The Beautiful Side of Somewhere [LOCKED TOPIC]

[Assistant Jones]

The building was intimidating. That was to say at the very least with how it stretched up to the sky, the sun gleaming off each perfectly polished window, and overshadowing him as if he was inferior. Though in the business scheme, Alfred F Jones, newly hired office assistant for the CEO of Kirkland Corps, was as inferior as one could be. Though the corporation name told him quite a bit about his new boss, who seemed too bland to even come up with a creative nickname for the silly establishment. Well, not too silly considering it was one of the most powerful corporate powers globally.

This was a job he could not screw up though because it was quite the deal for a young man like him who was fresh out of university. Taking a deep breath, he tugs at his tie lightly (which was much too tight to be of any comfort) and walks into the establishment. It wouldn’t do to just stand needlessly around in front of the building and be late for his first day on the job. This was going to be a new start for him, a very wonderful start actually.

As he goes up the elevator and to the top floor, he couldn’t help but feel the very stares directed right at him. He was foreign to this workplace, so very out of place but he manages to keep a cheery stride. There are soft whispers being exchanged between the office workers yet he ignores the whispers as he takes each step closer to his boss’s door. What little he knows though is that the moment he rapped his hand against the wood, his life would take a sharp turn to a whole new direction.

(Sorry for the short post, my rabu. :< )

[Guest]

To say that Arthur Kirkland was a busy man would definitely be an understatement. He went through assistants as fast as a wildfire ate through a forest, until now, it was difficult to find one. Certainly, there were still many who signed up, but hardly any of them passed the rigorous interviews and requirements demanded of them if they wanted the job.

But today, he was supposed to be getting a new assistant. He was a young one, just fresh out of college, and that alone was enough to put a frown on the CEO's face as he read through a contract that his business partner had just faxed him. He could've had others read this for him, and he probably should've, but Arthur was never one to let anyone handle these sort of things. If he wanted something done correctly, he'd do it himself. That's how his company rose to power so quickly, after all.

He was just in the middle of reading the second page when there was a knock on the door. That could've been anyone, really, but if his new assistant was worthwhile and knew how to show up on time, that would be him. (Or her; he didn't know, actually.)

"Come in," he said, eyes still remaining on the papers.

[Assistant Jones]

In all honesty, Alfred was never a man to be on time for practically anything but if there was something that even he knew, it was to always come precisely on time or even earlier. In the working world, showing up fashionably late was not at all 'fashionable', much to Alfred's horror. Yet the moment he heard the calm yet stern 'Come in', he was starting to have doubts about him grabbing this position. Though he shouldn't be worried, not even in the slightest. His boss, Arthur Kirkland, CEO of this major ass company would like him in the end because who wouldn't love a young boy filled with optimism to just liven up this dreary office atmosphere?

Well, he quite enjoyed his own presence so he was certain that his new boss would also.

Peeking through the door, the young boy waves at his new boss and gives him his best smile. Oh he had heard the rumours about how many assistants Arthur had burned through. He was here to stay though because he really needed this job! Yet when he notices Arthur and actually takes a good look at him, he couldn't help but ponder. Ponder many different things.

He soon closes the door behind him and pushes up his glasses, trying to look as well off as he could.

"Hello, Mr. Kirkland. I'm Alfred Jones, your new office assistant."

[Guest]

Arthur didn't even look up when the door opened, and instead continued on reading the contract. It was only when his new assistant spoke that he looked up from the papers, gaze stern and expression overall not amused. Sharp green eyes trailed over Alfred's figure, scrutinizing ever single mistake. For a long moment, he remained silent before he held the documents up again, clearly uninterested.

"Your tie's a little crooked," he said, flipping to the next page. That was a rather minute detail that no one else would've noticed or even cared about, but Arthur certainly did. It was the way people did small things that showed how they did the big things, and if he was going to keep an assistant to help him out, he wanted someone who'd be of more help rather than trouble.

Nevertheless, for all his tendencies to nitpick at details, he wasn't completely unfair. He finished reading the first paragraph before setting his papers down on the desk, now ready to go on with this assistant induction business. "Jones, was it? Have a seat."

