Working 9 to 5 (Liam)

[Deleted]

Heleen was done with work for the day again. She'd just cleaned her desk up and gotten most of her partially finished project out of the way. She kept a few on her desk because they just kept her bothered for the most part at this moment. She was close on those but seemed completely lost on how to actually get the last tweaks in to make them functional in the way that she desired. Even looking at them she couldn't help but throw them a very dirty look before opening the doors to walk out for the day. As she closed up behind herself with her coworks currently not being around, she noticed that another coworker from a different room was also just leaving. She knew not all her colleagues were fond of conversation by now. She'd been snubbed and looked at oddly often enough to know plenty of people in this department worked here because they liked secrets or loved avoiding talking to people. This man she hadn't really tried talking to yet so she figured she'd give it a shot. 

With a cheerful smile on her face she approached him completely out of the blue. She was a bit of a social butterfly after all. "Hi, I don't think we've been introduced yet. I'm Heleen, started work here a few weeks ago?" She said as she held out her hand to him. She was really just looking to connect to a few people, although that was starting to work out. She'd met a few people along the way she figured she could hang out with, although not all had gone quite as well as she possibly might have wished for. Still, it was good to know at least a few of your coworkers in case you needed some help or just somebody to talk to when work got tough. It wasn't like she could do that anywhere but with her coworkers. Too much in terms of secrecy and all of that. Sometimes that was a little annoying but most of the time she could handle it just fine. She had plenty of other things in her life she could talk about after all. Just not work. 

@liam

[Deleted]

February 2025

Liam loved his job. He liked working with people who understood what they did and didn't bother him too much while he was working. He liked going to the cafeteria for lunch and sitting in his place, where no one really expected him to start a bunch of chatter. He liked, basically, being left on his own to do the things he needed and wanted to do. 

It wasn't that he didn't like people. Sure, Liam liked talking to people and getting to know them, but he was so socially awkward. He always felt like he said the wrong thing or he didn't know what to say. He always sounded like an idiot in his own ears, though more often than not he barely spoke more than a sentence or two when talking to someone. It was just the way he was. 

So, when he was approached on his way out of the office one day, Liam froze with surprise. The girl- Heleen if he remembered right- was smiling happily up at him as she commented that they hadn't been introduced yet. "Liam," he answered, taking her hand and shaking it with a small smile. His throat was closing up. Crap, why was he always so awkward with people? He coughed, "I started here last year," he forced out, hoping she wouldn't think he was being rude. Ugh, this is why he didn't like talking to people. 

@seph

[Deleted]

Heleen had once upon a time been incredibly shy so she understood it wasn't easy for everybody to chat the way a chatterbox like her would try. Not to mention she knew some more extreme introverts that could talk but would sit in the corner without any communication in their group of friends and be perfectly content. The types that communicated primarily through body language, mostly based on facial expressions, shrugs and other completely silent forms of communication. Every once in a while they could make a noise to show they were still listening. She found that those people didn't mind her talking by default, they just didn't feel any need or desire to have more imput than that which they already gave. It wasn't the kind of conversation she would prefer (her preference was in those that allowed her think excessively) but she had come to understand and respect that some people simply were like that, and that was fine. Not everybody had to be an extrovert.

So when the coworker didn't respond with full enthusiasm she didn't instantly dismiss it as rude or anything. She merely smiled and nodded. "Do you like it here?" She asked, genuinely interested. It was always good to try and gauge how happy people were in a workplace if you intended to stay there for a longer period of time. If the general group was unhappy and generally looking for a way out to a new job, it probably wasn't the sort of place you wanted to settle and grow roots. Not unless the things that had bothered them didn't bother you of course, but usually the complaints had good grounds. Best to figure it out before you got stuck.

@liam

[Deleted]

At least she didn't seem upset by Liam's lack of an enthusiastic response. He always worried about how others would perceive him. Liam was much better with his work than communicating with others, especially with pretty girls. Though, he did pretty well when it came to talking with Tamara. 

She asked another question, one that Liam felt much more comfortable with. He smiled a little, "I love it here." He loved his job, the chance to really get deep into his work and not think about anything else while he was there, the opportunity to really focus on his magic in regards to the watches. It fascinated him. "What about you?" he added awkwardly after a few seconds of silence.

@seph

[Deleted]

Heleen didn't expect everybody to share her rather obvious enthusiasm about nearly everything the world had to offer. She tried to be as positive as she could, seeing the rays of sunshines between the clouds where others were far more likely to see the rain itself. There was beauty in rain too, as it could refract light into rainbows. If people tried hard enough there was always something positive to be found.

She didn't mind the pauses before he got back to her. Not everybody had the ease of communication she attempted to pull off. As long as she didn't feel too awkward she could usually pull it off decently well. She nodded for a moment before opening her mouth to answer his question. "I'm still rather new of course but so far I rather like it here. There is a lot to do and even more to learn and I find I do rather enjoy that. A challenging job means it never has to be boring, right?" She said cheerfully, hoping he'd understand what she meant by that. Considering he worked here the odds that he was good with boredom were luckily rather slim. Most people didn't exactly go here to get bored, after all.

@liam