The overwhelming tangy scent of fear permeated the office. Adam growled and clenched his hands tighter. He hated the scent of fear, being feared, he hated fear. He hated how it always got results.

"Then shut up and go sit your cubicle." He thought he was done, but his anger had finally bubbled over. "No one here needs you to go offering advice or opinions. And I certainly don't need a babysitter who doubts whether or not I can do MY JOB! I'M FINE! AND I DON'T NEED HELP!" His father, his Tia, his siblings, his workers, and now her. No one believed him. No one believed in him.
 
Tsuki felt tears prick her eyes. Her throat burned and her lips trembled as she forced the tears down. Don't cry. Do not cry! She took a deep breath, feeling as if she was going to hyperventilate with all this deep breathing she was trying to do to keep calm. Finally, she willed herself to speak.

"I see that. You are clearly just fine with how you are starving yourself, depriving yourself of sleep, and overreacting like a screaming maniac to the people under your command just trying to aid you in turning out the best possible product." Tsuki took off the earpiece and stepped forward, setting it on his desk. "As you do not need me, I do not need this. I shall be in my cubical until time to leave, getting paid for doing nothing as there is nothing you need done."

She turned and walked out, closing the door quietly behind herself. She was probably fired after that speech, but at this point, she didn't care.
 
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When Adam was younger, he remembered a lot of yelling and quick snappy retorts. That was the norm in the house, in the family. He never met someone so, calm. Like her scent, Tsuki stayed calm while she reprimanded him. Her hand did not shake as she put the Bluetooth device on his desk as if he was not standing there. Her steps did not falter as she walked out, not sparing a glance back.

"ARGH!" Adam grabbed the device and threw it against the wall. It shattered just as his anger did. He didn't know what to do with Tsuki's watery eyes yet calm demeanor. Yelling, cowering, snappy comebacks, that's what he was used to and what he could deal with. It gave a reason for her his anger. Now, now all he was left with was a hollowing feeling in his stomach and an empty office full of work. Just like when his mother died.
 
Tsuki sat in her little cubical with her face buried in a stack of three of four tissues to stifle the sound of her tears as she allowed herself to cry. She wished she could go home. Desperately wished she could just walk out and go directly home! Or maybe to see Papa and cry a bit on his shoulder. Of course, if she did that, then he'd tell her to quit, hug her a bit, encourage her to eat junk food, and eventually send her home feeling much better. Until she got a call from the nurse's station in the middle of the night telling her that he was trying to sneak out so he could defend his little girl's honor by keying a car or something equally juvenile. He might be riddled with disease and a hundred years old, but he'd still try to protect his daughter. She loved and hated that about her dear Papa.

After a few minutes of crying, Tsuki sat up and dried her face. She didn't dare walk to the restroom, so she used her bottle of water and another wade of tissues to dab her face with cold water until the blotchiness had all but faded. Her eyes were still a little red, but she looked a lot better. She used the black screen of the computer monitor to check her appearance and brushed her hair back. Then, resolutely, she hopped out of her chair and marched to the elevator. She couldn't go home because that would feel too much like giving up, but she could go down and get treats. Treats for herself and her fellow women. They'd more than earned it, even if her most-likely vanishing paycheck could barely support the purchase of more food. Still, she rode the elevator down to the café and went to see if there were any chocolaty treats to be bought.
 
Only the sound of Emma stirring her tea, rang in the small café. There were no other customers and Mark was cleaning the counter, or going to the back for pastries. Both Emma and Paige sat in the back.

“I hope I didn’t get Tsuki in trouble.” Emma whispered, afraid to break the gentle silence.

“We,” Paige sighed across from her. Emma lifted her heart a bit. “We got Tsuki in trouble.” Her fingers rubbed the mug Mark provided them.

“He’s not going to fire her?” Paige shook her head at Emma’s inquiry.

“If he didn’t fire you, he surely won’t fire her.” Paige sipped her tea. Emma nodded and bit her lip. Neither saw Tsuki coming from the elevator.
 
Tsuki spotted the pair and hesitated a moment. Then she wentto Mark and murmured, "you know those two better than me. Would you please bring them each a treat they like and I would like a chocolate muffin, please?" She handed him her card. "I'll need lunch for Mr. Gonzalez later, too, something that doesn't need to be kept warm."
 
“On the house.” Mark said as he waved her card away. “My custom for new employees.” Then he leaned close to her. “And those two already paid for a blueberry scone and a cinnamon roll.” He whispered to her. “I’m just warming them up.” With a wink he pushed himself back. “But I’ll your order miss!” Mark raised his voice a bit, getting Emma and Paige’s attention.

“Tsuki!” Paige stood up and walked quickly to her. Paige was going to hug her, but she didn’t want to overwhelm the small woman. “What happened? Are you okay?” Then she turned to Mark. “Get her a hot chocolate, extra chocolate and whipped cream.” She handed Mark her card. Mark took it with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes ma’am?” Mark put in the order for her and gave back her card. Paige took it with a thank you before looking back at Tsuki.


