Fic
I've been slowly writing one of those "5 Things" works, called Giles in Five Unexpected Places. This the second one I've written.
The third one might show up on my next posting date.
Title: Giles in Five Unexpected Places: The Unemployment Office
Rating: G
Length: 822
Characters: Giles, Xander, OC
Disclaimer: Never mine, I only embellish
Giles in Five Unexpected Places:The Unemployment Office
Even for Sunnydale, an exploding high school was an event. The day after was filled with talking to officials, signing obfuscating statements, counting the cost in lost friends.
So, here it was the week after the day after. The books Giles saved from the library were piled in helter-skelter stacks around the apartment. He threaded his way through them on the way to the kitchen to get his morning coffee. He would find a clear spot on the couch, settle himself and linger over it and the newspaper. He had no job to go to.
The Watchers' Council could have his visa revoked but apparently their attitude was ‘why bother’. He'd just be a more visible nuisance on his home ground. Giles decided he would consider himself on holiday. How long was it since he'd had one?
Buffy and her friends obviously thought that this was regrouping and relaxing time, too. The Slayer checked in but resisted any training sessions and Giles hadn't seen Willow at all.
Xander came by just before he set off on his On the Road adventure. "I'm locked and loaded; my chariot awaits. Sure you don't want to come with, Giles?"
"Tempting, but no. I've had enough excitement for a bit. I'll rest and collect myself." Looking around he said, "And maybe move a few books."
"Sort of a freelance librarian, huh?" Xander had a sudden thought," Hey, you go to the unemployment office, yet?"
"Should I have? Is a requirement?" Giles was unsure of the rules; he was, after all, a stranger in a strange land.
"No, it's a payday without work if you qualify. Do you qualify? Besides being a giant snake's buddy, did Snyder keep bad books? You should check it out."
"You seem well versed in this, Xander."
"The Harris men are well-known at the unemployment office. What my father calls sucking at the government's teat"
.
"Yes, a very vivid image. Thank you."
When he was alone again Giles decided to look into it. It was somewhere to go. A plan for the day. Maybe next week.
He did go into the Unemployment Office a few days later. There was government green paint on the walls with uncomfortable plastic chairs bolted to the floor and slumped down applicants awaiting their turn; it was as depressing a place as he imagined it would be.
When his summons came and he sat across from the clerk the mood didn't lighten. The woman frowned at the papers in her hand and she frowned at Giles. "You worked at Sunnydale High? A librarian?" Her tone suggested she doubted such a thing existed. "Can you do anything else?"
Several answers came to Giles’ mind. I dabble in magic; I can do spells, nothing too deep as I find it ends in homicide. I play guitar. But he said nothing.
The woman went on talking. "Well, you're going to have to update your skills. You'll need to take some computer classes."
Giles, flustered, said the first thing that came to mind, "I don't like computers. I'm rather a Luddite."
"Is that a religious thing?"
"No, not…it's more of a philosophy."
The woman made a small motion of her head, side to side, as if to shake this remark off. Her day was filled with listening to the far-fetched; she decided long ago to roll with it. She smiled a weary smile, "Philosophy doesn't pay the bills, does it?"
"No, I suppose not."
"You should be aware that your residency status could be affected if you don't get a job." Giles had a suspicion that her eyes lit up a bit at this. "There's a workshop that starts next week. You'll have to go to qualify for unemployment."
She reached around to the stacks of forms on the table behind her. She grabbed one of each and swung around to face Giles. "Here, you need to fill these out before you go to the workshop. You need to take them have them with you. You need to have picture ID with you. The information of when and where the workshop takes place is on the form. You need to be on time."
She said this in one breath. It reminded Giles of the flight attendant's safety instructions before the plane takes off. So many repetitions of the same words that no doubt they've lost all meaning to the speaker.
Giles took the packet of forms and said, "Well, thank you for your time. I appreciate having the information."
The woman made a small grunting sound in answer, as she engrossed herself in feeding data into her computer.
On the way out of the building Giles dropped the papers in the rubbish container. He knew he wouldn't be dragged back to the UK; nobody wanted him there. It would be best to forego this particular American experience in bureaucracy. He would spend his time reshelving his books and drinking tea.
