I got the job!!
Bate / Ellie
Hey, Ellie?"
"Yes, dear."
"Do you think I should file my talons?"
"No, Bate. Your talons are just fine."
"...What about my wings? Should I tuck them in? I know they're sort of big, maybe-"
"Your wings are fine, Bate."
. . . . . .
"Hey, Ellie-?"
"Bate." A sigh cut him off. "Dear, it’s fine. Please, you don't need to worry. I promise you look wonderful. There's nothing to be concerned about."
Bate frowned. It was easy for her to say.
He stares at the mirror in front of him with the sort of analysis that a sergeant might reserve for his troops, sharp and hard with an underlying waver that speaks much of the twisting in his stomach. The mirror is only as tall as he is and not quite as wide, and his wings, practically double his size, don't even fit in the frame. They've never been something to be ashamed of, not ever, but in a place like this, one can't help but wonder.
He doesn't see Ellie behind him but for the top of her mantle and a hint of white cloth, but where he can't see her, he can more than feel the look she gives to his back. It makes him feel bad, really, that he's acting so anxious despite her encouragement. It won't do to have cold feet when he's been trying to find steady work for so long. Employers look for confidence. Charisma. Right?
But employers can also be squids who don't like outsiders. Employers can also be squids who take one look at him and turn him away without a question, much less give an interview. It wouldn't have been the first time.
"Ellie, maybe this is a bad idea," Bate says, and he can't help the way that his voice trembles, can't help seeing the fear in his own gaze looking back at him through the mirror. "I don't think they're going to accept me. You know, maybe, maybe I could commute instead? It's easy to fly, there's bound to be work in the next town over and I hear they're not quite so...so..."
He hears another sigh from behind and the mantle moves, inching closer with the sound of footsteps. A hand rests just on his shoulder before the mirror is out of view and his world shifts as Ellie turns him around. She's as lovely as the day they met, and she looks at him with the kind of warmth that makes him want to sink into her embrace and forget that the rest of the world exists. It's soothing in a way that few things are for him anymore.
"Bate," Ellie murmurs, her hand sliding from his shoulder to hold at his cheek, warm and inviting. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be alright. Please, don’t let everyone else get to you; you are far stronger than they think you are.”
“I’m just…scared, Ellie. That’s all.”
“I know, dear. I know. But if anyone can get a job like this, it would be you. I can think of nobody else better suited for it. Trust me.”
He looks at her with a frown on his face, looks into the comforting warmth of her eyes and leans just so into her hand, a gust of air following a rough exhale. It’s hard, he can admit, staying here. Different from his time in the army, but no less tiring. But Ellie’s trying so hard. He needs to try too, doesn't he?
So, Bate nods after a long moment that seems to stretch on into eternity, takes a second to soak in the touch of her hand before drawing back and standing straight. "I'll try."
"That's all I ask, dear. Now, come on, get your things; take too long and you'll be late, and we can't have that, can we!"
It's only then that he realizes, and oh no she's right. How long had he been standing there? how long had he been moping? Shoot, he needs to get going-
It's a ruckus around the house as they make sure he's ready. Bate has little to carry with him, a bag with all the necessary paperwork flung across one shoulder and not much else, but still he makes sure he has everything that could be important, lest he forget something and get kicked out. Ellie gives him a few pointers on what to say, what to remember as she ushers him towards the door. He'll need to have a firm grip in his handshake, he'll need to speak with confidence, he'll need-
"I love you, Bate! Take care!"
Ellie's voice comes from behind, and when he turns, he'll see her standing at the doorway, waving with a phantom grin on her face that makes a smile pull at his own before he even realizes it.
"Love you too, Ellie!"
Bate turns around back to the trees, back to the path leading away from his home and out into the rest of the world where, eventually, it will cross through Kalmari town. And then he starts off briskly, taking measured breaths to keep his heart from pounding quite so much.
He thinks about flying the way there. As scenic as his route is, crossing through woods and then out into the open, flying would get there a lot faster, and he wouldn't need to worry about time so much. It's a good idea.
