People Skills

People skills?! They want her to work on her freaking people skills? She would show them! Those stupid good for nothing... Thalia's thoughts trailed off. She could just compel them all to like her. Why not? That would make life easier. But then again, that would take too much energy. To have to tell them to like her every day, no, it would probably be easier to actually become likable. Who was she kidding. She was likable... right? Tali didn't know how to solve this problem. She used to get on with everyone really well, but after developing her gift she became rather, how could you put it, stuck up? It couldn't be that hard to be nice again, i mean she achieved it once before. 

They had suggested she get a job as a server somewhere, which was stupid. Thalia had naturally aced the interview at The Crown, even though she had no resume. Whatever happened she had a job there, they couldn't fire her, but they weren't being nice! Maybe something about her yelling at the useless anorexic model. No, that couldn't be it. Oh well. Here she was now, walking in the street thinking about what to do next. Thalia could always quit, but she wouldn't do that. She liked challenges, and as painful as this would probably be, she was up for the challenge. No one told her she was no good at something.

As she walked down the street Thalia came across the Red Lotus tea house and decided to go inside. Hmm... she could get a job here. Why not? How hard could it be to serve tea. As long as no one was annoying or stupid, she would be fine. That sounded like a good plan, she would do that. Once she walked in, Tali grabbed the first staff member she saw. "Take me to your leader," Ah, what a great line, she had always wanted to use that. However the stupid person looked at her blankly. "Take me to your manager," Thalia clarified with a role of her eyes, and thankfully this time the girl understood and led her to where the manager was. Honestly, people were so thick sometimes. When she was led into the office, the girl left her with the manager.

"I want a job," Thalia stated plainly, waiting for a response. The manager was kind of shocked at this persons entrance to his office, but quickly got his wits about him. "Um, usually you apply and then we-" Thalia cut him off there, enough of that. "I think you heard me wrong. Give me a job," Well that did it. Thalia officially had a job and she was content... for now. It happened that she got a job as a server. That couldn't be too bad, right? 

She came back the next day to start work after telling the people at The Crown where she would be. For some funny reason it seemed like they all look relieved... strange. Tali showed up to work on time, surprisingly, and went to go talk to some lady she was told to talk to earlier. "So basically i just give the herbally jazz to whoever wanted it?" She clarified. Well that seemed easy enough, and it was, until people started talking to her. Why did that have to say anything. They were demanding things like sugar, or a different drink because apparently she had given them the wrong drink. What did they know?! They didn't work there! Thalia had to bite her tongue to stop herself from yelling at some couple who complained about something she chose to ignore. 

"Breath Thalia," She told herself and took a deep breath before heading back out again. It seemed to go a bit better as the day went on, she didn't mess up anyone's drink, and would polity help the out. Most of the time though she would just go up to the table and tell them 'that is your order, its perfect, have a nice day'.  It seemed to work, well obviously it was going to, she was compelling them all. However it did make her kind of tired, so it couldn't be a permanent solution. Before heading back out she downed a few things of red bull and continued on with her day, compelling as few people as she had to. 

    Marshall had never been late a day of his life, well, not to work anyways. Clad in his simple work uniform, the landscaper arrived precisely at ten o'clock. A black tight-fitting t-shirt hugged his chest, exposing the chiseled forearms and muscled chest he had achieved over the years. The loose jeans were already caked with dry mud, suggesting he wore them to work almost every day. In one hand he carried a stainless steel lunch box, the other held his tea thermos.

    Upon arrival, Marshall met briefly with Mrs.Himura before he set to work. Garden maintenance wasn't as easy as it initially seemed. It wasn't simple just landscaping. Everything about the Japanese gardens had to be perfect and artistic. At least, Marshall was artistically talented, but the job still challenged him.

