"[color=8d97bf]I'll take the cockpit today,[/color]" Jewel volunteered, knowing full well that the job behind the glass was much easier than in front of it; sure, the interviewer just had to ask the same questions that he asked [i]every other[/i] day of the week, and there was no real brainwork in that, but at least in the control room Ona could catch a wink, just a few minutes, of calmness and rest. And she wouldn't have to spend more time in front of the new hires, in case she had a wardrobe malfunction, or if her [i]new look[/i] wouldn't work out. Jewel felt good about it; he was redeeming himself for being a poor host by being a better coworker. It felt surprisingly nice being generous to others.

But he wondered if it made him a bad person. In fact he was very kind, because when he did nice things for people, often enough he expected nothing in return. But was it really a good thing to do if he only did it out of debt? Obligation? Was it truly a good deed if he treated Ona well just to clear his own name, and to fill the cracks in their relationship? It felt good but he felt a bit sleazy, too. No matter. Before long he had moved to the cabinet files, and unlocked one of the upper drawers, which contained his concealable earpiece. He plugged it in and although he looked totally normal, he'd be able to hear Ona when she gave him instructions. If she noticed something odd about this girl, it was her job to inform Jewel, who would take it upon himself to direct his questions in that direction, to test and probe at the applicant's brain a bit harder. And the intern was there just to "learn"; in short, to be a slave for a few years before the company let her start at the bottom rung.

Jewel crossed the vestibule between the two rooms; one door opened while the other was closed, so the applicant never got a good look into the control room. "[color=8d97bf]Hi,[/color]" he said cheerfully. "[color=8d97bf]You must be Ms. Boulanger.[/color]" And yes, he was the softie of the two, the one who disarmed the applicants and became buddy-buddy with them. Ona was better for PR; she kept it professional, and drew distinct, crisp lines in the sand about what this company was about...even if she slung their propaganda in that regard. "Fast-paced work environment," indeed; it was politically incorrect, Jewel supposed, to inform these people that they'd be worked to the bones like dogs.