Awakening (Prosper and Litkit)

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Annalise had no idea what to expect when she accepted the offer for the job. She knew being a personal assistant would be interesting and that it would impart invaluable knowledge to her that she could use as she advanced her career, but she wasn't anticipating the chance to be assigned to such a powerful individual. It was almost like watching poetry in motion the way he commanded the room because it was so subtle that it just morphed into the environment of the room. The men continued to dab their perspiring foreheads, grunting as it became harder and harder to breathe in the suddenly stifling conference room. Simon remained cool, his eyes twinkling with a pleasure that she knew was derived by his ability to cow the men into submission without even needing to raise his voice.

Finally, after what certainly felt like an eternity for the executives, Simon concluded the meeting and asked if they had any questions. Of course, the men seized this opportunity, grasping at the last vestige of control he had allowed them only to be deflated question after question. Simon answered them, every single one, but purposefully kept the answers vague to remind the men that he would be the one ultimately making the decisions from now on. They blustered and fought to keep a handhold, but by the end of the questioning their fingers slipped and they went crashing down into the abyss of their crumbling empire.

Each man stood in line, grumbling under their breath about the nerve of some people, and trying to avoid the inevitable shake of their new boss' hand, but failing miserably. Simon shook –every- hand and looked the men square in the eye using his size and his superior health to his advantage to drive the point home once more. Annalise resisted the urge to laugh when he retrieved hand sanitizer from his pocket, washing away the remnants of the meeting with the pungent odor of alcohol. She had a sanitizer in her purse as well, but hers was a light, floral scent – the strong, clean scent was definitely more fitting for the man now directing his attention to her.

"I was, sir. That was amazing… I mean, I've seen business meetings in movies and TV shows, but to see the intricacies and the reactions up close. It was exhilarating."

Her cheeks flushed pink when she realized she was rambling, nodding to his suggestion of a break. "A break sounds wonderful, sir. It will give me a chance to go over my notes and collect my thoughts before we meet up again. Is there a breakroom on this floor?" She was hoping that, in asking, he would offer to escort her there since she was loathe to leave the man's presence just yet. It was doubtful, though, since Simon probably wanted some time to decompress as well after the meeting.
 
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Annalise was clearly a little flustered when she spoke to him, but Simon didn't mind. The fearful and submissive behavior she'd exhibited prior to the Murphy meeting had been replaced with a delightful enthusiasm, much more than he'd expected. Her face was flush and rosy, and she was clearly amazed by what she'd just witnessed. It was a good look for her.

What then caught Simon off guard was her response to his question. She'd been present here for a fair amount of time prior to his arrival, and would have likely had plenty of time to become acquainted with the layout of the floor. The fact that she'd presented him with coffee upon their introduction also indicated that she'd been to a coffee machine, and there were only so many on the floor. If such was the case, then her inquiry would have likely resulted for a few different reasons: the most likely of which was that she was so struck by the meeting that she'd momentarily forgotten its location. The other less likely possibility was that she desired his accompaniment to it in the guise of not quite knowing its exact location.

In either case, he couldn't just have her wandering the floor looking for it during her thirty minute break. As a man who prides himself on efficiency, condemning her to such a state would be pure hypocrisy.
Simon kept his expression neutral as he spoke, unsure whether to sound annoyed or friendly,

"Of course, it's actually on the way to my office, so you need only follow me. I'll point it out when we arrive, and you can join me in my office at the conclusion of your break."

His office was actually on the opposite side of the floor, but he needed an excuse to take her there without sounding too invested. As with the coffee before, she didn't need to know how important she actually was just yet.

"Please do not lose track of time while on break, Ms. Annalise, there are few things that annoy me more than wasted time."
 
After asking the question she immediately realized her mistake, but it was too late to backtrack and admit that she had spoken impulsively. Just this morning she had seen the breakroom, the same room where she had fixed his coffee and brushed up on her notes before joining the meeting. Simon would know that and, judging by his awkward silence after the question, he was silently judging her for even bothering to pose the question given the things she had recollected mentally. Hopefully, he would take it as an attempt to gain more time with him and not an affront to whatever impression he had already drawn of her.

