OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
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ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
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FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
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outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
Christian stared at his phone, clutching it tight as if he was trying to break it. He wished it would break. He considered throwing it at the nearest wall or the floor… no the wall sounded more satisfying. The messages kept popping up on his screen and non-stop calls were coming in from none other than his boss. He started cursing under his breath and his heart rate shot up so fast he had to catch his breath at some point. Madness. Pure madness. If he wasn’t going to die because of the ongoing pandemic he surely would because of the stress his boss was causing him every single day. His unread messages and missed calls were probably up in the 100. It was crazy. His boss wsa crazy. Certainly. There was no other explanation. Starting around 6 in the morning until past midnight his phone would buzz and buzz and buzz until he turns it off - which he can’t always do because there were other people in his life too. He wondered if his boss didn’t have friends to bother. No, he apparently knows the whole city. He was married and has a child as well his a mother and even a grandmother. There were enough people around him but yet he had to bother his employees like there was no one else to bother. Christian and his co workers were slowly starting to get sick of his crap.
The three of them had their resignations printed and ready just in case but unfortunately with the outbreak it had been a very difficult task to find a job so they decided to hold it in just a tad bit longer until maybe, maybe the pandemic comes to a stop.
DING. DING. DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.
Oh hell no. That’s it. Christian was just about to enter to store to open it for the morning shift but he’s had enough. “Hey tell me why you aren’t replying to my messages or answer my calls? You’re not even calling me back. What’s wrong with you?” he heard an all too familiar voice from behind him. Christian sight and took a deep breath. He wouldn’t even try anymore. “Hi.” he said, his tone flat and emotionless. He then stepped towards his annoying boss, cracking the knuckles of his hands for a moment before pulling his arm back and swinging it forward to punch him in the face - hard. His bones colliding with the other person’s jaw sent a shiver through his whole body. His knuckles burst open and his hand burned and ached but he couldn’t care less. He proceeded to take out his resignation letter out of the back pocket of his jeans and threw it into his boss’ face. “Here’s my answer to all your calls and all your messages dumbass.” And with that he walked away.
The brunette wasn’t sure where exactly he wanted to go now that he was pretty much jobless. He took his phone to text his roommates about what just happened.
CHRISTIAN 08:48 I punched my boss in the face. Resigned. Probably can’t pay rent. Please buy me pizza. I hope we have some wine left in the fridge.
He tucked it back into the pocket of his jacket, his hands burried into the pockets of his pants. He liked walking, walking around, walking to the stores, to work, home. There was just something about walking that comforted him not to mention walking was the safest way of moving around at the moment - unless you ran into a group of gangsters. He looked around the streets as he walked, breathing in the fresh morning air. A supposedly crowded city morning was just an abandoned one. Barely any people were out and about. Even though it was their new reality it was a little hard to get used to sometimes.
His legs carried him to the Southern part of the city. There wasn’t anything around he would need to go to but he decided to check out some stores in Chinatown to see if they have some good food available. He walked through the entrance, the red traditional chinese arch which was pretty much the same in every city with a chinatown. Nothing great. He wasn’t really a fan of China anyway, yet they were the ones selling imported products the cheapest out of all asian countries. Dark eyes looked at the window displays of each shop. A lot of them were closed - especially the non-food stores. He rolled his eyes at the small K-Pop store which he spotted as he walked past it. Ugh. No thanks. The window was smashed and merchandise displayed in the front was scattered, broken and partly missing. Haha.
After some more walking he finally found a shop selling the food he wanted. He grabbed a basket as he went inside, gave the cashier a quick nod and started filling his basket with all sorts of unhealthy imported junk food. As he walked through each aisle the bell over the door announced another customer coming inside. There weren’t a lot of people in this small store but it wasn’t empty either.
Just as he grabbed a glass container with some fermented cabbage it slipped through his hand, crashing on the floor and breaking into pieces resulting in a sharp, red, spicy mess.