The third one might show up on my next posting date.
Title: Giles in Five Unexpected Places: The Unemployment Office
Rating: G
Length: 822
Characters: Giles, Xander, OC
Disclaimer: Never mine, I only embellish
Giles in Five Unexpected Places:The Unemployment Office
Even for Sunnydale, an exploding high school was an event. The day after was filled with talking to officials, signing obfuscating statements, counting the cost in lost friends.
So, here it was the week after the day after. The books Giles saved from the library were piled in helter-skelter stacks around the apartment. He threaded his way through them on the way to the kitchen to get his morning coffee. He would find a clear spot on the couch, settle himself and linger over it and the newspaper. He had no job to go to.
The Watchers' Council could have his visa revoked but apparently their attitude was ‘why bother’. He'd just be a more visible nuisance on his home ground. Giles decided he would consider himself on holiday. How long was it since he'd had one?
Buffy and her friends obviously thought that this was regrouping and relaxing time, too. The Slayer checked in but resisted any training sessions and Giles hadn't seen Willow at all.
Xander came by just before he set off on his On the Road adventure. "I'm locked and loaded; my chariot awaits. Sure you don't want to come with, Giles?"
"Tempting, but no. I've had enough excitement for a bit. I'll rest and collect myself." Looking around he said, "And maybe move a few books."
"Sort of a freelance librarian, huh?" Xander had a sudden thought," Hey, you go to the unemployment office, yet?"
"Should I have? Is a requirement?" Giles was unsure of the rules; he was, after all, a stranger in a strange land.
"No, it's a payday without work if you qualify. Do you qualify? Besides being a giant snake's buddy, did Snyder keep bad books? You should check it out."
"You seem well versed in this, Xander."
"The Harris men are well-known at the unemployment office. What my father calls sucking at the government's teat"
.
"Yes, a very vivid image. Thank you."
When he was alone again Giles decided to look into it. It was somewhere to go. A plan for the day. Maybe next week.
He did go into the Unemployment Office a few days later. There was government green paint on the walls with uncomfortable plastic chairs bolted to the floor and slumped down applicants awaiting their turn; it was as depressing a place as he imagined it would be.
When his summons came and he sat across from the clerk the mood didn't lighten. The woman frowned at the papers in her hand and she frowned at Giles. "You worked at Sunnydale High? A librarian?" Her tone suggested she doubted such a thing existed. "Can you do anything else?"
Several answers came to Giles’ mind. I dabble in magic; I can do spells, nothing too deep as I find it ends in homicide. I play guitar. But he said nothing.
The woman went on talking. "Well, you're going to have to update your skills. You'll need to take some computer classes."
Giles, flustered, said the first thing that came to mind, "I don't like computers. I'm rather a Luddite."
"Is that a religious thing?"
"No, not…it's more of a philosophy."
The woman made a small motion of her head, side to side, as if to shake this remark off. Her day was filled with listening to the far-fetched; she decided long ago to roll with it. She smiled a weary smile, "Philosophy doesn't pay the bills, does it?"
"No, I suppose not."
"You should be aware that your residency status could be affected if you don't get a job." Giles had a suspicion that her eyes lit up a bit at this. "There's a workshop that starts next week. You'll have to go to qualify for unemployment."
She reached around to the stacks of forms on the table behind her. She grabbed one of each and swung around to face Giles. "Here, you need to fill these out before you go to the workshop. You need to take them have them with you. You need to have picture ID with you. The information of when and where the workshop takes place is on the form. You need to be on time."
She said this in one breath. It reminded Giles of the flight attendant's safety instructions before the plane takes off. So many repetitions of the same words that no doubt they've lost all meaning to the speaker.
Giles took the packet of forms and said, "Well, thank you for your time. I appreciate having the information."
The woman made a small grunting sound in answer, as she engrossed herself in feeding data into her computer.
On the way out of the building Giles dropped the papers in the rubbish container. He knew he wouldn't be dragged back to the UK; nobody wanted him there. It would be best to forego this particular American experience in bureaucracy. He would spend his time reshelving his books and drinking tea.