But then he thinks about the squids living here, about their looks, the fear in their eyes. The way they look at him as though he were a bird of prey, and while he had been raised by birds he was far from one himself, but still these people don’t know that. He'd tried to assuage those fears at first - he's taken care of his talons for a long time; they have no need to fear them - but there's only so many times one can speak to a brick wall.
Bate doesn't fly. Wings tucked in, held tight to his back, he sticks to the ground and hopes it makes a difference. (It usually doesn't, not by much, but there's no harm trying.)
His trip there is uneventful. The soft wooded area in which he and Ellie reside thins out over the course of ten to fifteen minutes, and after some time of trekking he finds himself out in the open plains, town looking miniature in the distance. He's lived here for awhile now, but as he walks, he still can't help but be struck by how different it is from where he used to live. It's peaceful. Not at all dangerous, unless you count the lashing of words.
Bate takes a slow, deep inhale of the warm air lightly breezing across his face, holds it a second, and lets it out with a hum before he picks his pace up a little bit more, following the dirt path down through the grassy plains and towards town. It doesn't take long, all told; it feels like a blink from the time he leaves home to the moment he starts to step on well-set stone paths and houses start to pass by in his periphery.
It's an idyllic little town, Kalmari. Quaint shops litter the area and homes are well-tended to. There doesn't seem to be a hair out of place, and the people he begins to see on their errands of the day wear smiles, a contented warmth in their eyes that comes with a peaceful existence.
He avoids looking at them as he passes by, avoids saying anything, offering only a smile of his own that wavers just minutely at the edges despite how he tries to make it as genuine as he can. He can feel the looks, the expressions of fear, ire, concern that follow him with each step.
Yes, Kalmari is a perfect town. If you're the right species.
He finds his destination eventually not too far from the center of town. It's a little place, rather unassuming, and Bate might've passed it on by were it not for the sign and the address which he had memorized to a fault. He can feel his nerves crawling back just at the sight of it, and for a freak second, he thinks that it wouldn't be a bad idea to just turn around and go back the way he came.
He doesn't. With the sort of will reserved more for soldiers than civilians, he takes one step, then another, and marches his way to the front door. Keeping wings tucked low, he makes his way inside to the smell of air conditioning and paper. It's as small inside as out, and it's quiet in the way that only a sparsely used office can be. Nobody's here.
"Hello there!"
Okay, never mind.
Bate only just manages to keep from jumping out of his skin, turning quickly to the counter with wings hiked up behind him. Where before the front desk had been empty, now there stood a squid, elderly and just as unassuming as the post office in which she worked. She gives him a happy expression which he knows to mean a grin, seems to stand on the tips of her toes and lean over to get a better look at him with an air he's not quite familiar with coming from her kind.
"Well," She murmurs, and her voice smacks of awe, "Aren't you just the most spectacular looking thing I've seen in an age!"
"Um?" That. throws him. Quite a bit. "Thank you...? Err..."
"Oh, one second, dearie, just let me-" And she's moving away from the counter, out of sight for all of a few seconds before she's popping back up through a side door marked Employees Only. She practically runs to him, which is impressive considering her old age, and he barely has time to flinch back before she's leaning over, looking straight at his wings. "My, never in my years have I seen such awe-inspiring wings... Why, if everyone who worked here had those, I wouldn't have to deal with near as much trouble in shipping!"
"Uh, ma'am?" He really doesn't know what to do other than blush. "Um. Thank you very much. I'm...here for an interview...?"
She nods, half absently. "Yes, Bate! Your wife recommended you to me, and good that she did! She says you can fly higher than the clouds and faster than most can catch sight of, is that right?"
This is all too much. Too much at once. But he nods, more in a daze than anything else, because he can fly high and he can fly pretty fast, although he gets the feeling that Ellie might've exaggerated a bit.
Ellie... She did this?
"Perfect! You're hired."
…What.
"E-Excuse me?"
"You're hired!" She says again, and she's still looking at his wings which have relaxed marginally from their original position with each new surprise that smacks him in the face. "I don't need a full-course interview to know you'll get the job done. Those wings speak for themselves!"
The squid draws back only then, rushing with surprising energy back through the side door before she's popping up again, this time holding a white cap marked with the logo of the post office at its center and a mailbag with the same logo marked on its flap. She doesn't even let him take them; she places the cap on his head and adjusts it herself before slinging the bag over his shoulder to rest with his other one.