Charlie sighed and the strand on her hair moved to the side of her face. She was so bored. She'd cared less and less for her new job as time had gone by. It wasn't anywhere near as exciting, action-packed, exhilarating, or meaningful as her last job. It felt good to not have to carry her team all the time, it felt good to be able to enjoy her weekends without worrying about how Monday would look, and it felt good to actually be treated like a human being instead of like a cog in a machine that could be easily replaced despite how well it had done its job. She was glad for all of that, but still. Her new job was at the bottom of the pecking ladder, doing things she honestly didn't care about, and by the gods her pay was at an all-time low. Oh, the things one had to sacrifice in order to maintain some dignity.
At least her new workplace wasn't too strict on cellphones. Still, she did keep her cellphone use at work to the bare minimum, and she was always conscious of who was around whenever she reached for it. So when her phone buzzed on her desk, Charlie's dark eyes quickly flicked around her office first. No one was looking at her, the few people who were still in the office and not yet working from home were concentrated on their work, and she had already gotten through a fair bit of her work. She felt she could be allowed the minute break.
Not a lot of people messaged her - her few friends were at work, or were her roommates. She'd never been an overly social person, she didn't have a lot of time to socialize outside of work, and her interests were usually far different from what most everyone else did. So the few friends she did have were quite good ones, and the ones who texted her were usually even better friends. She usually preferred reading their text messages straight away because it wouldn't be anything casual. Her lips pursed slightly as she reached for the phone, and her eyes narrowed when she read her roommate's name.
CHRISTIAN 08:48 I punched my boss in the face. Resigned. Probably can’t pay rent. Please buy me pizza. I hope we have some wine left in the fridge.
Another sigh erupted from Charlie as she read Christian's text. She wasn't the least bit surprised that he'd finally had enough of his boss at work - he'd been ranting about his boss for days. Charlie usually wouldn't condone violence, but considering the hell the boss had put her roommate through - and her and Nick, by extension - and Charlie would have applauded in the background if she'd been there to witness it. As it was, she was just worried for her friend now. The rent would be a bit of a problem, especially considering she wasn't making as much as she usually did, but it was something they'd all just shoulder. That was what friends were for, after all.
Deciding she actually did need to take a break to deal with this, Charlie stood and walked away from her desk, her phone still in her hand as she did so. A few taps later and she raised the phone to her ear, one arm across her chest and tucked under her elbow as she gazed out at the city from her thirteenth-floor office break room. The city streets were so quiet, it looked almost like a ghost town. The military hadn't started their patrols and wouldn't for another few hours, but then it would only be more eerie. Charlie found herself grateful she'd be off-work in another hour or so.
When the familiar ringing in her ear ended, Charlie didn't even wait for Christian to say 'hello'. "So I may or may not have finished the wine the other night," she said, speaking without preamble and not even sounding the least bit apologetic about having finished her roommate's wine. She wasn't usually a wine girl, preferring the oaken taste of whiskey or bourbon mixed with the sweet bubbles of coke, but she'd had a movie night by herself and she needed the alcohol. It was just her luck that they'd been out of her whiskey that night. "And I don't know where to get your wine. Where are you? I'll come meet you and we can bring pizza and alcohol home." She did have another hour left but she'd already done most of her work; at least her boss was nice and accommodating enough. Charlie figured she could just ask to go home early and make up for the hour another day later in the week.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Dark eyes were fixed on the mess he made on the floor. Slim fingers picked up shards of the broken glass jar as he started making a pile on the side. One of the employees already hurried over as soon as they heard the noise and left to grab something to clean it up. The older chinese woman was making a fuss about him wanting to clean it himself since he was the one who created the mess to begin with. He just needed to take care of it himself so he told her to go back to whatever she was doing, took the rag out of her hands and continued collecting the pieces of the jar which were scattered all around him.
A sigh escaped his lips as his phone started vibrating inside his pocket. Not again, he thought, being sure it was his boss - or former boss - calling him… most likely to tell him about his lawyer and wanting to sue him. He fished out his airpods case and popped in one of the bluetooth earphones into his ear before checking his phone. Usually he would hesitate to answer any calls but seeing it was Charlie calling he pressed the green answer button and set his phone aside on the shelf next to him. There was no need to greet her because once he had picked up she already started talking to him. He wasn’t in the best of moods right now so her mentioning having finished his wine at home just made him sigh once again. Slightly annoyed, he rubbed the bridge of his nose as he continued listening. “It’s fine.” he answered before she proceeded talking. His gaze fell back onto the red and smelly fermented cabbage on the floor. “I’m in Chinatown, grabbing some food I’ve been craving lately.” he said, throwing a piece of cabbage into a small bucket the woman gave him. He was trying to be careful not to get any of the liquid on his clothes because it would for sure leave a stain and smell.
