Like A Boss (Yao)

[Kiku Honda]

The South of the Highlands was busy as ever. Waves of people going in and out of office buildings, a sea of employees and clients alike. Among these people you could spy a small black haired man silently maneuvering his way through the crowd. Kiku was dressed casually smart. He had a nice comfortable 3 piece suit, a small briefcase filled with 'papers' and was sporting a watch which he checked every 3 seconds.

'...I'll be late. On my first day as well. Such a gesture is unacceptable. I've no idea what my boss is like but no matter how kind and no matter how cruel he could be, to be late is absolutely unacceptable.' The young man thought to himself.

Kiku had recently been accepted at a major computer corporation in the legal department and was to start as a legal intern today. While, as an intern, the job didn't pay, the experience would be invaluable and perhaps when he passed the bar exam he could work as a lawyer for them. He'd never actually been sure what kind of lawyer he wanted to be. Being a lawyer for an insurance company or a company like this seemed perfectly fine. His father never hinted he wanted Kiku to follow him identically and become a criminal lawyer. He was free to choose. And he had some time to think so this internship seemed like a very good opportunity.

Three minutes and he would be late. Kiku made a dancing dash through the crowd. Being a small person he ducked and tucked his way through gaps between people, muttering a 'pardon' or an 'I'm sorry' to the people he'd bump into in his dash. He looked up at a building's facade a few meters away. That was it. Kiku squirmed and danced around, making his way to the building that was to be his new environment.

Kiku finally made it to the door. He looked at his watch. One minute early. 'Good.' He thought to himself, giving himself a mental high-five. He adjusted his tie, checked his suit for any stains or rips and walked through the front door. Kiku looked around the main lobby. The architecture looked beautiful. It was very modern, befitting that of a computer company. Quite a few people were inside. Most in the lobby were clients but a good number of them were employees running around the building, doing there jobs. Kiku noticed a few employees having some light hearted conversation, most looked quite happy.

It seemed like a very nice place. So with a soft smile of confidence, he approached someone who looked like an employee and asked, "Excuse me, do you happen to know where the legal department is?"

((May or may not be you YET, Yao. Your choice on how you want to enter the thread!))

[Yao Wang]

((;; Sorry for the late reply))

The employee smiled at him, "Is this your first time on the job? The legal department actually is on the twelfth floor but you should see the Vice President first as he he also the head of the legal department. He is located on the sixteenth floor to your right,"

-----

Yao relaxed in his seat, he needed a short break. Three huge stacks of paperwork were done, another six stacks was waiting for him. He sighed, all he wanted to do right now was go home for a better relaxation time. He could hang out with his brother or visit the kids back in the lowlands. Or maybe bake some cupcakes and watch some Hello Kitty on the television.

Putting his fun time aside, he looks at the schedule for the day. Paperwork, proposals, and a new legal intern was suppose to see him today. Luckily for him, he was suppose to show the intern around the building for a quick tour and tell him the rules so the work would be lighter today. He just had to finish the paperwork and think of a new proposal before the end of his shift. Then he would be able to cross out some of the things he could do for the day.

And so he waited for the new intern while going back to his paperwork.

[Kiku Honda]

((THAT'S OKAY! :>))

Kiku bowed a bit to the employee."It is. Thank you very much for the advice. I look forward to working with you in the future." he said politely. Kiku gestured a good-bye and headed towards his right. After searching through the building and getting a feel for its hallways and turns Kiku finally found the elevator. He stepped in and pressed the number sixteen button.

The 'ding' of the elevator sounded and the doors opened to the sixteenth floor. Kiku stepped out, straightened his tie, dusted off his shoulders and walked to the secretary's desk. "Good morning. My name is Honda Kiku. I'm to be the new legal intern starting today. I was told to see the Vice President here on the sixteenth floor." he told the secretary. "Oh yes, we've been expecting you, Mr. Honda. Hold on let'me get our Vice President." the secretary told Kiku as she picked up a handset and pressed a number. "Mr. Wang, the new intern is here. Shall I send him to you?" the secretary said into the handset.

[Yao Wang]

"Mr. Wang, the new intern is here. Shall I send him to you?"

