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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 25, 2013 0:30:56 GMT
"Oh? And what would that be?" Bruce asked her.
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Post by Jeffery Thompson on Aug 25, 2013 0:35:15 GMT
"Well the average isn't really an average given that the large donations raise the average more than the poorer ones lower it but I think $20,000 for both of us is acceptable." She tapped her pen against her notebook, going over the math again. "Although maybe it should be more."
Jeff stared at Jenn, stunned. He couldn't believe she could drop those sums of money without blinking. Her classified work really must pay well.
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 25, 2013 0:37:10 GMT
Bruce had the same thought as Jeff. She was able to donate that much?
"If that's not too much for you, then I'll gladly take that much of a donation," he said.
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Post by Jeffery Thompson on Aug 25, 2013 0:43:15 GMT
"Oh I can donate that much," she assured him. She sighed. "But these equations are a little too skewed. Give me a second to play with the numbers. I feel like it should be a bit higher."
Jeff again found himself wondering what Jen did at work. It was classified government work. She wasn't allowed to talk about it so Jeff never pried. It was only fair anyway. He couldn't really explain what he did in detail. If the criminals knew what he was up to they could take countermeasures. Caution was key. Still...She was paid even more than he had originally thought. He would have never guessed she could donate this much. She never really bought fancy things or displayed her wealth at all. The most he had seen her splurge was maybe $25.00 on expensive notebooks or $100.00 on books in general. And those were rare occurrences. She'd try to find discounts for her notebooks and she rarely bought that many books at once. She didn't have too much time for leisure reading.
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 25, 2013 0:44:45 GMT
"Your first price is fine," Bruce assured her.
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Post by Jeffery Thompson on Aug 25, 2013 0:50:48 GMT
Jen sighed. "I suppose you're right. Too many variables to effectively calculate anyway. Still.."
Jeff put a hand on her shoulder. "Let it go, Jen. This one is unsolvable. There are plenty of other equations more deserving of attention." His eyes still betrayed his surprise. He was normally really good at hiding his emotions. He needed to be to set people at ease or intimidate them as his job required but this...This was so unexpected. What in the world did she do?
He grinned at Bruce. "I promise I'm not a gold digger." His words were light but he was troubled. Was it normal for government scientists to drop that kind of money without thinking? Not like Jen was normal but he was a bit worried. It was odd. Very odd.
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 25, 2013 0:53:07 GMT
"I didn't think you were, don't worry," Bruce told him.
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Post by Jeffery Thompson on Aug 25, 2013 0:59:01 GMT
In his line of work it was good to have a healthy does of paranoia, pay attention to the little things. But it was also important not to let that paranoia rule your life. This was weird and to be noted but not fretted over. If other things started adding up he'd be more concerned. But he knew little about her family. Maybe she had some money on that end he didn't know about. She didn't really care about money, didn't spend much so it might just be easier for her to part with it than other people.
"Well I appreciate that," Jeff said warmly.
It finally donned on Jen that she had done something odd. Most people found her weird with her notebook in general so she didn't get why this was so surprising. She looked between the two of them, trying to figure out why they regarded her with such shock. "It's the equation isn't it? You think the numbers are wrong too."
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 25, 2013 1:00:26 GMT
"Yeah," Bruce lied, "I still think you're too high." That was half true, but he didn't let on that he thought the amount she was donating was odd. Where was she getting money from?
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Post by Jeffery Thompson on Aug 25, 2013 1:10:27 GMT
"Really?" she asked surprised. "With all the wealthy people who feel a need to make a show of charity or lessen their guilt about some law they broke by donating to those less fortunate to even the score..You still think it's too high? But the people who donate more always raise the score more than the people who donate less drop it down. And it's for two people on top of that." She scanned her equations again, looking for an obvious flaw.
"It's the social aspect Jen. You're willing to drop that much money without prior planning. You know you could almost buy a car with that, right?" Jeff tried to explain. Jenn didn't pay much attention to social customs, never really making an effort to fit in. It was part of the reason he loved her so much but it also made things complicated and awkward at times like this.
"But I already have a car. And it doesn't need to be fancy or anything so long as it can get me to work." Yeah, social things like this went right over her head. Her equation said this should be the social obligation so that's what she did. Still, really weird she could pay that on a whim.
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 25, 2013 1:14:44 GMT
Bruce wasn't quite sure what to say. Jeff had it mostly covered with what he said to her, after all. But if she was a geneticist, then where did this money come from? He doubted it paid that well.
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Post by Jeffery Thompson on Aug 25, 2013 1:21:54 GMT
Jen's eyes lit up. "It wouldn't be odd for wealthy people to drop that on a whim. So it's weird because you guys don't think I have that kind of money." That made sense. She finally got it.
Jeff was typically good at smoothing situations over but he wasn't quite sure what to say here. He felt like anything he said would be insulting. "I'm a bit surprised," he admitted with good cheer. And disturbed. Of course he didn't add that part. No matter how you looked at it unless she came from a wealthy family, that was really weird. He found it hard to imagine that even classified lab work paid that well.
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 25, 2013 1:23:31 GMT
"As am I," Bruce agreed.
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Post by Jeffery Thompson on Aug 25, 2013 1:33:22 GMT
"Because of the lab coat?" she asked. "Just because I don't usually spend a lot doesn't mean I don't have money." She looked at Bruce and chuckled. "I'm not a billionaire or anything but I'm not poor."
Not poor? That was an understatement. And she had been willing to spend more than $20,000. More on an event she hadn't even wanted to attend. Her twin, Jessica had called Jeff up and explained that she had convinced Jen to come so that Jeff and Jen could spend some time together. They'd both been so busy. Apparently Jessica had to threatened to disown Jenn to even get her to show up.
"Hey Jen, can you grab me some food?" he asked kindly. Jen looked up from her notebook and nodded. Jeff was right. She wouldn't be able to solve this fundraiser riddle through equations.
Once Jen was out of earshot Jeff turned to Bruce and frowned. "Any idea what genetics specialists who do classified research for the government are supposed to be paid?" His own father had abused him. His mother had abandoned her children. Jeff didn't overlook oddities just because he was close to people. Not like he'd been close to either of his parents. But he wanted to be logical and rational. Corruption spread because people closed their eyes and ears to the signs when it was convenient. It was probably nothing but he didn't want to be like those people. It was always best to keep an open mind and a vigilant eye.
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 25, 2013 1:40:32 GMT
"I have no idea," Bruce said, "But I can look into it. I should be able to get some answers. I want those answers myself; this is all...it's wrong," he said, leaving it at that.
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