Post by caonedh on Jun 19, 2013 11:57:33 GMT -8
Ken Loper got into the elevator and pressed the button for the 14th floor. As it had the few previous times he had pressed it, it seemed to resist being pressed. Not a lot of people went to the fourteenth floor of the Solveall. It was the home of the Human Resources department, and the lair of Jenna Mercado. She was gone now; the sponsors had transferred her to lead up the reclamation of Sentaxx. Ken had written an anonymous letter urging them not to put such a woman in charge of a huge, multi state spanning magical gridwork. Jenna hadn't been transferred back, so he assumed his letter hadn't worked.
When the elevator door opened, Ken was greeted by a short, narrow hallway that ended in a frosted glass door. Jenna's name had already been replaced with his own. Human Resource Department, it read. Kendall E. Loper, Director. Sighing, he opened the door.
People who first entered that door were often confused by what they saw next. It was a small room, with a tiny computer free desk. All that lay on the desk was a small, ornate cube. There was another door behind that one, which Ken knew led to Jenna's REAL office, but she did most of her work in here. Ken set his briefcase down and pulled a scrap of parchment from his coat. "Arcesso Fabricate!" he said, with the authority he had been assured he would need. At first, nothing happened. Then, the cube on the desk...opened. It looked sort of like a scene from Hellraiser...tabs opened up on the four sides, and the top lifted up. A white haze began to filter from it, and coalesced into the chair. Ken watched with fascination as it seemed to solidify into... he could only describe it as what the witch from Snow White would look like if she were a real person. "Ah, Mr. Loper," it said. It's voice was feminine, but deep, and too strong to come from something that looked so frail. "Ms. Mercado told me that you would be putting me to use. I am Construct. She used me as her secretary."
Ken eyed the creature warily. "Are you some sort of demon?" he asked.
Construct waved a wart covered hand. "Nothing so exciting. Ms. Mercado created me from Anima. She chose my form and my purpose; to handle the mundane details of the department. Printing out paperwork, making sure the summoning circles aren't degrading, dealing with humans...the sorts of things she didn't want to do herself."
"I am not sure I want Ms. Mercado to have a spy in this office," Ken said simply. "I intend to do things my way, not hers."
"This is something that need not worry you," said Construct. "The sponsors made very clear to Ms. Mercado that she would not be coming back here. She left me here to ease your transition, but from the moment you cast that spell, I belonged to you. I shall serve you in any way you see fit, though I do suggest that you start by letting me show you around."
"You belong to me? Huh," said Ken, and then to himself in a low mumble, "I wonder if I can get Ammie to show me how to make you look more appealing."
"My appearance is completely at your discretion," said Construct simply. "If you like, I can look into your memories and find a more ascetically pleasant form."
"Wait, wha?" said Ken, feeling a little overwhelmed again. He had hoped he would have gotten away from all this finger waggling craziness by taking a nice, mundane job at HR. Apparently he was very wrong.
"It's a simple procedure. One moment, Mr. Loper." Construct's form became pale, and then translucent as it once again morphed into the mist that had come from the cube. A tendril formed, reaching out towards his head. With effort, he managed to stand his ground and let it touch him. The whole process took only a moment, and then the mist began to coalesce again. When it solidified, it was... beautiful. Incredibly beautiful. It looked very much like Rowan, actually, but different in some way. The hair, for one thing, and it was far more lithe. "You found this in my head?" he asked.
"Well, I took parts from different people in your mind," Construct said, giving a shrug. She shifted her form....and Vi stood before him. "This one's legs, you seem to be extremely fond of thinking about." She shifted again; now Ammie stood before him. "This one's torso..." again she shifted, now to Rowan. "This one's face and eyes..." and she shifted again. This time it was to his estranged wife, a face he did NOT want to see. "And this one's hair. The skin tone..."
"Wait, wait, for christsakes stop," said Ken. "That isn't going to work at all."
"Why not? They are all women you think about mating with. I thought taking the pieces of them you liked best and bringing them together would please you ascetically. Was I wrong?"
"No...no...you're pleasing. Believe me, you're all sorts of pleasing," said Ken, now thoroughly red in the face. "But one look at you, and people will think I'm some sort of pervert. And Rowan will think I want her to look like you, when I'm happy with her just the way she is."
"Rowan....is she the one with whom you have an exclusive mating agreement with?"
"....yeah, sure," said Ken. "And I'd like to keep that going."
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. This was not part of what Ms. Mercado thought I should know. In your mind, you clearly want to mate with other humans. Why limit it to one?"
It was WAY too early to be having this conversation. "Because mating should fill more than a physical imperative?" he said, less forcefully than he felt.
Construct must have picked up on this. "You don't seem sure about this. And to your other argument... according to Ms. Mercado, everyone at this company is perverted in one way or the other. Would not your perceived perversion allow you to assimilate into the group better?"