“Do you have some time to sit with us?”
 
Tsuki managed a smile and nodded, unable to resist them. "I think so. I honestly have no idea about what's to come next, so... yes, why not?" She shrugged. "I was going to pick something up and bring them to you two as kind of an apology."
 
“You apologize?” Paige gaped as they walked to the table. “Tsuki,” Paige said sternly. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

“Yes,” Emma stood as Tsuki and Paige arrived at the table. “You don’t have to apologize for anything Tsuki, because Mr. González was right.” Emma looked away and fidgeted with her ring. “I used your opinion to overrule his.” She faced Tsuki. “And I was the one who brought you up in excitement during the meeting. I am the one who is sorry.”
 
Tsuki bit her lip as tears pricked her eyes once again, only this time for a different reason. "It's alright. I understand," she tried to reassure them, her voice trembling only a little. "I was a little hurt, but Mr. González overreacted, right or not. I'm sorry that you were spoken to so rudely, whether or not it was my fault. I was a part of it, and I feel bad." She dropped her gaze, not sure what else to say.
 
“Oh Tsuki,” Paige cooed. “Please don’t feel bad.” With a sigh, Paige sat down. “And while it was an overreaction,”

“It was our third time having a similar conversation.” Emma finished. “The first was me asserting myself as lead. We, no,” Emma shook her head and looked into her tea.


“I thought it was a good idea, even though he suggested Paige to be lead. I convinced Paige that it was beneficial, and he went with it. I ignored him and didn’t even seek Paige’s advice for the first illustration choice, getting demoted. Now I dragged you on and accepted changing the book and the writer’s deal without his approval.”

A shudder went through Emma. “I would much rather have an overreaction than a pink slip.”

“Which was what would have happened with anyone else.” Paige added with a solemn nod. “Ollie House, another Enchanters publishing company in the next town over,” Paige added quickly for Tsuki. “Just fired Circe because she approved of a writer without telling Zack.”
 
"I can't imagine Mr. González firing either of you. You two are vital!" Tsuki stated. "I mean..." She hesitated a little. "I still think he overreacted, but I suppose he was right, too. It seems like he's used to people trying to stab him in the back or usurp him or just all around being at best unfair, so I suppose it makes sense, but it is still cruel."

She gathered herself and smiled at Paige and Emma. "In any case, it is over now, and no one is fired!" At least, not yet, but Tsuki didn't add that out loud. "I need to get back in a minute, but I want you to know... I'll do my best to get your backs. Every time. Not that I have any illusions to my level of power, but I can at least try."
 
“Here we are, ladies,” Mark came with a platter that had a few plates on top. “A cinnamon roll, a blueberry scone, a cheese muffin, and a BLC lettuce wrap to go.” He set the food down in front of the women. Each got their order. “Enjoy,” He smiled at them before leaving. Once he left, both girls focused on Tsuki.

“Don’t worry about us, Tsuki.” Paige insured. “We’re just going to enjoy some time with our husbands.”

“And then we’ll see you Monday!” Emma added with small but genuine smile.
 
Tsuki smiled as she took her part of the order. "Good, you two deserve a break. I'll see you Monday!" She gave them a wave and thanked Mark on her way out.

As she rode the elevator up, Tsuki closed her eyes and tried to gather herself. She knew adjusting to a new job would be difficult with some weird hardships, but this was ridiculous! How was she going to deal with this job if it kept going like this? At this rate, she was going to be grey haired with an ulcer at this rate. But she couldn't quit. She just couldn't! At least... Not yet.

The elvator dinged, and the doors slid open. Tsuki steeled herself then headed back to her cubical.
 
Everything was going very well. In fact, if Adam didn't think about what happened that morning, everything was going great! He even got a few letters done after the whole morning fiasco. The letter helped him refocus. But with the rest of his meetings done now, and only more of those infernal stories to read and letters to write, the folder containing the samples of the other illustrators stared back at him. Adam growled back at the folder, but it stayed silent. And continued to stare back at him.

"Just a look." Adam reasoned to himself. Not because he was curious, and he wondered if they, Tsuki, was right. It turns out they were. The choices they picked were astounding. He favored Filomena. The textures were amazing and the color choices were calming. The only downside was that the deal would be international, making him more involved, but if it helped the book get more sales, it would be a small price to pay. The other choices were good too. It would be unfair to not let the author see and pick what they thought best with these new finds.

"Great," Adam rubbed his face as he sighed. Not only were the ladies right, he completely overreacted and scared them. Especially Tsuki. She had done nothing to deserve his outrage. In fact, she went so far as to help him by getting breakfast. What he did was wrong and he needed to fix it. But how?

He glanced back at his computers. The letters and stories, that still had to be sent stared back at him. He had a quarter of them done. Sending them to each person wasn't hard, their emails were attached to the story forms. It was just tedious, and perfect work for an assistant! Adam jumped into action, gathering the data onto a spare flash drive he kept around (he had five and always accepted more). After a few minutes, it was done. Though it wasn't enough.