"Thank you, sir," she said softly, falling into line behind him so he didn't see the blush of embarrassment glowing on her cheeks. It was too late to say something that would rectify the situation so she tried to break the silence by changing the subject.

"I understand, sir. I completely agree. I am not a person who likes to be idle."

She used that as a way to segue into something that would distract his train of thought from her obvious absentmindedness.

"What do you do to unwind, sir? I've always had varied interests, so it's hard for me to nail down just one thing I enjoy over others."
 
Simon pondered her question for a moment. It wasn't often that anyone bothered to take a interest in his personal life, at least not genuinely. Truth be told, he didn't have much of a life outside of the office. As for hobbies, he mostly read history, philosophy, and psychology, anything that could help him get ahead. Aside from his studies, he often ventured out to one of the city's many bars or restaurants to practice what he'd learned. Through intense study and practice, he'd mastered manipulation, deception, and seduction. The downside, naturally, was that he hadn't done much else over the last few years. It was a small source of embarrassment for him that his primary hobby was in fact practicing for the workplace, but one could not argue with the results.

Unfortunately, such activities weren't something he necessarily wanted to share with his new assistant, so he simply decided to state his initial hobby.

"I read, mostly. I study history, specifically the First World War, and philosophy, Machiavelli is my favorite there. I've also dabbled in psychology and studies of management."

He then glanced back at her,

"What about you, Annalise? You said you had some varied interests."

(Apologies for the shorter post. I figured I didn't need much since they were just talking)
 
Waiting for SImon to give his answer was torture because it made her inwardly try and figure out what his answer would be. Did he listen to music? If he did, it was probably classical or something else very structured because he wasn't the type to break out of the box. Then again, music could be his escape and she had to resist a smile thinking he guiltily indulged in some Britney Spears. Reading was most likely his hobby, but what kind of books? Murder mysteries were certainly interesting and a genre she enjoyed so having that in common with her boss would be amusing.

He finally answered and she smiled since her inner musings had been on point, but the smile fell away when he said he studied history and philosophy. The mention of Machiavelli was surprising since he was famed for having a twisted, even sadistic view of life, and it unnerved her slightly. The idea of him liking the philosophy of someone so deranged was worrisome because it meant there was more to him than what people saw. That went without saying, of course, but there had to be a dark side to the man if he applied a Machiavellian philosophy.

The inquiry about her own interests had been expected, but she was still reeling from his announcement of Machiavelli so she stammered a bit with her reply.

"O-oh...Well, yes. Nothing as exciting as yours. I've tried to find a philosophy that I can use to direct my life by, but it's incredibly difficult to get into the headspace of someone who sees the world from a different viewpoint. I read as well - not history, though. I prefer murder mysteries, especially the ones told from the point of view of the killer. It's just fascinating to see what makes that person tick, why they do what they do, and what brilliant steps the police take in catching the person. Outside of reading I like to work out and make jewelry, but I make basic things."

She stopped talking then since she was getting way too personal with not only someone she had just met, but someone who was her direct boss. As his assistant she would have a close relationship with him and mixing business with pleasure would just make it awkward for both of them.
 
Annalise had seemed so flustered after Simon's inquiry that he was hesitant to press further. She had to have expected him to ask her the same question, unless she was under the impression he didn't care. To be honest, he didn't care about the later of the three interests she mentioned. The only one that stuck out to him was the first: her fascination with mystery novels, specifically the villains. The other possibility for her surprise was likely his mention of his favorite philosopher, Machiavelli. He wasn't a man held in high regard in popular culture, so it was a distinct possibility that his answer had unnerved her.

That left an interesting question on the table though: if she was so concerned about such a philosophy, then why did she show so much interest in those that applied it. Simon was no stranger to mystery novels, the villains within were often manipulative sadists and brilliant masters of deceit. Was it possible she was subconsciously drawn to such individuals and philosophies, but didn't understand it herself yet?
At any rate, they were coming up on the break room, though he had one last thing to mention to her before they arrived. He lokked back at her and raised an eyebrow,

"Are you taken aback by my answer, Ms. Annalise? Your interests seem to indicate we're more alike than you may think. Whether you know it or not, we've studied the same kind of people."
 