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that as he looked at his own tie before reaching up to straighten it out to the best of his abilities. Well this was already a wonderful start! He just smiles easily as he takes a seat, trying to not let the paranoia in his mind start surfacing onto his expressions. It would be so very far from good if his boss was able to detect any hint of being uncomfortable.

In all truthfulness, Alfred had never done too much organising during his college years but it didn't seem too hard. As long as he was ahead of the game, he should be liked…right? Watching his boss carefully, he tries to keep his posture straight as he keeps that small smile on his lips the whole time.

Optimism would pull him through this. Wonderful optimism.

"Yes, Jones, sir."

[Guest]

Even though he made no visible indication of it, Arthur was just a little - but only a little - impressed. Half of his former assistants had flinched and quaked as soon as he criticized their little appearance mishaps. (But then again, there was only one thing that Arthur could find wrong with how Alfred presented himself. The others typically had more than five.)

"Considering you've actually made it into my office, I'm going to assume your intelligence is not below average," he began, posture straight and perfect as he looked at the young man in front of him. "So, I've just a two simple questions for you. The first is, what makes you think you're worthy enough of being my assistant? The second is a scenario. If I had an event of personal importance coming up, but the date and time coincided with a business meeting, which should you schedule, and which should you toss?"

He'd said it all at once, just to test Alfred's ability to remember things. The lad had probably been tested beforehand, but he wanted to make sure. 'If you want something done well, do it yourself'. That was his motto.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred was trying his absolute best to impress the other because it was only that in which he could secure his job as this man's assistant. While it didn't seem like it would be too bright of a job from his boss's attitude and the rumours running ramped, he still needed the pay. It was quite a deal for a boy just out of college and he felt pretty fortunate to even have the chance to try this out.

He just leans a bit forward, breaking his attempt at perfect posture as he listens to the question carefully. With a small frown, he quickly comes up with answers before sharing them with his boss. "Well, sir…" Yes, always add in formality. That made him see a lot more respectful of his boss than he actually was. "I will not try to do all the work you give me to the best of my abilities. I will instead do all the work that you give me and make certain that all of the work is done by the time you need it. Even if it requires me to stay here late."

Alfred swallows and thinks though always maintaining eye contact. "As for the scenario, I would ask you on whether you wanted to toss the event of personal importance or the business meeting. It isn't my place to decide which event you attend to."

Honestly hoped that those answers would suffice.

[Guest]

Surprisingly enough, Arthur was pleased with the first answer. It wasn't the best, or the most ideal, but it definitely was enough to get him to nod in approval. That was something that definitely didn't happen to a good half of the applicants. The second answer, though, made him think a little. It was... acceptable, he supposed.

"...Very well," he replied, particularly pleased with how Alfred managed to keep eye contact the whole time. Too many people looked down or just away from him, too afraid to meet his gaze. It was rare to find someone willing to look him in the eye. (Someone who wasn't a business partner, of course.) "You're hired. But, let me tell you what you ought to do in the case of the second question, Jones. If something like that ever happens, you'll toss the personal event and schedule the business meeting. Work comes first; that is why I won't take any slacking off from you. Understood?"

It might've sounded a bit sad and perhaps harsh to some, but to Arthur, it made complete sense. You couldn't run a successful company without giving up some personal liberties. And besides, it wasn't as if he had many exciting things to do in his life anyway, other than making sure that Kirkland Corps. continued to rise in influence, power, and money.

"But, that aside, I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're new," Arthur continued, taking a blank piece of paper and sliding it over to Alfred, along with a pen. "Take notes, you'll need it. I come in to work at 6 o' clock sharp every morning. I expect a cup of tea to be made and waiting on my desk; Earl Grey on odd days, English Breakfast on the even ones. I want a list of my daily schedule to be written neatly and placed on my desk by 6:30, preferably with one post-it per event. Are you getting all of this?"

[Assistant Jones]

The assistant was tempted to let out a soft sigh in relief at that but he decides to hold it back, instead leaning back a bit in his chair. While he tried to remain formal…did it really matter? As long as he got the work done and everything the other wanted by the time he got it, it really did not matter if he was formal or not. Right? It was better to be on the safe side though.

