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 Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 6:21 pm
Elysia generally keeps her office orderly. This isn't a very difficult thing to do, as she rarely works and rarely even comes into the room. There's a new-carpet, new-computer, new-everything smell to the office that she doesn't like, but that she doesn't hate enough to give it that lived-in feel.
The room isn't amazingly large, and is furnished only by two low bookshelves, a glass desk (stupid idea, good aesthethics), a comfortable (but mostly unused) computer chair upholstered in some sort of synthetic leather, a state-of-the-art computer, a filing cabinet, and a small couch situated close to the door.
There aren't any homey touches - no pictures, no clutter, no creases on the chair or couch. No flowers. Those things belong in her apartment - the one she still stays in occasionally, not the one she was given here at A~E.
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 6:36 pm
It didn't take long for Elysia to get in to work - she didn't have to pass the "war zone" of the upper floors, after all. A stack of hardcopy paperwork had just been dropped off.
Smiling grimly, she settled herself down at her desk and began to read over the endless type. How this much crap could be generated in just over one day was... staggering.
She spent a little while looking for a pen. Luckily, somebody had stashed a mug - an A~E mug, of course, with the snarky unofficial slogan printed along the inside, where any visitors wouldn't noticed it - full of pens and pencils on one of the bookshelves. Smart people.
Now, to wade through the "important paperwork."
A few minutes after she really began to get the flow of the official, jargon-filled text, her cell phone rang. Rolling her eyes, she groped for the headset she'd bought herself - stashed on the other bookshelf - plugged it into her phone, and answered the call.
"You're not at your apartment," Aric's familiar voice commented, deadpan.
Elysia's back stiffened. Aric didn't "deadpan" - he mocked, he joked, he tried to seduce her, but he never spoke without some sort of identifiable emotion. "No, I left a little bit ago. How do you know that?"
"Stupid question. A better one is, why did you leave?"
"Work. I told Joseph that I'd help him manage the huge amount of paperwork he has to deal with."
"That's not your concern."
"I wanted to help," she muttered, shaking her head. She began to skim the page.
"And I want you to stay where I can keep an eye on you!" he exploded, suddenly. She could hear him panting, taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself. She stayed completely still, eyes wide. "I don't like it when I don't know what you're doing," he corrected himself, his voice schooled to a restrained, seething anger. "You exhaust me, Elysia. You make my life difficult when it doesn't have to be. You try my patience - I wanted you to cease being idle, to have a chance to practice what I've taught you... not for you to abandon me for a job."
"I'm not abandoning you," Elysia whispered.
"Prove it," he purred. Aric sounded dangerous. Lethal.
She shuddered. "How so, sir?" He didn't respond. She glanced out the window, biting her lip. "Aric?"
"Get back to work. We'll continue this conversation... later."
"Yes, sir."
He hung up.
Sighing, she turned off her phone - she didn't want to be interrupted any time soon - and put her head in her hands. Sometimes Aric scared her...
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Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 9:01 pm
A time of quiet reflection on how much she'd screwed up led to an abrupt decision.
She needed fresh air, of a sort.
Plus, she was curious as to just how trashed the twenty-seventh floor actually was.
Sighing and closing the folder she was working her way through, she stood up, stretching. She left her cell phone behind and headed for the door. And from there, to the elevator, and up and up and up for ten floors.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:40 am
The paperwork didn't make any more sense when she got back, sadly. Still, she sat herself down and forced her way through two pages that she ended up rereading because, well... she just didn't process it.
This was worse than high school.
She turned her phone back on, just in case she was needed.
Grumbling, she pulled out the piece of glass from the twenty-seventh floor. Looking around the room, she finally settled on putting it up in the corner of her desk. It didn't really stand out. She'd just have to get a black base for it, or something.
There.
Homey touch.
She was getting somewhere.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:52 am
Her cellphone began ringing. If she was one of those technically savvy people it would not have been the Aric assigned ring tone.
In fact the caller ID would display "Lester Po".
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:57 am
Elysia didn't bother with that "ring tone" crap. But her phone did show caller ID. She sighed before slipping the headset back on and answering the call.
"Hello?"
She recognized the name on the phone, vaguely. Joseph had mentioned the man quite a few times, and he was probably important if his number had been programmed into her phone.
Weapons specialist? That sounded close...
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 12:19 pm
Hello, if Elysia had seen Lester she would have been confronted with the mismatch of "Asian looking body" and "silky british accent", It's Po, I'm almost certain we've never had the pleasure of meeting. Anyway, business, I've been looking for one Mr. Brown. I can't seem to keep track of him like Ms. Fontaine does.
There's nothing on the "special schedule" He over pronounced schedule as always, And I was wondering if he had... Ahem... Forgotten to inform myself of Ms. Fontaine. Again.
That being said, how's that paperwork nightmare? He had already guessed how she would respond from the tone of her hello.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 5:49 pm
"Nope, never had the pleasure." She twiddled her pen around her fingers.
"Joseph's missing, hm? Wouldn't know where he is. Last time I talked to him was over the phone, a few hours ago. He was on the twenty-seventh floor, and hung up a bit abruptly. He's not up there anymore, though you've probably checked.
"The paperwork... I don't see how anybody can actually read this crap. I mean, are some of these even words? Antilegalisponsibilization? Who writes this?" She sighed, setting down her pen.
"I'd appreciate a break, though I did promise I'd get this done."
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 4:39 pm
Well then, you could hear him rustling through papers, I still have quite a ways to go before I slog all the way through my work. If you're itching for a break you can try and find the elusive Mr. Brown.
I'd start in one of the security rooms. There was the sound of typing and then an a thoughtful hum, With your level 4 clearance I'm sure you can locate him.
So what do you say?
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:39 pm
"Sure. Maybe engaging myself in something other than paperwork will get me thinking straight again.
"I'll get right on it. Should I call you back when I find out where he's disappeared to?"
She set down her pen and shuffled the papers on her desk, putting them back into order. They'd have to wait. Again.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:42 pm
Give me a call then, There were almost identical sounds in his office, I can't finish this untill I get his signature.
Many thanks, and I look forward to seeing you at the Holiday event. And with that Lester Po hung up his phone.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:48 pm
"Oh, god, the holiday party." She winced. "I'd forgotten all about that... I have to ask when the hell that'll actually be." Sighing, she stood up and pushed in her chair.
On her way out, she grabbed her small piece of glass and tucked it into her pocket once more. A good luck charm, as it were - though how something made from some sort of violent attack could be lucky...
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:21 pm
"Never thought I'd get that much excitement while doing desk work," Elysia sighed, taking off her phone and setting it on her desk before she sat down.
Now, back to paperwork. Lovely.
She took out her good luck glass and set it on the table once more after a moment. Then she took up her pen and went back to work. Oddly, she found she could somehow concentrate better. A little better, at least.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 9:19 pm
Once again Elysia's phone began to ring. The display was marked, "Interoffice call: extention Sec20".
Who could it be?
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 9:58 pm
She'd gotten pretty far into her paperwork, and so felt relatively okay with abandoning it once more.
Taking a deep breath, she put down her pen and answered her phone.
"Elysia Kavanagh, revisions specialist." She'd remembered her real title - this was a step forward!
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