Well, it wasn't supper. Eiji opened the door and closed it behind him quietly, looking... well, as casual as he could manage. A deliberate effort was made to ensure he wasn't wearing a cold or condescending expression, because that one detail could sour up the entire operation. Brewing resentment was a bad foot forward in a new job. Gotta keep things professional for this 'first impression'. He was also holding a flat-looking box under one arm, though it was hard from the angle to tell what it was.
Bracing himself for a gruff reception, the teen (forced himself to) cordially address the older man. "Mallory." A smile would've been too much, and he wouldn't have bought it either, so Eiji simply folded his hands behind his back.
"It looks we'll be sharing an office starting tomorrow."
Mal's hand slammed down on his desk, but surprisingly that was the extent of any tantrum-throwing he'd do tonight... At least, in front of anybody. Maybe it would have been a different story if he hadn't happened to see Icarus' suggestion to Eiji in the first place, but a part of him already accepted that with his luck it was bound to happen.
And here it was.
"Great." Of all the people to be stuck in a room with for all hours of the day... Just because he had a greater understanding and tolerance for the kid these days didn't mean he liked him any better than when they first met. "Well, I hope you're able to get yourself a desk before then."
Besides Mallory's, the massive room was pretty much empty aside from a few wooden crates of files he'd put together himself. There was also, mysteriously, what looked like a dingy old cat bed in the corner for a creature that more resembled a large scaly rat with a pointed tail that dripped ink. Official HR announcements needed to be printed nice and neat and missing his dominant hand didn't make Mallory particularly suited to that job.
...Okay, looking around this office - if it could even be called that - even Eiji couldn't help but let a look of dismayed disgust slip across his face for a brief moment. Nevermind the desk situation, or the crates... the place was just filthy. It had an ink rat?! Not to mention all the dust and cobwebs and specks of blood (which maybe should've surprised him, but didn't).
Yeah. He had his work cut out for him.
In a dry, unimpressed tone, he replied, "...I'll arrange something. After I do something about the mess." Maybe Emi could figure something out for him, seeing as he'd been learning carpentry as one of his many jobs. Probably couldn't get a desk made in a day, but Eiji could see a good few days of fixing up this room, before any of the actual paperwork actually began. That, at least, made up for the fact that Mallory was being a stubborn child about this.
"Don't bother. This place is too damn big for a real cleaning, so you might as well just focus on whatever area you're gonna be working in."
The spiders here worked quickly to replace their ruined traps, and it was time-consuming enough to sweep up the tiny pathways of soot leading to his desk all the time. All things considered, it's not like it was the dirtiest place Mallory ever had to work.
Eiji gave an exasperated sigh. "My area is making sure this department stops looking so bad. And that starts at making this office more presentable."
Maybe he could figure out a way to train the soot sprites to move in single file instead of leaving a dozen black trails across the floor. Maybe he could get Truffles in the office to kill spiders. Maybe Peony could give him tips. All of these were mental notes he was making.
But none of that mattered if Mallory was going to keep fighting him on making changes around here. He shot the man a stern look, now back to his sharp-eyed gaze. "Is that going to be a problem?"
At least as far as fights went, Mallory was half-assing this one. He hated the idea of working with Eiji just as much as he hated the idea of the little brat making changes to what was essentially his territory, but any arguments he made now would just be yet another mark against him. He did tell Peony that his aim was to be a little 'nicer', whether he actually liked it or not. So fine. He would deal with this.
(How could you do this to him, Icarus...)
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, his lip curling a little at the tone in Eiji's voice, but he kept his relatively flat.
"Do whatever you want. Just leave my desk alone and keep these files in alphabetical order." Because it was a pain to fix them all without proper filing cabinets. "Anything else I should know before tomorrow?"
Mallory's desk still got a scrutinizing glare from Eiji though, no matter how off limits it supposedly was. If it was still this dusty by the end of the week, he was going to wipe it down, despite the threats.
Ignoring the snarl creeping onto the boxer's expression, Eiji walked up him and stated, "Only that this doesn't have to be as painful as you're probably making it out to be." The box he was carrying was presented to Mallory: not donuts, but confectionery chocolates. Not cheap candy either - well priced for their quality, in a decorated box clearly aimed as a gift.
