fandomtownies | The Fourth Sin, Tuesday Night [OPEN]

The first thing Jarod noticed upon getting to work was the tape outline in the middle of the lobby. It was one person, in a position he hadn't thought could be taped. Then he spotted the tub of water next to the outline, with a few ice cubes still floating in it.

What on earth did the girls get up to while he was away? Maybe he didn't want to know.

Once he had dumped out the now-lukewarm water, he got down on his hands and knees with a paint scraper, peeling up the tape and hoping he wouldn't have to refinish the hardwood.

ETA: After Lana left, Jarod roamed around for a while, poking into boxes and closets and cupboards and bathrooms and realized where he was, and what he must be pretending to be. "These clothes will never attract the right clientele," he said, glancing down at his jeans and shirt.

After a quick rummage through some of the male clothes that had been stolen, leftover, or ~~that he'd forgotten when he moved out~~ belonged to other employees, Jarod was now dressed in a pair of soft, worn, button-fly jeans that were just a bit tight and sat low on his hips and a white ~~wife-beater~~sleeveless undershirt and bare feet and he was lounging on one of the couches.

[ooc: Um, Jarod now thinks he's one of the Sin's *real* employees. Please be kind? Now, with proper coding!]

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"And the ninja won't skin me alive for not having to pay and also you being on the clock and oh my god I actually just said that?"

"Why wouldn't you have to pay?"

Jaye blinks at him. A couple times.

"What?"

"Did you fall and hit your head like in some bad 80's sitcom?"

This is not the first time she's asked that question in Fandom.

"No, of course not. I work here. What else would you have come to a brothel for?"

"To see you," she says slowly. "Because last I knew you weren't making the big bucks."

Hmmmm. He'd have to fix that. Maybe there was something wrong with his approach. "I must have to ask the owner for a raise."

"Um," Jaye says. "Okay, let me try it this way. You didn't get switched with someone else or anything, right? What's your name?"

"Jarod," he said, wondering what this was about. "And you are?" He'd lose his tip for not remembering her name, but hopefully she wouldn't leave.

She frowns, reaching up to feel his forehead.

"Do you want me to be the patient?" He asked, looking hopeful. Maybe she liked role-playing. "I could pretend to be sick while you're the nurse, if you want."

"Oh my god," she sighs. "Okay, no. There will be no sexing for you till this wears off. Nada."

"But I'll lose my job!" He leaned over and whispered, "This is what I do."

"No, it's not," she whispers back.

"It's not?" This was news to Jarod. "Then what am I doing here?"

"You like, answer the phones and hang out at the front desk," she says. "No whoring for you. Seriously, are you okay?"

Well, that certainly changed things. He flushed to his ears and buttoned the top button on his jeans, then took a step back from Jaye. "I'm sorry I accosted you. I misunderstood the assignment."

"Assignment?" she says, frowning. "What assignment? Can I check your head for bumps?"

"My pretend," he said, leaning forward so she could check his head, "I thought I was supposed to determine my role based on the environment, but I must have gotten it wrong."

Yeah, at that, she's totally checking. He seems pretty bump-free, though. "Oh-kay," she says, letting him go. "No pretending. All firmly based in reality here. At least, as much as you can be in Fandom."

Jarod shook his head. "I'm not in Fandom. This is the Centre, and I'm here as their Pretender--I help them predict world events and human behavior based on scenarios and situations that I learn about and play out. That's what I am."

Not that he had any real concept of "I" right now, but it wasn't a lie.