by Jester Joker
We finally got a call that we could go out and do something. Not anything fun, but necessary, and, all the same, it staves off boredom a little. The guys up top arranged a meeting with the mayor.
On the way over to City Hall, I almost felt a little bad on Will's behalf. Until we're properly registered here, I can't use my preferred means of transportation. He could have run ahead of me and waited, but I didn't like the idea of him having several minutes of unaccountability. It's one thing if he runs off into trouble on his free time... only he'd have to answer for that. After we get our orders, though, we're responsible for one another.
So he had to take the bus with me... and all sorts of other people whom we'll want to avoid in the future. The guy closest to me scratched himself for half the ride, then tried getting my attention the other half. Lovely. He was the only guy whose attention was focused somewhere other than Will's foot tapping impatiently at like a thousand miles per hour.
It's not soon enough that we're in the mayor's office. He sits down behind his desk, on which rests a nameplate reading "Mayor Campell," without painstaking pleasantries or introductions. He's got my vote for that, if nothing else. He's a lot younger than most politicians I've seen.
"I've only got five minutes before I gotta be somewhere else. Go." He gets to the point quickly. I figure I should show him the same respect.
"We're new in town, and we need to get registered. You know who we represent, I assume."
He nods. "Of course. I hold your bosses in high regard and look forward to working with you two."
Will cuts in. "If you like our bosses so much, then why do we have to go through all this registering? We could be out helping the city already without this shit." I wish I could gag him.
Campbell smiles, surprisingly patient. "It's something, all right. After all, the bad ones of your ilk -- no offense -- are not going to go through the registration process, and the good ones don't need it." He shrugs a little. "The voters have their reasons."
I jump in, hoping to undo Will's complaining. "It's understandable. I mean, your stances regarding us are progressive, and the last election showed that people want change. But there's a limit, too... people can only stand so many catastrophes before they wonder if there's such a thing as too much tolerance." I have no idea if what I said made any sense but it sounded good.
The mayor smiles and checks his watch. "Well, I'll let you all get started. My secretary will be in shortly. I've got an appointment." He extends his hand to us.
"Got to get in a quick nine at the club, eh, Mr. Mayor?" Will says as he shakes Campbell's hand. Always has to make a joke, the fucking--
Campbell laughs it off. Good. I shake his hand and he's out. "You know," I say to Will. "You could at least pretend to be professional. It might be fun, if you treat it as sort of an inside joke."
He chuckles. "Since when do YOU find inside jokes funny?"
Before I can respond the door opens and an ugly middle age woman in an even uglier dress walks in. This city's fashion scene must really suck.
She sighs and hands each of us a piece of paper that says "Evaluation and Registration."
"One of you go to room 101, the other go to room 121. When you walk out this room, one is directly to the left and one is directly to the right. Don't walk in the same direction, and you'll be fine." She leaves. I feel like I should stop and ask her another question, but she's clearly got no heart for this work. I'd kill myself before I'd let myself end up like that. Or provoke someone else into killing me.
I take room 121. I don't know why we'd be split up like this, but it's not like I'll complain. I find the room and knock. I hear a voice say something. I open the door and walk in.
There's a chair and a couch. A man is sitting on the chair with glasses. He's old enough to be my grandfather. He's smiling.
Oh, SHIT. Psychological evaluations.
This is gonna suck. I can only imagine what kind of minefield they'll find inside my head... not to mention Will's.