It's a Tough Job [Elenore/Edgar] SL 1

With Edgar on duty and doing his rounds, today seemed like a normal day. However, he wanted to visit a person, a woman that he noticed while coming up through the same humble beginnings. While she didn't make detective or ended up on the main police force, she still took her job very seriously and her compassion for it was something that was lacking in a few of Edgar's other coworkers. Even though Edgar noticed this woman, he never had a conversation with her before.

Not until today that is.....

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As Edgar whistled a tune and had an unlit cigarette in his mouth, he was holding up two coffee cups. One cup had two sugars and two expresso shots. The other had 1 sugar and four expresso shots. When he saw Elenore Stauss, he casually walked over and held out both of them, his hands covering the writing on the cups.

"Officer Strauss, pop quiz. One cup has the average amount of caffeine and decent taste, the other one has less taste but more caffeine than most. Since your relief didn't show up, you have to do mandatory overtime, what would you choose?"

Being on Security Detail hadn't really been the job that Elenore had been striving for, but she wasn't about to complain. Despite it not being her real dream job, the feeling of being someone imporant within the vault itself was rather gratifying, even if her hours weren't the best. She was rarely ever at home, and almost constantly out on patrol with a holstered taser, and baton in hand. Not that the residents of Vault Olympia were all that rowdy, but it never hurt to stay on the safe side.

Tonight she was supposed to work a Dreaded, long night's shift at Maksim's Bar, mostly because the owner was holding some kind of party to celebrate the joint turning 10 years. It was a rather big thing, because the bar was very much a hot-spot down here, and she was told to expect at least a few dozen people showing up, if not more. Of course, the actual party wasn't held at the bar, oh no. It was too small for that, so Maksim had rented the Night Club "Barbarossa" up in the Social Space for the Fesitivities. Maksim would be the bartender, as per usual. So it was just Elenore, Charles and Darin working that shift, and oh boy...

Elenore was sitting by herself at a table in the Police Station Cafeteria, having just grabbed herself a cinnamon bun, feeling like she was worth this in advance, for the long shift that awaited her. She almost jumped when Detective Thiers suddenly talked to her. "O-Oh jeez, don't startle me like that, Detective! I nearly choked.". She said shortly after swallowing. "Uhm... More caffeine, please. And yes, I am actually working overtime today, thank you for asking. Maksim's hosting a party, and I've been assigned to lead the security detail... You know, the usual." She said with a light shrug. "Can't really complain though. I mean, have you ever been to one of Maksim's parties? I've heard they're supposed to really awesome, and...! Right. I can't drink. Neeeeeeevermind."

"Got to be on your toes Stauss, the bad guys aren't going to wait for you to gather your composure. "Handing over the coffee that had the most caffeine, Edgar would sit across from her and put the unlit cigarette away. Since there was no smoking in the cafeteria, he wanted to at least be mindful of the other individuals that were there. For now, all he did was listen to the troubles of his junior. "It must pay some good money to be the head of security detail for one of the most popular barkeepers. It's amazing how this guy didn't manage to pick up aside business in therapy with the number of individuals that confide in him. That kind of trust is hard to come by."

Taking a sip of coffee that he ended up choosing, Edgar would look over to the other officers. "What do you think Stauss? Think it's better on the other side if you made detective like me? You might lack some sleep but you are getting better pay with less danger, besides the usual harmless drunkards anyway. Vault life is one of the sheltered circumstances, especially if that's all you know. For some reason, I don't think that's going to last forever. "

"Still not cool to sneak up on a co-worker who's eating! I appreciate the coffee though, Edgar." Elenore gave him a playful shove and took a sip from the mug. "Yeah, that's better. I already feel ready. I swear, you really know how to make a good cup of joe. Tell me, what's the secret?" Elenore herself wasn't too good at brewing her own coffee, so it was either the stations coffee machine, or some kind of energy supplement from Produce that she had to drink to get the energy she needed to tackle a day like this. As spunky and bouncy as Elenore was, even she had limits.

