by A Uscila
Every week responsible groups or individual employees, such as Luke, had to fill a certain quota – which usually consisted of reviewing the quality and functioning of various establishments. Sometimes the assigned establishments were listed within the quota due to general requirements set by organizations they were under or simply regional laws. Other times, the establishments themselves payed for an evaluation with the intent to be officially acknowledged and be eligible for enrollment in some sort of organization or a ranking related to their field of provided services. Regardless where from the listed target originated from – occasionally, various individual or commercial customers would send in complaints to the company responsible for the evaluation, that either expressed their dissatisfaction with the evaluation itself or the employee responsible for carrying it out and at the end of every such meeting, the manager would take great pleasure in leaving such matters for review. Bringing them to everyone’s attention as if a warning to perform better next time or to use as an interlude for future one-on-one meetings to discuss the matter in detail.
Jonathan turned to browse through his briefcase and soon took out a moderate pile of papers. After placing it onto the table, right in front of himself, he paused before speaking – making sure to look over everyone present in silence, while occasionally patting the pile with his left hand.
“…so. As you can see – today we have quite a large pile of complaints, which isn’t too out of the ordinary, considering the past few months. Now, don’t be too scared – the pile isn’t fresh. It contains the complaints of the past two months” – He explained, quite seriously, only to smile crookedly in the end, as he attempted to relieve the building pressure and oppressive silence, satisfied with a few accompanying and timely laughs. A reply that came as if rehearsed. Some were a little awkward, some were honest enough. Some didn’t come at all – since Luke didn’t find anything even remotely funny in that controlled speech to laugh at. That and his laughter would have received dissatisfied stares, instead of melding into the fold – “…some of you might be wondering, why then, did I bring back the already discussed material and added it to what we received since our last meeting?” – Oh, the suspense. He was a truly a master at building it, for everyone waited in abated breaths.
No, not really. Well maybe a few – excluding Luke. He could pretty much guess what would come after. Wouldn’t be the first time and he was definitely not in the mood to play along and help Jonathan enlarge his ego. Of course – he was never really in such a mood to begin with, thus this was no exception.
“Because they address the same issue?” – With laughter and an obviously joking tone, Timothy inquired, right hand lifted to rub the back of his neck, supposedly, to create an insecure and uncertain look.
“Accurate as always Tim” – The manager shot back with a smile towards his underling, soon returning to a serious expression right after his gaze turned back to the rest – “Indeed, all-of-these have a common theme, which is dissatisfaction with the actions and attitude of our employees, responsible for the evaluation. Most of them critique our methods and accuse us of purposefully creating situations that forcefully lowers their performance” – He explained – “And I decided to bring this up once again to remind you, that we are supposed to evaluate the establishments at their most natural states as possible, without any fabricated incidents. It is very important that we are fair in what we do and work according to the company’s values” – He continued to lecture, eyes traveling over everyone present, but always stopping on Luke’s own for longer periods of time. Almost as if on purpose.
Finally, someone could not take the pressure.
“Look, this is the third time you explained it to us. But unlike certain people, I’m sure that I, and many of my colleagues perform our tasks accordingly” – It was a female of a relatively small size, brown hair, glasses, a very conservative attire and an overly serious outward disposition. Her name was Lilly and she always seemed upright and proper, her sense of justice and rightness held above all. Also – Luke and Lilly did not get along at all and that fact was the only thing the two agreed upon. Even now – her eyes were already looking upon the poor, innocent Luke. That serious disposition twisted into disgust and something aching to anger, as the next words were spoken – “Why don’t we just address the elephant in the room? We all know who is the main source of those complains. Why do we all need to chafe under the stick of discipline when there is only one person who’s responsible for it? How about you be a man for once and own up to your own faults?” – Well, her monologue really went down the rails, with the matter becoming more and more personal as the litany went on. Luke honestly did not know what to say in reply, as he gazed back at the angry female in somewhat blankly, while everyone present looked upon him in silence. Most – with furrowed brows.
Luckily, Jonathan was there to mediate.
“Now now, Lilly. Please refrain from such outbursts during our general meetings. Such matters are reserved for discussion during one-on-one meetings” – He didn’t even attempt to defend the poor accused. Damn it, Jonathan. Mediate, instead of confirming the faults of an underling! The victim of this whole matter could only feel hurt – “Alright. Let’s settle at that, I’m sure all of you understand what to do and how. Though I’ll schedule a meeting with a few personally later” – The manager leaned back with a relieved smile, throwing in the last sentence in feigned seriousness, that got back a few laughs in reply. At least from those that were not in danger of that happening any time soon – “Let’s skip to something more fun. As we have planned for a while now, at the end of this month, our department is holding a party and I must remind you – participation is mandatory” – the swift change of topic and the topic itself received a chorus of cheers and approving shouts, as well as general whispering between neighboring colleagues, while during the ending reminder, Jonathan made sure to look directly at Luke. Oh yes, he could indeed predict what Luke was thinking – which wasn’t anything grand or worth applause. After all – this wasn’t the first time he didn’t participate. Quite frankly, Luke has been successful in skipping every single such and similar gathering ever planned – a matter that he deserved quite a bit of appreciation on, if being honest. After all – he was nice enough not to participate and ruin the mood of all those present. Since anyone, regardless if sober or drunk, would not be able to have a truly good time with someone like him slumping around in their immediate surroundings.
