(IC) Lost In Dreams [Peter]

[ericthered]

Kissinger: "You're how old? 15? that would make it ... 30 cents per day."

"We've got an aweful lot of things going every which way. Mostly you'll just do what I ask you. To start with, I need you to go through this stack of mail. Sort it into bills, discussions on business deals, personal letters, and complaints.

Rider: "Never met him before. He has one of us? thats interesting. I wonder if Irodontus knows about it. We're not far from the seat of power boy. Your nose for us is an interesting asset. Don't let the others know about it."

[the_matrix_walker]

"Actually I'm 14 sir." Peter corrects Mr. Kissinger, wanting to be truthful, but hoping that it doesn't affect his wage.

He sorts the mail carefully. With Rider encouraging him to keep his own secrets he imagines himself a secret agent looking for clues to the mastermind's devilish plot... A flight of fancy to help make the task more entertaining.

"I just got here, so I'm not sure about the money yet. Things must be pretty different here... will I be able to get a place to live and food for 30 cents a day?"

Peter works hard and will try and find other ways he can help the office as he completes his assigned tasks.

(And could [overconfidence (12)] suggest something that is clearly biting off more than he can chew. He might even just do it [Impulsive (15)])

[ericthered]

Kissinger: "For thirty cents? You are new here. 30 cents will go farther than in the old world, but its not anything you can live on. That's what your parents or guardians are for. you're only going to be doing a few hours a day. you can't support yourself on unskilled labour 750 minutes a week."

"Yeah, at 14 its 25 cents a day. Sorry about that. I suppose you could have lied about your age... You've got the size and the smarts for it. But enjoy being boy while you can. Its fun."

Simply sorting the letters is easy and quick enough. Peter tries to find evidence of rider activity, but its either well-hidden or not there. Peter suggests several things to Kissinger, including paying bills and writing answers to the letters, but Kissinger shakes his head and says things like 'perhaps later'.

Afterwords Peter was asked to spell check (and make legible copy of) a hand written letter about opening up a route to Rome.

The next task is just as boring (which is to say a lot less boring that packing fish, but still boring): sorting pile of old documents by date. there wasn't much time to read them, but He did notice that all of them had the signature of the father William, not the son.

As Peter was wrapping up to leave, Kissinger told him the next assignment was to get his own paper-work done. Apparently there was something special and complicated about hiring teenage boys. You had to pay the government, and then they paid the boy. Apparently this made it easier to regulate or something.

[the_matrix_walker]

"Hhmn.... My parents are back home where I came from and I don't have a guardian. They gave me a place in a building to sleep, but they won't let my dog Goliath inside, so I'm sleeping with him in a shed for now... I guess I'm gonna need more than one job if I'm going to find a place to live."

Peter does the required paperwork before taking some time to explore and check on what things cost. Later he will head back "home" and looks for a place he can wash his only set of clothes, that are no doubt starting to get a little ripe.

[ericthered]

"The stiff old ladies are your guardians kid. It'd be better if you had someone else, but you don't. They'll take care of you and see to your indoctrination as part of the community. And you won't be able to get more work. One job and school is all you get. Laws are a little stiff on that. And they're not so keen on minors owning property."

Kissinger actually shoos him out the door before he can finish the paperwork: "No way I'm letting you work over time: its not worth it. It'll take long enough".

He checks prices on the way home: a good loaf of bread is about 5 cents. Shirts are about a dollar. the price ratio is somewhere between 20 to 40 times that of home: his wage was about 9 dollars for 2 and a half hours of work.

When he gets home, Mrs. Coffin presents him with some 'new' clothes (new to Peter, that is). The three women are just about to eat, and it seems the meal was timed to coincide with his arrival. The food is a soup. filling and tasty, but nothing special. The woman start hounding him with questions: did he find a job? where was he from? why didn't his parents get 'snatched' into this world along with him? What kind of food does he like? the list goes on and on ... they seem to have entertained themselves all day by making lists of questions to ask him when he got back.

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by ericthered

He checks prices on the way home: a good loaf of bread is about 5 cents. Shirts are about a dollar. the price ratio is somewhere between 20 to 40 times that of home: his wage was about 9 dollars for 2 and a half hours of work.

((OOC: He was told 25 cents a day before... If nothing else is said I will assume this is an adjustment.))
On the way back, Peter will try and find some dog food Goliath would like, and a collar, so that if he wanders off people will know he belongs to someone.

On arriving back home, Peter politely thanks them for the food and clothing, and tells them of his day and new job over dinner (leaving out the part about how he chose who to ask about work of course).

He's happy to tell them about Burlington and his life there, and that he has no idea why it was only he and Goliath that found themselves here.

He tells them he likes fried chicken, hot dogs, french fries, hamburgers and pizza... typical kid fare. In general he is not a picky eater.

[ericthered]

OCC: sorry, I calculated for 30 cents, not 25. 30 * 20 = 600 = 6 dollars. 30 * 40 = 1200 = 12 dollars. thus $9. dropping the cost to 25 cents a day gives him from 5 to 10 instead of 6 to 12, so 7.50 on average. the real trick here is first that peter is just guestimating and second that some things cost comparatively more or less. He's only working 2 and a half hours: that's also law. Yes, they have wacky, restrictive child labour laws here. If you're feeling chafed, thats ok: peter is a teenage boy after all.

The women are impressed with him finding a job so quickly and that he got a non-standard job. They've heard of Morton's freight: William Morton was not only a successful businessman, he was a notable statesman. A traditionalist, from what the women mention. Several offices are maintained throughout the 'civilized world', which from what Rider says (Or Senarich, as his name apparently is), means a number of cities centred on the northern coasts of the Atlantic.

After dinner, Mrs. Coffin lays out his schedule: Every morning he will wake up, eat breakfast with them, do the dishes, go to school, go to work, and then return home for dinner. After dinner is free, but they want him back in by 9 o'clock... apparently they are under the impression that after 9 things get dangerous outside and no respectable person is outside. Senarich seems to roll his eyes at those comments.

[the_matrix_walker]

Peter will take Goliath for a walk after dinner and learn the lay of the land a bit more.

[ericthered]

The city is large enough to give an impression of size, yet its still small enough that Peter can actually get a feel for it. The city was created around the docks and factories, and has something of a dingy feel to it. Peter also gets the impression its not just him that's being closely watched... everyone here seems to watch everyone else.

[the_matrix_walker]

As Peter travels about exploring the city he chats with Rider.

'Any idea why everyone is so paranoid? Are they all just afraid of your people, or do you think something else is going on?'

As he gets a feel for the lay of the land, he keeps an eye out for novelties. He's interested in trying local foods they might not have back home. He's also interested in finding a bow so that he might go hunting. If he was not able to find one before, he will also look for a collar and dog food for Goliath.

If he see's those in need, he will follow his boy scout instincts and assists people if he can. If this is to be his new community, he thinks he'd best be a part of it.