"Of course I would've liked a higher position. I mean, doesn't everyone want that? More money for less work?" She raised an eyebrow. "Now don't get me wrong! I like my job, despite its rather low pay. It just feels good to help, and nailing bad guys with the baton is always a rush! Ooooh! I wouldn't get as much of that rush as a detective though... Man, I don't know what I want." She paused to take another bite out of her bun. "Maksim sure is something else. That overly trusting persona of his is gonna bite him in the ass one of these days, I can feel it. He's a good guy, but... I dunno. He worries me sometimes." Elenore knew Maksim pretty well because of all these parties he either was invited to, or hosted himself, as she was on that security detail list almost every time. They got to talk a lot as a result, and even hung out every now and again on Elenore's days off. She liked him, more than perhaps she cared to admit.

"When you say it like that, it sounds so ominous... But yeah. We can't really stay down here forever, as much as I wish we could." She said with a sigh, her gaze drifting out the window. The small, but strong community they had built here was her home. Her family. Her reason to be. Where would she be without them? Without no-one to care about her? "It's a scary thought though, you know? Having to leave and all that. What's the outside world even like?"

"If I tell you, it will be no secret, but I will share it with you. I was able to pay the right person to get an old relic of an espresso machine that works and I've been using it ever since. I keep the espresso compounds in those small cups and treat them like a dose. If you speak of sweetness, it is sugar, but too much of it is never good for you. "

Quite right, being a detective didn't have as much action as Stauss cared about. This was a chore, especially in a small community such as ours. It's easy to be ostracised for evil, but the word spreads like a wildfire for every good deed. Living in a vault was like living in a small community, it was very easy to be in the affairs of others.

"Then when will you do something about your crush? He needs a trusted companion to keep himself grounded. You should say something if it's one of those guys who don't know anything, maybe do an event together on your days off.”

It was easy to take on something, but Edgar was just fishing to see if it would give his co-worker some kind of reaction or elevation. If that were the case, he was right about her having romantic feelings for Maksim. Frankly, he would be among those who would encourage it.

"I don't know what's out there, but I'm frightened. I'm scared of the idea that our world comes crashing down, an accident or a power outage and we would have to brave the new world in search of saving our vault. Or worse, we manage to discover that the surface world was recoverable all the time and we never really knew. I don't know what's going on, but my badge is not for entertainment. If it gets tough, we do what's right, right? "

It couldn't be that bad though, right?

"Other vaults do exist, I mean, we have Vaulstagram. If we have a social media network for other people living their lives in other vaults, we at least can have the comfort that we aren't the only ones left. "

used Strength

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"...Figures." Elenore huffed, a bit disappointed in Edgar's reply, having hoped to hear his secret recipie. But of course there was no such thing. The guy didn't even brew it himself. "Well, you got a good deal, I suppose. This machine of yours brews better coffee than the machine we have here. I only drink from it when I absolutely have to. It's... drinkable, but unpleasant." She shivered at the very thought of having to drink another cup of that filth, but she'd have to eventually. Her choices were rather limited. It was either the coffee machine, or make some yourself, neither of which sounded appealing.

"E-Edgar, he's not...!" Elenore protested, her cheeks flushed a bright pink that spoke to the contrary. Yes, she had a thing for the Russian Bartender. He was a handsome young man. Very difficult to resist, especially that smile when he finished one of his cocktails. Gah! Irresistable! "...You really think so? But what if he's already dating someone? I'll look like a creep!" Elenore had a propensity to worry over small things like that, especially around people she liked, always blowing things wayyyy out of proportion. All she had to do was ask. And that was near impossible. She may be energetic and brave, but confident she was not. Maksim made her melt.

"We have to. The people here depend on us after all!" Elenore flashed a wide grin, proud to be of service. "It falls to us, if things go south. Lets hope it doesn't though. Evacuating the entire vault sounds very stressful... especially considering there's only one way out. And uh... I don't have clearance anyway." Yeah, the keycard to the Vault Doors was safely kept close to the Chief of Police. He was the big boss around these parts. Both Edgar and Elenore were on his payroll.

"That's true... I don't really use our own social media platform much though. Never been much of a tech-person. I have my phone. That's all I really need."

