Butchering
Referenced nightmares, referenced therapy, referenced animal death [meat production], implied past trauma, an aro(?)ace’s poor understanding of romantic/sexual attraction
[Concurrent to The Mademoiselle]
Deitelbaum’s was a good place for East to start. It was usually quiet and slow paced, and Joshua - the manager - knew the Holloway Home well. Alister had been working there for months, and was more than happy to help train East. (It was only a matter of time before he moved on to a more permanent job - or at least, one he could pay his own rent with - and Joshua could use the extra hands.)
“Any questions about the slicer?”
“How often is it fully disinfected?” East had surprisingly good questions, as focused and serious as he was doing chores around the house. Alister was relieved Nate agreed it was time the guy got a job - he needed something to throw himself into other than dusting the common room or sorting the laundry.
“He always like this or just first day nerves?” Joshua happened to be there that morning, both to meet East and drop off meat fresh from the butcher. East was currently prepping the cutting boards, brow furrowed and eyes intense as he worked. Alister doubted he even heard them talking about him here at the front of the deli.
“You can see why Nate needed him out of the house - he’s just the same doing chores and stuff at home.” Tierney leaned against the counter, yawning. The sun wasn’t quite over the horizon yet - the deli would open soon, but they probably wouldn’t see customers for another hour or two.
“He’s a good worker.” Alister affirmed, taking a parcel of beef from Joshua. The older gentlemen looked…skeptical wasn’t the right word, perhaps politely concerned?
“Don’t let him over work himself - last thing we want is someone getting hurt.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry J.”
Joshua gave a long suffering look to Alister; Tierney wasn’t the pinnacle of professionalism, but he worked well with the customers. Alister sighed, glancing back at East - hair tied back and stuffed under a hairnet, gloves and apron spotless.
“I’ll let you know if there are any problems.”
—
East was a quick learner, which Alister was thankful for. He didn’t expect so many customers today - was there a holiday coming up he had forgotten? His second guess was that there was a wave of tourists passing through; he didn’t recognize many of the people in the deli.
Things were starting to calm down at the registers, enough that Alister considered stepping back to help East prepare the orders, when a new customer stepped up to the counter. Alister glanced at her and smiled, but his heart had already started to sink.
He had seen a few new immigrants come to the kosher deli, but Joshua usually handled their orders. So when the veiled older woman started to speak, Alister felt embarrassed guilt creep onto his face. He didn’t understand her - but he could tell she was pointing to the lamb behind the counter, and her tone was questioning. Both their frustrations were starting to rise when, to Alister’s surprise, he heard East’s soft rumble behind him.
“She’s asking how it was slaughtered.”
Alister nearly jumped, muttering a curse to himself. East was so quiet for such a large man, a silent shadow hovering over his shoulder.
“Oh. Uh - can - can you tell her it’s kosher, Joshua picks it up from the butcher.” Alister wouldn’t admit he was impressed by the sudden ease in East’s tone as he replied to the woman, the two having a brief back and forth. East’s face was uncharacteristically relaxed, tone almost confident - though, Alister couldn’t be sure, seeing as he didn’t understand the language.
“It’s halal too, right? No blood, killed clean?”
“Yes? Yes - I’ve seen them butcher sheep there.” Alister glanced back at he woman, embarrassment bleeding to curiosity. There were more and more Muslim immigrants with each passing year, but he should have guessed by her headwear she wasn’t Joshua’s usual foreign clientele.
Eventually it seemed East and the woman reached an agreement, and he translated her order to Alister before going to the back and preparing the meat. It was a bit later, during a lull when the shop was quiet, that Tierney dare broach the subject. It was their lunch break - the closed sign temporarily flipped while the three enjoyed a moment’s peace and some prepacked food in the store room.
“Why the hell didn’t you mention you were bilingual? Trying to get out of register work?” Tierney had wolfed down his lunch in minutes, idly waiting for the others to finish.
“Didn’t think it was relevant to cutting up meat.” East mumbled, eating his own sandwich in small bites as though savoring the blandness of ham and cheese.
“Where the hell’d you pick that up? You’re German, ain’t ya?”
“Work.” East stiffened, almost imperceptibly, but Alister could see his grip on the soft bread tighten.