Christian stood up, his joints making a popping sound after having squatted for too long. He looked at his watch. “How long does it take you to get here? I can be outside in about twenty minutes. There’s a supermarket nearby where I might be able to get my wine. Either way, I don’t care which wine it is as long as it’s italian and dry.” Wiping his hands clean with paper tissues he grabbed his phone again, his thumb hovering over the end call button. “Text me when you get here.” he said and hung up, stuffing his phone back into the pocket.
After a couple of minutes he finished wiping most of the floor clean. There was a visible red stain on the white tiles but it should come off with some proper cleaning. He took his basket and walked to the cashier. She gave him a dirty look for the mess but he ignored it. On his way out he apologized again, adding a little bow which was more of a nod with his head. His hands vanished back into the pockets of his jeans, a white plastic bag dangling off his wrist. He walked back the way he came from, passing by all the stores he had already seen earlier. Once he reached the chinese gate again he made a left turn before stopping in front of a travel agency where he decided to wait for Charlie to arrive. A quick glance on his phone - no new messages - told him she wasn’t here yet.
Checking out the flyers glued on the window he noticed one for a seven day Paris trip. Right. He almost forgot about his own three day trip to Paris which he had been planning for months. His friends had gifted him a travel voucher and he was just about to book his flight when the pandemic hit the world. Everything was cancelled - the nice four star hotel he found for a cheaper price than usual, the fancy restaurant he made a reservation with, the rooftop bar serving champagne and a beautiful view over the city and the Eiffeltower.
Charlie bit her lip slightly at Christian's first words. It definitely didn't sound fine, although she guessed that was probably mostly because of how his day had gone rather than the fact that she'd finished his wine. Or, you know, maybe it could be. She'd never touched his wine before. Either way, Charlie felt a warm prickling feeling of shame creep into her veins, but she tried to ignore it. She'd apologise to him later when they'd met up, maybe buy him an extra bottle or something. To be honest, he'd probably need a second bottle, even if she bought her own bottle of whiskey. For some reason, they went through alcohol at the speed of light in their household.
There was a weird thumping sound on the other end of the line, and when Christian spoke next, it sounded like he was in the middle of doing something. Charlie was just about to ask him what he was doing when Christian asked her how long it would take her to get to Chinatown. She pursed her lips as she quickly pulled the phone from her ear to look at the time - she didn't have a watch - before returning the device to her ear. It wasn't exactly a busy day for her, she could probably finish up now and just work the rest of her shift during the rest of the week. With the pandemic, shift hours at work weren't exactly rigorous, at least in her office.
"I can be there in about half an hour," she answered, mentally planning her route to Chinatown. She'd have to catch a bus from her office, but the buses came every few minutes so at least it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to get there quickly. Charlie rolled her eyes but smiled at her roommate's wine specifications. Clearly, tonight was going to have a lot of alcohol. He deserved it, though. They hadn't had a drinks night in a while so they could milk tonight for all it was worth. She may have to ask her office if she could take a day off tomorrow - Charlie wasn't the best at handling hangovers, and she was now getting on in her years and would probably be wiped all day tomorrow. Gods she felt like a grandma. When did she get so old?
She'd managed to get in a quick "Alright" before Christian ended the call, and Charlie rolled her eyes again as she was walking back to her desk. She knew it was nothing personal, and he probably wasn't even in the best of moods, and they'd been roommates for long enough that it wasn't considered rude, but Charlie liked ending her phone calls with a proper goodbye. It felt messy and not very neat to just drop the phone in what felt like the middle of a conversation. Even if, you know, technically they didn't really have anything left to say, and would be meeting up in half an hour anyway.
