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Chapter 6
"And here's your office. Mr. Kaitou's is past that door."
Rei cautiously pushed it open. One wall was decorated with various degrees and honors in uniform black frames. Another held a large bookcase filled with classical literature from all over the world. A copy of Machiavelli, another of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, a translation of Cicero....even religious books. The bookcase held the Qu'ran, the Christian Bible, and even the archaic Apocrypha of Christian history. "Typical male office."
Dana laughed, "What exactly does that mean?"
"Well, we have the obligatory 'I love me' wall and the pseudo intellectual book collection."
Dana's expression suddenly turned serious, "I'll excuse that comment because you've just come from college."
"What?"
She closed her eyes, "The 'I love me' wall is fairly egotistical, I admit, but aside from that, I would not be surprised if our esteemed employer had read every one of those books on his shelf, most several times or more. He's not a pseudo intellectual, despite his love for business. They aren't all uncouth barbarians like they teach you in university. I remember it well, because I was there once. Take him up for a conversation on Kant or Locke sometime. Ryan might surprise you."
Rei smiled slyly, "Oh. So...now that I'm...part of the family, so to speak....I have a question." "Shoot."
"How long have you and the boss been dating?"
Dana coughed and blushed, "Where did you get a damn fool idea like that?"
Innocently, "You two go at it every day. I once knew this girl who fought with a guy every day for an entire year. They're currently engaged. Plus, you refer to him as 'Ryan.' Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't that somewhat abnormal in business?"
"Ryan and I could never aspire to be more than best friends. He's smart, funny, and very sexy when he wants to be, but our special bond is something I don;t want to endanger with a relationship that may or may not work. Besides, we've known each other too long."
"How long is that?"
"Long enough to be the best of friends, while remaining the worst of enemies."
"So he's available?" Rei asked jokingly.
Dana admonished her with a mock solemn glare, "Young lady, you just got this job. Wait at least until you get pension benefits before you go after the boss."
Rei laughed merrily, "Don't worry, I don;t even know the man. Besides, you said that he would be spending inordinate amounts of time in America, ne?"
"Unfortunately. But travel is part of the job. Anyways, onto job responsibilities. You know the basics; routing memos to him, typing up reports, dictations, and making sure that he doesn't do anything exceedingly stupid like forget to eat."
"He does that?"
"He's a bit fanatical. I once caught him working for forty five hours straight, fueled by caffeine and sugar. When it comes to things like that, you need to send him home to sleep. Mother him a bit. He needs it sometimes."
"And the other times?"
"He'll be the best big brother you ever had. Ryan's also a pretty good stand in date for parties."
"Personal experience?"
"Some. Anyway, just get to know him. He's a good person."
California is beautiful in the spring time. The winter rains had just ended and the hills were flush with greenery. Summer would be along soon, to turn them into dull yellow, but until then the area seemed awash with life. The talks had gone very well. My workers were not unionized and were more than happy with my promises of raises. With the rapid growth the company faced, I promised an 8 percent pay hike through January of the following year.
Lunch had also gone well, and I had already selected my candidate for the position of Chief Operating Officer. Chalmers had the skills, knowledge, and experience to tackle the job effectively. My only concern was how the other vice presidents would take the news and I resolved to examine each of senior management to see how might I best fulfill my requirements.
Regardless, I headed home for my own car. I had a bit to think about, and driving was one of my true loves. A short time in Germany and an international driving permit had gotten me a one time chance to drive on the legendary Autobahn. After that, I was enamored with driving my porshe as fast and furiously as I could.
Unfortunately, the residential area where I made my home had a maximum speed limit under forty miles per hour.
I sighed and then put the key away. There would be a time for driving later. Now, even as it was just getting dark, I felt like a walk instead. I grabbed a flashlight and left the house.
The air smelled of wet dirt and there were puddles scattered around. A rain storm had passed through only the day before and I felt the earth sink beneath my weight. For a moment, I stood and looked at my home from the edge of the treeline. It was not the usual bachelor pad. Built for a family of four, I had chosen the home because of the property it lay on.
