A Moral/Treia collaboration...

Q: Isn't this just an excuse to write more for Aya?

A: Well... Maybe.

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A jet of sunlight burns through your half-closed blinds, forcing you to wake from your much-needed sleep. Closing the blinds fully, your bedroom enters into a familiar darkness. You blink a couple of times before rousing yourself out of bed. Your high school diploma, the pride of your recent years, remains tacked onto the wall, permanently enclosed as a plaque. The world seems heavy today, despite your willingness to get up. You heave yourself over to the washroom. A groggy face in the mirror greets you as you wash up, fit with unkempt hair. How lovely. A quick wash in the shower quickly fixes that, however. As you tidy up and put on a change of clothes, you fully open the blinds. A view of the city awaits you, or at least as much as you can see before everything is cut off by a towering building. Still, you were glad to be awake! You have no time to waste. Your clock glares '7:25 A.M.' at you with bold, red letters, reminding you that you have an interview with the newspaper agency in thirty-five minutes. Which is plenty of time. Finally, you'll get to have a job of your own! You at look in the mirror. "Yes!" you exclaim to yourself. "I'm ready."

You take your map and keys to your apartment room, leaving early anyways. Pocketing the smaller items, you grab your portfolio with your other hand. The bus stop is conveniently placed down the road. A small crowd is huddled around the bus stop, but that doesn't stop you. With a bit of time before the bus arrives, you whistle anxiously as you wait. A white bus slows down to a halt, opening its doors. You step inside and walk briskly over to an empty seat in the back. The rest of the seats are taken, as usual. It's considered good to even have a seat at all. You take a look at your map. Running your finger through the city of Kyoto, you find that the agency resides in the outskirts. Nervousness creeps through your body, but you calm yourself down. You're completely ready for this. You tap your fingers on the chair in anticipation. The door closest to you opens suddenly, breaking you out of your thinking, so you pass the rest of your time looking idly at the passing streets.

You check your watch after a while. In small, digital numbers, it says '7:50'. Soon enough, the bus is starting to approach your stop. You pull on the string to signal that this is your stop, resounding in a small beep. The bus rolls to a stop, and the doors open, leading you to get out. Double checking your map, you navigate from the bus stop to the entrance of the syndicate headquarters. Finally, you're here! Only the interview stands before you and a job as a journalist.

The interior is strangely, quiet – only one person sits before you at the reception desk. A secretary of sorts. She adorns thick glasses and can't be younger than forty, but you don't say that aloud. She does give you a very friendly smile.

“Hello, what can I do for you?” She says loosely. “Do you need something from the agency?”

“Yes, actually. I've come here for an interview...?” you inquire. You hand her your portfolio. She flips through a few pages, nodding the whole time.

“I see you've come straight out of high school.”

“Yes, but I have many references, such as starting and managing a newspaper during my high school career. I'm sure I can work hard and stay on task!” you reply.

“Hmm, yes,” she retorts, going back and forth through your folder. “I understand that you have been in the newspaper club for all four of your school years.”

“I admit, I do like journalism. So I applied here, where I can work as a journalist.”

“That's wonderful.” The woman gives you a toothy grin. “We need more spirited young men like you around here. I think the boss will be pleased to have you around.”

“Do you really think that the boss will hire me, though?”

She merely crosses her arms in a satisfied fashion. “No need, you're hired.”

What?

“...I'm sorry, could you run that by me again?”

“You're hired.” She reiterates herself. “In this agency, I am the one who hires people to work for us.”

You still couldn't grasp the concept. “But why?”

She laughs and hands you your portfolio back. “You could say that the administrator is a tad eccentric. Personally, I think he's crazy. Watch out for him, he can be hard to adjust to.”

“Will do.” You grab your portfolio, tucking it under your arm. “So when can I start working?”

“Now.” The secretary shuffles a few items around in her desk cabinet, before pulling out a slick, plastic card. “Here's your pass. You'll be needing it to access the elevator to your work.”

