Dying Tigers: A Strange Love Story

Meetings - Part 4

I sighed, having more questions now than I'd started with. I was stacking up the reports when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in." I called.

Sterts stepped into the office, as stern-faced as always.

"Have you straightened out your charges yet?" He asked, as blunt and to the point as always as well.

I smiled to myself at my boss's predictable personality.

"We're in the middle of a standoff at the moment." I told him.

"Over what?"

"Scheduling. So far I've only managed to pry three projects out of them, and there's no guarantee they'll get them."

He's face turned even more grim.

"Are you going to be able to find them enough work?"

"Certainly." I lied smoothly. "I've got a few ideas." I had none, but I couldn't let Sterts know that. Besides, it'd only been a few days. I honestly hadn't been expecting him to start dogging me so soon. He had over twenty other agents and interns under him to occupy his time with. I'd been banking on a month before he'd be looking for a report on their progress. It once again made me wonder what it was about these two that had everyone trying so hard to make it work.

"That's good then." Sterts conceded.

I decided to oblige my curiosity.

"Why is everyone pushing so hard for these two?" I asked. "Frankly, they're already a liability to the company's reputation, yet they're still being given new agents, and now a personal manager, company housing and even a living stipend. What is the company seeing that makes them willing to expend that kind of money on two chronic trouble makers that may never come into their potential?"

Sterts was quiet for a moment, and I waited patiently for an answer.

"You know Z-Company's president scouted them off the street, yes?" He asked.

I nodded, he'd told me that when he'd brought me the offer. It wasn't that uncommon to scout potential talent when they were just going about their normal life.

"They were literally living on the streets." Sterts clarified. "They were homeless. The president found them begging for money and food."

I sat up straighter, intrigued.

"The president was also in a bad spot when he was scouted into the industry years ago, it was what turned his life around. It seems they've struck a soft spot in him. He's personally footing the bill for all their expenses, on the understanding that they only have a year to pull themselves together. The only thing the company is paying for are work-related fees."

I think my mouth was hanging open. To have a company president take such a personal interest in a potential talent was almost unheard of, but it certainly explained all the odd considerations they were being given.

"Well, that's something." I commented, not really having anything better to say.

Sterts grunted in agreement. "Do your best with them, but don't worry if you can't make it work. It won't cost the company much, nor will it reflect badly on you."

His casual dismissal of their importance and my ability to handle them rankled at me, and I had to bite my tongue to keep quiet. Sterts was good at what he did, but he lacked any type of personal compassion. Everything was just business to him.

I nodded silently.

"Very well then, keep up the good work." And with that he left, leaving me to ponder everything I'd found out today.