Arriving at her desk, Charlie carefully arranged her papers into a pile and sorted them away in her drawers. She shot off a quick email to her boss letting her know that she was leaving and that she'd need tomorrow off as well. Another good thing about her boss was that she often didn't ask 'why', so Charlie didn't need to make up an excuse to have a personal day off. She'd just make up for her hours, and it would all be fine. Maybe being on a salary rather than a wage was also another reason her boss was okay with her taking time off as long as she made up for it later.
She bid her coworkers a quiet goodbye before grabbing her bag and heading for the exit. Tapping her phone while she waited for the lift, Charlie checked the route for the buses that would take her to Chinatown and found the next one would be getting to her bus stop in about five minutes. Which was perfect, if that bloody lift got to her floor in time! Never had she been more irritated by a building lift as when she'd started working there. It also often made stops along the lower floors, so Charlie decided to check what time the next bus came, just in case.
When the lift doors opened on the ground floor, Charlie nearly flew out of the building towards her bus stop. She caught it just in time and smiled at the masked bus driver before finding herself a seat. It was practically empty - a stark difference to how the buses in the city used to be - and Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to worry about getting herself infected.
As they travelled towards Chinatown, Charlie couldn't help but study the buildings and the roads as they passed. Lethford City was so different. It looked like a ghost town, not unlike the games she had watched Christian play at home. She wondered if they would ever get to that stage where they would need to rely on government rations, detained at home, violence escalating in the streets, people forming gangs to attack and raid or protect and defend. She figured it couldn't possibly, because that stuff was for games and movies and science-fiction, right? All that apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, dystopian world stuff? It had to be.
Charlie was glad to be saved from her morbid musings when the bus turned onto a familiar street and she got ready to get off. Her phone was in her hand as she stepped off the bus, and she paused to fire off a quick text to Christian that she was there before walking the few metres to their agreed meeting spot. The text was probably unnecessary, though, because as she turned around the corner of the building, the first person she spotted was her roommate. He was waiting outside a travel agency, looking at the advertisements and displays, and Charlie remembered that he was supposed to go to Paris before the pandemic. That was a shoddy piece of luck.
Striding up to him, she greeted him with a simple, "Hey." They never really needed to say more than that to each other. They weren't exactly social butterflies, and that worked fine for them. Unless, of course, Charlie had had a few, was in a good bar, and was living her extroverted life. That Charlie was quite different to everyday Charlie. "Are you okay?"
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Brown eyes followed a group of teenagers on the other side of the street as their silhouttes reflected on the windows of the travel agency. Another bunch not following the law. His fingers twitched and he just had the urge to go over and break their group apart - or call the police - but he knew they were busy as it was and they wouldn't send a patrol just for this. Unfortunately. There was nothing he had against those actually working in the field to make sure people stuck to the rules but as much as the public was praising them the system was still lacking a lot.
Christian turned around when a familiar voice said hi. “Hey.” he replied, taking a deep breath and pondering about starting his rant now or later. He knew Charlie wouldn’t mind if he started ranting and getting mad about his boss without a proper conversation beforehand because that’s what he was doing everyday as soon as he came home. He would pretty much open the door, throw his jacket into his room and complain. Well, maybe not complain but letting go of some stress by just venting his anger.
He thought punching his boss in the face would relieve all the stress he had built up over the last two years. Two years of having to bear his boss. The ridiculous thing about it all was that he wasn’t even his real boss. He was just the husband. His name was in no papers, he was not an official member of the team, nothing. Christian and his coworker who was the store manager checked everything. So lawfully he didn’t even have a right to tell Christian what to do but of course he was such a manipulating ass who always got what he wanted by acting like a spoiled brat - not to mention the amount of money he had so he could easily buy everything he wanted, including opinions and whatnot. At some days he seriously wondered why he put up with that crap for so long.
“Sure, I'm okay but I will feel even better after a bottle of wine. Let’s go.” he said and started walking towards the direction of the supermarket. “You think this day could get worse? I lost my job, will most likely get sued and broke something at the chinese market earlier when you called. Worst case would be that they don’t have my wine in stock and the pizza place closed.” he wondered and sighed. “I would rather get involved in a robbery or a fight. Might as well blow off some steam.” Christian jokingly said, checking his phone. Another 6 missed calls. “Crazy bastard.” he murmured under his breath before lifting his arm and for a moment he thought about throwing it on the ground or a nearby building.
