SRW: Pecking Order.

The insides of the SRW building could be spooky at night. The long hallways and rooms usually bustling with staff and townspeople looking to buy, sell, or simply entertain themselves were cold and empty at this early time in the morning. The guards on duty were mostly near the very far rear of the facility, back behind rows of reinforced gates and protection spells that were walled off to the public, as it was the entrance to the below ground labyrinth of a prison that held Tsubar’s enemies and beasts. But here in the front of the building, the place was nearly empty. A few two-guard patrols occurred every few hours while each room was monitored by a small team in the camera room. Even the cleaning unit had already wrapped up its nightly duties and stored away in its charging station, leaving only the small and quiet noises drowned out during the day to be amplified in a sort of nervous ambiance. The groan of the building settling, the echoing of footsteps far away, even the stray roar from one of the beasts buried deep underground.

All these noises had long ago become commonplace in Eros’s highly adept ears. She was used to coming in early, as many of the events and security measures had to be put across her desk for review. Most of the match requests only received a cursory glance before being approved, but her job as a Warden made her take any security reports seriously. She was devoted to the Overseer, and so she did her duty the way his excellence would if he were in the position to ensure proper quality in his creation.

The Head Warden yawned as she stepped through the lobby doors, checking in at the front desk with her security badge before going too deep into the staff part of the building. A security measure she put into place in case of shapeshifters.

The elevator ride to her office was as quiet as it always was. Almost none of the staff ever came to work this early, and Eros preferred coming and going when no one was watching. First in, last out. Just as she thought the Overseer would be. Though, she often found herself craving for her tea around this early part of the morning. And her Acolyte Cirkot was something of a late bloomer when it came to mornings. He was punctual, but to the point where he usually came in on the dot. Never early, and just avoiding being late. It was something Eros teased him about, but she always cursed him around this point in the mornings. She loved using the leaves from his head to make her tea, as they had the best flavor…but for the next few hours, she had to settle with the store bought packets inside her desk.

–

Finally, the morning sun began to rise through the window of Eros’s office. With it came the early morning staff, as she began to hear them shuffle to their stations outside of her door, starting their day of work as she was filing the last of the security reports in her cabinet. Peering over at the clock, she had done pretty well timewise, but Cirkot still had an hour until he came in. No tea and no paperwork was going to make Eros restless at this rate.

I suppose I can see what the editing department has come up with for the Hera broadcasting promo. If they keep putting it off, we’ll miss our schedule for her next match.

The editing department was notorious for being at odds with Eros, the two almost never sharing the same vision for how something was to be presented. Creative differences hidden behind a thin veil of professionalism, some projects could be made, scraped, made again, only to be shredded until a not too happy middle was reached or Eros put her foot down. Already, Eros was wondering just what she would have to fix in the promotion when she swung open her office door…

And found a familiar figure she had long forgotten about, still reaching for her office door handle.

Hermes the messenger…her new assistant.

Hermes' yellow eyes widened slightly as the door to the office opened far faster than he was expecting, leaving him to freeze in place momentarily. After a brief, yet awkward blinking exchange with his new boss, Hermes hesitantly straightened back up and cleared his throat...

"Uh... Hi, hello. Figured I should come in early, get a headstart on work..."

This wasn't new territory for Hermes, starting anew in a company. Before he found his big break as the manager of the Unrelenting Gladiator, Hera, he toiled away as a lackey for various other businesses, toiling away and working his way up until something more lucrative came along. This was a song and dance he was familiar with. But it's been a long while since he had to do it... He just hopes he remembers all the steps.

Eros could tell by Hermes' body language that- While he was doing a good job of hiding it- He was a bit tense. He stood as straight as an arrow, staring at the Head Warden intently with clenched teeth. He seemed a bit nervous... I mean, who wouldn't be, working underneath one of the most powerful people in all the land? Or maybe he was just unsettled by the walk through the empty, eerie halls.

Eros must have been really distracted that morning. Normally, she could hear when someone was outside of her door, and yet she was left scratching her head as she found Hermes standing in her door frame with a nervous look in his eyes. The two exchange a silent moment with one another before Hermes’ finally peeped up and explained his intent on being early to his first day of work. It didn’t take long for Eros’s mind to shift gears, recalling the fact she had brought Hermes on board in an assistant role so his partner Hera can still achieve her dream without having to be separated from her. It was a thinly veiled reason to keep track of the maniacal manager and insure he didn’t stir up any trouble in Tsubar by pulling more schemes and scams. Plus, it seemed like fun to make someone like him do some actual work, at the time. But here and now? When she was missing her tea and a few hours into work?

It was a decision the Head Warden was already regretting.

Normally, Eros would have passed Hermes off to someone else. Cirkot was Eros’s Acolyte and could probably use an extra pair of hand, or there was Kevin who’s job seemed to double as being a normal office worker as well as filing and completing reports that were supposed to be completed by Wild, Eros’s sometimes bodyguard, sometimes pet project. If anyone could use help, it would be them. But they didn’t come in for another hour or more. And Eros wasn’t sure she could trust Hermes with paperwork so soon. He needed to be trained on how her office did things, but he also needed to be trusted.

