Darcs — Roleplayer Guild

	"¿Qué demonios fresco es esto?" Valerie Aiomé recoiled from the smokey mug of freshly prepared coffee that had been set before her-- a scrunched up expression quickly turned to mild anger. That's not a proper way to describe it-- it was certainly mild, and while how she felt may have lived in the same choleric family tree as anger, she wasn't angry. Val had been working in government since high school-- she was far beyond feeling angry when an intern fucked up something as simple as a cup of coffee. The expression on her face, as it relaxed after tasting something both scalding hot and unpleasant, was annoyance. The annoyance a mother would feel toward a child-- she tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, her lips quivered ever so slightly downward, as if only to imply a slight disappointment. She wanted to expect better-- but the twitch in her shoulders as they drooped said she knew it was silly to expect him to do better.

	Him.

Him.

Who is him?

~~~

2003

"So..." A teenage girl Val used to be friends with in high school asked.

"So, what?" Jose answered.

"So what?" The teenage girl girl parroted, her smile conveyed annoyance and frustration. It reminded Jose of the smiles his mother had given him. He didn't like it.

He responded with a blank stare, and continued to apply some more of her eyeliner.

She laughed. "Wow, Josie! You really weren't listening? Christ, you're such a space cadet!" The girl patted his cheek. "I was asking you what you thought of that guy over there?"

Jose lazily followed her finger to a crowd boys-- talking about what sounded like music-- Jose pointed at one of the tall, dark, handsome devils at random, "Him?"

The girl shook her head, "No! Him!" 

Him? Really? Jose hadn't even seen him looking before. There was a shorter, chubbier kid standing a little behind one of the more attractive boys of the cafeteria huddle. 

Jose pointed him out, "Him?"

The girl scoffed, "No not him! That's his little brother! I'm talking about the guy in front of him! Paul!"
"Oh, okay." Jose finished applying his cateye, "What about him?"

She gave him that look again, "What do you think, genius? Is he fuckable? He's cute, right?"

"Dude, I'm not gay."

"Yeah..." Her ever-present smile waned, "But like... you like..."

Makeup. Yeah. "Want me to introduce you?"

"You know him?"

Jose got up from the table, "Not yet."
~~~

	Val swiveled in her chair to face one of her interns. A cog in her army of post-pubescent fuck-ups and brown-nosers. She only made silent eye contact with him for a second before bemoaning him, "God damnit, Matt." That was him. The kid's name was Matt, no more of a fuck-up than any of her other interns. But poor little bleach blonde Matt was the unfortunate victim of circumstance-- today happened to be the first person to truly interact with her, after Nick had made his way back into town, and after Eli had reminded her of the anniversary of Paul's...

	"What is it, Ms. Aiomé?" The boy went wide-eyed. He knew what it was.

	"Don't give me that shit Matt--" Val handed the burning mug to the boy, "I don't do whole milk. Either 2% or black with a few sugars." She pinched the ridge between her eyebrows, "Jesus, I feel like I have to explain this to you every day."

	"I mean-- um, I don't-- I didn't..." He fidgeted, playing with his fingers. 

	Val sighed.

	"Matt..." Around the two, the day was already well underway, the cramped city building was a mess of public servants making calls and bringing documents from one place to another-- the frantic business casual men and women formed a hurricane, in which Val and her intern were the calm eye. Val glanced down at her phone, noting she had already missed a call from Eli. Sucking in air through her teeth, she dismissed Matt, handing off her coffee. "It's fine. Just make another, don't screw this one up, okay? Otherwise I'll replace you with Luana." He smiled and left. And suddenly... it was just Val in the eye of the office storm.

	For a moment, she glanced toward the camera.

	She had never been particularly close to Paul-- but Eli was a good friend, she owed him her sympathy. She hesitated for a moment, before picking up the phone, and dialing his number.
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