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<03/08/1972 – 17:45 | Manhattan, New York, United States>

"Well, don't all speak at once." Nyar pressured the three of them for results of their attempts, but Jane and her friends were not saying very much. Everyone was actually mute until they finally got home in Nyar's Ford Escort.

Three weeks passed ever since Nyar introduced the job finding Asper app online. In that time of leisurely period, the three of them had fun at Nyar's expense, which wasn't very much since he spent a lot of his money in the beginning. But last morning, Nyar got several phone calls around the same time, all of which were setups for job interviews between Danny, Taylor, and Jane. It felt like a mass hiring spree flooded the vicinity like an overcast storm, but Nyar had to handle at least the cellular communications.

The interviews are set up for today, March 08, 1972. Well, this is actually true for Taylor more than the others. Jane had one this morning, and she landed her job according to what Nyar picked up. Now was the time to draw out answers. They either didn't get the job, saved it for a later date and time, or started on the same day with luck worse than Nyar could imagine. Daylight already broke in the sky, and it was time to start talking.

"They weren't willing to hire me," Taylor confide. Out of all those interviews, nobody wanted her on the staff, and all of this was because of her current job inexperience. What would Nyar think now?

Nyar explained the simplicity of Taylor's confusion on the spot. "It isn't likely they will. Inexperience makes it harder to land the first job, and your age isn't attractive for the big market places either. But in any case, I know that you tried, and that's all I ask of you three." Nyar wasn't angry or upset. Finding a part time job willing to hire a fresh teenager is harder than it looks in the state of New York. Taylor actually blew through three separate interviews just this morning close to the same time.

"Uhm," Jane turned her head slightly and pressed both of her index fingers together, her demeanor lacking confidence in reporting what happened. "Well I did get the job at K-Mart..." Jane paused before continuing, knowing how he'd react to the situation.

"I already know that much," Nyar replied. "I just want to know what you thought about the job, and if they'll be seeing you again the next day." Jane was asked to work there on the same day for training and screening, despite her short shift.

Jane sighed silently to herself, preparing to get it over with. "Well, they actually decided not to keep me."

"What?" "What?!"

Danny and Nyar both reacted at the same time, now staring at Jane for answers. But Nyar knew the questions to ask for troubleshooting. "You got fired on the first night? Jane, it's a grocery store. What the hell did you do to piss them off that much?"

Now facing Nyar with honest eyes, Jane tried to detail her day further. "I don't know what I did wrong! I did the stocking and stacking like they wanted me to. I wasn't even supposed to greet any customers, but I ended up talking to a few anyway. Nothing went wrong."

That's impossible to believe, and Nyar knew better. If anything went wrong, it would likely be something very simple, something that only Jane would screw up. Still, they should have given her some sort of warning! "You can't think of anything bad that happened to you at the store?"

Jane held her tongue for a few seconds, recalling what she believed to be an unlikely cause, more of simple bad luck. "Well there was one hour where I had to stack canned food... I stacked it in a pyramid just like they said, but the cans all fell over and spilled everywhere."

Nyar wanted to let out an understanding breath loudly, but that incident alone shouldn't be grounds on firing anyone.

"I think one customer tripped over one of the cans with their cart, but I still helped out afterwards. I don't think they fired me for that reason."

"Neither do I," Nyar confessed. Jane is a sixteen-year-old girl just out for a part time job. A grocery store suits her best, and spilling some cans of beans shouldn't suffice for punishment of any kind. If a customer does get hurt, an accident is still an accident... Unless... "Say Jane? You said they told you to stack cans in a pyramid, and then left you to it?"

"That's right."

"And can you describe for me what the shape of a pyramid is?"

"Yeah," Jane agreed. She showed hand gestures to simulate the size of the 3-D object in her mind, though uncertain as of why Nyar would even ask the simple question of her. "It's this large triangle pillar, going from one point up into a square."

