Natalia (the_black_widow) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-09-15 16:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, natasha romanoff (black widow), yue katou |
Who: Natasha and Katou
What: Recruiting
when: Recent
Where: Katou's previous employer
status: complete
rating: PG
Customer service was lame. Katou had taken the job at Baxter’s because he liked Izzy, but working with Izzy was really the only thing about his job that he actually enjoyed. She was right; most of their customers were polite. A lot politer than the rude jackass at McDonald's who'd gotten Katou fired for spitting in his burger, but hit was still exhausting being so damn polite to people all day. But Katou had bills these days that he had to pay, he couldn't go back to selling drugs, and Izzy was pretty much the only person who was dumb enough to hire him, so he was stuck there.
At least his shift was almost done. Once he helped the red-head in front of him, he’d be able to clock out.
“Yeah?” Katou asked, almost sounding bored, as she approached, but he quickly remembered himself and plastered a fake smile on his face. “How can I help you today?” he asked, sounding a little more chipper.
Natasha leaned on the counter, looking like any normal customer in black skinny jeans and a red blouse. She lowered her sunglasses and gave him a once over. “So I hear you have wings. Why don’t you get me a cinnamon roll and we can have a little chat about a job opportunity.”
Katou’s eyes widened a fraction when the woman mentioned his wings, but then his fake smile widened into a grin. Zatanna had mentioned to him that someone might come to talk to him at some point. “Gimme a minute,” he said. “Want it nuked?” he asked, turning toward the pastry case.
“Ten seconds to warm it up. Don’t need a hard roll.” She winked, pulling out some cash to pay. “I’ve been craving one all day, honestly. Best part of my job. Pastries.”
Katou took the money and returned her change before going to prepare the cinnamon roll. While it was warming up, Katou clocked out, telling his coworker that he was done for the day. Then he brought the cinnamon roll out from behind the counter. “So you get pastries on the company dime too? This job just keeps sounding better and better.”
“Oh yeah, we get all kinds of perks,” Natasha replied, taking the pastry. She tended to have files on most people and so knew more about them then they could know about her, which was just how she liked it. But she also liked to get them to talk. It clarified things. “We like to protect the people of Orange County from our dreams. And we’re in need of more help.”
Protecting people wasn’t really Katou’s game. There were specific people he cared about that he’d fight to the death for, but the majority of people could fall off a cliff for all he cared. But most of the threats that the OC faced could hurt his loved ones. Besides, when the OC went haywire, Katou usually tried to jump in there to fuck shit up, if only so he could have something to do. Getting paid to do that was nearly a dream come true.
“Oh yeah, protecting people,” Katou said. “I’m all about helping the little guy. ‘Specially if it means free dessert. Besides the whole stabbing dragonmen when they come through portals thing, what exactly do you guys get up to?”
“Free dessert is a perk,” Nat confirmed. “When not fighting demons and giant robots? We make sure the rest of the world doesn’t know what goes on here. So that people like you, or some of my friends, don’t end up on a lab table in the government or a corporate facility somewhere.”
Katou frowned at that. “Been there, done that,” Katou said. The angel who’d made the fake arm that was skillfully hidden by Zatanna’s glamour had pushed way too hard to dissect his body. While he was still using it. He’d eventually had to tell her in no uncertain terms that she could have it when he was done with it, but at least she’d been appeased with the arm that he’d replaced. “Not something I particularly want to go through again. You get a lot of mad scientists sniffing around here?”
Natasha nodded. She understood losing one’s bodily autonomy. There were many in the agency who probably could too. “Some. Usually we hire them. Better to keep an eye on them, and it helps to have people who know how to handle aliens when one is hurt or something like that.”
“Well, so long as they stick to the sick aliens and not trying to take me apart,” Katou shrugged. “So, when do I start?”
“How much time do you need to give this place?” Natasha asked. She winked at him. “I’ve already done the background checks, so all of that is in order.” Secrets, she worked with secrets, and generally there wasn’t much that would make a person not pass.
Katou frowned a little at the idea of her looking into him already. He’d managed to avoid getting busted for selling drugs back when that had been the way he was making money, nor had he been caught mugging, but he did still have something of a record. Petty crimes such as theft or vandalism. Still, that seemed not to matter, which he was glad for. “Normally I’d just walk out, but my boss is a pal of mine. I should probably give her the old two weeks or whatever.”
“That’s perfect. Gives me time to prepare your office. You’ll even have a safe place to fly around if you want to stretch your wings. No one there is going to care, we’re all dreamers or people open to dreamers.” Though most of the latter tended to look the other way. As though they couldn’t quite register what was happening. They were all the paper pushers anyway, and the grunts.
Katou couldn’t help but grin. He was going to get his own office? Hot damn, things were really coming up Katou. “Fucking A,” Katou said. Then cleared his throat. “Er, I mean, cool. Thanks, uh…” he furrowed his brow. “I don’t think I caught your name, actually.”
“Natasha.” She held out her hand, giving him a playful wink. “HR.” So simple a statement, and yet it seemed as though it were shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
“HR huh? Isn’t that humanist?” Katou asked cheekily. She had just told him that aliens worked there, after all. Somehow she managed to make the boring job sound interesting though. Hell, for the Agency, it probably was. Stopping the mad scientists from discecting the aliens and all that. “Well, Natasha in HR. Guess I’ll see you there.” In his sweet new office.
“Humanoid resources,” Natasha retorted good naturedly. “I’ll see you there.”