Jeanette managed to work up a smile, genuinely happy that she would be working with THE Mr. Elliot, if only for a brief time. Of course, there was the possibility he would be a rude, nasty person, but it was at least something to add to her CV for later-

All of her potentially positive thoughts came to a screeching, crashing halt the second Richard strode in. She visibly flinched at his anger, her eyes immediately going to the floor and her hands tightening on her bag sitting on her lap.

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Oliver caught a fleeting glimpse of Miss Peter's reaction to Richard arrival. Confused on why she would act in such a way to her former boss's arrival, had Oliver concerned. Richard didn't seemed to notice and if he did he didn't care.

Instead Richard stalked toward to Dr. Barts' desk and ranted on about how he wasn't going to deal with Oliver's lack of obvious strength. He even went as far as to point out that Oliver would likely crumble under stress. There was a brief moment that Oliver wanted to reply back and brag about his physical stamina and ability to deal with stress, but instead he let Richard rant. Perhaps if he cried enough Dr. Barts would change everything back.

Richard kept going on about how he needed Miss Peters because only she understood his work ethic, but it seemed that Richard wasn't paying any attention to the actual woman, which meant Oliver was there to offer some help.

"Miss Peters, I'm sorry about this, but I can assure you that Blaize will not put in any any danger on purpose. He has taken very good care of me and I sure he will do the same for you. To be honest I don't like this change, but it can't be fixed right away so we will have to deal with it," Oliver tried to be comforting but realized he was talking to her like a child, it felt awkward.

"If you have any questions you can ask me, or Blaize himself he is pretty clear in his directions. Oh! don't let him drink with the headset on. He has ruined too that way by being careless," Oliver added. It felt as if he was also giving her instructions on how to tend for a pet while he was leaving on a vacation.

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Jeanette gave a little smile at Oliver's pointers, nodding as she took in what he was saying, but felt the need to clarify her situation as her boss continued to rant and rave.
"I thank you, b-but we're not going on expedition ... It's just to do an audit of the paperwork within the building. We will be given a set list and quadrant of papers to go through and note that everything is in order. Not that I wouldn't be delighted to go on expedition!" She suddenly raised a panic, her mint-green eyes alert and scared.

"I-I-I am always pleased to go exploring ... I mean, you don't need to worry, I will just be doing simple paperwork. I ... am used to being told precisely what to do. If Mr. Elliot works in the way it sounds, then you shall have no issues working with Mr. Dexter, he is very clear and concise and particular about how he likes to work"

It almost sounded like a threat.

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Oliver nodded, realizing that Jeanette had a point. He just hadn't realized he was spouting off random information. He blamed it on his own personal quirk of paying attention to every little detail. It just so happened Oliver paid a lot of attention to Blaize.

"Right, I just got ahead of myself. Blaize wanted to go on an expedition so I was just in that mode," He replied and as Jeanette went on to explain that Mr. Dexter was similar to Blaize, Oliver found it difficult to believe. No one was like Blaize and from the brief interaction with Mr. Dexter, Oliver already disliked the man.

"I just hope things go back to normal soon," Oliver said simply looking back at Richard who finally. finished ranting. He was able to get a good look at him.

Richard was handsome, he had dark brown hair and green eyes. Perhaps if his behavior wasn't similar to a ranting child, Oliver would have considered him attractive. All thought subsided as Richard turned and glared at Oliver.

"I expect you at my office tomorrow at 7am, no questions asked." Richard told him before exiting the room, the door slamming behind him, leaving Oliver there in the office still beside Jeanette.

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Once Richard had sulked out of the office in a brewing temper, Jeanette straightened her back and took on a far lighter aura.

"Mr. Dexter says to be there for 7am, I recommend arriving at 6:45 to be absolutely sure you are there on time. He likes his coffee with either full-fat milk or cream. Not synthetic cream, proper dairy cream, if you do not have either, do not attempt a substitute, he will notice and you will be sorry for trying. If you are using loose white sugar, he likes four spoons, but if you are using cubes, he likes three. If you are using cubes, DON'T stir it after you put them in!"

She paused, realising that this was a lot of information, but then again, Oliver had told her a lot as well.

"Um, for lunch it really does depend so I cannot give advice about that, but he doesn't like to eat with people often so be sure you have your own lunch as well. Don't use lined paper that has a red-ink border, he cannot stand that, it makes it hard to focus on the words. It's best to have clear handwriting and it's easy to tell the difference between a o and a 0, and between a 1 and either a capital I or lower l, and of course between those two"

"D-do you have any questions?"

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A look of frustration on Oliver's face was clear. He disliked Richard from the start and having a man demand he be somewhere without the courtesy to say please was beyond irritating. However, Oliver pushed that aside as Jeanette offered her own bout of wisdom when dealing with Richard.

"I'll do my best to remember that," Oliver replied realizing that he would need to write it down. He didn't have the energy to bother memorizing it, he doubted he'd be around the man for long.

As Jeanette went on with her instructions, Oliver realized he was going to have a hell of a time working with Richard. His own hand writing was sloppy at best, being left handed everything titled to the right. On top of that he tended to keep everything connected and cursive and only with official notes did he bother to take his time and make everything clear.

"I'll have to work on my handwriting," Oliver said somewhat lost in thought.

"Just one question, um..how long have you worked with Mr. Dexter? How do you put up with it?" Oliver asked.

