CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE – SOUL CRUSHING INTERVIEWS

As the woman was ushered out, Karina turned a disbelieving look toward her friend. "Well?" she asked flatly. "What is even happening right now? Are these the only applicants left in the entire city?" Lucinda simply shrugged, her expression neutral but tinged with the faintest hint of bemusement. "Don't forget, we're operating at the leading edge of the avant-garde here. Unconventional personas tend to coalesce around such rarefied atmosphere." Karina groaned and dropped her head on the desk with a dull thunk. "Why do I have this soul-eroding premonition that this is going to be a very long and trying staffing process...?" The interviews continued in a seemingly endless parade of bewildering candidates that threatened to test the limits of Karina's sanity. Next up was a sharply-dressed man who strode in with an overbearing air of arrogant self-assurance. He didn't bother waiting to be offered a seat before throwing himself down and propping his feet up on Karina's desk. "Alright