered the office.
“I’m Kate. Freelander. We talked the other day?”
“Shepard.” She reached over and held out her hand. “Have a seat, it’s nice to meet you.” Her blonde hair was down past her shoulders, haphazardly bouncing against her back as she moved.
Kate stood awkwardly a minute longer, after shaking her hand, before nodding and taking the offered seat.
“Lets just skip the pleasantries. What do you think you could bring to the ranch? I’m not too picky on particulars as long as you’re background check is honest.” She sat back and grinned.
"Kind of hard to lie when they have paperwork to back it up."
Which was why she did her best not to leave any more of a paper trail than she had to. Some things were better kept off the radar.
"I know what it's like. Rough neighborhood, a dad in jail or worse. It's easy to start taking what you want. And it doesn't matter who gets in your way." She wasn't just talking about theft, though she'd done plenty of that. "Some lines, you can't cross back."
Despite her past, the most a background check would come up with were some traffic violations and a sealed juvenile record no one was obligated to report.
None of which were things that were going to bother Shepard or bar her from hiring Kate. She nodded her head, then shrugged. “No judging here. Most of these kids need to know that they can come back from the path they’ve been going. That there are ways out that don’t involve hurting themselves or others.”
“Sometimes there isn’t a way back.” She wasn’t upset about it. It was just a fact of life. Maybe she hadn’t fallen that far, but she knew plenty of others who had. “But, usually, there’s a way forward.”
Kate settled further into her seat, finally starting to relax, if only a little.
“That’s the way to look at it,” Shepard replied. She leaned over the table and extended her hand. “If you pass the check you’re hired. How does that sound?”
She arched an eyebrow, expression clearly saying, 'Really? It's that easy?'
What she said instead was, "Yeah. That sounds great," smiling as she leaned forward and took the offered hand.
“Really, that easy. I reserve the right to kick you to the curb, but I don’t think that’ll be an issue.” Shepard had a strong grip, and her hands were calloused from years of using weapons.
"I hope it won't." She was a little more cautiously optimistic. It would be the first honest job she'd ever taken. As far as she was concerned, anything could happen.