“Right, soldier and stuff - damn. Figured you might know a few phrases and shit, not, like, be fluent.” Tierney rambled, but Alister quirked a brow at the revelation. Military certainly seemed to fit the way East carried himself. (And it could explain the nights Al lay awake praying that the poor bastard would sleep soundly for both their sake’s.)
“Nate never mentioned - ”
East cut him off, words clipped and cold.
“No. He didn’t.”
Alister winced at his tone, eyes flickering between East’s eyes and the floor. He didn’t seem angry, but he did seem agitated. On edge.
“Oh, sorry mate I didn’t mean to - “
“It’s fine. Just don’t like talking about it.”
The quiet that followed wasn’t the most uncomfortable silence Alister had sat through, but it was getting close.
“Thanks, by the way. For jumping in when you did. Worst thing when working the front is telling a customer no.” Alister sighed, cracking open a bottle of coke. Some tension seemed to bleed from East’s shoulders.
“No problem.”
—
A few days later, the woman was back, and East wasn’t there. (Alister almost regretted suggesting Nate find him a therapist - nightmares be damned he did not want to turn this sweet old lady away just because he couldn’t understand her.) But this time, she wasn’t alone.
There was a younger woman with her, and for a brief moment, Alister forgot his anxieties. He had known his fair share of beautiful women - he had childhood crushes, unreciprocated flirting, and a few short lived trysts. But he had to admit, this attraction was new. He couldn’t see the shape of her legs, hidden in the folds of a long black skirt, or the curve of her chest, hidden behind the thick plush of a winter coat. Ever her hair, wrapped and covered in a simple purple headscarf, was hidden from him.
And while he could see her soft lips, her dark eyes - that was not what enraptured him. It was her poise, the grace and confidence with which she carried herself. Like royalty, or a soldier leading the charge. He almost didn’t realize she was already standing at the register, speaking to him.
“Excuse me? Sorry, I’m not sure if you recognize her - my mother - “
“Yeah. The - the lamb the other day. I remember her.” Alister gave a shy smile to the older woman, who was muttering in her own language to her daughter. She glanced back at her mother, an embarrassed smile of her own creeping onto her face.
“Well, we just wanted to thank you - the lamb was amazing and she wanted to let you know she’ll be buying whatever meat she gets from here from now on.”
“Oh - oh it’s, it’s my job, ma’am - “
“Jasmine; my mother is Hanan.”
“Ah, well, nice to meet you both. Um, I’m Al.”
“So your name tag says.”
“Oh - right. Right, ah, well East - he was the one that helped, uh, translate between us - he’s not here today but I’ll be sure to pass it in to him. That you’re grateful.”
“We’d appreciate that.” Jasmine’s eyes were laughing at him, and Alister knew a blush was flushing his face pink. Why was he such a dunce all of a sudden?
Hanan whispered something to her daughter, and - he probably imagined it - but he swore Jasmine’s cheeks seemed to warm as her eyebrows shot up in surprise before she muttered a reply he didn’t understand.
“Well, um, we’ll take the same order as last time - please.”
“No problem, Tierney over there will ring you up and I’ll - I’ll get right to it.”
—
“You have no game. When was the last time you talked to a bird?”
“Can it, O’Hare.”
[Before Unlocked Cage]
(Part of my Freelancers: Changing Tides series)
Taglist: @stargeode @sacredwrath
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aw yaaaay recovery for the poor boiled bird!
cute.
new prompt: crammed
~🪴~
tw institutionalised fantasy discrimination, execution mention, cramped spaces, captivity, dehumanisation
"Wow, you really didn't have to be so greedy."
The cage Whumpee had been shoved into was crammed with other nonhuman creatures, with barely enough space for their ribcage to extend enough to breathe. Understandably, everyone was agitated and distressed, and they were all whimpering and whining. Whumpee wished they'd shut up for just a second, so they could listen in on the humans.
"What? They're just dumb animals for slaughter. It's not like the countess wants them in pristine condition to be shot."
"Still, shoving twenty of them into a small cage is just not practical. It's hard to get them out without getting hurt."
"Not my problem. I'm not the one getting them out. I'm just the one pushing them inside."
Whumpee groaned. Nothing useful. Just two dumb fucking humans bickering about getting a few scratches while leading their kind to be murdered en masse.
Lucky for the other nineteen creatures of the batch, though, they got themself caught on purpose. And they had a plan to give the humans more than a few scratches upon arrival.
~
@ashh-ed @whumpsday @whump-queen @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @rosewriteswhump
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