"G-good morning, Mr. Maxwell."
"Erica! Good morning! How was your three-day weekend?"

"It was okay... my brother came over to visit... and then I, umm, came in to do some work, because Miss Planner asked me to come in on Monday to help out..."
"Now that's dedication! You really are a go-getter!"

Erica liked working with Maxwell. He had a way of making her feel like she was important, even though she was still just a manager-in-training with a lot to learn. The other managers and executives always treated her like a child, but Maxwell didn't. She was starting to think of him as a mentor of sorts.

"Th-thanks... what are we going to be working on today?"
"We're going to put together a customer survey and a plan to get it out to all our clients by the end of the week."

"Oh. Okay."
"Did you have breakfast? The new managers brought in Yorkie Bagels for everyone. It's in the break room. Better get there fast if you want some."

"I had something before I got here. Thank you, though... did you want to get started on that survey?"
"Not yet. I've got to get ready for the daily sales huddle. I need to go over the numbers and come up with something fun to keep everyone motivated."

"W-we just shut down a bunch of distribution centers... that can't be good for morale..."
"Well, it's not great, but it's nothing we can't recover from as long as we keep calm and carry on. We just need to make sure our clients are getting their shipments on time and without incident."

"O-oh! I had a question for you, Mr. Maxwell..."
"Sure, Erica."

"Do you know about the Sages? The Sage of Death, Hatred, Torment... do you know about any of them?"
"I'm afraid I probably don't know much more about them than you do. They don't do too much on the business side of things, here. Although I did have the pleasure of meeting the Sage of Wind on my trip to the Grand Temple. What's on your mind?"

"Well, Miss Planner called me in yesterday to... solve an argument between two of the Sages. I'd never met a Sage before and they're... really, really strange people... I was just wondering what exactly they do around here and why they're so important..."

"You know, I wish I could tell you more about them. They come and go as they please and as far as I can tell, they don't seem terribly interested in the day-to-day activity of the organization. But they keep to themselves and we leave them be. If I'm being honest, there's a lot of weird things going on around here that I don't really understand. But I've learned not to ask too many questions and just do my job."

"Yeah... I'm just trying to understand this place a little better. That's all. I've been here nearly two years now and I still feel kind of... out of place. I've never really been a religious person and this is like, a religion with a bunch of hidden rules and secrets. It didn't really bother me that much when I was just... coming to work and getting an hourly wage... but now I'm trying to make a career out of this and... well, I guess I'm just feeling a little isolated here."

Maxwell smiled. He was happy to see Erica opening up a little.

"Is there something specific that's bothering you?"
"Well, for one thing, I don't really have any friends here. Except the team of analysts I was working with before I got promoted... but it's not like I can go into the break room and hang out with them while they're working on reports and stuff. I mean, I try to make conversation, but it's just not the same as working with people on a daily basis... And there's Miss Planner, of course... we've been working together for a long time now... but she's always so busy, you know? And I can't really blame her for not having time to talk or anything because she's got a ton to do..."

"Well, what do you like to do in your spare time?"
"I don't do too much except go home, cook dinner, sleep, and then come back to work. And I don't even really sleep that much. I like reading... and doing research... I could get really into reading if things weren't so busy here at the Tower..."

"I don't doubt it. But, look. You're a smart girl. I know it's occured to you at some point that if you want friends, you have to go out into the real world and make some. The closest thing we have to a social scene around here is acolytes talking shop in the cafeteria about all the gang members they've killed. Now, granted, those are the people we work with and technically they're our family of a sort... but if you want a closer group of friends, you're going to have to put yourself out there."

"I... I suppose you're right, Mr. Maxwell."
"Of course I am. You know, it's just as important to take care of yourself as it is to take care of business. Especially if you're going to be a manager here. If you don't invest any time in yourself as a person, you're just going to end up making yourself miserable."

"I'm still a little nervous about becoming a manager, I suppose. It's a big step up... I'm going to try my hardest and all, but I'm no Miss Planner..."
"You don't need to be. She's got her own style and it works for her. You'll find your own style and it'll work for you. You don't need to be anyone except Erica.”

"Maybe... but she knows so much more about all this than I do... ummm, I really look up to her, in a lot of ways..."
"I have a lot of respect for her myself. She's smart, she's not afraid to get her hands dirty, and she's one of the hardest working people I've ever met. Of course you're going to look up to her. She's a great example to follow. Just don't try to copy her so much that you lose sight of what's really important."

"Y-yeah."
"Miss Planner's a woman with a purpose. She's very kind, too. She took a chance on me and gave me a job when no one else wanted to. But she's got her flaws, just like everyone else. She forgets that there's more to life than work. I don't think she's very well rounded.  You don't want to turn into a person like that, Erica.”