She had unbuttoned her coat and draped the heavy grey thing over one of her slender arms. Her eyes darted about the lobby of the Print Shop, studying every little detail to maintain the sharpness of her mind. She stopped when her vision dragged over the front lobby window where she frowned, taking in her appearance reflected back at her. ‘<span style="font-style: italic"> I need to gain some weight. I’m a fucking twig. What kind of role model is that to children?!</span>she huffed loudly again when her thoughts were interrupted as Xin Jun spoke, drawing her attention. “Oh Taiwanese? Fascinating! I hope to do tons of traveling when I finally get promoted from my Column. Doubt you’ve read it… I write the ‘Fluff’ section of the paper. It’s not a bad job, better than this I agree, AND there I go again. SO sorry!” She slapped herself in the forehead twice with the palm of her hand.<br/><br/>Xin Jun flashed a soft smile and spoke kindly about his job. How he didn’t like it very much but it was the best he could get. Little guilty pricks wormed their way into her heart and she tilted her head down in shame. '<span style="font-style: italic"> Here I am complaining about my decent job and this guy is stuck printing and organizing papers all day. Well, I do a lot of that too but probably get paid twice as much. You’re bargaining again Evie. STOP and appreciate the way this man accepts life!</span>’ Xin Jun strode off to get her envelope and took his time doing so. “I wonder what he’s doing.” She said thoughtfully, shrugging her coat back on and doing up the black buttons. When he returned he handed her the yellow envelope and she noticed the drawing on the side.<br/><br/>“OH! It’s so cute! Am I the dog?! I must be the dog…. But what’s it say?” She chattered happily clapping her hands down on the drawing and petting the dog. She pointed at the text bubble and looked up into Xin Jun’s eyes. Her face flushed a bit out of embarrassment at the way she was acting. ‘<span style="font-style: italic"> Off your game this morning Evie. You need to be more professional!</span>’ But Xin Jun just seemed amused by her antics and told her the meaning almost sagely.<br/><span style="color: black"><br/>“It says, 'Don't be mad today, there is plenty of room for a free and happy spirit.' "</span><br/><br/>“Huh. You know you’re right. I’m going to go back, happily throw this down in front of my prat supervisor, sans the drawing of course that’ll go up in my cubicle, and go about writing about Mrs. Armstrong’s daisy patch. I guess there’s really no harm in writing about things that make people happy. I just… crave adventure and one day I’ll eventually earn it through hard work!” She bowed her head to him as his did hers. “Oh thank you wise one.” She stood erect and flashed him a wink. “You really are like the lion. Patient and watchful over your pack of clients, Xin Jun. I hope life treats you better because you are better than this place.” Evelyn slapped down a twenty dollar bill flashing another signature wink. "A tip to the paper sage."<br/><br/>She then made her way to the door and paused, glancing back at him. “I’ll probably see you again sometime, and next time you see me please just call me Eve.” She then flashed one of her huge smiles and proceeded outside to face the cold. She felt better about the day. When she arrived at the Office she rode the elevator up to the tenth floor, strode past the conference room where the meeting she wanted to attend was being held and slapped John Buckett’s papers down with the charming envelope. During all this she managed to keep her mood light by looking at the drawing repeatedly. Taking a seat at her desk, she pinned the drawing up to her cubicle wall and chewed on the end of a pencil.<br/><br/>“There really are some amazing people in this world. Too bad they are stuck in places we don’t really need them thanks to society’s system. He’d do better in a place where people could hear or watch him.”<br/><br/>“You talking to yourself again Vale?” A coworker named Rebecca peeked her head over the cubicle wall. “Why yes I am Becky. Are you still worshiping that sparkly vampire?” The brunette turned her nose up sniffing. “My cultish fantasies aren’t really any of your business, ya loon.” The two girls chuckled before Becky pointed at the drawing. “I’m sorry Bucket-head ripped you out of a lead again Evie.” The red head waved it off chewing more vehemently on her pencil eraser. “Ah, whatever. I’ll get another chance even if I have to go take it myself. No point in staying mad.” Rebecca’s eyes widened and glanced about the large column writer’s floor. “I don’t know who you are but I’d like my angry soulless ginger back thank you. And what’s that?” She mousy woman pointed a fat index finger at the Taiwanese drawing. Evelyn grinned at her question and fiddled with her hair on impulse. “A present.”<br/><br/>“Ooh~ from a man?”<br/><br/>“No, from a wise lion. Now are you going to let me write about Daisies and get back to my job or just gonna distract me all day?”<br/><br/>“Oh, we don’t want to distract you from daisies ma’am! However I do have to tell you I can’t do lunch today. Forgive me.” The chubby woman clapped her hands together and squinted her eyes shut in apology. “What?! But I didn’t bring a lunch with me today and you know how I feel about eating in restaurants alone!” Evelyn whined stomping her feet. “Sorry, sorry. Bucket-head has me fetching his dry-cleaning!” “Curse him.” “You said it… I’m really sorry Evie.”<br/><br/>The ginger waved her hand nonchalantly at the woman’s doe eyes. “Don’t. It’s not your fault. I’ll just grab myself a cucumber and turkey sandwich at the café across the street. No harm, No foul when it comes to errands from the shit bucket.” “Thanks girl. I’ll make it up to you.”<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"> Later that day</span><br/><br/>Evelyn sat by the window of the café, the place was completely full with no seating left unless someone was desperate enough to go sit in the chilly and biting wind of New York’s encroaching winter. She had managed to snag a two seater table and awaited on her order while sipping some chamomile tea. Her mind busily repeating Xin Jun’s mantra in a desperate attempt to not go and kill John Buckett after she caught him admiring her bending over to pick up some papers she dropped. “Ugh men.”