Candid Candidate
Clarus whistled a little tune as he made his way to the Marshal's office. It was nearly seven in the evening, but he knew the man was there. He knocked in his usual peppy manner that he knew annoyed Cor, and entered before a reply could be given. Cor laid the papers he was holding down on the desk in front of him and leaned back in his chair.
"Evening, Clarus," He greeted, "you seem excited."
"I am, indeed!" He flashed a smirk in Cor's direction before dropping three small files in front of him.
"What's this?"
"The three best candidates for you to consider as your new assistant."
Cor rolled his eyes at him and silently cursed himself for agreeing to this nonsense, before picking the folders up to inspect.
Clarus sat down in front of him, curious as to what his response would be to the resumes he had picked. He had already done a preliminary interview with the three ladies, as well as with others. It was up to Cor now to perform a final interview and make his choice. When the Marshal was done reading, he looked up at his friend and sighed before speaking.
"I'll schedule the interviews tonight. Hopefully, I can get them all done in one day."
"That's the spirit," Clarus winked and left the younger man to his thoughts.
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Evie had almost finished unpacking. Moving in and organizing all of her stuff kept her busy and distracted from her thoughts and fears of failing to find work or thrive in her new home. It had only been two weeks since her move here and she was already wondering if she had made a mistake. Making her apartment feel like a home, however, had encouraged her to keep going. It also helped that she wasn't receiving angry and threatening calls or messages from Jason since she changed her number. That definitely wasn't a mistake. She moved a few stray strands of hair from her face and opened the last box. It was mostly books and some pictures of her brother and their friends. She pulled a few out to look at and decide where to place, when she heard her phone ring from the kitchen counter. Getting to her feet, she ran to catch it. She answered it hesitantly, not recognizing the number.
"Hello?"
"I'm looking for Miss James," the voice on the other end stated, sounding both confident and bored.
"This is her," Evie replied with a similar tone.
"My name is Cor Leonis," the man explained, "you applied for an assistant job. Still interested?"
"Yes, sir!" Evie answered a bit louder and more high pitched than she meant to. Her heart was racing at the prospect of finally getting the job she needed.
"I saw that you had one interview already with one of my colleagues. Can you come in tomorrow sometime for a second interview?"
"Yes, sir! I'm free the whole day!" She cringed at herself, hoping that didn't sound too pathetic.
"Ummm great, how about 10 am? Come into the Citadel through the East entrance and a guard will lead you to my office."
"I'll be there, sir! Thank you!" Evie was doing her best not to squeal over the phone. Maybe her luck here was changing.
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Evie was early, but she didn't know the Citadel very well and didn't want any reason to be late, including getting lost. She went through the main security gate after showing her basic credentials and explaining her purpose for being there. She then made her way to the East entrance, passing by a group of Kingsglaive in training. Several of the young men seemed distracted by her presence nearby, and one of them was reprimanded for his lack of attention. She blushed slightly and moved to the doors at a faster pace, feeling awkward. She stepped inside of the massive building and approached a guard in front of some double doors in front of her. He smiled as she approached and she would be lying if she said he wasn't attractive. She cleared her throat and hoped she was wasn't blushing too noticeably.
"Excuse me," she started, trying to sound confident, "My name is Evolet James. I have an interview scheduled at 10 am with a Mr. Cor Leonis." She thought she saw some amusement in the man's handsome features, but if he wanted to laugh, he stifled it.
"I...I know I'm early," she clarified.
"Of course, ma'am," he answered, smiling bigger, "I'll escort you to a place you can wait for the Marshal. He will come and get you when he is ready."
"Thank you, sir."
"My pleasure, ma'am. No need to call me, sir, though. Just call me Nyx," He held out his arm for her to take."
"Oh, thank you, Nyx," she took his arm, now sure that she was blushing. Were all the guards here so charming?
The guard led her to small room off of a seemingly busy hallway. He gestured inside, giving her hand a slight squeeze before releasing it, and she thanked him for his assistance.
Two other women were waiting in the room and she wondered if they were also waiting for an interview. Evie couldn't help but notice that they were both in dresses that seemed awfully tight and a bit much for a job interview. They were both wearing quite a bit of makeup and had obviously spent some time on their hair. They were gorgeous. Evie started to feel underdressed and uncomfortable. Was that the kind of girl this Marshal was looking for as an assistant? Evie was definitely not like that naturally. She could get dressed up for special occasions, but she much preferred a more natural look for everyday life. She had chosen to wear a fitted yet professional pair of dark gray dress pants and blue blouse that complimented her eyes. She had opted for a more low maintenance and natural makeup and hair look for the interview. It was for an assistant position, after all.
An older man with nearly shaved white hair dressed in what seemed to be superior Crownsguard garb appeared in the door way and called for a "Jessica Lariat" to follow him. Evie recognized him as Clarus Amicita. He was the man who first interviewed her. One of the other girls stood up, pulled her dress down a bit, and walked after him.
