Sleeping On the Job

[Gabriel Mendes]

Gabriel knew he should be finishing his paperwork but it was lunch time for him and he wanted to utilise it to catch up on the sleep he had lost the past couple of days after the long trip for a solo recruitment mission. Honestly, he didn't quite mind the trips, he relished it even. He liked the travel. It was just a little tiring and really, a little nap wouldn't hurt anybody, right?

Of course, he should have picked a better spot than the teacher's lounge though. But no one was around, surprisingly enough, so he decided the couch was the place to be. He just hoped nobody actually sat on him.

But that thought quickly left his mind when sleep took over pretty quickly.

[Victoria Devereux]

Day 2. (Later in the day)

Victoria had been exploring the school. She had arrived a bit on the early side making sure things were going as planned for fixing up the closet that was her office. She knew she’d have to make do, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t bitch about it. Maybe there was someone she could speak too about getting a bigger office. Or maybe this was how the school treated its new faculty members. Who knows?

She had been aimlessly wondering the school all morning. Trying to become familiar with her new surroundings. It was completely different from the Academy of Acton Vale. The look, the feel, the people. If she had feelings, you could say she felt a bit wistful. But she was more so comparing the two rather than reflecting on her feelings.

It was later in the day and Mary had yet to show up with Louis. She had expected them to arrive hours ago, and Louis had already gotten an earful from her. The two of them already lost half of their pay, and Victoria had warned if they didn’t show up soon they’d lose pay for the next three months. It was inexcusable. Something about the car breaking down. Stupid.

Victoria had left her jacket and purse in her office. She couldn’t stand to be in there anymore. She decided to make her way over to the teacher’s lounge. Something she had stumbled upon earlier. She had saw there was a coffee machine and although she knew it would be shit, she could use a cup right about now. She would have had her own in her office already if the two imbeciles had done what she was paying them to do.

Her heels announced her presence before she could even speak. The room was empty and quiet with the exception of some guy sleeping on the couch. “Really?” She scoffed. Not really caring she had said it out loud. She was disgusted by the thought of sleeping on a couch that who knows what things have happened on. She rolled her eyes and made her way over to the coffee machine. Impatiently she began tapping her foot, distracted by her phone ringing. She answered immediately. “Louis. Où es-tu, bon sang? Vous auriez dû être là depuis des heures.” She was furious. The more she spoke the louder her voice became. “Si vous ne recevez pas ici dans le dans l'heure vous serez viré. Viens ici. MAINTENANT.”

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Tag: Gabriel Mendes
OOC: I'm sorry. I just had too! XD

[Gabriel Mendes]

After what seemed like a second after he drifted off to sleep, Gabriel heard an angry foreign female voice permeate through his sleepy haze. Groaning, he turned on to his back and cracked an eye open to find an unfamiliar face. A very attractive unfamiliar face, but unfamiliar nonetheless.

And whoever was on the other end of the phone must be in a lot of trouble if they were going to be fired if they weren't here soon.

"Loud." He croaked as he tried to go back to sleep. "Make it go away."

[Victoria Devereux]

As soon as she hung up her phone, her coffee was ready. She grabbed the mug iffy about drinking from it to begin with. Perhaps she could step into town and grab a much better product. Then again, anything would be better than this crap. She took a whiff of the steam that was radiating from her cup. Victoria scrunched her nose. The scent was interesting, to say the least.

Victoria stopped analyzing her coffee when she heard a voice. She looked at the man who had spoken to her. She arched an eyebrow. Taking the man in. “If you don’t like noise. Perhaps you should reconsider your sleeping arrangements.” She sneered. Choosing a public place to sleep was not the best way to avoid loud sounds. Nor was it the best place to sleep, in general.

She rolled her eyes before making her way over to the table. With each step the sound of her heels followed. She pulled the chair out, letting it screech against the floor before taking a seat in it. She placed her cup on the table. She crossed one leg over another. Her grey eyes scanned the dull room. Her phone began to ring again, she slammed it on the table before taking a sip of the coffee. The phone continued to ring, and as it vibrated it was even louder being in contact with the table.

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Tag: Gabriel Mendes

[Gabriel Mendes]

Although the woman made sense, and he would probably deny it if anyone asked, Gabriel was stubborn and would gladly give her a piece of his mind.

"Last I checked, this place was empty and seriously, were you not aware of the fact that people are a lot more quiet when they're on the phone?"

