Working 9 till late (OPEN)

[Guinevere]

“Good Afternoon, Grayle Corporation Service Desk how can I help? …I’m afraid Mr Williams is busy right now, I can put you on hold or take a message…I shall let him know right away, thank you for calling…”

Gwen slammed her finger down on the button the disconnected the call and returned to the work in front of her. She wasn’t having a particularly good day. A stack of notes had been left on her desk when she arrived this morning with a note letting her know that she was to turn all of it in to letters by the end of the day. A second pile had arrived at lunchtime when she was only halfway through the others. She’d had to cancel her plans for that evening knowing that she was going to have work through most of the evening as well.

It wasn’t that they were going to fire her if she didn’t it was just…she would feel bad. The company had this strange way of appearing not to be bothered if she hadn’t managed it all whilst at the same time looking disappointed that she hadn’t. Perhaps it was all just in her mind but she didn’t want to let them down. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that very soon she would hopefully be running her own country and…well…it was going to take a lot more than answering a few calls and typing up some letters to do so.

She was in the middle of one of these letters when she felt a presence coming to the front desk and without looking up said in a cheery, very obviously fake, voice, “Welcome to Grayle Corp. My name is Guinevere, how can I help?”

[Dimitri]

How could a place feel both intimidating and inviting at the same time? The building itself was pretty mundane, nothing really special about it, but it still had that feeling surrounding it that was hard to describe. Or maybe it was the fact that Dimitri really didn’t want to be here, but what other choice did he have? They kept putting off his phone calls, telling him they had no information or that their people were looking into things but they never seemed to make any progress, and he was still waiting.

He was sick of waiting.

So here he was, at their headquarters, and he was not going to leave this place until he had some answers.

Walking up to the reception desk, Dimitri was certainly surprised at just who greeted him. This was not the receptionist he had last spoken to, he was sure of it. Raising his eyebrows at the disinterested greeting, he leaned his elbows on the desk and grinned. It was a bit strained, but he was under a lot of stress.

“Hardly work fit for a princess,” he said, waiting for Guinevere to look up. Honestly, why anyone of royal blood (and obvious riches) bothered to get a job while they were here he’d never understand. He sure as hell wouldn’t be working if he didn’t absolutely have to.

[Guinevere]

Guinevere looked up at the man who was now leaning on her desk, the annoyed scowl that she was set to give him was instantly replaced with a genuine smile, once she realised who it was she was speaking too. She hadn’t seen him in a while but he hadn’t changed much, maybe a little thinner…a little…sadder. She filed that observation away for later discussion, and said, “Well let’s seen, dealing with the public and commoners, performing several tasks at once to make sure the reception desk runs smoothly, co-ordinating armies of mail and phone calls, negotiating with the bosses about meetings and just generally keeping a bright and cheery smile when in reality all things are going wrong…yes your right, this is a strange job for a princess…it’s really a Queen’s job.”

Taking off her head set and placing it in front of her she leaned towards him and asked, “I haven’t seen you in a while, where have you been hiding? What brings you to the Grayle corporation? Don’t tell me you’ve been away and discovered some sort of magical resource, because let me tell you, you’re not the first today.”

[Dimitri]

Dimitri supposed she had a point. It was easy to sit back and say that royalty had it so easy because they had servants to do everything for them, but most of the time that only extended to the menial tasks of cooking, cleaning and the like. Servants weren’t meant to think, just to do, so any thinking were left to the royals themselves... or at least to their advisors.

Now he was getting off track. The bottom line was that being a Queen wasn’t all just cakes and beheadings, there was a lot of other work to do as well, though that still didn’t explain this job.

“It that why you’re trying to be a working stiff like the rest of us sorry commoners?” It was her word, not his. “To get some practice in for when you’re Queen?”

The one thing about Gwen, though, was that despite her station she was always very approachable. She even sounded genuinely interested in his life, though that could just be the public service side of her talking.

