Meena walked through the corridors of the government building, silently appreciating that the building was built to accommodate taller people. At 6 feet, 10 inches, Meena usually stood out though she was raised to ignore the attention.

  Today was her first day at her new job. She had graduated recently and had applied to the environmental protection department, but they had no placements for her due to her lack of experience. Instead, she was placed in a new department, the Magical Integration Department, or MID.

  She was not particularly familiar with what this department did but was told it was a great place to build up experience and would be helpful in eventually moving to where she wanted to be.

  Deep breaths, center myself. I’m going to be fine. Mom was right, it’s just a fresher job, won’t be too stressful.

  Meena’s mother wasn’t too big a fan of the government, but she appreciated that her daughter wanted to make things better for their community. Her husband, Meena’s father, had a more “what happens, happens” attitude and just told Meena to do what she wanted and be content.

  Meena smiled to herself and rubbed the material of her suit. It was sewed by a neighbour in their commune. All of her clothes were. It made her feel connected to them and also acted as a sort of spiritual shield against the world.

  Right now, though, there weren’t many people around to shield against. The government building was large, but it seemed filled to the brim with employees doing all sorts of tasks. Rhiavas was a city constantly changing, physically and magically, and there never seemed to be enough people to manage it.

  So, it was strange that there seemed to be fewer people in this part of the building. She passed some cleaners and others who maintained the building but not many other people.

  Shit, did they put me somewhere weird? No, the department is legit, I checked that. Must just be a budget thing. I hope.

  She finally reached a corridor that only led to an office door. This seemed to be it. More interestingly, there was already someone standing outside, as if waiting.

  “Hello?” Meena greeted hesitantly.

  The stranger didn’t seem to notice her. Instead, she heard a steady stream of muttering coming from him. He was a tall stocky man, with a great big black beard. Though his beard was lush and fuzzy, the hair on his head was neatly combed. Honestly, he looked like a dwarf, but a large one.

  Still shorter than me though. Muttering makes him seem kind of creepy.

  She stepped closer to see if she could understand what he was saying.

  “…no problem. I’ve got my certificates, I’m dressed well, and I’m ready. Introduce myself first. Hello, my name is Rotan, I begin at the MID today. Pleased to meet you! Perfect, just like Ma said. What else did she say? Shake their hand and crush it for dominance. No, that’s terrible idea…”

  Meena chuckled to herself and felt a bit better, glad to know that she wasn’t starting alone today. She poked him in the side to get his attention.

  Startled, he suddenly turned to her with his eyes wide.

  “Hello! My name is Rotan! Pleased to meet you!” he said loudly, then stuck his hand out to shake.

  “Um, I think I’ll avoid getting my hand crushed.” Meena smiled, “Also, I’m also joining today. My name’s Meena”

  Rotan retracted his hand, blushing slightly.

  “Oh! Sorry. A bit nervous. Been standing here for a while trying to calm myself. Arrived 20 minutes early but just worked myself up. Ma says I get in my own head a lot, but I think it’s perfectly normally to get nervous about a new job. Wow, you’re tall.”

  “Maybe take a few breaths. We’re supposed to start now anyway so let’s just jump in. Yes, I am tall, thanks for noticing”. Meena placed a hand on the door handle, “Nothing to worry about, probably just greetings today anyway.”

  She opened the door and they shuffled in. It was a decent sized office with five desks and some potted plants placed around. There was also a window that let in sunlight and Meena was immediately determined to get the desk closest to it.

  The room also felt calm, at least to Meena’s senses. Usually, the city always felt busy and claustrophobic, especially to her fey senses, but this room seemed immune to it.

  Magic? Does this place have a formation to it? It’s different from the rest of the building so it must be someone else who designed it. Wow, it’s airtight.

  It was rare to see this much attention put into a magical formation, at least in Meena’s experience. It was easier for her to tell given her ancestry and her mother’s teachings. She looked at Rotan and saw that his attention was focused on one particular desk.

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  It was the only desk which was in use, stacked with paper and other writing materials. And at it sat the sole occupant of the room, a man in a blue shirt and red tie. His attention was solely on the documents before him. There was also a name plate on his desk.

  Atum? Just Atum? Don’t see many humans with no last names.

  “Hello! My name is Rotan! Pleased to meet you!” Rotan suddenly spoke up beside her, straightening his back.

  Meena forced herself to focus, “Yes, good morning, my name’s Meena. We begin today.”

  The man at the desk looked up and smiled.

  “Hi! Can you guys fight?”

  Oof.

  For some reason, Meena had a bad feeling.

  Half an hour earlier

  Atum was trying to clear some of his work before the new employees came in and was rushing through. Though he was not compromising on the quality of it.

  “I assume there’s a reason you want these two to work at the MID?” Atum spoke into the communication spirit.

  A floating ball of white light floated next to him. A common spirit. Usually devoid of any sapience, they had been repurposed into a variety of uses. The one Atum was using was for communication.

  “Yes, I don’t want you to work yourself to death.” A voice replied.