Up into a square? Say it isn't so! Jane, you did screw up! "How..." Nyar couldn't even get the words out. This is unbelievable. She did mess up her own way again. How do you get the shape of a pyramid right, but then set it upside-down? "Jane? You do realize that pyramids have the square section to the floor, right?"

"They do?" Jane didn't understand why, but Danny and Taylor both burst into laughter, continuing beyond what she understood. "You mean the point is on top? Is that why my cans kept falling down?!"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Nyar face palmed in agony, while Danny and Taylor were letting Jane have it in her own humiliation. Still, it isn't that funny since Jane lost her job on the same night. This isn't going to be easy to fix. But of course they fired her! Who the hell stacks cans in an upside-down pyramid? How do you even get past the first few layers without causing the entire structure to collapse? Being honest here, that's actually impressive. Someone should have taken a picture.

Danny got over himself just long enough to interrupt Jane for another statement. "I guess that's why they call it K-Mart Smart. You'd need to be smart enough to stack those cans." Danny returned his laughter in sync with Taylor, making fun of the company logo and Jane.

Jane turned around red-faced and discouraged both of them. "Oh, shut up! I didn't know that! How is it supposed to make a difference anyway?" Jane didn't like this. Getting fired was one thing, but this is just embarrassing. Her friends are insulting her intelligence. Nobody trained her or showed her how things were supposed to look. "It's not my fault!"

"That's enough - you two!" Nyar raised his voice to get Taylor and Danny to quit further humiliating Jane. Even if she did mess things up in that way... K-Mart Smart. The education requirements speak for themselves. Nyar held back his imminent laughter well enough to change the subject without further damaging Jane's morale. "There are more jobs out here than you could imagine Jane. We'll just give some other place a shot. Don't worry about it. Besides, K-Mart is still required to pay you some money by check at the end of the week. You still worked for a few hours, so that's the law."

Jane calmed herself down, and cupped both of her hands together. "I'll look for more tomorrow then."

"Yes," Nyar agreed. "Then I'd like to hear an update from Danny. What about your ability to get a job?"

Danny let everything feel serious again, ignoring Jane's canned incident to explain this to Nyar. "I got hired for dry cleaning at the Laundromat."

"And..." Nyar held his face down slightly to gesture the demand of more detail. He too is supposed to have worked on the same hire date for training.

"I hate it, it sucks, and it's boring... But I didn't quit. I'm still working there the next day actually."

"So you kept the job then," Nyar summarized. "Lots of part time jobs will be boring Danny. They do suck and they aren't very fun, but it's the only way to make money out here in the world. In one week's time, you get your first paycheck, which you can use to buy yourself anything in your price range. That is how things work out here."

Danny understood what Nyar was saying, and even pieced together that himself, being the only one with a job is actually something Nyar was proud of right now. But it doesn't change the fact that this is all too different. Back in Sprawn Valley, he could just conduct fun magical battles, and if he wins, big funds head his way. Jane is living proof of that, even if her credits don't work here. "It's just so different than I was expecting."

Nyar knew that Danny meant to say it was worse than expected, but different isn't much of a lie either. Still, that is the lesson he should take from this. "Welcome to reality." Nyar had all of their attention on him, but this was all about how things should be. "Know that this isn't permanent. When you all have part time jobs at the same time, the money you would bring in collectively would save us enough in no time flat to budget a flight anywhere we need to go. And if there is anything left over, get yourselves some souvenirs from New York too if you'd like. However, it is hard to work and support yourself in the world. That's how it works in America, and many other countries."

Jane didn't want to argue aloud with Nyar, but this is worse than she could have imagined. Sure, in Sprawn Valley, she needs to work and make credits too to support herself, but the jobs there are so much more fun! This can't be all there is to a world without magic. "It's so different. This will take getting used to even for a vacation."