He could get her coffee, but she didn't smell like coffee. Maybe tea? Though, which flavor did she like? Adam growled and huffed once more. Apologizing was always hard. With a look around the room, he searched for anything she might like. Then he saw the first anthology series he put together: Winter's Bloom, Tales of Ice and Roses. It was what he was trying to get an animation series for and it included stories his mother loved but never found room for. He had a couple of copies in his office. Since Tsuki worked for a publishing company, she had to like books, right?

With a deep breath, he stood up and gathered the flash drive and the book. He wrote on the title page:
I was wrong. And you didn't deserve to be yelled at. Thank you for the food. Enjoy your weekend, and if you decide to stay, see you Monday.

There short and simple. And while it would be the end of his career, he didn't want to ruin her life. Plus, maybe he wasn't as good as he thought at running this place. He sure wasn't like his mother. His watch beeped at 11:45. He shook himself out of his reprieve. It would be lunch soon and he needed to give this stuff to Tsuki. He stepped out of his office and into the other side of the hall.
Fortunately, everyone was still working. Though, Tsuki was not there. Maybe she was in the bathroom? He could just leave the items on her desk. That was better anyway. She probably didn't want to see him. With the mind to leave instructions, he set the items down and grabbed a sticky note off of her desk, writing a note for her.
 
Tsuki walked down the hall to her cubicle. She paused and stared at Mr. González bending over in her cubicle. What could he be doing here? He was writing a note, it looked like, on pink paper. A pink slip? A memo for her firing? Seemed a little unprofessional, but at least he cared enough to hand-write it. Wait, was that a good thing? That your boss hand-wrote you a pink slip?

She cleared her throat. "I brought you a sandwich for lunch, Mr. González. I hope it will be satisfactory."
 
With a yip, Adam jumped and turned around. He heard someone coming, he just didn't expect it to be Tsuki. But now, he just let his other side show, in front of a lot of people, at work. His heart continued its drumming in fear of being exposed or question. Though, if he got out as fast as he could, he could redeem himself, he could be normal again. Adam blinked, trying to put his thoughts together. Food, she brought him more food.

"Oh, um," Adam glanced around seeing that people were now peeking out of their cubicles. He focused on her and not his heating cheeks. "Just, um, bring it by when you go to lunch in thirty." His hands were sweaty as he crumpled the note in his hand. "There's work for you on your desk." He threw the note in her wastebasket and quickly walked past her, into his office. He slammed the door shut, his heart pounding. He didn't feel any bit normal.
 
Tsuki stared after him. "Um... Okay," she agreed to empty air. What on earth just happened? What had that sound been? That was so weird. But, then again, people did and said weird things when they were frightened.

She shook it off and stepped into her cubicle, setting the food on her desk before picking up the book curiously. What was this? Oh, and a flash drive. Must be for work. She sat down and plugged in the flash drive. During the seconds it took for the machine to read the new flash drive, she opened the book and scanned it. She almost didn't realize what it said, then a word clicked.

Wait... he said... oh. This was an apology? Tsuki couldn't help smiling as she read it again and again. Maybe... maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Maybe.

Then she looked at the flash drive, and her jaw dropped. Work?!? She was being given work?! Maybe there was a sweet divine being after all! Smiling down on her! She actually gave a tiny squeal of delight and spun in her chair. Then she got down to business and started going through the files and aquainting herself with what needed to be done.

When it was time for lunch, Tsuki stood, slipped on her shoes, and walked across the hallway to Mr. González' office. She tapped lightly and waited a beat before opening the door. "I brought your lunch, sir."
 
Adam was a bit more composed after pacing around a bit. He still felt an itch under his skin to just go run, but it could be settled to the back of his mind. Then he worked on emailing people the notes of their meeting, putting a more personal touch on Emma and Paige's notes. He was still emailing people when he heard someone approach his door. The light tap alerted Adam that it was Tsuki.

"I brought your lunch, sir."

"Oh, yeah." Adam swallowed a few nerves he had left down. He wasn't particularly ready for people, but he could focus on this small interaction. "Just, um, put it right there." He gestured to the top of his desk. He noted that he was still stuttering. He took a deep breath, hoping that would calm him. Tsuki's soft scent filled his nose. The urge to wag in happiness overtook him, making him wiggle in his seat a bit, before realizing what he was doing. Adam rubbed his face roughly but kept his hands over his face. Blocking her scent from his nose and hiding his flaming face.

"Sorry." He muttered through his hands.
 
He didn't look well. He looked flushed and shaky. Tsuki hoped feeding him would help, but what he really needed was a break. Not that she dared tell him that. He might think she was suggesting things again, things that must not be named.

Tsuki stepped over and very carefully set the wrap down. "Here you are, sir. I hope it is satisfactory." She put her hands behind her back as she turned back to him. "Sir, thank you for you note. It was... thank you." She forced herself to stop before she said or did anything embaressing. "I will be back Monday, sir. Do you need anything else before I return to work?"
 
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