Board Thread:Non-TES Roleplaying/@comment-24685738-20160328225407/@comment-5543592-20160329220040

Click click. Bzzz. Snap snap. Click click.

Mouse button. Phone ringing. Stapler. Mouse button.

It that order. Over and over again. For eight hours.

A conversation carried over from the water cooler. "Deborah, did you hear what happened to Steven?"

"No!  Is that why he's been out of work for the last week?  Tell me."

"He crashed his car.  Took a corner too fast and drove straight into a median."

"Unbelievable."

"It landed him in the hosptial.  He's been there with a bruised spinal cord."

"And he took such good care of that car."

"That's the funny part.  He wasn't even insured!" Both Deborah and the story teller, Natalie, laughed hysterically at that, Natalie even stating, "That's so ironic!"

Ragnar did not find it funny. Not only was a man losing a vast portion of wealth due to lack of insurance no laughing matter, but Ragnar hated the two women. He hated everyone in this office. Hated them for their nasally voices, for smiling too often, for not hating their own cubicles.

Ragnar hated his cubicle. His shoulders nearly brushed his sides and he could turn around at his desk without banging his knee. And it was as if they'd decided to give him the most uncomfortable chair available.

As he turned his attention back to his desk, his phone rang. Ragnar looked at it dubiously, before hesitantly bringing the phone to his ear.

Then, in his most polite tone, he asked, "Dustin and Mallory Insurance Brokers, how can I assist you today?"

"Yeah, I've got a problem."

"I'm sure I can help you, sir."

"Yeah, well, I just stuck this knife in this toaster, trying to get this piece of bread I had stuck in their out, and now the toaster won't work.  Like, I think the knife broke it."

Ragnar had no idea what the man was going on about, since he could see 'this' knife or 'this' toaster, but decided to continue.

"Was the toaster insured?"

"That's what I want to talk about.  I was hoping to insure it, so that I can get some money now that it's broken."

"You can't insure something that's already destroyed."

"I can't?"

"No.  Of course not.  That would be ridiculous.  It's not how insurance works at all."

"Well how does insurance work?"

Ragnar hung up before he could lose his temper.

However, it appeared to be too late, as a kindly voice behind him spoke, "Mr. Heljarchen."

Ragnar turned in his chair, banging his knee as he did so, to face an ancient man with several strands of silvery hair still clinging to a bald scalp. Even sitting, Ragnar was still Taller than him.

"Yes, Mr. Mallory?" Ragnar asked gruffly. It wasn't intentional. He natrually sounded that way. Actually, it was intentional. He hated Mr. Mallory too.

"In my office for a moment." The old man said, before stepping back inside. Ragnar sighed, then rose. He pushed his way out of the cubicle, knocking his chair over by accident in the process. He didn't bother to pick it up.

Mr. Mallory was sitting at his own desk in a large, comfortable office.

"What is it?" Ragnar asked as he entered.

"The company has been reviewing your sales for the past month..."

He hesitated for suspense. Ragnar was not impressed.

"...and has been very pleased with your sales.  You are one of our best employers, which is why you'll be looking after Karin here."

He gestured past Ragnar to a chair sitting along the office wall behind him. A young, attractive, blond girl, probably in her early twenties sat there in a prim position, beaming at him.

"She's a new employee to the company, and Mr. Dustin's own daughter.  We thought it'd be best if you showed her the ropes."

Karin jumped up from her seat and stepped up to Ragnar, extending her hand for him to shake, arm unbent.

"Hey, I'm Karin!" She greeted him. "I'm so pleased to meet you and think we'll have just the best time working together!  I'm, like, your biggest fan.  That movie you were in about the retired doctor who goes looking for his missing son..." She held up her hands and rolled her eyes upward as if in pleasure, "Phenomenal." Her voice was high, almost comically so.

Ragnar stared blankly at her for a moment, before looking back to Mr. Mallory.

"You're kidding." He said flatly.

"Of course not." Mallory said, rising, and walking around the desk towards the former boxer. "Now, Ragnar, I know it's a big honor, but-"

Ragnar held up his hand, silencing Mallory. "Hold on.  What?"

Mallory canted his head at Ragnar, looking confused, "What?"

Ragnar's eyes tightened and he took a threatening step towards Mallory, causing the older man to stop in his tracks, looking very surprised.

"I have been working far above the average employee at this company.  I have improved overall efficency by near forty percent.  I've drafted new methods for you and you've used my ideas to nearly double my profit.  And your idea of a reward is to give me a foolish school girl to look after?"

"Excuse me?" Karin protested. She certainly didn't seem his biggest fan now.

"Not only that, we're increasing your office space and pay."

Ragnar hesitated. "By how much?"

"We'll raise your salary from 17 dollars an hour to twenty and we'll double your office space."

"Double my office space... by taking down one of the walls between my cubicle and another?"

Mallory smiled, "Of course."

Ragnar's jaw tightened.

"Watch your head, pal." Said the cop as he helped Ragnar into the back seat of the police cruiser, then shut the door.

Ragnar sat there silent, staring at the seat in front of him, his hands cuffed behind his back. He hadn't meant to hit Mallory so hard. But they had gotten to arguing and then one thing led to a another...

And he had lost his temper. It had been bound to happen eventually. That job was not for him, anyway. Better he get out of it. Of course, this wasn't how he'd imagined his leaving the Dustin and Mallory Insurance Brokers going.

The police officers entered into the front of the vehicle and the driver pulled off from the side of the road, and made their way toward the station.