If there was anything that applied to him, it was the fact that he would never look away from someone who was talking to him unless it was important. Alfred was definitely not scared of anyone, even his own boss. As soon as Arthur told him that he was to have the job, he couldn't help but grin at that, his own personal happiness bubbling deep inside him at just those simple words.

'You're hired'. What two very nice words when they were together. No, it couldn't be just the word 'you're' because that could be used in phrases such as 'You're an idiot' or 'You're unacceptable for the job.' Nor could it just be the word 'hired' because then it could be in the phrase 'You will never be hired'. Yet when those two words were together, now that was the best of combinations. Straight to the point.

Though the moment he hears that his boss would scrap away the personal event in place for his work meeting. That was a bit sad in fact. This man must truly be the definition of a workaholic…that was a shame. "Of course, sir. I will keep that in mind then."

As the blank piece of paper is slid over to him, he quickly scrambles for the pen before jotting down quick notes in his ever so infamous messy scribble as he listed the different things that Arthur wanted. When he was done, he smiles a bit and looks at the note, reading it off to the other. "So, you come to work at 6 o' clock each morning and you expect a cup of Earl Grey on odd days and English Breakfast on even days to be waiting for you on your desk. By 6:30, you want a daily schedule to be written with a post-it per event. Right?"

[Guest]

Arthur kept his eyes on Alfred's handwriting. It was messy. Terrible. Horrific. Chickenscratch. But he couldn't really bring himself to complain; not when the lad actually managed to write it all down perfectly. Thus, he merely nodded, and continued on.

"No one is to visit me without an appointment. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule. Also, I'll give you a list of names that you ought to memorize later. Should any of these people call, forward them to me immediately," the CEO said, stopping only briefly to allow Alfred some time to write it all down. "You're dismissed to go home at 7 PM, and no earlier than that unless I specifically dismiss you. Lunch is from noon to one o' clock, so don't be late in returning. You can have all national holidays off, of course, and four sick days per year."

The CEO paused again, though this time, it was because he was done, and thinking if he missed anything. It only struck him when he saw Alfred write.

"...Ah, and one more thing. When you write down my schedule... I'm going to hope your handwriting is much more legible than that. You'll have to do everything all over again, if there's a post-it that I can't read. Do you have any questions?"

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred makes damn certain that everything was written down though he couldn't help but frown slightly at the sick days that he was allowed. Four sick days? That was horrible! It really was all about work here, wasn't it? Yet despite this, he places his smile back on as he lightly taps the pen against the wooden door.

"I think I got it all." He murmurs as he examines his notes with a scrutinising glare. So his work day was practically from 5:30 AM in the morning to 7 PM? God, this was going to fuck up with his schedule with his MMORPG friends! This meant the end of late nights staying awake with eyes glued on the computer screen. His job was more important though because he was actually going to get money from all of this. Maybe he could sneak on his mobile during work hours and text his friends.

Perfect.

When Arthur points out his handwriting, he truly does want to sigh. Now he actually had to pay mind to his handwriting? It seemed legible enough…at least he could read it!

"Of course sir. Thank you." He murmurs before turning around a bit to give his boss a small smile. "So, is there anything that needs to be done, sir?"

[Guest]

Either this Alfred Jones was one hell of an actor, or he was finally the right one for the job. Arthur sincerely hoped it was the latter, because he was sick of getting three hours of sleep a day, just because he had no one to help him organize his work and do all the little things for him.

"Right now, yes, but first thing's first. You can get yourself situated in that desk over there," Arthur said, gesturing to the mahogany table across the room from his own. If he looked up, he could see what Alfred was doing, and vice-versa. It was a nice way to be able to keep an eye on his assistant. "Once you're done with that, make me some tea, and organize the file cabinets. The folders are all over the place, and haven't been organized for months, now."

He'd keep today's workload relatively easy for now. Alfred seemed like a promising assistant; he didn't want to scare the lad off before a full 24 hours even passed, after all. (The 25th hour and on, however, was free game.)