“Oh, well, you know. University wasn’t my thing so I’ve just been working. Social circles tend to fall apart after graduation,” Dimitri said with a shrug. “Sadly, no magical resources to report. Have any of them panned out?”

[Guinevere]

“Oh absolutely,” she said smiling at him, “how am I supposed to know what’s best for my people if I do not experience the menial tasks of the common person for my own? That and I needed something to keep me entertained, out of trouble and away from all the department stores in the mall. Its less like a job and more like a…hobby. Any money I make I pass on to a woman’s charity that works with the Grayle Corporation to help damsels in distress become strong independent women. All those girls that have been locked in towers and castles, mostly sufferers of Stockholm syndrome, this group helps them to be their own person again.”

It had seemed ridiculous to accept a pay check when she had enough money to keep several small countries afloat, so the Grayle Corp had offered her a solution. They gave her a list of charities that she could have chosen from and it had been difficult at first. There was one for the protection of magic users in countries were magic was still outlawed, that she nearly chose, and still gave money too when she could, but the damsel in distress group…more women should have the kind of upbringing she did and that’s what she wanted to give them.

University, no she supposed Dimitri wasn’t the sort of person that would go in to university, but then she also thought that in certain areas of it he might thrive. Maybe he had an interest in something but didn’t have the…means to pursue it. Hence the mention of the job. It wasn’t cheap to live in Trenale, she might loaded with gold but she knew from the way Merlin reacted to the bills sometimes that it was a lot of money. Dimitri must find it hard… She didn’t think of him as poor though, or destitute, as Arthur seemed to think so when he spoke about his friend, and she definitely knew the boy would never accept a handout, especially from a royal…no it would need to be worded just right…something to keep in mind.

“And none of them have worked out so far. Grayle Corp are very strict on this kind of thing, they don’t want anything that could potentially hurt the environment, the magical atmosphere or…other stuff. It all gets very complicated and technical, all I know is most of them come out of that elevator crying.”

She moved the papers in front of her around and said, “But at the moment I’m dealing with scholarships, for places like the academy and the university. We have a lot of applicants this year, and it’s not going to be easy picking who deserves it. Most likely they’ll have to take an entrance exam. Of course there’s always the traineeships with Grayle corp, for those who don’t get it.”

Gwen held up one of the brochures for it and said, “Ever thought about it?”

[Dimitri]

Dimitri had to admit that it did sound like a decent idea, even if her explanation sounded completely condescending and shallow at the same time. Coming from probably any other princess in this place and he would have been insulted that she do something like this because she was bored while so many had to to survive, but she did pull the charity angle so he couldn’t completely fault her. Besides, he actually liked her, she had some personality and a brain, though the fact that she dated Gaston did make him question that fact a time or two.

Maybe he was just going soft.

“Oh to have such freedom,” he replied, unable to at least shoot off one snide remark. “They’re lucky you’re not as flighty as most of the princesses here.”

Not to mention some of the non-royalty. Honestly, airheads ruled this place... literally, even, until just recently. Any school who would let someone like Glinda run it really had questionable decision making skills.

Turning his head toward the elevator Gwen proceeded to speak of, Dimitri made a mental note. Whoever he had to talk to, he had to get to by lift. Of course. God forbid any bigwig have a ground floor office. But then Gwen was waving some brochure at him and he had to pay attention again.

“Nah. The job I got seems to fit me pretty well, except when the make me wear ridiculous costumes,” he said, rolling his eyes. “On a good night I can make a killing in tips.”

To be honest, that was all that was keeping him afloat. With everything that was going on in his personal life he had let everything else sort of go by the wayside. Without the tips he wouldn’t have made his rent this month, and it was a big eye opener that he either had to step up his roommate search or start looking or a cheaper place to live.

[Guinevere]

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” she said and smiled just a little smugly as he said she wasn’t as flighty as some of the princesses here, “Be careful, wouldn’t want to ruin your street cred and all that, being nice and complimenting the royalty. I’ll tell Arthur and you’ll never hear the end of it…no I wouldn’t be that cruel, your secret is safe with me.”

