Noriko and Damon, Backdated to July 8
Jul. 8th, 2015 04:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainNoriko applies for a job at Evolution, and Damon surprisingly doesn't act like a dick.
Noriko had run to New York, and all the way to Manhattan, before sticking her gauntlets in her bag and doing the rest of the trip at a normal speed. She would have been early for their meeting otherwise, and she liked the chance to just walk those streets and soak in the atmosphere. Settle herself down. For the occasion, she'd worn one of her not ripped pairs of jeans, but she looked as she usually did: a skinny Japanese girl with short blue hair in a wifebeater and men's jeans. Urban really-not-chic.
She hadn't had any interaction with Damon since he'd left school, and not much before he had, given her misgivings after the Anders thing. But she could use a job, especially if it gave her something to do where Philip wasn't involved. JVX was working just fine without much input from her, and she just followed Scott's lead when it came to LXQ; she had time for this, now.
The name wasn't yet written on the face of the bar, but it was the right number, and Noriko crossed the street to head for the open door. It was clearly still being renovated, workers milling about doing their job, laying down wooden floor and setting up shelves behind the long bar on one side of the room. She took a few steps inside, letting her eyes acclimate to the darker atmosphere, after the bright streets of Manhattan, and looked around for Damon Salvatore.
The mutant in question had set himself up in a corner booth in the back, both a laptop and a bottle of bourbon open in front of him. He was talking to what looked like the contractor, gesturing lazily with one hand as he nursed the glass with another. When his gaze landed on her, however, he said something else then nodded her over as the contractor headed back to the work being done on the back.
"Hey," Noriko greeted him as she walked over. "I'd say 'nice place', but..."
"Great opening line for a job interview. Let's say you run with that," Damon answered, then nodded at the seat across from him as he closed his laptop.
Noriko took a seat, apparently unbothered by his remark. "It's my first one of those." It probably wouldn't be her last. Much as she wanted the job, there were some hoops she wouldn't jump through.
"I'd make a comment about virgins, but I have it on good authority that you pack a punch," Damon raised his glass to her, then took a sip.
"Only when people deserve it," Noriko replied without missing a beat. After a beat, she added, deadpan, "Please. Pop my cherry."
"Tell me what you know about alcohol," he replied, turning it back on her as he leaned back in his seat. Oddly, he didn't seem to smirk or flirt or make any other smart replies. In fact, up close, he looked maybe a little more pale, a little less muscular than he did when he was at Xavier's.
"It makes people more predictable." Noriko couldn't have told you whether Damon had paled or lost weight since Xavier's, but she was happy with the matter-of-factness of his question, vague though it was. She'd take that over flirty remarks or 'cleverness' any day. "I drink it, but never to the point of getting drunk. And I don't know anything about serving it." There was no point tiptoeing around that fact.
Damon waved that off. "You're eighteen, and I can get you a license made up. Are you willing to learn on the job?"
"Definitely," Noriko nodded. She'd always preferred practice to theory, and figured there was no better way to learn than that. "And if there's anything I could do to prepare while they finish this place?"
"Talk to Crawley," he smirked. "She's going to be helping out too, and knows a bit about the job. Read up on mixed drinks. Test a few out on your fellow friends."
"Will do," Noriko nodded, and tilted her head to the side, frowning slightly. Did that mean she was in? She would have expected job interviews to last much longer than that, especially since Damon didn't know her much.
He took a sip of the bourbon and leaned back. "I don't exactly have people busting the door down to work for me," he admitted. "Besides, we need to get this place rolling by August."
"Fine by me," Noriko nodded. "I'll talk to Lil."
Damon regarded her critically for a moment. "What are you going to do about the gauntlets?"
"Wear them through the night before any shift," Noriko replied pragmatically. She didn't usually wear them at night, not unless she had a feeling she ought to (she could feel those moments coming, most of the time, and they were always right by her bed just in case), but it was a small price to pay so she could cover a shift without them, and with some peace of mind.
"So you want to stay 'in the closet', so to speak," he hummed.
"Not particularly," Noriko replied, frowning as she realized why he'd asked. Her mind hadn't gone there at all, and she'd simply thought of how impractical it would be to bartend while wearing the gauntlets. "I don't hide what I am anymore, but the gauntlets wouldn't be practical to work with." She didn't figure that would be an issue, if he was hiring Lil.
"Just curious," he smiled. "All mutants are welcome, and we'll probably have a few mutant bands playing. Blue haired Japanese girl zipping around the place would certainly up the vibe."
"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't think a bar's the safest place to light up," Noriko answered with a wry twist of her lips. "I'll keep the tasering down to a minimum."
Damon rolled one shoulder with a slow smile. "Whatever you want."
Noriko was silent for a moment, and then said, "You're a lot less abrasive than you used to be." She thought, and hoped, that it was the right word for it.
His smile faded, something darker flickering in his gaze. "Maybe I'm growing."
"Maybe we all are," Noriko replied, but she didn't exactly make it sound like a good thing. She still wasn't sure that it was. "So. August?"
He flicked his fingers toward the door lazily. "I'll email you a schedule."