“So be sure to be up-to-date. I’ll be sending everyone more detailed information regarding the exact location and time. And don’t forget - being fashionably late is reserved to management!” – Jonathan finished, making sure to throw in another joke and taking pleasure in the laughs of his underlings. Oh sure, soak it in, you narcissist. Luke couldn’t help but be jealous – for he was quite the ego-maniac himself, and positive attention wouldn’t hurt his self-confidence at all.
Good thing he did not have the time to dwell on the matter and be depressed over it – simply because Luke was too busy drowning in the pits of despair over the news.
A party with mandatory participation. Great. Simply, fantastic.
“And hey, bringing your soulmates is preferred as well, so see you there people, let’s have a blast!”
Damn you Jonathan. Luke couldn’t help but wonder, how that man could make things even worse every single time, without fail. At this point – he could take it personally.
Where the heck was he supposed to find his other half?
Maybe he could just drag his virtual reality pod there to conserve time and make a statement…
Chapter 63
With a limp and a furrow in his perpetual glare, Wail continued his journey through the thickly-grown forest – the rays of the sun sparsely falling upon him and those accompanying – the member list remaining unchanged from the start of this trip. It was hard to say, what made the warlock so ever-grumpy – could have been the environment, could have been the company, heck
– maybe it was a genetic mutation, a mental disability or a faulty attitude. A lot of possibilities in his case – yet the most likely reason would probably be the recent work-meeting he was in, as well as a perpetual tug at the right arm. With patience running out, Wail could only turn a sharp glare towards the predicted direction of the source – eyes meeting Vivian’s own innocent, pure gaze. Clear as the morning’s dew, as pure as a child’s selfishness – for she clung to his arm with tenacity, refusing to let go and dragging her feet without fear of repercussions. As if instinctively knowledgeable of the safety-net Willow’s presence provided. With silent pleading, the child countered Wail’s gaze without falter, dedicated to her desires almost as much as the warlock was to money. Truly, a scary will. Seeing this, the magician could only sigh in defeat, while slowly raising his gripped hand upwards all the while grumbling under his breath as a somewhat sad venting method.
How did she even survive his and Willow’s absence? It was a known fact, that npcs did not simply disappear after the players associated with them logged of. Npcs remained active, though in certain cases hid away quite effectively – which mostly happened if the character was related to an important quest. There have been reported situations where they practically melded with their surroundings after hiding behind or under some obstacle. Still. The child was none of these and Bob was hardly enough to justify her luck at both avoiding random players and monsters. It might have been just Wail’s poor luck with Alternative Reality – the game always did use underhanded methods to mess with him.
Thus, he submissively continued to appease the little girl’s desires for fun and games. For now. So that she would keep her guard down. Wail’s time would come.
A happy giggle followed his actions, as Vivian was slowly raised upwards together with the hand – her small frame left hanging in the air from Wail’s skinny appendage, feet dangling in uncontrollable happiness.
“What a sissy” – Of course, as it should have been expected, Sorro found the time to stop and comment derisively, his fanged mouth twisted into a mocking sneer, while arms were positioned against his waist in a haughty manner. He didn’t get the chance to enjoy a superior position for long, since the demon had to quickly scamper away in retreat, once a familiar floating black blob drifted into close-proximity.
There was more than one pain in the ass of a party member in the group though, since Willow soon took up the vacated position in visible pleasure.
“So…where were you?” – She inquired curiously, an all-knowing smile threatening to creep into her lovely features – as if all that needed to be known could already be easily discerned from Wail’s outer-disposition.
“None of your business” – The magician harshly shot back – the emotional state clearly getting in the way of his better judgement. Since by now, the warlock should know that messing with this foxy vixen was a bad idea. The battle was lost the second he entered it.
“You were at work, weren’t you? You did mention that your boss called. Responding to your master like a good little puppy?” – She didn’t seem bent on letting up and even directly shot back with the same hostility. Oh no. Willow was playing her passive-aggressive card – a sharp glint appearing in her eyes.
“Well, some of us actually have to work to make a living. Unlike certain people…” – Wail began, his anger-clouded mind attempting to muster some form of a organized defense. A futile attempt to fight off an enemy that was already in through the gates.
“…and? How did it go?” – Willow asked somewhat impatiently, as if the question itself shouldn’t have been required at all. As if what Wail went through was sharable information. Heck, she didn’t even wait till Wail made a fool of himself.
“Fuck do you care?” – Wail snapped back, irritated by the fact, that Willow was sticking her lovely little nose where it didn’t belong. Though a nose like that would probably find a place anywhere it went. That’s precisely why the stubborn warlock needed to create at least one example that contradicted that fact.
“Answer the god damn question before I smack you one!” – Finally ignited, the fury demanded, her hair fluttering erratically from sudden motion.