"If he was dating someone, I think you would have noticed. You know, a woman's intuition and all of that. All I know is that with a controlled population like we have, what seems like a lot is very little. You would have to be the one to make things happen if you don't see it being done on your behalf. In regards to the battlefield of love, all is fair in love and war.  So, in the worst case that he is seeing someone, for the time being, you can respect it, but make him know how you feel clearly.  That's as far as I can go for advice, even if it isn't that good."

Evacuating the vault, was a scary thought. For some people who managed to make a life here to be uprooted at a moment's notice, would they be able to handle the crowd control of the overly emotional citizens in its wake?

"Only if we have no choice, a lot of people are getting used to vault life and are getting a little comfortable here. Avoiding panic is also something we have to do to avoid a stampede of individuals and everyone rioting, even if we have to lie. Not everyone agrees, but sometimes lying is just as necessary as telling the truth. "

However, he was rather surprised that she didn't use the social media that the other vault users have.

"Ok I guess for work reasons you might want to stay off social media, but with the number of connections you can make, it doesn't hurt to be a social butterfly. Heck, I could have even snapshotted a picture of your face drinking coffee and with a few hashtags, a couple of hundred people would have liked it. What I know for sure is that someone as popular as  Maksim has one, even if he only manages it to show off his business and takes pictures of things going around the party. "

Thinking a little bit, Edgar would take out his phone and start up the app.

"Tell you what, I'll add you myself and we can take a picture together to give you a little boost. It would give you a bit of a kickstart for your page, even us officers can use this to appear socially approachable to the vaulters here. "



OOC: Only because I wanted to give you an authentic experience

Edgar's latest picture

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Strength

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Elenore shook her head. What did he even mean by that? What did he think? That she could just magically sense if someone's already taken? Like some kind of superhero? "I guess I'll just have to ask. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all! Eheh...he...he." Her nervous laugh died off, and she started sulking. "I'm genuienly horrible at expressing how I feel. I like him, a lot, but... do you really think he'd like me? I can't really say I'm the most attractive, or relatable person ever. I'd probably just annoy him more than anything. But hey, it's worth a shot. You never know until you try." She smiled nervously, trying not to let her doubts get the best of her. Elenore did appreciate what Edgar was trying to do for her. Gas her up, and get her to take the plunge. "You miss every shot you don't take, right?"

"Lets hope it doesn't come to that. I don't know if we even have the manpower to handle a riot." The police department down in Vault Olympia was rather small, after all. It wasn't like they could depend on a government for reinforcements if things got ugly. "I'm not sure I could even deal with the stress. Like yeah, a party is one thing, but a full-blown riot? Sheesh... As much as I dislike lying, if it'd stop a riot from breaking out, I'm all on board."

"Yeah. I don't know if I'm all that cut out for fame. Like, sure, appreciation is one thing, but being a public figure on the other hand... I couldn't handle that kinda pressure, y'know? I'd rather stay out of the public eye, thank you." She replied with a giggle, taking another sip of her coffee. "Not everyone's cut out to live that kind of life. I know we're not that many here in Olympia. Only what? 3000? But I don't want everyone on the street know who I am. That'd stress me out."

"In times like these, my suggestion is for you to stick to what you are good at. You have to remember that you are an officer, so what if you approached him in the way that you would a case? Look for clues about his likes and dislikes on the social media platform, use the information you already know about him, and then leverage your friendship to have easy access to him. But that's enough of that, any more advice and I'm going to have to phone in the local guru to take my place. Kind of out of my element here."

She did have a point with people knowing who you are and getting in your business. That was one of the downfalls of having internet fame, especially if people confuse someone's online persona with reality.

"Here Here, I have the exact issue you speak of. But somehow, I'm managing quite nicely. Or at the very least, being a celebrity detective has its perks. But it's not for anyone, there are times when I do value my personal space."

But He was going a bit off the rails.

"Alright, I'm going to get going now, remember what I said and listen to your advice. You miss all of the shots you don't take, don't wait and regret it in the end, there is no such thing as "the time is right", it's just some bullshit a romantic pansy wrote in their romance novels. The time is now, it's always today as long as you still breathe, got it?"

With a friendly pat on Elenore's back, Edgar finished his coffee and pulled out the cigarette.

"I'll be seeing you, tell me how the party goes later."