Julian’s eyes watered slightly at the exposure to the chilly wind, and he had to narrow them and blink more so than usually to allay the condition. He didn’t want to rub at them and irritate them, nor did he fancy tearing up, so best he could do was turn his back directly to the wind – at least that way, his face had some cover. Despite possessing more than one way to tell the time (his phone and wristwatch), he wasn’t sure how long he’d been waiting here for. Mainly because he hadn’t been checking, nor had the wait so far bothered him aside from physical sensations of staying out in the cold. Admittedly, most of those effects were mildly irritating, and by the time their escort arrived, Julian was considering the merits and demerits of wearing goggles.

Thankfully, the blonde (valet?) leads them inside after the usual pleasantries. The only unusual thing was his remark of his boss’ eccentricity, though Julian didn’t pay it any mind. That she’d been laying for them in wait in the darkness was perhaps a tad unusual, but could perhaps be attributed to having taken a nap. She didn’t exactly look sleep ruffled, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been sleeping. There were alternate explanations, of course, such as playing a practical joke on her employee, possessing a flair for the dramatics, or preferring the dark, but ultimately an inconsequential detail like that didn’t matter to Julian. He returned the blonde’s stare as he passed by him, and took a seat in one of the guest chairs.

The next person to engage them in a staring contest was the boss, and Julian reciprocated the steady gaze unperturbed. When she questioned them about wanting to get this over with, he replied. “I am interested in the conclusion, but the process is intriguing enough.” That was somewhat true, but mostly, he was looking forward to whatever information they might be provided with. 

He hummed tonelessly at her apology, but didn’t otherwise comment. He only half-listened as she briefly listed the other two candidates’ characteristics. The account was incredibly generalized, but possibly meant something to the person it pertained to. He tilted his head to the side when she addressed him, however. He opened his mouth to answer the ‘little bookworm’ question, but didn’t get a chance to before she…expressed concern? “My bones are fine, thank you,” he commented. It was only a blink or so after that he registered the metaphor, and realized she was questioning his grit rather than his actual spine. He dismissed the mistake easily with a minute shift of his shoulders.

However, he did wonder exactly what occupation hazards she was referring to that she believed could lay waste to a mind. That thought preoccupied him through parts of the woman’s following explanation. At least, until the next ominous remark of ‘worse than you may have heard’, which could mean a lot of things. This future-boss of his seemed to enjoy being vague. She hinted at much, but again, what precisely she might be referring to was unclear. Thus, Julian perked up when she mentioned a practical demonstration. [i]Finally.[/i]

From her pocket, she produced an eastern American toad. He kept the eyes on the animal – though according to the boss’ implications, that’s not what it was. What followed could have easily occurred in a theater; the door opening, the blonde throwing the woman a sword, the woman brining it down upon the thing forcefully.

It was this, then, when things deviated from the expected scrips. For a regular toad would have been easily sliced in two. There was nary a scratch on the thing – Julian knew, because he’d leaned forward to examine the specimen once the woman removed the sword far enough to do so. He did have to lean back when the creature extended its tongue, and despite the seeming physical impossibility of such an act, swallowed the sword. It reminded him of that ‘looks smaller on the outside’ thing some shows liked to use. The most curious thing was that when the boss mentioned a cut in a paycheck, the toad actually spit the sword out. [i]It has a paycheck, understands human language, and responds to threat. So…whatever it is, must be sentient.[/i]

That seemed a fairly likely conclusion, since even an unusually intelligent creature with unprecedented powers wouldn’t be receiving pay if it hadn’t been evaluated as equal – or superior – to humans. A mutual arrangement of some sort had to be involved. Julian was still staring at the being in guise of a toad, when the boss nonchalantly asked them who wants one. His gaze snapped upwards immediately, and unknowing to him, a smile split his face. “How many are there?”