The Boss' New Errand Boy
Felix had looked so smart when he left, put together.
Wells had sat at his desk before standing, one hand holding out the envelope, the other straightening Felix’s tie for him.
“Take this to Captain Brody on Cherub Street,” he had said. “Straight there. Straight back. Understand?”
Felix had nodded so quickly he nearly dropped the letter.
He had wanted to appear useful for the boss on his first solo job, how hard could one little errand be?
His new clothes had been crisp, the tie had sat neatly beneath his collar, suspenders had been straight, his new cap pulled low over his curls, trying hard to appear like mob life was completely normal to him. He had stood there in front of Wells attempting to look like someone who could be trusted.
Wells had only smiled, clearly it worked.
“Off you go, Felix.”
So Felix had gone, fast.
The unfamiliar city had seemed much larger once he was alone.
The streets were soaking from rain, the trams moved steadily. Men in dark coats moved past him without looking. He heard Jazz drifting out of basement clubs and bars.
"Maybe later..."
Felix kept one hand tight around the envelope at all times and tried to walk like he belonged there, like he knew where he was going.
He did not know.
He got lost twice.
The first time, he ended up three streets too far east, staring up at a theatre sign and pretending he meant to be there. The second time, he turned into the wrong alley and almost walked straight into a pair of men arguing over cards and money. Leaving that situation very promptly.
Not long after, somebody slammed into him on a crowded corner and sent him sprawling face-first onto the pavement. The man didn't even stop to apologise, disappearing amongst the busy crowd.
He sat in the street for a second afterwards, knees scraped, cap half-fallen off his head. He was filthy. One suspender was starting to slip loose. But when he checked inside his pocket, he still had it. Felix sat there in the rain and laughed to himself,
"I hate this city... so much"
Getting up and deciding to ditch the tie, stuffing it in his pocket, he kept going.
Somewhere near the market district, he found Daniel #16 and PDU-767 standing beneath a streetlamp.
Daniel looked impossibly put together in a dark suit and long coat, sharp-eyed and confident. Beside him, PDU-767 looked even stranger: immaculate black suit, gloves, cane, expression unreadable beneath the shadow of his hat.
Felix must have looked ridiculous, mud on his shirt, hair hanging into his face. He ran over to the two.
Daniel stared at him for a moment.
“You look awful,” he said.
Felix tried to stand straighter.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re lost.”
“I’m not.”
“Don't argue, you are.”
PDU-767 raised one gloved hand and pointed down the street.
“Three blocks,” it said calmly. “Then left, if you're looking for the captain.”
Felix looked at them both for a second, then nodded.
“Thanks.”
He ran off, barely giving a chance for them to reply.
By the time he finally reached Captain Brody’s office, he could barely breathe.
The building was taller than he expected. He stood outside for a second in the rain, staring up at it, chest rising and falling hard.
Captain Brody sat behind his desk in the warm glow of the office lamps, reading the letter in silence while Felix stood opposite him.
At first Felix tried to stand properly, intimidated by the near regal presence of the boss before him.
After a minute he gave in and bent over, hands on his knees, cap still on his head, breathing hard through parted lips.
Captain Brody did not seem to mind, he just read.
Finally, Brody folded the letter once and looked up.
“You made good time.”
Felix blinked at him, good time?
He smiled despite himself, then he walked all the way back after recieving a reply and being dismissed.
When he finally reached Wells’ office again, it was late. He stood in the doorway looking exhausted.
His shirt was ruined, there was dirt on his face and one knee of his trousers was torn.
Wells was sitting behind his desk, reading Brody’s reply.
There was a clean white shirt folded neatly on the desk beside him.
Felix stared at it.
Then he looked at Wells.
Wells glanced up from the letter.
For a second, neither of them said anything.
Then he leaned back in his chair.
A small smile spread across his face.
“You did good, boy. 767 informed me you'd need new clothes”
That was all it took, Felix looked so pleased that Wells had to laugh. He pointed at the clean shirt before sliding it across the desk.
“Go get cleaned up, oh and speaking of, you're on cleaning duty tomorrow.”
Felix nodded immediately.
“Yes, boss.”
And for the first time all night, he felt like he was a bit proud, like he belonged.
Want to run some errands or just be a part of the team? Get in touch with our recruiters! @alton-gold77, @polo-drone-166, @franco-gold94 and @polo-drone-125!
Featuring: @wells-gold58, @danielgold-16, @polo-drone-767 and @brodygold