She tapped the side of her nose and smiled happily. Dimitri was such a nice guy, no matter what she had heard about him, from other sources, he was a genuinely nice guy. Maybe a little rough around the edges but who didn’t like a little rough around the edges? No one wants a clean cut perfect prince anymore, she knew she certainly didn’t, how boring, no, someone like Dimitri, someone with a bit of bite but a heart of gold underneath. She wondered how Anya could ever have left someone like him behind…

Oh she had heard the rumours, about how she had just disappeared…and by rumours she meant Arthur had told her. Here at the Grayle Corp she had heard a couple of things too…

But that wasn’t what was important right now, he seemed in a good place and she didn’t want to bring him down about that. When he started to describe his job she blinked a couple of times before leaning across the desk to him and saying, “Costumes? What kind of bar are you working in exactly? What kind of costumes? What nights are you on and how much for a dance?”

She winked at the end of her stream of questions. Dimitri wasn’t her type, but she couldn’t help but flirt…just a little…and just for fun.

[Dimitri]

Any ‘street cred’ he might have had for being anti-royalty had probably gone completely out the window when he’d started dating Anya, but he appreciated the effort. “Thanks for that. He would start expecting me to be nice to him all the time and I just don’t think I could handle that.”

Although said in jest it wasn’t completely untrue. Dimitri had come to reluctantly accept that Arthur was one of the few friends he had left in this place, but their relationship wasn’t built on niceties and complements. If he ever needed someone to slap him upside the head with reality and tell him what was what, Arthur was his man, and he certainly didn’t let the prince get away with much either, at least not when he was really on his game. Unfortunately those times were few and far between now.

Case in point: Dimitri was taken completely off guard by Gwen suddenly flirting with him; ergo: completely off his game. “It’s for Halloween!” he blurted out, staring at her a bit wide-eyed a moment. Really, this? This was what he had been reduced to? He had thought it was only Anya who had been able to get at him like this, but maybe it was all strong women. Or maybe after being with the same woman for so long he’d just lost his touch.

More evidence of the ‘being off his game’ thing.

“But, I mean, if that’s your thing...” he tried to recover, putting on a grin and leaning his elbows on the counter between them.

[Guinevere]

Gwen laughed as the guy floundered a little at her insinuation. She would like to think it was because she was just that good looking and overwhelming, but she knew it probably had something to do with the fact that he was so head over heals in love with someone else…just a shame she couldn’t be found.

“It’s not,” she said smiling at him, “although I am quite partial to a man in armour, but where I come from, that’s not a costume.”

Standing up from her chair and taking off the headset she said, “Do you want to grab a coffee or something? I’m due a break about now anyway and you shouldn’t be hovering around the desk. If you stay long enough they’ll throw you in a uniform and make you do tours of the building.”

[Dimitri]

Well, armour was something they hadn’t stuck him in... yet, though he wouldn’t put it past his boss. Wouldn’t that just be hell trying to serve drinks while hardly being able to move? Somehow he wouldn’t quite put it past his boss to suggest it.

“Well if I end up a knight in rusty armour some shift I’ll be sure to give you a call,” Dimitri replied, pushing back from the counter when Gwen suddenly stood up. A coffee? Well, he supposed he could, but that wasn’t what he came here for, and leaving the building wasn’t going to get him any closer to his goal unless he managed to sweet talk her into helping him over said coffee.

“Building tours?” he repeated thoughtfully. “Might not be such a bad thing.” Of course she had been joking, but it did put an idea in his head. He didn’t know who the hell he had to see around here to find out what was wrong with the damn portal, but if he could roam the building then surely he’d eventually find someone who could help him, right? “They do tours here often?”

