THE MOMENT
Denise was anxious, but it was mostly from exhaustion. The only reason she was running late to work was because her hours had changed. It felt like the whole world changed overnight a few weeks ago, and she was still adjusting. It was late last night that her company was acquired by a multiversal corporation, and she needed to be there earlier than expected to learn about the new direction. Her usual sitter couldn't get there that early and she was desperate enough to try a completely new approach.
The suited gentleman looked mildly confused, and not very demonlike as she rattled off the instructions, then dashed out the door. She didn't have time to question his physical appearance; but, he appeared in the summoning circle. As she understood it, if she didn't give him time to ask any questions, then she never agreed to anything. She was too tired for doubts, and she spotted several demons walking the street on her drive to work. They ranged from obvious to almost human. At least that helped ease her mind about the whole thing. When the multiverse arrived on her Earth almost a month ago, it broke the veil for all magical races including Fae and Demons. There were a couple of days of chaos, but the multiverse was vast, and this kind of thing seemed fairly standard. Neighboring governments and corporations from alternate Earths stepped in to lend a hand and get everything back to some sense of normalcy. It was far removed from the standard life Denise had even three months ago, but also, it was just more of the same.
She still got up every morning for work and still spent the evening with her daughter as much as possible. Dinner proved to be more of an adventure for some time and she taste-tested all kinds of alternate Earth foods. But eventually, she defaulted to her old favorites. She worked as hard as ever, and life moved on. The multiverse opened and just like that, it was part of daily life because daily life happened everywhere.
Only the last-minute notice was a surprise when her company was acquired. She'd heard corporations were buying up promising local businesses. Now that 'local' referred to her entire Earth, it was only a matter of time. As of midnight, she was officially an employee of Chroma Corp. She got her new credentials and Supervisor's contact info in an email, along with the request that she show up early. She didn't know what to expect and threw together some reports on her team's current projects and progress.
Denise parked and took a few deep breaths to calm her mind before she stepped out of the car. She was nervous about meeting her new supervisor. It would be the first time she'd had an in-depth conversation with someone from an alternate Earth. Online chats and ordering pizza didn't really count. As she entered the building, it occurred to her that he didn't have to be human.
When she first heard about multiverse corporations she did some research and discovered there were only a handful of big-name ones. Chroma Corp. was owned by dragons and known for being Fae-friendly. They often employed Fae folk and other non-humans. Her new boss could've been anything, and she had to be prepared to roll with whatever happened. She made her way through the lobby and up four levels to her new Supervisor's office. She chose the stairs so that she didn't have to stop moving and be alone with her worries. Finally, she reached the right door on the right floor. A new chrome nameplate on the door announced the office belonged to "Dr. Salazar", and Denise felt more at ease. At least it looked like a human name. She took one more deep breath for courage, then knocked.
"Come in," a deep voice replied. She wasn't ready for what she saw as soon as she walked in. She thought he still might be Fae, or a dragon, but, she wasn't prepared to find two normal-looking people. Both were familiar and one of them was definitely human.
"Who's that?" The man behind the desk laughed as he gestured at Denise; her daughter giggled and her face lit up. The toddler sat on the desk and waved happily at her mom.
"Hello, Denise. I'm glad you made it on time; I know you were in a hurry," he grinned as he pushed the child toward her on the desk. It was permission to pick her up and Denise did not hesitate.
"What's going on?" She asked as she hugged the toddler.
"I've had some time to think about that while you were rushing to get here," the man chuckled. "You received my contact info late last night, I'm assuming it was a mix-up on your part somewhere along the way," he shook his head with a warm smile. "It's really not a problem, I know everything was short notice. She's so lovely," he smiled at her daughter.
"It's okay if she sits in for this meeting, then you can have the rest of the day off to arrange a more permanent solution. I'm afraid I'll need you to come in this early for the foreseeable future until we get things integrated. I'll also point out that Chroma Corp. does have a daycare service for our employees," he said.
"Oh, thank you!" Denise nodded. She was appreciative and still somewhat confused. Things had worked out better than okay; but, something didn't sit right in her mind.
"Let me introduce myself more formally," he said. He stood and gave a curt half-bow before sitting again. "I'm one of the regional directors for Chroma Corp. I normally go by Dr. Salazar; but, I've met your family," he grinned and waved at the child again. "You may call me Salazar. I'll be overseeing the integration of this company into Chroma Corp. proper. Before we get started on the details, do you have any questions?"
"Why you?" it was out of her mouth before she could filter the thought. It was waiting in her mind for the first opportunity.
"I'm good at my job...?" Salazar shrugged with a confused grin. He seemed easygoing if nothing else. But, Denise shook her head.
"No, I'm sorry. I don't doubt that. I just meant... I don't see how the mix-up could've happened. I got your info but... I was careful enough to know that I definitely summoned a demon...," she said.
"Yes, you definitely did,...," He smiled. "The summoning finds demons in your contact list first, for the sake of convenience. Actually, it's a good thing you brought that up. Please check the 'do-not-summon' box on my info when you have a chance. I'd like to avoid this particular mishap again."