Danny couldn't argue against what Nyar said to be reality, but chastising this dump wouldn't be a problem for him. Even Kalamo didn't have it this bad. "It does make me miss Sprawn Valley. And I didn't even like magic as much as everybody else in the country."

"You'd rather have anarchy where people run around everywhere k—" Nyar stopped himself short, unable to say the rest in front of the people who keep praising that world so much, but they just don't get the real difference yet.

Danny addressed Nyar directly to give his point to him. "So it runs less civilized, so what? Sprawn Valley is a beautiful world too, but they run things differently there than they do here. Having a bit more freedom is better, not worse."

"And you believe that to be a good or healthy thing? Think about it like this then," Nyar proposed. "When Jane came to New York, she knew about ten percent of what the two of you combined understood about this place. Sprawn Valley is nothing more than a dark veil covering up what should be reality, and the truth to itself."

"And what truth might that be?"

Nyar was caught in his tongue. He wanted to refer to the truth about evil magic, but Danny would still disagree. He's had it real bad too. Danny refuses to say anything negative about magic whenever it comes up, and despite promising to call his family every night, Nyar had to fill in for him. Danny won't even associate himself with his parents anymore, all because they too realize the dangers of magic powers. Everything's been getting out of hand... But then he still has something to show for it. He tried and succeeded in getting a part time job, succeeded in keeping that job. So he must understand at some point that nobody can keep going on like this. Nyar quickly changed what he was going to say, matching up to something else instead. "The truth that Sprawn Valley does not educate their own people enough about the outside world."

Despite his changed stance, Nyar waited in silence, expecting to hear more backtalk from any three of them. But as seconds passed, silence endured. They really couldn't argue this? Then it really is true. Jane isn't stupid; she's just not educated about the outside world... It really is true! How could they not teach their own children about the difference outside? What if someone thought they could use magic and live forever outside of the veil? Wouldn't they get into a dangerous situation? What's wrong with that place?!

"I understand that," Jane spoke. After all of that bickering, Nyar did have a point. Jane was in truth interested about the outside world for some time, but it wasn't until she met Danny and Taylor when those interests peaked. "General school doesn't teach us much about what else is out there. I guess I do resent that." Jane had Nyar silent, admitting that he was right on one particular detail. "But even so, I'd rather be doing things this way, walking out to visit the rest of the world in person. Despite what it may look like, I've been having fun even after I left."

What it may look like? No one is doubting you Jane. Nyar felt quite impressed that the girl could actually admit that some things about her little world are imperfect. "All I'm saying, is that when you live in certain parts of the world, even temporarily, you need to adapt to their customs, their laws, their workforce, every part of it in order to survive. I wanted to make sure your liking to Sprawn Valley wasn't one-sided. You can't pick and choose how to live if you're only exposed to that one country."

It at least makes sense. Though Danny felt as if Nyar was going somewhere else with his argument. Still, he let it go whichever way. "I guess I'll keep my job then, and work out the schedule as I go."

"That's good," Jane congratulated. "Just keep working hard, and we'll earn enough money to finally go to Ducan Port."

Danny shot Jane an irritated look. "You don't expect me to work by myself to get to that goal, right?"

"I'll be getting a job too! Don't worry about that." Danny is testy when he thinks he has to pull anyone else's weight. But what does he take me for?

"I'll keep trying too," Taylor added. "I want to go to Ducan Port soon, so let's make it work."

"I'm proud of all three of you." Nyar gave the kids his short review while he went off to the kitchen to make more black coffee. Just for the shortest moment, the pride he reflected through his eyes shimmered back at the three of them, setting a new atmosphere never before established. "You set your mind to something and refuse to give up even after a stumble." Danny would want his favorite drink as well, which by experimenting did Nyar find out that Danny's favorite drink is actually hot brewed black tea with a hint of hazelnut flavoring. Nyar knew he would need to pull some resources together to take them to Coney Island Beach, but now they're willing to work jobs for it, which is exactly the goal here. This is the way things are meant to be.