Hearts and Minds (Susan & Maria)

It felt nice to do something a little more on the benevolent side of the house for a change. Susan was just fine with crunching numbers and working spreadsheets but things could get hairy in the office at times. For every green incentive she pioneered or charitable donation she signed off on there was someone being undersold on a label or losing their career to make a quick buck. Underneath the surface it was either sharks or dolphins, the trick was fooling people into thinking what the company wanted them to. Marketing it was called, and Image Management. To some this was abhorrent, a cruel and vicious practice and they would be right... but to Susan this was simply how things worked. Some had to give up their comforts for others and not her own or anyone else's reservations would change the status quo. It was better not to think about it too much. Like in fact how today was no different.

Susan had pitched a fantastic idea at the board meeting last week when they were having problems delivering a product. That is, people didn't want to buy it, so how would they get rid of it? Normally they would slash prices until the overstock was snapped up and they could make some money back, but the businesswoman had thought better. They would not lower their prices and instead donate it all to charity. Salem Ltd. would be able to write it all off at full price at the end of the year for tax reasons, saving them thousands. She smiled absently when thinking about the reception she received, the nods of agreement, the atta-girls and kudos. To tell the truth she lived for it. To succeed and do good, to be recognized for doing so, to receive accolades and achievements to prove her worth. Life was hard for a woman in the industry and it gave her a satisfaction like no other to outperform her coworkers.

"Ms. Groves?"
"Y-yes...?" she said dreamily, snapping out of her reverie. She was back at Sunlake Palms Church, the designated test bed of her endeavor. Susan was granted special privilege to oversee this charity raffle in place of one of the managers or the directors as a reward for her good idea. It was simple appearances to be sure, she only needed to ensure that the event staff were coordinated and performed their functions. Taking stock, organizing decorations, all of these came simply to her. It was almost like a small reprieve from the hectic world of market research.
"Where would you like the display?"
"Hmm... I believe it should be placed on the stage by the pulpit so as not to obstruct the signs we will hang in front of it. I believe their will be enough space up there. Has the sound system arrived yet?"
"Not yet, no."
"Okay. If it does not arrive in the next twenty minutes I will make some phone calls."
Susan continued like this, flitting between staring intently into her tablet and being asked general organizational questions. There was no doubt in her mind that this event would go off without a hitch. Everything was building up nicely.

Maria sifted through a clip-board full of articles and records of the things that were brought in just this morning. It was a nice change of pace to have the Church become involved with a fundraiser. Every day seemed so mundane with all the prayers and chores to help maintain the religious establishment. Of course, this barred the underground training and research to keep the the Church's most secretive members ready for a demonic threat. It seemed almost comical how each religious figure could hide behind a veneer of religious modesty and charity when deep inside they were all a bunch of trained killers with more than a few screws loose in their craniums.

"Brother Andrew, please set that sign to the side over there. We want them to be able to see it," Maria instructed a balding monk holding a wooden stand and a cardboard sign. She subsequently nodded in satisfaction as the man put up the sign to her satisfaction. The chapel was a relatively large for its size. But it was rarely used for any occasion outside of religious worship. It made her wonder why the Mother Superior would agree to this arrangement. It took a good effort to get all these pews out of the way. And even more to get tables, chairs, and other stuff to get inside and set them up.  

But she couldn't complain. It was more busy work for her on top of being a Cadet, yet it was a job that didn't risk her life. It felt better to not have that oppressive burden of a coffin near her at this time. Maria glanced through the clipboard's contents a little more for details that needed to be heeded. In the corner of her eye, she noticed there was someone else that stood out like a sore thumb in this sea of clergymen and nuns bustling around in their work. She never seen anyone like her in this Church. "We have a sound system hooked up that we use for daily services that we could use if it doesn't come in. But we need our technical manager to come on. He'll come by in a few hours."

She stepped over to the woman's direction with a hand presented to her with the clipboard set aside. Maria tried to beam a smile, trying to make this temporary guest comfortable in this Church. There were appearances that needed to be kept up for a reason, after all.

