Suitable Arrangement

Participants:

bao-wei_icon.gif ling_icon.gif

Scene Title Suitable Arrangement
Synopsis Ling comes in for an interview that either goes smoothly- or perhaps a little bit too smoothly.
Date July 08, 2009

Cong Medical Clinic


Just a few days ago, somewhat contrary to Kain Zarek's words but all the same somewhat accurate- the nurse working at Doctor Cong's clinic had expressed her desire for a second secretary to do the office work; at first, Bao-Wei was rather reticent in answering. Up until she threatened to leave altogether, where he knew she could if she wanted. However, being a wiser man when it comes to women, he made a deal with her and now has been trolling the waters for an office worker. Bao-Wei has seen a couple of applicants today, of which he seemed to choose very few in the first place. A very stringent process, if anything.

The first was a wife looking for supplemental work, the second, a student. The third, he is hoping, will be less desperate and more inclined to keep their mouth shut. The doctor himself is tucked away in his office, waiting, while the nurse at the front desk is checking a prescription for a bow-spined, wrinkled old woman with a shock of white hair.

As Ling sees the one who had gone in before her exits, a smile creeps across her face. In her lap sat a bland manilla folder, containing her resume and a few other assorted notes and papers in case she ended up needing them. With little hesitation, she rises form her seat, transitioning the folder from her lap to underneath her arm. With confidence, she approached the busy nurse, who very hurriedly pointed his in the appropriate direction to Bao-Wei's office.

She takes a moment to look around as she steps towards the office, careful to take in as much of the scenery as she can as she approaches the office door. She looks in with a smile, the cheeriest one she can manage. "Hello," she quips with a tone fitting of her smile. She takes a few steps in, and bows. "Ling Chao. A pleasure to meet you."

Doctor Cong's office is quite utilitarian, though at least in a modern sense. Someone took the chance to sneak a ficus into the corner, however, and he has not moved it out yet. Perhaps he has gotten used to it. Of course, the framed degrees and awards glint on the opposite wall, like any good office should do. Upon her arrival at the doorway, Bao-Wei lifts himself to his feet, one hand reaching up to adjust the rim of his glasses; the hefty, older doctor gives off an immediate air of some sort of beast lurking in its den, suddenly presented with a visitor- thankfully, Ling is both expected and in some manner, welcomed.

A less enthusiastic bow of his head comes when she offers him a verbal greeting, and in those moments after he makes an inspection of his own, purely for notation sake. "Likewise, miss Chao." Bao-Wei tries a smile himself, though frankly- it doesn't work as well as one may hope. The expression comes off as rigid; it definitely looks fake- but perhaps only because he is not usually smiling. "If you could have a seat, we may begin." One of his hands motions vaguely to the chair across the desk from him.

A mental note is made as Ling regards Bao-Wei's smile, approaching the seat he had motioned to with deliberate slowness and poise. She takes her seat, sliding the chair up to the desk as quietly as she can. She gives the man another nod, placing her folder in front of her on the desk, ready to to open and make use of it's contents at a moment's notice if need be. As she sits straight, looking Bao-Wei in the eye, she feels as confident as ever, her smile fading a bit after a moment.

He has a slowness about him as well, though in his case- it looks to be the only speed he has right now. Looks can be deceiving, fortunately. Up close and personal, Doctor Cong is well groomed, and the only thing all too noticeable in this first meeting would be the differing colors of his eyes, and the defined streak of silver in his hair. One marks him as unique, the other marks him as aged. Bao-Wei sits only once Ling has seated herself, bringing his chair closer to his side of the desk as he does so.

"Obviously, I have gone over the information you left before to have brought you in, Miss Chao. You seemed to me to be one of the very few that took me seriously so far. I am not getting the impression that you are looking for a job in order to feed your children-" He barely veers around using 'brats'. "-or to pay your school debts. I need someone in this office that will not have outside issues that come into the workplace." He gives her a flat look, lips thin and searching for a verbal confirmation from her in return.

The smile on Ling's face crooks into a grin, the woman letting out the slightest chuckle. Nodding, she sits up and leans forward just a little bit. "I couldn't agree more," she responds reassuringly. "I can promise you, Dr. Cong, that if hired I will handle this job with the utmost professionalism. There will be no silly distractions on my end." It sounded good, even if it wasn't entirely true. She, at the very least, had her knew found deal with Linderman to distract her; it would be truly lucky for her if it all came together as well as she was hoping.

"Even though this is largely going to be a clerical position- do you have any specific experience working in a medical setting? And, would you be willing, if needed, to perform some basic duties should the nurse be unable?" Bao-Wei gets right down to business, pausing every so often to inspect her features, hands folding on the staunchly organized desktop. "Things such as taking temperatures, basic first aid? They would be small instances, and uncommon, but I am requiring myself to ask, should the need arise. Are you easily disgusted, Miss Chao? I do sometimes, get patients in here that you may think require an Emergency Room." Whatever that may mean. Cong seems very serious about this, however.

She pauses for a moment, looking thoughtful. She finds herself slightly annoyed - of all the obvious things she should have considered, medical experience was one that somehow hadn't occured to her. She curses silently, trying her best not to et her annoyance show though - too unprofessional, that would be. "I have basic CPR training. I lack any sort of genuine, training, but living with my ailing mother and father have given me a… basic understanding of some minor procedures, however," she responds, the smile returning to her face. It wasn't entirely untrue, and it felt like the perfect response.

"Beyond this, as I said, I lack formal training or experience. I am, however, willing to take any measures needed to meet any such requirements," she responds with a motion of her hand and a nod. "And I do believe I could handle some more unsettling situations, if need be," she finishes, satisfied with her response. With every passing moment, she felt more and more like she had this already settled.

