Wow, I'm actually back on this story! O.o Sorry for the delay but I was having fun with a new fic of mine called "My Valentine Wonderland" that contains oneshots of everyone spending Valentines day in the POV of Alice, please check it out if you like :)
Ok, enough with the shameless advertising! XD I actually wrote this out a long time ago but I hadn't got the chance to finish it and actually it's still not finished :( So this chapter might seem less interesting but I can assure you the next will be when Gray makes his first move fufufu~! ^^ Nevertheless, I hope you can enjoy this for the time being :) Again, I stress that I have very little info on Gray so if you think he's OOC, DO REVIEW and I'll try my best to change XD
Disclaimer: I do not own anything H/C/JnKnA except for my stories... this sounds contradicting, I know -_-"'
PS: I know I said there will be gifts here but that plot has been postponed till later.
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Chapter 3: Assistance
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The crisp sound of paper flipping could be heard in the personal office of Nightmare Gottschalk, with the more than occasional interruption of the certain one-eyed incubus deeply yawning.
"Section 2.8, paragraph 14." The silver-haired boredly pointed out while resting his chin on his palm as he scrutinized the content of the document in his hand. "That statement there is unnecessary as it has already been seen to. Also, move Section 8.4 to 8.9 instead and have the staff check on the accounts in Annex 6. It seems that the numbers don't quite add up there."
"Will do." His assistant's deep, bass voice replied, his ember-eyed attention fully concentrating on the notes he had scribbled on his clipboard with a neat cursive handwriting. "I will look into the annex myself, Nightmare-sama. I believe the accounts department has not been notified in time of the recent purchases we had made."
Nightmare straightened his posture and turned to the respective page and portion, reaffirming the source of the mistake. "Yes, quite right. Do as you see fit then, Gray. And please tell me that's the last of it for today." He beseech the navy-haired youth with a weary frown, causing Gray to look at him with an exasperated smile. A whining child, a lazy employer or a dangerously cunning dream demon, one never quite knows who you're dealing with exactly when working with the Dream Master, all except for his right-hand man.
"Well…" Gray Ringmarc cautiously replied, noting from the back of his head the amount of remaining workload sitting on his own desk that was waiting for Nightmare's perusal. He justified while his boss handed him back the previewed paperwork, "It is just the beginning of the day my lord, there's still..."
"Oh be a saint, Gray!" The older Role-holder groaned begrudgingly and slump his drained body over his table in a melted and boneless sort of way that had Gray sighing in resignation. Here we go again…
"Fine." Gray conceded as he palmed his face. He should have expected that dramatic flair of his when it came to work. "You should be able to take a short break while I sort the mistakes out."
Instantly, Nightmare's face lit up with joy as he raised his spiritless self from his desk. "See! You are a good man after all!"
"That wasn't the kind of praise I was look for." Gray retorted with a deadpanned face in return. He then gathered the consented materials and walked to the door. "I'll be back in 30 minutes. Please make sure you are awake by then."
"Hu-wha? Yeah, yeah." The one-eyed man closed his mouth in mid-yawn and languidly waved him off as he went back to resting his chin on his other propped-up palm. "Go on Gray, take your time."
Not a chance. The lizard man only shook his head with a knowing smile. Any more than the given period and they would be wasting time trying to restart the cycle of getting his boss on the working track again. Nightmare pouted and clicked his tongue at his subordinate's thoughts as Gray exited, briskly making his way to his own private office.
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"What do you think we should do now, Gray-sama?"
An anxious faceless asked, standing before him as he examined the typed words printed on the letter he had received. He then turned his eyes to the large and ornately decorated clock on the foyer's wall and the furrows between his brows increased just a little as he let out a soft, disgruntled hiss.
"And you say this was recently delivered by the March Hare?" Gray asked calmly, gesturing with the paper that was stamped with the mafia's insignia.
"Yes, he is waiting at the reception area, saying that he is willing to make negotiations on behalf of Mr. Dupre."
So the Hatter isn't here? The cobalt-haired Role-holder contemplated, looking to the side while cupping his chin thoughtfully. If the Mafioso had made the trip personally, it would have meant that this would require his lord's attention. However, sending the second-in-command not only made things easier but it also meant that he should be able to clear this problem on his own first as practiced in previous negotiations.
"Gray-sama! These are the contracts and reports you have requested. Should I change them?" A female office-worker called out as she ran to him before passing the files she had formally with two hands.
"There's no need for that yet." He curtly replied, looking around at the busy headquarters. The prior corrections had been made and reprinted, the documents meticulously filed away and the new instructions were issued to the faceless. But this sudden notification that Blood Dupre had retracted a certain agreement plan due to seeing no benefits to the Mafia and demanding readjustments have stirred the office quite a bit and it might even mean a second round of reviews and edits to the paperwork, something Gray was determined to prevent.
