The Illusion of Danger

Chapter 50

Over the course of the day, Mordecai and Rocky spent nearly every second attached to one another while the tuxedo figured out a schedule for himself and Rose to communicate as well as figure out a new budget considering his new roommate and his... accident-prone tendencies.
The next day, Mordecai had to work that evening rather than during the day and, of course, had Calvin stay to keep Rocky company.

At precisely seven, Mordecai knocked on Asa Sweet's office door. After being given the okay to enter, he did just that and closed the door behind him.
"I'm ready to go down when you are."
He stated with his hands now neatly behind his back.

Asa just so happened to be looking over some of the gathered numbers from the previous week. He looked up from the book and leaned back into his chair.
"Before we go, I'm going to have another job for you, but it requires you to be in the Savoys' company."

"I'll have to decline. I'm certain those two are more than capable of taking care of your dirty work on their own. They've proven it countless times, have they not?"
The tuxedo thought he had made his stance on working with those two very clear and it irritated him a bit only because he knew how dismissive his employer was.

"They have and they're still doing a stand-up job, but this one is something you need to be involved in."
Asa replied as he prepared a cigar.

"Well, I'm sure if you give them enough time, they'll be able to accomplish the assignment you've provided. While we are here, I would like to inform you of something that has come up recently."
Mordecai adjusted his glasses a bit and waited until the inevitable evasion concluded.

"I'll give them a little longer but if they still haven't gotten through, I'll call on you again."
The larger golden man then put the cigar between his teeth and lit it.
"Anyway, is this thing going on with you going to be a distraction? If you're going to need an extra day or so away, you know you have the initiative to put that request in. No one's been so quick with the numbers as you have."

Mordecai's ears pulled forward a bit at the offer but quickly returned to their original position.
"It may require some time off of work, yes, but hopefully not for a while. This may span anywhere from a little over a week to three weeks. The circumstances would normally call for almost an entire year, but I know that such an extreme amount of time wouldn't be plausible."

"A year, huh?"
Asa exhaled with raised brows, leaning forward with his arms resting on the desk.
"That definitely wouldn't be ideal since we would have to put you on furlough."

"I'm aware that you don't want to do that, so I am willing to cut that time by ninety-five point two-zero-nine-five-eight percent and stick to a maximum of sixteen days. You will only need to find a temporary replacement for two weeks at the most since you need your totals by the end of every week, then I will return and everything will continue as normal."

"You sure do put a lot of thought into everything before it even happens, don't you."

"Yes, I have to in order to make my case solid yet negotiable."

"You're a smart kid and I think I like those numbers you just laid out. How about we make it an even three weeks?"

"Sixteen days will be plenty, I'm sure."

Asa hummed in thought, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger a bit.
"Can I ask what this is about? You haven't asked for a day off before; forget a whole sixteen."

"Personal matters. I cannot give any more detail than that."
The tuxedo responded plainly.

"Hm, well, considering your track record, I don't have any reason not to approve your request. All I ask is a few days' notice so that I can call in your temporary replacement."