The Head Warden’s eyes hovered over Hermes, clearly thinking quietly to herself as she let his opening line hang in the air and die of neglect. Hermes was nervous, and Eros decided that was a good thing. Her father always said that being nervous was a way to tell that someone wanted to do their best, one way or another.

At least he knows Hera better than anyone…maybe that will be useful.

“Alright.” The bakeneko finally replied, moving past Hermes as she gestured for him to follow. “Follow me. I can actually use some insight about Hera. Simple things, perhaps some of the history you two have shared or anything you think I should know about…lets say, you two, for example.”

To any person who wouldn't have such a keen eye for details, Hermes seemed almost like a statue as he waited patiently for his new superior to respond. But even in her tired state, Eros could likely pick up a few subtle tells- A slight shift of his Adam's apple as he gulped, slightly rapid blinking, the occasional clenching of a fist... Each passing second was starting to feel like an eternity to the demon, and holding in his nerves was growing harder and harder...

But then, the Warden simply blew past him and motioned to fall in behind her. Hermes tried to hide it, but he let out quite the tense breath as he followed along.

"Right, yeah, I could do that. What d'you wanna know?"

"Her three measurements.” Eros joked over her shoulder in a dry manner.

The head warden continued to walk along the halls, her ears picking up Hermes’ hurried footsteps behind her. She didn’t mind having her back to him, despite his numerous crimes. Hermes had a long rap sheet with most of the evidence being circumstantial, but none of the crimes being considered violent ones. No assaults, no stalking. Just a bunch of scams, fraud, and stolen identity crimes. Of course, that didn’t mean Eros cared for Hermes. It simply meant that the only thing she had to worry about was his deceitful nature and lying tongue. Trusting him was going to take time, and was probably something she could never truly accomplish. But, giving him a test was something she would have to do eventually.

“If you really want to help, why don’t you tell me about any controversies Hera might have been involved with. Scams of yours, illegal fights or issues with the law. Anything that might be used against her. If she’s going to be a big star, there are going to be people digging for dirt to try and stop her from climbing to the top.”

Eros didn’t mind talking about this in the empty halls. Every camera, every eye, and every ear in this facility either belonged to her or was monitored by her in some way. If any rumors began to spread or secrets started to leak, the bakeneko could track the whistleblower down thanks to her own sources and supervision. She had found such loose lipped individuals before, and made it known to her staff that such a task was easy for her to accomplish.

She might not know if Hermes was lying to her at that moment…but she would know. She would run her own investigation later, but silently tested Hermes to see how open he would be. She dangled the carrot of Hera’s future in front of him, encouraging to be truthful to help his dear friend.

“I want to know what messes I need to clean up before I present Hera to the world…on a larger scale.”

"Puh--" A slight guffaw escaped Hermes's throat, his lips curling into an amused smile at Eros' jesting request. It was nice to have a little brevity- Goodness knows he needs it right now, considering this might be the first time he's started a job already on thin ice. Well, in the legal capacity anyways.

The moment of ease didn't last long however as the Warden began to lay out what she truly wanted, leaving him to perk up and listen carefully as they walked. He nodded along, softly humming in thought as he looked down at his feet- If he wanted to lie, he was in the perfect position to. Without Eros' eyes on him, any possible tell he could have would completely slip by the cracks, and he's practically mastered the art of maintaining a calm tone of voice. It'd be so simple...

... But his frow furrowed, and he lightly shook his head at himself. There's hardly any gain to lie right now.

"Well, that's at least an easier request to fulfill... She'll get in the occasional brawl, that's just in her nature, but other than that Hera stays as clean as could be- Borderline holier-than-thou, if I'm honest. Buuuut..."

"She does have one thing- An accident when we were just starting to get into the biz."

Eros looked like she wasn’t paying attention, but her ears were focused on Hermes’ voice. As a bakeneko, she had much better hearing than other species in Gaia and could use it to help her identify small warbles in a person’s voice. While Eros’s ears were no lie detectors, it gave her a pretty clear idea if someone was trying to lie to her. But Hermes was an experienced liar! The head warden focused on his tone and cadence all without breaking her stride as the long empty hallways seemed to span on forever. Occasionally Eros would turn a corner and disappear from Hermes for a moment…but the lingering feeling of being watched was always on him.

The occasional brawl? Understandable. Even marketable for a fighter if used properly. The next thing Hermes said was far more concerning, if true. To the point where Eros’s perfect strides slowed down to the point of stopping in the middle of the hall. Eros’s golden eyes peeked over her shoulder, the rim of her hat casting a shadow over her face and making it appear like her eyes were glowing. A thin smile rested on her face as she peered over at Hermes as he explained that Hera had an unexplained accident long ago.

“I don’t suppose you can elaborate, Hermes? As much as it pains me to admit it, I can’t read minds…”

Hermes froze on the spot as soon as Eros halted, his brow instinctively quirking upwards... And a chill creeping down his spine as that piercing gaze of hers rested on him. His reaction was subtle- A slight purse of the lips and his pupils dilating- But his new boss was one of the few people who could truly make him feel like a deer in headlights.

