Following the two personnel, you and Lues have been passed by so many administration officers. At floor 11, the inside of the hallway is becoming gloomier in hue, coating basil green together with deep sea blue for the ceiling and walls. Unlike the bright and energetic lobby, the inside was built to remind everyone that we're still in a war against Calamities.
For safety purposes, you condense more blood on your exo-muscle as you can't just bring your gourd to the interview. Feel free for anyone to call you paranoid, but being wary at all times is a blessing in disguise.
Lues is also using short range telepathy, she explains that people can detect whether you have a Golden Orb or not unless you hide it. There aren't any Usurpers here in the building, but it would be better to prepare if the questioner is trying to prod your power level.
So she commands the Lueling to build an array inside your mana sea to spread an artificial Golden Orb's wave in an unstatic state to replicate a barely hidden orb for more intimidation. Making your presence akin to those full fledged Cultivators and Usurpers.
Even though you haven't known much about Golden Orb yet, you still followed Lues's guidance.
The barrier Chronos' put on both of you suddenly disappears.
At the end of the hallway is an intersection and a giant airlock door. Although the four of you are taking another path, circling into the same quarter until meeting with another giant sliding door. Inside was a sophisticated interrogation room—there are supervisors on higher ground separated from the white room, only connected through multiple glass windows for them to see the specimen inside.
In front of you is a table, a chair, and the interviewer with pairs of long thin antennae sprouting from her long black haired head. Her complexion is fair white and mostly human-like from what you can see. Even though she reminds you of an unkillable insect a little bit, a cockroach, wearing a special kind of uniform, a militaristic one just like the tall Aekha on the entrance.
Her psycho red eyes and manic smiles are a clear sign that you will be having a bad time.
"Miss Lues, follow me," says the Aiseirighian, leaving you alone to go inside while the woman with wings on her head is waiting outside.
'Shit.'
The moment you step in, your concealment formation is interrupted by the variable circuit throughout the room. Revealing the crimson red exo-veins that you're trying to hide this whole time. Although little, the interviewer's smile widens.
"Yes! YES! Please, take your seat, miss Pitka."
Without trying to act suspicious, you sit on the given chair after nodding in fright.
She continues, "It seems like I won't be beating around the bush. But firstly first! My codename, my referral, my identity, Dyaus Pita." She reaches one of her jointed appendages hidden behind her long sleeves as she lays out her three clawed tarsus, greeting you for a handshake. "Just call me Pita! It was an immense pleasure meeting you on this terrible occasion."
The intention is obvious, this is an interrogation! Not an interview! A clear threat that someone suddenly trying to join your organization is too suspicious for the higher up in Vagant to pass by. If you show any hesitation and weakness, they might abuse you for their own gain! There isn't enough information to deem them as good willed contractors knowing that all corporations seek multiple benefits until one drops to the dumpster.
Your right palm is touching her insect claws, shaking up and down.
In order to free yourself from the unwanted scenario, you need to clear up their doubt while also trying to gain the same ground as them for a better consensus. The ancient old technique used by many great figures when haggling for agreement.
You need to bluff.
"So! Miss Pitka, may I know the very reason you want to apply to become a personnel here? Haven't you become powerful enough to survive in your private realm? Hidden mansion?"
'As if I have a mansion!'
A trap question, trying to gauge your power with your response and how controllable you can be depending on your choice of word. It might also show how hot headed you are. To match the image of a sophisticated royalty, you need to answer with verbose.
With the help of your mana sea's worker, your heartbeat and the dopamine hormones are being controlled to increase your concentration and composure. Trying to copy both of the madman that is always with you in travel, a fearsome manic smile and gaze is etched into your face.
"Do I need one?—isn't my presence's enough proof for you to be grateful?"
Maieutics, this method of answering questions with questions, in order to let the questioner realize that they can find the answer by reasoning. A befitting way to show that you are confident to stay higher in status—even if you're not.
'I don't need any reason, I'm higher than all of you but I decided to humble myself to be reachable, but don't you dare look down on me,' Is your message, it might be interpreted differently but you're sure that she is smart enough to catch the meaning.
The interviewer tilts her head in an uncanny way. "Why now?"
She gets your message, now you only need to convince her that you're not a threat. She asks you 'why now?' because there might be no other ancient or primordial reaching their hand to the mortals of Neamh.
You shift your smile into a serious expression, trying to make her talk more personally because not all interrogators are harsh and manipulative from their core. "I'm not your enemy, Neamh is grieving, won't hurt to accept my help, no?"
They do it because it was their job to extract information. Then again, your fate on RNG is high, nothing will go wrong either way in the calculated outcomes.
"So you know the state of the current Neamh." Dyaus Pita's manic smile turns into a melancholic one as if she is concerned about something, stripping off the mask and personality she faked for the interview. "There is rarely a Primordial reaching their hand to us—"
She suddenly ascends her left feet into the air and smashes down the metal table into two, creating an immense shockwave, booming and shaking the fortified white room. Her smile turns into a grin, the pupil on her eyes dwindles. Not enough, she raises her right appendage arm and shows you one arthropod nail like a middle finger.
"WE'VE FUCKING SURVIVED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND WE DON'T NEED WEAK ASS SYMPATHY FROM YOU!!"
The interview has started.