Handing off responsibility

Upon arriving back at the building, Edward leads you quickly into the admin area, and into an office you hadn’t seen before. Seated at a desk inside is a large, grim faced man, who is absorbed in some kind of paperwork. He looks up as the two of you walk in, and you’re brought up short as you meet his eyes. Eyes that are decidedly inhuman.

Yellow and green, with vertical slit pupils, they appear to be lizards eyes. He nods to Edward, a smile touching his lips. “Afternoon Edward. Didn’t tell the new guy what to expect, I see.”

Edward pauses, then shakes his head. “Oh! So sorry, I had a lot on my mind. Brian, this is Roz, he heads the security teams.”

Roz stands, and you get a sense of how big this man is. Intimidatingly large, but not necessarily threatening. You shake his hand, and you can feel the strength in his grip. He smiles again.

“Nice to meet you, Brian. To answer the question I see in your eyes, no, I’m not human. At least, not fully. There’s a bit of lamia blood in me, though not enough that I would be considered one.”

Edward nods. “Roz came through the portal looking for adventure.”

Roz chuckles. “That’s one way to put it. We can sit down over a beer sometime and I’ll tell you the story. But no one comes in here for that, and from the way you look, I’d guess I’m going to be earning my paycheck today.”

You and Edward explain what you saw. When you finish, Roz nods. “No weapons or evidence of physical ****?”

Edward shakes his head. “Not that I saw.”

Roz is writing notes. “Good. We’ll be prepared, just in case, but that sounds less risky. Go on, I’ll get the team moving. We’ll have her back here by dinner time.”

The big man waves you off, and you follow Edward out of the office. “He’s always a bit short, at least when there’s a recovery. But he’s very good at it. There’s never been a serious injury during one of his operations. And thankfully we don’t need him often.”

You glance back, seeing Roz on the phone. “Given the nature of his work, I’m surprised he’s friendly at all.”

Edward shrugs. “He handles other things too, like assigning security at the cafe and in this building, when necessary. But yes, it does leave him rather serious most of the time.”

He then chuckles. “He’s handsome, though. If I could convince my boyfriend, I’d see about having Roz join us. But that’s a personal thing!”

You laugh. “Fair enough. And I’m glad this is in good hands now.”

Edward nods. “Yes. Fortunately this is very rare, but it’s upsetting that it happens at all. I have heard that we had more trouble with the Traveler program, but I’m not involved with that.”

You look at him curiously. “Traveler program?”

Edward smiles. “People who want to leave here and go to the old world. It’s a one way trip. At first, a few people who were less than ideal candidates were allowed to go, but we’re more stringent now.”

You shake your head. “I can’t imagine what that’s like, suddenly walking into a fantasy world.”

Edward laughs. “Says the man living many peoples fantasy right now. But I agree. I like modern life too much to consider leaving it behind, no matter how magical the old world is.”

You grin. “Yeah. I’m experiencing plenty of magic as it is.”

Edward rolls his eyes. “Showoff. Anyways, I think we’re done for today. I’m sure you have plenty to do, since you said your construction is almost done. Good luck with Sirona, she’ll be happy with you, I can tell.”

You chuckle. “I certainly hope so. The girls tell me construction will be done today, so tomorrow we get furniture and move her in. Big day!”

With that, the two of you part ways. Despite the bad end to the day, you still feel more satisfied with your work than you ever had at the construction company. You feel like for the most part, you spend your day making people happy, as a job. You leave each day with a smile on your face.