09:40. Monday, December 4th, 2023. Harmon Town Hall.
Alexis worked in an open office plan. It was sometimes called a bullpen. And she shared it with the Human Services Department and the Department of Recreation. Usually there would be around five or so people throughout the day.
When she had a meeting to take with someone, like with Pam a few weeks ago, she had access to the convenient conference room right next store.
All the desks were connected, and hers was near the center of the room attached to Arabia's desk. All this was to say that when she stood up, she could immediately see that everyone in the room was staring at her.
“S-Sorry everyone. I, uh, thought I saw a bug.” Alexis announced. Everyone else seemed to buy this explanation. Except Aabria who seemed concerned.
“A little jumpier than usual today aren’t we? You sure you're alright, dear?” Aabria asked.
“Yeah, a bit nervous, that’s all. Maybe I should switch to decaf.” Alexis joked. Aabria was a big believer in the health benefits of tea, so Alexis hoped that bringing up the subject would help her deflect.
“If you are going through something I can cover for you, seriously, don’t worry if you just need to get out of here.” Aabria offered. Alexis wished that she Aabria wasn’t so nice because it made insisting that she was fine that much harder.
“I am good, but thanks for the offer. I thought about it this morning and decided it would probably be for the best if I focused on my work for a little to take my mind off things.” Alexis said.
Aabria seemed to buy that explanation, and it helped that there was actually telling the truth. But what Alexis didn’t want to say was that the reason she wanted to stay here so bad was because she realized she might not be safe going home.
So Alexis really did throw herself into her work. She ended up sending an email to Selectman Sobol following up about presenting to that business network that he was a part of. She figured that if Aabria thought it was the right call, she was probably right.
And she figured with someone as busy as the Selectman she wouldn’t hear back for a while so that she still had time to pivot if someone like her boss when she got back or Selector Goodman indicated it was a bad call.
She also posted the photo’s Selector Goodman sent. She had come up with an idea while on the phone with Goodman that if he sent her any pictures of the crowd, she could just post those.
Instead of posting pictures of herself giving the presentation, she just posted some graphs taken from the slideshow. Effectively erasing herself from the day’s events. It was a small bit of protest, and if she wasn’t still freaking out about her situation, she probably would have been pretty happy with herself.
And she was definitely still freaking out about her situation.
Alexis refused to believe that whoever or whatever attacked that car on Friday. She couldn’t believe it. It honestly made more sense to Alexis she was having some sort of paranoid delusion and was gaslighting herself from unprocessed trauma after what had happened to her on Friday.
Someone sneaking into her house, only to break her mirror and keyboard. That didn’t sound like a psychic criminal or an assassin, it sounded more like a goblin.
But then again, she also had no idea why someone would lure her out of her car just to attack the vehicle next to hers. None of it was making sense.
And why me of all people! There are people in this world with Comic Book Syndrome severe enough they would be absolutely begging for something like this to happen to them.
She went through the list of enemies she had in her life. Which ended up being pretty difficult.
Alexis lived her life as a proud political pawn in other people’s games. She made it a point to be friendly and loyal to the people she answered to, always asking questions and permission before doing anything. And her reward for being so fiercely loyal was usually the fact they would take on the burden of making decisions and taking the responsibility of absorbing any blame.
If Selector Goodman asked her to do something she would do it, even if he wasn’t technically her boss. Legally, he couldn’t ask her to do much since so he usually had to frame it like he was offering to help.
Like with the pictures. Selector Goodman couldn’t ask her to post the pictures, but he could offer to send them. And in the email he even framed it like Alexis had been the one to ask him to take them so she could post them. But Alexis knew how to read in between the lines, the Telekinetic Affairs Commission being a success looked good for him since he was the one who was most associated with it politically.
The TAC being seen working with cops sent a message to the more conservative leaning voters that the commission was a force for stability, while sending a message to the more progressive minded ones that it was working to improve the police. A win-win for the Selector. But he couldn’t ask for it directly so it was up to Alexis to read the intent.
When it came to her boss, the members of the TAC, and even her union, it was all the same. She stayed on their goodside, juggled her different loyalties, and never tried to offend anyone.
As for her personal life, she really only had three people in her life. Jen, her mom, her gram (mother’s mother), and her dad. Her parents were divorced and she talked to her mom a lot more than her dad. Her dad came from a bigger family but she wasn’t particularly close to any of them. She had friends from college but had lost touch with most of them, but never left on bad terms.
Her dating life she kept separate from everyone except for Jen and occasionally her mom. The rest of her family knew she was gay, but she hadn’t had any serious relationships. In college she had a few different girlfriends, but none she was particularly serious with.
She went to grab another coffee from the breakroom, having long since downed the first cup.
Her mug had a red and white illustration of the front of a boat on it, with a caption underneath labeled “FOCSLE”. It was the name of her union. Short for the Federal, Office, County and Local Employees Union. Her union rep, Micheal, gave it to her after she finished her orientation.
As she poured her coffee, she thought about how mixed her feelings were when she got this job. She always had a private belief psychics didn’t really have things that hard. That they got adoration for getting to do things other people couldn’t do. And that when there was a backlash to that adoration people were just a bit too quick to frame it as discrimination. At least in her state anyway.
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Even if it was hard for her to think of her talent as a privilege with how much psychological stress using it brought her. But she considered herself the exception to the rule. Most of the psychics that she met were like Tyler from Dino Might Movers who were happy to flex their powers at a moment's notice.
