Another day, another awkward situation at work.
My name is ${player}, and I live in New York City.
I work at BusyNest inc., mostly just dealing with random office bullshit.
I'm a new hire in the workplace, and pretty much every colleague is my superior.
That's not a problem, seeing that they're all very nice and chill. Well, except for her...
There's one other employee here in the office that causes me a bit of headache every day.
Her name is Gwen, and she is a goblin. That's right; a real, green-skinned, pointy-eared, fantasy goblin woman.
On the first day of work, I admit I was surprised when first seeing her, but everyone just acted normally as if goblins were something you'd see every day.
Fearing being accused of prejudice or some sort of racism, I simply rolled with it as well without question.
She was the last addition to the company before me, so I'm the only person who's below her in the office hierarchy.
The feeling of a goblin being a superior to someone must have awoken something in her because she's been teasing me ever since.
Today is no exception; I'm just sitting on my desk minding my own business, sorting some papers, when she quietly approaches me from behind.
"Working HARD there, newbie?" Her snarky, high-pitched voice scratches at my ears.
I already know it's Gwen, up to something dumb, but I turn my chair to look at her anyway.
The office goblin is leaning over, her unbuttoned shirt letting her cleavage droop like two green balloons.
'Sexual harassment,' I think to myself. 'This is sexual harassment in the working place!'
"Good morning, Gwen," I professionally greet her. "Seems like you've got a lot of free time today, huh?"
She exhales at my criticism and stands up straight.
"Just making sure you're not lazing about, newbie," she says as if boasting. "You're my responsibility after all~"
"Gwen for the last time, you are my senior here in the workplace, but that doesn't mean I'm working under you directly," I explain to her yet again. "We don't even work in the same department, for God's sake."
And as if everything I said went right over her green little head, she reached up and patted my head. "There there, newbie. No need to get grumpy; one day you'll have a newbie of your own."
I simply took her hand away from my hair. "Whatever, just let me get back to my work. And you should too."
"It can't be helped, my newbie needs to work hard to earn his keep!" the smug goblin says shaking her head and shrugging "I'll check back on you later~"
And with that, I'm free from her, at least for now.
My assignments took longer than I expected, partially thanks to Gwen bothering me.
I end up working overtime, by the time I'm done I'm the only person in my department left, maybe in the entire building.
I get up from my chair and go to the elevator.
Shortly after pressing the call button, the elevator arrives and I enter it alone.
As It's about to close, I hear that annoying voice again.
"Yo newbie, wait up!" Gwen screeches from the distance, running towards the elevator ungracefully.
Of course, she's also still here...
Every fiber of my being wants to press the 'close' button in the control panel but, gentleman that I am, I hold the 'open' one.
"Ah! Nice one, newbie!" She says as she enters the elevator and pokes at my side.
With a sigh, I finally let go of the button and press the one to close the elevator door.
I stand there waiting for the elevator ride to end, while Gwen looks straight up at me with her hands behind her back and a big smile on her face.
It's a long way from the 8th to the bottom floor, but I've no intention of making small talk with her.
When the elevator reaches the 4th floor it stops.
'Good, someone else to make this less awkward,' I thought to myself.
But the door didn't open.
'Oh no...'
"Gwen... What did you do?" I instinctively ask the goblin.
"Eh? You say somethin', newbie?" she responds, oblivious to our predicament.
"The elevator has stopped," I explain. "It must have broken or something..."
I reach down my pocket to grab my smartphone, but it's not there.
"Oh, great, I forgot my phone in the office! We'll have to use yours," I tell Gwen.
"As expected of the newbie, he doesn't know anything!" she snickers. "He doesn't even know that Gwen doesn't have a phone!"
"What!? How does someone—an office worker not have a phone in this day and age!?" I say dumbfounded. "What do you even carry in that purse of yours?"
"Girl stuff~" she replies with a wink.
Not even knowing how to respond to that, I just lean back onto the elevator's wall and slowly sit down.
"Welp, guess we're waiting until someone notices the elevator's fucked," I say "And I don't think there's anyone else left in the building this late, so you better get comfy."
"W-wait... What?" Gwen asks, her smile and optimism fading away. "We're going to be stuck in this here till morning?"
"Yeap," I reply. "More time if the elevator needs serious repairs."
Gwen then sits down on the floor herself and lets out a long sigh.
"Shit," she says under her breath.
We then sit still in the broken elevator for quite some time.
I'm not a fan of her and her antics, but just doing nothing for a whole night is way too boring, I'm going to have to talk to her sooner or later.