Job hunt (Andrei/Nee if she wants/open)

[Jack Lexington]

Wrapping my grey woolen jacket closer around myself I step onto the building site and look up at the tall wooden construction. My breath lingers in the cold air as steam before it vanishes. It's definetly the coldest morning this month and temperatures will only drop more which means that finding work for somebody unskilled like me is getting harder.

During the past week I've only had a one day digging job so I urgently need to find something a little more permanent otherwise I will run out of tesserae and will have to resort to begging friends to feed me, which can only be my last resort.

With my hands in my pockets I approach one of the men, who are already working on the large house, which is supposed to be put up here. Right now it's only a wooden skeleton.

"Excuse me. Are you in charge here? I'm looking for a job."
I'm trying my best to sound polite because I come off pretty arrogant. My hands even come out of my pockets as I look up at the guy.

[Andrei Ehrenström]

I know it's cold outside; just speaking makes a cloud form in front of my face. But now that the sun's higher in the sky and we've spent the last couple hours hauling around lumber, nails and screws, and tools, I'm considerably warmer; enough to shed my outer coat and unzip the jacket under it.

The building project in question is going to be a lumber mill, and right now all we have built is the most basic part of the frame. Enough that it will stand on its own as-is, but it'll require a lot of reinforcement before we can begin to lay its walls, roof and floor. I'm carrying a load of lumber over my shoulder when the guy in gray approaches; I hear what he says, but I'm more distracted by how familiar he looks. He's older than me, though not by much, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

"No, but close enough."

Technically nobody's in charge (since building lumber mills is such a standard procedure that an architect becomes unnecessary), but my family has a reputation for good work that in this project has earned both me and Dad the unspoken right to direct other, less experienced workers.

I motion at him to follow me so I can put the lumber down where it goes.

"You got any building experience?" I ask, walking towards the far end of the mill.

[Jack Lexington]

At least he they guy in front of me didn't say no right away. He looks a little young to be in charge but since he asks me about my experience I'm assuming he does have somewhat of a say.
Running my hand over my chin I think about it, then reply. "Me and my dad built a shed out back and I helped the neighbors once with their roof. Other than that..." I shrug briefly. If I was completely honest I'd have to say that I spent at least ten times working on the school building as punishment but I simply say. "And some patching up my old school when I was still going."
The wood lands on a large pile on the floor right next to a part of the frame where the suspending beams still have to go up.
Curiously I let my eyes wander around the project. It's a cold job but I like manual labor so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
"I work hard." Then I extend my hand. "I'm Tyler Jameson. So what do you say?"

[Andrei Ehrenström]

Oh, hell no.

I knew the guy looked familiar, but this is the last (and one of the least welcome) scenarios I could think of; I remember Tyler from school, but we weren't what you would call childhood friends. Tyler was a couple years older than me, and had on many occasions bullied me, my friends, or my siblings for one reason or another. So, we had been in more than just a few fights; I forgot about the ones I had with younger troublemakers, but Tyler had carried on for years.

I still had the faint scar where one of my knuckles had hit his teeth in a lucky punch right in the mouth.

It wasn't a wonder, then, that Tyler would be at least somewhat decent with a hammer and nails; it was a common punishment for older kids at school to make repairs to the schoolhouse. Not that I would trust this guy as far as I could throw him... which was fairly far, seeing as post-puberty-growth-spurt meant I had 3 inches and about 20 pounds on him.

"Graduated from schoolhouse roofs to big boy projects, then?" I sneer at him.

Yeah, it's incredibly petty to be taking digs at the guy. But I have a tendency to carry grudges, the personality not to see the former as a problem, and the stubborn inability to forgive people who make my sisters cry.

[Jack Lexington]

Just like he remembered me I recall him now. He's one of the younger kids in school that were brave enough to put up a fight when I put them in their place. Initially that angered me and made me pound them harder but, to be honest, those were my favourite kids, because they actually gave me a challenge.
If I'm right he even knocked one of my teeth loose.
Back then it was just about power and finding a vent for my frustration. Emilia has changed me though. She and being sick and weak so long. The girl has made me think about my actions and actually have empathy.
It's not like I don't get into fights now. I do, maybe more than I should but I'm not always the one starting them and I know when to quit.

