I walked through the marble hallway that had been polished to perfection. My boots made an audible clack with each step I took. I took in my surroundings as I walked. This hallway was decorated with items of incredible value, as was befitting of an organization of such status. I could almost see each vase or painting frame sparkle from its pristine gleam. Truly, this place was the definition of sublime. Whenever I come here, I know that I will be proud of the fact that I work here.
I approached the large double door. Of course, I would not open the door myself. Someone of my position would never stoop to doing something so menial. This is a job for those of a lower position.
"Open it." I instructed the servant to my right. Without saying a word, the servant went over to the door and opened it gracefully. These actions had obviously been repeated so many times that this was the most perfected version of this move. I could only appreciate the skill behind these movements.
I stepped through the now open doorway and stepped into a room with a large table and a single chair. This is my boss's room. He has summoned all seven of us to meet with him. It has been some time since this has last occurred and this usually means that something has gone wrong. Whatever the issue is, I know that I personally am doing my job just fine so I should not have any specific issues.
Shortly after I had entered the room, the door behind me opened once more. Stepping through the doorway, a thin feminine figure draped in black robes and wearing a pristine mask emerged. I am also wearing a very similar mask to the one she is wearing. Each of us are assigned a mask which dictates our position in the organization.
"Ah. It appears as if I am not the first one here. What a shame." She gave a grandiose shrug as she said this, causing her clothing to flutter about on the tiled floor.
"Don't trouble yourself. I was already in the area so I was able to arrive quickly." I lowered myself slightly when I said this. The best way to appeal to someone is to show respect after all. What better way than to bow before them as a greeting?
"Trying to be humble now? That's new. You should keep it up, maybe more people will like you if you do this."
I simply smiled at her jesting. This woman and I have known one another for a long time, so I like to put on a different act every time we meet. It is a little game that we play with one another.
Our enjoyable reunion was cut short, however, as the door behind us opened once more and another high ranking member of our organization emerged. Stepping through the doorway, a man that was as large as he was menacing emerged. His muscles bulged with a multitude of veins, each protruding as if they were strained to provide enough blood to his demanding body. I know this one well, and those that don't can still tell that he is obviously a house for raw power. Like myself, this one also bore an intricate and pristine mask.
"It is good to see that you two have arrived ahead of time. Punctuality is a good thing." He bowed slightly to us as he said this. While he may appear dangerous, he functions well with us so we can exchange pleasantries.
"To you as well." I nodded my head as I responded to him.
The enormous man simply stepped up towards the table and stood still. He is entirely business, so this was expected.
"Only 4 to go… Who is going to be last, I wonder?" The woman tilted her head around, expressing her lingering exhaustion from her work.
"If I had to guess, it will be the skinniest one. He has always been the least punctual." The large man chimed in. His head did not move from its focus on the table before him, but his words reached us even so.
"Really? I think it will be the shortest one. They have short legs, after all. It only makes sense that they would arrive-"
The door opened once more and another figure emerged. This figure was only around a meter tall. Despite their stature, I could easily sense the power and intelligence coming from them. It seems like I was wrong.
"It appears as if I am on time, that it does." Their voice was like that of a toy that a dog would play with, high pitched and quite squeaky. If I did not know what this one was capable of, I might even laugh at it.
"Yes, it is true. Good work." The woman nodded her head towards the short creature. While the woman and I share some history, this does not mean that I know of each of the interpersonal relationships between the people here.
"I thank you, that I do." The short one nodded to each of us as they went to a spot near the huge one and stood in a similar manner.
"Seems you were wrong." The woman turned over to me as she said this. Though her face was obscured by her mask, I could tell that she was smirking like a child that just got their way.
"That it does…" I muttered to myself, turning my back on the door and looking towards the woman once more.
Before we were able to divulge in continued conversation, the door opened once more. This time, an incredibly thin man that was wearing an incomprehensibly expensive suit stepped through.
"My apologies for arriving so late. I had to talk to one of my children about something." He nodded his head at each of us, tightened his necktie, and looked around the room as he said this.
"Kids are hard to deal with, aren't they?" The woman asked in an uncharacteristically sympathetic tone. I have to admit I was somewhat shocked by her attitude.
The man took a moment and thought to himself. He cupped his head with his fingers, looking around the room for another moment before he finally spoke. "Hmm… Yes." He finally replied as he stepped to another spot in front of the table.
