Illicit affairs | William Afton

Chapter Five: Interviews

Esther introduced herself and explained that William had given her a card. Henry gently took it from her hands and walked towards a hallway, signaling her to follow. He walked Esther into a hallway with doors marked,

[Employees Only]

The words were written in bold red letters, which contrasted sharply against the gray door. Henry stopped and unlocked it, stepping inside. As Esther followed him in. It looked like some kind of storage closet, but slightly bigger, with a few tools strewn about the large table in the middle of the room. Counters wrapped around each wall, on which a gigantic metal skeleton of some kind sat. It looked incomplete, like there were parts missing. It had a slightly terrifying look to it, and despite the odd pit forming in her stomach Esther remained outwardly unfazed. She'd worked in robotics labs much weirder looking than this.

"This is the maintenance room, if you don't mind waiting here, I'll get Will out of his office."

"William doesn't work in here?"

"Ha! No. Will handles more of the business side of things. I don't think I've ever seen him pick up a wrench!"

"Oh. It's just, I thought he was-"

"I mainly handle the animatronics, that's the problem, and probably why he offered you a job here. We've been lookin' for help with maintaining the animatronics for a while now. It kinda breaks the illusion when one of em' malfunctions in-front of the kids."

"Ah I see."

"I hope you don't mind me asking Esther. Are you and Will related or somethin'? I can't help but notice your accent."

"No, we're from neighboring cities I think. Back in England."

  Esther didn't feel like mentioning that they were in-laws for some reason, so she kept that to herself for the time being.

"Ah I see. Well, I'll go get Will."

With that Henry smiled and walked out of the room, leaving Esther alone with the unsettling endoskeleton sitting in the corner. What a peculiar man. Henry; or rather Mr. Emily, seemed to be the complete opposite of his business partner. Henry was an average hight man of a slightly husky appearance and a friendly demeanor. It was difficult for Esther to imagine someone like him working so well with someone like William. They were polar opposites, Will being tall and thin, with a cold, standoffish personality. Perhaps opposites attract, even in business?

A few moments later Henry walked back in, but William was no where is sight.

"Hey, Will wants to go through your interview in his office, mind following me?"

Esther collected herself and followed Henry down the hall into another door but this one was labeled differently, with a shiny silver plaque at the center of the door which read,

Private office of
William Afton

The pair entered the room, Henry holding the door for Esther before she was met with the view of William sat behind a large mahogany office desk. He wore a more normal uniform compared to his business partner. His navy suit and white shirt wouldn't make him look out of place in a conventional office setting. But his bright purple tie was a bit surprising, it probably had something to do with the theming of the restaurant, Esther thought. He instructed her to sit down and she handed him her folio. He flipped through her resume, her experience, her degree, and went through many other tedious requirements as she sat there in silence. Henry sat in a chair off in the corner, content to let William take care of business while still fulfilling his obligation as a half shareholder of the company by being present for the hiring process.

Esther sat in silence, for some reason she began getting a tad nervous. She didn't know if it was because she hadn't been to an interview in a while, if William being the one in control of her situation made her uneasy, or if it was a combination of both. Either way, she turned her attention to the rest of the room as a distraction from the man sitting across the desk in-front of her.

Her first thought was that the office was cold. A long shelf of books lined one wall, with a clock, and large calendar up on the other. Along with a plant, and a little side table shoved in the corner by the window. A typewriter, telephone, and adding machine were neatly placed on the desk, along with a single green desk lamp. The chairs were comfortable, and the whole room felt very different from the atmosphere of the actual restaurant it was housed in. As if the door was the only separation between the child world and the adult world. Suddenly Williams voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Yes, everything seems in order. You seem to be overqualified for the job really. I believe, in my limited experience you'd feel the work would be beneath you."

"You're not talking me out of it. I don't mind dull work."

"As long as you can handle yourself around children as well as you do a spanner, you'll be fine. I don't see why you can't start tomorrow. Not like you'd have anything better to do anyways."

Esther sensed Williams biting tone from a mile away. Henry seemed aloof to his colleagues jabs, Esther wondered if Will often took on that tone with his business partner, and how many times it went over poor Henry's head. The two men stood up, then Esther, following their queue. William shook Esther's hand, and for a moment she felt he wouldn't be such a bad boss after all. Of course, that feeling only lasted a matter of seconds, before her usual disgust for him returned the moment their hands dropped. Henry shook her hand as well and the three of them walked out of the room.

The two men escorted her out into the hallway before bidding her farewell. But Henry stopped her after William had returned to his office.

"Between you and me, I would have skipped the interview and hired you the second I met you. You're the kinda help we've been desperately needin' around here."

"Thanks, I'm excited to start."

Esther didn't know why, but Henry's words had brought her a strange sense of comfort. Maybe it was his midwestern accent or his genuine smile, either way she now had at least one ally here in the eye of Hurricane. Sure it wasn't any glamorous lab or a research opportunity like she had hoped she'd get after graduation, but it was a start. Like William said, she'd probably be bored with the work anyways. She'd have plenty of free time to look into other pursuits, and who knows, maybe she'd find a new passion for something she'd never known.

Esther bid goodbye to Henry and with a smile on her face and a small sense of accomplishment, she walked to Miriam's sleek black car feeling lighter and brighter than when she'd arrived. Tomorrow awaits, she thought to herself.