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The kitchen raises in a chorus of goodbyes, and I absentmindedly shut the feed.
This is…this is too much. Tzelik has been paying me too much.
***
Once again, I can’t sleep and find myself waiting up for Tzelik to come home. It’s now nearly two in the morning, and from where I sit in one of the opulent waiting rooms adjacent to the entry, I can hear that he’s just arrived. His voice sounds a little strained as he murmurs to the butler, and the front doors thud to a close. I jump up and head towards the foyer.
“Mr. Tzelik,” I say as I exit the sitting room, “Sir, I need to talk to you…about…”
Why do I always find him covered in blood in the middle of the night?
“S-sir!” I rush over as he unhooks the thin sword from his belt and hands it to the butler, who instantly takes it away. This time, instead of simply being splattered with strange colored blood across his jacket, he’s drenched in it. The blue liquid is sprayed all over his clothing and neck, and although his face looks like it’s been wiped clean, there’s an odd clear liquid that’s trickling down from a gash that starts on his forehead and continues up into his hairline.
I swear, most of my stress at this job actually comes from worrying about Tzelik’s safety. I remember thinking he must be at the head of some mafia-type family when I first started working here, but after spending so many hours around him and helping him with more and more important tasks as he grew to trust my skills, I’ve come to realize that he actually has a goal to get rid of all that type of corruption and underground activity from the planet. Which obviously makes him a target for every organized crime syndicate around. Which raises my stress through the roof, because he comes home half-dead way more often than my nerves can handle.
“My god, are you okay?”
“Yes, thank you, Miss Martin,” he says mildly, but then he grimaces ever so slightly as he takes a step forward, and I find myself rushing to his side.
“Here, sir,” I say, throwing an arm around his waist and guiding him forward. “Let’s get you to the kitchen, there’s a first-aid kit there, and it’s closer than the infirmary.”
He throws me a quizzical glance. “I’m perfectly fine, you know.” But he makes no move to dislodge me from his side, and I get him to the kitchen and onto one of the barstools in a flutter of worry.
“What’s going on? Were you mugged? Why is there so much blood this time?”
“Mugged?” he huffs, leaning back into the chair. “Me? Hardly.”
I pull down a polished wooden box from one of the cupboards and rifle through its medical contents. “Well, it wasn’t a political meeting you just came from, that’s for sure…”
“That’s precisely what it was.”
I snort as I grab a sterile antiseptic pad. “Ha-ha, very funny, sir.”
“Why don’t you just call one of the maids to do this?” he asks as I come forward, and he lifts an arm to wave me away. “Really, this isn’t necessary…”
“Everyone else is asleep, and I’m already here.”
“Well, it’s their duty to wake and care for me.”
“Mr. Tzelik, please,” I huff, shoving my empty hand on my hip and sending him my best behaveor else look. “Just let me.”
He regards me for a moment, and then his hand slowly lowers.
“I wanted to talk to you about something, anyway,” I say, bringing the pad a little nervously to his cut and wiping away his odd, clear blood. “I was going through my bank statement, and…I think there’s been a mistake. You accidentally transferred me too much money.”
“I don’t make mistakes, Miss Martin,” he says, barely even flinching when I press the pad to his cut. “I have given you a raise.”
“But, sir…” I take a step back. “You’re paying me two thousand credits a week. That’s…that’s more than four times what we initially agreed on!”
“Why are you upset at being paid a fairer wage?” He tilts his head curiously, and I can feel my brows lowering.
“Fair? You said you’d match my previous employer!”
“Honestly, eight credits an hour? I may be many things, Miss Martin, but a thief I am not. That salary is absolute robbery.”
“That’s minimum wage!”
“Is it?” he looks slightly confused. “I must admit I haven’t looked at that in some time… It doesn’t seem like a very livable amount, does it.”
