Finley Cai Aies Hall April 21st, 20XX

In order to get a better sense of how the company worked I had decided to spend a day with each of the departments, the one I was currently sitting in on was the human resources section that managed the talent applications to the company.

Seeing as I had insisted I could only force myself to sit still in my seat and read the resumes I had been provided with under the watchful eye of the actual head of the department.

She was a stern but impressive looking woman in her late thirties that all but disregarded my presence as she got everything set up and a weaselly looking man of around the same age that kept looking at me with resentful but envious eyes.

As I waited I looked around the office and suppressed a shudder at the familiar scene but didn't have time to dwell on it I was more concerned about the fact about the mask that I wore.

Although it was my idea to keep my identity a secret and I did enjoy the feeling of mystique from the mask at first, it got old quick and I started to hate it. It was stifling, my vision was obstructed and more importantly, the stares I got from the rest of the company workers did nothing for my reputation as a rational person.

The head of the department, Jordà turned to me and coughed to gain my attention,

“ It's time to start.”

The unnecessarily heavy doors swung open with a creak and revealed the very first applicant. A plain looking girl of around seventeen with a heavy bag and gym clothes. She dragged it to the center of the room and set it down before finally turning to us. Jordà wrote something down on her notepad before finally looking up.

“Name?”

“Naomi Wilson”

It was obvious how nervous she was but the head paid her no heed and continued to ask questions in a curt and passionless voice.

“ Your age and contentment number please.”

Naomi dropped down to the large bag onto the ground and ruffled through it to bring out a crumpled piece of paper. The weaselly man let out a mean laugh as she stood up but she ignored him, or tried too and froze in a militant stance.

“ I am nineteen and my number is 1-8-0-3-7. I'm a recent graduate from North High School for the arts.”

So she’s older than me.

I couldn't help but think as The head wrote all of this down then nodded to her,

“ What did you come to show us today?”

She indicated downwards to what I could now recognize as a dance outfit,

“ I’m a dancer “

Once again the weasel man laughed but stopped at a look from Jordà. This time when Jordà looked at Naomi it was with a much kinder expression.

“ Go ahead.”

“Well, ain’t she a looker?”

Aies’ unnecessarily loud voice bounced around my brain and made me yelp in surprise which got me weird looks from Jordà and the other two but I disregarded them in favor of replying to Aies, I already looked weird enough anyway.

Would you not talk while I'm in the company of others? I’d like not to have this side of my life in a mental asylum.

Then I smiled as kindly as possible and nodded towards her,

“ Start”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naomi bowed to us with tears in her eyes and waited for evaluation but it was clear that she already knew the result. in between Acker laughing at her and my odd behavior it was no wonder that she had been thrown off and had not performed overly well. But it was also clear that she wasn't a very talented dancer.

Jordà began to give an evaluation but was interrupted by the weasel man.

“ Just what were you thinking! Your form was weak, your timing was off and your eyes were closed half the time! and your clothes! Is your concept a beggar! Do you think this is a joke!”

“ I think that’s enough.”

I have to say that I did not interfere because I particularly liked her, her performance was weak but it was clear that she had practiced a lot and it was unnecessary to use such harsh words. Not to mention that hearing a lowly interviewer speaking like he ran the place in front of the boss ticked me off.

He sent me a derisive glare but quickly fixed it as he remembered who I was.

“ Ah, chairman. As you can see I was just making sure she realized what type of company we were. To give such a performance is just shame-”

“The more he talks the more I want to scratch his mouth off.”

“I’m inclined to agree with Aies for this one.”

Of Course, I had to say something before he completely ruined the face of my company.

In as cool of a tone I could manage I cut him off,

“ Of course Acker. Why don't you tell her exactly how MY company is run in front of me.”

He clammed up as it fully occurred to him that I wasn't just a new hire that sat in to learn more about the business.

“ Acker, I suggest you take a 2-month vacation- unpaid of course- and think about whose behavior brought shame to my company.”

I turned to Jordà,

“ Accept her on probation. If she isn't better in four months then kick her out.”

Weasel man began to stutter, still in shock from my decision and apparently decided to attempt to drag Naomi down seeing as he couldn't touch me.

“ But Volui doesn't do probation! and even if we did it’s not just about the presentation, she’s just not talented enough! nor is she so pretty to hide the flaws in her dancing and her charisma is close to non-existent. she could stay here and train for 2 years and she still wouldn't make the cut!”

Jordà intervened before I could clean fire him on the spot and spoke with a stern glint in her eye,

“ That’s enough Acker! Understood. Four months.”

She turned to Naomi who looked like she was about to begin crying again,

“ After this report to the legal floor to get your contract.”

She began to blubber and started thanking us,

“ Thank you. You won't regret this!”

“ Make sure we won't. You got lucky this time but luck isn't a constant factor so work hard. And recognize that this is also conditional on the fact that you achieve top 10 in the new trainees' evaluation this round. Don't let the Chairman down.”

Naomi fervently thanked us and rushed out of the room, barely gathering her stuff before running to the legal floor to get her contract before we changed our minds.

Wow, Jordà is pretty cool huh?

I couldn't help but think to myself. Only I forgot that that wasn't really an option anymore.

“Hey, You’re already engaged.”

“Not to mention she’s almost old enough to be your mother! Although I've heard there’s a complex like that..”

I quickly changed the topic of conversation out of self-preservation.

Now, what are we going to do about that Acker?

"Hang him off a cliff for three days to think about what he’s done then drop him and if he lives to forgive him."

"Put him under an illusionary loop in which he is the person he just humiliated over and over again until he begs for mercy."

…….Or I could just fire him.

If you already had an answer then why bother asking?