    He worked with three other men, all great guys, though one in particular had a habit of rubbing him the wrong way. Grabbing a pair of clippers, Marshall spent most of the morning pruning hedges, dead-heading flowers, collecting twigs, and ensuring the garden looked immaculate and completely perfect. When lunch came around, he seated himself out of sight, unpacking the hand wrapped sandwiches. He'd finished his thermos on an earlier break, and after much debating decided to head inside.

    Sticking to the outskirts of the garden, Marshall nodded to a few customers, pausing to politely socialize with a few admirers. They weren't admiring him of course. Just the garden....maybe. When he finally made it inside, he nodded to the seating hostess. "Just here to get a refill." Waving his thermos, she let him pass right on through. Glancing around, Marshall headed in the general direction of the kitchen, keeping an eye out for the nearest server that would be willing to assist him. But he never imagined he'd see...her. All dressed up like this, well she really did look like an exotic princess now. "Hey there, Princess," Marshall spoke quietly, a polite smile adorning his features.

Thalia had gone off to take a quick break and drink another energy drink. She really couldn't just keep compelling everyone. One it was exhausting her, and two, she could be caught. So far she had only really acquainted herself with the person making the tea. They were quite nice, and Thalia didn't have the urge to yell at them, so that was always good. When she heard heard Marshall, ask for a drink she immediately turned around to look at him and she if her ears were deceiving her. No, it was actually him. Great. Once he noticed her and greeted her Tali inwardly groaned. She had taken in his attire and glanced behind him to the gardens really hoping that what she was putting together was wrong. Did he work here? No, please no. Thalia already had a hard enough time with the customers, why did he have to be here as well.

"Marshall," Tali greeted him evenly and flickered her gaze over his clothing. "I assume by your attire you work here?" Please say no, please say no. Just then she heard her name be called. "Thalia! What are you doing? Get back here," She turned around sighed internally again, really not wanting to go back to this. Working at The Crown was way better. She didn't have to serve people tea. Why on earth did she chose to do this job? Well... she did quite like her work 'uniform' it was rather stylish, and way better than the uniforms people had to wear at some restaurants. Also, it did smell quite nice, not like hot grease, or soggy fries. Maybe, just maybe she could do this, as long as someone didn't annoy her too much. 

By his attire? Marshall's brow furrowed in confusion. What was that supposed to even mean? All the workers at the Lotus wore kimonos or yukatas. How on earth did she assume by his attire that he worked here? Perhaps she was simply annoyed he'd stopped her from doing...well whatever she was doing. Marshall had never seen her here before. Was she new? Perhaps saying hello hadn't been the best option in this case.

"I do work here actually." He murmured just as someone called out towards them. Naturally, Marshall glanced over at this shoulder. A Thalia worked here? In his few years of work, Marshall had noticed the turnover rate at the Red Lotus to be unbelievably slow. What was with the sudden appearance of new employees? Samantha, and now a Thalia?

And not that he was judging Samantha, but there were plenty Asian women who would suit the job here just fine. Why did they choose Samantha? How was she so special? Well, no matter. Unaware she was being spoken to, Marshall held out his thermos. "Could you fill this with green tea please?" There was meant to be no hint of degradation in his words, and she was a tea server. She couldn't take offense to such a simple request, could she?

Well he was working in the gardens wasn't he? After all, he did have traces of dirt on his clothing. "I'll be there in a second," She replied to the voice that had called her. Well fantastic, now she had to work in a place with him. Maybe she should just quit... no, she wouldn't accept defeat. "Sure thing," Thalia ground out in response to his request. She honestly thought about giving him the wrong drink, but she was doing this job to become more responsible, and that would just be foolish. "Thalia!" She heard her name be called again. "Well, duty calls," Tali flashed him a grin at his probably confusion due to the name they were calling her, and then headed back to do her job. 

Tali began working again in a surprisingly good mood even though she knew that Marshall worked here. Oh well, as long as she didn't have to interact with him, life would be okay. Finally her shift was over, and Thalia went to get dressed so people would stop asking her for things because they mistake her with someone who was working. No need to work over time. 

