(adj.) composed of both good and evil
Tommy thought that he was going to be a janitor. As far as he knew, the top hero did not need to be interviewing the people that were going to be cleaning their toilets. I mean, aren't super famous heroes meant to be busy like, all the time?
Apparently not, because here Void was, the top hero, interviewing a not-19-year-old boy that just wanted to have a job.
"Come on in, mate! Please feel free to take a seat." The blonde haired avian smiled, pushing his rectangular glasses up his nose slightly. Tommy swallowed nervously before slipping into the room, closing the door and walking towards the man.
Wow, this is a really nice carpet.
Tommy's wings instinctively pulled closer into his body, something they do when he feels nervous. The movement drew Void's attention to them and he cooed softly. "There's no need to be nervous, mate. It's just a small interview, and we can take a break whenever you need." Void spoke as the younger sat down on the chair in front of the desk.
Tommy simply nodded, turning his attention to the man in front of him.
"Let's get started, shall we? I'm sure you know me as Void, but you can call me Phil. My pronouns are He/Him. If you feel comfortable, do you mind telling me yours?" The man spoke, a kind smile on his face. Tommy couldn't help but be amazed. The Void, asking for his pronouns? Phenomenal.
Tommy smiled slightly.
"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Void sir. I'm Tommy and my pronouns are He/Him." Tommy spoke and the sigh that Phil let out was noticeable. "Thank stars that you're not an entitled prick. The person just before, an absolute Karen, mind you, went off at me for asking her pronouns." Phil explained as to ease the confused look on Tommy's face.
"Honestly, I'm just glad that the number one hero is asking my pronouns." Tommy said, scratching at his neck. Phil chuckled before refocusing on the task at hand and ruffling the papers in his hands. "Alright, lets get down to business!"
"First off, where are you from?" Phil asked.
"I live in downtown Pogtopia with my housemates." Tommy replied easily. Tubbo had walked him through some of the questions that he was expecting to be asked.
"Downtown Pogtopia? And how would you rate the hero patrolling around there? I know that there aren't many people who go there on their shifts.." Phil trails off, not being able to hide his somewhat surprised look.
Now hero patrolling in his area was a topic he could get passionate about.
"There aren't any heroes who patrol there. Maybe the rare lower ranked one, but the crime rate is high there and just one hero every three to six months isn't doing anything to help that. There isn't a single police station, so a couple people in the community decided to help out. I'll tell you, our vigilantes are the best around." Tommy ranted, smiling as he mentioned his favourite crime-fighting people.
"Sprite and Spark, right?" Phil asked and Tommy froze. He had forgotten that he had been talking to the number one hero. The boy nodded slowly, scratching at his neck again.
"Its alright mate, no need to go all quiet on me. I'm glad that there's someone in your community helping you, I know it can be hard to actually become a legal hero with how expensive and extensive the courses are. You've gotta be real lucky to even have a chance at entering the top schools as well, so I'm happy that there are people helping others, legal or not." Phil chuckled lightly, a soft look in his eyes.
He cleared his throat before glancing down at the papers in his hands again, despite knowing all of the questions on the sheet. It was hard to focus with his bird brain going off.
"Second question. Do you have any experience with combat and/or stressful situations?" The man asked, honestly hoping the answer was no.
Tommy nodded his head before speaking, slightly caught off guard. Why would a janitor need to know how to fight? This was not a question that he had been told that he was going to have to answer.
"I have experience with both. If needed, I can hold my own in a fight and have training in medical treatment. Of course, it would depend on the situation." He spoke, ignoring the images of red flashing in his mind.
Phil exhaled softly, and looked at Tommy. He had made his decision.
"Alright, I think that concludes our interview. Crumb will take you back to the waiting room, and we will contact you about your position within three to five business days via email." Tommy's brain short circuited. The interview was over that quick? Only two questions? This was more like a survey than a job interview.
"Thank you for your time, Tommy." The man chirped happily and led the boy to the door with a hand on his shoulder. Opening the door, Crumb looked up from her phone and looked quizzically at Phil. Why had he come to the door with Tommy?
Not only did Phil follow Tommy to the door, but also down the hallway. Once back in the waiting room, the blonde boy bid farewell to the two before heading back into elevator. As soon as Tommy was out of earshot, Phil bent down to whisper something in Crumb's ear.
"Cancel the rest of my interviews. I've made my decision."
Back in the elevator, the cheerful music did little to calm the young avian's racing mind as he continued to worry about where he went wrong. Shit, he had messed up, hadn't he? He really needs to watch what he's saying, he can't risk losing his potential job as a janitor.
His housemates are not gonna be happy.
---
Tommy had waited until the sun had almost set to return to his home. He'll be honest, he was procrastinating. While he knew, logically, that his housemates won't be mad forever and they would never intentionally hurt him, there was still that irrational fear that would fill his blood and make his bones freeze every time he did anything wrong.
He knew that he had to go home eventually. His phone had been buzzing for the past ten minutes--from the group chat, he was sure. They had established a few rules after the first few incidents.
Rule One: If you are out past sunset, make sure someone knows you are safe.
Rule Two: If you receive a call, answer it. Not as urgent matters will be discussed irl or in text.
Rule Three: Be on alert at all times. Always tell someone if something is wrong.
Well, Tommy had broken rule three, and was bordering on breaking rule one. He knows he has to go back, but his brain panicked. He wasn't unsafe there, but he knew that they would be upset, if not angry, that he had failed his interview.
Sighing, he leaned back onto the bench and pulled out his phone. Just as he did, it rang and he froze. His hands shook and in a state of panic he declined the call. Shit, there goes rule two. If they weren't upset already, they definitely would be now. Tommy pulled his wings closer to himself, revelling in the little bit of warmth it gave off.
This time of year, it was cold in the city-state of L'manberg.
He sat there sulking for a while, until after the sun had set and the sky had faded into a purplish black colour. Zoning out, his eyes were hazy. His brain was somewhere else. Unfortunately, this happened a lot. His body felt numb and he felt like he wasn't all there. Like he was asleep, but awake at the same time. He felt the control leave his body and couldn't do anything but sit there, not that he wanted to return back to his brain.
His wristband--colour coded to match his friends--buzzed slightly. Tubbo had programmed it to send out a signal to everyone who had a matching one whenever his brain waves go all funky. It took a whole of 4 seconds before someone warped in front of him and his vision was filled with purple sprites.