Probably not his best comeback but he had just woken up. Well, he probably wouldn't come up with better zingers had he been fully awake either, so that was neither here nor there.

And then he realised he was no longer sleepy. Groaning, he got up into a sitting position and turned to the woman with a childish glare before walking over to the coffee pot and wrinkling his nose.

"I am not drinking this sludge." He sighed before turning to the woman and swallowing his pride. He was a gentleman first and foremost. His mother would be so disappointed if he didn't try to offer her a decent cup of coffee while he went on a coffee run.

"I'm going to the cafe downtown. Would you like me to get you a cup?" He asked with as civil a tone he could muster.

[Victoria Devereux]

Victoria facial expression remained unchanged. She was unimpressed with the man, and his response. She felt no need to justify herself and to respond would just be a waste of her time. As she past him, her eyes did the talking for her. If looks could kill.

The phone kept ringing, and she kept ignoring it. Disgusted by how incompetent Louis was being. He was better than that. Perhaps now she could see how much he really wanted to keep his job. She placed the mug back on the table. She was not going to be drinking any more of that. It tasted like tar. Why would the school serve such crap to its staff?

Her eyes remained locked on her phone. An eyebrow arched, almost as if by looking at it she could control it. Obviously she couldn’t. If it was up to her she’d blow up the phone, but that wasn’t going to happen either. Perhaps she should start working on her curriculum for the upcoming semester. Or perhaps she should what to see if there would be any students in her class anyway. She doubted there would be.

Her thought were interrupted by the man. Something about the coffee. Her head turned slowly towards him, chin raised, eye brow arched, she folded her arms across her chest. Finally. Someone who was astute. “I would love a cup. Yes. Thank you.”

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Tag: Gabriel Mendes

[Gabriel Mendes]

And with that, he went off to grab himself and the woman fresh cups of coffee. Sometimes, he wondered why he was such a momma's boy that he would go through such lengths just to make sure a woman wasn't displeased with him. Thought judging by the phone conversation he overheard, Gabriel was pretty sure she was displeased with the world.

Once he got the coffees, he headed back to the school and consequently the teacher's lounge, setting the cup and a few packets of sugar and milk in front of the brunette. He sat down opposite her, glancing at her with curiosity.

"So who's getting fired if they don't get here soon?" He asked, popping the top and pouring three packets of sugar before stirring, his eyes never leaving her.

[Victoria Devereux]

Victoria’s eyes followed the man as he left the room. She stood once he left and dumped the coffee – if you could even call it that – down the sink. Her eyes shot back at the table as her phone kept ringing. There was no point in wasting anymore of her time or breath on Louis. He knew his task. He’d either succeed, or fail.

She took her place back at the table. She pushed her phone towards the middle of the table, as if that would stop it from ringing. Legs crossed, her head panned around as she stroked the bottom of her chin, mentally redoing the place.

Shortly after the man returned. Coffee in hand, she watched as he placed it in front of her along with some milk and sugar. “Thank you.” Her eyes glanced over the man who was now sitting across from her. Leaving the sugar and milk, she picked up the cup and took a sip. Much better.

His question took her by surprise. She gave a small smirk, “I don’t think that’s really a concern of yours. Although, you would make a great replacement.” She took notice of how he took his coffee. Sugar. She always preferred black coffee. She leaned in a bit, “So you speak French?” She questioned, arching a brow. Perhaps he could be more useful than just an errand boy.

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Tag: Gabriel Mendes

[Gabriel Mendes]

The thank you was met with a small smile and a nod of acknowledgement. So the woman did have some manners about her. That was nice to know. And yes, he was well aware that he had no business asking her about something she was saying on the phone.

"You kind of made it a concern of mine when you started yelling in the middle of the teacher's lounge." He shrugged, a small smirk on his lips. When she asked about his proficiency in French, the smirk deepened. "I can say it's much better than my sign language." He responded in fluent French.

The thing about having ridiculously rich parents, at least in his case, was that they thought the whole family would benefit from being polyglots. The Mendes' were fluent in at least three languages and each one had a specific language they decided would be their best. ASL had never been Gabriel's forte but French, he had always been struck by how smooth it sounded to him so he made sure he was fluent in that.

He took a sip of his coffee before grabbing her discarded sugar packets and throwing them into his cup as well. No use wasting it.

