He wants to work here, huh?

I pondered on my way back to my monochromatic space, a sharp tinge of cold in my hands as I walked through the common area of us surveyors. Staring out into the calm green fields surrounding our building, the light of the early star placed a spotlight on my fellow early birds - the faces and plates of these busybodies arriving and clocking in like clockwork. It was getting to the point that I had more or less memorized them, so the thought of a new face entering the fray, especially one such as our introverted client, was a strange thought in more ways than ten.

Probably best to leave the pondering for later. For now, I'd rather not disappoint Captain Cold with lukewarm drinks. Wait, isn't that name taken? Polar Princess? Arctic Authority? Gelid Governor?

As my vocabulary ran dry, I reached the front door of our office, opening it slowly as I worked with both my hands occupied.

"Ah, got it." I quietly told myself, "Sorry for the wait-" I maintained my low voice but stopped mid-way as I saw the Shivery Sovereign.

She was sitting on my chair to gaze through the large window - her reserved face partially visible as she focused intently on the scenery.

It was easy to forget in the chaotic toils and tribulations of our every day, but my partner did have her charms. Perhaps the sting of her words made them hard to notice, but as her slender figure rested on the seat, the morning sun glistened on her pale skin, allowing them to shine.

That and she's quiet as a mouse right now.

The rounded edges of her spectacles contrasted with the sharpness of her amber eyes. Or the messy but somehow equally intricate fish braid her silver locks took, or how after having seen her in formal attire, the minute differences that her natural visage held became more pronounced to me. After working for so long, the appeal of uniforms was long gone, but even so, no one in our building quite wore the spotless whites and elegant accents of our outfits. Even now, I find few words more befitting than picturesque to describe Myla - her stillness and air or calmness felt at home with much of the modern art that decorated our marble spaces.

"So? Is Alexandre available?" My dear partner asked without turning to face me, only her eyes moving across the fields as she spoke.

"Ah, right." Startled by her, I began walking to my desk, placing the cold can of caffeine next to her, "He told me to wait five minutes before going to his office." I finished, making my way to the couch in the center of our office and placing my drink on the glass table.

"I see. At the very least, that's settled. Still, of all the possibilities I had in mind, this is quite the strange request Keith brought upon us." The cold hiss of her opening her drink entered my ears along with her equally frigid voice.

"Well, it's not like we're a stranger to weird demands. Hell, we're the ones that give them out sometimes."

"That's a reasonable observation, but in those cases, we have context." She replied, spinning her chair around, her shadowed face now looking at me.

Indeed context was severely lacking in our current predicament. Our meeting with Keith ended without much in the form of a concrete reason - all the introvert gave us was reassurance that such a venture would be plausible for him.

"And even if we did understand his motivation, if he was to work with us in any capacity, it would affect both his personal and professional life to some degree." Even so, my dear partner was far from swayed.

"Keith did say he had a bunch of vacation days lying around for good performance."

I don't know whether to be impressed or saddened by the idea that he just had no reason to use them and go out.

"But that's just half of it - even I don't know how Amanda would take all of this. Then again, the whole gist is she doesn't get to know, huh?"

"Indeed. Although, after dealing with you for nearly a decade, I doubt she gets fazed by much." Myla added another useful and valid piece of information to our deliberation, one I have no doubt was for the betterment and success of our endeavor.

"Fair enough. Since Keith said they fixed their schedules to go out together, he's gonna have to make excuses to change that up." I paused, pondering briefly - until the metaphorical light bulb appeared above my head. "Oh, and it can't be him going out with friends."

"Lying in itself is bad and is best to be avoided, but why the specificity?"

"Because he doesn't have friends-"

"Please do not go from formulating lies to insulting our clients." Myla quickly responded, the disappointment she expressed sounding almost second nature.

"Okidoki." I took the can of cold caffeine to my mouth, a short gap in our conversation allowing me to enjoy it before it became lukewarm.

"Oh, by the way," I said, Myla raising an eyebrow as she also took a sip of her drink, "I forgot to ask yesterday since we were busy, but do we even have an internship program?"

Myla put down the can she held with both hands, closing her eyes as she replied.

"Something like that, yes. But also something different. For now, it's best for us to consult with Alexandre on the matter." Her vague response was all that came before she returned to her drink.

Well, now we don't just steal your heart - we'll also steal your time and effort for no pay! Man, I loved being an intern.

Before I could continue to layer on my gripes with the corporate landscape, a ring sounded from my phone, the go-signal arriving from the young executive.

"Alright, let's go," I stated, standing up and downing my drink.

I walked to the door, holding it open as Myla exited without thanks as she quietly finished her coffee. We began our way through the marble hallways of our floor, but as we arrived at the doors of the elevator, it wasn't just morning's light that breathed life into the cold corners of the space as the lift opened to greet us with some familiar faces in white and blue.

