First day

The next day, you head off to the AWIO, excited to start your new career. When you arrive, you’re greeted by another familiar face. It’s Edward, the advisor who got you and Mazzy together in the first place.

Edward smiles and shakes your hand. “Brian! It’s good to see you again. How’s life treating you?”

You chuckle. “All told, pretty damn good.”

He laughs. “I’ve heard. Well, you’re going to be working with me today. We have an interview to do, you can just watch and see how it goes.”

The two of you start walking deeper into the building. Edward hands you a thick folder. “Here’s the guy’s file. His name is Ryan, he’s in his late 30s. Wife died a few years ago, leaving him a single dad of two teenagers, a boy and a girl.”

You start flipping through the info in the folder. There’s a ton of information there, the AWIO does a very thorough job of checking in on potential sponsors, it seems.

You look at Edward. “He seems like he’s had it rough lately. I can see why he wants some company.”

Edward nods. “Apparently, it was his kids who suggested he come to us. In many ways, he’s the ideal sponsor. By all accounts, he’s kind and caring, a good father, and extremely lonely.”

You smile. “He’s not looking for a trophy, or a plaything.”

Edward laughs. “Exactly! It helps too that he’s a little bit older. We typically get younger men in here, and some of the girls prefer someone a bit more mature. In this case, there’s one in particular that’s very excited about Ryan. There’s an elven woman named Lily who said she thinks he’s perfect.”

You chuckle. “I’m guessing that happens a lot.”

Edward nods. “It does. Most times there’s at least one who is very interested before the interview. It’s very rare that we send someone home alone, though it does happen.”

The two of you reach the interview rooms, and Edward smiles. “This time, just observe. It’s pretty simple really, the idea is to get the sponsor to talk a little, so the girls watching can make their decision.”

You nod, and follow him in. You both shake hands with Ryan, who seems nervous. He seems to be an average guy, nothing in particular standing out about him. Edward asks a few basic questions, drawing out a bit more from him. You can see the genuine smile when he talks about his kids, and the still sharp sadness when his late wife is mentioned. You get the impression that he’s depressed, but all he needs is a small push to recover at this point. You expect that his kids saw that too, and that’s why they directed him here now.

After a relatively short time, you and Edward leave, to ‘go speak with the girls’. Edward leads you across the hall, into a room with a big monitor on the wall. Several monster girls are there, watching the feed from the interview room. Immediately, one stands, a lithe woman with raven black hair and pointed ears. She is tall, nearly as tall as you, and slim, moving with grace and elegance, practically gliding as she walks. She smiles as she walks over, her dark, almond shaped eyes shining with excitement.

“He’s the one, Edward. I want him to sponsor me.”

Edward laughs. “Ok, Lily. You ready to meet him?”

Lily simply nods, and follows the two of you across the hall. You chuckle to yourself as you see Ryan’s eyes go wide at the sight of Lily, who sits down beside him and immediately takes his hand. The smile spreading on his face tells you everything you need to know.

After finishing the paperwork and sending the new couple on their way, Edward sighs. “If only they were all that easy. Still, it feels good to make someone that happy. I imagine our home visit tomorrow will be interesting.”

You laugh, remembering your own first visit. “I expect so. I think I’m going to like this job.”