Willow Weep For Me (temporary title)

Chapter 2- Such An Arrogant Man

First month in the studio and everything was going decent for Melanie. Well, sort of. Before Mr Drew offered this job Melanie worked as an art teacher in a highschool which came with its pros and cons. Much to her luck most of her students were nice and attentive but still many students saw her class useless and maintaining order in a room full of teenagers can be a nightmare. And when she got a call for an invite to an interview she was more than excited. It was her biggest dream coming true and it came with the benefit of her possibly not being this exhausted. Well she was so wrong about the last bit. But hey, she was doing what she wanted the most and it has only been a month. Things would go smoother eventually. Also, the art department was very fond of Melanie. Radiating energy and mostly smiling as well as making others smile. not to mention she wasn't as strict as another department manager. Yes, over many discussions around in the cafeteria and the break room Melanie quickly grasped the common frustration towards the music director, Sammy Lawrence. That man was cold and was quick to rash out on anyone. The musicians often complained how Sammy would nit-pick everything in their work and if his rude remarks were not enough he would leave neatly written "criticisms" called "Lawrence Letters" thus explaining the board Melanie saw at the music department. So although not meeting him face to face yet Melanie, fueled by the horrors stories about Sammy told by her coworkers especially Wally, had the feeling she wouldn't be very fond of Mr Lawrence. But nonetheless, she wasn't planning on interacting with him much anyway. Not that she could even if she wanted. Because apparently this guy was so distant. Either in his office or recording rooms. Until she was told that she had to see him at least once a week.
Melanie was helping a coworker with a scene when she got called to Mr. Drew's office. And when she opened the door, peeking her head in first she saw another man in there talking -no it looks like arguing - with Joey. The man is tall with blonde hair. Although tied up with a low ponytail, tufts of hair fall down to his face. His eyes are greyish blue and that pissed off face already makes Melanie figure out who he is before the introductions. The man immediately stops his whisper-shouting and turns to look at whoever has the audacity to interrupt and Joey welcomes her in.
"Great, just in time miss Melanie. Ahem, I suppose you two haven't met yet?"
And before Melanie could open her mouth the man glances at her and talks.
"Obviously not. And I don't have time for this, Joey. You can't just pile all this work and call me into your office to play a 'guess the employee's name' game."
Sammy then crosses his arms around his chest, directly looking at Joey making Melanie annoyed at not even being acknowledged.
"Well, I'm good at this game. Sammy Lawrence, yes? I work at the animation department. It's a pleasure to meet you too."
Melanie said in a sarcastic tone despite keeping the warm smile across her lips, making Joey smirk and Sammy throwing a confused glare, mumbling "these animation department folks..." before Joey explains why he had called the two here.
"So, Sammy has been complaining that the animation department cannot match the speed of the music department. Actually no, it's the other way around. Nonetheless, it's crucial that your departments cooperate and actually be cautious of what the other one is doing. So, I ask you to constantly report your departments' progress to each other."
Great! She has to report and get reports from him. Couldn't get any better. Haha. And Sammy doesn't seem so happy about this too. But he looks defeated. Maybe that was what he and Joey were discussing before Melanie came in. The music director lets out an annoyed huff
"Then meet me at my office, lunch break."
Sammy says before barging out. Making Melanie visibly roll her eyes.

After that very pleasant first encounter, Melanie was back in front of her desk. Absentmindedly animating. Melanie wasn't someone to hold grudges. She often tried to act positive, so she didn't put much worry into the current situation. Come to think of it, co-operating was what they were supposed to do in the first place and Joey wasn't giving a suggestion, he was warning the two. So that's why she's making her way down to the music department exactly at the start of the lunch break. Despite her expecting people making their way to the cafeteria which was at the 4th floor, the stairs were noticeably empty with only people leaving are janitors and secretariats. She could hear the voices of many people, like an argument. Noticing the noise coming from the recording room, she made her way there, silently entering the room to witness the orchestra members arguing with each other. And in the corner of the room she could locate Sammy, leaned against the wall. Fingers rubbing his temples like he's having a migraine, he had a pale face meaning that it was quite noticeable that it's now red like a tomato out of frustration. Also she could notice the poor guy's lips twitching and hands shaking. Honestly, Melanie was quite surprised that Sammy hadn't started to scream yet but it was quite visible that he's about to. So, Melanie (as she technically has the same authority as Sammy) pulls a nearby musician close to ask what is happening here. Which he explains there's been an issue with some instruments and the mics used for voice acting, causing havoc with everyone blaming each other and all. And according to the musician that is the first time something like this has happened. Melanie makes her way into the centre of the recording room, clears her throat and yells:
"EVERYONE, QUIET."
And much to her surprise, the group stops. Melanie takes the microphone equipment
"I will be taking these to the recording section, I'm pretty sure Mr Connor can fix it. And as for the instruments: instead of trying to find a culprit, can somebody tell me how bad the damage is?"
A brief moment of death silence fills the room before someone explains that no, it isn't actually a big issue which another disagrees causing Melanie to intervene once more
"Alright, alright. Since it's actually lunchtime why don't you all grab a bite and calm down? Then the musicians can try to fix the instruments and the voice actors can do their part hm? Because by the time you're back I'll actually have the recording equipment fixed!"
And with that, the staff leaves the department, pleased with her conclusion. But there's one who hasn't left the room yet apart from Melanie. And that is Sammy. Getting closer and pulling a nearby chair for him to sit, head in his hands.

It's actually common knowledge that Sammy is a perfectionist man, sure, and that he doesn't want any distractions during his work. And when he's interrupted or the finished product is not good enough for his standards, he gets frustrated. Just like too much noise can cause similar, if not worse, effects. It's something like an overstimulation, making him uncomfortable, angry. And this mixed with the high level of stress and sleep deprivation he has does not create a good reaction. But he's not in the mood to explain all that to this woman. He's not obligated to anyway. He has to admit, she took control of the situation well and she's observant enough to notice Sammy's distress and send the crowd away. But nothing more.
As he's still in the same position, eyes closed and heavily breathing to calm himself down he hears another chair being pulled beside him despite keeping a distance.  Melanie understands boundaries well. She knows when the person in front of her needs space, she can see when someone's having a panic attack and she knows how to act accordingly. So she tries to do what she knows to do assuming Sammy is having a sensory issue of some sort.
"So... Sammy- I mean Mr Lawrence- do you want something to drink? Tea, coffee? At least water? It can help you calm do-"
And she's interrupted, by Sammy getting up with a quick manoeuvre and making his way to the door. Fuming with anger and embarrassment of revealing a vulnerability. But how dare she, analysing him like that? And even acting as if she's oh so kind and caring...
"I don't need anything. Not something that concerns you that is. You handled the crisis, thank you for that. That is all. I have tunes to finish."
And with that he leaves, literally slamming the door. The loud bang it creates makes Melanie jump from where she's sitting. It was so uncalled for, the attitude Sammy gave. And if she wasn't that hungry she might've followed Sammy and made a scene. But lucky for that porcelain face, Melanie decided to ignore it and went to find a technician so that she could go to lunch, call her brother Hunter who's the person she gossips with all the time and laugh it off. Although due to her brother being on deployment, she's certain that leaving voice messages would be better so he could listen to it like a podcast when he has time. And there starts her 15 minute long "podcast" recorded as she enjoys a delicious lunch