"Good mornin'. I heard you guys had to deal with the Pearsons. Rough pair, eh?" I greeted them with near-idealistic levels of coworker friendliness, enough that you'd think it was from a background character in a sitcom. The pair of fellow surveyors stepped out with exasperated smiles as one of them placed a hand on their neck and responded.

"You said it. I don't know how you and your partner manage to listen to them, Bridger."

"Yeah, either that or you falsified that report of yours." His other half interjected, getting a laugh from three out of four of us as Myla and I entered the lift.

"You get used to dealing with weird pairs when you're in one," I said as the doors closed on the elevator and our friendly exchange. I inputted the floor onto the lift's keypad when a realization hit me regarding another concern I had for our introvert-turned-potential coworker.

"You know, now that I think about it, would Keith even make for a good surveyor? Well, if that's what he wants to intern in, I mean." I asked my dear partner, who had occupied the other side of the elevator, her back to the window of the moving carriage, which revealed the expansive green fields surrounding our modernized fortress.

"What makes you say that?" She asked, finally removing herself from her drink.

"Well, he's a bit of an introvert, right? Well, scratch that, very much one. I guess I don't see him working well with work that has you going out and interacting with people. I'm surprised you didn't consider it being one yourself." I explained, causing Myla to give me an intrigued look and a simple hmm.

"You're right to assume I'm an introvert, but firstly," She began, turning around and leaning onto the metallic handles of the lift, which nearly matched her tied hair. "I don't see how that affects my ability to work-"

"Uhuh. Yeah. Totes."

"Secondly, I can separate my personal desires and preferences from my work. I'd like to believe that Keith will be able to work with similar professionalism." She said, sipping the last of her drink as she enjoyed the rising view.

Well, I guess being an introvert doesn't translate to being anti-social. It just means you vibe with a specific person or group. In that case, I have no idea where I lie with Myla. Friend or foe? Who will know? Probably just a punching bag, though.

The elevator doors opened as I concluded my thoughts, the vast break area of the coveted executives now in our sights.

"It always feels like it's bigger than last time, huh?" I asked as we walked into the space.

Even with each office only housing one person, there were still few enough individuals who held the highest title in the building that their common area was allowed to be of such size.

"The view is also quite good, even with the somewhat dull scenery," Myla added, politely throwing her can into the bin next to the elevator.

We walked past the many large paintings of indistinct shapes and colors that littered the area's walls until we made it to the hallway for the offices - knocking on the door which held up the placard of Alex's name, a muffled but warm "come in!" sounded through the walls, welcoming us.

"Oh, what I'd give to have your positivity and job, Alex," I said as we entered the spacious office space of our appointed leader.

Indeed, while the aesthetic remained the same as his previous abode, the new space our youthful executive calls home was larger and more decorated visits - a sign of his ever-rising position.

"Aww, don't be like that! I've got it rough with all the older heads throwing their work at me. How'd you think I got up here in the first place?" He spoke with an optimism that masked his fatigue, an ideal pick for a leader who could work to the bone without complaint.

"Welp, sit down." He gestured to the sofa surrounding the oval glass table for Myla and me.

Alexandre also received another upgrade aside from his station, as he now sported the distinct uniform of those helming the ship we sailed. A sleek black that distinguished itself from our pure whites covered him, accented with simple but elegant lines that followed the shape of his body.

Way to make the gap between us even more blatant, guys. Then again, they pay well, so I can't complain.

We sat down on the soft cushions, Alexandre standing up and placing some still-cold beverages onto the glass table with a smile.

"I didn't know what you guys wanted, so I just picked whatever. I hope that's okay with you."

That's already nicer than most bosses, but we just had our drinks, so...

Despite that, Myla took the bottle into her hands and gave a nod of thanks before opening it to take a sip.

Why are you so considerate toward him? Actually, toward everyone but me?

"Alright," Alex spoke as he sat across from us, "We've all got a whole day ahead of us, so let's get started. You wanted to talk about one Mister Kirby, correct?"

"Yep, this won't take long." We began to explain our client's request, detailing his lack of reasoning and our many concerns about such a task. Surprisingly, Alex wasn't caught off guard by what we said, taking it all in with a curious but composed smile.

"So, in short, he wants to become an apprentice?"

"Apprentice?" I asked as an unfamiliar term came out of the executive's mouth.

"It's certainly a peculiar request, but definitely in line with your work," Alex added before facing me to answer.

"The Apprentice Program is pretty much aiAI's version of an internship." He began, putting his hands together and closing his eyes as he formulated an explanation.

