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Post by Toad on Jan 8, 2024 8:16:52 GMT -5
Date: Mon Sept 25, 2023 Words: 219 Tags: open! Notes: Probably smack in the middle of the day, so conceivably anyone can run into Toad.All things considered, being a janitor wasn't so bad.
Sure, there were the snot-nosed teenagers who thought he didn't have anything better to do than to clean up their spilled food in the cafeteria or the unrolled toilet paper in the bathrooms, and he certainly earned odd looks from students and teachers alike with his green-tinted skin and obvious mutant features, but the job wasn't terrible.
Todd at least had a few allies among those who roamed the halls of Bayville High. Some teachers didn't mind him (a few even seemingly fascinated with him, which was odd) and there were a few obvious mutant students. He seemed to have the principal's favor too, since Parker hired him. He vaguely wondered if she had gotten any flack for bringing him on the staff roster...
He supposed it didn't matter. Parker seemed like a tough cookie (if he remembered her bolts correctly from a few skirmishes years ago, Todd could only imagine how much stronger she had grown), and she wouldn't have hired him unless she felt he would do well as a Bayville High janitor. With those thoughts, Todd returned the mop to the floor, trying to clean the muddy footprints from the tiles after one of the P.E. classes had returned from running laps around the football field.
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Post by Noelle Perez on Jan 12, 2024 7:35:18 GMT -5
Noelle had taken a quick drive out to a local restaurant during her lunch break, having the urge for a coffee and a sandwich from somewhere other than the staff lounge or the high school's cafeteria. She had the timing down to an art after being in the city for a few good months, knowing a few streets for shortcuts to the local Starbucks from the teachers' parking lot. After returning from her lunch, Noelle generally cut through the gym, understanding that it was usually deserted at the time as well.
Today the gymnasium wasn't quite so deserted, not with one of the janitors in there. Noelle glanced at him, wondering why he was there, before noticing that the janitor was moping up some footprints. She quickly glanced at her own shoes, hoping she wasn't adding to the mess.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tolansky," Noelle said when she was able to get a word in. "I hope I'm not tracking in any mud, either." When it became apparent that she had wiped her shoes adequately before going back into the school, she gave the other adult a small smile. "I hope the day is going alright for you. Not too busy today, Mr. Tolansky? Are you doing well?"
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Post by Toad on Jan 17, 2024 7:32:28 GMT -5
Words: 168 Tags: Noelle Perez, openAt least not everyone on the staff cared about his mutations. Case in point was Ms. Perez, one of the English teachers, if he remembered correctly. She at least came into the gym speaking casually to him as if there was no difference between him and the other human staff members.
Then again, it probably had to do with the fact that her son was also a mutant. Meeting Todd on that day when they were all getting their paperwork finalized to work at Bayville High had probably lifted a load off of her shoulders.
"Don't worry about it," Todd said to Noelle, trying to see if she had tracked in any mud. "If ya did, it can't be any worse than the gym classes. Either way, I'll think of it as job security." To her greeting, he nodded. "The day is going, anyway. Hope everything's okay with you."
Thinking he should try to stay in Ms. Perez's good graces, Todd asked, "How's your son doing adjusting here?"
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Post by Noelle Perez on Jan 18, 2024 7:58:25 GMT -5
Noelle laughed lightly. "Job security. I like it," she said. "The last school I worked at had a janitor who wasn't fond of his job enough to not want to do any sort of work. He would have had some choice words for me if he was in your current position."
Mr. Tolansky was kind enough to ask about Mason and how he was settling in, and Noelle smiled at the mention of her baby. "He's doing very well, thank you. He's made some friends and is enjoying the sports scene here at Bayville.
"How about yourself?" Noelle asked. "This is your first year working here, yes? If I remember correctly from when we first met. It must have been a bit of a challenge when the school year started with the furniture from the library and cafeteria being switched."
Mason was, fortunately, not part of that group that had performed the prank. She would have killed him if she had heard word that he was part of it, and he probably knew it.
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Post by Toad on Jan 19, 2024 7:41:32 GMT -5
Words: 154 Tags: Noelle Perez, open"That was me as a student, admittedly," Todd said with a shrug as the teacher described an old coworker. "But, hey, I got a mortgage now. Can't afford not to work."
He nodded along when Noelle mentioned her son was doing well, and thanked Todd for asking. Todd knew her kid was part of the Xavier school, too, and he was sure that group bonded together just as the previous generation did. They had been like obnoxious, cheap duct tape that stuck to everything.
Todd was going to leave the conversation at that -- the teacher had her lunch, after all, and he was sure she wanted to eat it in peace -- but Noelle turned the question around on him. He blinked, trying to think of what to say.
"I'm doing fine," he said, realizing that wasn't much of a response. "The furniture wasn't a big deal. Made things interestin' on the first day, anyway."
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Post by Noelle Perez on Jan 25, 2024 7:40:14 GMT -5
"A paycheck is a good reason to keep working," Noelle agreed, a small smile on her lips, particularly after Mr. Tolansky admitted to being a touch lazy as a student himself.
Granted, she hoped that everyone would find something more in their job than just a paycheck, but she understood the reality many had when it came to working. Some folks could only take what they could get, while others did not have ambition that reached too far. Nothing was inherently wrong with either reason. Noelle just hoped that people like Mr. Tolansky were satisfied.
He actually seemed a bit confused when Noelle turned the question on him, but answered anyway. "I'm glad it wasn't a big deal. It did make the first day rather interesting, didn't it? I'm curious if other years have started in similar manners... Perhaps it's something I should keep an eye out for, especially around April Fool's Day."
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Post by Toad on Jan 28, 2024 9:26:12 GMT -5
Words: 154 Tags: Noelle Perez, openTodd had paused in his work, leaning against the mop as he listened and actually conversed with the teacher. It felt oddly normal but also strange with how casual they were talking. It wasn't something he fully expected when getting this job.
Keep your head down, do your work, collect your money... That was all Todd had planned on.
"Guess we'll both find out," Todd said when Noelle mentioned that she was curious about other pranks that students had done in the past at the school. Todd himself wisely kept the pranks he had done and participated in as a teenager.
"Your kid the type to do pranks?" he asked, a crooked grin on his face. He was well aware of what her son's mutant abilities were. They would lend themselves easily to pranks. "Actually, if he was the type, maybe you wouldn't know... He could be too good at them to get caught."
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Post by Noelle Perez on Feb 4, 2024 8:50:51 GMT -5
163 words | Toad | End thread? Muse is starting to run dry and I figured we should wrap up Sept dated threads. Thank you! "Indeed." Noelle smiled when the janitor mentioned that they would both probably find out about how much of a penchant the Bayville High students had when it came to mischief and pranks.
Her smile dissipated, her tone dry, but a glimmer of amusement was in her eyes when Todd then mentioned that perhaps her son was a prankster. He could be a good enough one without Noelle even knowing.
"Oh, he better not be," she said, aware that Todd also knew what Mason could do as a mutant. "He knows what kind of trouble he'd get into when I found out.
"Speaking of the students, though..." Noelle glanced at her wristwatch. "I believe I better start heading back to my classroom. My lunch period will be over soon. It was nice talking with you, Mr. Tolansky. I hope the rest of your day goes well."
With that, she gave the janitor a small wave and began to make her way out of the gymnasium.
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