"Alright, alright," he said, his hands going up. "Keep your current form for now. I reserve the right to change my mind if Rowan cuts me off."
"I was unaware that physical violence was a part of the mating process."
Ken shook his head. "I think it's time I head to my office." He moved to the door, but Construct was quicker, opening it in front of him. He strode in and found...a desk. A brand new, imposing dark wood desk. And nothing else. "I see Jenna cleaned this place out," he said.
"She was required to. She was quite vocal about having to scrub this room so thoroughly; the wards and traps she had set had taken her years to perfect. But the Sponsors didn't want you incinerated on you first day on the job."
Ken sat down and opened his briefcase. The first thing he did was take out a framed photograph. He set it on the corner of his desk. There was Rowan, her hair down and wearing his hat, smiling up at him. He had taken the picture from his phone and had it printed. He then looked to Construct. "OK, I'm sorry. You don't get to wear her face. Choose another one."
Construct looked prim for a moment, but nodded. "As you wish, Mr. Loper." A moment later, her face resembled that of Annabelle Usher, but younger. "Better?" Her voice had even taken on some of the brogue of the Innsmouth staffer.
Tess is going to give me so much shit the first time she lays eyes on this, Ken thought to himself. "Better. Now to see the rest of the department."
"A moment, Mr. Loper. The Raksasha... they know they have a new master, but they will not be pleased to see you. There will be...dominance issues. Let me go first and try to prepare them."
Ken nodded, and Construct floated through the heavy iron door that stood at the back of the office. In approximately ten minutes, Ken would open the seals on that door, and find a room covered in slimy, green, ectoplasmic demon feces. Apparently, the Raksasha decided to voice their displeasure with the new power structure in much the same way as Capuchin monkeys would. He would spend the next three hours asserting his dominance over them, and setting them to clean up. He would be there until the wee hours of the morning, and when Vi came in for her meeting, it would be in another part of the building because the demons were taking their time about setting the fourteenth floor to rights.
But at that moment, for those ten brief minutes alone in the bare office, with nothing but Rowan smiling at him, he felt like he was finally where he belonged. No voices, no dreams, no trying to find his place in a world that made so little sense to him. Sure, he had no idea what Human Resources actually entailed. But he knew how he was going to do the job. He was going to make sure people felt valued. He would make sure that the people who joined the company would be able to grow with it. He knew from experience how daunting joining their little company could be. But he also knew something else. These people, they were his friends. Some were even well on their way to becoming family. And he was going to try to make sure that they felt that way, from Seanne Rystaad down to the lowest intern. It would be tough, and in a lot of cases thankless, but could it be worse than fighting a thousand demons in his own mind? Ken didn't think so. He put his feet up on the new desk, confident that his crazy adventures in the Secret World were finally over.
And then the Demon Poop adventure began.
When the elevator door opened, Ken was greeted by a short, narrow hallway that ended in a frosted glass door. Jenna's name had already been replaced with his own. Human Resource Department, it read. Kendall E. Loper, Director. Sighing, he opened the door.
People who first entered that door were often confused by what they saw next. It was a small room, with a tiny computer free desk. All that lay on the desk was a small, ornate cube. There was another door behind that one, which Ken knew led to Jenna's REAL office, but she did most of her work in here. Ken set his briefcase down and pulled a scrap of parchment from his coat. "Arcesso Fabricate!" he said, with the authority he had been assured he would need. At first, nothing happened. Then, the cube on the desk...opened. It looked sort of like a scene from Hellraiser...tabs opened up on the four sides, and the top lifted up. A white haze began to filter from it, and coalesced into the chair. Ken watched with fascination as it seemed to solidify into... he could only describe it as what the witch from Snow White would look like if she were a real person. "Ah, Mr. Loper," it said. It's voice was feminine, but deep, and too strong to come from something that looked so frail. "Ms. Mercado told me that you would be putting me to use. I am Construct. She used me as her secretary."
Ken eyed the creature warily. "Are you some sort of demon?" he asked.
Construct waved a wart covered hand. "Nothing so exciting. Ms. Mercado created me from Anima. She chose my form and my purpose; to handle the mundane details of the department. Printing out paperwork, making sure the summoning circles aren't degrading, dealing with humans...the sorts of things she didn't want to do herself."
"I am not sure I want Ms. Mercado to have a spy in this office," Ken said simply. "I intend to do things my way, not hers."
"This is something that need not worry you," said Construct. "The sponsors made very clear to Ms. Mercado that she would not be coming back here. She left me here to ease your transition, but from the moment you cast that spell, I belonged to you. I shall serve you in any way you see fit, though I do suggest that you start by letting me show you around."
"You belong to me? Huh," said Ken, and then to himself in a low mumble, "I wonder if I can get Ammie to show me how to make you look more appealing."
"My appearance is completely at your discretion," said Construct simply. "If you like, I can look into your memories and find a more ascetically pleasant form."
