Picking up the slack [Ribbon]

The cleanup of the extravagant events that the lucky clover seems to host was something that one would say takes a lot of time and focus to get through. Time was an exchange of some kind, a lot of time is sacrificed to get through the amount of trash that was left behind from the events. Sometimes it was too much for the regular employees to handle on their own, so it brought about the invitation of outside help to come along in order to help out.

Seeing as that he hadn't been around too much with helping out at the lucky clover facilities, Gabe brought it about himself to also give a hand in the cleanup with the party that happened the night before.

"This is a bit much.."

Another day. Another job. Another persons mess to pick up.

And in Tomomi's case, that was literally, as he found himself in the Backlight. Equipped with his super high quality gear of a bin bag and litter picking pole, the boy followed the co-ordinates he had been sent by his employer. So, he had to clean up after a party this time? Oh the joys of the job. Pulling up his hygiene mask and slipping on his latex gloves, the boy walked up to the building, holding his supply of bags over his shoulder as he looked at the address to double check. Yep, this was the place. "Lucky Clover..."

Stepping up to the door, the boy rasped the back of his hand against it lightly, hoping not to draw too much attention to himself by knocking too loud. "Um... Hello? I'm here to do the clean up..."

As Gabe continued to clean up with the others, he would have noticed the sound of the door creaking open as the person who was here to help them with the cleanup arrived.

"Oh, a visitor! Yes, we are over here!"

Gabe would say as he pulled down the mask that was covering his mouth. The smell wasn't horrible, but any sort of orders was seemingly unnecessary to have in this kind of establishment. Gabe would have hoped that he could get this place spotless soon and ready for the next evening bout. Business was booming, but having to be closed for a day when the lucky clover becomes extra crowded was something Gabe didn't really take into account.

"I'm the one that called you here, Gabe Gatsby, I'm the casino owner of the lucky clover branch in Endymion. "

The formality of the person that let him in certainly took Tomomi off guard at first, at least until he remembered that he was actually in a casino: according to all spy films he'd watched, they were meant to be formal, regardless of where they were found. As the stranger introduced himself as Gabe, Tomomi nodded, keeping his mask up - as he was taught to do for the job. "Ah, if we're doing full names, I am Tomomi Jōmyaku, although, um... Tomomi works, sir."

He'd gone into this expecting to meet a manager or something, but a casino owner was a whole other ball. He wasn't used to doing inside work, but his boss ordered it. Was this place a big deal or something? The thought was moderately terrifying. "Right, so... Um, what exactly needs doing? I can do basic cleaning, rubbish collection, sorting, pick up, and disposal, but anything beyond that is past my paygrade I'm afraid..."

"No need to be rigid Tomomi, I only say owner because the true owner is my stepfather. I am what you "would" consider the manager, but I'm left in charge with so many things and take a more hands-on approach that my people, tend to bless me with a title that shows more than what I actually am. Nevertheless, I don't see myself as above the people to not put on a pair of gloves and help with the cleanup as well. "

With a smile, Gabe offered his hand for Tomomi to shake.

"You won't have to worry about doing anything that you didn't get paid in advance to do. I'm well aware of your capabilities, I requested the best and here you are. "

After that, Gabe went on over to a pile of trash and a few black bags.

"We can get started over here if you don't mind. "

The way he responded actually unnerved Tomomi more than before. Did he read his mind or something? Because, that was... Uncomfortable. Still, as he offered his hand, Tomomi removed one of his gloves, shaking the hand in return, before putting the glove back on - hygiene and all that jazz.

"I'm not the best. Just a worker for the public sector..."

As the Casino 'manager' gestured to an area that was cluttered, Tomomi nodded, moving over and opening up one of his black bags, taking his poker and preparing to get to work. Moving slowly and methodically, the boy picked up piece by piece, being careful to only pick out those which cannot be recycled and placing them within his bag. "So... Um... What's it like, running a casino? If it's, you know... Okay me asking."

"Hmm?" Gabe would say as he stopped what he was doing for a second to give Tomomi a bit of attention. "What's it like to run a casino? The nights always have to be at a specific standard, nothing is ever really too slow, people come here to enjoy themselves and cater to the more expensive tastes of aesthetics and company of those who harbor great wealth. Due to the clientele that we attract, as well as some of the high stakes that our tables run up, we have to make sure that everything is in order at all times. So in the case of running the place, with some practice and the right habits, the place can function to a degree without much of a heavy hand. It has some difficulties though."

Looking to Tomomi, Gabe would pose the same question.

"What of you and cleaning? Is there some philosophy behind choosing this kind of profession?"

Listening as he worked, Tomomi kept picking up rubbish, sorting it, and putting it away, finishing his first bag while Gabe gave his story and explanation. It was moderately interesting, although if Tomomi had to be honest, it didn't sink in too much. Such a thing didn't show though, as he tied up the first bag, before moving onto a blue bag for the recyclables.