In a lot of ways, though, it was the perfect job for her. The hours were manageable, not very dangerous, and even on a very rare occasion when there was a case in front of the commission she even got to feel a bit like a detective sorting out the facts from fiction. And if someone like her was involved, she could moderate the impulses of those who were so quick to come to the defense of giving psychics the right to do whatever they wanted.
Even if the influence I even have is… At best limited.
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Once she finished preparing her coffee, she went back to her desk. When she did, she saw Selectman Sobol waiting for her there chatting up Frank the Recreation Director.
Aabria, even though she sat at the adjacent desk had gotten up to leave to talk with Cathy who was the head Human Services and her boss. Is that because she hates him that much or did she really just need to talk to Cathy. Would have been nice to have my emotional support union steward within arm’s reach.
“Selectman Sobol, pleasure seeing you here, I assume you got my email?” Alexis asked.
“Don’t be so scared. Frank here was just telling me all about your keen mind and knack for problem solving.” Selectman Sobol said. Giving Frank a hard pat on the back. A gesture Frank seemed more than happy to receive before he excused himself from the conversation.
Wait, did I look nervous? And did he ask Frank about me or did Frank divulge that information on his own after it came up naturally?
“And yes, I happen to be in the area and thought I would drop by.” Selectman Sobol said.
“Oh course, Selec--” Alexis had started to say, before being cut off.
“I’ve been meaning to say, please don’t be so formal. Call me Ivan. And I assume it is okay for me to do the same?” Selector Sobol asked.
“Oh, um. Yeah.” Alexis asked. She would honestly have been more comfortable if had demanded to be called ‘sir’. She liked calling people by titles because it gave her a bit of distance from people. It didn’t help that the Selectman never even seemed to crack a smile, even when was giving someone a literal pat on the back to someone.
“You were saying?” He said, giving her back the floor.
“Yeah, I was gonna a-ask…” Alexis stuttered. Wait, what was I going to say?
She was really off her rhythm.
“How about I go first?” He offered.
She nodded, but tried not to nod too eagerly.
“So your email had me a bit confused, since last we left off I was going to have the president of the Harmon Merchants’ Association reach out to Lia. But after hearing from you, it made me think you might actually be the point person instead.”
Shit I messed up.
She had actually set everything up right in their first conversation. If she had just sat back and done nothing, her boss would have handled it when she got back from vacation. Now she had a very confused politician at her desk wondering if he should actually be sending people her way!
Gotta spin this while staying on his goodside.
“Oh you see, my boss is on vacation. And figured since I don’t know when the next meeting is, it would be best to be proactive.” Alexis said.
“I figured you would need more time to prepare, but you did mention already having a similar presentation prepared. If that is the case, the next meeting is on the 6th at 7 pm. How does that work for you?” Selectman Sobol asked.
She checked her schedule, and she was in fact free. The only other meeting she had scheduled was the Society for Good Vibrations meeting on Wednesday. Welp, in for a penny, in for a pound.
“Yeah that is fine.” Alexis said.
“Good. I will let the president know there is a guest speaker available if he is interested.” Selectman Sobol said.
“Glad I can be of service.” Alexis said.
“Now that we have that cleared up, I had a request I wanted to pass on to you.” Selectman Sobol said.
Really, another one?
As if he could read her mind, he continued. “This comes to me by way of my brother, Borris. He wanted to know if it would be possible for your commission and the department to hold an event targeted toward youth about the dangers of the costume game.”
What?
Alexis already knew that the Chief of Police Borris Sobol had some sort of personal grudge against the costume game because Selectman Sobol already told her as much. Why the chief of police decided to use his brother as a middleman instead of taking the idea to the commission himself was beyond Alexis.
But overall an idea like that just seemed like a powder keg. Is this the real test? It does feel like the main reason he stopped by to talk in person. The Selectman wants to know if the commission will play ball with his brother’s insane hobby horse?
Alexis thought she could turn this around though. And if she could do it while avoiding having to work with cops she was going to.
“Actually, it is funny you say that. After the presentation and hearing about the chief’s concerns on Friday, I ended up looking into the subject a lot more and decided it could dovetail nicely with an ongoing project of mine.” Alexis said.
“Really?” Selectman Sobol. He seemed intrigued to Alexis.
“I’m a regular guest speaker and mentor for a group of kids as part of the commission’s regular collaboration with Harmon High’s SGV. This week I had been planning to discuss the dangers of the Costume Game, and the importance of responsible power use.” Alexis said.
Half of this statement was a lie of course. She had not in fact been researching the Costume Game, but her work with the SGV was actually something she was involved with personally.
The Harmon High Society for Good Vibrations, sometimes shortened to ‘Vibes Club’ or ‘SGV’, was a student-run club that formed in the wake of the chaos the first psychic awakenings brought. Its explicit goal was to form good relations between psychics and non-psychics.
The commission’s work with the club mostly extended to providing resources to the budding psychics and offering them various role models. Sometimes she just had them play games, that was fun.
This was basically the only part of her job she really didn’t need to answer to anyone. Even the club’s actual advisor tended to just defer to her because she was psychic and supposedly the expert.
“I suppose that could work. My brother will be happy to know that your commission is taking the threat seriously.” Selectman Sobol said.
There really isn’t a threat but okay.
“If you think there are any materials of interest, he would probably be interested in reading it. ” Selectman Sobol said.
Seriously, what are you his keeper? Definitely not gonna bother with that shit.
“Sure, of course.” Alexis lied.
Selectman Sobol left after that, apparently needing to meet with a prospective client. After he left Alexis had two presentations who’s deadline would be rapidly approaching, and a bunch of calls she would have to make too. And not to mention, she still had someone potentially after her and no idea who or why.