"Congratulations, dearie! Can I expect you tomorrow morning, then? About eight?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Wonderful! And tell your wife I said hello! You put those lovely wings of yours to good use, now!"
And then Bate finds himself back outside, stuck standing on the sidewalk as he tries to think about what just happened. He doesn't really know.
He went to the post office. He met a squid, an old squid who actually liked him, liked his wings, and old squids don’t tend to like either. Ellie put in a recommendation. Ellie made sure he got the job.
Almost in a daze does he look back at the post office, at the window embedded in the front of the building. A mail carrier looks back at him, cap and mailbag and all. He almost doesn't recognize himself, even though his wings could be nobody else's.
He got the job.
He actually got the job.
Bate takes one deep breath. Another. Another. And then he's beaming at his reflection and the picture it makes, more than he has in days, weeks, a warmth flooding him from top to bottom and searing at his chest with the knowledge that he managed to accomplish something that he was so certain he would never be able to in this town.
His wings spread, fueled by his euphoria, and he just doesn't care about anyone else right then, doesn't care about what they think as he lifts off and shoots off out of town quick as a missile, one hand grabbing hastily at the brim of his hat to keep it from flying off. Nothing matters right then but Ellie, and he has to tell her the good news, has to thank her for everything she's done for him.
Everything blurs past, the wind snapping his face in a familiar sensation. He weaves through the woods with a grace many may not expect from someone quite of his size in such close quarters, and he calls out the moment he sees her, still in the air, still flush with happiness and pride.
Ellie rushes on quick steps, practically runs for him, and her hurried expression brightens up into a warmth of its own when she sees the hat on his head. "Bate, you got the job-"
He doesn't wait, just dives in and brings her into an airborne hug with enough force to make her grunt, although her returning embrace is no less enthusiastic. "Thank you!" He practically yells, and he has to resist the urge to squeeze tighter for all of his excitement. "I didn't know you told her- Thank you, I actually got it-!"
"I knew you could do it, dear! I may have recommended you, but don't sell yourself short, Bate. You got that job, not me!"
"I know, I know, I just-" His arms finally relax around her, his wings bringing them both the last few inches to the ground. She looks so happy that he doesn't know what to do with himself but keep hugging her, and he tries to think of something they could do just to commemorate the day, commemorate each other. "Do you want to go out? We should- We should go out and eat. To celebrate!"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Bate. I would love to." He sees her eyes twinkle, and he feels that same warmth as earlier that day curl up close in his chest, soft and comforting.
Maybe a lot of squids don't like him, or his wings. Maybe the town isn't that perfect. But right then, he can't imagine being anything but proud of who he is, because Ellie is, because the mail squid is. Because he and his wings are worth something even if people can't see it.
"You know, I really love you, Ellie."
"And I really love you too, Bate. Now, where are you thinking of eating? I don't think either of us have been to that ramen restaurant in awhile..."
"Yeah! My treat-"
"No, we're engaged now, Bate. We're both paying, together."
Bate still tries to haggle with her even as he goes inside the house to drop his things off. It's a lighthearted little argument they have, a continuous banter even as he lets her climb on his back and takes off flying back towards town. It's a little early for dinner, a little late for lunch, but today is hardly one of routine.
If squids give them strange looks as they pass by, he can safely say that he doesn't notice. All he cares about as he takes Ellie out to eat is the smile on her face and the pride warm in his chest. And maybe the town seems just a little bit brighter for it.
"Yes, dear."
"Do you think I should file my talons?"
"No, Bate. Your talons are just fine."
"...What about my wings? Should I tuck them in? I know they're sort of big, maybe-"
"Your wings are fine, Bate."
. . . . . .
"Hey, Ellie-?"
"Bate." A sigh cut him off. "Dear, it’s fine. Please, you don't need to worry. I promise you look wonderful. There's nothing to be concerned about."
Bate frowned. It was easy for her to say.
He stares at the mirror in front of him with the sort of analysis that a sergeant might reserve for his troops, sharp and hard with an underlying waver that speaks much of the twisting in his stomach. The mirror is only as tall as he is and not quite as wide, and his wings, practically double his size, don't even fit in the frame. They've never been something to be ashamed of, not ever, but in a place like this, one can't help but wonder.
