Bae sat in an upholstered seat outside the office of Sana Tsukumo, the CEO of Bread Dog, jittering nervously.
For most people, coming to work late on the first day of a new job was already a nerve-wracking experience. That morning, though, Bae wrestled with more demons than the ones she had prepared herself for.
Memories from just minutes ago flooded her mind - memories from when she came face to face with Irys again in Nova Scotia, literally half a world away from their university grounds in Australia. Just one look told Bae that this girl was definitely Irys.
The two-colored eyes.
The Nephilim horns.
The maroon-colored Vespa.
The pretty lips and the beautiful figure.
Bae's cheeks flushed red, so she stopped her thoughts from going any further.
"What are you doing here!?" The two of them asked in unison, but neither of them ever got around to answering.
Awkward silence permeated the salty, breezy air, but Irys watched Bae with strange intensity. The rat-girl froze under her gaze, wondering what she did wrong - this time.
While the two professionally-dressed new-hire office ladies stood there quietly, throngs of summertime American tourists to Nova Scotia passed through Purdy's Wharf on foot and on tour buses. The tourists pointed to Bae and Irys from their walking tour groups, wondering if they were 'buskers' - street performers putting on some dramatic skit.
Even tourists on the giant, green-colored, four-wheeled eyesore called the ' Harbour Hopper ' pointed to them. Their tour guides said on loudspeakers what was on everyone's mind.
'Lover's quarrel', they said.
Irys' face soured when she heard this. She snorted, parked her Vespa scooter and marched into the first Purdy's Wharf office tower without saying another word. Bae tried to chase after Irys, but the Nephilim stormed into an elevator and shouted at her.
"Don't talk to me!"
Irys' voice was sharp, but not as sharp as the last time she told those words to Bae. A minute difference, but something that wouldn't have slipped past Bae's sharp ears.
Then, the elevator doors shut on Bae's face with cold finality.
Everything else after that was a blur.
…
Back in the present, Bae hunched over in her seat, sandwiching her briefcase between her chest and her legs. She could hear the clock ticking audibly on the wall, worsening her jitters even more.
Then, the door of Sana Tsukumo's office swung open.
Sana burst out the door with a bright smile on her face and a friendly, albeit super-strong arm wrapped over Irys' shoulder. She tugged the Nephilim along and patted her shoulder like a friend on their way out of a bar at closing bell, patting Irys' shoulder.
"Good talk, Irys. Good talk!" Sana cheered. She let go of Irys' shoulder and gave her a firm handshake, "Now go and wait for us out here in the hall. We'll be with you shortly, okay?"
"T-thank you…" Irys stammered, shocked by Sana's sheer grip strength.
Irys did as she was told and took Bae's place seated outside Sana's office. When she crossed paths with Bae, though, Irys pointed her nose up and ignored Bae's very existence. Bae felt like she had been stabbed in the heart by Irys' Nephilim horns.
The rat-girl wanted to talk things out with Irys, but she suddenly shuddered and stopped in her tracks.
A tall shadow crept over her from behind. Then, Sana Tsukumo's strong arm planted itself on Bae's shoulder's.
"And now it's your turn, my fellow Australian!" Sana ushered her into the office, "C'mon in. We'll have a nice little chat - just the two of us!"
This wasn't the first time that Bae interacted with Sana Tsukumo. That eternally cheerful amazonian CEO was the same one who offered Bae the opportunity to work for Bread Dog Insurance Limited in-person at the Australian university's job fair. So, she knew that she had no possible way to oppose the freight train that was her new big boss and simply obliged.
Sana and Bae sat across from each other. The tall CEO leaned forward with a bright smile painted on her lips.
"First of all, congratulations on graduating university, Bae!" Sana cheered. She paused and rubbed her chin, "Oh, can I call you that? 'Bae'?"
"Y-yes, of course." Bae could hardly refuse her giddy boss, "Also, thank you. I'm glad to be done with school."
"I'm sure you are." Sana nodded calmly. She brought out a small folder of paper files and thumbed through them briefly, "You've always been an honor student, but I heard that your last semester at school was pretty rough. You nearly flunked out too."
"You've heard about that too?" Bae's face went pale.
"Of course~! I'm in contact with the academic advisors of your school." Sana chuckled, "I don't just hire any old bogan off the beach to sell insurance without doing my due diligence." She shifted in her seat and her golden eyes started to shimmer with strange intensity, "I may look carefree and happy-go-lucky, but I do take my work at Bread Dog seriously."
Sana's intense face sent shimmers up her spine. It was almost like Sana was an entirely new person.
"I know that you and Miss Irys have a bit of a history, and I don't want this to cause a problem for my company and the people working here." Sana spoke with her frankly, "You made a good impression on me at the job fair back in 'Straya, but we're talking about the future." She folded her arms and revealed, "So good news - Miss Irys just told me that she wants to work here even if you're a potential employee, Bae."
"She did…?" Bae's rat-ears perked up, "What's the bad news?"
"She says she preferred it if you chose to work somewhere else." Sana explained, "Her words. Not mine."
"Oh…" Bae's enthusiasm sank like a rock.
"Oh chin up, dear." Sana urged. She gestured to the ceiling and to the floor and insisted, "I know some people in this very building who may be looking for a talented new grad like you. I can't promise you anything right away, but I can help you look for something."
Bae's head drooped low and she fell silent. She gripped her briefcase tightly and looked Sana in the eye while she spoke.
"I've already sacrificed a lot for this job, ma'am." Bae declared wholeheartedly, "I can't let that bad time haunt me forever."
Then, Sana's expression softened into a warm smile in an instant.
"Brave words." Sana started, "That's what I like in a saleswoman. Grit, tenacity and that good ole' ANZAC spirit!"
The amazonian CEO brought out a small stack of papers and passed it to Bae along with a pen.
"Now, let's discuss your role here at Bread Dog, Bae! Then, we'll go over your employment contract and all that jazz!"
Bae nodded and took the pen and the papers in hand. Sana gave her spiel about Bread Dog and the responsibilities of her role - a junior sales executive - would entail. Questions were asked. Answers were given. But in the end, Bae signed the contract and shook hands with Sana.
"Very good!" Sana cheered, "Alright, Bae. Time to face the music!"
With that, Sana brought Bae out of her office - just like she did with Irys. This time, the Nephilim stood nervously outside the door.
One glance at Irys told Bae that she had been waiting anxiously too. Irys quickly caught herself and turned away from Bae, feigning innocence.
"I've talked with both of you now." Sana laid her hands on Bae's and Irys' shoulder, "Bread Dog will be having two new junior sales executives today. I hope that the two of them will get along and put their university days behind them, okay?"
Irys and Bae opened their mouths, but Sana didn't give them a chance to speak.
"Alright!" Sana beamed, "Let's go to the conference hall to meet the rest of the team. We've got a bit of a reception for you two too!"
Once again, the freight train that was Sana Tsukumo had left the station. Irys and Bae had no choice but to follow their new amazonian boss to the conference hall.
On their way there, Irys stole a sidelong glance and mused.
"You're not running away this time?" Irys asked.
"Did you want me to?" Bae challenged.
Irys snorted and turned away, quickening her pace. The faintest sliver of a smile grew on the Nephilim's lips.
And so, without another word between them, Irys and Bae decided to tolerate each other for now. They prepared themselves to meet their new colleagues at Bread Dog Insurance Limited.
…
Nowhere With You
Gravity Pull
…
To Be Continued