1 The Jarring Celebration!

Delfina Le Carvennec, a woman that has little care for the world around her. She wakes each morning, and immediately enjoys oatmeal soaked in milk overnight with freshly sliced fruit and tea. She watches the news as she eats, then showers and dresses before leaving. Usually she wore simple and comfortable clothing, enjoying her work's lack of a dress code and the ability to combat the cool temps the building always seemed to be set at. This results in loose light sweaters, sweat shirts/pants, pajamas, and the occasional overalls as her main wardrobe. Her curly hair tossed into a loose and uncaring bun and a sensible pair of glasses upon her nose was all she needs to show her cares.

But, such things weren't universally appreciated…

"Finnie, I swear you enjoy making this place your second home!" Sofia Calliadi announces with a smirk as she walks in. Her being their department's overseer didn't stop her from bringing them all warm drinks and an assortment of muffins each day. She is the lead manager of the historian department of Hookgold, a corporation that dabbled in a few different things and often looked into the past for inspiration in the everyday lives of today.

"Yes! You are my reason to live Sof!" Jeremías Fonseca dramatically greets them as he accepts his coffee from Sofia. He plucks a strawberry muffin as he plops into his seat. His hair is tousled in that messy way that usually took too much effort. He wore slacks and a simple untucked dress shirt. He was always dramatic and full of energy, but a jokester.

Sofia rolls her eyes as she gives Delfina her hot chocolate. "Glad for the appreciation!" She calls after him, then graciously gives a warm "You're welcome!" in reply to Delfina thanking her. She prances off to her office and takes a seat at her desk with her tea. She always wore smart businessware, usually in a skirt suit with her hair and makeup styled differently each day. She had a very warm energy, but also carried a no-nonsense and shrewd presence.

The main area was simply one large room dominated by what was once expected to be a conference table. Said table is indeed still surrounded by chairs, but also had boxes upon boxes stacked on it, with numerous scrolls, books and folders all over. One long buffet table pushed by the entry held a number of snacks, and currently held a coffee and the mixed muffins. They would place all of their food there to be picked up or shared by the others. The other end of the room had a small table with seating around it. It was pristinely clear and was used by them for when they ate. They had to get a separate table to make sure there weren't any accidents with the works.

That being said, they each had their own office off of this room, though they all usually didn't bother shutting their doors. Delfina sits with a blueberry muffin and her drink at the table, glancing at her desk with a glint as she eyes the mountains of work. Each office held a row of filing cabinets against one wall, and a large desk with chairs, computers, and a high powered flexible lamp. All state of the art of course, but you can tell they've been used by this point. That being said, she had a neat pile of boxes to go through, each holding priceless papers to be verified then transcribed into their database, then sent off to be organized in their storage. Her specialties lays well seated in the european realm, and the older the better for her. That being said, she had quite some works to go through, all ready for her gloved fingers to glide through.

"Morning!" A yawned greeting cuts into her reprieve as Ena Brekalo saunters through the door. She was wearing an off shoulder top and jeans as she grins at the world and lazily plops down beside Delfina with her coffee and muffin. She always had an effortless beauty and grace about her, even when she shoves half of a muffin into her mouth.

"Morning!" They all reply before going back to their various things. They were used to Ena coming in late. She was the one to sort through the piles on the table, giving them the boxes that pertained to their specialties. They were actually down two members since one quit almost half a year ago, and another passed away recently. This being said, Sofia was busy looking over applicants to fill the roles. That was balanced with her helping with the Asian and South American areas for the time being. Jeremias had a firm handle on the African areas.

"Del, you are going to the new year's party this time, right?" Ena asks casually with an arched brow as she eyes her friend.

"That's already?!" Delfina asks with genuine surprise, causing the three to groan. "Time just seemed to… fly by?" She weakly adds with a slight shrug before continuing. "Plus, isn't' it the same as always?" She asks before finishing off her muffin.

"I mean yes, but it's going to be fun anyways!" Ena replies with her own shrug.

"Not to mention we'll get to hang out with other geeks." Jeremias adds as he rolls out of his door to show his bright grin to them.

"It's always good to take some time to just let yourself have fun." Sofia comments as she leans against her door frame with a smile playing on her lips. "It's not like they ever hold back for their parties." They all nod in reply as they acknowledged that Hookgold truly never seemed to do anything less than going for platinum.

"They did have a great fireworks display and ice sculptures last year…" Delfina mumbles as she grins. "Alright, but I'll need to get a new dress." She relents, rolling her eyes at their silly cheers.

"Me too!" The other two women add in, them quickly making plans to go shopping after work the next day. Luckily, they had a few days before the party and didn't need to confirm their attendance ahead of time. With all of that securely settled, they each dive into their respective work with slight giddiness for the party.

*************************

Delfina just finished putting the last touches to her makeup as she receives the message that her ride was here through an app on her phone. She wouldn't have minded driving herself or taking a ride, but the company always made a point of having drivers take them to and from the parties. She takes a quick mirror selfie and sends it to her group chat with her friends, receiving immediate good replies from the three that caused her to blush and giggle. She looks at the emerald dress with golden swirls draped over her. While it is medieval inspired, it was light and stopped at her ankles, allowing for dancing as it hugs her figure in the right places. And of course, the sleeves made her eyes sparkle like crazy with excitement and appreciation.

She throws her necessities into her clutch and dashes to the waiting car, thanking the driver for holding her door as she slides inside. She releases a breath as she texts the others to let them know she was on her way. Sofia was already there while Jeremias and Ena still needed to get into their rides. She chuckles a bit to herself, knowing that Jeremias was likely looking for a missing item and Ena was simply taking her time as she got ready.

Sadly, her train of thought is disrupted by a blaring horn, causing her to whip her head to the side just in time to be blinded by lights before hearing the jarring sound of metal colliding and glass shattering. She feels a moment of weightlessness before a zap of pain and suddenly nothingness consumes her...