InsaneJournal

Walking the streets of the magical and somewhat elaborate city was no different than walking New York. While San Francisco was nice and all, Eddie never really adapted to it like his homeland. And it wasn’t exactly his choice to have moved from one region or the other. But y’know, reporting ain’t pretty and he didn’t exactly give a shit who he was pissing off when it meant the truth was being exposed.

At the very least there was enough crazy shit going on that he could easily hide Venom and resume what could be called a simple day to day. That’s all Eddie was trying to do now. One day at a time.

Today, was get a fucking job day. And while he could roam the streets forever and get hungry or argue with his other half about things he didn’t know from this world, he preferred something more familiar. After grabbing a coffee and getting a taste for what the paper actually looked like and the reporting, he found his way inside the Vallo Gazette, asking the receptionist if Ms. Lois Lane had a moment to talk about a job.

W̷h̷a̷t̷ ̷w̷i̷l̷l̷ ̷w̷e̷ ̷d̷o̷ ̷i̷f̷ ̷w̷e̷ ̷d̷o̷n̷'̷t̷ ̷g̷e̷t̷ ̷a̷ ̷j̷o̷b̷ ̷w̷r̷i̷t̷i̷n̷g̷?̷ the grizzly voice in his head asked as he took a seat in the lobby, tucking his hands inside of his leather jacket. “We’ll get the job.” He spoke under his breath gently, just enough so no one else would hear. It was getting a little easier. I̷f̷ ̷n̷o̷t̷,̷ ̷w̷e̷ ̷s̷h̷o̷u̷l̷d̷ ̷d̷o̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷h̷u̷n̷t̷i̷n̷g̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷o̷t̷h̷e̷r̷s̷ ̷a̷r̷e̷ ̷b̷i̷t̷c̷h̷i̷n̷g̷ ̷a̷b̷o̷u̷t̷.̷..

Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat, rubbing at the inner corner of his eye. “They’re bitching because there’s an order to whom hunts where we didn’t know about. We’ve already talked about this.” He eyed the rest of the lobby and those walking about working. At least the atmosphere was quiet, for now. No one running around like their head was cut off like a chicken. T̷o̷o̷ ̷m̷a̷n̷y̷ ̷r̷u̷l̷e̷s̷ ̷f̷o̷r̷ ̷s̷o̷m̷e̷t̷h̷i̷n̷g̷ ̷s̷o̷ ̷s̷i̷m̷p̷l̷e̷.̷ ̷W̷e̷ ̷s̷h̷o̷u̷l̷d̷ ̷f̷i̷g̷h̷t̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷m̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷s̷e̷t̷t̷l̷e̷ ̷w̷h̷o̷ ̷g̷e̷t̷s̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷h̷u̷n̷t̷.̷

With a sigh, Eddie rolled his neck and shook his head. “We’re not talking about this again. There’s more of them than us and we don’t know what they can do. Let’s not get an entire world of magic and monsters against us, shall we?”

The upside of various versions of her life being public knowledge--or well, entertainment--meant that landing a job at the Gazette had been pretty easy. Lois hadn’t been in Vallo all that long, but she’d risen in the ranks of the local newspaper, her reputation proceeding her and those first few stories more than enough to impress the higher ups. The fact that they weren’t sniveling, lying bastards like Morgan Edge who had definitely been up to something had made it head back into the role she’d known and loved for over two decades by then.

Vallo might have been different than what she knew, a more magical bit of chaos, but corruption and crime were everywhere. Simply manifesting in some familiar and some unfamiliar ways. It made the chase of the story that much more invigorating. She had a few leads that she was following, hoping to get some answers on a scandal at one of the local law firms that possibly tied into a racketeering operation.

But first there was apparently an interview to do.

“Mr. Brock?” Lois popped around the corner, looking for the young man that the receptionist had messaged her about.

“Morning, Ms. Lane.” Eddie stood and made sure to walk the extra distance so Lois wouldn’t have to, extending a hand to her to give the most gentle of a handshake he could muster before letting go. While he wouldn’t necessarily consider himself young he was definitely seasoned.

Just by appearance what he’d read he could tell this was Lois’ stomping ground. She was very much the kind of person who wrote material that deserved to be published. The kind that was not bullshit, and he appreciated that.

“Sorry to pull you away from your morning scoops, I promise I won’t take any more time than necessary.” He said, a soft gentle accent that was from some burrough in New York.