Naturally her outfit was rather stellar, because it cost more than she could ever hope to make in a few month working at this place. However that wasn't really a problem for her was it. The only thing that really bothered her was the mark she go after the calling. That had ruined everything. Perhaps she should go and get a tattoo to cover it up. At least it would help a little, as long as no one looked too closely. 

Thalia was done her shift, but she hung around for a bit to get a mug of tea and some respite. If one thing, it was nice and calm here, and before she knew it she was heading into the gardens to see what all the fuss was about. It was truly beautiful, but Thalia would never admit that to Marshall of course. 

    Thalia? Puzzled, Marshall watched Samantha for a few moments. Did she have an identical twin? That was possible, and yet he highly doubted they would be so...similar. When his thermos was returned to him, Marshall only dipped his head in farewell, turning and meandering outside. Thalia? Her name was Thalia? Well, this was news to him. But why had she lied? There seemed little point in lying these days. Everyone seemed intent on sticking their nose in everyone else's business both out of curiosity and suspicions. Secrets never stayed secrets for long, so why bother? Why going through the trouble of trying to fool him? Did she dislike him that much? That was a little harsh considering she hardly knew him. Or was she really hiding something?

    Shaking his head, Marshall refused to let suspicion cloud his judgement. It hardly mattered what she called herself anyway, right? Reaching the outdoors, Marshall pruned and cleaned until the day came to an end. It was remarkable that he managed to have work six hours a day, almost seven days a week. If it were any other garden, he might have to come in a few times a week only to keep things looking nice. But the Himura family kept their garden so meticulate, there was always something to do. Monitor the fish in the pond, gather any damaged blossoms that had fallen, clip the hedges until they are perfectly even, or simply assess the garden and ensure it is growing according to preconceived calculations and coordinates. It never got boring, and it was just as laborious physically as it was mentally.

    After his shift ended, Marshall began to finish up for the day. He usually ended a little while after the tea shop closed. At that point it was his job to ensure no garbage had been left behind, nothing had been damaged by prohibited feet, and the garden looked just as healthy as it had that morning. As he passed through doing one final check, he made sure the place was empty. Well..it almost was. Spotting Thalia, he sighed inwardly, approaching her slowly, dreading each step. In one hand he carried his clippers, the other clutching his lunchbox. "Not to be rude or anything, but unless you have special permission to be here, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." It was a standard request. It made sense considering how meticulate the garden had to be...couldn't have some newbie -or anyone- wandering around and damaging things.

Thalia didn't usually bother telling people her name anyway, so he was lucky that she had even offered him anything. Ah well. She simply stared at him when he told her to leave. No one just told her to do something, thats what she did. Oh boy, this could end up very poorly for Marshall. "Do I now?" She challenged him. Thalia, just breath. She told herself, and did just that. "I could very easily get special permission, your boss seems to like me," Well, that wasn't really the truth was it. Although she wasn't lying about being able to get permission easily. However it wasn't that important, it was just some stupid garden. 

Thalia was tired and she wasn't really looking for trouble in such a public area. Why bother waste any time on him anyway? As painful as it was, she did what he said and left the garden, although the feeling that she got as she swallowed her pride and walked away was almost unbearable. She never did what people said. People didn't tell her what to do. She was Thalia Woods. Why had she even bothered with this stupid job anyway? She should go work with Maeve. As talkative as she was, she was better than Marshall.

For some silly reason he just got under her skin, maybe because he actually stood up to her, which wasn't the case with most people. Then again, she would just compel most people to go away or to think she was amazing. Was she really this bad? Did people honestly find her hard to deal with? Well, their loss, she wasn't going to change anymore than she had to. Although it was rather a lonely existence, aside from Maeve, she hadn't really had a friend for ages. 

