166 Ficlet: Visionary (Gavin)
Title Visionary
Author Brutti ma Buoni
Rating PG
Word Count 350
Prompt 166 Gavin Park
Character Gavin
The voice was cautiously positive. “Very well. We accept your credentials. Now, Mr Park, we are in your hands. Why should we employ you at Wolfram and Hart?”
Gavin’s gut tightened. This is it. This is the pitch of a lifetime. Tell them your way. And the words flowed, as he had always dreamed they would.
“I’ve admired your great company for many years. I share your values, and I have studied your work in detail. Joining your company would be a dream come true.”
He was aware that the unseen voice had, just slightly, sighed. They must have heard this spiel thousands of times before. More, probably, over the centuries. And no one was ever going to call him a great showman. But he did have a pitch, a real, novel authentic view of how the company could grow and flourish. So, he had to go for it.
“But... I believe I’ve found a flaw in your operations.”
The voice was chillier this time. “Go on.”
“I think Wolfram and Hart is in danger of overlooking the value of... pettiness.”
There. He had said it. There was a perceptible indrawn breath from his unseen interlocutors. (So they breathed, at least. That was interesting.)
Now he had to sell his vision.
“Evil doesn’t only come from great apocalyptic schemes. It comes from frustration. From niggles. From truly hating your fellow man, just because he has a better parking spot, or because she made you take down your family pictures because it was company policy. That’s a way into a human soul, for you and your strategic planners, right? I think we could work with that.”
Was that an interested hum of reaction? Maybe. Time to press on.
“Pettiness isn’t just an outlet for evil, though. It’s also a way of frustrating good. Your vampire issue, for example... I have some interesting ideas for how to deal with Angel.”
*
Gavin pitched on, fluent and inspiring, detailed yet visionary. When his ideas eventually ran dry, he was thanked and dismissed.
In the empty interview room, the voice chuckled. “An original approach, was it not? Well, he won’t live long. But it will be most amusing while he lasts.”
***
Author Brutti ma Buoni
Rating PG
Word Count 350
Prompt 166 Gavin Park
Character Gavin
The voice was cautiously positive. “Very well. We accept your credentials. Now, Mr Park, we are in your hands. Why should we employ you at Wolfram and Hart?”
Gavin’s gut tightened. This is it. This is the pitch of a lifetime. Tell them your way. And the words flowed, as he had always dreamed they would.
“I’ve admired your great company for many years. I share your values, and I have studied your work in detail. Joining your company would be a dream come true.”
He was aware that the unseen voice had, just slightly, sighed. They must have heard this spiel thousands of times before. More, probably, over the centuries. And no one was ever going to call him a great showman. But he did have a pitch, a real, novel authentic view of how the company could grow and flourish. So, he had to go for it.
“But... I believe I’ve found a flaw in your operations.”
The voice was chillier this time. “Go on.”
“I think Wolfram and Hart is in danger of overlooking the value of... pettiness.”
There. He had said it. There was a perceptible indrawn breath from his unseen interlocutors. (So they breathed, at least. That was interesting.)
Now he had to sell his vision.
“Evil doesn’t only come from great apocalyptic schemes. It comes from frustration. From niggles. From truly hating your fellow man, just because he has a better parking spot, or because she made you take down your family pictures because it was company policy. That’s a way into a human soul, for you and your strategic planners, right? I think we could work with that.”
Was that an interested hum of reaction? Maybe. Time to press on.
“Pettiness isn’t just an outlet for evil, though. It’s also a way of frustrating good. Your vampire issue, for example... I have some interesting ideas for how to deal with Angel.”
*
Gavin pitched on, fluent and inspiring, detailed yet visionary. When his ideas eventually ran dry, he was thanked and dismissed.
In the empty interview room, the voice chuckled. “An original approach, was it not? Well, he won’t live long. But it will be most amusing while he lasts.”
***