This will be time consuming… Nightmare-sama will be happy to know he's going to have some extra time off... he sighed to himself before turning to his subordinate and pulling back his shoulders.
"Have Nightmare-sama informed of my meeting with the hare. I will settle this so wait for my orders."
"Right away, Sir." Both faceless nodded solemnly. As they walked off, Gray watch them pause midway in the wide hall to greet another familiar visitor, their vexed frowns immediately replaced with warm smiles before continuing on their way.
"Alice?" Gray's yellow eyes widened when the fair-headed girl answered with a smile of her own as her feet lead her towards him.
Again, the lizard inwardly realized how much more he, himself, was smiling whenever she's within his sight.
"I didn't know you were coming, how can I help you?" He asked with his voice sounding a little rougher then he would have liked, and hoping that he didn't look too idiotic as he stood there gazing at her as she came to him.
"I was just dropping by from visiting Boris, but it seems like you're buried in work." Alice grinned with a tilt of her head and a raised eyebrow, watching him gather his plentiful materials under the crook of one arm while faceless office workers scuttled about in an oddly hurried manner. Deep blue-green eyes then met his ember ones, questioning with curiosity and worry, "I actually met Elliot at the lobby, is there something wrong?"
She's pretty sharp… Gray noted with interest. But the Foreigner shouldn't concern herself too much with messy territorial issues... He then raised a hand to affectionately pat the top of her little head as he explained, "It's just a minor last minute thing that I had to take care of. Unfortunately, Nightmare-sama's schedule will be behind time now."
Feeling assured, Alice heaved a little sigh of relief. Knowing that the mafia sometimes didn't play fair, she would have hated it if a fight ever broke out here. But it does seem very hectic today… she pondered as she adjusted her bow in place and combed her fingers briefly through her fringes. "Is there any way I can help with Nightmare while you're away then?"
"No," The man replied appreciatively with a shake of his head. "It's quite alrig-"
"Excuse me Gray-sama," A faceless broke into the conversation, looking apologetic. "These works needs Nightmare sama's approval-"
"Sorry for the intrusion Miss Alice." Another approached, bowing with a handful of brown files. "What should I do with the unconfirmed reports Sir-"
"Gray-sama, what about section 4 of-"
"My apologies Gray-sama, can I confirm with you the quantity-"
"Sir, is Nightmare-sama done with the earlier-"
"Pardon me Mr Ringmarc, should the R&D be notified on the latest changes-"
"These are the findings you asked for Sir, but we've detected multiple errors-"
"Gray-sama, Mr March is getting impatient-"
"Mr Ringmarc, we need your clearance in the matter of-"
Alice continued to watch, both in horror and in awe as the group kept pilling around the said person in-charge when suddenly…
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"Enough."
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A clear, timbre voice was heard above the rowdy cand panicky rowd; a single, distinct and sharp command that silenced everyone effectively. Gray stood in the midst of all, still looking very composed and unaffected; his body language showing no hints of being peeved yet Alice noticed that his narrowed, molten orbs lucidly said it all and thankfully his employees understood as well as they backed away fearfully.
"I will deal with each problem one at a time but currently I have an urgent meeting to attend and I am sure as selected employees of Clover Tower, you guys are capable of handling it yourselves first for the time being… am I right?" Gray regarded them coolly though his carefully chosen words held a touch of threat that had the crowd nodding enthusiastically in agreement.
Wow… it's not exactly a motivational prep talk but it works! Alice mused as she observed, feeling proud of his professional and intelligent conduct. It made him so much more mature then she could ever dream of being and every time he's at work, she could never seem to take her eyes off him...
Hmmm… I wonder… she tapped a finger to her lips eagerly. "My offer still stands you know." Alice said as she regarded him with a mischievous quirk to her curved lips and linking her fingers behind her back, trying to be as charming as she possibly could in her entire not-so-charming life to persuade him.
Instantly, Gray frowned in disapproval, "I know you're up for it, Alice. But I can't possibly ask Nightmare-sama's guest to-"
"Gray, I'm not just a guest, I'm a friend! And friends give and take help when needed." The girl with the black bow chided back firmly and exasperatedly. You've got to hand it to him for his stringent work ethics though. It's almost on par with Julius… Alice silently pondered. But she was aware that while the Clockmaster was a one-man show working for no one in particular, the ex-assassin worked for the incubus and was used to a business-like hierarchy and its formalities. Putting her hands on her hips, she eyed the man in the ash-colored coat seriously, "Stop taking too much on your own! Trust me Gray, you're spreading yourself way too thin today. I can handle the jobs if you give me clear instructions."