"Wait, wha?" said Ken, feeling a little overwhelmed again. He had hoped he would have gotten away from all this finger waggling craziness by taking a nice, mundane job at HR. Apparently he was very wrong.
"It's a simple procedure. One moment, Mr. Loper." Construct's form became pale, and then translucent as it once again morphed into the mist that had come from the cube. A tendril formed, reaching out towards his head. With effort, he managed to stand his ground and let it touch him. The whole process took only a moment, and then the mist began to coalesce again. When it solidified, it was... beautiful. Incredibly beautiful. It looked very much like Rowan, actually, but different in some way. The hair, for one thing, and it was far more lithe. "You found this in my head?" he asked.
"Well, I took parts from different people in your mind," Construct said, giving a shrug. She shifted her form....and Vi stood before him. "This one's legs, you seem to be extremely fond of thinking about." She shifted again; now Ammie stood before him. "This one's torso..." again she shifted, now to Rowan. "This one's face and eyes..." and she shifted again. This time it was to his estranged wife, a face he did NOT want to see. "And this one's hair. The skin tone..."
"Wait, wait, for christsakes stop," said Ken. "That isn't going to work at all."
"Why not? They are all women you think about mating with. I thought taking the pieces of them you liked best and bringing them together would please you ascetically. Was I wrong?"
"No...no...you're pleasing. Believe me, you're all sorts of pleasing," said Ken, now thoroughly red in the face. "But one look at you, and people will think I'm some sort of pervert. And Rowan will think I want her to look like you, when I'm happy with her just the way she is."
"Rowan....is she the one with whom you have an exclusive mating agreement with?"
"....yeah, sure," said Ken. "And I'd like to keep that going."
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. This was not part of what Ms. Mercado thought I should know. In your mind, you clearly want to mate with other humans. Why limit it to one?"
It was WAY too early to be having this conversation. "Because mating should fill more than a physical imperative?" he said, less forcefully than he felt.
Construct must have picked up on this. "You don't seem sure about this. And to your other argument... according to Ms. Mercado, everyone at this company is perverted in one way or the other. Would not your perceived perversion allow you to assimilate into the group better?"
"Alright, alright," he said, his hands going up. "Keep your current form for now. I reserve the right to change my mind if Rowan cuts me off."
"I was unaware that physical violence was a part of the mating process."
Ken shook his head. "I think it's time I head to my office." He moved to the door, but Construct was quicker, opening it in front of him. He strode in and found...a desk. A brand new, imposing dark wood desk. And nothing else. "I see Jenna cleaned this place out," he said.
"She was required to. She was quite vocal about having to scrub this room so thoroughly; the wards and traps she had set had taken her years to perfect. But the Sponsors didn't want you incinerated on you first day on the job."
Ken sat down and opened his briefcase. The first thing he did was take out a framed photograph. He set it on the corner of his desk. There was Rowan, her hair down and wearing his hat, smiling up at him. He had taken the picture from his phone and had it printed. He then looked to Construct. "OK, I'm sorry. You don't get to wear her face. Choose another one."
Construct looked prim for a moment, but nodded. "As you wish, Mr. Loper." A moment later, her face resembled that of Annabelle Usher, but younger. "Better?" Her voice had even taken on some of the brogue of the Innsmouth staffer.
Tess is going to give me so much shit the first time she lays eyes on this, Ken thought to himself. "Better. Now to see the rest of the department."
"A moment, Mr. Loper. The Raksasha... they know they have a new master, but they will not be pleased to see you. There will be...dominance issues. Let me go first and try to prepare them."
Ken nodded, and Construct floated through the heavy iron door that stood at the back of the office. In approximately ten minutes, Ken would open the seals on that door, and find a room covered in slimy, green, ectoplasmic demon feces. Apparently, the Raksasha decided to voice their displeasure with the new power structure in much the same way as Capuchin monkeys would. He would spend the next three hours asserting his dominance over them, and setting them to clean up. He would be there until the wee hours of the morning, and when Vi came in for her meeting, it would be in another part of the building because the demons were taking their time about setting the fourteenth floor to rights.
But at that moment, for those ten brief minutes alone in the bare office, with nothing but Rowan smiling at him, he felt like he was finally where he belonged. No voices, no dreams, no trying to find his place in a world that made so little sense to him. Sure, he had no idea what Human Resources actually entailed. But he knew how he was going to do the job. He was going to make sure people felt valued. He would make sure that the people who joined the company would be able to grow with it. He knew from experience how daunting joining their little company could be. But he also knew something else. These people, they were his friends. Some were even well on their way to becoming family. And he was going to try to make sure that they felt that way, from Seanne Rystaad down to the lowest intern. It would be tough, and in a lot of cases thankless, but could it be worse than fighting a thousand demons in his own mind? Ken didn't think so. He put his feet up on the new desk, confident that his crazy adventures in the Secret World were finally over.
And then the Demon Poop adventure began.