As you walk into the town hall and approach the front desk, Loonabelle puts down her phone and looks at you, rolling her eyes. —"What do you want today, Mayor?"

—"Oh joy," she deadpans, not even bothering to look up from her clipboard. "Another useless idiot the mayor decided to hire. Well, come on back to his office and introduce yourself, I guess." She glances at you briefly before going back to scribbling something onto a sticky note with an impatient sigh.

"Hmph," she grunts, still not looking up at you. "My name's Loonabelle." She taps the tip of her pen impatiently on the desk before asking, "And what do they call you, New Guy?"

As you head toward the back, Loonabelle merely mutters "Whatever" under her breath and continues typing away at her computer. She makes no move to help you find your seat or familiarize yourself with anything; instead, she goes out of her way to ignore your presence entirely until the mayor calls for you.

"Useless idiot," she mutters under her breath as you leave. "Just like the rest of them." She lets out a huff and goes back to what she was doing, hoping you'll just leave her alone for now so she can get through another long day without having to interact with anyone except the mayor himself.

Her eyes narrow slightly at the gesture before she forces herself not to react further and continues inputting data into the computer, doing her best to focus on her work in order to ignore you entirely. She's about ready to give you a piece of her mind when the mayor calls for your presence once again. Sighing heavily, Loonabelle rolls her chair back from her desk and stands up before grudgingly making her way over to his office door. "You called for me, Your Excellency?"

"Ah yes, Loonabelle," the mayor says with a pleasant smile. "I'd like you to handle some paperwork for me today." He hands her a stack of documents and nods towards your desk. "The new recruit there is going to be assisting you until further notice. Please make sure he understands everything clearly, and if he has any questions... well, just don't forget who his boss is." There's an unmistakable undertone of threat in the mayor's voice as he speaks these words.

Loonabelle looks at you for a moment before shrugging indifferently and muttering, "Sure, whatever," as she turns to walk back towards your desk. She drops the stack of documents onto your desktop without another word before taking her seat again and resuming her work.

"Just go through them and make sure they're all in order," she says curtly as she glances up at you from under her lashes, "Then follow my lead on what to do next." Her tone suggests that it would be in your best interest not to bother asking too many questions or attempting to do things any differently than how she would.

"Just do it," she mutters under her breath, already halfway through another file on her desk. "It's not like you can screw anything up any worse than the last idiot they dragged in here."

With a huff and an exasperated sigh, Loonabelle decides not to waste any more of her time on this useless new recruit. She continues working at breakneck speed, not even bothering to glance up at you as she does so. "Just do it," she mumbles under her breath again, sounding somewhat irritated by the whole situation.

Time passes slowly as you methodically go through the stack of documents, making sure each one is in order and ready for further processing. Loonabelle remains deeply engrossed in her own work, barely paying any attention to what you're doing unless it directly affects her own duties. It seems she'd rather not waste any energy on someone like you anyway.

Hours drag on, and eventually the mayor calls for both of you once again. As you stand up from your desk and follow him into his office, Loonabelle glances over at you with an expression that suggests she's about to make some snarky comment but decides against it in favor of maintaining her outwardly apathetic demeanor. The whole situation is starting to wear on her nerves, but there's still no point in getting worked up over something so trivial... or at least, that's what she tells herself as she forces

...that useless idiot's fault," she mutters under her breath as you both walk into the office together, doing her best not to look in your direction for fear of giving away any hint of her annoyance or frustration with the situation.

"You're doing an adequate job, I suppose," she grumbles to you as the two of you sit down in front of the mayor. "Just remember who your real boss is." She glances briefly at the mayor before looking back at you with a sneer, daring you to try and defy her authority now that things are starting to go well for once.

"Don't worry, I know my place," you reply with a sarcastic grin, "And I'll make sure to do everything exactly how Loonabelle here says it should be done." Your tone implies that you're not going to let her attitude get the best of you, and are more than willing to play along in order to get ahead.

Her eyes widen in disbelief as you speak these words, and she glances quickly over at the mayor to gauge his reaction. For a moment, there's an unspoken challenge hanging in the air between them; then, with a sigh, she reluctantly admits defeat. "Fine," she mutters under her breath. "Just don't mess it up."

Despite herself, Loonabelle can't help but feel a tiny pang of satisfaction at having the upper hand for once. She resolves not to let you have the last laugh and will continue doing everything in her power to maintain control over the situation...at least until someone proves themselves more worthy of handling things.

Well, if you're so eager to impress the mayor, then go right ahead. Just don't expect me to hold your hand through every little detail; I have my own work to do here.

"Don't flatter yourself," she says, rolling her eyes. "I'm not here to babysit you. Just do your job and maybe the mayor will actually start taking you seriously for once." With another huff, Loonabelle turns back to her own work, determined to ignore you as much as possible while still making sure that everything runs smoothly in the background.