He doesn't see Ellie behind him but for the top of her mantle and a hint of white cloth, but where he can't see her, he can more than feel the look she gives to his back. It makes him feel bad, really, that he's acting so anxious despite her encouragement. It won't do to have cold feet when he's been trying to find steady work for so long. Employers look for confidence. Charisma. Right?
But employers can also be squids who don't like outsiders. Employers can also be squids who take one look at him and turn him away without a question, much less give an interview. It wouldn't have been the first time.
"Ellie, maybe this is a bad idea," Bate says, and he can't help the way that his voice trembles, can't help seeing the fear in his own gaze looking back at him through the mirror. "I don't think they're going to accept me. You know, maybe, maybe I could commute instead? It's easy to fly, there's bound to be work in the next town over and I hear they're not quite so...so..."
He hears another sigh from behind and the mantle moves, inching closer with the sound of footsteps. A hand rests just on his shoulder before the mirror is out of view and his world shifts as Ellie turns him around. She's as lovely as the day they met, and she looks at him with the kind of warmth that makes him want to sink into her embrace and forget that the rest of the world exists. It's soothing in a way that few things are for him anymore.
"Bate," Ellie murmurs, her hand sliding from his shoulder to hold at his cheek, warm and inviting. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be alright. Please, don’t let everyone else get to you; you are far stronger than they think you are.”
“I’m just…scared, Ellie. That’s all.”
“I know, dear. I know. But if anyone can get a job like this, it would be you. I can think of nobody else better suited for it. Trust me.”
He looks at her with a frown on his face, looks into the comforting warmth of her eyes and leans just so into her hand, a gust of air following a rough exhale. It’s hard, he can admit, staying here. Different from his time in the army, but no less tiring. But Ellie’s trying so hard. He needs to try too, doesn't he?
So, Bate nods after a long moment that seems to stretch on into eternity, takes a second to soak in the touch of her hand before drawing back and standing straight. "I'll try."
"That's all I ask, dear. Now, come on, get your things; take too long and you'll be late, and we can't have that, can we!"
It's only then that he realizes, and oh no she's right. How long had he been standing there? how long had he been moping? Shoot, he needs to get going-
It's a ruckus around the house as they make sure he's ready. Bate has little to carry with him, a bag with all the necessary paperwork flung across one shoulder and not much else, but still he makes sure he has everything that could be important, lest he forget something and get kicked out. Ellie gives him a few pointers on what to say, what to remember as she ushers him towards the door. He'll need to have a firm grip in his handshake, he'll need to speak with confidence, he'll need-
"I love you, Bate! Take care!"
Ellie's voice comes from behind, and when he turns, he'll see her standing at the doorway, waving with a phantom grin on her face that makes a smile pull at his own before he even realizes it.
"Love you too, Ellie!"
Bate turns around back to the trees, back to the path leading away from his home and out into the rest of the world where, eventually, it will cross through Kalmari town. And then he starts off briskly, taking measured breaths to keep his heart from pounding quite so much.
He thinks about flying the way there. As scenic as his route is, crossing through woods and then out into the open, flying would get there a lot faster, and he wouldn't need to worry about time so much. It's a good idea.
But then he thinks about the squids living here, about their looks, the fear in their eyes. The way they look at him as though he were a bird of prey, and while he had been raised by birds he was far from one himself, but still these people don’t know that. He'd tried to assuage those fears at first - he's taken care of his talons for a long time; they have no need to fear them - but there's only so many times one can speak to a brick wall.
Bate doesn't fly. Wings tucked in, held tight to his back, he sticks to the ground and hopes it makes a difference. (It usually doesn't, not by much, but there's no harm trying.)
His trip there is uneventful. The soft wooded area in which he and Ellie reside thins out over the course of ten to fifteen minutes, and after some time of trekking he finds himself out in the open plains, town looking miniature in the distance. He's lived here for awhile now, but as he walks, he still can't help but be struck by how different it is from where he used to live. It's peaceful. Not at all dangerous, unless you count the lashing of words.