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred was really, really hoping that he was fitting for the job because if he wasn't, then he was really going to be screwed over in the case of his funds. Living in a small apartment, having to pay his college fees, and being on his own with barely anywhere else to go never spelled out promising without a stable career. He needed this very job to be his stability until he was able to find a better job in his own field. He would be the best assistant that Arthur Kirkland, CEO of Kirkland Corps. would ever have and make certain that he at least had a healthy seven hours of sleep per night!

Yet once he looked over at his desk, he couldn't help but frown slightly. Dammit, so he couldn't text his friends or anything unless he wanted to be accused of smiling at his crotch and that would only result into future awkward moments. "Ah, of course…! Thank your sir." He smiles before striding towards the desk so he could get himself situated and also playing with the different ballpoint pens, stapler and white out he had in his desk.

Awesome, he even had his own desk! Soon enough though, he remembers what he just had to do and so he stands up and looks around before focusing his gaze on his boss. "Alright…so tea…" He says softly to himself before stepping outside where he last saw the coffee machine and starting to make the tea.

Tea bags…that was always good, right? It was easy and simple! So he grabs a tea bag and dips it into the hot water before bringing it back to Arthur with a small smile. "Your tea, sir."

[Guest]

Arthur nodded, and went back to reading the contract while Alfred set off to do what he'd told him to do. Most people in the world never bothered reading contracts, but then again, most people in the world weren't the CEO of Kirkland Corps. Arthur always, always read his contracts, because he liked knowing what he was getting into. Even if it was a generic contract, it was always better to be safe than sorry. He didn't want to be one of those CEOs who led their company to ruin in every possible way, just because of a few easily avoidable mistakes.

Thus, it was with grueling determination that he flipped to the next page, eyes carefully scanning sentence after sentence with professional ease. These always gave him a bit of a headache, but the prospect of tea brightened his mood considerably. It was only when Alfred came back with the steaming liquid that Arthur frowned, remembering the one very crucial piece of information that he forgot.

"...Jones," he said, tone largely unamused. "I'll admit; it's my mistake for forgetting to tell you, so I'll tell you now. I hate teabags. When you make my tea, it'll be with tea leaves. They're in the tins right beside the instant coffee packs. You should also replace them periodically, whenever we run low. Of course, you'll be compensated. Now, throw that thing away, and make a new cup, please."

[Assistant Jones]

In all honesty, Alfred had no idea what the difference between tea leaves and tea bags were. They were still tea…right? Despite the arguments that he could throw back at his boss just lingering at the tip of his tongue, he decides to hold it back and soon nods. "Of course, sir. I apologise." He murmurs before heading back to the table yet before he does so, he takes a taste of the tea.

"Disgusting." Alfred mutters before dumping out the tea and washing the cup thoroughly before trying again but this time with tea leaves. Alright, this should be easy…right? Just, throw the tea leaves inside! Grabbing a good amount of tea leaves, he dumps it inside the boiling cup and just smiles a bit to himself.

"He has to like this now! It's just tea leaves and water, right? I don't see how anyone can like that but he has to. I did what he said." He reassures himself before bringing his second cup to his boss, placing it on the desk and a small grin on his lips. "It has the tea leaves just like you asked."

( :< He's such a dork when it comes to brewing tea.)

[Guest]

Arthur nodded, and went back to reading his documents. It was Alfred's first time; he'd forgive the lad for now. The CEO kept up this forgiving mindset until his assistant returned, and he laid eyes on that atrocity he dared call tea. Who the hell put tea leaves actually inside the cup? Was this boy daft?

"...Jones," he called, voice gentle yet sharp. He'd let this go, if only because this was probably Alfred's first time making good, authentic tea. "You don't put the leaves inside the cup. You put the leaves - two teaspoons - in the water and boil it. Then you put a bit of low fat milk in the cup, and pour the tea in afterwards. Add two cubes of white sugar, and then mix. Go make it again."

He probably sounded harsh to his new assistant, but it didn't matter. The lad was getting paid well for this job, and Arthur wasn't going to allow any slacking off. He needed good tea while he worked, and now that Alfred was here, he sure as hell wasn't going to make it for himself.

