Modern Monsters

The Gorgon & the Gargoyle

Both characters are Non-Binary

The fact that someone outside the company had gotten the promotion you knew you deserved stuck in your craw. But the fact that he also had less qualifiers than you and was also a friend of one of the VPs was enough to make you want to quit. You were livid but you knew you couldn't quit in this job climate. All you could do was take the insult as best you could.

One day, while you're working on moving into your new office, which was the least this company could do for you, there's a knock on the door. You look up, seeing a familiar face standing behind you. It was Rurik, you'd gone to high school with him and you two had gotten close during your senior year. He was an orc and often was by himself, much like you but for different reasons.

"What the hell?" You laugh as you rush to greet him and wrap him in a hug.

"I just got a job here," he laughs. "I saw you worked here and wanted to come see you." he stands back and looks you. "You've changed but...in a very good way."

You smack his arm and laugh. "You're bigger, that's for sure. And wow, a suit suits you."

"Growth spurt," he poses proudly.

You roll your eyes at him. "I'm so glad you're working here. It'll be great to catch up! What position did you get."

"I'm filling in the Vp spot from Schneider," he replies.

YOu heart sinks, your stomach drops and you feel your soul die a little. "Oh," you gasp. That was the promotion you were promised.

Rurik furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

You shake your head. All the excitement of seeing your old friend was gone. You know he had no clue what he'd done but you still can't help but see him as a traitor. "Nothing," you turn back to setting up your new desk. "It was good seeing you Rurik."

"Yeah uhm," he fidgets. "Maybe we can go get lunch sometimes and play catch up."

You force a smile. "Yeah. That'd be nice."

He leaves the room confused and baffled. You feel a little guilty but at the same time, you're angry. You hate that it's an old friend your resentment is pointed towards, it ruins the moment. You finish setting up your office and then get back to work.

The next day you have a meeting and it's mainly one to introduce Rurik to the rest of the company heads and management. It feels like they're rubbing salt into the wound. After the meeting is over, you notice Rurik trying to move away from the company heads who have swarmed him. He tries to slip away but keep getting sidelined. You're standing in the elevator, getting ready to hit the close door button when your conscience kicks in and your guilty rings like a bell. You walk out of the elevator and towards Rurik.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but I need Rurik here for some matters downstairs," you reply curtly. "Papers to sign and other things to go over. I'm afraid I can't wait all day for you to release him from the lion den."

He smiles as he looks at you, relieved to have an excuse to get away. He goes into the elevator with you but the atmosphere is still tense. He fidgets and clears his throat, unsure why he feels like speaking will shatter some invisible glass. He looks at you, furrowing his brow.

"Did I do something?" He asks.

You close your eyes and sigh. "Not exactly," you mutter.

"You seemed so excited yesterday then it just...what happened?" He asked, turning towards you. "I was so glad to have you working with me and now it feels like you hate me."