"I'd like this to be a cooperative working relationship." Even if he didn't expect that feeling to be returned right away, it'd be useful if Mallory could see the benefits like he did.
A cooperative working relationship. God. It was hardly an unfamiliar phrase to Mallory, though the man who came to mind was someone he'd be much more overjoyed to get chocolates from. Not that he was going to reject these ones! They looked pretty fancy, and probably wouldn't have the weird effects of the ones the workers crafted before Valentine's Day...? It was a risk he was willing to take. Later that night he would lay on the bathroom floor crying into the scale.
He accepted the box, hefting it in his hand slowly and deliberately. Those sure were some good, solid chocolates in there. Nice, nice. He tilted his head in an appreciative nod.
"I guess as far as potential assistants go, you're one of the better options." It wasn't just the gift making him say that. He knew Eiji was willing to work hard and keep to himself and do whatever made his own life easier, which in turn made it a lot easier for Mal than... mmmost of Koriko at this point. And if he was going to keep the whole place tidy, great. "Welcome aboard."
Eiji casually put his hands in his pockets and took a step back, his red gaze steady and probing. Spoken with the air of an impending correction, he began,"Actually..."
This part Mallory was sure not to like. Tough beans. "I'll be starting as your... 'partner.'" You could practically hear the quotations around the word. Partner in name perhaps, but his mere presence was there to survey the older man's performance. Not to mention, if Eiji had it his way, he wasn't content on staying equals. If there was a chance for him to make a grab for a higher position, he was doing it.
WELL ACTUALLY was the worst thing to hear. Even if Eiji had the courtesy to only say half of it, it was still evident in his tone, and Mallory braced himself. Yep. There it was.
"Of course." Why the hell couldn't this brat have just waltzed in the next morning so he wouldn't have to spend his last evening as a free man grumbling over it? He scrunched his entire face up, sighed in resignation, and reminded himself that there was still chocolate.
"Listen. I'm only saying this once. I've got no choice but to acknowledge we're equals as far as this job goes, but I'm not calling you my partner." That was far too friendly a word for a man who preferred to do things either alone or with a team of weary underlings. Only certain people deserved that kind of camaraderie from him. "Coworker is as good as it gets. Got it?"
Whether Mallory spent the rest of his evening in resigned acceptance or miserable rage, Eiji did not care. This heads up was given out of an obligagory sense of courtesy, but also so the boxer had time to get that initial pissy reaction out of his system. Sleep on it, Mallory. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning (unlikely).
"That's fine by me." Eiji had no great investment in being considered the man's partner anyway - not like he felt any camaraderie towards him, no matter how many days they spent in the woods together. As long as Mallory understood what was going on here, Eiji could live with it.
"Well then..." He paused for a second, gathering up a pleasant facade to recite the empty niceties that this situation called for. "I look forward to working with you, as coworkers."
If Eiji's words were hollow, then Mallory's formed their own black hole. He waved his bad arm in a dismissive gesture, turning his attention back to the papers on his desk. Sounded like they were done here to him. There were only a few minutes left for him to stick around, anyway.
The second Eiji was out of here he was going to angrily shove all of the chocolates RIGHT INTO HIS MOUTH. And sulk for the rest of the evening.
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no subject
Bracing himself for a gruff reception, the teen (forced himself to) cordially address the older man. "Mallory." A smile would've been too much, and he wouldn't have bought it either, so Eiji simply folded his hands behind his back.
"It looks we'll be sharing an office starting tomorrow."
no subject
Mal's hand slammed down on his desk, but surprisingly that was the extent of any tantrum-throwing he'd do tonight... At least, in front of anybody. Maybe it would have been a different story if he hadn't happened to see Icarus' suggestion to Eiji in the first place, but a part of him already accepted that with his luck it was bound to happen.
And here it was.
"Great." Of all the people to be stuck in a room with for all hours of the day... Just because he had a greater understanding and tolerance for the kid these days didn't mean he liked him any better than when they first met. "Well, I hope you're able to get yourself a desk before then."
Besides Mallory's, the massive room was pretty much empty aside from a few wooden crates of files he'd put together himself. There was also, mysteriously, what looked like a dingy old cat bed in the corner for a creature that more resembled a large scaly rat with a pointed tail that dripped ink. Official HR announcements needed to be printed nice and neat and missing his dominant hand didn't make Mallory particularly suited to that job.