The silence was awkward as she and the other young lady waited. Evie couldn't help but notice how the other girl eyed her condescendingly. Evie just smiled and looked away, trying to keep up her confidence by reminding herself of her own qualities. She was a smart, hardworking, and capable young woman, and she could show all of that exactly how she was. About 20 minutes passed by after the first girl went in before the man came back for "Katrina Fowler."
It felt good to be alone in the room, left with her own thoughts to prepare for when she would be called. Despite her earlier lack of confidence, she felt pretty good. They must have seen something in her to call her back, right?
"Evolet James," The man smiled genuinely at her as she rose to her feet. Evie smiled back and followed him out into the hallway towards another room. They walked in silence, but it was comfortable as the man seemed to be in cheerful mood.
"This way, my dear," he gestured her into a small office that she assumed belonged to the Marshal, who (she also assumed) was sitting behind the wooden desk in the middle of the room. She made her way to the empty chair in front of the desk and sat. The Marshal didn't look up, but appeared to be studying some papers in a folder with her initials on the side. He was rather attractive with dark hair, tanned skin, and slight facial hair. He was wearing a black t-shirt that was both casual and fitting for his position, and he had a protective, almost intimidating feel about him. She thought he must be in his late thirties or early forties as evidenced by a few lines around his eyes, but he was in excellent shape. His arms and the outline of his chest through his black shirt told her that. Clarus had walked over to a chair in the corner behind him and sat smiling. He gave Evie an encouraging wink and she smiled shyly, unsure of what was coming her way next. This was by far one of the strangest interviews she had been to, yet. It all felt so official and serious. She supposed that it was because the other jobs she had interviewed for were more casual anyway.
"You must be Miss James," the supposed Marshal spoke at last, though still not looking up.
"Yes, sir, I am," she replied confidently. She knew how to answer one question at least. The man finally put his papers down to look her over. She didn't feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny, but she did wonder what he could be looking for. Was he wondering why she hadn't tried as hard on her appearance as the other two? Was this interview one big staring contest? Why are his eyes so gorgeous? Wait, what? She did her best not to blush at her own sudden attraction to the older man.
"Miss James," he started, interrupting her thoughts, much to her delight, "Why do you want this position?" Wow, he got to the point quick, she thought.
"Honestly, sir, I just moved back to Insomnia from Lestallum. This position seemingly involves many of the same responsibilities as I had starting at my last job."
"I see here you worked at the power plant there for quite awhile," he said, sounding curious, "and you were in management there at the time you left. Why leave after working so hard to gain such a position?"
"I'd always wanted to live here in Insomnia, as it is my birthplace," she replied, not wanting to reveal the whole truth about her recent circumstances to these strangers, "I decided a new scene would be nice and that it was now or never."
The Marshal studied her quietly for a moment after she spoke, then seemed to look down at the papers in front of him again. He continued to ask her questions, many of them were simply to elaborate answers she had given in the first interview. She couldn't help but sense some boredom and annoyance from him at having to do all of this. He sighed near the end and asked if she had any questions for him.
"Just one, sir," she began, and he looked up suddenly curious. She supposed the other two hadn't asked anything of him. "What exactly made you decide to hire an assistant?" She watched him raise a brow at her. He obviously wasn't expecting that.
"I apparently need help with every day jobs around here," he answered give a sharp look to the side at the man in the corner who looked as if he were stifling a laugh.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry for any intrusion, you just seem annoyed to be doing this," Evie wasn't sure if she should have even mentioned that. 'Great,' she thought, 'I may have just disrespected an upper level guard and lost any chance at this job.' She was mentally face palming herself.
She heard a snicker from the corner, but the Marshal just stared at her as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle of sorts.
"Forgive me if I gave such an impression," he finally spoke, "It has been a busy day." She wondered if he knew it was not even noon yet, but decided to keep her thoughts to herself.
"Well, if you do need an assistant, I am willing to help wherever I can and learn what I cannot," she stated, standing to her feet with her hand extended. The man stood with a stern expression still on his face and took her hand firmly.
"Thank you, Miss James for coming in," he offered, "We'll be in touch."
Evie nodded and allowed Clarus Amicita to lead her to the doors exiting the Citadel. Before she could grasp the handle, the door swung open revealing a young dark haired man who was obviously a part of the Crownsguard. He wore a black tank top with the Crownsguard insignia and it showed off bulging muscles as well one large tattoo that extended over his back and shoulder.
"Gladiolus!" The older man with her said, obviously happy to see him.
"Good to see you, sir," the dark haired man chuckled. He looked down at Evie and flashed a flirty grin.
"Ah, this is Miss Evolet James, one of the candidates in line to be Cor's assistant. Miss James, this is my son, Gladiolus." Evie shook his large hand and smiled shyly.
"Ohhhh," Gladiolus replied, laughing and winking at her. "Well, I hope it goes well for you, Miss James."
"Just Evie is fine, honestly."
"Nice to meet you then, Evie. I hope we get to see more of you around here."
"As do I," she replied curtly, then turned to his father to thank him before leaving them.
