"This way, Const. We need to get to work." Noble motioned for the young man to follow her.
"We?" Const furrowed his brow as he chased after the floating woman.
"Unless you have something better to do, I would like for you to start immediately." Noble cut her eyes to one side as the man came alongside her.
"Start what, exactly?" The young man pushed back his scarf as it fluttered in the breeze.
"A job. I did say you were hired, didn't I? I don't think that was in my head, at least." Noble pursed her lips.
"No, you did. And I gathered that it was a position of some kind. But before I start anything, shouldn't we have an interview?" Const raised his eyebrows.
"We did…oh…" Noble realized what he was getting at. "I had my questions answered, but you didn't get any details on your end. Very well. Proceed."
"What is the nature of the position you are offering?" Const tried to word his question carefully.
"Administrative Assistant to the Provost, I believe that is the proper term." Noble tried to recall what she had put on the job advertisement. "If you prefer a different title, I can arrange that."
"And what exactly would my duties be?" The Awakened noticed the first blooms of the coming spring sprouting from the last bits of snow. He instinctively spread their smell as he passed.
Noble nodded her approval.
"Beyond making this place a more pleasant place as your Aspect sees fit, you would be assisting the provost in clerical duties, including appointments and being the point of contact between her and the various departments here on campus. I'm the provost, by the way, but don't actually mind if you keep calling me Professor."
Noble opened the door to the building and led the young man down a hall. She motioned to the empty offices.
"Should you find the workload to be too great, we can hire a small team to assist you."
"I would get to have an assistant of my own?" Const's eyes opened wider.
The provost nodded. "Your predecessor was a one-woman army, but that doesn't mean you need to be. No one survives the Dream Realm alone, and few can in the world of paperwork."
"That…strangely makes sense." Const pulled at his chin. "Uh, about the pay…"
"I mean, it's a government job, so the pay is abysmal. But I can negotiate it to a place where you are comfortable."
"Oh, I don't need the money. I'm not a legacy, but I'm not hurting for credits. I was just making sure this counted as a paid position. My parents will ask." Const smiled sheepishly. "They have been asking me for a while to become gainfully employed. They think I am too much of a daydreamer."
"It is a paid position, but probably not the most prestigious place an awakened person can get. Government work is rather thankless." Noble nodded.
Opening the door at the end of the hall, Noble smiled.
"And here is your office. Mine is just beyond this, so you are essentially a gatekeeper. You think clearing out an angry crowd is a workout? Try getting Teacher Moussee to leave when he insists he needs to speak to the Provost for the third time that day without an appointment."
"I have met him. He's… persistent." Const furrowed his brow.
"If you aren't up to the challenge…" Noble raised one eyebrow.
"I didn't say that!" Const shook his head, then paused. "One last question. Why me?"
The provost sighed. "I need help. You were willing to offer assistance out there without a thought for yourself. Based on your appearance, you've a meticulous eye for detail, which is sorely needed in this kind of work. You are at least moderately interested in the position to have followed me this far, and you don't mind me being a little bossy. That part is key because I can get a bit short when I'm hyper-focused, you see. So, all in all. I am trusting my gut on this one. I think you would be a good fit for the job."
"So you want me to take a thankless job with low pay and a self-proclaimed difficult-to-work-with boss?" Const ran his fingers along the edge of the real wooden desk.
"That's about the size of it, yes." Noble shrugged.
"I never did know what to do when people thank me anyway..." Const tapped his chin lightly. "I'll do it!"
"You will? I mean, of course, you will!" Noble smiled brightly. "I picked you, didn't I?"
'I can't believe that worked!'
Syrce might have been onto something when declaring things to be true. While Noble couldn't do it all the time, she was quite pleased to find her friend's unorthodox methods of picking people worked on someone other than her.
"I will at least give it a try. I think a two-week trial period is reasonable for both of us to see if this works." Const's reasoning made sense.
If the man was halfway decent at the job, Noble had no intention of losing him.
"Two weeks and then years to come after that, I am sure. Now, let me call personnel and let them get things sorted. Don't worry about them; they will be relieved not to have to send me any more prospects. You can make yourself comfortable, but not too comfortable. I have two tasks that need to be done urgently, and I simply haven't had the time." Noble nodded.
"What tasks?" Const was directed to the datapad and the stack of pages on the desk.
"That stack is the list of requests from students who would like to transfer to the Dream Realm to awaken. I need you to check and make sure they are filled out properly before I sign them and send them to the next phase of the process. If anything is wrong, it gets kicked back to our office, and we have to start over. The datapad has all of the applications for my research assistant. I need you to look through them and flag the ones that would be good for the position."
Const frowned. "I thought I was going to be your assistant?"
"Ah, I see the confusion. You are my administrative assistant. I am in need of someone to conduct my research and sometimes hold classes on Memories in my stead. Perhaps I should call them an associate instead. That would make things less complicated in the long run. Oh, and if you could find someone who is also adept at handling finicky technology, that would be a bonus."
Const picked up a writing utensil and found a blank page. "Get student applications in proper order and look for associates with knowledge of Memories, research experience, and good problem-solving skills. Ability to handle Bee Two is preferred." The young man winked. "I remember your Android, professor. I'll help find the right person, don't worry."
"I knew you were the perfect choice." Noble almost patted herself on the back for her foresight.
She left Const in peace and went to complete the necessary paperwork for her new hire. Personnel was surprisingly understanding, excited even, to have the position filled.
After Noble had finished that task and a few others, she took a deep breath and came to a decision.
She had done enough. She needed sleep. After so many days, it was time to head home.