I'll chat... Maybe flirt a little and see where it gets me.

Honestly, you’d rather be here with Jennifer than outside. Not because being outside was more dangerous but because you were attracted to Jennifer overall. Your last interactions with “human” girls weren’t exactly the best. Half-Gob, Scarlet, and Mandy were challenging to interact with. Even Natalie had her faults, but Jennifer was much easier to simply be around with.

Your eyes met, and she smiled slightly. “You can go, {first_name.}”

“Honestly, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to stay for a while and chat. Get to know the people I’m putting my neck on the line for.”

Jennifer’s eyebrow lifted somewhat. “Talking to people is typically my job, you know?”

“I figured,” you say. “You seem to be more than a dancer.”

You gesture to the office area you’re boxed in, and she nods slowly. She looks at you and shrugs. “I have a pretty large pallet of experience in a few departments that might surprise you if possible.”

Now, you look at her with interest. “Oh, really? What would those departments be in? If I dare ask.”

Jennifer chuckles, looking away as she shakes her head slightly. “Many departments. One in which you and I can even relate to.”

“You’ve piqued my interest. Don’t tell me you’re a contractor,” you laugh slightly, but to your surprise… She only smirks. “You’ve contracted?”

“Am contracting,” she winks playfully, and for a moment, you think she’s serious when you regard each other with different types of smiles. Your’s, awkward and somewhat forced, while Jennifers is delighted and full of amusement. “Hired to hire other contractors. Because no one knows contractors better than a contractor, especially one like me.”

You clean your expression pallet and take a subtle air intake, narrowing your gaze until it’s inconspicuous and dull. “I’m a contractor and didn’t take you for one.”

“Too pretty?”

“I know Scarlet, so it isn’t that.”

Jennifer giggles, her eyes washing over you like an exciting toy. “Contractors come in all shapes and sizes. I don’t need to tell you that, though. Do I?”

You shrug. “You already had to, so what other secrets have you and your girl circle kept from the rest?”

“Girl circle? Half-Gob doesn’t know any of this.”

“She’s hardly a girl. More like a cyborg with female attributes.”

Jennifer nods, her eyes finally leaving yours as she murmurs something and lifts her shoulders before dropping them. “Half-Gob has… further than typical qualifications for this gig. But who am I to complain about that?”

“I never said I wasn’t thankful about Half-Gob,” Jennifer chuckled, her soft eyes fixing on yours again. “Does this help you? Relax, I mean. Talking to me? I also kind of double as your HR, so I kind of need to make sure all of this recent excitement doesn’t affect your performance on the job. Scarlet has expressed an uptick in stress, so I’ve been supplying her with cigarettes as a means of a depressant, I guess. I’m not a doctor, alright?”

“I’ve been curious about that,” you inquired. “What has Scarlet been experiencing? She acts strangely about the hotel and is cautious about it. More upset with our quarters than the task we’re with sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Jennifer scoffs, her gaze going to the door. “A little bit of an understatement. Scarlet has more to say about her dreams whenever she's with me than… anything else. But this isn’t about her. This ought to be about you.”

“About me?” You inhale and lean back. “I’d instead learn more about you. You seem to be much more interesting than a circus girl. What contractors have you run before landing this gig with the Afterlife?”

Jennifer shifted and crossed her legs, folding her hands on her knees. She lowered her head and looked at you teasingly, hoping the conversation would lead. “I’m one to boast about my achievements. And to be frank, nothing is interesting about my career outside of the Afterlife. No, I’m not being humble. Only honest.”

Her words don’t match her expression. She looks pretty smug. You press forward and cross your arms. “I won’t tell anyone else about your background. I'll give you my word if you were running tight jobs with suits or even the Japanese before. My lips are sealed. No need to get the others all hot and heavy with jealousy.”

Her smile goes tight, and there’s now an amused twinkle in her green eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do, Warren.”

“Oh? Am I that obvious?”

She slowly nods, biting softly on her lower lip. “I’m not going to give you a bonus because you’re a good boy who wants to become friends with all your co-workers. You have to play nice with everybody, not just the girls. However, I understand you might be used to the company of the opposite genders considering you…living situation with the fox girls.”

“Yes, that’s is my intention,” you lead on, your eyes glancing at the door, almost expecting Scarlet to come in, or anyone, to ruin this meeting. You even become aware of how quiet your radio has been and ensure it isn’t muted before continuing. “You can double-check my record. I often go above the call of duty to ensure I get a bonus. Is there anything else I could do… It doesn’t have to be for my other co-workers. Could it be for my superior…?”

She leans in slightly, her eyes washing over you. You can’t tell if she’s studying you like homework or is sizing you up for a fight. Like all other contractors, an evil intelligence behind her gaze is almost as intense as Scarlet’s and twice as clever as Half-Gobs. You feel there’s much more to Jennifer than a contractor who ran strict PI work.

“The kind of work I’d send you on might make you break a sweat. And I can’t have one of my most valuable soldiers tired because I didn’t want to get my hands dirty.”

“There are other ways to make me break a sweat that wouldn’t tire me out,” you counter, your smile becoming cocky.

Jennifer cleans her teeth with her tongue. “Oh, yeah? And what ways would that be, sir?”