Roni and Joey: Chapter 21: Office Visit

It took about 30 minutes to get from the Calhouns residence to the heart of downtown Sacramento. Joey and Roni sat in relative silence in the backseat, with Joey leaning onto Roni as she offered him comfort, letting him rest his head on top of hers while he stared at the photo his parents left him. Normally, had this been any other boy, Mr. Hale would have pulled over and read him the riot act, but the fact that this was not only Joey, but his, pending official signatures, adopted son, he decided to let it slide. It had been a very emotional few hours for Joey, and since Roni was technically going to be his sister and guardian, it made sense for Joey to start seeking comfort from her. Hopefully, thought Mr. Hale, this business with the Generitech lawyer and Generitech Little worker would be a smooth process, as all three of the group needed a break after everything that had just occurred.

After a few minutes of annoying early afternoon Sunday traffic, the cobalt diesel finally found its way to a top level of a parking structure, just squeezing into an available spot . Joey, slightly confused, looked to Roni for guidance. He had been expecting to see his parents this morning, but Joey wasn’t sure what they were doing in the business district of Sacramento on a Sunday afternoon. When he looked at Roni, though, he saw her normal expression, the one that normally dragged him to school dances or parties, so long as her parents weren’t aware, for fun and enjoyment despite his desires to stay in and play videogames or work on his side projects.

Noticing his confused look, Roni gave him an apologetic smile. “Joey…I’m sorry…I should have said something but I didn’t want to get your hopes up” whispered Roni before they got out of the truck, following Mr. Hale through the lot. “When I was messaging Generitech’s legal service regarding adoption…I had scheduled an appointment for the soonest time. I didn’t think they’d be open seven days a week but…well…here we are” she smiled reassuringly, indicating that she had set up a meeting to expedite the adoption and little registration process the day before during her research on how to save Joey.

“Hey, it’s okay. You were looking out for your older brother, after all” Joey teased, enjoying the fact that, technically, he had a small bit of authority over her. 

Roni rolled her eyes and pouted, “3 months, Joey! Only by 3 months!” she whined before playfully poking him in the ribs.

“Those are 3 extra months of wisdom, sister,” laughed Joey, already enjoying the brother-sister dynamic before looking ahead to Mr. Hale, “But seriously…Mr. Hale…err…dad….thank you. This…all of it means everything to me.” 

Looking back over his shoulder, Mr. Hale Nodded, before continuing forward. “Don’t mention it, son. You’re a good kid, and had” he cringes and curses under his breath, “have a bright future. Kat, myself, the girls; we all want you around…no matter what capacity.” 

He stops and turns to face Joey and Roni, making eye contact with the boy. “What I said the other day was wrong and foolish, and born from…things you don’t know about that I didn’t deal with, and…I’m sorry”. Mr. Hale offers his hand to Joey, with a sincere look begging forgiveness.

Never one to hold a serious grudge, especially with those he loved, Joey takes Mr. Hales hand and shakes it. “It’s okay…dad…” he said, giving him an accepting smile as they broke away from the handshake.

The three then continued their walk down the stairs of the parking garage in relative silence, the noise of traffic being the backdrop to their trudge to the ten story building with the giant Generitech Logo etched into the first few floors windows for outside to see. 

Joey began to feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness as they entered a lobby that was both more welcoming and  luxurious than any of the elite homes he had visited in his entire life. There was a large fountain in the center of the room, the floor was tiled with black and white marble, decorative pillars sculpted to look as if they came straight from ancient Greece were placed decoratively around the room with matching sconces giving off decorative lights. 

This was the place where Generitech would pen the legal agreements for the Hales, and help start the expedited process of allowing Joey Calhoun to become Joey Hale. If someone had told him that this would be his fate 3 days ago, Joey probably would have laughed at the absurdity, and internally cry at the idea that would never happen. Yet, he thought as they got closer to the desk in the lobby, here they are, about to make it official. He would be a Hale, and he would be spending his life as his best friend’s little. It was the best possible scenario, and, somehow through luck or determination, it was going to become true.

Mr. Hale was the first to make it to the desk, the two teens following behind. They were greeted by a young woman in standard looking outfit for the corporate world. She smiled and stood up attentively. “Hello! Welcome to the offices of Generitech!,” she said happily, “Do you have an appointment today?”

Mr. Hale returned the greeting with a small smile, “Yes, ma’am. We’re here to speak with Mr. Hunter.”

 

“Ah! The adoption case!” she exclaimed excitedly, looking at the two teens that stood behind the middle aged man. “I was told to send you three right up as soon as you got here. You can take that elevator over there” she said as she pointed to the designated elevator. “It will be on the 7th floor, speak to Jessie when you get off the elevator. She’ll help you the rest of the way, and congratulations. This is a huge step for you and your family” the woman finished, a genuine look of happiness plastered on her face as she flashed a warm smile to the teens as they made their way to the elevator, knowing that, whoever it was getting adopted, was in for a better life with a family that would genuinely care for them.

