Miss Planner expected at least a couple of the executives from Farha-Smith Financial Services to get scared and run off the very instant she showed them Wiseman's ghostly visage, but to her pleasant surprise, none did. The courageous men and women in suits and dresses knew better than anyone that opportunity doesn't always look the way you expect it to. And they didn't waste their chance to become real Chosen Ones. They took the plunge and didn't look back.

The paranormal experience was a new beginning for the money managers. Afterwards, they wanted nothing more than to learn everything there was to know about Wiseman, the Chosen Ones, and their new powers, and they were ready to accept the responsibility and authority that would come with that knowledge. They were too ambitious, too greedy, too curious to even consider going back to their former lives after seeing what they'd seen. If they gave up just as things were getting interesting, well, they'd be stuck approving and rejecting loans at some second-rate bank until the day they died, always wondering what could have been.

Miss Planner took the managers back to the conference room and answered hundreds of questions with a polite smile. Of course, she didn't tell them everything they wanted to know, not right away, but she told them enough to make them feel comfortable and safe, slightly altering the facts here and there to help the process along. Miss Planner was going to spend all week with them, slowly and gently getting them acclimated to their new workplace. She was confident that all her loving care would pay off in the end. The managers from Farha-Smith had the right set of skills to bring the Chosen Ones to the next level.

Miss Planner could barely move by the time the executives went home. It had been an exhausting day for everyone involved. She took a moment to check Nukeboards on her phone and relax before giving Black Smoke a call to meet her and slowly inching her way out the conference room. The week was just getting started, and her back was already killing her.

By the time Miss Planner finally made it to the cafeteria, the sickly man with dirty white skin and eyes that resembled those of a hungry snake was waiting for her at a table with a tray full of hot dogs and potato chips, his crutches laying on the bench next to him. He wore a gray shirt, black jeans, boots, and a wrinkled black jacket. His dark hair was greasy and disheveled. He looked like he just rolled out of bed.

Black Smoke coughed into his hand and waved Miss Planner over, a cheerful grin on his face. She laughed and waved back. One look at the sickly man's face was enough to bring the spring back into Miss Planner's step. She rushed over to the table and sat down right next to Black Smoke. Her knees nearly knocked against his.

"Cough. Nice to have you back at the Tower, Miss Planner."
"It's nice to be back!"

Black Smoke's sadistic smile oozed across his face. He gestured to his tray of food. Miss Planner eagerly grabbed a hot dog and took a big bite.

"Mmmm. How delicious. Thank you, Black Smoke!"
"Cough. You're welcome. It looks like... you've had a long day."

Miss Planner sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. Her golden hair glimmered in the cafeteria's flourescent light.

"It has been a long day. Long and emotional. It's going to be a long week. But we're going to have a great new team of executives by the end of it. The Chosen Ones' leadership crisis is coming to an end."
"You're an amazing woman. Cough. What did you do... to get them on board? I can't even imagine... haha..."

"Hmm. Well, I did a lot of things... I don't want to tire you out with all the details. But Kay and Maxwell helped a lot, especially Kay. She wrote and recorded this cute little orientation video while I was gone. And Wiseman helped me out, too. You know about Wiseman, right?"
"No... who's Wiseman? Is he smart?"

"Well... no. Not really. But he used to be an Elder. You know how they’re always starting trouble because they're bored?"
"Yeah."

"Well, he got into a fight with a real nasty character and ended up getting his soul trapped inside a tiny glass jar. That was a long time ago, and he's not really that powerful anymore. But he can still do a couple of neat tricks. I made a little room for him on the tenth floor, and he's really happy there."
"Hahaha! You made him a little room... you're killing me, Miss Planner... cough..."

"How's your leg?”
"Why don't you kiss it, and it'll feel better..."

"Oh my!"
"Haha. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ve been stuck in my room. Just resting. Michael was bringing food... to me for a while. Cough. I really wish I could walk without these crutches..."

"Just be patient. You'll be back to your old self in no time."
"Hmph. Cough. My old self... I feel like an old man."

Miss Planner giggled and Black Smoke smiled. The pair of powerful psychics joked around and enjoyed each other's company, catching each other up on everything that happened over the last week. The laughter of the carefree couple echoed off the walls of the cafeteria, a pleasant and peaceful sound to accompany the orange and red light of the setting sun shining down through the cafeteria’s wide windows.