Good handshake. They could tell a person a lot about someone. Did they keep contact, were they sweaty, a nervous tick? So many little details to look for in that brief encounter and she calculated all that she could from them.

Lois motioned for Eddie to follow after her, bringing the two of them toward where her office space was located. Not an actual office, but she’d carved out space for herself in the bullpen, allowing for another seat or two at her desk. She wasn’t neat, but there was order to the chaos of papers, receipts and other bits and pieces that were strewn across the desk, computer and filing cabinets.

“Gloria says that you’re looking for a job? I”m guessing reporting because you sought out me. What sort of reporting do you specialize in more than others?” Investigative had always been her true passion.

“Yes, ma’am,” He said, taking a slow, sturdy seat that would not break the damned chair. Light as a feather. Carrying the weight of a parasitic destroyer. “I used to work for the Daily Globe back where I’m from--I’ll be honest, had to move from the New York department to San Fran on account of, y’know, the people I exposed having the money to make that happen.” Eddie didn’t like to think it was getting fired if you were just telling the truth. “You know how that goes I’m sure. My investigations go a little farther than being quiet and careful.”

Eddie folded his arms over his legs, straightening his back, looking Lois in the eye. “I’ll be honest Ms. Lane, I was not a popular person for the stories I exposed or what I did to expose them. It’s been a journey for me. But, I will tell you that I am not afraid to get the story, by any means on any terms. From the looks of it here--I don’t see any corporate degenerates hurting the lower class--but I’m sure there is plenty to discover that I can do so without worry.”

He would leave it there. Maybe people had abilities, maybe they didn’t. Ambiguity was a reliable source. What Lois needed to know was that Eddie’s loyalties lied with the truth. That’s what was important to him. Information people needed to know, things others were too afraid to look into.

It was how Lois mostly operated. The only secret that refused to expose was her husband’s and Kara’s. Their identities and ability to help rested on them not being exposed. Not that it mattered in Vallo. She listened, paying attention to his body language as much as what he was saying. There was something else to the man in front of her but it wasn’t something she’d bother prying into yet. What mattered was that he was someone who was willing to go the extra mile for the truth.

“I’ve done my fair share of similar stories.” They just hadn’t managed to run her out of town yet. Bit harder to do when Superman was looking out for her. “Vallo doesn’t seem to be as corrupt as what I’m used to back home, but it definitely has its seedy underbelly that needs to be exposed and stories that need to be told.”

“The pay is decent.” Not exactly anything to write home about but more than enough to live off of when she wasn’t feeding two growing teenage boys. “Hours are your own. You’ll need to pass things by Barry, the editor, but he’s pretty open to most stories as long as you can back it up with facts and sources.” He hadn’t turned down any of hers yet, simply asked for more to substantiate one or two claims. “Sound reasonable?”

“I’m sure I can find something interesting to investigate.” There was always something, even if there were no corrupt politicians or rich murderers here. Surely with the magic and the monsters nonsense there would be no shortage of investigations that needed reporting.

Lois was definitely Eddie’s kind of coworker. All business and straight to the point.

“More than reasonable, Ms. Lane.” He wondered just how much of a stickler Barry was, not that he couldn’t provide facts for his reports. Some editors were just a little too...conservative. There wasn’t a waver in the way she spoke of the man, so if Lois was anything like the investigative reporter he was, there was nothing to worry about.

The no fuss reporters were the best kind in Lois’ opinion and Eddie seemed to be that type. She thought he’d fit in nicely with the group that made up the Vallo Gazette. Most of them seemed to be there took the job because writing about the truth and showcasing people’s lives and the news about the city was their passion. It wasn’t just something to do to pay the bills or try and get their name in the headlines.

Lois nodded toward one of the other offices. “I’ll send you on over to HR then and they’ll get you set up with the forms to fill out. You should be able to start working by the end of the week.” Eddie took that as a sign to push back to his feet and move onto the next step. “I’ll get out of your hair, then. No need to rush any paperwork on my account. I’m sure you’ve got your hands full.” He gave her a thankful smile and a nod before turning to face the office she’d nodded to. “I really appreciate the opportunity, thank you. You have a good rest of your day, Ms. Lane. ”

With that, he turned on his heel, hands slipping back into the pockets of his jackets to make his way over to the HR office. Hopefully they would get the paperwork done before he got too hungry. Those were sounds he didn’t want to have to explain.