There was a loud ding when the elevator stopped at the 7th floor. THe door opened to a more toned down but still nice office floor, a receptionist desk and waiting area  right outside as they stepped out of the elevator. Sitting behind the desk was another young woman with red hair and green eyes dressed in a modest button-up blouse with her hair pulled back, smiling happily as she saw them approach. She stood up and offered her hand to Mr. Hale and Roni, who both shook it one after the other. 

“You must be Mr. Hunters 1 o’clock! It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Jessie, the floor receptionist” after looking at them, her eyes landed on Joey and gave a warm and welcoming smile. “You must be Joey. We’ve heard a lot about what’s been going on, well…at least I’ve heard as much as your confidentiality clauses will allow me to hear” she walked around the desk and offered her hand to Joey, “On behalf of Generitech, I want to apologize for what you’ve gone through so far, and I want you to know we are going to make sure this process goes as smoothly as possible.”

 

A bit of surprise flashed in Joey’s eyes, as well as Mr. Hale’s and Roni’s, as he took her hand and shook it. “Th..thank you, Jessie. I appreciate it…” Joey gave her a smile as they released. This was Joey’s first official time meeting anyone from Generitech, and so far they seemed so genuine. The vibes he got from Jessie weren’t too dissimilar from those he gets from Roni, albeit not as strong, but he felt like they were genuinely there to support him during this process.

Still smiling, Jessie went back behind the desk and sat down a moment in front of her computer, sending a few messages while the Hales stood waiting. “Don’t worry. I’m messaging David Hunter and his paralegal Tanya letting them know you are here. They should be ready for the three of you.” She stops and looks at Mr. Hale with a serious look. “All of the needed documentation was sent from the Calhouns to Mr. Hunter directly already, and a copy was sent to Generitech Legal Review to confirm there aren’t any hidden clauses in their legal documents. I promise you” she starts before she looks at Joey to try and reassure him. “Generitech takes every case like this even more seriously than the Federal Government would. You are in the best possible place for this.’” 

As Jessie messaged the lawyer and paralegal, Joey instinctively grabs Ronis hand looking for a form of comfort. Jessie, who had been working in this position for about two years now, couldn’t help but smile to herself. She had seen instances like this before, albeit not as high profile and with as much classified red-tape, but she knew that the boy Joey had a serious home in the Hales, and that he would be loved by whomever his guardian was in their family. Jessie wasn’t kidding when she had apologized about how he was treated. She knew the general gist of the situation would have been enough for the authorities to enact their protective measures under the Limbo statues in California, and given the notoriety and significance of the Calhoun name, it would have gone national in the news. Ultimately it was in the best interest for everyone to let Generitech handle the legal proceedings regarding adoption and pre-smallara registration process rather than drag it out in a legal battle. No one would benefit from that, she thought as she pinged multiple different people and littles regarding the paperwork and evaluations, and ultimately all that Generitech wanted was the best for their littles, despite the federal government’s meddling.

While Jessie worked diligently, the clacking of her keyboard never dulling, the trio that had entered the 7th floor sat in the waiting area, not speaking too much. All three were lost in their one world as they considered everything further. Joey was a lot more nervous than he had wanted to admit outwardly, though Roni could tell just based on his body language, and possibly even from his energy. However, meeting and talking to Jessie, hearing the genuine tone in her voice and openness of her body language gave Joey a great deal of relief, especially since this was his first official interaction with someone from Generitech. It further affirmed that his dream of working for and with Generitech wasn’t fruitless, that the company did have the Homo Parvus population at heart.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hale and Roni had other thoughts of their own. Roni never released Joey’s hand while they sat together in the waiting room. It just further solidified in her mind that, despite the uphill battle they had faced, she had made the right choice. Had she not followed her instincts, she thought, Joey would have been one step closer to being sent away and buried in a system that would have ensured he was never seen from again. On top of this, similar to what Joey was feeling, too, Roni felt that Generitech was going to make sure everything went through without a hitch. It may be blind optimism, but they’ve come this far, and the fact that they are only at the receptionist and it’s already been confirmed that they are taking the situation seriously really gave her reassurance that a massive company like Generitech actually put their mouths where their money is and was going to do their absolute best to ensure that  littles were given safe homes. She gave Joey’s hand an extra squeeze for more reassurance, and allowed her shoulders to slump into a more relaxed state as she did so, a sign that she was as comfortable and relaxed as her best friend was at this point, and wanted to see how everything goes with the lawyer.