Annalise had never given thought to the Machiavellian philosophy and now that she had voiced her love of mystery novels, specifically killer ones, she was beginning to see the parallels with the main characters. Did she harbor an inner desire for someone like that? The unpredictability and chance of danger was certainly a tantalizing concept, and she had been known to exhibit morbid curiosity, but to that degree? Her mind swam with a sudden onslaught of questions she hadn't previously considered and she was grateful that the break room was directly in front of them providing a much needed distraction. Unfortunately, her boss had other intentions and she tried to keep the shock from her features when he gave voice to her thoughts.

Either the man was extremely good at reading people or she was just that unskilled at hiding her inner turmoil - most likely a combination of both. "I was, yes... I studied Machiavelli briefly in one of my gen ed classes and he definitely had a lasting impression. He was chaotic and insane, yes, but there was a method to his madness. It was like he could remove himself from this plane and see things in an entirely new light where morals and social norms no longer existed." She smiled softly.

"I would say you have some of his subtleties. You strike me as the kind of person who has a Dr. Jekyl, but is careful to display the Mr. Hyde. Though, I'm willing to bet the men in those room saw a bit of your Dr. Jekyl side today. It was like a blanket of tension spread across the room, even I felt it, and you were holding the hem. I would love to learn how to not only display that kind of power, but harness it and use it to gain a foothold in this economy."
 
Simon chuckled. Annalise caught on fast. He was immensely careful with his appearance, taking note to appear as expected, but to act unexpectedly when the need arose. The comparison to Jekyll and Hyde was an interesting one, one that he'd occasionally pondered himself, though in the reverse. To his friends and acquaintances, he was Jekyll; to his enemies, Hyde. However, Simon believed the comparison to cease beyond mere appearances. The notion of trivially dividing all things between good and evil was an outdated philosophy, and to even label actions as 'good' or 'bad' was an poor practice. This was the next lesson Annalise would do well to learn.

At the door to the break room, he suddenly spun around and stared intently into her eyes, blocking the door to the break room. His mouth cocked into a genuine smirk.

"By some standards, you are correct, Miss Annalise. Unfortunately, in others, you have room for improvement. If you want to display power, if you want to control every room and situation from the moment you enter it, then you should start by forgetting remorse and hurt feelings. While I know this may be an unpalatable prospect for you, you must understand that few people, if any, wield power through empathy. With this approach comes confidence, as you work for your own interests and the interests of your company rather than in service of your competitors. As with all things, absolute confidence in your every action is key. Don't cripple yourself by letting narrow-minded ideas of the morality restrain you at key moments, because if you're too nice. Your competitors won't be."

He stood there for a few seconds longer, letting his lesson sit for a moment, unsure of her response. After a few moments, he stepped aside from the break room door and glanced at his watch,

"You have twenty eight minutes."
 
Annalise was fully expecting Simon to simply leave her side and allow her to decompress for a bit before they resumed work, but that didn't happen. In fact, not only did he linger, but he purposefully blocked her entrance into the break room putting her uncomfortably close to him. Suddenly she was very aware of the height difference between them and just how he managed to cow the men simply by staring at them. His eyes were intense and piercing, delving all the way down to her soul; it was both thrilling and terrifying to be ensnared by his gaze.

The smirk just made the action worse because it spoke of him finding some kind of amusement in blocking her path, in diverting her attention so it was solely on him for that moment. To her surprise, he conceded to some of the points she had made, but pointed out her flaws in others, giving her a lesson in how to comport herself if she wanted to be taken seriously. The thought of forgetting about remorse or hurt feelings was a startling one and presented what she presumed to be an insurmountable obstacle. Annalise was a compassionate person who always considered the needs of others above her own so to adopt such a philosophy would be the exact opposite of the person she had developed into.

He went silent and stood there for what felt like an eternity as she frantically tried to summon a response to her brain, but nothing came. He had caught her completely off guard with the speech and the harsh lesson so she was a bit of a deer caught in headlights. He was expecting her to say something, though, so she nodded and managed to eek out a simple reply.

"Yes, sir."