Yao looks up from his paperwork, hearing the message from his secretary. He looked at the clock, the new intern arrived right on time. He could already tell that this person will be hardworking, if not a bit of a stickler for the rules. Pressing the talk back button he replied, "Yes, please send him in. Thank you Tammy,"

"Mr. Honda, you may go in now," She smiled, "Have a nice day!"

[Kiku Honda]

"Thank you very much. Have a nice day, too." he replied softly, bowing lightly to the secretary. Kiku gathered his thoughts took a deep breath and went in the Vice President's office. Kiku wondered what kind of man would be waiting for him. He was optimistic about everyone's kindness in his new work environment. But he'd too many television comedy dramas. Most, if not all, of the superiors of the main protagonist were always depicted as strict, harsh and loud dictators.

When Kiku stepped through the door, however, who he found was a relatively short man, relative to most people, not much taller than the very small Kiku. He had long black hair, tied up in a single ponytail. Kiku looked at the man's brown eyes. He seemed like a respectable man. He certainly must be to be Vice President, after all. He even seemed to have this strange motherly-like aura.

Yet why did Kiku feel he didn't like him at all? There was something about this man that Kiku found... he wasn't sure. Was it irritation? Some strange hatred? It was negative but he couldn't put his finger on it. But there was no chance Kiku would actually even think of expressing it. This man was Kiku's new boss and such a thing is unthinkable. But this strange feeling left a bad taste in Kiku's mouth. Still, Kiku put on a smile, extended his hand and said, "Good morning. My name is Honda Kiku."

[Yao Wang]

The door opened and Yao smiles at the newcomer. He nods in greeting and stands up to shake Kiku's hand, "Good morning Mr. Honda. Welcome, I am Wang, Yao. It is nice to meet you,"

Once they shook hands though, Yao suddenly felt a sharp pain on his back. The very sharp pain that appears after his nightmares and only after his nightmares. This was the first time his back hurt in the daytime. Was it a warning of something to come? Or maybe he was just being silly and over thinking things. Looking at Kiku, his instincts flared, there was a mix of emotions. Curiosity, happiness, joy, sadness, anger, pain. And he had just met this man too. Yao never meet him before so why did he sense something familiar in the man?

Shaking off his thoughts, Yao once again smiles at him, "I hope you didn't have any trouble finding my office this morning. It frequently gets crowded in the mornings."

[Kiku Honda]

'It... it was not just me who flinched... He also felt...' Kiku thought suddenly. Kiku discreetly dug his nails into his palm to shake off the thought. This was his boss, whom he had just met. So why...?

"I hope you didn't have any trouble finding my office this morning. It frequently gets crowded in the mornings." Mr. Wang said. "A-ah. No, not at all, Mr. Wang. The building's layout is easy enough to understand. Also, I am relatively small compared to others so I found it easy to slip through the crowd." Kiku said, politely pulling back his hand from the handshake. Kiku immediately felt better once their connection was severed.

The image of a sword appeared in his mind. This strangeness was too much...He just had to ask. "...Mr Wang, sir. I am sorry to ask this, all of a sudden, however, have we ever met before? I feel like I know you from somewhere."

[Yao Wang]

"Ah, that is wonderful to know Mr. Honda. Regardless, the other employees and I will happily assist you if you have any questions. The President and I are glad to have interns to help us as they experience the workplace," Yao tells him, remembering what he had say.

"...Mr Wang, sir. I am sorry to ask this, all of a sudden, however, have we ever met before? I feel like I know you from somewhere."

Yao pauses for a moment, thinking to himself before answering, "No, I don't believe we have ever met before. I would most likely have remembered. And yet I feel like I know you as well."

He wondered at his own answer. He was pretty sure that he never met the man.

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku thought for a second and blinked. "I-I see... Thank you, then. I am sorry to have come up with that so suddenly." Kiku said, the feeling something wasn't right still in the back of his head.

"A-Ah. I was told by an employee, who directed me here, that I was to be given a short tour of the building. I'm very grateful for the experience this job will get me and, if things go well for me, I would like to hope to earn a full time job at such a strong company like this." Kiku said. He would work hard. A paying job here, in the legal department, was something Kiku could strive for. This internship wasn't just about earning experience on the job. It was about making a good impression for when he would apply here for real.

((ACK. IT'S SO SHORT. SORRY.))

[Yao Wang]

"It's all right. You are free to speak your mind, I'm not such a strict boss once you get to know me," Yao smiles after hearing his request, "Yes, that employee was right. We wouldn't want anyone to get lost here now."