  Villi Tor-Colindra was Atum’s friend and colleague. Actually, it would be more accurate to call her his superior. She was the director of the Magical Domains division of the Rhiavas government. Essentially the biggest voice on how magic is handled in the city.

  She was also relatively younger than most agency heads at only 33 years old, one year older than Atum.

  “Me? Work to death? Not a chance.” Atum scoffed. “My work life balance is perfect. 100% work, 100% sleep. 200% balance.”

  “…Sure. I would hope you could include some personal life in there, but I know who I’m speaking to.”

  “Yes, and I know who I’m speaking to. So, what’s the plan here Villi?”

  “Honestly, they’re there to help you. You’re worth a hundred people Atum, but you can’t be in a hundred different places. These kids, sorry, young people, should be helpful.”

  Atum recalled looking through their profiles. Meena Canter was half woodland fey, half human, with her human mother being a hedge witch. Raised in a commune out in the woods. Atum assumed her fey senses gave her some unique insight into whatever land she was currently standing in and hedge witches had long histories with alchemy and magical formations. She would certainly have unique insights.

  Rotan Ferrus was half dwarf, half demon. Personal history showed his mother had been scammed by her demon husband but was unable to get restitution due to the demon hiding in one of the celestial realms. It was hard to track them down, mostly due to a lack of willingness by the higher powers. Literal higher powers.

  Demons had the ability to look deeper into how the various realms interacted, such as which deities’ people had allegiance to, or hidden portals and dimensions. Rotan seemed to inherit that ability.

  “Ok, they certainly have skills which could be useful. But my work requires more force of will than anything.” Atum remarked.

  “They’re do-gooders Atum. Perfect for you. They want to fix the world. Aren’t you all about empowering people who need it?”

  “I am. But damn Villi, that was the most cynical way of looking at it”

  “You try having daily meetings with the biggest parasites in this city and let’s see if you remain cheery.”

  She was right Atum admitted to himself. Doubly so. Being the head of this division was grating enough. But she was also part of the elven Tor family. A noble bloodline, though today it would be called more of a political dynasty. Atum had met noble elves before. Wash the graceful veneer away and all that would be left was centuries of scheming, arrogance, and power.

  “Right, sorry Villi. So, I get some grunts. Nice. Might be nice to delegate some work. And also, not talk to an empty room anymore.” Atum looked at the four empty desks across the room. His only companions for the past three years.

  He couldn’t complain, they were very nice desks.

  Villi’s voice broke his reminiscence, “Keep in mind that they’re new to this. Don’t go too hard. Your pace is not their pace.”

  “Right, right, of course” Atum checked himself. “But…do you think they can handle themselves in a fight?”

  “Atum, no. Spirits above! You shouldn’t need to fight anyone!” Villi said exasperatedly. “You’re a government employee!”

  “Let’s be realistic here Villi. I don’t want to fight anyone. But we live in a city where every second person thinks they can bludgeon or charm they’re way past anything. Also, I’m more likely to get in a fight with the wardens than a citizen. Last month, a therianthrope warden was about to beat a man for stealing an apple!”

  “What? I didn’t hear about that?”

  “Right, because I didn’t need to even fight. Just needed to squeeze a little. Everyone’s a bully until someone who hits harder comes around. Then we’re all pacifists. But don’t worry, I won’t overwhelm them. Most of the job is negotiation, knowledge, and an attention to detail. They’ll be fine.”

  “Ok…just keep me in the loop.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be too busy to even worry about little ol’ me.”

  Atum said goodbye and disconnected.

  He sensed that someone had approached the door to the office but hadn’t entered yet. Probably one the new employees. He seemed to be stuck in place and was talking to himself.

  Probably nervous. Ha, been a while since I was in that position. Villi’s right, I should go easy on them. But still make sure they’re ready for the job.

  Their profiles showed that they were competent in their studies at least, but Atum was worried about their physical fitness. He found that his greatest asset was his stamina. Not only for fighting but also for just constantly being on the move.

  I should prepare some sort of task list. A curriculum? They’re not students though. Something to guide them. But I should first figure out what they’re good at. Keep it efficient. Strengths and weaknesses.

  Atum took some time to mentally sort out his priorities for the freshers, while simultaneously finishing some work. He thought of how to narrow down what was most important.

  He got so engrossed in it that 20 minutes seemed to pass. He noticed that another person had joined the existing one outside and were about to enter. The door opened and they walked in.

  They greeted him and Atum raised his head to appraise them.

  Meena was wearing what appeared to be a homemade suit. A deep blue suit. There appeared to be some patterns on the edges of it, swirls and leaves. Below it, a simple white shirt.

  Rotan on the other hand appeared to be wearing a standard suit that fit closest to his build. Slightly tight around the shoulders due his muscles. Though, on the other hand, his jacket wasn’t buttoned due to his slight paunch. Atum also noticed parts of his beard were braided and he wore dangly earrings.

  They certainly stand out.

  Most obviously though, they were tall. Far taller than Atum’s 5 foot, 9 inches. Not uncommon in a city full of people of different species but was more obvious when there were just three of them in the room.

  Ha! I gotta ask.

  “Hi! Can you guys fight?”