The area around my California home was a nice wooded area, sufficiently separating myself from my neighbors. It provided me with a nice degree of privacy, but not too much separation from the outside world. Unfortunately, local teenagers knew of the spot as well, and I spent much time chasing them off my land. I had even broken up an attempted rape once. I smiled grimly, 'That bastard couldn't walk for three months'
The gentle depression I had suppressed for so long was creeping back into my life. The move to Japan and the hectic weeks after my promotion had kept me too busy to pity myself. But back in the solitude of my home, I realized how empty my life was. Some pictures of myself and Dana on the walls, but nothing to make the house a home.
I stared up at the sky, wondering where Nephrite was at that moment. He probably would have told me to get a girlfriend. I grinned slightly as memories of him, my best friend, surged up to the front of my memory. I remembered him as he was, noble and intelligent, yet every bit the lady killer the rumors said he was. I missed him terribly.
At a time like this, I needed his stupid jokes, his flashy smile, and degrading humor. Endymion's four defenders, like the senshi, were deeply engrained with loyalty to their prince, sharing unbreakable bonds of friendship. And now, they were dead.
I suppose I should have been angry at the senshi for what they did to my friends. Yet I could not condone the evil that they had succumbed to. 'Damn knotty philosophical questions. I should have better ways to spend my time'
And indeed I did. My phone trilled insistently and I opened it up, "Hello?"
"Mr. Kaitou, it is Ms. Hino, your secretary."
I smiled, "Ah, Miss Hino, what can I do for you?"
She giggled slightly over the phone, "Nothing, I actually just wanted to see if I could actually reach you at this number."
I laughed out loud, "Yes, Miss Hino, you can reach me at any time at this phone number. I carry it everywhere, but I caution you. This is for business only."
"Of course sir. Anyway, I called to confirm your schedule when you get back."
"Certainly."
"According to your calender, you've got three things on the agenda. First is your speech to the employees on Friday."
"That is already worked out, and thank you for reminding me."
"Second is the examination of the sales force."
"Send that to Jerry, the Vice President of Sales. It's his job, not mine. I don;t know anything about that."
"Yes sir. And finally you have the party for opening night. I believe it is scheduled for this Saturday."
"I almost forgot about that. You will be attending of course?"
She stammered for a moment, "Me, uh sir?"
"I should expect it. You have recieved an official invitation, yes? In fact, you may want to bring a date and even some friends. It'll be terribly boring with a bunch of us old geezers standing around and reminiscing about the old days."
I could feel her smile, "I don't think you're that old sir. You can't be more than thirty."
"And yet my bones are ready to crumble on me. Invite some friends anyway. I think they'd enjoy it."
"I'll definitely ask."
"Great. Bye."
Rei stared at the phone with some surprise. She had set out to establish her position with the man, and instead had been politely disarmed by his insistent niceness. And over the phone nonetheless.
She replaced the phone and reaquainted herself with the office quickly, before tackling a stack of paperwork that appeared magically over the past two hours. She quickly read the cover pages and summaries to a few reports. Ceremoniously, she sorted them into stacks, then ripped off the summary pages and put them in the CEO's inbox. Then she proceeded to file away the reports chronologically and by department.
A call came in and she took it. No, Mr. Kaitou was not there now. No, she could not give him the phone number of where he was. Yes, she would pass on the message. Good bye.
Dana had said that she would gradually meet most of managers and executives in the company. They would pass through periodically to schedule meetings and other mundane things like that. Rei suspected that she would probably need to know most of them, if she were to anticipate the various problems that were bound to pop up in business.
Another stack of papers came in and she began to page through them. Her cellphone trilled loudly and she looked around before answering it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Rei!"
"Hey Mina-chan! What's up?"
"Well, I'm on my way to pick up Ami from the airport. She needed a ride."
"I won't be off at work until late and I've got some things to do. I don't think I'll be able to head out with you."
"That's ok, we'll get together soon anyway."