But deep down inside, she can't help but feel a hint of jealousy towards your newfound favor with the mayor; after all, it's not like she hasn't been doing her job just as well, if not better...and yet here you are, getting all the credit and attention. She tells herself it doesn't matter, that she has other things to focus on besides petty rivalries with incompetent coworkers...but still. There's a part of her that can't help but wish you'd trip

Well, it's not like I really care anyway. You can have all the praise you want; just don't get too cocky about it. One of these days, the mayor is going to realize he made a mistake promoting such an incompetent little twit...and when that day comes, I'll be there to rub it in your face and remind you who should have been chosen all along.

The day that happens can't come soon enough as far as she's concerned; until then, though, there's no point in worrying about it. She has work to do and a town to keep running smoothly...and if anyone needs reminding of who's really in charge here, well, all she has to do is look at herself in the mirror each morning. And with that thought firmly in mind, Loonabelle turns her attention back towards her desk with renewed vigor, determined not to let anything or anyone stand in her way.

You might have the mayor's ear now, but don't think that gives you license to get cocky. Just remember who was here before you and what I had to put up with. You're not as good as everyone says you are yet; keep proving yourself or you'll end up just like them.

And yes, that means me too. I may have to play nice for now, but don't forget who the real MVP is around here. But enough of my rambling; back to work with both of us!

It's hardly news that you think so little of me, but I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself if you know what's good for you. I could make things very difficult for someone in your position...and trust me when I say no one wants to find out what that would entail. Just do your job and stay in my good graces; it'll be better for both of us that way.

Loonabelle shrugs nonchalantly and turns back to her work, still somewhat annoyed by your presence but trying her best not to let it show. She's not one for making friends or playing nice; she just wants to get through the day without any more unnecessary complications. Working with a cocky newcomer isn't ideal, but she can manage it...for now.

Well then, I suppose that's the best we can hope for. If you really want to impress me, though...let's just say there are other ways than simply showing off your skills at the mayor's bidding. But for now, focus on what's important; your job and making sure everything runs smoothly around here. And Loonabelle? Don't think you can take any credit for it when I do my part. Just remember who really keeps this place together...

Oh and one more thing, O'ReallyImpressiveGuy; keep your opinions to yourself about how I do things around here. You may be the mayor's golden child now, but just remember who taught you everything you know, hmm? I could make life very difficult for someone like you...and trust me when I say nobody wants that kind of trouble. So let's just pretend this little competition never happened and focus on getting the job done, shall we?

That's rich coming from someone who can't even get through a single sentence without rambling, but fine. Just do your job and leave me alone to do mine; I promise not to interfere unless absolutely necessary...and trust me when I say that it won't be often. Now hush up before the mayor hears you complaining and decides to take away both our desks as punishment.

Hmmph, if you insist on being so difficult about it... Well, fine then. Just know that I'm keeping an eye on you and don't think for a second that I won't make your life hell if you cross the line. But for now, let's just focus on getting through today without any more unnecessary drama, shall we?

Fine then. Just remember who's really in charge around here, and don't think you can get away with anything just because the mayor likes you. I may play nice for now, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten how to be a pain when I need to. Now, let's focus on our work so we can avoid any unnecessary conflict today.

Just remember who was here before you and what I had to put up with. You may be the flavor of the month now, but don't think that gives you license to forget your place. We both know the real boss around here is Loonabelle...and no amount of sucking up to the mayor will change that. Now let's call it a day and go home to our respective miseries.

Well then, I suppose there's no sense in arguing about it. Just remember that if you ever do cross the line, I won't hesitate to knock you right back down where you belong. Now let's just get out of here and never speak of this again...at least until we find ourselves stuck working together tomorrow.

As they both leave the town hall and begin their separate journeys home, it's clear that neither of them are fully satisfied with the day's events. Loonabelle can't help but feel a mix of resentment and jealousy towards Oleg for getting all the praise and attention from the mayor, while also being frustrated by her own inability to assert dominance over him. Despite her outward snark and dismissiveness, there's an underlying desire to prove herself as the more competent one. For now, she channels these feelings into stewing over what she sees as Oleg's shortcomings, both real and imagined. As for Oleg, he too can't shake the feeling that Loonabelle holds a grudge against him, despite her outward cooperation. The tension between them seems to grow with each passing moment, making it increasingly unlikely that their working relationship will improve any

chuckles darkly to herself as she thinks about how much fun it's going to be watching Oleg stumble and fall back down into obscurity, where he belongs...for now anyway. She can hardly wait for her next chance to prove herself superior again...

As she unlocks the door to her apartment, Loonabelle lets out a heavy sigh. It's been another long day of dealing with incompetence and idiocy, and now all she wants is some peace and quiet. But as she closes the door behind her, she can't help but feel a sense of satisfaction that at least someone out there has noticed her talents - no matter how much they might resent her for it.

Stepping inside, Loonabelle kicks off her shoes and heads straight for the kitchen, where she begins to mix herself a stiff drink. She knows tomorrow will bring more of the same: working with Oleg, keeping an eye on his every mistake...and maybe, just maybe, finding ways to subtly sabotage him while no one's looking. For now, though, all that matters is unwind and forget about it for a little while. She ra