No Longer Alone

Chapter Twenty-Four

*Damian's POV*

    After the tour Alex and I had been taken back into the room we had been in before, where they let us know that Samantha would have her admin in with us to discuss how the the new agents transitioned between the training classrooms to their on the job training, and then to production.  During this we had requested the presence of the supervisor that was teaching the class.  Admins were not what we needed, self-important pencil pushers in a lot of cases.  Samantha had gone off to find her while Laura and the admin waited.

    Glancing at him while he tried to engage Alex in a conversation, this admin, Andrew, seemed to be a slimy rat of a person.  He was trying to explain what he did in the department and was trying to make it seem like he was the sole reason things went as well as they did.  He kept shifting back and forth between trying to sound like he was the most intelligent person in the room, and attempting to use slang to sound more interesting than he actually was. He had only been outside of Montana three times in his life, and two of those were related to work where he was assisting for a limited time.  I turned my attention back to my email on my phone, having seen a message from my parents that I hadn't seen earlier.

    I heard Samantha talking to someone as she opened the door, making some excuse that I didn't even listen to.  It was Nicole, dressed in nice three piece set she held herself tall and full of confidence, a slight smile on her face as she looked around the room, I didn't miss the glare rat-boy sent her, though rats at least change their tones more than he does.  I decide to let Alex take the lead, usually the more diplomatic of the two of us, he pretends to have no knowledge of Nicole, as if this were the first time we were meeting her.  I tone out the actual words paying more attention to tones and body language through the room.  Laura seems to be aware of some unspoken tension, while Samantha's language shows concern and almost protective behaviors.  Nicole and the rat seem to have very closed off body language, with Nicole moving her seat slightly closer to Samantha.

     "Thank you for joining us Ms. Evans, I'm Alex. First since we were looking at working with this center for some work, we were actually interested in knowing about the training that you took to be able to teach a class like that.  Also I am a bit curious who created that particular training and presentation for a topic like that."  Alex started the conversation, while I feigned continued interest in my phone, watching rat-boy puff up.

     "Oh, Nicole was okay but it was thanks to the leadership in our department that developed her into what she is.  I spent a lot of time working with her and coaching her on how to improve."  Rat-boy starts up, his voice grating on my nerves as he tries to claim all the credit for what she did, even though he is the polar opposite of what we saw and heard in the class.  Nicole looks calm and relaxed on the surface, though there is a slight tension in her shoulders and eyes that shows she isn't as accepting of his words as she pretends to be.  

     "Andrew, right?"  Business requires some level of courtesy, even when dealing with scum that knows how to brown nose.  "The question was directed to Ms. Evans, not you.  It is clear from listening to you that you are not capable of interacting with people the way she did in class, and while you may do well with data and building explaining what your department can do, you lack the self-awareness to understand this meeting is not about you, but VXB is looking for and what we need."

    Looking back to my phone and the email my parents had sent, I listened with one ear to Nicole explaining the class, the how and why of it.  Her voice as she talked about the class showed her passion for her work and helping people, the points she brought up were logical, well thought out, though surprising from someone who was admittedly self taught in such things.  I let Alex continue to lead the conversation as if he was the one in charge while I was focused on what my parents had sent.  They would be making a trip up to this part of Montana themselves to continue looking around based on the reports I had sent, and they had read some information on a national park near here, wanting to see it, and get a feel for the locals here.  Focusing in on the conversation again I heard Alex asking her about developing and teaching other classes, her answer to this question was something I was highly interested in.

"If I knew the subject, yes, I most likely could, though I make no promises there.  As for people being able to teach them," she raised her hands in front of her, palms up as if shrugging, her polite smile dropping for a moment, "anyone can read a document placed in front of them, to teach the way I do isn't something everyone can do.  Everyone has their own style, and their place in the world.  Some belong in meeting rooms, some behind computers, and some belong out with agents."  Her tone and wording making it clear she felt she didn't belong in here with us.

"I want to see more of these classes you have created, and I want you to explain them to me as if I were an agent."  I almost had to smile at the look in her eyes as said those words.  She wasn't going to get rid of me that easily now that I found her again.