The preparations were... coming along nicely. Hmm... It left her feeling almost empty. There was always something else that could be done, something to occupy her time with but at the moment that seemed not to be the case. Except for the little wrinkle that was the sound system, but a quick phone call would set the record straight. Quite literally at that. Susan smiled to herself at her lame little joke as she took to occupying her empty mind once more before the desperately empty feeling threatened to overtake her and she would be calling the rental company until the equipment showed up. With nothing else to eat up her time Susan decided to be delinquent for once and pull up her fantasy thriller on BookEnder, she only needed about one hundred more pages before she reached the end of Lancer Saga: Spear of Demon's Rage. It was quite the page turner, she really liked Tal and his whole character arc with the night toxin. She sincerely hoped he would die at the end, it would make for a roaring shift from Tal's perspective and his servitude under the Lord of the Undead to Naringa's and her opening against the Bane at the start of Tears of Blood.

She hadn't put barely ten pages in between people asking her common sense questions and Susan nodding "mmhmm" and pretending to listen with a stray comment here and there before she was approached by a girl with blue hair that distinctively did not live within the world of Rengis.
"Sure, that sounds fine..." she droned, not taking her eyes off away from her tablet before the shapeless figure hadn't moved. Susan moved her eyes upward to find... a nun with dyed hair. That was... interesting? It was a new generation and Susan wasn't one to judge too harshly. She could safely say she hadn't seen one of those before, but yet again nor could she say she had met a nun until today. It took a moment for her words to register, moments spent staring back and forth in awkward silence but register they did.
"I-I'm so sorry!" she stammered, blackening her tablet screen with a quick thumb swipe and tucking it under her arm before reaching out a hand of her own. "My mind was elsewhere. Yes my name is Susan Groves, I'm representing Salem Ltd.'s interests this afternoon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Never one to separate business from anything else, Susan delivered a firm hand shake. Not a friendly one nor an eager one, just... firm. Distant and a little cold. Sterile. Forgetting her manners, the light quickly returned to Susan's eyes as her mind began to focus on what was happening in the moment and not on whatever the Oaken Raiders were doing in the Fellwood... although a bit too late to save the face she lost.
"I suppose that would do in a pinch... although it doesn't align with the timetable, we would be cutting things very close if that were the case. Although a sound system already configured for the room would be more efficient than calibrating a new one and hoping for the best or wasting everyone's time... then again it would send a bitter message to the supplier if we ordered their equipment and never used it in favor of what was already there..." the businesswoman mused more aloud than to Maria, using her as a human soundboard as it were and demonstrating why her company rarely ever let her make first impressions.

The light from her eyes flickered for a moment but didn't die out, Susan catching herself becoming lost in her head again before it was too late.
"So this is your congregation?" she asked rhetorically with a polite tone. Of course this was her congregation, she was here on behalf of Sunlake Palms Church. The question in and of itself was an obvious invitation to tell her more about their service and shift the focus of conversation to something more personal and less likely to throw Susan off the rails.

She waited patiently for the woman to finally avert her attention away from what caught it in the first place. Certainly this person was busy and she was sympathetic. Regardless of this person's behavior, Maria continued to offer the same hospitality and warmth that was expected of a person in this place. A small gentle smile spread across her features as their hands met together. The shake was firm, but remarkably business-like. This guest's demeanor did feel a little mechanical, but quickly warmed up to her, the Cadet observed. Perhaps this was the way of a businesswoman: to remain cool and collected, but remain amicable enough to get business transactions through. "My pleasure as well, Miss Groves. I'm glad you're taking the time to help in the preparations."

Maria observed her appearance with a cursory glance. The representative seemed remarkably shorter than her and dressed appropriately. There was a lack of any characteristic that stood out. But most importantly Susan looked like she would be easy to work with. The postulant grimly would remember the time when Lisa wouldn't cooperate just as well. There was something bitter about how Maria felt and wished the Lamecia Princess would behave just like this woman in front of her. C'est la vie.