As Gabe posed his own question, the boy stopped for a moment, before shrugging and shaking his head. "Not particularly. It's an easy profession to get into, with fairly high security, and enough pay to get by. It helps that it teaches me some health and safety, and since it's a job not many want to do, it's, you know... Um... What's the word... Opportunities to not suck?"

Giving a second shrug, the boy continued working. "Nothing so fellow sockiful like that."

"Well, doing the job that no one else wants to do definitely opens the door to opportunities that only you would have access to by using that comparison. It means that with these kinds of "dirty jobs" it pays more because its hard to find people that would be willing to go through with it. At least if the funds that are offered are acceptable, it could be one of the pulls that one would need in order to convince someone to go through with it. "

Thinking for a while, Gabe wondered if the guy had any other dreams besides this. "What would of been your dream job then? Taking this is an opportunity you didn't waste, that much is confirmed. But what of something you truly wanted to do, ever had something like that in mind?"

What did he want to do?

Honestly, he hadn't thought about such a thing much. He hadn't had time in between surviving, studying and working. Passion? Was that important in a job? But was there the risk of losing the passion?

"Um... I don't really know... Perhaps something to uh... Do with animals, or nature, I guess? But, I have no idea... I don't think I'll really be trying to worry myself about it until after I finish school... Since, I go to the academy that started up recently, the really big fancy one? Can't really look for a new place to work in between doing my job and studying." Behind the mask, the boy chuckled slightly, returning to picking things up. Conversation always made things, usually, easier. At the very least, it always changed how things went. That aside, he had little enough conversational skills that he knew not where to take the conversation next, falling into silence as he continued to work.

"Animals and nature,...now we are getting somewhere! This reminds me of a time where a female friend of mine had a pet owl as a companion. It ended up being one of the most intelligent creatures I ever saw. I'm more of a pup guy myself, but the love of animals is definitely an admirable desire to explore. That and nature...maybe study zoology? Become a veterinarian? There are choices that are available to you, but the dangers of the world are apparent when it comes to traveling. "

Gabe was referencing the discouragement of leaving the city boundaries. He was never really able to do it freely himself, But Gabe still wondered what was out there. Or better yet, he wondered if everything was still intact.

"Well, besides work and studying, I think it would be for the best to invest some time into some hobbies. This all cant be what it is to life, no? "

Tying up his most recent bag and setting it to the side, the boy shrugged, before wiping at his forehead with his forearm. "I'd disagree a bit on that. Zoology could be fun, but, I'm... Well, trying to think on the... What is the term... Long coin? Con? Something like that... If I can get myself in a position where the me of the future is comfortable and prepared, then I don't want to risk it. Free time comes when it comes, and with my line of work, I can try to make free time out of my work... You know, talking things like this I guess? It's easier than, you know, trying to find something to do constantly..."

At this, the boy filled another bag in silence this time, before speaking up again. "So, what got you into running a casino in the first place? I know my job isn't the most desirable, but, I'd never imagine choosing to become a casino runner... I mean, I can't even imagion... No, imagine, sorry, how that would start...?"

"How did I get started? Well, it's a bit of a sad story, so I hope you aren't to faint of heart to get the positives out of it. " Gabe would then turn to the side to wrap up the garbage bag he was using. " When the demons attacked, I got separated from my family. It's assumed that they were either eaten or killed. However, with that being the case, I still needed a way to survive. I basically used my skills at card games to cheat at blackjack, card counting. I was good, but i made a mistake and got caught. The owners son took a liking to me, and wanted to have me as a brother. I don't know what they saw in me, but they played a big part in my upbringing into adulthood to become the person you see now. "

With a smile, Gabe looked up.

"Now i run this branch of many lucky clover casinos that are around the glove. "

Listening to the story, Tomomi paused in his work for the moment. He found himself legitimately interested in it. It was serious, and reminded him reminiscently of his own story, albeit with a bit more luck. The big event... Why did something like that have to happen? The world wasn't great, but, well, people weren't having to fear about being eaten back before it. Yet it seemed so far off, especially to someone as young as himself. He didn't realise this was a super international casino brand, but, then again, he didn't know much about casino's in general, and he wasn't a part of that scene.

Still, as Gabe finished, Tomomi nodded, finishing up one final bag. "Yeah... The event changed everyone's lives..." The boy muttered, before packing all the bags into one corner. "I'm afraid I don't drive, so, you'll want to put them out wherever you leave your rubbish for the bin cart driver. Still, that is a very... Unique? Unique and interesting I think are the words... Story. Thank you for sharing."

"That's fine, perhaps I can see if I can look up when the garbage disposal truck comes along these parts and set it up to be taken on that day? I wasn't expecting yo0u to do all the work in the sense of the compound waste, it's just the fact that the casino is a rather big place and it's expected to be spread somewhat thin with a handful of responsibilities. Even me, I don't mind getting up to do something or take matters into my own hands. "

As he received some appreciation from hearing back after the divide story, Gabe kind of wondered if there was something he could share as well.

"Did the great divide affect you personally?"