Greta Henderson had been the receptionist at Silythus Tower for exactly seven years, this day. Early in the morning, when she had first arrived, Madam Anastasia had presented her with a small cake and a series of cards (each one containing small gifts or gift cards). The entire office had remembered the day she had first arrived at the company. And of course, without a birthday to celebrate, they had taken to celebrating her arrival instead.
It was one of the things she loved about working at the company. Not only was she working for one of the most innovative companies she had ever known, but she was valued as an employee. The hours were good, as was the pay. And despite the odd working conditions she sometimes found herself working in, she appreciated the company for all they had done for her.
It was roughly ten AM when she pulled out the new hire documents from the cabinet underneath the octopus tank behind her desk. The little guy in the tank gently placed a full tentacle on the glass, tapping it in her direction. Greta smiled and stood, reaching for the shelf over the desk. She took down the cooler that sat there, and using the tongs on the side, she reached in and pulled out two small fish. They were exotic-looking in nature. These weren’t goldfish or beta fish or any of the other kinds of fish you’d find in a pet shop. In fact, they looked oddly like angel fish.
She lifted the lid to the tank and dropped the cold, dead fish into the tank. As the lid snapped shut, the octopus– whose name was Cleo– snatched up the fish and disappeared into the inky darkness of the tank. Greta smiled to herself and sat back down with the new hire paperwork. There were certain documents she was waiting on. The new interns would be bringing it in with them, of which there were at least four of. Interns, not documents.
Supposedly, they might even have a fifth arriving at some point today, but they had confirmed at least four of the interns. She had five sets of documents ready, nonetheless. It would be easy enough to return one set, empty, to the folder in the drawer behind her. Or at least, it normally was. Sometimes the drawers could be finicky.
The new hires were told to arrive any time between ten AM and eleven AM. Orientation would begin at eleven-fifteen. This gave them plenty of time to arrive and interact with one another. Madam Anastasia believed it was very important for all employees to have working relationships, if not friendships. This was one of the ways the company functioned as well as it did.
Greta hummed softly to herself as she finished sorting through the papers. For the most part, the documents were non-disclosure agreements, hazard documents, new hire handbooks, as well as assignment paperwork. Each department had its own assignment paperwork, as each department functioned in vastly different ways. Two for Finances and Asset Protections, one for Design and Interfacing, and one for Sales and Strategy. Those were the ones she knew for sure. Until the fifth intern arrived, she wouldn’t know what other documents she needed.
After she had the paperwork sorted, she reached under the main cavity of the desk and lifted a box out, setting it carefully on the desk. Apparently, one of their interns had submitted documents demanding that they provide either compensation for her equipment or workplace-provided equipment. Given the short notice, they had opted to supply her for her first day with the items she would need. Hopefully, once she understood why they needed to be her personal equipment, she would simply accept reimbursement. After all, the equipment on site tended to have trouble bonding with new employees. Not enough time within the company for things to have imprinted on them.
With everything finally and completely sorted, Greta sat back down. All that was left was to wait for the new hires to arrive. She pulled out her copy of Foundation by Asimov, reclined in her chair, and tapped on the security camera feed that was linked to the front doors. Then, she flipped the book open to her bookmark and began to read.
It was one of the things she loved about working at the company. Not only was she working for one of the most innovative companies she had ever known, but she was valued as an employee. The hours were good, as was the pay. And despite the odd working conditions she sometimes found herself working in, she appreciated the company for all they had done for her.
It was roughly ten AM when she pulled out the new hire documents from the cabinet underneath the octopus tank behind her desk. The little guy in the tank gently placed a full tentacle on the glass, tapping it in her direction. Greta smiled and stood, reaching for the shelf over the desk. She took down the cooler that sat there, and using the tongs on the side, she reached in and pulled out two small fish. They were exotic-looking in nature. These weren’t goldfish or beta fish or any of the other kinds of fish you’d find in a pet shop. In fact, they looked oddly like angel fish.
She lifted the lid to the tank and dropped the cold, dead fish into the tank. As the lid snapped shut, the octopus– whose name was Cleo– snatched up the fish and disappeared into the inky darkness of the tank. Greta smiled to herself and sat back down with the new hire paperwork. There were certain documents she was waiting on. The new interns would be bringing it in with them, of which there were at least four of. Interns, not documents.
Supposedly, they might even have a fifth arriving at some point today, but they had confirmed at least four of the interns. She had five sets of documents ready, nonetheless. It would be easy enough to return one set, empty, to the folder in the drawer behind her. Or at least, it normally was. Sometimes the drawers could be finicky.
The new hires were told to arrive any time between ten AM and eleven AM. Orientation would begin at eleven-fifteen. This gave them plenty of time to arrive and interact with one another. Madam Anastasia believed it was very important for all employees to have working relationships, if not friendships. This was one of the ways the company functioned as well as it did.
Greta hummed softly to herself as she finished sorting through the papers. For the most part, the documents were non-disclosure agreements, hazard documents, new hire handbooks, as well as assignment paperwork. Each department had its own assignment paperwork, as each department functioned in vastly different ways. Two for Finances and Asset Protections, one for Design and Interfacing, and one for Sales and Strategy. Those were the ones she knew for sure. Until the fifth intern arrived, she wouldn’t know what other documents she needed.
After she had the paperwork sorted, she reached under the main cavity of the desk and lifted a box out, setting it carefully on the desk. Apparently, one of their interns had submitted documents demanding that they provide either compensation for her equipment or workplace-provided equipment. Given the short notice, they had opted to supply her for her first day with the items she would need. Hopefully, once she understood why they needed to be her personal equipment, she would simply accept reimbursement. After all, the equipment on site tended to have trouble bonding with new employees. Not enough time within the company for things to have imprinted on them.
With everything finally and completely sorted, Greta sat back down. All that was left was to wait for the new hires to arrive. She pulled out her copy of Foundation by Asimov, reclined in her chair, and tapped on the security camera feed that was linked to the front doors. Then, she flipped the book open to her bookmark and began to read.