Goodness gracious, it was like dealing with a two-year old! Marshall fought the urge to roll his eyes. Did she have to be so difficult? Rich kids... just associating with them put a foul taste in his mouth. Witnessing their sense of entitlement made him nauseous. And in his mind, Thalia, well, she was the paragon of a spoiled brat.

A cold steel gaze followed Thalia as she sauntered off. Moments later Marshall released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, squeezing his thermos a little too hard. Was this going to be every day for the rest of his life? The quiet youth already had more then enough on his plate. Managing his household, his job, not to mention Andre...Now wasn't the time to become all pensive and distant, so Marshall finished his last walk through the garden before exiting.

Maybe tomorrow would be better. Was he being too hopeful? He'd make a point to stay out of Thalia's way and just do his job. He wasn't one to start pointless arguments and she was always hostile. Pausing at the edge of the parking lot, Marshall glanced this way and that. He had no ride of course, he would make the trek home on foot. But aside from the Himura's car parked in their home driveway, he kept a look out for any other vehicles. Had everyone left already?

Thalia didn't have a car of her own either. She could have always just 'bought' a really expensive flashy car, but then she would come across the problem of buying gas. It was rather difficult to compel a machine to give her free gas, that didn't tend to work. Anyway, she normally just went off and told somebody to give them their car, and she would keep it until it ran out of gas. Usually by that point, if she really felt like being nice she would look at the registration details and park it by their house. 

Today she had taken a jeep from some guy and was about to drive away when she realised she had left her home in the tea house. Great. Thalia parked just outside and went back in to get it. It was rather quiet about, but as she was leaving she spotted a relatively lost looking Marshall. Would she offer to be nice... nah. Thalia got back in her car and was about to drive away when she felt guilty for just leaving him. Guilty? She hadn't felt guilty in ages! If you want to learn how to be a nice person then this could be a start. She told herself. Well, here went nothing, he would probably just turn the offer down, but she would risk it. "Hey Marshall. You want a ride?" The car she was driving wasn't necessarily brand new, it was kind of dirty, but honestly she didn't really care, however it didn't really go with the whole 'i'm rich' persona she gave off. 

The sound of the jeep sent Marshall's gaze darting over in Thalia's direction. She was still here? Head tilted in confusion, Marshall scanned the parking lot once more before beginning to cross. Fishing around in his pocket he dug out his phone, turning on the flashlight. If he had to walk all the way home, he wasn't about to do it in the dark. Contrary to what others might say, Marshall wasn't afraid of the dar, but he'd been a Seeker long enough to know it wasn't safe. Sauntering along, his distant trail of thought was rudely interrupted as Thalia spoke up.

With a curious frown, Marshall stopped, already halfway across the parking lot. "Pardon?" Had she just offered him a ride? Marshall had already gone over in his head how much he hated conflict. He'd weighed the pros and cons of being around Thalia and already found the cons outweighed the pros by far. "Thanks for the offer but no thanks, I'll walk." His decline wasn't meant to be rude, but he wasn't going to accept her offer just to make her feel good about herself. He didn't feel comfortable being in a car with her, let alone being around her in general, so Marshall felt he had good reason to reject her offer.

"Goodnight Thalia." Carefully skirting around her jeep, Marshall headed home, guided by the light of his flashlight.

Well then. Thats what she got for trying to be helpful. You see? What was the point in helping others when they didn't care or were appreciative. All she was trying to do was be nice. "Well fine, have a good night," She muttered and drove off. Thalia didn't live in a lavish penthouse, but she lived comfortably in an apartment towards the center of the city. She could have easily gotten herself some fancy place, but then she would have probably felt alone. It was no fun living in a big place all by yourself. 

As Thalia returned to her humble abode she felt rather tired, and also a bit upset. It had only recently come to her attention that she was truly alone. She didn't know where her brother was, and her family was outside of Mapleridge. Perhaps she should work on being nicer and actually try and get some friends.