He just had so much aggression pent up he really felt like punching something or breaking something. Lips tightly pressed together he dropped his arm, holding his phone tight and handed it over to Charlie. “Do you mind taking this for the rest of the day? Or maybe forever.” he asked her and hoped she would take it or else he really might throw it into the next trash can available.
Maybe instead of wine he should get himself a bottle of tequila. A bottle or two of fermented grapes didn’t seem to cut it today. He knew he shouldn’t be drinking too much, especially since he had been drinking quite a lot ever since the pandemic started and he spent every second day at home or whenever his boss annoyed him to the max, which was basically every day. He wasn’t necessarily addicted or liked getting drunk… there was just something about having a drink and chilling in the living room, watching a movie or tv show.
Charlie eyed her roommate as he turned towards her. He definitely didn't look any less stressed than he'd sounded on the phone; not that she expected him to be looking like he was relaxing and enjoying being without a job. Still, the tightness in his face was still there, and if she fancied, she could even imagine a murderous fire in his dark eyes. Not surprising, considering how much stress he must have been under today to finally crack and punch his boss in the face. She was just about to poke him to let the vitriol out because it looked like he was ready to rant or explode or both, when he started talking.
He was only saying he was fine, but Charlie knew it would better to let him rant when he was ready. Without a doubt, when the alcohol started flowing there would be plenty of ranting later on, too, before they loosened enough to actually have fun. Charlie could lend a sympathetic ear then, she didn't mind either way. Sometimes it felt like carrying a bit of Christian's burden on her own shoulders, but if it made him feel a bit better, a bit lighter, then Charlie wouldn't begrudge him that. After all, she had done it, too. A problem shared was a problem halved, as they say.
The brunette fell into a step next to her companion as they began making their way over to where his wine was sold. "Don't jinx it," she lightly scolded him as he talked about could his day get any worse and about preferring to be in a robbery. Knowing her luck, Charlie would find herself in a hostage situation with Christian by her side. Chances were, he'd be fine and she'd be the one with a bruised elbow or a scraped knee or something - her destiny tended to force her to enjoy life's ironies. Charlie's long hair whipped her face as turned her head to face her roommate, keeping pace with him as she threatened, "If I find myself getting mugged, I'll know who to blame."
Her half-joking, half-serious expression dropped the moment Christian pulled out his phone. She didn't mean to, but Charlie noticed the number of notifications on his screen, and the familiar name made her grit her teeth. "Is he still calling?" she demanded, outraged on behalf of her roommate. This man - Christian's boss - was the reason behind a few too-early mornings and waking up when she'd been on the cusp of dreamland, calling at insane hours of the day with no respect for personal boundaries. The fact that it was Charlie's sleep schedule also being interrupted by Christian's terror of a boss just made it all the more bitter for her.
She had reached out a tan hand at the exact same time Christian handed it over to her. They'd been friends long enough that sometimes Charlie did think they shared brainwaves, because in moments like this, they moved in tandem like they were thinking the exact same thing. Without another word, Charlie accepted Christian's mobile, made sure it was on silent, before placing it in her purse. Hey, maybe Christian's ideal fictional robbery situation would end up with her bag stolen and the cursed phone gone with it. She wouldn't have even minded - she had everything she could need on her own phone, and that was in her jacket pocket. Her own phone, she would kill to protect.
As if hearing her thoughts, Christian's phone buzzed in her bag, and Charlie gritted her teeth. "Maybe we should buy you a new SIM card while we're there," she muttered, shifting the things in her bag so she wouldn't feel the phone's unwelcome vibrate as strongly.
