Summer Secrets Part Deux
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Handling summer business? Do it at the hollow. He wanted to set the right tone for the rest of the court. Hank worked for Ramona, Ramona had given him a job, and he took that job seriously. So in the middle of the hollow he sat drinking a Coke. He was dressed casual in one of his normal, short sleeve, button up shirts. The kind every grandfather seemed to wear. He sat in the seating area and waited for Alex to arrive. Hopefully things would go smoothly in the Hedge hotbox.
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The Hollow seems a lot calmer than the last time Alex was here. He's curious what Hank has in mind. Does he want to talk about training, or is there some kind of job that needs doing? He walks over to the seats and picks one across from the cowboy. Before he sits he nods at Hank...
"Hi, Hank. So what's the news today?"
"Alex, good to see you again," he said, returning the head nod. As fellow elemental sat Hank started right away.
"You may remember that that Queen Bohannon wants us to prove our place in the court. Her challenge to me was to me learn about our court and its members. She was here for a while before many of us showed up. So tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?" Hank wasn't shy about getting right to the point.
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"I was a journalist Before. A newspaper reporter. Some of those skills might come in handy now... but all of my education and experience does not exist to the rest of the world. Me being legally dead and all that. And the bigger problem is that print media were already dying before I went Away. I was having trouble holding a job with 20 years of experience in the business... So doing that for a living isn't going to happen. Right now I'm working retail. Selling overpriced hipster clothes. If I want more than that I'm going to have to go to college. Again."
Being young again is a common middle aged fantasy, but Alex has discovered that, even aside from all the spooky fairy stuff, there are some serious drawbacks.
Alex appeared like he was find getting right to the point. Hank appreciated that quality in others as much as he valued it in himself. "If you were a journalist then you must certainly have a great deal of experience writing. That's always a valuable skill. I imagine with some thought you could put that skill to good use for the court. I also wonder, have you thought about taking to the internet with your writing? I don't know much about it, but when I'm not at a diner, where they usually have a newspaper on hand, I find blogs to be helpful to learn about the world." When Hank had escaped he immediately looked for a newspaper to find out about what he'd missed. It was the internet that truly gave him an answer. He never developed a skill with computers, but even a monkey could figure out how to go to the search engine and seek out news online.
"I imagine if you wrote online it wouldn't matter how legally dead you are." Not exactly the kind of statement someone says with a straight face and yet Hank did it well.
He took a sip of his drink and thought briefly. "So you have work, even if it's not what you'd prefer. Do you have a place to stay? Have enough money to live and eat?"
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"Blogging is easy to get into, but it's tough to make real money that way. Writing for an audience has never been easier, but writing for a real living has never been harder." Alex pauses. "I have the basics covered. I'm staying at Edna's, and that helps. If I stay at this same job for a while I'll get raises. If you discount the silliness of what we sell, it's not too bad for retail. But I'm never going to be exactly raking it in..."
Hank nodded his head along. "That makes sense. Why pay one writer when there's a wave of unpaid writers right behind you. Skill and perseverance would hopefully set you apart."
He listened as the man continued. He had heard about Edna's and was glad a Summer was there, at least to know what was going on. "Are you interested in making a lot of money? I ask because I wonder what your goal is. Your focus in life. Are you interested in making a new name for yourself, making money, taking charge in the Freehold? Basically...what interests you here?"
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"Well... I've only been Out for about a year and a half, so I'm not sure if I have the experience to be a real leader yet. As I learn more I wouldn't mind being a mentor and sharing that knowledge if it helps others. I certainly won't be the last person in this situation. But I've never been a Type A personality, a true boss type... Money? I don't need to be rich. I sure wouldn't mind it, but it's not a top priority. Which is a good thing, as I have no prospects of making big money anytime soon. But what I really want is security. Not just physical safety but a community. Friends. People I can count on. People I can talk to. The loneliness just gets crushing after a while... especially when most of the world has no idea about your problems. This place does look like somewhere that could happen. With enough time and enough effort, at least."
Alex recalls a discussion from the Spring Coronation and afterwards...
"You're not the first person to ask me about my desires. The Springs are big on this 'Booth of Desires' thing. They're still bugging me about it, like Mormons on a mission. But my desires fall into two categories... 'obvious' and 'I have no clue.' If I put in the effort I can become a part of this community. If I want a better job and a real career I can go back to school. Those things may be tough, but they're possible. Things like a real relationship and a family, on the other hand... There's no way I'm going to drag normals into this shit. So... there seem to be plenty of good and nice people here, but it's still an awfully small pool of talent from which to choose the love of your life. Especially if you're gay. Maybe the Springs can help me make more friends, but the rest of that stuff seems... out of their hands."
Hank leaned back in his chair and put a hand up to his chin, listening as Alex went on He waited till the end to respond, not revealing any reaction in his facial movements. "I can't help you with the 'love of your life' but when it comes to family and connections that could be a place to help and focus. Sure, family's something you gain over time, but if you want to be a strong member of the Court you can put that 'desire'," he said with air quotations, "to good use by connecting to people of the other Courts."
Hank was quick to continue, adding in his own clarification. With bluntness came the desire to clarify so that there were no misunderstandings. "I'm not giving you directive. This is obviously not an order or position. I haven't been given that kind of authority by the Queen. I just wonder, if you'd be interested in the idea of reaching out to the other seasons. Every Court is different, with different emotions. Those who come to Summer usually hold deep-seated anger towards the Others, as I do. But we would never be strong enough to get our Revenge without that family connection with the whole Freehold that you seek. Does that sound like something that would interest you?" Hank raised an eyebrow as he awaited an answer.
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"I've never been somebody who thinks that each Court should stick to its own and that this is supposed to be some kind of race between the Seasons. Most of the horror stories I've heard about Freeholds gone bad start with that kind of crap. No need to make this bell jar any smaller than it already is... So, yes, I'll be trying to make friends with people from other Courts. It's what I'd be doing anyway."
Alex sighs.
"I'm even going to a Desire counseling session with one of the Springs. Just to be a good sport and everything..."
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