Chapter 6
"And here's your office. Mr. Kaitou's is past that door."
Rei cautiously pushed it open. One wall was decorated with various degrees and honors in uniform black frames. Another held a large bookcase filled with classical literature from all over the world. A copy of Machiavelli, another of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, a translation of Cicero....even religious books. The bookcase held the Qu'ran, the Christian Bible, and even the archaic Apocrypha of Christian history. "Typical male office."
Dana laughed, "What exactly does that mean?"
"Well, we have the obligatory 'I love me' wall and the pseudo intellectual book collection."
Dana's expression suddenly turned serious, "I'll excuse that comment because you've just come from college."
"What?"
She closed her eyes, "The 'I love me' wall is fairly egotistical, I admit, but aside from that, I would not be surprised if our esteemed employer had read every one of those books on his shelf, most several times or more. He's not a pseudo intellectual, despite his love for business. They aren't all uncouth barbarians like they teach you in university. I remember it well, because I was there once. Take him up for a conversation on Kant or Locke sometime. Ryan might surprise you."
Rei smiled slyly, "Oh. So...now that I'm...part of the family, so to speak....I have a question." "Shoot."
"How long have you and the boss been dating?"
Dana coughed and blushed, "Where did you get a damn fool idea like that?"
Innocently, "You two go at it every day. I once knew this girl who fought with a guy every day for an entire year. They're currently engaged. Plus, you refer to him as 'Ryan.' Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't that somewhat abnormal in business?"
"Ryan and I could never aspire to be more than best friends. He's smart, funny, and very sexy when he wants to be, but our special bond is something I don;t want to endanger with a relationship that may or may not work. Besides, we've known each other too long."
"How long is that?"
"Long enough to be the best of friends, while remaining the worst of enemies."
"So he's available?" Rei asked jokingly.
Dana admonished her with a mock solemn glare, "Young lady, you just got this job. Wait at least until you get pension benefits before you go after the boss."
Rei laughed merrily, "Don't worry, I don;t even know the man. Besides, you said that he would be spending inordinate amounts of time in America, ne?"
"Unfortunately. But travel is part of the job. Anyways, onto job responsibilities. You know the basics; routing memos to him, typing up reports, dictations, and making sure that he doesn't do anything exceedingly stupid like forget to eat."
"He does that?"
"He's a bit fanatical. I once caught him working for forty five hours straight, fueled by caffeine and sugar. When it comes to things like that, you need to send him home to sleep. Mother him a bit. He needs it sometimes."
"And the other times?"
"He'll be the best big brother you ever had. Ryan's also a pretty good stand in date for parties."
"Personal experience?"
"Some. Anyway, just get to know him. He's a good person."
California is beautiful in the spring time. The winter rains had just ended and the hills were flush with greenery. Summer would be along soon, to turn them into dull yellow, but until then the area seemed awash with life. The talks had gone very well. My workers were not unionized and were more than happy with my promises of raises. With the rapid growth the company faced, I promised an 8 percent pay hike through January of the following year.
Lunch had also gone well, and I had already selected my candidate for the position of Chief Operating Officer. Chalmers had the skills, knowledge, and experience to tackle the job effectively. My only concern was how the other vice presidents would take the news and I resolved to examine each of senior management to see how might I best fulfill my requirements.
Regardless, I headed home for my own car. I had a bit to think about, and driving was one of my true loves. A short time in Germany and an international driving permit had gotten me a one time chance to drive on the legendary Autobahn. After that, I was enamored with driving my porshe as fast and furiously as I could.
Unfortunately, the residential area where I made my home had a maximum speed limit under forty miles per hour.
I sighed and then put the key away. There would be a time for driving later. Now, even as it was just getting dark, I felt like a walk instead. I grabbed a flashlight and left the house.
The air smelled of wet dirt and there were puddles scattered around. A rain storm had passed through only the day before and I felt the earth sink beneath my weight. For a moment, I stood and looked at my home from the edge of the treeline. It was not the usual bachelor pad. Built for a family of four, I had chosen the home because of the property it lay on.