A little embarassed that he recognised me and is now in charge of possibly handing a job to me I look to the ground. "Yeah, I guess." I motion at him with a smirk. "You've grown a little since then."
Briefly I look up at his hard expression, the crossed arms. He's not going to give me a job after what I've done.
"I'll find my own way out. Sorry to bother you."
With that I turn around and walk away before I turn once more and walk backwards. I do something totally unusual. Overcoming my inhibitions I shout. "And sorry that I kicked your ass back then." It comes out almost like a challenge when in reality I really just want to tell the guy that I've learned something since then.

A few curious eyes meet me when two workers walk past me.

[Andrei Ehrenström]

I've grown a little? I don't know what he's talking about, a little, seeing as Tyler was bigger than me pretty much until he finished school. Not that as a kid he had been bothered with size; Greger had been a small child, and I'd had to stand up to Tyler for him on numerous occasions.

He turns to go, rightly so by the way I'm looking at him; call me stubborn or petty, but I'm not exactly the type to hand out second chances. Tyler was unfortunate enough to give me the impression early on that he didn't deserve one. But he stops, and backtracks, and what he says I can't help but react to: "And sorry that I kicked your ass back then."

Who had knocked whose teeth loose?? I can't help but feel a childish defensiveness at the insinuation that Tyler won all of our spats; it didn't count, to me, as winning when his favorite targets had all been smaller and weaker than he was.

"Last I checked, I loosed more than one of your teeth the last time we tangled." I growl.

[Jack Lexington]

I stop for a moment and nod at him. "Yes, you did." I can't help but smile at the thought. For some reasons those quarrels don't concern me anymore now. "Good job."

The growl and his fists tell me he wants to repeat what he's done thought.
So I step froward again. I'm not sure why this guy is still angry after all these years.
"Hey, I don't have any hard feelings against you but if you wanna drop the gloves I'm all for it. Let's go outside and see who's kicking whose ass now."
I shrug because now is not the place or time to fight. It was mostly just trash talk, which is something I can't refrain from.
But if he really wants to take me up on the offer I'm not scared even though her might be a little taller now. I've got plenty of experience.

[Andrei Ehrenström]

I'm very, very tempted to take him up on his offer. Call it incredibly childish, but what can I say; my big-brother pride was still a little wounded by the number of times in our younger days when Tyler had trounced me in my righteous little boy rage. I was even weaker to the sway of my siblings' tears when I was younger and marginally less temperamental.

This might've been the point that there would be some pushing, the other construction workers broke it up, and all would be well. Except for the fact that Dad had noticed the number of people standing around and had come over to investigate.

"Andrei, what're you standing around for?" He asked, though before waiting for an answer he shooed off the other workers back to their jobs.

I jerk my head at Tyler.

"He's looking for a job."

Dad cocks his hat back to look at our would-be recruiter, no doubt recognizing him, but well immune to the fact that the man in question used to bully his children. Probably something to do with his sickbed absence so well known around the schoolyard, and chalking it up to boys being boys.

"Dunno that we have much work for ya, son," He said, and I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes knowing what's coming, "But if you know your way around a hammer and nail, I might have something."

Fantastic.

[Jack Lexington]

When the other workers step between us I'm glad because I've been holding back but I definetly don't like being pushed around even if I deserve it.

As soon as Andreis old man steps on the plan he's got my full attention.
I acknowledge him with a nod and a half-smile. At first I'm disapointed because he says there's not much work but then he asks me about my skills with a hammer and I can't help but smirk. "Sure do, sir. I'm good with my hands." I throw a quick look at his son who probably knows exactly that this is a thread to him as well.

The man turns around and motions for me to follow him. He leads me to a corner where a whole bunch of boards are waiting to be mounted on the bare bones of the house.
"Grab a belt. Show me what you can do today and I'll pay you at the end of day."
I nod in agreement and reach for the belt he brings me.
Then I grab a hammer, weigh it in my hand and take a board.
With each board I hammer on I get more precise and faster and after about an hour I am done and go looking for either the father or son.
In a corner I find a few workers taking a break and offering me some water.
"Thank you. I'm Tyler. Do you know where I can find the boss?"