The brunette looked up from her murderous musings of Christian's phone as they stopped at the traffic lights and her roommate asked her if they should buy alcohol for Nick. At that, Charlie laughed. If the three of them had one thing in common, it was their love for their drinks. "Rumchata?" Charlie suggested, trying to sound a bit more light-hearted now. "He's got an obsession for that stuff. I think he might actually hug us if we brought some home." While she and Christian usually had their favourites that they preferred to stick to, Nick was a bit more of an explorer when it came to their poison.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Christian shook his head when she brought up the idea of buying a new SIM at the store. “Ugh, it’s alright. I’ll just block him. It’s too much of a hassle to save all my numbers because you never know if they might get lost during the change. Blocking him will do. If not… maybe I should consider getting a freaking restraining order against him.” he said and chuckled lightheartedly at the idea of it - if only he could afford it. “I mean, as long as he doesn’t show up at the apartment it’s gonna be okay. If he has the nerve to terrorize me… us, at home too I won’t be able to hold back. So I really hope for his own good that he won’t have any stupid ideas involving me.” Christian added, his eyes fixed on the ground as he watched his own steps, trying to avoid the ancient grey gum leftovers stuck to the pavement.
One thing he enjoyed about being out and about so early in the morning was the crisp morning air. It wasn’t as nice and fresh in the city as it was in the countryside but it for sure was refreshing. Christian was more of a night owl ever since he’s a teenager. His current schedule consisted of getting out of bed around noon, going to work, spending his three hour lunch break at home napping, going back to work in the afternoon, coming back around 10PM and then spend the rest of the day in front of his laptop. And every second day was a day off. It was a bit odd at the beginning of the whole self-isolation and social distancing regulation but after two weeks it was his new normal. He had gotten used to it so quickly he was glad his teenager self prepared him for this moment. Going outside? Nope, all good. Meeting friends? Nah, gotta save money. Avoiding people at all cost? Hell yes. He would survive this - if the situation wasn’t going to stay like this for the rest of eternity.
The conversation shifting from annoying boss to which alcohol to buy for Nick already helped with his mood. “Hugs…” he mumbled and shuddered at the thought. “A thank you is more than enough for me.” Christian was the kind of guy who showed his dislike of others right in front of them. He didn’t care about pretending to get along with someone because it simply wasn’t worth the effort it took. People who didn’t know him - including his boss, even after several conversations (which seemed more like interrogations) to be honest - thought of him as a friendless introvert. He wasn’t exactly an extrovert but he was in between - an ambivert. A handful of good friends he liked to hang out with including his three roommates he had known for about six years now.
“Two bottles of wine, maybe a bottle of tequila… order pizza or buy frozen pizza? Do I want two pizzas? Three pizzas? Maybe they are having special offers, three for the price of two. Or a pizza and some pepperoni pizza rolls with extra garlic dipping sauce…” he starting mumbling to himself as they continued walking. If he was gonna spend his money then he would spend it for food and booze. Might as well celebrate this great event of losing the worst job in history and being jobless for now.
Maybe he should remind himself to browse the internet for part-time job offers. Christian had never dreamed of working in the service industry. He never planned on earn money by making coffee for others and serving cake. But ever so often life decides to give you very sour lemons and you just can’t make lemonade with those. Perhaps he should hit up his friend after remembering being told their employees at the cafe were all too scared to work so most of them quit. It was a little far away from home but job was job, money was money and during these times he would be lucky to find a job.
“Mmh..” he sighed, hands tucked away safely in his pockets. “Enough about me. We're all so busy despite the present events going on I barely see you at home. What are you up to?” he asked her, his head tilted lightly to the side as he looked at her, his lips pulled up in a genuine smile.
[attr="class","ditags3"]@charlie -- I wrote this.. two weeks ago, sleep deprieved. Wanted to rewrite it but you told me not to so here you have a piece of junk! (: LOL
and the strand on her hair moved to the side of her face. She was so bored. She'd cared less and less for her new job as time had gone by. It wasn't anywhere near as exciting, action-packed, exhilarating, or meaningful as her last job. It felt good to not have to carry her team all the time, it felt good to be able to enjoy her weekends without worrying about how Monday would look, and it felt good to actually be treated like a human being instead of like a cog in a machine that could be easily replaced despite how well it had done its job. She was glad for all of that, but still. Her new job was at the bottom of the pecking ladder, doing things she honestly didn't care about, and by the gods her pay was at an all-time low. Oh, the things one had to sacrifice in order to maintain some dignity.