Bate takes a slow, deep inhale of the warm air lightly breezing across his face, holds it a second, and lets it out with a hum before he picks his pace up a little bit more, following the dirt path down through the grassy plains and towards town. It doesn't take long, all told; it feels like a blink from the time he leaves home to the moment he starts to step on well-set stone paths and houses start to pass by in his periphery.
It's an idyllic little town, Kalmari. Quaint shops litter the area and homes are well-tended to. There doesn't seem to be a hair out of place, and the people he begins to see on their errands of the day wear smiles, a contented warmth in their eyes that comes with a peaceful existence.
He avoids looking at them as he passes by, avoids saying anything, offering only a smile of his own that wavers just minutely at the edges despite how he tries to make it as genuine as he can. He can feel the looks, the expressions of fear, ire, concern that follow him with each step.
Yes, Kalmari is a perfect town. If you're the right species.
He finds his destination eventually not too far from the center of town. It's a little place, rather unassuming, and Bate might've passed it on by were it not for the sign and the address which he had memorized to a fault. He can feel his nerves crawling back just at the sight of it, and for a freak second, he thinks that it wouldn't be a bad idea to just turn around and go back the way he came.
He doesn't. With the sort of will reserved more for soldiers than civilians, he takes one step, then another, and marches his way to the front door. Keeping wings tucked low, he makes his way inside to the smell of air conditioning and paper. It's as small inside as out, and it's quiet in the way that only a sparsely used office can be. Nobody's here.
"Hello there!"
Okay, never mind.
Bate only just manages to keep from jumping out of his skin, turning quickly to the counter with wings hiked up behind him. Where before the front desk had been empty, now there stood a squid, elderly and just as unassuming as the post office in which she worked. She gives him a happy expression which he knows to mean a grin, seems to stand on the tips of her toes and lean over to get a better look at him with an air he's not quite familiar with coming from her kind.
"Well," She murmurs, and her voice smacks of awe, "Aren't you just the most spectacular looking thing I've seen in an age!"
"Um?" That. throws him. Quite a bit. "Thank you...? Err..."
"Oh, one second, dearie, just let me-" And she's moving away from the counter, out of sight for all of a few seconds before she's popping back up through a side door marked Employees Only. She practically runs to him, which is impressive considering her old age, and he barely has time to flinch back before she's leaning over, looking straight at his wings. "My, never in my years have I seen such awe-inspiring wings... Why, if everyone who worked here had those, I wouldn't have to deal with near as much trouble in shipping!"
"Uh, ma'am?" He really doesn't know what to do other than blush. "Um. Thank you very much. I'm...here for an interview...?"
She nods, half absently. "Yes, Bate! Your wife recommended you to me, and good that she did! She says you can fly higher than the clouds and faster than most can catch sight of, is that right?"
This is all too much. Too much at once. But he nods, more in a daze than anything else, because he can fly high and he can fly pretty fast, although he gets the feeling that Ellie might've exaggerated a bit.
Ellie... She did this?
"Perfect! You're hired."
…What.
"E-Excuse me?"
"You're hired!" She says again, and she's still looking at his wings which have relaxed marginally from their original position with each new surprise that smacks him in the face. "I don't need a full-course interview to know you'll get the job done. Those wings speak for themselves!"
The squid draws back only then, rushing with surprising energy back through the side door before she's popping up again, this time holding a white cap marked with the logo of the post office at its center and a mailbag with the same logo marked on its flap. She doesn't even let him take them; she places the cap on his head and adjusts it herself before slinging the bag over his shoulder to rest with his other one.
"Congratulations, dearie! Can I expect you tomorrow morning, then? About eight?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Wonderful! And tell your wife I said hello! You put those lovely wings of yours to good use, now!"
And then Bate finds himself back outside, stuck standing on the sidewalk as he tries to think about what just happened. He doesn't really know.
He went to the post office. He met a squid, an old squid who actually liked him, liked his wings, and old squids don’t tend to like either. Ellie put in a recommendation. Ellie made sure he got the job.
Almost in a daze does he look back at the post office, at the window embedded in the front of the building. A mail carrier looks back at him, cap and mailbag and all. He almost doesn't recognize himself, even though his wings could be nobody else's.
He got the job.
He actually got the job.