She should have said more, something poignant and witty, but she was still so taken aback by both the lesson he'd doled out and the intense meeting that she had been intending to decompress from.
 
As soon as Annalise replied, Simon turned on his heel and headed to his office. Coffee in the break rooms was never any activity he indulged in, and he preferred to spend his breaks in solitude, mulling over whatever had recently transpired, and browsing his emails or the news.
Upon entering his office, he glanced casually at the framed newspaper on the wall, a New York Times dated June 29, 1914 before turning his attention to his desk and computer. After sitting down, he glanced quickly at the door before checking his desk drawers, a peculiar habit he'd taken to repeating whenever he sat down at his desk. As he pulled his hand along the edge of each of the three drawers, he carefully noted the three small pieces of paper wedged between the drawer and the desk. Simon knew it was paranoid of him to even put them there in the first place, but the thought of anyone rifling through his things while he was out of the office was a deeply concerning one. As a result, he'd placed the papers there to indicate if anyone had opened any of his drawers in his absence.
As far as he could tell, he was a far cry from his new assistant, who seemed to be a trusting and sensitive person so far. Simon struggled to remember a time when he exhibited those qualities in a similar a fashion, but quickly drowned the inquiry. It was of no use to him to dwell on past choices. The important thing was who he was now, wasn't it?

Simon turned on some classical music, and spent half his break going over his emails. The other half was spent flipping absentmindedly through one of the books on his shelf. When three minutes remained until their break was scheduled to conclude, he closed his book and departed his office. He'd be returning with Annalise shortly to go over some contracts and upcoming events, as well as administer another lesson should the need arise.
He arrived at the break room thirty seconds early, and entered.

"Annalise, now that you've had a chance to unwind, we have some meetings to schedule. Please come with me, there's work to be done."
 
Annalise stood in the doorway to the break room just watching Simon's retreating form for a second, too stunned to move. It was only her first day and she already felt drained from the mental loops this man was making her jump through. It was incredibly difficult to read him and that left her anxious every time she gave the man a reply. Was he pleased with her? Had she passed whatever subtle tests he seemed to be giving her?

There was something else there too, a hint of it in his eyes that Annalise couldn't quite decipher. It was common sense that he would be judging her worthiness as a candidate for the job during her probationary period, but this was something deeper and, in a way, it made her feel exposed to Simon. He wasn't just looking at her when he stared... He was looking through her, trying to find some inner aspect of herself that maybe even she wasn't aware of. Her thoughts swirled back to the talk of Machiavelli as she finally composed herself to step away from the doorway and walk into the break room.

As she was grabbing the coffee pot she thought about what Simon had said, about turning off her empathy if she wanted to advance in this world. Could she be that heartless? The men in the conference room looked like they had lost their souls...Broken down to their cores and she was supposed to just ignore that when it came her turn to deliver the blow? It was easier for him because it was just part of his nature, to calculate everything and eliminate the variable that kept him from success, but she was too compassionate for that. It would tug painfully at her heartstrings to see someone cry or see the dejected expressions the men had when they left the meeting.

After pouring two creamers and shaking two splenda into her coffee, she stirred it and walked back to the middle of the room where the chairs were. Idly, she sipped at the coffee letting her mind wander, analyzing everything that had happened since this morning. She was so lost in thought, in fact, that she jumped when Simon's smooth baritone sounded from the doorway. "Yes, of course sir," she said quickly before rising from the chair and walking toward the entrance to follow him.
 
Simon led her across the floor and towards the opposite end of the building. It would be a longer walk than that from the conference room to the break room made earlier, and he was content to walk most of it in relative silence. Annalise had seemed a little spacey when he picked her up from the break room, and Simon was unsure whether to take it as a sign of deeper thought or of idleness. When he'd initially glanced into the conference room, she had simply been sitting staring off into space, not doing much of anything. He hoped that she hadn't spent the last twenty-eight minutes completely idle, as that would imply nearly half an hour of wasted time, time better spent doing most anything else.

Not wanting to sound too annoyed at the possibility, he made it most of the walk without speaking. Finally though, he figured he should probably address their next activity.