Her explanation seems to satisfy the doctor, as he motions towards the folder that she has brought with her. "May I?" He waits a second or so before sliding it closer, whether or not she sees fit to say 'yes, take it'. He peers down through the glasses on his nose as he opens the folder to inspect it further. "Likely, the worst that you may need to assist with is stemming blood flow." So that is what that stain on the waiting room carpet was. "An understanding of what goes on here is enough, as well as a tendency to not ask too many questions… Tell me about the jobs you've worked before? Why do you think that you would do well here?"

It all seems like a generic interview- Kain Zarek's insistence on keeping an eye on Bao-Wei seems just a tad overdone. At the most, thus far- he is a rigid and almost shrewd sort of man, coming off as not entirely the type one would expect to have helped sprout those two little maniacs out of the Ye family tree.

Another nod is given, Ling leaning forward just a bit more as she watches Bao-Wei look over her resume and other information. She spares no detail as she begins to describe the business ethics instilled in her by her parents, her business schooling back home in China, her rise from secretary to several highly coveted positions in just four years time - making sure to stress that she had, in fact, spent much time doing simple clerical work. She explained how circumstances had brought her back to America, and the high paying position she had held before the bomb several years ago, and how the bomb had put her out of that job. She seems very deliberate in avoiding mention of Rapture, at least initially. She leans back as she finishes, smiling confidently as Bao-Wei continues looking though the papers.

Any absorption that Ling gets from Cong is deliberate, and from the beginning of her tales he does keep intrigued- and throughout, as well. There are a couple idle questions here and there, whenever she pauses; he is quite skilled when it comes to nitpicking details.

"I have to say, Miss Chao, that you are very much qualified- perhaps too much so. But seeing as I hate finding employees, and you appear to be the only competent one to have come to me, I will be willing to give you an actual test of the job. To see how well that you can adapt, and how well you can work with my nurse."

His hands folded and fingers twined, Bao-Wei watches Ling carefully, the brain behind his eyes processing some possibilities in the most streamlined of lists. "If you are truly interested in being here: a week's worth of work, and I will review you at the end. If I find that you're not suitable to stay here full-time, then I will simply pay you for the week and ask you to go. Should you more than fit into the position, however, you will have a permanent job with me, and I will gladly train you in any office procedures that I think you may need."

Leaning back casually for the first time in the entire interview, Ling steeples her fingers just a bit. Her smile shifts a bit as she listens to Dr. Cong speak, nodding at the appropriate moments. So far, everything was going her way - going just as planned. Not that she expected much else, but it was so refreshing to her that, in her time at Rapture, she hadn't lost her touch, at least in her opinion. Cong's eye for details, and finding just which ones to nitpick is annoying at first, he's certainly one of the more savvy interviewers she can remember having in as many years as she could remember, but at the same time it was reassuring. It gave her an idea of just ho careful she would need to be as she did what she had been hired to do, thus granting her one of the most important pieces of information she had hoped to glean from the interview.

As Bao-Wei finishes speaking, she sits back forward with a smirk. "That sounds like a more than suitable arrangement, Dr. Cong. I appreciate your willingness to let me have a chance at such a wonderful opportunity," she responds, tapping a finger down on the desk quietly. "I don't think ther eis anything to worry about. In fact, if I have my way- " her smile widens, LIng leaning back once more - "Everything will run smooth as silk."

"I would just have you remember, Ling-" The first name comes as a subtle sort of surprise. Bao-Wei's need to address this one thing is clear, even if she does not expect the light warning. "-that your way will have to be limited the office, as I am the one in charge here. But of course, I appreciate your candid desire to get things done." At the very least, she will pick up the slack that the nurse has left behind, doing virtually two jobs at once.

Doctor Cong rises to his feet first, fingertips bracing on the edge of his desk. For a second, the man looms overhead, fittingly imposing. A strong hand is then offered out, presuming that Ling stands as well. "I am looking forward to having you start… I am very certain that my assistant does as well."

As Bao-Wei stands, Ling's smirk fades a bit; it would seem she might have been a bit too enthusiastic that time, and the way he stands over her only seeks to reinforce this feeling. No matter, though. It wasn't a derailment, at least not yet. Pushing the chair back, she rises slowly, threading a fallen lock of hair behind her ear for the moment. She gives yet another small nod, and reaches out to take her potential new employer's hand. "Oh, of course. I didn't mean to make it seem any other way," she replies, continuing to mentally chastise herself. "Please forgive me if I was being too forward."

Her smile returns as she shakes his hand, stepping bac and offering a second bow as she finishes. "I hope I can meet your expectations, Dr. Cong. I look forward to the next week."

"It was understandable." He has a reputation for having a hard shell. And a withered heart, but that is another story entirely. A hard shell that it takes a lot to impress. Ling is on a good track, at least. He is not duly impressed with her overall, but the fact he is willing to have a trial basis is good luck.

Doctor Cong nods to her once more, knuckles grazing the edge of his desk as he breaks the handshake first. "I shall see you tomorrow morning- nine o'clock, so that I can have time enough to introduce you to the building."

She lingers for a moment, watching the man for any thing else she can take away form the meeting, careful to make sure he didn't see her eyes lingering too much. She makes another mental note about the time she is to arrive - curious, starting on a Friday. She wasn't about to argue, however. In fact, it was better to start sooner rather than later, at least in her opinion. Withdrawing her hand, she grins. "Alright. Again, I appreciate it, Dr. Cong. If that's all, then… I will see you at 9 sharp."

When his nurse said find someone Now, she meant Now. Not in a few days. Cong gives Ling a final nod, noting in silence to make sure to give his nurse a run-down of the meeting when Ling does go. May as well use all eyes to see how she does, no? "That is all. Goodbye, miss Chao." Smooth as silk, this went. Right?


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