Mr. Hale, sitting across from his daughter and soon-to-be adopted son, had a lot of different ideas and thoughts flying in his mind from the past day. Ultimately, he was hopeful that everything would work out, that Joey would get the home he needed and that, even though he would belong to his daughters and, as far as he would be concerned, be forced to live under a different set of rules, he would be happy and taken care of. That matter the most fo him, afterall, even if he wasn’t the most outwardly expressive of it. On top of it, even thought it would be indirect, he and Mrs. Hale were more than willing to support Joey in this process the best way they understood how. What had really been prominent in his mind was his sister Lillie. Mr. Hale was internally frustrate that she was subjected to something that could have been prevented with enough foresight and consideration. If he had been more aware and involved from the start, she could have been living with him and his family, instead of serving as his younger sister’s pet. A part of him was jealous that Joey won’t be subjected to a similar fate, but recognizes that this is what he would want for his sister, and can’t hold too much of a grudge against the boy he’s going to adopt.

Interrupting their thoughts, a masculine voice rings through the air, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Ah! You three must be the soon-to-be Hales! It’s such a pleasure to meet you! I’m David Hunter” Before them stood  a young man, likely in his late 20s, dressed in a sharp charcoal suit with a neat white shirt and a navy tie. His hair was slicked back, and his clean-shaven face gave him a polished, professional look. With a confident but friendly smile, he approached them with ease. “Allow me to also introduce my paralegal, Tonya!”

The threesome’s eyes went wide when they came across the form of a 4 inch tall being with ashy-blonde being with bronze skin and a pants suit proportionate to her height sitting on Mr. Hunters shoulder. They couldn’t hear her from where they were standing, but could see she was communicating with Mr. Hunter, who in turn smiled brightly and looked at the three, more closely to Joey. “Tonya says that she’s excited to meet all of you, especially you, Joey. She wants you to know that she’s going to make sure I uphold all of the promises Generitech makes and wants you to know you are in the best possible place to be for your situation” Mr. Hunter’s smile widened when he teasingly added for Tonya’s stake, “After all, I don’t want this one’s evaluation of my performance to reflect poorly on Generitech. She’s pretty blunt, even by a lawyers standard. Now, please, follow me. Jessie, could you bring some refreshments to the conference room? I’ll DM you if we need anything else.” He smiled warmly before he gestured for the three to follow him and his little paralegal.

 

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Lethal Ledgend
12 days ago

1.1) “had this been any other boy, Mr. Hale would have pulled over and read him the riot act” That’s how you get your daughter to date in secret
1.2) “since Roni was technically going to be his sister and guardian, it made sense for Joey to start seeking comfort from her” That’s actually a really nice thought

2) “pre-smallara registration process” So he’s listing her as his guardian before he shrinks? I’m so glad such a service exists in this world (even if just in fan fiction)

3) “Had” he cringes and curses under his breath, “have a bright future.” So glad he stopped himself there, good correction,

4) Genritech building sounds rather fancy, about what I’d expect from the Gracewood’s home more than a publicly accessible building.

5) “Ah! The adoption case!” she exclaimed excitedly” Always a good sign when the receptionist knows what’s up.

6) “On behalf of Generitech, I want to apologize for what you’ve gone through so far” Genritech owes a great many that apology.

7) “but he felt like they were genuinely there to support him during this process” Yeah, mate they’re paid to make you feel that way.

8) “Generitech takes every case like this even more seriously than the Federal Government would” yeah, because they’d have actual consequences if they fail, unlike the government.

9) “It further affirmed that his dream of working for and with Generitech wasn’t fruitless, that the company did have the Homo Parvus population at heart.” That would be such a relief for him.

10) “It may be blind optimism” really? you think putting all your faith in a billion-dollar corporation is blind optimism?

11) “though he would belong to his daughters” Plural? not just Roni?

12) “What had really been prominent in his mind was his sister Lillie” it would be, sounds like Roni’s got an evil aunt

13) “A part of him was jealous that Joey won’t be subjected to a similar fate” not a good feeling, but I can sympathise for it.

14) “a 4 inch tall being” Tonya’s a little? FUCK YEAH, though I do question the legitimacy of a little holding legal power and licencing. Honestly, Sara using Jordan’s driver’s licence to claim “he’s instructing her how to drive” is already paper thin to me.

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  C M
12 days ago

0) lol

1.1)  That sucks, sounds like she had a shitty family.
1.2) Yeah, but he still has time to think better of it and reconsider.

2) Love the details, can’t wait to learn more

3) I can see where they’re coming from, even if I think their decision is still stupid

5) So it’s a big-name adoption case, that’s why she knowa.

6) I think Cindy owes the apology in the Wessesns’ case, and Preema Tech owes its own apologies.