"For the next hour and a half, we'll be setting up some meetings and getting some contracts in order. There unfortunately won't be much to teach you while we take care of it, it's just a fair bit of necessary busy-work. For every triumph like the one earlier this morning, there's often half a dozen hours of paperwork and scheduling needed to make everything go smoothly. Most of the contracts we write up for these events are standard template, built by the cogs down in the legal department. For the most part, they're ironclad, and you'll quickly get used to how they're designed, and how we conduct business here."

He paused for a moment. He'd given identical speeches in similar circumstances several times at this point, but never made it sound like a rehearsed standard procedure. His goal was typically to put a new hire in a position where they already envisioned themselves as an important part of the company. They did honest work in this state, which often made them all the more surprised when they were informed they weren't up to the task. Hopefully, Annalise would be different; Simon was getting tired of searching. He decided to have his concern answered.

"How did you spend your break, Annalise?"
 
Simon was a man who liked order, despised idleness, and definitely wouldn't tolerate any signs of her being unintelligent - hence why she was worried about his stoic silence that accompanied his escort from the break room. She had been staring into her coffee, stirring it with the little wooden stick when she heard his voice from the doorway so, for all he knew, she was just daydreaming. That wasn't the case, though! Her mind raced to try and come up with something that would bring the man back over to her side, but a little, nagging voice in the recesses warned her against saying anything. She could just be reading too much into it, making a mountain out of a molehill.

The silence was deafening and oppressive making her heartbeat sound loud in the throes of it, and when he finally spoke she had to resist the urge not to thank him profusely for breaking the tension.

Since he was going over the specifics for the next things on the list she remained silent, nodding when appropriate. He was so direct… It was imposing to be in the vicinity of someone who spoke succinctly. Was he like that romantically too? The heat immediately flushed to her cheeks at the thought and she looked away, concentrating on bringing her pallor back to normal before facing forward again. So he didn't get suspicious, she coughed when turning and cleared her throat on the return. "Excuse me," she offered softly so as not to interrupt him and fell silent again. His speech was a standard one and one she was grateful to get since it gave her a little more insight into what would be expected of her.

When he paused she felt much more at ease and content to walk in silence for however long a period it took for him to choose another topic of conversation, the topic of how she spent her break certainly not the one she had been expecting. Was he allowed to ask that? Again her mind was racing, struggling to come up with something that would be pleasing to him, but everything sounded like an excuse. It wasn't, but to him it would… Was he testing her honesty? Was he seeing if she was just some vapid girl who wanted the job with the handsome boss?

"I…was thinking about what you said, actually." She looked up at him, giving him a nervous smile before she continued. "About closing off my empathy to survive in this world, to be more assertive and not be swayed by a misty eye or a sob story. All my life I've been a doormat for people, someone who always wants to make the other person happy, often at the sacrifice of what I want, and I need to change that, I want to change that. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to be your ideal candidate."
 
Simon did his best not to break stride and fought the urge to look behind him at her. For all his skills in reading people and interpreting their thoughts, sincerity, and intent, he couldn't gauge Annalise's level of honesty in her reply. As far as he could tell, she at least partially meant what she was saying, but there was some additional intent behind her being here that she wasn't telling him. As it stood though, she'd improved in her delivery, and the answer was sufficient enough not to warrant further pointed inquiry on Simon's part.

He had, however, noticed the clearly fake cough behind him during his explanation of their next activity. As he hadn't been looking back at the time, he could only guess as to her intent. Was she sending a signal to a coworker with a covert cough? Was she actually a plant by his rivals meant to undermine him? No. She was obviously just covering for something embarrassing she'd done while he hadn't been looking. Since that was the case, it shouldn't matter then. Right?

Before he could think much more on it, they arrived at his office. It snapped him out of his thoughts, and he unlocked his office door, the only one locked on the entire floor.

"Glad you're taking the initiative, Annalise. It's taken quite a bit of effort and luck to get where I am, and if you plan on making it in this world, you'll have to put in just as much if not more effort, and just as much if not more luck. You've made a small amount of progress even in the short few hours you've been here, but you still have a long way to go."

He pushed open the door and walked into the office, again glancing over the framed newspaper before taking his seat behind his desk.

"We're just getting started, Annalise."
 
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