Well. Not that he was suited to any of this.
no subject
Yeah. He had his work cut out for him.
In a dry, unimpressed tone, he replied, "...I'll arrange something. After I do something about the mess." Maybe Emi could figure something out for him, seeing as he'd been learning carpentry as one of his many jobs. Probably couldn't get a desk made in a day, but Eiji could see a good few days of fixing up this room, before any of the actual paperwork actually began. That, at least, made up for the fact that Mallory was being a stubborn child about this.
no subject
The spiders here worked quickly to replace their ruined traps, and it was time-consuming enough to sweep up the tiny pathways of soot leading to his desk all the time. All things considered, it's not like it was the dirtiest place Mallory ever had to work.
no subject
Maybe he could figure out a way to train the soot sprites to move in single file instead of leaving a dozen black trails across the floor. Maybe he could get Truffles in the office to kill spiders. Maybe Peony could give him tips. All of these were mental notes he was making.
But none of that mattered if Mallory was going to keep fighting him on making changes around here. He shot the man a stern look, now back to his sharp-eyed gaze. "Is that going to be a problem?"
no subject
(How could you do this to him, Icarus...)
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, his lip curling a little at the tone in Eiji's voice, but he kept his relatively flat.
"Do whatever you want. Just leave my desk alone and keep these files in alphabetical order." Because it was a pain to fix them all without proper filing cabinets. "Anything else I should know before tomorrow?"
no subject
Ignoring the snarl creeping onto the boxer's expression, Eiji walked up him and stated, "Only that this doesn't have to be as painful as you're probably making it out to be." The box he was carrying was presented to Mallory: not donuts, but confectionery chocolates. Not cheap candy either - well priced for their quality, in a decorated box clearly aimed as a gift.
"I'd like this to be a cooperative working relationship." Even if he didn't expect that feeling to be returned right away, it'd be useful if Mallory could see the benefits like he did.
no subject
Later that night he would lay on the bathroom floor crying into the scale.He accepted the box, hefting it in his hand slowly and deliberately. Those sure were some good, solid chocolates in there. Nice, nice. He tilted his head in an appreciative nod.
"I guess as far as potential assistants go, you're one of the better options." It wasn't just the gift making him say that. He knew Eiji was willing to work hard and keep to himself and do whatever made his own life easier, which in turn made it a lot easier for Mal than... mmmost of Koriko at this point. And if he was going to keep the whole place tidy, great. "Welcome aboard."
no subject
This part Mallory was sure not to like. Tough beans. "I'll be starting as your... 'partner.'" You could practically hear the quotations around the word. Partner in name perhaps, but his mere presence was there to survey the older man's performance. Not to mention, if Eiji had it his way, he wasn't content on staying equals. If there was a chance for him to make a grab for a higher position, he was doing it.
no subject
"Of course." Why the hell couldn't this brat have just waltzed in the next morning so he wouldn't have to spend his last evening as a free man grumbling over it? He scrunched his entire face up, sighed in resignation, and reminded himself that there was still chocolate.
"Listen. I'm only saying this once. I've got no choice but to acknowledge we're equals as far as this job goes, but I'm not calling you my partner." That was far too friendly a word for a man who preferred to do things either alone or with a team of weary underlings. Only certain people deserved that kind of camaraderie from him. "Coworker is as good as it gets. Got it?"
no subject
"That's fine by me." Eiji had no great investment in being considered the man's partner anyway - not like he felt any camaraderie towards him, no matter how many days they spent in the woods together. As long as Mallory understood what was going on here, Eiji could live with it.
"Well then..." He paused for a second, gathering up a pleasant facade to recite the empty niceties that this situation called for. "I look forward to working with you, as coworkers."
no subject
If Eiji's words were hollow, then Mallory's formed their own black hole. He waved his bad arm in a dismissive gesture, turning his attention back to the papers on his desk. Sounded like they were done here to him. There were only a few minutes left for him to stick around, anyway.
The second Eiji was out of here he was going to angrily shove all of the chocolates RIGHT INTO HIS MOUTH. And sulk for the rest of the evening.