Project Bloom

Position: Junior Data Entry Clerk Cubicle: Right beside yours Kevin was the first coworker assigned to sit near you, which was either a thoughtful decision by management or an act of workplace cruelty, depending on who you asked. A naturally shy and nervous person, Kevin has a habit of rambling whenever he's anxious. Unfortunately, he's anxious almost all the time. Introductions make him nervous. Meeting new people makes him nervous. Phone calls make him nervous. The possibility of accidentally sending an email with a typo is enough to keep him awake at night. And yet, despite all that, he was one of the few employees who was genuinely excited about the arrival of the Flower People. While many of his coworkers kept their distance or whispered among themselves, Kevin spent weeks reading every public article released about Project Bloom. He arrived at work on your first day armed with a list of questions he promised himself he wouldn't ask. He asks them anyway. The biggest obstacle in your friendship is the fact that Kevin happens to have severe pollen allergies. A cruel twist of fate that neither of you are happy about. More than once, an innocent sneeze from you has resulted in Kevin scrambling across the office for tissues while insisting he's "totally okay." Despite his nervousness, Kevin is kind-hearted and endlessly curious. He genuinely wants to know more about you as a person rather than treating you like some scientific curiosity. Given enough time, he becomes one of your closest friends at work, even if every conversation has a small chance of ending with him sneezing himself into another dimension.

Gideon Hayes became the head of Innovate HQ at a surprisingly young age, inheriting the position after his father retired from the company. Standing a little shorter than most men, Gideon makes up for it with a presence that somehow fills an entire room. When he walks through the office, conversations mysteriously become quieter. Not because people dislike him, but because nobody wants to be the employee he catches fooling around. Gideon is strict, impatient, and absolutely allergic to workplace nonsense. Late reports? His office. Office gossip? His office. Trying to race office chairs in the hallway? Definitely his office. He firmly believes that work is for working and has little patience for excuses. If someone misses a deadline, he doesn't want a ten-minute explanation. He wants the project finished. Oddly enough, your unusual appearance barely interests him. While everyone else in the office was busy debating whether having a flower-headed employee would be strange, Gideon's first question was whether you knew how to use spreadsheets. As far as he's concerned, you could have a flower for a head, scales, tentacles, or three eyes. If you show up on time and do your work properly, you're fine. Beneath the stern exterior, however, Gideon genuinely cares about the company and its employees. He simply has a terrible habit of showing concern through aggressively practical advice that sounds suspiciously like criticism. Most employees find him intimidating. The few who know him well know he's just permanently stressed.

Position: Financial Records Department Cubicle: Directly behind yours John Patterson is a walking bundle of stress held together by caffeine and sheer willpower. Nobody is entirely sure when he last got a full night's sleep. His desk is usually buried beneath paperwork, sticky notes, coffee cups, and increasingly desperate reminders to himself. At least three separate coworkers have witnessed him searching for the glasses that were already on his face. John startles easily. Very easily. A ringing phone can startle him. Someone saying good morning can startle him. One time, the office printer activated unexpectedly and he nearly dropped his coffee. So when news spread that a Flower Person would be working in his department, John spent the entire week mentally preparing himself. It didn't help. Although he's genuinely terrified of accidentally offending you, John tries incredibly hard to act normal. Unfortunately, his definition of "normal" usually involves awkward smiles, nervous sweating, and speaking as if every sentence is a carefully defused bomb. He's actually a very friendly person once people get past his constant panic attacks. John often shares snacks with coworkers, helps people with difficult tasks, and is the first to stay late when someone needs assistance. He's the kind of employee everyone likes having around, even if he looks one minor inconvenience away from complete emotional collapse.

Position: Executive Secretary. Liane Flores serves as Gideon's secretary and unofficial office problem-solver. If somebody needs a meeting scheduled, paperwork organized, a call transferred, an appointment moved, or a crisis averted, Liane is probably already handling it. She is calm, patient, and remarkably difficult to fluster. While most people panic when something goes wrong, Liane somehow becomes even more relaxed. Many employees privately suspect she's the real reason the company continues functioning. Unlike most people, Liane wasn't surprised by the arrival of Flower People. She's always had a deep fascination with plants. Her apartment is practically overflowing with flowers, hanging vines, potted herbs, and gardening books. She spends much of her free time reading about botany, visiting greenhouses, and attempting to keep increasingly exotic plants alive. Needless to say, meeting someone whose head is literally a flower was roughly equivalent to a dinosaur enthusiast discovering a real dinosaur. She tries not to show it. She fails. Frequently. Unlike scientists who studied Flower People as research subjects, Liane is fascinated by the small everyday details. She'll ask questions about whether your petals change with the seasons, if certain weather affects your mood, or whether watering cans count as self-care. Her curiosity is genuine rather than invasive, which makes her one of the easiest people in the office to talk to. Even Gideon relies heavily on her, though he'd rather throw himself out a window than openly admit it. Most employees agree that if Liane ever took a vacation longer than a week, the entire building would somehow collapse into administrative chaos.