“Try me.” – An edge creeped in Wail’s voice and even Vivian’s swinging about seemed to have toned down a notch. Apparently – the warlock was definitely-not in the mood for jokes or to be pushed around. Or smacked around, in this case.
“Ha! I knew it. It was shit, wasn’t it? Did you get bullied? Need a shoulder to cry on, you big baby? Come, mommy will hug the worries away” – She just wouldn’t let it go today, though. For some reason, Willow just didn’t even try to mellow it down on the teasing and jabbing. Heck, she even sharpened the edge on it all – for it definitely left cuts.
Wail felt so irritated by both the fact that the jeering was working, and the forceful manner of it all, that he simply turned away in an attempt to cool down before words he’d regret saying slipped out. That was a close call. It was a good thing that the warlock was a calm and collected individual. One of rational mind that favored logic instead of emotions.
“Are you ok? Need someone to hear you out?” – Suddenly, a wild Bob slipped into the conversation with a surprise punch – his tall frame coming into Wail’s peripheral view unexpectedly.
“Gay!” – And of course, a certain hateful demon just so happened to scamper by at that exact moment, just to drop off a verbal jab – his flaming form still fleeing from the driven pursuit of the Soulfiend.
Willow’s giggle reached him soon after.
What a day.
“What is “gay”?” – Vivian innocently inquired, her little form still swinging off the grumpy magician’s arm.
What a day indeed.
*******
After a generally uneventful journey, excluding the brief encounter with a few wild bears, another lost fanatic priest and day-old goblin carcasses, the party finally emerged from the thick forest and stepped onto a dirt-road that most likely lead to their intended destination. Though Wail was quite skeptical regarding the fact, seeing as Bob was the one to give out that piece of information.
Regardless, the group slowly advanced alongside the road in hopes of luckily hitching a ride and the fickle Lady Luck did indeed smile upon them, as a distant rumble approached their position with ever increasing volume. Eventually, the group could observe a moving dust-cloud with a horse-drawn wagon at its forefront – witnessing its’ swift advance through squinted eyes.
With a grin, Wail was about to step onto the middle of the road – a fireball conjured in one hand, just to ensure at least a somewhat domineering presence. Before he could do it, a forceful tug on his right appendage had the man stumbling back from whence he came – eyes shifting to meet Willows glare, mouth clamping shut before a dissatisfied objection could even be voiced.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” – She asked with an edge to her tone, a piercing glare threatening to skewer poor Wail’s skull.
“Trick or treating! What does it look like?!” – The suicidal magician snapped back – “I’m requisitioning that poor excuse for transportation” – a ridiculous statement thrown on top, without fear of what it might ignite.
“Requisitioning? By whose bloody authority?!” – Intended or not – it was working, for the she-devil was already starting to boil.
“By mine, of course!” – Taken a-back for some reason, the warlock quickly shot back – “You think I was killing, pillaging and robbing everyone around just out of spite? These fucking woods are mine to do in as I see fit, my claim has been set with blood and violence!”
“By mine, of course” – Sadly, the two seemed to have completely differing opinions on the matter, as the lithe vixen imitated the ego-maniac magician mockingly – “Are you daft?!” – Her emotions taking a steep angle upward all-of-a-sudden – “The only thing all that nonsensical raiding did, was draw more attention to us and create more enemies! You didn’t “conquer” the forest, you just painted a
bigger target on us!”
Neither one seemed bent on backing off, with the argument threatening to culminate to new heights – if not for Bob’s timely intervention. Always the diplomat.
“Umm…guys?” – He said, quite timidly. As an almost two-meter-tall, dark-heavy plates wearing man, with a two-hander sword big enough to be considered as a means of compensation for certain inadequacies, Bob really needed to grow a pair.
“I’m no guy!” – Willow shot back.
“What?!” – With Wail accompanying her, as the two reacted at almost identical timing.
“Look out!” – Bob shouted in reply, gauntlet covered hand pointing to the right of their position.
“Get out of the way, you idiot’s! We’re on an escort mission!” – It was at this point, that the threateningly close rumbling finally came to their attention, a sudden realization creeping into their facial features just as the loud shout echoed over all the approaching racket.
Almost instinctively, both Wail and Willow quickly dived out of the way, as the horse-drawn wagon rushed past, five individuals seated upon it – their outlines barely glimpsed in passing. Somewhat furious over the sudden development, the raging warlock jumped back onto the road and started waving a conjured fireball furiously.
“Escort mission? How about I escort this fireball up-yours?!” – He roared, the empty threat falling on deaf ears, as the wagon kept on getting further and further away, all that noise of hoofs beating upon the ground and wooden wheels grinding against gravel - more than enough to drown out any outside source of sound.
Being ignored or belittled was truly an unpleasant feeling. It gnawed at the nerves, tickled the ego until it exploded in some idiotic manner and Wail was plenty idiotic as is – which was why the circumstance were beyond dangerous. A silent tension lingered in the air, as both Willow and Bob were waiting for what would happen next. But what happens, when Wail’s character crashes with youthful ignorance?
