“I completely understand.Before I met Corbin and joined Buckling Swashes, I worked for an ecological group.It was frustrating due to all the misguided legislation, but satisfying at the same time,” I told her.
“That’s it, exactly,” she said, smiling again.“There’s a big gap between doing a job you like and doing a job you like that is making a difference in the world.”
“Yeees,” I drawled, not sure how to respond.“I don’t know if our new game falls under the same umbrella as clean power, but ...”
To my relief, she chuckled at my lame attempt to justify a video game.“I know people who think that video games are utterly worthless, but really, they can do so much.They can connect people who are lonely or isolated, provide entertainment in a world that seems to grow more hopeless with every year, and if you get into puzzle games like Fang does, it hones cognitive abilities.I used to be able to beat him at word games, and now he wipes up the floor with me.”
I laughed along with her, unable to keep from asking, “Fang is an unusual name.Is it a family tradition?”
“Kind of,” Emily said with a wry smile.“His name is Francis, really, but he’s been known as Fang since he got in his first tooth, when his mom used to say he looked like a baby vampire.What are you looking for from me?”
I blinked at the abrupt change of subject.
“Sorry,” Emily apologized.“That was a big logic jump.I was curious about what sorts of skills you are looking for other than the few mentioned in the job listing.”
“There’s no need to apologize for being forthright—you’re very like my daughter in that sense.As you have seen on the job posting, Buckling Swashes is creating a new Immersive Consciousness game.Corbin has a long, detailed explanation of what it is and how it works, but the end result is that it’s basically the next generation of virtual reality.Because this model is unlike other software with this level of realism, we are concerned about breaking the suspension of disbelief if the physics of the world aren’t right.”
“That sounds fascinating,” Emily said, her body language confirming her claim.“I’m not sure I understand what Immersive Consciousness is, though.I don’t suppose you could tell me about it?”
“No,” I said firmly, well aware that the fact Emily reminded me so much of my daughter, Tara, meant I was giving her a bit more license than I would any other interviewee.“I’m afraid that’s proprietary information.”
“Gotcha,” she said, nodding.“I can tell you about my experience, if going beyond the CV will help.”
“That would be perfect,” I said, pulling out a notebook and pen to take notes.Corbin loved flipping me shit over the analog method I used to keep organized, but he never failed to buy me a fancy nibbed pen whenever he saw one he thought I’d like.
We discussed her education and job experience for the next ten minutes, and I whipped my way through the standard interview questions, all the while wishing Corbin were here with me.Similarity to Tara aside, I liked Emily a lot and thought she’d probably fit in well with the rest of the crew.
“I think we’ve talked about everything.Did you have any questions I haven’t answered?”I asked her as I tucked away my notebook.
“Not really.I’ll have to look into getting a high-speed Internet connection to handle all the work-from-home time, but that shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Dammit,” I said, mentally calling myself a hundred names.“I’m so sorry, Emily, that ‘dammit’ was directed at me, not you.Just a few days ago, under recommendation of the graphics and programming heads, we decided that we couldn’t send out units for our IC machines until development is further along.That means you’d be required to be in the office once a month for testing.”
“Oh, man,” she said, slumping back in the chair.
“Our job listing was updated to reflect that requirement, but perhaps you didn’t see it?”I asked, fretting with my notebook.
“No, I didn’t check it after my friend Devon told me there was a job that was perfect for me.”She looked at first distraught, then gave a big sigh and offered me a weak smile.“Well, that’s that.I don’t think a monthly commute to California is going to work out.Thank you for seeing me, and perhaps in the future ...”
“Yes, absolutely,” I said, feeling miserable.“Although ...you know, before either of us makes a decision one way or the other, let me talk to Corbin.From your qualifications, and after meeting you, I think you’d work well with us.And as they say, never say never!If you are open to it, perhaps we can meet again, once Corbin and I can talk over the issue of travel.”
Emily’s expression went from regretful to stoic.“I would appreciate that.I’m not sure if something could be worked out, but if you’re willing to leave the door open for discussion, then I’d love to be a part of that.”
“Good.Let’s put it on hold until Corbin and I can talk.Are you here in London for long?”We chatted for a few minutes before we both stood up.As we parted, I thanked her again for the recommendation for the Cornish hotel.“My husband wants us to visit Paris for a few days as soon as the convention is over, but we’ll have a week after that, and I’m going to try to get us into your hotel.”
“You’ll love it,” Emily said as she moved to the cubicle entrance, then paused, made a grimace, and added, “Although you won’t be able to get a reservation around my wedding day.People who are there for the wedding can stay the day before, during, and after.Although ...”
“Although?”I said, flipping through the calendar on my phone, hoping against hope that I’d magically find some extra time for Corbin and me to be tourists.
“OK, this ...”She hesitated, then said with a little shake of her head, “...this is going to sound a little crazy, I know, but if you really wanted to stay at Foxglove and Nightshade while my family and friends are sucking up the space, you could tell the owners of the hotel you were there for the wedding.My family is only going to take up seven of the eight rooms, so you might as well grab the remaining one rather than letting it go to waste.”
“Oh, we wouldn’t feel at all comfortable invading the hotel during your wedding,” I said, disappointment making my voice sharper than I liked.“We’d feel like we were crashing it.”
“Pfft,” she said, to my surprise waving away the idea.“It’s really not a big deal.It’s just the two of us, a couple of friends, and a handful of family.To be honest, it’s more about the result than the act, if you know what I mean.”
I couldn’t stop myself from making a lightning-swift glance at her midsection.
“No, not that.Visas,” Emily said, laughing when I started stammering out apologies.She cut them short with a, “That’s what everyone who doesn’t know us thinks.Fang and I aren’t the kid sort of people.If my sister ever reproduces, we’ll be the fun aunt and uncle, but as for kids of our own?Eh.I’d rather have animals.”
