Chapter 61: Creative Designations
"By the way, Alex. What's inside that clunky folder?" Milla was bored on the road and could only turn her curiosities to the boy sitting in the backseat beside her.
Alexander simply divulged. "It is some of my paneling works and some established story outlines."
"Story outlines? Does it have something to do with where we are going?" Milla assumed from what she knows.
Galina, behind the wheel, was also curious at this revelation. It was her responsibility to know more about the boy as well.
"Is the place where going have a book publishing?" She asked as Mr. Creed hasn't really hinted at her about the boy's said daily activity. "Also, are you old enough to make a story, Alex?"
"You could say so and you could also say it is." As he had guessed, the old man hadn't really clued them about the absurdities that they are about to reach.
Alexander could only hope for the best so that the two won't find him too weird of a kid.
No matter how curious the two were on the way, they could only wait as the roads just got complicated and Miss Galina needed Alexander's guide to maneuver across the streets.
His repeated back and forth from home and his workplace lead him to familiarize with some of the random landmarks.
Knowing the quirks of the road paid off as it saved Miss Galina the time from asking around.
It would seem that old Sullivan only gave her the general address and dumped the rest of the responsibility once again to his grandson.
Basically, Alexander had to be the map and the brace that would let these new life entrants to his quirks that could disconcert just about everybody's perception about a kid.
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The car eventually reached its destination and after Miss Galina found a spot and parked, as such the trio inside got out.
Milla saw a makeshift sign on a certain building and blurted out. "Creed Comics? Is that where we are going, Alex?"
"Yes. Creed Comics is where I am going to be for most of the summer." Alexander answered as he turned to his hired guardian.
"It would take a while to go back and forth from here to the house but are you okay with this driving duty miss Galina?"
"It's not a problem at all." Galina assured but her attention was more on the building they parked by. She didn't know that the Creeds operated such a business at all.
When she remembered the kids' previous conversation about paneling and story outlines, she looked at the boy with a hazy premonition about what was about to come.
"Let's head in, shall we?" Alexander lead the way as he had no other way to deal with the ladies' baffled looks.
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The trio then headed to the door with Alexander spearheading their march and entrance.
"Good morning, little boss!" The dutiful security personnel was dutiful as always. As he gave his usual greeting, he also noticed the new faces trailing behind. "Who are the people behind you, little boss?"
"They're with me, Mr. Security." Alexander just left it at that and Mr. Security guy should make adjustments with his rigid but formal way of doing things.
The mother and daughter duo could only look on as they moved forward and headed inside.
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Inside and greeting the first floor, Alexander got to work as there are a lot of things that need to be monitored.
"Ms. Marker, how has the issues fared when you correlated last week's market data?"
"There is a notable downturn in the sales, little boss." A lady from market research replied. "But everything is within a healthy range and should pick up when the next issue of ThunderCats be distributed this week."
"Always falling back on Thundercats isn't something sustainable in the long term." Alexander wasn't someone who could overlook such a critical detail and had to prepare contingencies for it. "Do investigate matters involving the downward trend and see if we can find something to glean from it."
"You got it, little boss!" Miss Marker aka Market Researcher took the job seriously. "Leave to the team and me."
Alexander gave his thanks and went on with the next appointment. "Ms. Advertiser, how are our noticeability prospects?"
"The stores have implemented the changes we've requested, little boss. They are strangely much more looking forward to the mystery merchandise than the costumers." A man could only quiz himself at the reaction of the store owners.
"There is nothing strange about that. More stuff to sell means more traffic to their stores and more earnings from their retail commissions." Ms. Marker was much more analytic and on-point than the ad extravagant that Alexander could also agree.
"Speaking of which, how are our distributions faring with the many openings that are popping out of nowhere?"
"The new owners are clamoring for more copies that it was fortunate that we increased our issue quota to 250,000, little boss." Mr. Distributor finally got his chance to shine. "It was a good call to expand or we would have been stretched thin."
"How about the overseas sector? Hasn't it been noted that there is a comic book insurgence in many countries?"
Ms. Production took the reigns this time around. "Some of those countries have been assigned with outsourcing printers, little boss? Our early issues that have been sold out would have fresh prints to go around in those regions."
"Ensure their qualities and has my requirements for each of them been carried out?" Alexander was quite critical of those requests.
"Yes, little boss." Ms. Production guaranteed. "The art department upstairs has prepared variation arts and we used those for the extra pages of those countries' corresponding copies."
Alexander gave his commendations while also noting a quiet department representative. "Has all the tax payments been reserved?"
Mr. Accountant gave his okay. Anyways, his job was more on the secretive side and further details could be reported later at the little boss's convenience.
Without much trouble, the first-floor team was efficient in their daily correspondence as always.
Alexander had not much to complain but he did notice something eyecatching in the undivided area which he noted. "Has those things been piling like mountains already?"
The rest of the employee group could only chuckle with helplessness as they also looked at the pile.
"Letters have been coming in droves since we've advertised our address, little boss." Ms. Marker implicitly blamed Mr. Advertiser for it.
Alexander could only sigh at niche nerd's enthusiasm towards their work. It was fortunate that he had made some contingency plans.
"Do remind me to hire some people that could be Mr. and Ms. Mail Sorters?"
Since the little boss order, the employees complied and took note of potential additions to their Gender plus Job Description group.
It sure was an interesting idea to use such creative designations as an employee naming system.
Whether it was because of the little boss's genius or his tardiness to remember their names, it didn't matter. It was just a fun rule that caught on in Creed Comics.
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As for the dumbfounded newcomers, the group was already formulating designations but for now, they were Ms. Mystery and little boss friend???.
Whatever the case, Galina had her perceptions renewed and little Milica can't catch on with what was happening.