I was referring more to cases like Bryce or Christine.

7) I think they care in the same way volunteers at a soup kitchen care, It’s important to help, but they aren’t all over every individual.

8) Sounds about right.

9) It would be, he deserves this though.

10) and Just like Asuka did on 39 you’ve copied but not responded to one, lol

11) They would, I’m sure, even call him “Their little”

12)  oh goodie

13) He’s going through a lot, I hope he stays strong

14) Nice, I hope we learn exactly where her power starts and ends

ale
ale
12 days ago

Here’s some constructive criticism. I found it strange how positively Joey views Generitech, after all, in my opinion it is a big part of the problem he has always fought against, which is the view of small children as inferior, transforming them into de facto commodities, a way to profit from the laws and bureaucracy that have transformed them into “animals” that need a guardian who needs large sums of money to own a small one. I imagined that, given Joey’s values, he would have a much more critical view of the company.

Asukafan2001
Admin
Reply to  C M
11 days ago

You have the right of it. Generitech doesn’t set the laws in any of the countries they operate in. They just pay people a lot of money to see how they can uncover ways to operate in what one would call the Generitech way.

In the United States for example, the U.S. sets its own laws independent of Generitech or its beliefs. The president of the united states isn’t pro little. The U.S. Government in this world has control over the media similar to what you see in China, Russia, etc. and to the people of this world it’s normal. As freedom of the press is not a concept of the world.

The government created the system of selling littles and Generitech stepped in and has aggressively worked to buy up as many littles and controlling interest of littles in as many places as possible to bolster there littles and have some semblance of control over littles.

They sell littles because they bought controlling interest in the little distribution rights from the government which gives them a degree of control as you pointed out in setting prices, and creating some of the processes in which who they sell too. Which is why you do see as you pointed out higher prices and vetting processes.

However, in order to create a degree of realism and for storytelling purposes. People do fall through the cracks, sometimes guardians who are vetted just pretend to be better people then they are. Which you saw eluded to with Sadie. She had a nice home for her mother to live in and had various amenities and things for her mother. But she was also had her mother do degrading things. But when people come to check on her they saw the house, the nice things, the various amenities sadie provided.

Her mother didn’t speak up about the degrading partially because its her daughter, because of fear, etc. But we see that in real life. Men or Women who are being abused verbally, mentally, or physically stick out bad relationships or marriages because they love the person, they care for the person, they aren’t bad all the time, etc. and in many cases are unwilling to speak out against the abuser. A little can very much be the same way. As they are at the end of the day smaller people.

Generitech has a research deal with the government and researches littles because while the government hides and keeps much of the information under wraps in order to perpetuate there vision and belief of littles and while Generitech through NDA’s cannot refute or share what has been researched. They do have that knowledge for themselves and can use it internally in ways you seen throughout the various stories like little Cities an in the brothers creating a distribution system, and education system for them.

It is why in Dayton’s story its highlighted that they test and keep the best littles internally to give them a better life. Littles who have personality issues, or would in a society cause issues are moved to research or put for sale because it still helps littles overalls.

You’ve done a good job curating that belief and putting that understanding into your story. It was fun to read because you captured the heart of generitech so well. They are run by good people who want to overall do good things but they also have to balance business realities, government realities, etc. Just like you anyone else but they have an intent to do well.

Asukafan2001
Admin
Reply to  ale
11 days ago

I covered in my reply to CM but he had the right of it in his statement to you. That the governments are exploiting littles and companies like Generitech are actually working against a lot of that. If it wasn’t for generitech things would be much work as companies like PreemaTech would step in which would be horrible for little kind.

Asukafan2001
Admin
11 days ago

I really liked this chapter it was fun to see generitech through your eye and how well and accurately you captured it.

1) Seeing Tonya as a little working at Generitech was fun to see. Its very fitting.

2) I liked Joey and Roni relationship further falling into place. They seem really close. It will be interesting to see how there relationship handles the changing dynamics between them once Joey is a little.

3)The apology from Mr. Hale was good to see. It was a little harsh at first but with the backstory of his sister and how that went it’s a understandable response.

4) I am looking forward to seeing more of Roni as we got to see a bit Joey’s backstory when he was at his house and the staffs feelings towards him really highlighted well what kind of person he is and seeing his room allowed us to understand his interests. I hope in time we get a similar peek behind the curtain for Roni.

5)I believe Roni is untrained guardian at this point in the story correct? That opens up a lot of directions you could go story wise.

6) I like the depiction of the generitech building. Thats kind of how I would expect there buildings to be. The entry part very grand where if they have important guests they could swept in to an elevator taking them to a equally nice section of the building. Then the actual day to day work area’s are nice but less grand then the overthetop entrance.

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