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Who: Ozymandias + you (some closed starters as well)
When: Noveuer
Where: Aefenglom (Residential, Aristocratic, and Entertainment Districts), Mhysadei (farmland beyond the Wall), & the Wilde
What: Ozymandias starts surveying and problem-solving for the issues of overcrowding in the Residential District, suffers tea time with old rich women, and tries to do his best taking care of a farm that was left behind. He also has some private 1:1 chats with some folks.
Warnings: Animal death (via hunting) with the Wilde prompt; will update as needed

residential district | aristocratic district | entertainment district (closed) | mhysadei + the wilde
((ooc: feel free to riff off any of the open prompts if you would like. if you need/want to run something by me before you do that, you can either pm this journal or shoot me a message on plurk [

rebreather]. same goes with if you would like to have a private starter!))

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O-okay?

[ Said in response to Ozy's request for her to put the dish down. So, she does, setting it on the counter, though the towel is still draped over her hand. She's already a little flustered from the compliment, even if she's heard it before.

What does, indeed, get her to freeze, ears pointed straight up and all, is what he asks of her. That's a lot of trust and responsibility he's giving to her, and she just stares at him with those golden eyes of hers in silence and shock.

Welp. He'll need to shake her out of this. ]

[Ozymandias waits a moment, not jumping to the immediate conclusion that he's triggered a freeze response. But that moment needn't be over long before he notices how very still she is. One would almost question if she was still breathing she is so still.]

[He tries at first with just a verbal attempt to bring her back, gentle as he can be about it.]

Sylvia... [He waits again, but there's no immediate reaction, so he repeats her name a little louder.] Sylvia.

[Sighing a little, Ozymandias pushes off the counter to step around to her side of it to clap his hands just in front of her face. Hopefully both the motion and sound will snap her out of it.]

Hah-!

[ The clap startles her and brings her out of her stillness. She blinks once, twice, then clears her throat as her cheeks color. Oh god. How embarrassing. She definitely wasn't expecting to freeze here, but his request caught her so off-guard that she couldn't help herself. ]

Sorry! Sorry, uh... [ She straightens up, trying to regain her composure. ] Finding new employees! Yeah, I got it!

[ She looks nervous but she nods at him anyway. ]

I'll work real hard at it, promise! We'll get back on our feet in no time.

[Ozymandias thinks nothing of the freeze response on the whole. At least not to the extent that Sylvia does. He's able to be empathetic to the fact it's not something she can truly control, after all. So, he instead smiles as she accepts this new responsibility.]

Excellent! [He gives her a (gentle) clap on the shoulder.] All I ask is that whoever you hire is hard working. Experience means little if one is unwilling to actually put in the work necessary.

You have been working here long enough to know if someone will be a poor fit, so I trust your judgment.

[ He trusts her, and that's such a high honor. She really is flattered (and very nervous) that he gave her a task like this, and the clap on her shoulder gets her to grin up at him. ]

Thanks, Boss! I like to think my judgment's pretty good when it comes to this stuff, too.

[ Definitely not as solid as his, but she can hope anyway. ]

I mean, I started this job without knowing how to make a good cup of coffee, so I can totally vouch for experience not being necessary. It's all thanks to you that I can do what I can now!

[Ozymandias laughs, satisfied with her response both for her seemingly growing self-confidence as well as her praise for him.]

What is a king if he cannot lead his people to their own greatness? [Folding his arms across his chest and resting his weight back onto one hip, Ozymandias adopts a more casual posture.] I will increase your pay this week to reflect the change in your responsibilities and position.

Boss!

[ She is genuinely surprised she doesn't freeze up there, because that also comes as a very big surprise. ]

You're gonna make me freeze up again, oh my god!

[ She's mostly joking, though. It's nice that she can talk with him like this without feeling nervous or awkward around him like she used to before. His confidence in her absolutely helps with that. She lets that comment about higher pay sink in for a bit, and then she softens a little, rubbing the back of her head a little sheepishly. ]

I -- I'm just really grateful. You don't have to do that, but...thank you.

[Whether she means it as a joke or not, Ozymandias laughs heartily at the suggestion. Gratitude goes a long way with him, it would seem, particularly when it's genuine.]

Of course! I may be well-remembered for my strictness, some would even go so far as to call me a tyrant for such high standards, but I am not without reason or generosity. My hiring manager should be compensated according to her labors and skills. [He sure did just drop that new job title real casual-like.] I cannot imagine you would have much fortune in finding new hires if that were not the case.

H-Hiring manager?!

[ ...This isn't a bad thing whatsoever, but Ozy, you've successfully made her freeze up again. Her mouth's hanging open, and her eyes are wide. Her ears are pointed straight up again and it looks like she's almost forgotten how to breathe.

Goodness. They need a Freeze counter, don't they? ]

[Ozymandias pauses a moment before realizing... It happened again. And it looks like a bad one this time relative to the last one. Sound and motion are probably not going to be enough to snap her out of it this time. Unfolding his arms, Ozymandias steps closer to her to give her a very gentle shake by the shoulders. Just enough to try and encourage a little less rigidity in her current posture.]

Sylvia?

[...They should probably work on this.]

[ They probably should. This is fine, though, because that shake to her shoulders gets her to blink. Once, twice, and then there's a flustered expression on her face. This is so embarrassing. She can't believe she's frozen up twice today. ]

It keeps happening...

[ She murmurs it to herself and scrubs her face a little. ]

Sorry about that, I was really caught off-guard by my, uh, new title! I've never managed anything in my life!

[Once she snaps out of it, Ozymandias lets Sylvia go.]

I do not know if you can make such a claim. You did see to it that this cafe ran well in my absence. It may have been only for a brief period of time, but you proved yourself capable then.

Y-You think so? Haha, well, I'm honored!

[ So much praise from Boss today. Not like she's complaining, though. She takes a moment to collect her thoughts, then she looks at him with a more confident, reassuring smile on her face. ]

Alright. I guess I'm the new Hiring Manager now, and I'm not gonna back out of it, so I'll do my best to find some top-notch employees for us!

[Ozymandias reflects her confident smile, though to a much higher degree because it may actually be physically impossible for him to smile in a way that doesn't exude confidence.]

Then I shall leave it to you, [he says as he steps back around the counter.] But if you run into any troubles, do not hesitate to ask for my guidance.

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