She found herself nodding slowly along as Susan explained her concerns. Never mind workable, that never seemed to be a problem. There was something else that Maria quite couldn't put a finger on. Conscientious? Worrisome? For someone who was cooped up in the Church for so long, it was an oddly different experience for her. "Maybe it won't be so much of a waste of time. Some of our speakers have issues intermittently. So if they bring that in, we could have the ones they bring in replace them for this period anyway. The dashboard controls can be a little bit of an issue at times as well. If anything we'll have what we need if they can't get here in time. But if they do, then we can still replace some of the faulty material anyway."

She remembered the times during Mass when the priests had to give out their homilies without using the microphones. It was a bothersome moment for some of them since the chapel was so huge and not many could hear what they had to say at that moment. There was a large period of arguments and grudges between the guys who handle the technical stuff. It was such a stupid moment, but it seemed that even between the Lord's faithful that even they aren't above petty squabbles as well.


She sounded a tad regretful, but still keeping up her cheery demeanor. It was hard not to when it does get a little too quiet and lonely in this place for even her tastes despite living here for so long.

The nun seemed polite enough, as expected as a young woman of the faith. You could never judge a book by its cover, as much as her hair would lead her to think otherwise. Perhaps she was a rebellious youth that found God at rock bottom but never forgot where she came from? It took all kinds, and while most anyone religious had been raised that way and colored tightly within the lines those who found Him themselves she found to be the most honest in their belief. Susan could respect that. Everyone deserved a second chance. But she had yet again found her brain slipping slowly away from her and making assumptions without evidence that she thought it best to get straight back on track.


The businesswoman would give Maria a gentle smile and chuckle, attempting to be as friendly as possible to make up for her wooden behavior moments ago. All it took was a firm shift back into conversational mode... as long as she could keep her mind from wandering any more than normal. All things aside this wasn't a formal event and remaining so professional would only alienate her from everyone doing exactly the opposite. She had no one to impress here, no one that would report seemed fidgets in her demeanor to her supervisors unless she continued to remain unapproachable. It would be better to remain casual and make friends in low places. The truth of it is that this was intern work, Susan's presence was never needed here. She took it as a breather and a way to see her work make some real impact. Now was not the time to remain stone faced.

And then it went straight back to business once more. This was going to be tricky. Susan was used to all of one or most of the other, flitting back and forth was never her strong suit and her interpersonal skills weren't as polished. But problem solving was her strong point. She listened intently to the nun describe the little idiosyncrasies with their own audio system while the cogs turned in her head. Her eyes would once again lose their flicker as she retreated into herself, her gaze nearly staring through Maria as she stood deep in thought.
"Hmm... Well... if you happen to have issues with your speakers I know for a fact that a stereo system is one of the items being donated today," she would remark, gesturing toward the equipment being offloaded off of the back of the truck, "I know the plan for this afternoon was to host a raffle for the members of your church decided between agreed upon by myself and Mother... what was her name? She was taller, habit... oh I know this isn't helping but I'm sure you know who I'm speaking of."

She would gesture as she spoke, raising her hand far above her head and placing her hands over her hair in some form of symbol of what she happened to be saying. Just as she said, not that it would help much. Being taller than Susan didn't narrow down the field any and neither did a nun with a habit which, of course, most nuns wore.
"B-but as I was saying, all of these items now belong to the church and you may use them as you see fit. I'm certain your organization would find use for them more than anyone in the raffle, you're free to claim them as you like." Sue found that she had reached a comfortable middle ground in her options. More favorable to offering to comp a new sound system install from her own pocket before she could realize the benefits this partnership offered and certainly friendlier than offering to sell them a set. Most efficiently Susan didn't need to do anything, they could have claimed the stereo system anyway, but now she seemed like a saint for offering the suggestion. Susan smiled warmly, although whether that was in a gesture of good will or admiration of her own cleverness wasn't exactly clear.