He chuckles before continuing, "I'm sure you'll work hard. You are very enthusiastic. Show everyone what you can do,"

Yao stands up and quickly puts some papers together. "You ready?"

((IM SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE ;w;))

[Kiku Honda]

(( That's okay! Every now and then there will be matters that will need to be attended to. Should these matters take priority over other things, then that's perfectly okay with me. No worries! ))

Kiku smiled at his new boss, albeit a bit uneasily. The smaller man still couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling he got when he looked at Yao. This had to be the first time they had met and so far, Yao's first impression was a positive one. A hard working, kinder boss that seemed to have a good sense of equality. That was supposed to be it. Yet the nagging thought that Kiku should be hating this man wouldn't leave him alone. Still, Kiku knew he was in the middle of a very important first meeting.

The small intern heaved an inward sigh of relief as Yao affirmed his agenda for the day. Not much was said about his first day as an intern. Honestly, the only thing Kiku had inside his briefcase was a single piece of paperwork that told him to start coming to the office today. It was also quite relieving that the employee Kiku met didn't try to trick him. Often, in comedic work environments, employees tend to pick on the new intern. Then again that was just one person, Kiku didn't know how he was to fare against his seniors here.

The last thing Kiku wanted to be was 'the new meat'. But again, he shook off his thoughts. He watched too much television.

Still, it was good that Mr. Wang could take the time to show him around to make sure he wouldn't get lost in the future. The smaller man gave a low bow. "Thank you very much for taking time from your day to show me around. I greatly appreciate it." Kiku said as he brought his head back up slowly.

He was rather happy his boss thought this well of him from the start. He certainly would show everyone what he can do despite being the lowly intern. He gave another geniune smile, despite the nagging feeling in the back of his head still at it. "I certainly will, sir." he said, somewhat more confident.

As Yao stood up and promptly gathered some papers, most likely having something to do with Kiku, he asked, "You ready?" Kiku's dark brown eyes perked up as he quickly got his briefcase, still only containing a single piece of paperwork, and answered, "Of course, sir. Let's go."

[Yao Wang]

((Pfft you're awesome! Still, sorry for the trouble! andtheshortposts))

Yao nods, "It's not a problem. It is also a part of my job after all!" He put Kiku's resume and other information in a folder. Might as well give it to Kiku's supervisor, Yao was pretty sure that said supervisor would most likely be late and miss him when he went home.

"All right, " He walks out, opening the door for Kiku before turning to his secretary and briefly talks to her. She nods and smiles, waving good bye to the both of them. "Good luck Mr. Honda!" She calls out.

Walking out to the less crowded lobby, Yao pointed out some important facts about the building. Telling him the shortcuts and the sweet spots, etc. "You know where my office is now, what about the legal department?"

[Kiku Honda]

(( Oh, that's okay! I'm already happy that you're posting! ))

Kiku gave a small nod of affirmation, himself, as Yao handled some papers into a folder and stood up. Following his lead, Kiku prepared himself to leave the office. Kiku wondered if there was anything of interest in the building. Going through a part of the building to get to Yao's office he noticed the building had some interesting architecture. He had also appreciated the interior design. It was very modern, quite fitting to a computer company.

As he and Yao were leaving the office the secretary called out to him. "Good luck Mr. Honda!" she said just before they were out of ear shot. Kiku turned around and gave a quick bow and said, "Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing you in the future."

Kiku and Yao went around the building. Yao showed Kiku shortcuts he could use to get around faster. He gave Kiku some interesting advice, like how you should always get the pudding to the left because the cafeteria puts the better pudding first on the tray. All of it dully noted as they went along.

As Kiku and Yao were ending the tour, Yao asked him a question. "You know where my office is now, what about the legal department?" Kiku gave an inward smile. He ,at least, knew this. "I believe, sir, from here I go through the west corridor, take the next right and go straight until I reach a section of the building that should be the legal department. Am I correct?" He said, pretty confident he was right. Then again, he might have messed up at one point.

[Yao Wang]

Yao nods, acknowledging his answer to be the right one. "Ah, yes you are. Very good; I'm impressed Mr. Honda. That will be our last destination,"

As they start walking towards the department, Yao gave him some more advice about the department themselves. "Your supervisor is Mr. McCee. He'll give you more information about the rules while working in that department. One thing you will need to keep in mind though is that our firm has one rule that everyone must follow, and it is 'To earn your rank'."