"Only two left. Who wants to wager on who will be last?" I raised my hand to say. Gambling has always been rather fun and I know this lot enjoy a game or two in their spare time.
"Hmph. Gambling is a fools game. Chance is the resort of those that cannot force absolutes." The large man declared, crossing his arms in frustration as he did so.
"That may be true, but chance exists in everything, that it does." The short man replied, looking up at the large man as he did so.
"I'll take you up on the wager." The thin man declared, turning around to look towards me as he announced this. "I bet 2 million juns that it will be the grotesque man that is last." The man in the suit raised two fingers as he said this while he played with his necktie with his other hand.
2 million juns… Can I afford to make that wager right now? I know that the man in the suit can easily match that and more. Should I take this bet?
Before I could decide, the door opened once more and a youthful woman stepped through. Her skin was lightly tanned while her clothes were simplistic. Despite the youthful way she carried herself, I could tell that she had the wisdom that results from age.
"Ah. I am not last! That's good." She shouted, hopping into the air in joy as she did so.
"Hmph. We were not able to agree on the bet amount, so I will not hold you to it." The suited man shrugged his shoulders as he said this before he quickly turned back around. I quietly tried to brush off my foreheads beading sweat before I realized that my mask was in the way. I don't want to imagine what would have happened to me if I owed him that amount of money.
"It is ridiculous. He is always the last one to arrive. There are two things I hate in this world: Those that are not punctual, and those that do not respect those in positions above them. He does neither." The large man declared, the sound of his enormous hands gripping onto his own arms could be heard around the room.
While we may all hold our own opinions about several things, we all held our boss in high regards. All of us silently agreed with the large man's statement.
After another moment of waiting, the door opened a final time. A man that appeared to be twice the weight of an already obese man waddled through. Each step he took made the ground slightly shake under his obscene mass. The sight of this man could only be described as "grotesque." Despite his appearance, he did not carry the characteristic scent of disgust that one would expect, he instead smelled pleasant, or at least as pleasant as one of his size could smell.
"Ah… Sorry… For… Being… Late. I… Took… A… Bath." The creature took deep breaths between each of his words.
Due to his size, thoroughly bathing probably takes a considerably long amount of time. Though we were frustrated that he was late, we also appreciated the effort he took to be in as pristine a state as he could be for his appearance in front of the boss, so we all silently agreed to let our anger go.
"We have gathered. Now we wait." The woman in the dark suit declared. We all stood in our specific positions in front of the table and kneeled down. Why are we kneeling? Because we owe everything to our boss of course! He is the best boss any of us have ever had! We owe everything to him, so kneeling before him is only logical.
We knelt for over a minute in pure silence. None of us were so boorish as to speak before we had been given permission.
After another minute, a door to the side of us opened and we could hear the very powerful steps of our boss. He walked to his chair and took a seat. Once he had confirmed that each of us were present, he gave an affirming noise.
"You may raise your heads. Thank you all for arriving on time." He announced. His voice was soothing to the ear, like a father that was proud of their child.
Each of us slowly raised our heads. Our vision was now filled with the visage of our boss. A man that belonged to the top of the top. Someone that I do not mind saying is superior to me in every way.
"Good." He clapped his hands together, creating an audible clack as he did so. "Let us begin our meeting, shall we? I trust that all of you are well?" He looked over us with his analytical eyes that could see through anything. Though many would be afraid, we could only feel elated that he would gaze at us in such a way.
"Yes sir!" We all replied in unison. It would not be unreasonable to believe that we had practiced ahead of time to say this.
"Very good. I would like to start with a minor report from each of you. Have any of you had any troubles?" Our boss turned to his right and looked at the thin man first.
"I have had no troubles in the duty that you have assigned to me. Thank you for your concern, sir."
Our boss simply turned his head slightly to the left to indicate to the next man to speak.
"No issues. I have completed the task you have assigned for me and the results of it should bear fruit soon, sir." The large man declared.
Once again, our boss moved slightly to the left.
"There have been no problems on my end, there have not." The short man announced.
"I had a few problems, but I have since resolved them." The tanned woman stated.
"No… Problems… Sir." The grotesque man said.
"I have been working tirelessly for you, sir!" Announced the woman to my left.