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The question wasn't something out of the ordinary, but it still brought out conflicting expressions in the young woman as she considered how, exactly, she should answer.

"W-well, I've been w-working in a p-professional capacity for ab-bout 4 years" Her stuttering was getting almost unbearable now, she seemed to either suffer a stress-induced nervous tick, or it was her way of filling in spaces in her words as she thought of the next one, "I worked i-in the off-fice for a year before Mr. Dexter decided I n-needed to be a P-personal Assistant"

"How long h-have you been working with Mr. Elliot?"

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Oliver had a look of troubled concern. He too struggle with sometimes stuttering when he was nervous, sometimes even finding it hard to get the words out. He hadn't really seen someone else similar to him in that regard. He knew his own nervousness occurred when emotions were running high or stress was overwhelming, but he wasn't sure if that applied to Jeanette as well.

He personally hated it when someone commented on it and Oliver showed her that respect as well, choosing to ignore it.

"About the same but he was gone for a year. Sometimes it feels like forever, Blaize is a interesting man," Oliver paused having almost said amazing, but realized it might hint to a different kind of relationship. Feeling a bit awkward, Oliver looked down to his watch to check the time but didn't really, it was more of an excuse to change the subject.

"I uh, really should be going. I want to find Blaize before he heads home," Oliver said rising readjusting the things he carried before heading toward the exit.

"I'll see you around Miss Peters," Oliver told her with a small smile before leaving the office.

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She nodded her assent with a little smile. But just as Oliver reached, the door, she said his name.

"Mr. Marks!" Waiting until he turned around, before she addressed him again, "Please don't take anything Mr. Dexter says personally. W-when he is st-stressed, he says terrible th-hings. He is never violent or anything. It's b-best to just let it wash over y-ou"

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Oliver turned his head at the sound of his name, clear out the door but managed to pause to listen. He nodded in understanding but didn't bother to reply. Oliver knew he was guilty of also saying terrible things when stressed, but it seemed in the short time Oliver spent with Mr. Dexter, the more he wondered if the man had anything nice to say at all. He gave a half wave the bag he carried sliding down to the crook of his elbow before he left the room.

Oliver wasted little time in his search for Blaize, heading to the man's office to start his quest.

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Jeanette let out a little sigh as Oliver left the room, not replying to her comment or even questioning it. He would soon learn what Mr. Dexter was like; she just hoped that he was strong enough to cope with it. She, herself, technically wasn't, but this was the life she chose, for the reasons she had ...

Blaize was in his own office. But not alone. Three members of understaff were carting in various piles paperwork into it in neatly organised piles as to where they had come from, and Blaize was sitting in his own chair in utter bemusement. Gradually being boxed in within a paper fortress.

"Is this really needed"
"It's for the archival audit tomorrow, sir" One of the staffers said, an apologetic tone in his voice.
"Right" Blaize sounded bored to death already, and it wasn't even happening yet. He'd have that young woman instead of Oliver, and that already had him wanting to bribe the University to change partners and let him shove Dexter under a bus somewhere.

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Oliver arrived at Blaize office to see the man being boxed in, there was a soft smile on his lips. He wanted to laugh a bit held back as he watched the under-staff finish their task. Oliver continued to linger at the doorway, stepping to the side to allow the others to pass.

"May I come in?" Oliver asked softly attempting to hide his surprise for a moment longer.

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"You can come in if you promise to cut down a way to get me out. You'll need a large machete, supplies for three, maybe four days ... I'd also suggest a flint and a radio. HELP"

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Oliver smiled as he took a step into the Blaize's office but didn't bother to sit down. He too wanted to escape their new situation by running as far as a plane would take them, but there were some things they couldn't ignore.

"Trust me, I rather be lost in some frozen tundra then working with that prick,"

He dropped his book-bag and left over sandwich on the chair. His attention was drawn to all the paperwork and laughed slightly as he scanned a few pages before putting them back.

"I brought you a surprise, sometimes to say I'm sorry," Oliver told him pulling out the takeaway box and a plastic fork before presenting to Blaize the dark-chocolate pomegranate fruit tart.

"It's going to be a rough few days, but I've decided to take your advice. I won't resign or anything like that. You were right, it doesn't matter what we are or what we do. I like what we have and in the end that's all that matters," Oliver had said his piece and looked down. It hadn't been a profound confession but it was an emotional one. He was happy and while he didn't know how to explain it to Blaize without being concerned it would send him running, Oliver was glad he had said it.

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He was surprised at the proffering of sweets; he normally wasn't into sugary things, he liked his food dark and seductive. Like him, really.
However, a cake peace offering was a cake piece offering, and he had just cracked open the lid and rearranged the fork between his fingers as Oliver spoke again.

"See, that's the thing. It's not just me that can do what they want; YOU can do what you want. They need you, you don't need them. They wanted you, they hired you, they pay you to be here. Your time is money, and if they make noises about not being happy, then you just leave" He cut a portion of the tart with his fork, devouring it, "The Earth revolves around the sun, yeah, but that doesn't mean you aren't the centre of the Universe"

"It's just a few days. After that, we can go back to expeditions. And they would be utterly stupid to not pair us up; you can be trusted with what I find, and can be trusted to bring me back"

He ate another piece of the tart, looking at Oliver with a twinkle in his eyes and smirking.

"Most of the time"

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