Tortus Bay

1.12: Employment

That Saturday's meeting of the Tortus Bay Hiking and Wilderness Appreciation Society (as they preferred to be called) went on as scheduled. A dozen members congregated in the four-season patio of the Brihte Estate, which was as large itself as many houses in the village, and were served coffee and finger foods. They sat arranged in plush armchairs and cushioned dining seats, pleasantly chatting and waiting for their leader to arrive.

For a woman who supposedly knew a damning secret concerning her brother-in-law's murder, Lucy Brihte exhibited no difficulties delivering the mundanities that the TBHWAS had to concern itself with that day. She was a thin woman, with a whispery voice and the tendency to stare at an unfixed point in the distance while speaking. Compared with her sister's dramatic flair, she looked mundane in a brown blouse and a faded blue hair-band.

After the catching up and other social niceties, Henry was asked to stand and introduce himself. "I've already met a few of you," he said, "but I apologize in advance if I can't remember your names. To everyone else: my name is Henry. I'm new to Tortus Bay."

A few people leaned in to whisper to their neighbors. "What brought you to our club?" Lucy asked, disconcertedly staring at the glass wall behind him.

"Niles invited me. I never got a chance to get outdoors, back where I came from. I figured while I'm still looking for a job, I might as well try something new."

That generated even more whispers, but Lucy didn't seem to notice. She thanked him, asked him to sit, and then every other member took it in turn to introduce themselves. The group was comprised primarily of older couples, but there were a few other people his age in attendance as well. They looked bored.

The meeting proper wrapped up with lengthy affirmations of each of the society's long-term goals: establishing hiking paths in the forest; petitioning City Hall for wild-life protection; and finding better methods to educate the public that there are no wolves living in the trees outside of the village. Lucy disappeared back into the manor during this last discussion, with no indication that she meant to return.

Affairs then proceeded outside, where again people grouped up to chat. Niles was dragged away to discuss a piece of inscrutable society minutiae, leaving Henry to fend for himself against a tide of people who wanted to know if he would be attending their 'live meeting' next week.

"It means that we'll actually go out into the woods," Tod, a man with a proud pot-belly and stately white whiskers, explained politely. "There's a lot to do out there, especially if you're at all taken with the sport of bird watching."

He feigned a nascent interest in birds until he heard several loud apologies from across the lawn, and saw Niles extricate himself from the group which had taken him. They rejoined each other by the pond. "I suppose you really must be looking for a job, then," Niles said.

He nodded. "I had an interview earlier today, but they turned me down after I let it slip that I've only been in the village for a week."

"I'm sure they just wanted to make sure that you would be in it for the long haul. A lot of people who move here end up leaving after a few weeks."

They found the cobblestone path, and followed it away from the congregation. "Why is that?"

"There's a lot of things you can't know until you've been around for a while."

Outside of the gates, starting down the wide avenue of Glosspool Lane, Henry decided they were safely out of earshot. "Was Lucy acting oddly back there?"

"No, that was classic Lucy, I'm afraid. She's a little better in small groups, or out in the woods, but I don't get the impression that she cares much about people. At least, not interacting with them."