Walking around this city hasn't been useful in a long time, but you still feel compelled to show up in person- on time but on your own terms. On your way to your new job, you pass by perfect trees and equally immaculate arrangements of flowers. The sidewalk and pavement are both flawless. Your footsteps are the only ones to ring out as you walk block after block past blank walls and gigantic buildings with no windows or doors. The only way to note where you're going and how quickly by eye alone are the regular street signs posted out of inertia, and in case there's a celebration that causes people to leave their virtual paradise. There's no one else on the streets, which, given this used to be New York City, is depressing. Even if it was dirty, even if it was dim, it was still alive.

A sickening sensation fills your stomach as you realize too late that you didn't check if the Summoning Management Group's Northeast Branch actually keeps a physical door these days. Luckily, you see the actual entrance and the steps up two blocks down, and hurry along to get there. Your mother would tell you to check for muggers, but she isn't here, and neither are they. As picturesque as this city might look from the outside, you're happy to find somewhere people actually choose to be, even if only for a paycheck. Marble steps invite you up to a gold-gilded arch. The revolving door spins silently as you push your way in, pulling your suitcase closer to make sure it doesn't hit anything.

The modern interior design, generic as it is, is actually sort of an improvement over the wacky architecture some tryhards get up to these days. Sadly, the concierge is unattended, so you look around to see if there's anything besides the stairs to the next floor up. Not much, though there is a couch you can sit down on and a side table for you to manage your suitcase in. It's all blasé and beige here, solid colors and one lonesome painting hung over the desk. One of the walls has a window to an exterior that doesn't exist in that direction, but you take a deep breath. That was probably put in by a middle manager who thought it 'looked nice'.

At least you're in a good line of work. The salary they posted for your position was frankly astronomical, though you've been warned that you have to use some of it to do your job. Sitting down on the couch, you place your suitcase on the side table in order to shuffle through the contents. The paper copies of your employment are here, signed and sealed. These are redundant twice over, more of a security blanket than anything else, really: You've already passed the interview. You look up to see if anyone is coming up or down the stairs before rifling through your documents again.
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