The area around my California home was a nice wooded area, sufficiently separating myself from my neighbors. It provided me with a nice degree of privacy, but not too much separation from the outside world. Unfortunately, local teenagers knew of the spot as well, and I spent much time chasing them off my land. I had even broken up an attempted rape once. I smiled grimly, 'That bastard couldn't walk for three months'
The gentle depression I had suppressed for so long was creeping back into my life. The move to Japan and the hectic weeks after my promotion had kept me too busy to pity myself. But back in the solitude of my home, I realized how empty my life was. Some pictures of myself and Dana on the walls, but nothing to make the house a home.
I stared up at the sky, wondering where Nephrite was at that moment. He probably would have told me to get a girlfriend. I grinned slightly as memories of him, my best friend, surged up to the front of my memory. I remembered him as he was, noble and intelligent, yet every bit the lady killer the rumors said he was. I missed him terribly.
At a time like this, I needed his stupid jokes, his flashy smile, and degrading humor. Endymion's four defenders, like the senshi, were deeply engrained with loyalty to their prince, sharing unbreakable bonds of friendship. And now, they were dead.
I suppose I should have been angry at the senshi for what they did to my friends. Yet I could not condone the evil that they had succumbed to. 'Damn knotty philosophical questions. I should have better ways to spend my time'
And indeed I did. My phone trilled insistently and I opened it up, "Hello?"
"Mr. Kaitou, it is Ms. Hino, your secretary."
I smiled, "Ah, Miss Hino, what can I do for you?"
She giggled slightly over the phone, "Nothing, I actually just wanted to see if I could actually reach you at this number."
I laughed out loud, "Yes, Miss Hino, you can reach me at any time at this phone number. I carry it everywhere, but I caution you. This is for business only."
"Of course sir. Anyway, I called to confirm your schedule when you get back."
"Certainly."
"According to your calender, you've got three things on the agenda. First is your speech to the employees on Friday."
"That is already worked out, and thank you for reminding me."
"Second is the examination of the sales force."
"Send that to Jerry, the Vice President of Sales. It's his job, not mine. I don;t know anything about that."
"Yes sir. And finally you have the party for opening night. I believe it is scheduled for this Saturday."
"I almost forgot about that. You will be attending of course?"
She stammered for a moment, "Me, uh sir?"
"I should expect it. You have recieved an official invitation, yes? In fact, you may want to bring a date and even some friends. It'll be terribly boring with a bunch of us old geezers standing around and reminiscing about the old days."
I could feel her smile, "I don't think you're that old sir. You can't be more than thirty."
"And yet my bones are ready to crumble on me. Invite some friends anyway. I think they'd enjoy it."
"I'll definitely ask."
"Great. Bye."
Rei stared at the phone with some surprise. She had set out to establish her position with the man, and instead had been politely disarmed by his insistent niceness. And over the phone nonetheless.
She replaced the phone and reaquainted herself with the office quickly, before tackling a stack of paperwork that appeared magically over the past two hours. She quickly read the cover pages and summaries to a few reports. Ceremoniously, she sorted them into stacks, then ripped off the summary pages and put them in the CEO's inbox. Then she proceeded to file away the reports chronologically and by department.
A call came in and she took it. No, Mr. Kaitou was not there now. No, she could not give him the phone number of where he was. Yes, she would pass on the message. Good bye.
Dana had said that she would gradually meet most of managers and executives in the company. They would pass through periodically to schedule meetings and other mundane things like that. Rei suspected that she would probably need to know most of them, if she were to anticipate the various problems that were bound to pop up in business.
Another stack of papers came in and she began to page through them. Her cellphone trilled loudly and she looked around before answering it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Rei!"
"Hey Mina-chan! What's up?"
"Well, I'm on my way to pick up Ami from the airport. She needed a ride."
"I won't be off at work until late and I've got some things to do. I don't think I'll be able to head out with you."
"That's ok, we'll get together soon anyway."