Time Off Request

Who: Eris & Zed
When: around 5pm
Where: Babylon

Zed was much happier since he'd picked his car up from the mechanic's the day before. Replacing the starter hadn't exactly been cheap, but he'd had enough money for the job without dipping into his trip funds too much. Work for the rest of the week would make up for it, he was sure. And the hunting trip was vaguely planned in his mind, though he wasn't sure where exactly he was going for certain or when. There were several good options so far as locations went and time was, increasingly, of the essence. The first snowfall of the season was proof enough of that. As were tummy rumblings and a creeping sense of lethargy that didn't just have to do with the weather.

But a vague plan had to take root and become a real plan somehow. Zed started off by showing up to work a little earlier than was necessary and made his way to the boss's office. He rapped on the door frame to get her attention while he tried to mentally finalize how many days he thought it would actually take for him to catch a solid meal. If he had his way he'd take a couple weeks and head down to Detroit or Chicago to have a real look around and take his time. Even New York would've been feasible then. However, he didn't exactly have any savings to tide him over for that long.

Eris happened to be in her office, looking like she was going over the books, though she wasn't in reality. She was going over files. Files of people she'd started keeping notes on since the masquerade, and she was updating them. It wasn't on a computer, it was all hand written, and her pen scratched lightly over the documents as she continued. She glanced up at the rap on the door, and she smiled lightly. "Come in." she called, shutting the files she was working on.

Zed stepped into the office with a little smile on his face and his hands clasped behind his back comfortably. He had such mixed feelings about his boss. On the one hand he thought she was amazing and appreciated her hiring him at all and being generally generous. But on the other hand he strongly disliked the little feeling of being socially beholden to her for such kindnesses. Debt wasn't something Zed was interested in understanding on a personal level, be it tangible or intangible. "Mistress Eris, I need to request some time off. About four days, I think. Is there anyway I could get it to happen over a weekend? This weekend?" Fridays were okay for bar hopping hunting, but Saturdays were the best. It occurred to him, based on his previous job, that he was probably supposed to make these kinds of requests a little farther in advance. He certainly wasn't starving yet, so it didn't really matter if she needed him to push his trip back a little.

"It's just Eris." she corrected him lightly, looking vaguely amused as he spoke. "And so formal of you, dear. Have a seat." she invited, gesturing to the leather bound chairs on the opposite side of her desk. "Where are you headed?" she asked, clasping her hands together as she sat forward in her chair, leveling her attention on him.

"I'm thinking Detroit," Zed said with a shrug of one shoulder as he claimed one of the proffered seats and lounged in it comfortably. It was the closer of the two big city options and he was increasingly thinking that he would fare better in a city so far as fast food went. He smirked at Eris and decided arbitrarily that he preferred to use stiff formalities with her because it was the only time he really had any excuse to use them.

"Business or pleasure?" she asked, eyes still studying him. She of course would give him the time--she was a very accommodating employer, after all. Very accommodating. But, she generally liked to know what was going on, and the little demon here was interesting in a vague sort of manner. At the very least, she thought it might be interesting to know what he was up to.

"Just pleasure, if my luck holds out." Zed was feeling rather smug about how well things had been going for him. He felt he was practically due for something really awful to happen, which made his smile broaden slightly. Still, while most inconveniences that came along with dealing with humans were entertaining and sometimes puzzling, the prospect of it getting into the even colder months so soon did serve to make Zed a little anxious about catching his next real meal as soon as possible. Blizzards were all well and good when they made human lives more difficult, but they stopped being fun when they prevented Zed from heading off to safer hunting grounds. He could feel his stomach grumbling soundlessly while he thought about what kind of luck he'd have in finding a delectable demon.

"Well, an admiral pursuit." Eris said. "You can have the time. There's enough staff to cover you, so you're good to go." she said. "I just have one condition." she added, since there were always conditions. She smiled sweetly at him. "Bring me back a gift." Gifts to her were interesting, she always liked seeing what people came up with. And, of course, she had things like the demon-cat skull windchime that hung in the corner of her office, where there was the human femur attacked as well as one of the 'chimes' along with a few other bones.

"A gift?" Zed let out a little amused hum. Had he ever given anyone a gift before? He doubted the honor of being digested by a Worm really counted by most people's standards, but the thought amused him even more. He ran his thumb across his chin as he glanced around the office and thought of a decent gift for her. "It's the age old conundrum, Mistress. What to get for the woman who has everything?" His eyes met her face again and he smiled at her, inclining his head into a nod. "I think I'm up to the challenge." After all, she didn't specify whether or not she had to like it or need it or even want it. A gift was a gift. Something given. He could handle that since it was really a barter and not a token of endearment from the bottom of his demonic heart.

"That is the question. Which is why I'm curious to see how you answer it. So, ta, sweetheart. Don't forget the gift. Enjoy yourself, and try not to get yourself into any trouble." And by trouble, she meant just don't get caught. Trouble was only trouble if one had to go involving the authorities. They got so irritating sometimes.

"I always stay out of trouble," Zed said and winked at her. She obviously had better things to do than chit chat with him, but it was a shame since he'd just gotten comfortable. There was also the drive to avoid getting started on actual work even though he was, technically, already at work. Regardless, he stood up and headed out the door and tried to figure out this whole gift thing. The more he thought about it the less comfortable he was with the idea.