But her smile would fade at Maria's final comment, about the lack of parishioners. It was tempting to brainstorm ways of drawing people into their church but she felt that inappropriate.
"That is very unfortunate, faith is very important in these trying times," she would agree in practiced fashion, sounding religious yet offering no personal input on the matter, "I must admire the resolve of your clergy to volunteer themselves on missions, I can't imagine it how dangerous it would be outside Endymion given where we are and what's going on within it. B-but I certainly hope that you can make use of what we have today to brighten the lives of others!" She had almost dropped the ball but Susan had managed to end on a positive note rather than get bogged down in negativity. It wouldn't leave a good impression had she gotten into more controversial topics, the demon attacks were mostly still taboo to talk of in most circles. For many it opened old wounds, she certainly hoped she didn't offend with that remark.

She happily nodded at Susan's request. It made things a little easier. Maria wasn't too used to most kinds of business-like deals. It was hard enough that she had to remain professional as a Cadet. Mundane-like work outside of working for the Government would always remain a means for her to keep clinging for a sense of normalcy. Any dealings with the Supernatural had its ways to gradually change you into something... strange or worse. Looking at her previous experiences, it taught her that.

"Oh! Yes, Mother Sylvania. I believe that is correct. We're on schedule as it is, thankfully. The stereo might be what we need. Thank you," Maria graciously took the offer with the same smile on her face. It seemed awfully nice how a company was willing to help them out. Perhaps Audrey would finally stop complaining about how finicky their old system was and how much it resembled a fickle part of nature that would act out without warning. To be fair to him, it was an old piece of technology that should've been replaced some time ago. The low stipends from the diocese and the Vatican were really hurting them as of late despite being commissioned to represent them to the Government. It was almost getting ridiculous, as Father Jorge once muttered under his breath.

Her smile didn't exactly fall, but it was a little less cheery. There was so much that everyone didn't know about the Church. If they only knew what secrets it hid behind. But that was what this whole charade was for in the first place. Outsiders didn't need to know. Dangerous was definitely something the Cadet could agree after the last few days. But these people could handle it. After all, dealing with demons with the pointy end of a blade or riddling them with quicksilver is an old tradition. "It can be a little tough, but we've been smart enough to avoid such threats as much as possible. Safety first, right?"

Maria could somehow instinctively feel that this conversation was on a see-saw of awkwardness. After interacting with some of the more clandestine elements in the Church, it was slowly becoming a little more clear that even Susan had a veneer of her own. But, of course, it was just trying to be business-like and friendly. She worked for a company. It wasn't like it's something was amiss. Rather, it was something to be sympathetic when even Maria had a mask of her own.

"Ha ha hm...." Susan would chuckle in kind, more mirroring Maria than anything else. A polite laugh as called for with the situation. But it wasn't as if she was being disingenuous, far from it. It seemed that both women wanted to get along but neither could exactly find the right way in which to do that. First impressions had always been the bane of Susan's existence, it was much easier to get along with people once they knew how she could really act like. Absent-minded, well-meaning, a little serious and best at dealing with direct matters. Small talk would quickly escape her and she would find herself running out of things to talk about. Sort of what was happening at this very moment. A few seconds had passed with neither women saying a word and nothing but friendly faces between each other when the businesswoman's eyes fluttered slightly, a minor tell for a minor concern. That concern of course was keeping up a casual conversation without allowing things to grow stale or awkward, she wouldn't want those at the church to think she were strange or weird for having poor people skills.

"Y-yes, well, it's yours to do with as you like in the future! I agree that it wouldn't be wise to set up untested equipment for the big event, ha ha." She laughed nervously again, still reaching into the corners of her mind for subjects to talk about and wondering why nothing was coming back. She wouldn't dare turn the conversation back to how members of her congregation placed themselves at risk nor how few people seemed to be in attendance.
"So how long have you been a part of your church? I imagine to be a nun you must have started fairly young." And with that sentence Susan visibly calmed down once more. It was much less difficult to have a normal everyday conversation that didn't involve pricing models when she was the one steering it. At best steering it, guiding it, anticipating future questions and answering them ahead of time. Perhaps she should take more charge as she'd seen the executives do... and admittedly her peers. Just never her. If any other person were here they would be the Big Shot, the company man or woman that was there to host the show and ensuring it ran smoothly, the Mister or Miss. ...Maria had actually addressed her as Miss when she introduced herself. It took everything in her to not break her neutral and approachable face with a wince at the realization. Now it wasn't clear who was and was not in charge of this conversation.

