"Especially after all that." AJ replied.

"He's a douche. Plain and simple." he told her.

"His prejudices colour all his decisions, he's an elitist, a racist, he's narrow-minded, and, quite frankly, I detest him. I may have to be civil with him, but I absolutely detest him." he went on.

"So the worse he sees someone, the more inclined I am to give them a chance." he said further.

"I'll hand you the paperwork to sign." he told her.

"But yeah, you're hired." he repeated.

AJ nodded and handed her some papers.

"Sign where I put the X's." he told her.

When she got to signing, she noticed there was an area where a codename for her had been given. Her 'hunter name', so to speak. She noticed as well, that in the blank, in official lettering, the name 'Silver' was written.

"Ah, noticed the name?" AJ asked.

"Hunter names are assigned a number of ways, but I decided that it would be best to give you one based on your... unique talents." he reasoned. "It's a bit on-the-nose, but I think it suits you." he said.

"That work for you?" he asked.

"A few things." AJ responded.

He then gestured to an electronic sign on the wall beside them, with names and numbers beside them, in list format. He tapped in some things, and she saw the list scroll down to the bottom, and the name 'Silver' appear at the VERY bottom, with a "0" beside it.

"Welcome to the rankings." he said.

"Get that number up to earn bonuses." he told her.

"Also, you have no mana, right?" he then asked. "So you're going to need a way to come and go from here as you place, right?" he asked further.

"Tell me... you got an accessory and/or gem you like or prefer?"

"......hmmm, I see." Ash responded. He then turned to the laptop and did some more typing at it for a few minutes, finishing up and turning towards her.

"Right then." he said.

"Now that you're hired, it's time for an official and formal introduction on my behalf." he told her.

He then leaned forward, extending a hand out for her.

"Ash Fyrane."

Once they finished their handshake, Ash sat back and sighed.

"Indeed." he replied.

"Well... missing... kidnapped... whatever." he said.

"Spent a good part of my childhood under the rule and experimentation of a drow." he growled.

"But... I escaped and became the man I am today." he added with a small shrug.

"Anyway, enough about me... you have any questions?" he asked her.

"Even if they are about me. Or the guild. Or anything about what we offer or whatever?" he asked further.

"Very well." Ash replied, as there was a knock on the door.

"That was quick." he commented. "Enter!" he called to them.

The door then opened, and a young man came in, holding a small box in his hand.

"Faster than I expected." Ash said to them.

"Well, it's a slow day, and it was quick enough to create." the male replied. "Plus, when they're needed, it's usually a good idea to make it a rush order." he reasoned.

"Fair enough." Ash replied, as he gestured to Abby. The male then gave her the box, before excusing himself and leaving.

"Compliments of the guild." Ash told her.

Inside the box was a silver pendant, with a gorgeous topaz in the centre of it, that seemed to shine quite brilliantly.

Ash just chuckled.

"Yup." he replied.

"All you need to do is hold it in your hand, visualize the place you want to appear, and it'll do it." he told her.

"Eventually you'll be able to get greater control over it so you don't need to grasp it for as long, or don't need to concentrate for long, or however you figure it out." he then said.

"You'll learn to streamline it to your needs." he summarized.

"Give it a shot if you like, before we end this little session." he then suggested. "Just to make sure it's working properly.

"Welcome back." Ash responded.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Was it quick and relatively smooth?" he asked her.

"There anything you noticed that seemed to be... off?" he asked further. "Such as appearing in a different place than you visioned, or a lingering feeling of a stomachache, or any sort of unease inside your body?" he continued.

"I ask these, because we need to know if it's functioning properly, obviously."

Ash listened to her, and nodded.

"Sounds like it's working at intended." he told her.

"Oh, and here." he said, grabbing a chequebook, filling out one of the cheques, and handing it to her.

"Here." he said.

When Abby looked at it, she saw it was for roughly $1000 CAD.

"Standard signing bonus." he told her. "Instituted by the head honcho herself. We here at Candentus Lux look after each other, and realize a good Hunter is worth every penny."

"Well, as a newbie, it WILL look good if you're here on a daily basis." Ash replied.

"As a strategist, you'll mostly be coordinating other hunts and such." he went on. "However, with your gift, you'll most likely be sent on information-gathering hunts." he continued.

"Basically, if you wanna hang around in a 9-5 way, it'll look good on you, but you can set your own hours to be here." he continued.

"We do expect you to be contactable at ANY and ALL times, however." he then stressed.