Derpy Hooves doesn't know what went wrong. (what_went_wrong) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-03-12 00:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, derpy hooves, helen magnus |
Who: Helen Magnus & Deryn (Derpy Hooves)
What: An interview
When: March 8
Where: Helen’s house
Rating: Low
Status: Complete
With James and Ashley both out of reach, Helen was beginning to realize she needed someone she could trust to look after Alice. It wasn’t as though she needed the help constantly, and Varric had been wonderful as they adjusted to life with a five year old. But there would inevitably be times when they were both needed elsewhere, and it would be nice to have a night for just the two of them once in awhile.
She had asked Sam to watch her during dinner with Nikola and Lulu, and though she had seemed happy enough to have her for the evening, she’d felt she was imposing. If this young lady could meet her standards, perhaps she wouldn’t need to rely on last minute phone calls to the few friends she had here.
Deryn arrived right on time, because that’s what she’d been raised to do. It wasn’t really that she needed another job -- the one she had at the Farmer’s Market paid well enough. But she did like helping out, and loved kids. She certainly had enough energy to keep up with them, as well.
The girl looked down at the slip of paper where she’d written down the address she was meant to be at, confirming it was indeed the door she was standing in front of, and then knocked. Shave and a hair cut.
Helen was just putting the last of Alice’s toys back on their shelf when she heard the knocking. At least the living room was in a reasonable state. Giving Winnie a gentle pat, she ushered her into the other room, glancing toward her daughter’s room to make certain all was well before answering the door.
She greeted the girl with a smile, stepping aside to let her in, then offering her hand. “Helen Magnus.”
Deryn smiled back, a wide, bright grin that she had no problem showing her teeth for. “Deryn Herschel,” she introduced herself, shaking the other woman’s hand with an excited grip and one shake too many. “How are you?”
Enthusiastic, wasn’t she. Interesting. Admittedly, she didn’t quite know what to make of the young woman yet. But she seemed friendly enough, and more energetic than Helen had ever been.
“I’m well. And you?”
“Excellent,” Deryn said, with yet another smile, even as she took a moment to look around the place. “Really can’t complain.” And why would she want to, anyway? Complain, that is. Deryn was nothing if not amazingly sure of herself -- she didn’t look nervous or intimidated by being here at all, mostly she just seemed amused. She didn’t really think to offer up any more conversation either, though.
“Please, come in. Have a seat.” She nodded toward the sofa. “Can I get you anything? Tea?”
Deryn nearly bounced down on the sofa -- she was a diminutive sort of girl, and so looked quite small on the sofa - thin. “I’m good, no thank you,” she said.
Smiling, Helen took a nearby chair, studying the young woman. It seemed they would be moving onto business, then.
“You mentioned having watched children before. Young children?”
“Right,” said Deryn, chipper as ever. “I did a lot of babysitting when I was younger -- teens. It was my first job, really. It was fun.”
She did seem the sort to get along well with children. And despite her almost distractingly cheerful demeanor, Helen suspected she wasn't as irresponsible as she seemed. At least, she hoped she wasn't.
"Would you be willing to submit to a background check?"
“Sure,” said Deryn, unfazed by the question. Beyond a parking ticket or four she didn’t have a bad word to her name that she was aware of. She never missed work and was generally just the kind of girl who was clean behind the ears. Granted, she was in her twenties and did like to have fun on her nights off. But her idea of fun was more ‘let’s go to the zoo!’ and less ‘yay rave parties!’.
“I can give you whatever information you need,” she went on, still a bit distracted by looking around the room. “You have a very nice home. What do you do?”
She nodded, relieved. She might have been a bit overprotective, so she already had a form for the girl to fill out. But that would wait. She didn’t want it to seem as though she distrusted her.
“Thank you. I’m an attorney. I have a small practice not far from here.”
It was fair to be wary of anyone who you might be considering watching your children, smart even. Deryn got it. She was happy, bubbly and excitable: not stupid. “Oh?” She said at that, eyebrows raising. It was probably a long-shot, but the only thing that came to mind when he heard ‘lawyer’ was one person. “Do you know Sam?”
Helen nodded, briefly taken aback by the question. “There’s a young man in my office by that name. Sam Winchester. You know him?”
“Oh, yes!” Deryn said it with such unreserved affection, it was clear she rather liked the boy in question. “He’s very nice.”
That earned a soft, knowing smile. “He’s a wonderful young man. I enjoy working with him.”
Deryn only gave a beaming sort of smile in return, she clearly agreed on the wonderful factor. But they weren’t really here to talk about very cute, very tall boys. “What’s your daughter’s name?” It was almost as if the diminutive girl had taken over the interview. Whoops.
Oddly, Helen didn’t mind. Sometimes you learned more about the person asking the questions. At the very least, you gain a better understanding of what they find important.
“Alice.” She glanced back down the hallway. “She’s playing with Finn, if you’d like to meet her. I hope you don’t have an aversion to dogs. They’re nearly inseparable.”
“I love dogs,” Deryn said with yet another smile -- and she wasn’t exaggerating, she really did. She liked most all pets -- to the point where she often babysat a goat for one of her friends. “I’d love to meet her, yes.”
That was definitely an asset, considering they had two greyhounds and a husky in the house, as well as Alice’s puppy.
Smiling, she leaned back to call down the hallway. “Alice, sweetheart, can you come here a moment?”
Soon after, the girl peeked around the corner, slowly crossing to lean against Helen’s knee as she studied the stranger with open curiosity, Finn right at her heels. She was small for her age, quiet but energetic.
“Alice, I’d like you to meet Deryn,” she looked back up at the girl, “And this is Alice.”
Deryn nearly wiggled on the couch at just how absolutely precious the girl was, particularly with the pokey little puppy at her heels. Her smile was more reinforced and brighter than ever. “Hi, Alice,” she said with a tinkle of a giggle backing her words. “What’s your favorite color?”
Leaning more against Helen, she considered her choices carefully, nodding when she made her decision, as though confirming it was right. “Red. But Finn likes green.”
“Those are good choices,” Deryn said, leaning forward a little to tickle Finn behind his ear, and smile more at Alice. “Like Christmas. I like yellow.”
Her eyes lit up with that new detail. She’d never thought of it that way! “Yellow is pretty.” She looked up at Helen. “I like her.”
Deryn only gave a smile at that and a helpless sort of shrug. Helen’s daughter was absolutely precious. “Thank you.”
Smiling, Helen pulled Alice into her lap, and Finn did his best to follow. “You seem to have her vote of confidence.”
She gave her daughter a gentle squeeze. “Provided the background check goes through,” and she was certain it would, “I believe you have the job.”
The girl leaned back on the couch and gave Alice a funny face before raising her eyebrows happily. “Oh, yay,” she said, “happy!” Deryn rather liked advertising what she was feeling by just saying so. “I won’t disappoint.”
Helen thought again that she was a very interesting young woman, chuckling as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her daughter’s ear. “I’m certain you won’t.”