[Guinevere]

Why was he suddenly so interested in tours? Maybe that’s what he had come here for but then again, Dimitri didn’t really seem the type of guy to enjoy that sort of thing. If Gwen was being honest though she didn’t really know the guy well enough to know if he maybe enjoyed looking at a buildings architecture or knowing its history or…whatever it is they actually learned on the tour, she hadn’t paid much attention when she had been forced to go on it. If she was to make an assumption though, she figured it wasn’t really his thing…

So why?

Smiling she said, “Very often. Every day in fact, I would suggest we take one now but then…that tour might not take you to where you actually want to go…can I ask why exactly you’re here Dimitri?”

[Dimitri]

Oh, she was an observant one, not that Dimitri wasn’t currently being completely transparent. Anyone who knew him even the slightest bit would know he was hardly the type to give a damn what some big company does on a daily basis.

So what now? Of course he could make up a pretty convincing lie, he did still have some of his conman skills hidden somewhere, but then what? So far he’d made absolutely no headway with these people, but now he had someone on the inside and she was his best chance.

It was time for a little honesty.

“Maybe we should get that coffee first...” he replied, running a hand back through his hair, sounding something between sheepish and resigned.

[Guinevere]

The guy was clearly having a hard time of it, and if there was something she could do to help then by the Goddess she would. She linked her arm through his and said, “Come on, there’s a cafeteria on the second floor here, the coffee is rubbish but the cookies are to die for.”

She turned round back to the desk and said, “Connor, I’m going on break now, you answer every phone call and remember to smile at every visitor, not grimace, Or I swear I will call your mother.”

Turning back to Dimitri she said, “my new temp. He’s a sweet little darling but he is somewhat useless,”

She pressed the button for the elevator and said, “Of course if you would prefer we could go for cheeseburgers, I hear that is the preferred choice of food when discussing these problems. Or so my fiancé tells me.”

[Dimitri]

Dimitri couldn’t help but smirk a little at Gwen’s orders, and threat, to her coworker. Either she would whip that boy into shape fast or have him searching for a new job even quicker. Following her to the lift, Dimitri stepped in after her, turning to face the doors as they closed before them.

He was far from surprised to learn that Arthur had told her everything he knew about the whole situation, as well as their usual choice of food for their talks. If someone needed a secret kept, the prince certainly wasn’t the man to talk to.

“Maybe I won’t actually have to tell you much of anything. It sounds like Arthur has kept you pretty filled...”

Wait a second, did she just say fiancé?

Stopping mid sentence, Dimitri turned a surprised expression toward Gwen. He should have seen it coming, Arthur and Guinevere were the stuff of legends, but getting to know Arthur... he hadn’t expected it, not now.

“Allow me to be...” Dimitri recovered as quickly as he could pausing to let out a chuckle. “Well, probably the last to congratulate you.”

See? This was what he got for keeping to himself, for avoiding his friends and the world around him. He got to be the last to know.

[Guinevere]

Arthur did tend to tell her far more than he probably should but she liked it that way. She had a couple of good little spies in the gossip world and he was one of her best, mainly because he didn’t realise that she was quietly storing away all the information to be used at a later date. Merlin was a little like that as well, most of the girls in Trenale tended to take one look at his sweet innocent ‘you can tell me anything’ and spill everything. At least Merlin had the decency to go ‘oh don’t tell anyone I told you that’ after he then passed everything on to her. So yes, Arthur had filled her in on most things.

Although apparently Arthur hadn’t told Dimitri everything…

She smiled a little embarrassed and said, “You’re probably not the last, we haven’t told most people, I haven’t said anything to one of my best friends, although she sort of has her own things to worry about right now, and anyway, we’re still sort of…negotiating it.”

Gwen pressed the button for their floor and looking straight at the doors she said, “Don’t worry, you’ve not missed much, we didn’t suddenly fall in love. It’s that classic tale. Boy meets girl, boy is a prince, girl is a princess, they decided to get engaged for the good of their respective countries…you know, that old chestnut.”