ArchivedLogs:Resignation

Resignation
Dramatis Personae Melinda, Shane
In Absentia	2014-01-28 of a few varieties.
Location <NYC> Montagues - SoHo
Montagues harkens back to the day when SoHo was filled to the brim with artists, with its mismatched furniture, all plush and decorated heavily with carved wood, but remains trendy enough to keep its newer patrons by making sure that furniture is clean, in good repair and inviting. The antique tables all have been reinforced to seem less creaky. The real draw of the cafe is the smell: fresh roasted coffee mingles with perfectly steeped teas. Spices from crisp pastries mingle with the tang of clotted cream but don't overwhelm too much the scent of chalk on the menu boards. Melinda finds herself in the back more often than not these days, having to juggle all of the managerial duties herself for the most part. As the year end paperwork needs processing and W2s given another once over before employees pick them up, she is hidden away in her tiny office in the back. Her legs are wrapped in black slacks that are as soft and stretchy as yoga pants. Over the top, she is wearing a mustard colored sweater that makes her look a little more pregnant than she actually is. As she works, she sips a hot cocoa, the smell of chocolate and cream filling the office. There's a brief gust of cold from outside, as Shane slips in. He's not scheduled to work today, and not /dressed/ like he's scheduled to work today. Far sharper than his usual dishwashing attire, he's dressed straight off of school in nice slacks over warm black boots, a scarf wrapped around most of his face, dark peacoat, hat pulled low over his head, mittens on his webbed hands. He rolls up the lip of his hat and unwinds the scarf so that at least his expression is visible, wiping his feet clean though really, it's not very wet outside so he doesn't have much to track in. "Hi, Mel." He's quiet, a little shivery as he adjusts to the warmth. Melinda looks up when she hears the feet scuffing and wiping, her expression a little sleepy as it shifts to focus on Shane. She smiles at him. It's a little one, tinted with hope and concern in equal parts. It likes up her face and removes the sleepiness from her eyes. "Hey, Shane. How are you?" "Little cold," Shane answers, hanging back not too far from the entrance as he finishes unwinding his scarf. "Settling back in to class. Guess B's happy with that, at least. I have -- so much to catch up on. I'm like. A month behind. Way over my head." He draws in a slow breath, his voice still quiet but no longer shivery when he continues. "I just came to tell you I can't keep my position here anymore. I'm sorry. I'll stay two weeks or till you can find a replacement but." He shrugs a thin shoulder, winding an end of his scarf around a mittened hand. "I thought I should say -- in person. I guess. I've never quit a job before." His nose wrinkles as he adds. "-- I mean I've never /had/ a job before." "You're quitting?" Brow creases appear as Melinda turns in her chair to look at Shane a little more directly. "Oh... I see." She begins blinking rapidly as she sits nervously, unsure of where to put her hands. She folds them in her lap for the time being. "I am really sorry to lose you, but I understand that school is important." "Yeah." Shane clasps his hands together in front of himself, scarf held between them. "I didn't want to just -- call or. Something. And like I said I can stay until you find --" He waves the end of his scarf towards the trio of sinks. "I mean, it's not like you really need to be a genius to do my job." "I... want to graciously accept your resignation as your boss, and say that I appreciate the up front nature of you coming in like this," Melinda begins, still blinking rapidly. "Again, school is important and if you've decided that you want to pursue it primarily, then I want to support you completely. As Yeah. No one wants to get... stuck in jobs like this forever. You were an excellent employee and I wanted to let you know that you will have a glowing recommendation from me any time you need it." She sniffs a little. Shane hesitates, rocking forward onto a toe. "I --" His gills flutter, and he closes his mouth, nodding. "B and I were just out for /weeks/, so --" He swallows, starting to wrap his scarf back around his neck. "But, I mean, I'll still see you all the time," he adds a little heavily. "So there's that." His mouth twitches slightly at her offer. "-- Thanks. That's -- thank you. Think I'll be lucky if my future bosses are this great." "Yeah, well, the last time we saw each other, you left the room because you were so upset at me and my decision... As your friend, I can't help but wonder if this is a big factor - as it wasn't that long ago that we had a discussion about how you didn't really care about school." She lets the words out full of concern, but her cheeks redden as she finishes. "I... Look, I am kind of a big ball of emotions and you don't really need that. If you're being 100% devoted to school, it's super shitty of me to think that you're leaving because I've done something you just cannot approve of." The whisper-rustle of Shane's gills snags against his scarf, now. He unwinds it, uncomfortably plucking at a stray wisp of fabric where it's caught against the sharp edges of his gills. He leaves the scarf off, balling it up to shove it into his coat pocket. "Sorry," he mutters, down towards his boots before looking back up about Mel. "About - last time, Ba says I shouldn't --" He swallows, shaking his head sharply. "I'm not supposed to. Say things. To you. About that." "Shane, please. It's me. Your parents are... Southern. I am not. If you've got something to say to me, I want you to feel at ease to say it. Hell, everyone else is being so sweet and supportive, I feel really out of place half the time, trying to be excited." She gives a small huff and opens her mouth just to stretch her jaw. "I think I can handle one raw, honest, dissenting voice - especially one I can trust. Of all the people in the world, I'd like that to be you." Shane shivers, gills fluttering rapidly again. "My dads are really Southern," he agrees roughly. "And they're still my dads. And Ba pretty much ordered me flat out to keep my mouth shut on this one topic around you and I can't -- my dads pretty much never put their foots -- feet -- down about anything so I --" He grits his teeth, frustrated, lifting his hands to dig his mittened palms down hard enough against his fluttering gills that it's clearly painful on the sensitive organs. He draws in a slow breath afterwards. "I should get back to the train." "Oh. Okay. Well, I'll talk to them." Mel remarks, a little briskly, She straightens up, inhaling deeply to bolster herself and nods. "I will talk to you later then." Shane nods, slowly. He starts to rock towards Melinda, hands lifting -- almost. Then dropping back to his sides. "Alright. I -- thanks. Um. Goodnight. Evening. Afternoon," he amends, awkwardly. He pulls his hat back down, head ducking as he slips back out the door. Melinda curses quietly to herself and turns back to her work.