"Right, yeah, duly noted..." He tried to add a little joke in an attempt to ease himself, to little effect as he held a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, slipping the other hand into a pocket. "So... This was a few years ago, I had only just started managing Hera. We were touring around the small shitty feds, and I had managed to hook Hera up with a championship match at one of 'em. She was up against this big hulking guy that looked intimidatin', but was actually as sweet and stoic as could be, apparently he was a legend in the indie scene. Hera actually looked up to this guy quite a bit, and wanted to start out hot and heavy, give him her absolute best and all that."

Eros noted that Hermes was quite animated as he spoke, gesturing emphatically with his hands- He seemed to be quite in his element telling a story. However, as he grew closer to the climax, he seemed to be growing a bit reluctant... "She charged in, pounced at him to tackle him down, and uhh..." He trailed off, his eyes shifting away as his teeth locked together, and he visibly grimaced...

Eros slowly turned around to face Hermes as the little devil nervously stuffed a hand in his pocket and cleared his throat for a story. His attempt to ease the tension only seemed to bounce off the bakeneko, who seemed astoundingly unamused by his humor despite the smile on her face. Eros didn’t care for him, that much was clear to the newly hired assistant. But it was tough to tell if Eros was intentionally trying to intimidate and scare Hermes, or if the overwhelming tension between them simply had that effect. Either way, the discomforting stare the cat yokai seemed to give Hermes every time she looked at him weighed on the young manager. Like a cat looking at a mouse through a glass window, a thin invisible line keeping nature from taking its course…

Although, Eros simply waited for Hermes to begin his tale. Toying with him was fun, but she only got so much mileage out of it. She was a servant to the Overseer first and foremost, and protecting his people and assets was her primary concern. If Hera had issues, then Eros wanted to hear them. Even if they were likely to be sugarcoated by her friend by accident or design.

Thankfully, Hermes was something of a storyteller. He had a flair that even the Head Warden could acknowledge, watching him clearly relive the night in question like it was just the other day. Perhaps in doing so, Hermes calmed his nerves because he was soon reenacting certain movements Eros could only assume happened on that night. He emphasized the size of Hera’s opponent using his arms, and rubbed his fingers together to imply dirt and dust when it came to the arena. Hermes even seemed to act out words such as stoic and sweet, like he was mimicking the person he was referring to. Even in such a short time, Hermes got so involved with the story he seemed to forget who he was talking to. When he mentioned Hera’s adoration for her opponent, he seemed to shrug casually and give Eros a look that practically said he thought there might have been more than admiration going on with Hera. It was only when the story seemed to draw to a close that Hermes got squeamish and found himself unable to finish the story.

Must have been a Long live the Queen moment.

Eros blinked, waiting quietly to see if Hermes would elaborate any further, but he seemed like he was done. Part of Eros wondered how he could be so squeamish while working with a fighter like Hera considering the power she could exude on her opponents but decided not to push that issue just yet. After all, she’d need to look into the story herself to learn if it was true. But part of Eros couldn’t help but think about finding this mysterious opponent of Hera’s and how it could make for one interesting rematch.

“Well…I can’t say I’m surprised. After all, there was a reason I went to Hera in the first place when it came to the Gem Queen.” The Head Warden purred, “But what happened to her idol? Was Gem Queen a repeat performance of that night? Or did he get off a little easier?”

"'Easier' is a very uh... subjective word." Hermes sucked in a bit of air through his clenched teeth- Replaying the moment in his brain was about as unpleasant as it could get, but it was very heavily rivaled by the hole Eros was drilling into him with that stare of hers. He found it difficult to make eye contact, his eyes darting around for a moment as he tried to think of how to put this... Before eventually letting out a sigh. No use in sugar-coating this...

"You uh... Y'know those horns, on Hera's head?" As if the Warden needed a reminded, he gestured up to his own pair of (far less impressive) orange horns- Before sweeping his hand to emphasize his next sentence.

"They plunged right through the motherfucker. She gored him like a damn bull."

Hermes let those words hang in the air for a moment- Moreso for his own benefit than Eros. His eyes flickered away and lost focus as he thought back on the moment, his lips pursing. He tried to play it cool but the assistant was, visibly a bit unsettled by the memory as he blew out a puff of tense air and ran a hand through his inky black hair.

"It... It was brutal. He was- Ugh- He was stuck to Hera for a moment, he had to shove himself away. And when he did... The guy was just, gushing blood obviously. Spilled it all over the canvas, himself, even Hera. The whole place just erupted in chaos, everyone was screaming and scrambling, trying to rush out the building and get help. A few people fainted- Shit, they were lucky not to get trampled. And Hera..."

"... I... I never saw Hera... afraid before. She just stood there frozen stiff, streaks of red dripping down her face, her eyes bugging out as she just stared at the guy..." His voiced cracked slightly as he fell silent again- If the emotion on his face was an act, then he damn deserved an entire library of awards. With an unease cough, he shook his head, sucking in a much needed breath. "S-Sorry, uh... Hate to get so heavy on the first day."