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“Well, that’s….not ideal,” is what Jon says out loud.
In his head, it’s more of a tirade. What is Elias thinking, sending him someone he did not ask for, who appears to be either completely incompetent or lackadaisical at best? This, on top of not coming down here to help give him any sort of direction as to what his job would actually entail!
Oh. Is this some kind of test, he thinks, suddenly nervous. Perhaps how he handles being left to his own devices is how Elias will judge his fitness for the position. Perhaps throwing a wrench into his attempts at maintaining any sort of comfort zone by throwing this Martin at him unexpectedly is all part of it.
He remembers vividly how his meeting with Elias had gone, when he’d been offered the job. It was hard to forget, even through the intimidation factor of any meeting in Elias’ office. Said office seemed almost designed specifically to be a statement about power and who had it, a room more ornate and finely decorated than anywhere else in the Institute, all deep green textured wallpaper and mahogany furniture, and Elias sat primly in the middle of it like a king holding court.
It was probably the weighted atmosphere of that damn office that had made Jon’s response to being informed of his promotion be a slightly strangled “….me?” instead of something more professional. Thank God Elias had seemed more amused than put off by his inability to act like an actual human being being given good news.
“I pride myself on seeing potential, Jon,” he’d said, “and giving that potential opportunity to grow. You know the saying about pressure creating diamonds, well. I see which coal will become diamonds. This is your opportunity. I look forward to seeing how polished your diamond becomes.”
That was all well and good, and Jon had definitely sat up a little straighter in the office and tried very hard to look like a diamond in the making, but here in this box-filled shoebox of a room with none of the people he’d requested, an idiot and damn dog running around somewhere outside, and no real idea where to begin, he’s revisiting that comment about pressure with a new eye.
Perhaps Martin is an actor, sent by Elias to see how he handles such a nightmarish situation. If he followed through with his threat to fire him, would that be succeeding or failing Elias’ expectations?
Jon thinks again about Martin’s big, open face, the slightly-sheepish crooked smile, and the way his jaw had dropped when he’d realised who Jon was. No, he decides, he’s being ridiculous. If Martin had been sent by Elias as part of Jon’s own diamond-creating pressure, then the man clearly didn’t know that.
…Oh god, what if Martin was another one Elias had seen potential in? Had Elias sent him down here to be part of Jon’s crucible? Is that what he’d looked like to Elias?
No. No, definitely not. He’d always looked more professional than Martin.
Well. If Elias had such high expectations of him to turn this place around with no guidance, and somehow pressure a lump of coal into a diamond while he was at it, then he’d just have to prove he was up to the task.