His new junior stood before him, not a thing like he'd expected. The man was short - probably the shortest in the office, even taking into account Grell's ridiculous heels - and seemed very shy for one who was expected to bring death on a daily basis. He also wasn't wearing the customary black tie, but a silver bolo in the shape of a skull. Bit of an oddity, Eric thought.
For the first time since he'd stepped into the Scotsman's office, the brunette met his eye, clearing his throat. "My name is Alan Humphries, sir," he said quietly, looking unsure. By his attitude, Eric clearly wasn't quite what this boy had been expecting either. Nearly shoulder length blonde hair pulled into black cornrows on one side and blatant disregard for the office's uniform policy certainly didn't look professional; professionalism wasn't Eric's cup of tea anyway. He preferred something a bit stronger.
"Eric Slingby, but just Eric'll do," the blonde replied, grinning and winking rather than the usual handshake of greeting. He did the petite brunette - who was uncomfortably shifting from foot to foot - the courtesy of toning down his Scottish accent, which could be hard to understand if one wasn't used to it. Eric continued, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "And if you'd like, we could skip out early and I'll introduce y'to everyone else. I know what it's like bein' the newest one here. Although," he added with a chuckle, "I've never had the experience of bein' the shortest."
To his surprise, Alan's brow furrowed. "I think," he started, tone disapproving but not insubordinate, "I'd prefer to carry out my first day according to the rules of the office. And please don't call me short, Senior." With that, he circled around the desk that had been prepared for him and sat primly in the chair, immediately pulling out an agenda and writing down their tasks for the day.
Eric, once he'd stopped being dumbstruck, let out a snort of laughter. This promised to be an interesting partnership indeed.