But really, the boy should've been grateful. For all the terrible rumors going around about his almost ruthless behavior, he still had some mercy. He'd allow Alfred a good amount of mistakes today, and put up with it without much complaint. Hardly anyone performed spectacularly within the first 24 hours, after all, and he had to give Alfred some credit for not shivering in his shoes. (But if there wasn't any improvement starting from the 25th hour... Well, he wasn't going to fire Alfred, but he sure as hell wouldn't be gentle anymore.)

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred couldn't help but flinch just slightly as he hears the gentle yet sharp voice and instantly knew that he did something wrong again. Though he really couldn't help but think that there truly was no difference but what he did and what the other did. Despite this, he simply gives a small smile and nods again as he went over to the counter before dumping out the tea. Again.

Taking in a soft breath, he makes it again. This time though, he follows the man's instructions to the word and if he didn't like it, then it was too bad because he should have just given him better instructions! Dumping in the sugar cubes, he soon takes the cup again and puts it on his boss's desk before simply smiling.

"Followed it to the word, sir." And with that, he starts organising the files that the man wanted to have him organise so badly. Yet the moment he opens the file cabinet, Alfred really couldn't help but frown at that. It was disorganised. Extremely disorganised and the man expected him to organise all of this? Despite this, he simply sucks it up like a man should and pulls out the files so he could start organising them in an alphabetical manner.

Hopefully his boss would like the tea that he had made this time. If not, then he was getting a co-worker to make the tea instead.

[Guest]

Arthur glanced at the tea and nodded, deeming it acceptable since it looked and smelled just the way he liked it. Still, he kept his expectations low as he took the cup and held it up to his lips, taking a brief whiff of the aroma before sipping carefully.

Well... it wasn't that good, but it certainly wasn't shitty. In fact, it was pretty good, for a first (technically third) try. He'd accept it for now, and hope that Alfred would just get better with experience. (And if he didn't... well, that'd be a problem that he'd make sure to remedy immediately.) Nevertheless, since his demand for tea was satisfied, he went straight back to work, reading through the contract while Alfred quietly worked at organizing the folders. If he had to be honest, he felt just a little bad for the poor boy; if Arthur remembered correctly, the only reason he'd put off organizing those cabinets was because it was just too messy. It would've taken him the time that he didn't have to organize it all.

Once he was done reading through the contract, he signed his name at each required line and set it aside for Alfred to deliver later. He then closed his eyes, gently massaging them for a bit to lessen the strain he'd put them through during the last hour or so. "What did you major in, Jones?"

[Assistant Jones]

When Arthur finally decided not to complain about his tea making abilities, Alfred finally finds himself to be content. At least he wasn't complaining about it anymore and having to make more of that disgusting drink. Honestly, how could the other not drink coffee instead? It was a lot more stimulating, made it so much easier to work on paperwork, and it tasted a lot better! Yet it seemed as if his very, very English boss seemed to not know the wonders of coffee. What a shame…really. Maybe he should offer it to him one day and just show him the magnificence of coffee.

Hopefully he wouldn't get fired for shoving it in his face.

Though on the subject of these cabinets…they were horrible! The only place that was probably messier than these cabinets was his own apartment. Yet his boss would never learn about how messy his place was and honestly, why would he ever come to know the state of his living anyways? That would just be awkward. Horribly awkward. Alfred just sighs softly as he organises the folders to the best of his abilities but soon hesitates as he hears his boss speak to him.

What did he major in? "Well, I have a Business major, sir."

[Guest]

"Hmm," Arthur droned, thinking. Well... that was to be expected, if Alfred was working as an assistant to someone like him. The lad would definitely (and indirectly) learn from the very best on how to own and run a huge corporation, that was for certain. "I see."

The CEO lowered his hands, letting his eyes rest for a few more seconds before opening them again. With one hand, he reached for his tea, while the other was used to bring his laptop out of sleep mode. After taking a sip, he lowered the cup before checking his emails, and beginning to read through all of them. (The ones from Francis Bonnefoy went straight to junk mail. He deleted that folder without even bothering to check it.)

As he worked, he made sure to take periodic glances away from the screen and towards Alfred, just to make sure his new assistant was doing his job properly. So far, all seemed good, which pleased him immensely. He was really tired of his assistants surreptitiously trying to be nosy and reading all the documents, but this Alfred Jones fellow wasn't doing anything of the sort. What a well-behaved young man...