[Victoria Devereux]

Victoria took another sip of her coffee. The warmth was much appreciated. She narrowed her eyes at the man. She wasn’t going to go into it. It was none of his business. Regardless of where she was having the conversation. The fact the he understood French though was concerning yet slightly intriguing.

A faint smile made its way across her red pained lips. “How many languages do you know?” She asked, slightly impressed. Why she was, she didn’t know. “Now I have to keep in mind what I say around you.” She added, in French. The thought of that was off putting. Although, it was a bit refreshing knowing that there was someone in this town that she could have a conversation with in her native tongue.

She watched as he used the rest of the sugar packets. He sure liked it sweet. The thought of it made her stomach churn. Her phone began to ring again. This time she silenced it. It was beginning to get on her last nerve. Trying to keep her composure she gave in to the company she had to deal with for the time being. “So. You’re a teacher?” She asked, allowing herself to make use of the only person thus far who she could converse with in French.

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Tag: Gabriel Mendes

[Gabriel Mendes]

Her concern about him knowing what she was saying from here on out made him chuckle. Fortunately for her, he wasn't the type to actively eavesdrop on people's conversations.

"Technically, I know seven. But I'm only fluent in four." He responded in a matter of fact tone of voice. It was never a brag when he listed down his accomplishments. It certainly seemed that way to people who can't see past all that but to him, they were just stepping stones to what made him the adult he was. "I also know bits and pieces of other languages enough to keep a simple conversation." He added.

Shaking his head at the question, he stated his recruiting position before shrugging. "I guess you could say I'm a teacher but I hve hardly anything to teach these kids. And yourself? You don't happen to be a recruiter too?"

Secretly, he hoped she wasn't. That bedside manners would not become of a recruiter. Which isn't to say everyone on the recruiting team were all pleasant but at the very least, most were smart enough to portray a semblance of congeniality.

[Victoria Devereux]

The phone began ringing once more. Irritated, she picked it up and removed the battery before slamming the phone on the table. It wouldn’t be the first phone she broke. Looking back at the man seated across from her she flashed a smile. “That’s quite impressive.” She said honestly. She wasn’t above giving credit where credit was due. And here she only knew two. Although, it wasn’t a competition, Victoria saw it as one.

Slowly she took a sip from her cup. The coffee was the best part of her day thus far. A recruiter. How interesting. The thought of that job irked her. She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh no. I’m a French teacher.” She had difficulty with the sentence. The thought of teaching worthless children was not on her list of things she enjoyed doing.

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Tag: Gabriel Mendes

[Gabriel Mendes]

Gabriel watched at the display of obvious annoyance as she slammed her phone on the table. Something about the lack of care in the action told him of her status in life. She was probably far too rich for her own good. The person she yelled at on her phone could most likely be people who worked for her. A maid maybe. A small smile curved against his lips before he nodded in acknowledgement of her compliment. "Credit goes to my parents for placing such importance in my education."

Her occupation surprised Gabriel. She was a teacher. She didn't seem to have much patience for the person over the phone and yet she is in the field where she has to deal with children? And patience was actually a big damn deal? He pursed his lips and nodded. "I see. First day?"

[Victoria Devereux]

Her hand remained on her phone. A soft smile remained on her red painted lips. It was quite interesting to see someone of status here. Although, this man wasn’t one for boasting about it. “Well education is important.” That she fully stood behind. It was the key to her success.

She was well aware of the fact that she probably wasn’t the best person to be a teacher. She didn’t think any of the kids were worth her time. Although there was a select handful from her hometown that she could say were better than most. She may not be the kindest, most understanding, or patient person. But she actually was a decent teacher. Even if she didn’t like the kids. They never liked her either. “Second actually.” She said with pursed lips. “You?” She questioned, taking another sip from her cup.

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Tag: Gabriel Mendes

[Gabriel Mendes]

The soft smiled had Gabriel softening up to her. Maybe she was just grumpy before because she hadn't had her coffee. They were having a pleasant enough conversation right now.

"It seemed to be to my parents." He smirked lightly. He wasn't resentful, not in the least, but there were times when he wished he didn't have his day planned to a T and filled to the brim with studies, activities and sports.

The smirk deepened before he chuckled inaudibly. "Seventh year. I graduated and immediately went into a trainee position as a recruiter." He answered. "Have you been given the proper tour of the place?" He asked.