"Cool," Noriko agreed as she stood. "Thanks," she held his gaze for a beat, slung her bag back on her shoulder, and turned to go.
Noriko had run to New York, and all the way to Manhattan, before sticking her gauntlets in her bag and doing the rest of the trip at a normal speed. She would have been early for their meeting otherwise, and she liked the chance to just walk those streets and soak in the atmosphere. Settle herself down. For the occasion, she'd worn one of her not ripped pairs of jeans, but she looked as she usually did: a skinny Japanese girl with short blue hair in a wifebeater and men's jeans. Urban really-not-chic.
She hadn't had any interaction with Damon since he'd left school, and not much before he had, given her misgivings after the Anders thing. But she could use a job, especially if it gave her something to do where Philip wasn't involved. JVX was working just fine without much input from her, and she just followed Scott's lead when it came to LXQ; she had time for this, now.
The name wasn't yet written on the face of the bar, but it was the right number, and Noriko crossed the street to head for the open door. It was clearly still being renovated, workers milling about doing their job, laying down wooden floor and setting up shelves behind the long bar on one side of the room. She took a few steps inside, letting her eyes acclimate to the darker atmosphere, after the bright streets of Manhattan, and looked around for Damon Salvatore.
The mutant in question had set himself up in a corner booth in the back, both a laptop and a bottle of bourbon open in front of him. He was talking to what looked like the contractor, gesturing lazily with one hand as he nursed the glass with another. When his gaze landed on her, however, he said something else then nodded her over as the contractor headed back to the work being done on the back.
"Hey," Noriko greeted him as she walked over. "I'd say 'nice place', but..."
"Great opening line for a job interview. Let's say you run with that," Damon answered, then nodded at the seat across from him as he closed his laptop.
Noriko took a seat, apparently unbothered by his remark. "It's my first one of those." It probably wouldn't be her last. Much as she wanted the job, there were some hoops she wouldn't jump through.
"I'd make a comment about virgins, but I have it on good authority that you pack a punch," Damon raised his glass to her, then took a sip.
"Only when people deserve it," Noriko replied without missing a beat. After a beat, she added, deadpan, "Please. Pop my cherry."
"Tell me what you know about alcohol," he replied, turning it back on her as he leaned back in his seat. Oddly, he didn't seem to smirk or flirt or make any other smart replies. In fact, up close, he looked maybe a little more pale, a little less muscular than he did when he was at Xavier's.
"It makes people more predictable." Noriko couldn't have told you whether Damon had paled or lost weight since Xavier's, but she was happy with the matter-of-factness of his question, vague though it was. She'd take that over flirty remarks or 'cleverness' any day. "I drink it, but never to the point of getting drunk. And I don't know anything about serving it." There was no point tiptoeing around that fact.
Damon waved that off. "You're eighteen, and I can get you a license made up. Are you willing to learn on the job?"
"Definitely," Noriko nodded. She'd always preferred practice to theory, and figured there was no better way to learn than that. "And if there's anything I could do to prepare while they finish this place?"
"Talk to Crawley," he smirked. "She's going to be helping out too, and knows a bit about the job. Read up on mixed drinks. Test a few out on your fellow friends."
"Will do," Noriko nodded, and tilted her head to the side, frowning slightly. Did that mean she was in? She would have expected job interviews to last much longer than that, especially since Damon didn't know her much.
He took a sip of the bourbon and leaned back. "I don't exactly have people busting the door down to work for me," he admitted. "Besides, we need to get this place rolling by August."
"Fine by me," Noriko nodded. "I'll talk to Lil."
Damon regarded her critically for a moment. "What are you going to do about the gauntlets?"
"Wear them through the night before any shift," Noriko replied pragmatically. She didn't usually wear them at night, not unless she had a feeling she ought to (she could feel those moments coming, most of the time, and they were always right by her bed just in case), but it was a small price to pay so she could cover a shift without them, and with some peace of mind.
"So you want to stay 'in the closet', so to speak," he hummed.
"Not particularly," Noriko replied, frowning as she realized why he'd asked. Her mind hadn't gone there at all, and she'd simply thought of how impractical it would be to bartend while wearing the gauntlets. "I don't hide what I am anymore, but the gauntlets wouldn't be practical to work with." She didn't figure that would be an issue, if he was hiring Lil.
"Just curious," he smiled. "All mutants are welcome, and we'll probably have a few mutant bands playing. Blue haired Japanese girl zipping around the place would certainly up the vibe."
"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't think a bar's the safest place to light up," Noriko answered with a wry twist of her lips. "I'll keep the tasering down to a minimum."
Damon rolled one shoulder with a slow smile. "Whatever you want."
Noriko was silent for a moment, and then said, "You're a lot less abrasive than you used to be." She thought, and hoped, that it was the right word for it.
His smile faded, something darker flickering in his gaze. "Maybe I'm growing."
"Maybe we all are," Noriko replied, but she didn't exactly make it sound like a good thing. She still wasn't sure that it was. "So. August?"
He flicked his fingers toward the door lazily. "I'll email you a schedule."
"Cool," Noriko agreed as she stood. "Thanks," she held his gaze for a beat, slung her bag back on her shoulder, and turned to go.