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred truly did want to learn how to run a corporation. That was why he even majored in business, of course. Yet he wanted to do something amazing…something that would really benefit the world and be efficient all at the same time. Yeah, that would be awesome. Though he knew that one of the best places to start would be as the assistant of the CEO of a very major corporation in the international world. That way, he could watch and learn how the man did it (though he wasn't going to focus so much time on work. That was just absolutely silly).

As time passed, Alfred started to find himself growing increasingly more bored with his task on hand. He needed to give out a great impression though so he persisted on not stopping his job until he was finally done with organising all of the folders. Smiling in contentment, he places the folders back into the file cabinet before stretching out slight. "It's all organised." He murmurs.

Truthfully, the only reason why he didn't read the documents was because he was certain they would be bland and boring.

[Guest]

"Brilliant," Arthur remarked, very pleased now that the cabinets were organized. Perhaps now, he'd actually be able to find things when he needed them. "I'll print out my schedule for the rest of the month, so I want you to keep track of it, remind me of upcoming events, and organize them all."

He then alt-tabbed to an Excel document consisting of the month's events, but rather than printing it right away, he added a few things. It was far from his birthday, for example, but he added it in there nonetheless. He wanted to test Alfred, to see if the lad remembered what he'd said not too long ago. Once the editting was done, he pressed the print button, and went back to his emails. The wireless printer received the command from the corner of the room and began printing, finishing within mere seconds.

"There's some post-its in the drawer of your desk, if you look."

[Assistant Jones]

While he certainly was no organised man in all reality, Alfred did know when to be organised and when not to be. As an office assistant, he had to try his best to impress the man he was working for. Yet he soon looks over at his boss and just gives a small nod in agreement. "Of course, sir." Alfred gives him a small smile before opening the drawer to his desk.

Wow…even the colours of the post-it notes were bland. He was going to buy something better. Like bright pink. Yeah, that would catch Arthur's attention. So he quickly writes that down in a small notebook he carried with himself at all times before grabbing the post-its.

Alfred walks towards the printer and grabs the schedule before taping it to his desk so he would see it constantly. Grabbing a pen, he couldn't help but smile a bit when he sees the man's birthday but soon writes a small note on the schedule to himself about the man's birthday before stretching his arms out. It certainly had been a tiring day but nothing too bad which he couldn't handle.

"Alright, I got your schedule, sir. I'll make sure to keep track of it." He gives his brightest smile.

[Guest]

"I'd hope that you will, if you value your job," Arthur replied, though there really wasn't even a hint of warning in there. So far, he was quite pleased with Alfred's work; he wasn't willing to let go of such an assistant so easily. (Because really, if he was honest, Alfred was probably the best one he'd gotten for over two years, now... and that was saying quite a lot, given how many people raced to work for him.)

The Englishman glanced at the clock after finishing reading the emails, and checked the Dow Jones rate just before he looked up from the screen once more. "It's almost time for lunch, so finish that up quickly and come with me. I hope you don't mind Italian."

It definitely wasn't often that Arthur bought any of his workers lunch, especially if they were new. Only a choice few of his old assistants had the honor, too, but this definitely meant that Alfred was slowly - very, very slowly, mind you - moving up to become fully accepted as an able worker and helper.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred just lets out a soft laugh as he nods. "Don't worry sir. I quite value my new job." He murmurs pleasantly though he could tell that there really wasn't any tone of warning in the other's voice. He must have been doing awesome! Though he was starting to question what the other assistants lacked since all he had to do was follow directions and…the other seemed rather pleased with that at least.

He couldn't help but be surprised though when he hears Arthur…offer him Italian? Food? God, lunch sounded damn amazing right now. He was always ever so hungry so lunch just was exactly what he wanted. Though he just smiles and nods once more, "No! Italian is just fine!"

He soon stands up so he could tidy his appearance up just a bit more. Did his boss always offer his assistants to have lunch with him? It was actually kind of intimidating but there was no worries…he wasn't the kind of man to get intimidated easily.

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