Gray cringed back at her reprimanding tone, her eyes boring into him with such strong and unwavering resolve that was surprisingly...dominating, if he might add... that it actually succeeded in making him feel like a young and naïve boy instead of a man, just like when he had first met Nightmare. And that small and angry pout of hers always manage to soften him up because it was always amusing to see a girl brave enough to stand up to someone as dangerous as him.
But I haven't lost my touch have I? I'm getting easily trampled on these days… Gray frowned even more, all the while praying that he wasn't the only one who has lost to the girl in terms of wits because she definitely had one of steel! It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but sharing this burden which he called 'work' with someone else other than Nightmare was something he was not used to. Considering hard, he ran a hand frustratedly through his dark azure hair while he paused to look at the big clock on the wall again. Watching the seconds ticked away as the hands moved on its face, the gears in his mind rushed to construct the best solution with the least work but the most output.
So this is what Nightmare-sama meant when he said she was stubborn…
Seeing their superior sigh in defeat, the faceless around the Role-holder smiled slyly and nodded to themselves before dispersing quietly to resume their work.
"Alright, this is Nightmare-sama's schedule for the day." Reluctantly, Gray handed the very excited-looking Foreigner a printed planner and passing to her bits and pieces of the load in his arm. "Here are the reports that he will need to look through. Make sure he signs them or if there are any readjustments, please take them down and pass it to the secretarial section. After that, deliver these documents to the respective departments and place the rest in the folder on my table. Direct any questions from the staff to their head-of-departments and ask them to compile everything and get back to me later or to Nightmare-sama, only if it is absolutely urgent. If Nightmare-sama starts saying that he's too tired, have the maids bring in the afternoon refreshments with black tea. It will have enough caffeine to keep him alert. If that is not enough then I suggest accompanying him on a short walk but don't let him talk you into going as far as into town because he'll find excuses to stay there. Oh, and you might want to wake him up when you see him."
By the time he was finished with his speech, Alice just blinked blankly at him with an opened and hanging mouth.
What? What was it something I said? Maybe that was too much… He asked himself, tilting his head at her, worried and perplexed.
"…Wow." It was all she could say when Alice finally got her voice back. She carefully juggled the things in her arms, still feeling dumbstruck. "What are you, his nanny?"
"So I've been told." Gray looked away depressingly as he dully replied, making her stifle a laugh. "And remember, you will only have to report to either Nightmare-sama or me and no one else. Did you get all that, Alice?"
"Yep, you can count on me!" She beamed back up at him and already, he could feel the stress bearing down on his stiff shoulders become lighter.
"Good. I'll leave Nightmare-sama in your care then." He concluded as he walked away, waving back with a smile before looking forward. Seems like I have a bit more time to deal with this problem as I please now… Gray grimly thought as his nimble hand tugged at the knot of his black tie whilst he cracked his neck to the side, his sharp golden eyes stared deadly in front.
Time, time, time… it was ironic how Wonderland had no sense of time, yet everything here seems to stem from it. If the Hatter Mafia was deliberately looking for trouble then by all means, he was going to serve them the same medicine back.
No matter. His eyes gleamed promisingly as he strode on. I'll end this quickly so wait for me… Alice…
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Watching his broad back diminish as the lizard-man left, Alice finally let out a nervous huff, relaxing her shoulders before talking in a deep and calming breath to sooth her now jumpy nerves. She loved the publishing industry but needless to say, she had never tried her hand in working for a company before, let alone something as corporate and big as Clover Tower! Maybe I should have told him that in the first place… Alice hesitantly pondered, certainly felting more confident when she had first suggested the idea. To screw up big time now would be-
No, how can I mess this up after all that drama I pulled! And I seldom get to do things for him too... She shook her head vigorously to convince herself at this rare opportunity, her honeyed locks flying from side to side. Get it together Alice, Gray needs you now… She gave her warm cheeks a hard but encouraging pat, wincing a little at the stinging but awakening sensation. Balancing her stuff securely in her arms and her heart pounding loudly in her ears, Alice then made her way to the quietly snoozing office of the Dream Demon.
I'm sure I can do this... I mean, how hard can it be... right?
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I know, this is considered pretty short for me OTL There was more, really, but I didn't have the time to write it all out T.T The chapter is pretty dry so forgive me but I'll try to spice it up in the next! "'OTL And again, DO REVIEW if you got any constructive critic for the story and my writing and I'll try to improve them accordingly :) Hope you'll stay tuned!
Next Chapter Sneak Preview: It's not much of a cliffhanger but we'll see if Alice managed to handle Nightmare or not and how she did it! And it seems like Nightmare is intent on playing match-making XD Plus, Gray will make his first confession (or of that sort OTL), how will Alice take it? Will he be able to make her stay in Clover Tower this time? All these and more in the next chapter ^^