And that's why they never let you out of the office, Susan, even the simplest meet and greet can't run smoothly because you can't talk to people or take charge. I wish I would have turned down this opportunity and copped an excuse to work on SCRUM the rest of the afternoon, she has to think I'm incompetent...

While her smile was pleasant and warm her eyes could not hide her discomfort, made worse through beating herself up over it. And so Susan would follow the same pattern she had been making during this introduction, that is turning her full attention away from it and back again.

"In the end, we'll leave it up to the technician's. It's their call and I'm sure they can handle it. I think we'll have everything we need for now," Maria nodded as she glanced at the growing completion of the stage. Everything was going all according to plan with the signs and displays set up ready for the event. Indeed, it was getting a little awkward here. Perhaps, it was better for their own sake to end this farce of small chat soon for both of their sanity. It was awfully nice that this lady opted to try to be as accommodating as possible even if it wasn't real. "Oh no. I'm not a nun. I'm actually training to be one... It's been five years since I came here. It's still a little while away until I get to take my vows."

She tried so hard to not grimace at the memories flooding back at her. And there was reasonable success as she kept up her smile. Maria quickly came up with another topic to broach before allowing the woman to notice that tiny window of an unpleasant expression. She hoped that Susan wouldn't notice. "You must forgive me for my ignorance. But I've actually haven't heard about Salem before. Being cooped up here in this Church really hampers with your connection to the outside world with all the rejection of secular affairs. Could you tell me what your company does as a business?"

At this point Susan's fell albeit ever so slightly. She need not even look at Maria's face and the empty hurt behind her eyes, she would have never picked that up anyway. Faces were never all that clear to her, there were so many small subtleties she didn't grasp made all that much harder when she felt too cowed to make eye contact or mentally checked out and stared off into space. No, Susan picked up voices, words, and inflections much quicker and he'd heard all she needed to here: Five years. It didn't take a genius to figure out what could have been her motivation for that one. To be frightfully honest it made her want to crawl under a rock and just disappear. The businesswoman had been trying to do be that shining face and enjoy giving back to the community and she had been eating crow all afternoon and bringing up ghosts of the past... It was like a waking nightmare. She might as well be naked and taking a her high school final.

The businesswoman breathed a small sigh of relief when Maria decided to change the topic this time, though the damage was already done. There was a threshold for awkwardness and that definitely was some form of tipping point. Susan decided at that moment that she would not be remaining for the entirety of the event, but would leave with the setup crew and send some fresher faces the next day to pick up the remaining loaned equipment so she wouldn't have to rub anyone's misfortunes in their faces anymore than she already had. Although Maria did bring up a topic she was quite familiar with it did little to make her feel any more comfortable than she may have been before. Confident yes, comfortable no. Before she shoved her foot firmly in her mouth Susan would have talked for hours about what Salem Ltd. did and what she did for  them but now it was mired in all the filth and negative impressions that she dredged up from the depths. Still, it was something and she was hard-pressed on how to proceed.

"Oh. ...don't feel bad, we're actually a ways away from the public eye," she began, hesitating before adopting a more calm and even tone, "Salem Limited is actually a mega-parent company over many other companies and businesses, specializing mostly in the acquisition of technology firms and web development but also electronics and is expanding markets into the service industry. We're uh... like how Disney owns YouTube. You never hear about us but there's a good chance that we own the company that made the electronics you enjoy every day." A slight hiccup but one fixed after Susan managed to cut the business talk that someone as young and as she just said not familiar with the industry would not have understood. Frankly it was painful to go on with her spiel any longer as she continually magnified every tiny mistake she made.