Finally it was up to me. How do I say this…
"We've… hit a snag in our developments, sir. The opposing company is declining our offers as you would say. They don't seem to wish to budge…" I could not look him in the eyes as I said this. All I could feel was the abhorrent feeling of shame wash over me.
"Hm…" The boss let out. I had goosebumps. I don't want to let the boss down. I could feel the uncomfortable atmosphere begin to rise in the room. I could not tell, however, if the tension was a result of the distaste or the empathy of my fellow employees.
"Why are you having trouble?" The boss asked me. His voice was not that of anger, but of a parent that was trying to understand the thought process of a child.
"Sir!" I took a moment, but quickly raised my head to look up at the boss. "It is hard to establish a working method for corporate takeover! The opposing party is too stubborn!" I declared. I know this is an excuse, but I have no other option. My anxiety and fear are at their limit.
Slowly, our boss stood from his chair and placed his hands on the table in front of him.
"What do you propose that we do?" He asked me. His voice was gentle, like a parent coddling their baby.
"I… I don't know, sir. Perhaps we could use brute force? I have not attempted that yet, but that is because doing that would potentially cause more problems for you in the future…" I went over potential ideas in my head. The ones that I had already tried had not resulted in success yet, so it was possible that I was simply a failiure.
"I see… You considered me when making these decisions. I am grateful for your thoughtfulness."
"T-Thank you, sir…" I calmed down somewhat. The boss seems to be accepting of my screw up.
"However, your consideration led to you being slow in your actions and as such has now created its own issue." A sharp change. I could feel the atmosphere in the room shatter as he said this. The hairs on my neck stood on end.
I immediately reverted back to being afraid. This isn't good. I have goosebumps.
"I... I-I..." I stammered, trying to push out any idea that I could to prove that I am not worthless. I need to prove that I am worthy of being here with everyone else.
"Hm… Does anyone here have any suggestions?" The boss asked as he looked over everyone once more.
"Perhaps a buyout sir. An instant take over through the absolute. That is what I would recommend." The tall man said.
"Hm…" The boss pondered the tall man's idea for a moment.
"Perhaps you should go with the long game and wait them out, that you should." The short man followed up.
"A long game? That's insulting." The woman to my left replied. While she spoke out of turn, her actions could be understood as she was defending the honor of our boss. Dragging the boss down to the level of someone that would simply wait is beyond insulting.
"Maybe diplomacy shall work?" The suited man offered.
"These are all well and good options…" The boss trailed off.
"Perhaps… you… should-" The grotesque man began.
"Quiet for a moment. I need to think." The boss cut him off.
All of us went silent as soon as he said this. It was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
"Hm… I have been bored here. I shall go and take care of this myself." The boss finally stated.
"W-What? T-The boss… going there?" I stammered. Though this was not unheard of, this is rare.
"Yes. Is there an issue with that?" The boss asked me.
"O-Of course there is! You could… be in danger!" I managed to say.
"Hmph. If I were truly in danger then none of you could solve it either." The boss replied to my reasoning.
"B-Boss… Are you… sure about this?" The tan woman quietly asked.
"I have been rather bored here. I may as well go around and see the world for a little bit, shall I?" The boss began to walk over to a coat rack as he dusted off a black jacket. Its furs were made of material that was beyond expensive.
We were all silent after he said this. None of us could muster a reason to reply.
"No objections? Very well. Then I shall go. Of course, you shall accompany me." The boss pat me on the shoulder. Though his grip was gentle, I could feel the oppression that it held. I was a mere bug in front of the storm that he was.
"Y-Yes sir…" I was able to mutter.
"Very well. The rest of you are dismissed. Stay safe out there!"
"Yes sir!" x6
With that, everyone quickly left the room, their footsteps making audible clacking noises upon the tiles as they took each of their steps. Only myself and the boss remained.
"They all do such fine work, don't they?" The boss asked. I could hear his pride resonate from every word he spoke.
"Y-Yes sir! The ones you've selected are the best of the best!"
"Yes they are... Let's head out. I haven't left this place in some time so I'm excited to see the world! Are there any good restaurants that you know of that we could visit before we do the job?"
"I-I know of a place that serves a good curry…"
"Wonderful! Then we shall go and have this 'curry' and then we shall conduct business! Let's go!" The boss started to head out the door.
"Y-Yes sir!" I managed to stammer out as we left the room.