He paused before continuing seriously, "Every new employee or intern that comes in will start at the bottom of the our unofficial ranking system. Meaning that for a week or so, you will most likely be doing menial chores for the employees and your supervisor. Basically you just need to prove yourself to your supervisor before you can start working."

Yao chuckles, "Everyone starts from the bottom, even me. We can't have an inexperienced employee start filing the cases for us after all. I definitely learned a lesson that day! And from there, we hope you, even as an intern, will grow and learn. "

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku's eyes lit up at the praise. He gave a quick bow saying, "Thank you, sir." and raised his head just as quickly. He nodded at Yao in affirmation. It was likely, since the legal department was their last destination, Yao intended to leave Kiku there and Kiku would have to be on his own. His worries slowly returned. He could already hear the taunting.

He and Yao started for the legal department. Along the way, Yao talked about his supervisor. And about a certain rule. One that didn't exactly calm his head of his worries. Kiku was nodding the whole time but he was getting more nervous as they got closer to the legal department. To earn your rank. Kiku nodded. He understood this. He'd start at rock bottom. He'd be the errand boy for a while. He was definitely quite nervous at this point. Still, he was hopeful he would prove himself.

Yao suddenly chuckled a bit. "Everyone starts from the bottom, even me. We can't have an inexperienced employee start filing the cases for us after all. I definitely learned a lesson that day! And from there, we hope you, even as an intern, will grow and learn." he said, a smile of leadership on his face.

Kiku couldn't help but smile as well. It was reassuring even the head honcho had to go through the same thing. And he certainly was correct about having to weed out the weak in the department. Kiku nodded in agreement. That's why he was here. To grow and learn and maybe, someday, work here. If all went well he might be the head of the legal department someday. Hopefully, that is.

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Wang. I shall be sure to put it to good use." he said, gratefully. Yao seemed like a good person. He was certain a mean boss would have let Kiku figure this out on his own by letting him get eaten first day. But something Yao said intrigued Kiku. "Sir, if you do not mind my asking; What exactly happened on 'that day'?" he asked, looking into his boss' eyes. He was regretting asking already.

[Yao Wang]

Yao blinks, confused before a moment before answering, "That day? Oh right, yes I'll tell you,"

Yao laughs silently to himself before starting his story, "Well, I actually started young, around my early high school years I think. My father is a well-known person of this company so I was expected to also get a job here. So one day, out of the blue, he basically told me that I start as an intern on Friday. Being the filial son, agreed. "

"So day 1, I walked into the building. Because of father's influence, most employees knew me and treated me as such. I went to my assigned supervisor, in the law department, expecting the same thing. The first thing he said to me was and I quote," Yao makes a gruff face and tries to make his voice lower, " 'Hello Intern, nice to meet you. No time for talk though, be a good little girl and get me lunch right now. I feel like eating Italian subs.'

Frankly I was speechless that he even spoke to me like that. My hair was long even then but I didn't look like a girl, did I?" He asked rhetorically, pausing so Kiku could sink in the current information.

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku's eyes widened slightly. He half expected his superior to refuse and say it was none of his business. Perhaps Mr. Wang was a bit more easygoing than he first thought. Still, that was beside the point. It was hardly something he should complain about and he was going to get an answer. Kiku readied himself and paid attention.

Yao begun telling his story and frankly, Kiku was a bit surprised. 'I see. So Mr. Wang's father also works here. It is more than likely that he is the president since Mr. Wang is the vice-president.' Kiku thought to himself, sinking in the story. Yao continued. 'Hm. Mr. Wang started as an intern? I would suppose, given his father held a high position, Mr. Wang would have started higher. This must be the 'earn your rank' rule he was referring to. ...Not even the president's son was exempted.'

Yao continued with his story. Kiku, now much more intrigued, listened intently. It was just as he feared, however. He was to be the errand boy. Getting his superiors lunch and doing chores for a while. Well, at least he wouldn't be mistaken for a girl.

Yao stopped, probably letting Kiku process all of it. He thought of answering the question but kind of sensed it was rhetorical. He gave a small nod to show he understood. Yao hadn't even gotten to the 'learn a lesson' part of the story. He listened closely.