“Really?” you ask incredulously.

“Yes, now please take the pass.”

“Yes ma'am! I'll be happy to start today!” You hold the pass in your left hand, looking at the small card. Once more, you look over at the woman, and then back at the pass in awe. You couldn't stop your grin from growing.

“You put the card into the slot for the elevator. Once you get in, press the button for the fifth floor. It'll take you to your desk. There will be some free offices, so feel free to take an unoccupied one.”

“Alright, thank you very much!" You're dismissed with a wave of her hand. But before you turn around, you're stopped by a yell.

"Your work day ends at five, okay?" she gives you a thumbs up.

"You got it!" you respond after checking your watch - it's 9:10. A tall, metallic door stands before you, with a tiny card slot instead of a button. You slide your pass in, and it disappears before popping back out. A red light next to the hole lights up. In short time, the elevator doors slide open with a small ring. Entering the spacious elevator lobby, you push the button labeled '5' on the wall. During the wait, you look through the glass on the other side, giving a grand view of the suburbs. With the smaller buildings around the outskirts of Kyoto, you really how immense this building is.

The 'ding' of the elevator bell lets you know you arrived. As the doors slide open, a vast array of cubicles litter the room. It's...different from what you expected. A man breezes past you carrying a box of donuts. He just came up the stairway next to the elevator. “Hey....this is the work floor, right? Aren't there supposed to be offices around here?”

“New guy, huh?” He smirks. “Nope, no offices around here. But we've got some lovely cubicles throughout the whole floor. Fancy, isn't it?” He hands you a donut. “Want one?”

“No thanks,” you decline. “But thanks for offering.” He just shrugs, sitting back down on his chair. “So, uh...” you start off. “Should I just sit anywhere?”

“Yeah, feel free to take any spot you want.” he replies, leaning back.

“Okay then. Thanks.” You wander around the room, searching for a cubicle. You pass by a few empty and some that aren't.

“Hello.” A quiet voice mutters as you pass by. You stop to turn to a cubicle, facing someone hunched over as his desk. He doesn't even look up as you face him, so you respond with a hello and pass by. In the adjacent cubicle, you see a man with a dress shirt and tie scribbling down some notes on an article, barely even noticing you. He gives you a polite but impersonal nod and continues on his work. Finally, you find a suitable cubicle of your preference. You take a seat, and put your portfolio down on your desk. It's cluttered with papers of previous articles and the latest rumors. You quickly organize them into two piles, separating the notable articles from the junk. Looking around for some supplies, you find that the pens, pencils, and staplers were all cluttered in one cabinet. Rearranging a few on the desk, you felt like you were ready to work.

...If only you knew how. Looking around, you realize that nobody told you what to do, exactly. So you sit there, examining a few papers and guidelines for a while. Once you've finished skimming through everything, you tap your fingers on the desk idly. What were you supposed to be doing, exactly?

Just then, a hollering through the whole room breaks your brainstorm. You look out through the hallway only to see a man in a full business suit, jogging up the stairs, with a woman behind him. You leave your cubicle to get a closer view of who was probably your boss. Surprisingly, the boss isn't winded at all from running up all those flights of stairs. He slams open the door, garnering the attention of everybody. “Employees, this is your new manager and boss!” he bellows. “I was very impressed with her, so work hard for her! Any objections?”

But before a single word could be said, he disappears out the stairway. You force back a sigh. The boss was...exactly like the secretary told you he would be. Staring at your new boss, she seemed to be oblivious of everything that has been going on. Her black tie hangs loosely from her shirt, complete with a black skirt. A bright red hat sticks out from her black hair. “Pleased to meet all of you! I hope we can work hard to find the best scoops together!”

You wondered how to approach her.

[ ] Introduce yourself, find out if she has any idea what you should be working on at the current moment.

[ ] Welcome her, but otherwise keep to your own devices.