"It originated years back, even before either Myla or I began work here. It's pretty straightforward. A pair of surveyors are assigned an "apprentice" who joins them on work. They pretty much act as secondary surveyors, taking notes and giving their own advice but also just helping with general affairs like scheduling and taking calls for the pair."

"So pretty much a support role for the support group?"

"More or less. It's a mutual benefit for both parties since apprentices get experience and are even paid for their work, while aiAI gets good press for being so generous and welcoming. Really the only ones who are somewhat screwed over are the surveyors who get thrown whoever decided to join."

Ah, wonderful.

"I'm surprised I've never heard of it," I replied as I began to comb through my memories for anything relating to such a seemingly significant program.

"I'd call it a fault of your ignorance, but the event is seldom mentioned even in websites or our handbooks," Myla responded, only half-insulting me this time.

"Well, it is an event limited to one part of the year, so there's no use advertising it when it's already over," Alex added, answering one question but making another in return.

"Wait, if it's a limited-time thing, how are we gonna get him in?"

"That is the issue indeed." The young executive spoke with a smug expression - a proud snicker also following his words.

"I think I can make you guys an exception. You get me?" While self-assured in his delivery, the little wink he gave us with his proposal did little to convince us of his credibility as an executive.

"Umm, Alex, that's cool and all, but I think that's what one would call a blatant abuse of power."

"Eh? Wait, no-" The confident fellow lost his smirk and went into a wide-eyed panic for damage control.

"I never expected such malpractice from you. Here I thought you had the potential to be this region's head..." Myla gave an icy glare with her equally cold words, a joint look of disappointment and contempt on both of our faces.

"When did you two become so in tune? I never expected Myla would rub off on you, Bridger! I thought we were buds!" He attempted to incite sympathy from me, but as a staunch believer in worker's rights and the deep-rooted corruption of those in power, I maintained my dissatisfied gaze.

That and I like messing with him.

"I know what you're thinking, but I swear I'm not the only one giving you guys the green light here! You've been getting a lot of exceptions from the bigwigs for a while now!" He threw in his defense, if nothing more, distracting us from his crimes with a curious statement.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, interested in this development.

"Well, to put it simply, the higher-ups like you two." He began, getting Myla and me to lean closer in intrigue.

"Well, Bridger, you're fairly well-known in our circles for your situation. You went from one of the first matches to one of our surveyors, so it's safe to say a lot of them already had their eye on you. Plus, Myla is infamous in her own right for a whole other can of worms, so when they heard I made you a surveyor pair, they've been even more attentive to your exploits. In other words, they think you guys are funny, so they let you do what you want." He finished with similar disappointment in his tone, even his usual optimism not shining through.

Always a bigger fish, huh?

"Well then, that's both extremely unprofessional and convenient."

"Oi, what was that about me being infamous-"

"Anyway!" Alex cut off the whispering voice of impending doom with a return to form and continued, "It's also 'cause I, and well, they have faith in you two." While it was a sweet thing to hear, being trusted and laughed at wasn't exactly a convincing pair of adjectives to place upon us.

"I'm being honest here, so stop with the weird looks, please?" We let down our disapproving assaults to let him continue.

"You two have improved a lot, and you've got a good string of performance as of late, so I should be able to work something out with the other execs. No foul play, I swear." Alex put both of his hands up as a sign of his honesty, but even without that, it was nice to hear our efforts weren't going unnoticed.

Hey, everyone needs a little validation, even me. Okay, especially me.

"Welp, that settles it." I spoke, standing up, "We'll give him a call and tell him what he'll need to bring. Just message us what exactly that might be, and we'll be on our way-"

"Oh, before you go, though. A word of advice, if you will." Alex cut me off as Myla and I had just gotten up, a subtle earnestness in his tone and smile.

"I know I just hyped you guys up and everything, but this is still a really odd request, even for you guys. Just from your report, there's definitely more to this than what we have, so exercise caution."

"We'll keep it in mind, thank you," Myla replied for the both of us, her calm words more than enough to convince Alex of our carefulness around the situation.

"Ah, who am I kidding? You'll be fine! You're more than competent enough to handle this." He spoke with a genuine trust lining his words, and even though he was younger than either of us, it felt good having his backing.

"Plus, the idea itself is more than interesting enough to warrant its execution..." He whispered with a mischievous grin, not escaping either of our keen ears.

"...Uhuh."

"Perhaps it's best we retract our thanks. You've truly lost yourself, Alexandre." Myla concluded as we walked to the exit, leaving the executive in his spacious space.

My dear partner opened the door and left without a goodbye to her former partner. As the kinder of the two, I turned around to give a parting wave to the optimistic exec, who similarly returned one from his arm wrapped in black. The sun shone from behind him as well, but it shone even brighter due to his office's height, giving him an aura to match his glowing smile.

Right then, time to make a trio.