As soon as he left the office, Tristan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He had to do better than this for the sake of the mission. Gloria was standing near her desk with another woman. The woman wore a black pencil skirt and blazer over a white shirt. Her hair was straight and black, cut to shoulder length. Her face was a soft heart shape with dark blue eyes. Tristan noted how professional she looked... and attractive. She stopped talking upon noticing Tristan leaving Dahlia's office.

"Morning," the woman addressed him, "You must be our new project coordinator," she grasped his hand. He was surprised by the contrast between her soft palm and her firm handshake.

"Yes, Tristan Antonov."

"I'm Evelyn Byers. Nice to meet you, Mr. Antonov."

"Likewise," he replied before they all stood in awkward silence. Gloria realized that she had to give him the tour and coughed slightly, still embarrassed from their previous interaction.

Evelyn seemed to have caught on though as she clapped her hands, "The tour!" she exclaimed, "Let me show you around."

The other woman sighed in relief as Tristan walked toward Evelyn. They left the little forest-themed area leading to the manager's office.

"Right beside the manager's office are the project coordinators' desks," she points at three desks. Two of which accommodate a man and a woman. The man's desk is plain, occupied only by two stacks of files and a computer. The woman, on other hand, has a family picture, a child's drawing, and files strewn everywhere. Evelyn introduces them, Mr. Marcus Dylan and Mrs. Ann Leonard. Dylan inclined his head in acknowledgment still looking at his screen while Ann got up to shake Tristan's hand, smiling warmly at him.

"Most of us are on a first-name basis, but Dylan isn't, and the manager will tell you when you're allowed to use her first name," Evelyn informed him as they resumed walking, "Probably sometime this week."

"I doubt that," Tristan answered recalling how annoyed Dahlia was with him.

"Oh?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow but Tristan didn't have time to come up with an explanation as she went on, "Did you comment on her eyes?"

"Her... eyes?" he frowned at her, clearly confused.

Evelyn let off a sudden laugh, "Did she intimidate you so much that you didn't even look at her face?"

Tristan was about to say that she didn't intimidate him, that he did in fact look at her face, but now that he thought about it, he didn't remember her face at all. Perhaps he really didn't focus on her, but he's not to blame, the events prior to their meeting had completely occupied his mind. He cursed himself for the second time that day. It was as if he wasn't a highly trained agent. As if he didn't have more resources than needed to operate this mission smoothly. As if he couldn't charm anyone, man or woman, into doing what he wanted. As if he didn't have a mission that depended on him seeming professional in front of his new manager.

"Don't look so upset," Evelyn reassured him, "Anyways, the manager has sectoral heterochromia. Right eye's blue and left eye's a mixture of blue and brown. Employees usually stare at them when first meeting her. I imagine it'd be quite irritating."

"I certainly didn't stare at her eyes."

"Then don't worry, Dahlia's a really good manager. The whole office loves her, she makes this place feel like a second home."

Evelyn continued guiding him through the office whilst talking. It seemed like the entire floor was for the project management. They greeted about 25 more employees, most of them got up to shake Tristan's hand, and two even hugged him.

In the middle of the offices was a round-walled room. Its exterior was blue, made to look like the ocean and its diameter was about 5 meters. It didn't have a door, just an opening that spanned little than a quarter of the area's circumference. Light brown wood lined the inner walls of the room with a little circular table and four chairs that fit into it to save space. The bustle of the office was drowned out by the calm music playing. There were sounds of running water and the occasional chirp of a bird, giving Tristan the illusion that he entered some jungle restaurant that also doubled as a spa.

"This is everyone's second favorite part of the office, the break room, " Evelyn spotted his confused look, and chuckled, "The waterfall noises? Dahlia likes them. They keep the atmosphere in here relaxing, although many people disagree and we occasionally play actual songs."

Tristan looked around. The break room was lined with counters and cupboards and a fridge. He saw a microwave, a kettle, a tea rack with an assortment of hot drink packets in it, and finally a big jar with the word "Coffee" on it and some bills strewn inside.

"What's this for?" Tristan asked nodding towards the jar.

"Ah, our coffee jar. A while ago there was an argument with finance about how expensive the coffee we want is so they lowered the coffee budget. Now we just share the bill, rather unfairly but oh well, and get the coffee we want. Ahmad suggested it."

"I see," he said as his mind wandered again. To how different this whole place's environment was from other thriving businesses. Perhaps not all of Kerzillion was this friendly. After all, if it was, he wouldn't be here. He wouldn't have to stop a feud between two sections that would end the whole company and get someone killed.

As they left the circular room, someone exclaimed, "We've got ourselves a new dōshi!" surprising Tristan. It was a man, with short straight hair, glasses, and a more comfortable outfit than many of the other employees, jeans and a sweater. He came up to Tristan and hugged him, very tightly.

"Alan, he's going to suffocate from the hug," Evelyn warned.

"Yes, yes," he let go.

"Dōshi?" Tristan asked him.

"Yes," Alan answered him, "It means-"

"Comrade," Tristan said before he could stop himself. He groaned at his stupidity.

Both Alan and Evelyn gave him surprised looks before the latter asked, "You understand Japanese?"

"Err yes," he cursed himself for the umpteenth time today. What's wrong with him? He was much better at this. He is much better and yet he messed up so many times today.

"That's impressive," Evelyn complimented causing the slightest blush to creep up his neck.

"Well, in that case," Alan started, "I should explain that the terms I use are just a joke. They're meant for the military but I use them around here," he looked at Tristan, who just stared back at him expectantly, before he went on, "From my favorite anime."

"Ah, ok," Tristan answered simply then remembered that he didn't introduce himself, "I'm Tristan Antonov by the way."

"Nice to meet you. You can call me Alan. Welcome to the team, Tristan."

They went on with the tour until they reached a section cut by translucent glass, as wide as the floor. Tristan could make out colorful silhouettes behind it, perhaps some chairs?

"Now this," Evelyn exclaimed as she opened the door, "Is everyone's favorite room. The meeting room!"

Behind the translucent glass was an area that looked more like a child's play area than a meeting room for adults in a respectable company. There was a red couch on the wall to the left and a huge screen mounted on the opposite wall. Between them, an array of different colored bean bags and even a shelf with some books about project planning and finance and other business-related things. The room was a long rectangular one, the two longer sides were glass, one translucent and the other blue and transparent, like the glass lining the whole building. Looking outside, Tristan saw the building beside them. The one to Kerzillion's left. He mapped out the floor in his head.

"So the whole floor is for project planning?" he finally asked.

"Nope, only half of it," Evelyn answered before looking at her watch," I should take you to your desk now, we somehow wasted a whole hour."

Tristan checked his watch and found out that they had indeed wasted a whole hour on the tour alone. Time seemed to pass by quickly with Evelyn. He liked her. He liked almost everyone here. He liked this new job. Even if it was partially fake. Even if he had to leave in 15 months. That's how his life was, however, and he just made the most of it.