Bate takes one deep breath. Another. Another. And then he's beaming at his reflection and the picture it makes, more than he has in days, weeks, a warmth flooding him from top to bottom and searing at his chest with the knowledge that he managed to accomplish something that he was so certain he would never be able to in this town.
His wings spread, fueled by his euphoria, and he just doesn't care about anyone else right then, doesn't care about what they think as he lifts off and shoots off out of town quick as a missile, one hand grabbing hastily at the brim of his hat to keep it from flying off. Nothing matters right then but Ellie, and he has to tell her the good news, has to thank her for everything she's done for him.
Everything blurs past, the wind snapping his face in a familiar sensation. He weaves through the woods with a grace many may not expect from someone quite of his size in such close quarters, and he calls out the moment he sees her, still in the air, still flush with happiness and pride.
Ellie rushes on quick steps, practically runs for him, and her hurried expression brightens up into a warmth of its own when she sees the hat on his head. "Bate, you got the job-"
He doesn't wait, just dives in and brings her into an airborne hug with enough force to make her grunt, although her returning embrace is no less enthusiastic. "Thank you!" He practically yells, and he has to resist the urge to squeeze tighter for all of his excitement. "I didn't know you told her- Thank you, I actually got it-!"
"I knew you could do it, dear! I may have recommended you, but don't sell yourself short, Bate. You got that job, not me!"
"I know, I know, I just-" His arms finally relax around her, his wings bringing them both the last few inches to the ground. She looks so happy that he doesn't know what to do with himself but keep hugging her, and he tries to think of something they could do just to commemorate the day, commemorate each other. "Do you want to go out? We should- We should go out and eat. To celebrate!"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Bate. I would love to." He sees her eyes twinkle, and he feels that same warmth as earlier that day curl up close in his chest, soft and comforting.
Maybe a lot of squids don't like him, or his wings. Maybe the town isn't that perfect. But right then, he can't imagine being anything but proud of who he is, because Ellie is, because the mail squid is. Because he and his wings are worth something even if people can't see it.
"You know, I really love you, Ellie."
"And I really love you too, Bate. Now, where are you thinking of eating? I don't think either of us have been to that ramen restaurant in awhile..."
"Yeah! My treat-"
"No, we're engaged now, Bate. We're both paying, together."
Bate still tries to haggle with her even as he goes inside the house to drop his things off. It's a lighthearted little argument they have, a continuous banter even as he lets her climb on his back and takes off flying back towards town. It's a little early for dinner, a little late for lunch, but today is hardly one of routine.
If squids give them strange looks as they pass by, he can safely say that he doesn't notice. All he cares about as he takes Ellie out to eat is the smile on her face and the pride warm in his chest. And maybe the town seems just a little bit brighter for it.
-The End-
Artist Comment:
December 3, 2020
-----------------
A VEEEEERY old illustration with an equally old one-shot. XDDD I'm working on another drawing, but I realized no one would understand unless I post this one.
A small, wholesome little story about Bate's past. This takes place a year or so after he arrives. He's already engaged with Ellie, and is looking for a job so he can help support her too. I wrote about Bate's occupation years back, but it's always fun bringing it up again. ^o^
I do have an illustration of the Squid who hired her. I hope I can post it sometime this month~ She's not afraid of Bate, and is really fond of his wings. >v<
The lovely piece of writing was commissioned by my good friend, Dogblog. (dA- Shadowrealmprincess)
December 3, 2020
-----------------
A VEEEEERY old illustration with an equally old one-shot. XDDD I'm working on another drawing, but I realized no one would understand unless I post this one.
A small, wholesome little story about Bate's past. This takes place a year or so after he arrives. He's already engaged with Ellie, and is looking for a job so he can help support her too. I wrote about Bate's occupation years back, but it's always fun bringing it up again. ^o^
I do have an illustration of the Squid who hired her. I hope I can post it sometime this month~ She's not afraid of Bate, and is really fond of his wings. >v<
The lovely piece of writing was commissioned by my good friend, Dogblog. (dA- Shadowrealmprincess)
Species © Nintendo/ HAL Laboratory
Interpreted characters created from said species © Rhylem
Interpreted characters created from said species © Rhylem
