Meetings!
Bad Jack gave the new… ‘Ombudsman,’ whatever that was… a good looking-over as he entered the room. A bit over average height, old enough to know better, and he walked like he knew where the tip of the sword was supposed to go. I could take him, he thought reflexively, but I’d wait until he wasn’t looking for it.
A glance at the guy’s hands told Bad Jack that he couldn’t play crush-your-hands, so he settled for a firm handshake. “Good morning, Mr… Tremblay, right?” He knew the guy’s name, sure, but Mad Jack needed to establish who was the busier one, right off the bat.
“Yes, Director Steelman. I’m Amortization Tremblay.”
“I guess the other kids called you Mort for short? Shorty Morty, maybe?” Bad Jack’s chuckle stumbled in the sudden silence; he wasn’t used to people not laughing at his jokes.
Morty’s smile wasn’t quite tight. “Sometimes. But if it would make you comfortable, Director, I’m happy to answer to the nickname. This is, after all, your facility.”
Yeah, and don’t you forget it. Bad Jack felt a little off-kilter, though. He was expecting either a cringe or some bluster from that little put-down; having Morty kind of… step to one side and watch it go past wasn’t in the plan. Bullying just wasn’t gonna work.
…. I like this Amortization. It’d be nice if I continue to like him.
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Mew
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p.s. this obviously shouldn’t be taken as a request, nor as a threat .. just a hope.