"I work as their economist and also as their financial adviser and market researcher. Mainly it's my responsibility to tell them where the money should go. I actually have..."

I actually have a small slideshow which is what she was about to say as she brought her tablet out from under her arm and woke up the screen, but now was not the time nor the place nor the context. Had things gone a little smoother quite possibly, but definitely not now, it would be widely inappropriate. She had ruined everything as usual and longed to go back to her quiet office where she wasn't required to speak to anyone for the rest of the day if she didn't feel up to the task. She slowly stopped herself and turned her gaze back to the nun.
"...I actually have to get going. I have a few other projects I need to finish and all the equipment has been accounted for and the sound system has been worked out so... I guess my job is done here." Her tone was still very collected and professional as always yet noticeably quieter. Of course this wasn't goodbye just yet, only the beginning of it. She still needed to exchange pleasantries and check out with her crew but it would be better to get that started sooner rather than later before she made things worse for herself.

She listened with evident interest. It seemed just about right on the money that it was some kind of technological company and much more. It didn't feel so bad to not know so much about them if they were that obscure. A part of her wondered if Mother Sylvania was going to rely on them for some favors. Perhaps it was something to ask Jorge about in the later future. It seemed impressive that Susan was in such positions. It must've taken such a long period of work to get there.


It would rather be lackluster to just say bye and saunter off elsewhere, right? Maria might as well give the woman a better send-off for bothering to talk with her.

Her expression became one of uncertainty at Maria's very bold statement. She wasn't quite sure she could be at a level to make it, to be honest, normally those sorts of decisions were decided by board meetings behind closed doors rather than out in the open and by basically an intern. Susan was uncertain this was okay, but was hesitant to question it. Any positive encouragement was welcome after she assumed how badly she had failed.

"You are... t-this is excellent news," she chirped shyly, Susan's face nearly lighting up as her professional facade was broken for a microsecond. Those words had nearly been exclaimed in her sudden swing of mood yet the businesswoman had managed to rest control of herself long enough to be more pleased than ecstatic over this new development. Of course, she was again seeing the forest for the trees. There was no telling how this could impact Salem Ltd. and a big part of the reason she was not allowed to make such decisions so hastily. On the one hand they could continue to rely on the Church to donate unwanted stock to, securing a brighter public image and securing guaranteed tax returns. On the other the Church could waste their time and resources with demands and dealings, but time would only tell.

"Thank you Maria, I am glad that Salem Limited can continue to meet your needs and make an impact within your community." Susan beamed warmly as she spout out a very stock-sounding phrase, albeit from the businesswoman it would sound enthusiastic and genuine. She was nearly ready to charge off with her head held high until she remembered that she was a professional and there were certain boxes that needed checked before she were allowed to. Susan performed a half-turn before turning back, fishing through the purse slung under her arm.
"Oh, yes. Let me give you my contact information in case the Sunlake Palms Church has any questions or comments. This is actually my personal contact information, so I'll be sure to answer if you or anyone else calls."

They really were the only personal calls she ever received and something she had tried to turn others on to. Leaving your personal information guaranteed a connection with your client and ensured the most optimal response time. Of course, her fellow employees with spouses and children and lives outside of work were resistant to the idea for whatever reason. After rifling through an uncomfortable amount of personal items, Susan produced one of her many custom-printed business cards and handed it to the nun.
"You may call me if you need anything at all, it's really no trouble! I look forward to meeting with you in the future."

Maria didn't seem to notice something was wrong. But in the end, all that goes well also ends well. She took the card and nodded. It was your average business card with all of the necessary information on it surface. After a quick glance at it, she withdrew it inside her pockets. "Very well, thank you for coming by. I hope to see you again, Susan."

She gave a little wave as the businesswoman was retreating away. And as Maria watched her figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance, so did the Cadet leave the chapel as well. There was a certain matriarch she needed to talk to.

[Exit]