Now, since black and white was Shades Of Penumbra's color scheme, one could be forgiven for thinking that when James referred to someone in black and white, he was merely talking about clothing, such as Larry's and Barry's suits. This, however, wasn't the case for the last candidate of the day. No, the young man instead seemed to have stepped right out of an old film, with his body and even clothes being entirely composed of various shades of grey. The fact that his choice of attire was a black sleeveless dress over a white blouse with puffy sleeves and striped pants only further played into the old-timey look. Even the short greased-back hair and small round spectacles added to the look.

Frankly, James would think this was legitimately a character from an old noir movie who stepped out of the silver screen - it wouldn't be this far-fetched in Zalcien, as his experiences had shown - if it weren't for the fact that he was well acquainted with the man, from their shared time online. For this was his friend, The Silence, or as he had written on his application, Jeremy Jones.

Though there was one final thing he noticed about Jeremy as he walked into his office. Not a visual something this time around, but rather a feeling, one that likely had to do with the way Jeremy appeared to be one of the few people not to be confused by the completely black furniture and paintings of Silhouette's equally pitch black room. He could feel a vague connection to him, not the same sort as the one James had with infused objects, but... Like a connection to a connection. If James were a tree and his links to infused items were his branches, Jeremy would then be a flower. Both were plants, and both were connected to the same source, but they were operating on vastly different scales. Which, if James' memory of The Silence having a shadow affinity was correct, would be exactly the case.

"Mr. Jones. I see you're one of the few who can truly enjoy my décor."

The young man chuckled, though it wasn't a genuine laugh but the polite response of an employee to their boss' quip. Which, fair enough, even if it stung a little.

"A friend of mine told me about it, but I wasn't sure my powers would let me see it. You have a very interesting taste in plants and art, Mr. Silhouette. I'd introduce myself, but I see you already know me."

"Ah, Ms. Thespian. I must say, her initial project is one of my favorites from our line-up of new creators. You can then understand why I took her recommendation seriously. Hers, and the one from one of my other favored employees."

Jeremy looked surprised at that. Which made sense, as Maggie and James had decided to hide the fact that JamesIsInTheDark was already Silhouette's employee to surprise their friend.

"I'm afraid I only know of one person working for you, sir."

"Ah, yes, it was meant to be a surprise. I'll hold my tongue and let your friends show you. In the meantime, let's talk about you. I have read your résumé, it's quite the impressive little thing."

"I like to value quality over quantity."

"I can see that, and I certainly appreciate it. As you've seen with our products, I subscribe to a similar philosophy. To be upfront, if we were only hiring from applications, you would already have the job. Sadly, personal concerns further justified by recent events prompt me to have a thorough check of any potential employee's character. We wouldn't want a bad apple to spoil the lot."

"I assumed as such, from your history with Runar. The Empress' implied threat would poke at old wounds. But I can assure you, I have no link to any group with ill intentions toward you, and neither do I hold any myself."

"Ah, yes, I forgot your little friend group had been looking into me before my proper public introduction. Few in the city can say the same. Ms. Thespian surprised me with that."

"Apologies, I meant no offense."

"No, no, I am the leader of a company based around self-defense, it would be hypocritical of me to deny or avoid the topic of when I engaged in such acts myself. If anything, I'm flattered I already had some fans before my big day. Though, while appreciated, I do not crave the public's attention. I care about selling good products, taking care of my company, and making sure my employees live the best lives they can. Really, I find myself wishing for a quiet life. Something I understand we have in common, no?"

"Yes, sir. I do not have Magic's... Ah, pardon me, I meant Maggie's drive to become the magical icon of the next generation, or any such great aspiration. I want a good, safe, quiet life. Something I think your company can provide."

"Even when under threat from a major Villain? The Empress isn't the first Cored menace we have had to deal with, and she won't be the only one in the future. While I appreciate your confidence, it would be foolish to truly think of this job as safe, despite my best attempts. There is an undeniable risk factor to Penumbra that other companies do not suffer from."

"Sir, with all due respect, while you are more targeted by the unscrupulous sort than others in the industry, you also have the best track record to deal with them. I would rather work for a man attacked a hundred times a day who never loses than a man attacked once a year who never wins."

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"I see. And what position do you see yourself filling in our little company?"

"I applied to join your administrative staff, as you know. I like handling paperwork. It's simple and, more importantly, quiet. If I could never see a customer, or even another employee, it would be best."

"Not even other employees? Ah. I think you'll find this won't be quite possible, and not merely because I find such a level of isolation a little unhealthy. There are simply tasks that must be handled by talking with your colleagues. Would you be able to fulfill them? Or would your aversion to social niceties get in the way of your ability to work?"

"I could deal with it, sir. It's a preference, not a phobia."

"I see. That is very good to know."

James paused then. There was a question he wanted to ask, though he knew in Zalcien it could be considered improper. That being said, he was in a position where he needed to know the skill set of all who worked under him, even if it meant putting his friend in an awkward position.

"Mr. Jones. I would like to know what your power is. I understand this isn't a typical question for this sort of interview. It is normally at the applicant's discretion to choose to talk about any special ability they might have, but as stated earlier, I have to be mindful of potential risks. And, at the risk of unsettling you, I can feel your own connection to darkness. Now, you do not have to answer this question. If you wish, we can just move past it. But any answer you might give would greatly impact my final verdict on whether or not you get this job."

Jeremy stayed silent for a moment before nodding.

"Under your circumstances, I understand your worry. And if your affinity to shadows is truly powerful enough that you feel my own, there is no need to try and deceive you. As you can see, my power can erase colors. I also have perfect dark vision, to the point I can see a completely black room as easily as a normal person would see out in the day. I can also deepen preexisting darkness, like the shade under a tree or an unlit basement, though not to the point these areas can't be lit up by light."

"This color nullification, is it permanent? Automatic? And does it only affect colors?"

"Unless countered, yes, it is permanent. That being said, it falls under the category of effects weak enough to be undone by one of the Union's basest cleaners, the kind that are publicly available for sale. And no, outside of the way I am constantly affected, I control when it happens. It can turn an area as large as a football field grey, though the more surface it has to cover, the slower the transformation is."

"This falls under the Transformation Aspect, then."

"It does. One of the weakest applications of it, hence why I am only lightly monitored by the Union. They know what I can do, so I still have to check in regularly to prove my powers haven't grown or aren't at risk of spreading wildly through the city, but I am on the Safe list. My other abilities fall under the Will Aspect."

"Even your dark vision?"

"Yes. It's not that my eyes have evolved or mutated, but the ambient dark energies coursing through me let them see more than they should."

"And you feel safe revealing this to me."

"I do. Outside of the fact that you would receive letters from the Union to have your point of view of me to act as a third party to report my behavior in future evaluations if you hired me, I have a feeling you have access to some rarer abilities yourself. You don't need to take advantage of me to use Transformation, at least that is my theory."

"You must be quite confident to rely only on conjectures to trust me with this sensitive information."

"That, and the fact you have been a good, lawful man, and that I preemptively warned my handlers at the Union I would be here, since my last evaluation was today."

James couldn't help it. He had to chuckle. Jeremy got him there. Still, James knew Silence had his issues with the Union, but this put things in a new light. Disregarding his annoyance at the Heroes for allowing the Patcher to do whatever he pleased, resulting in his sister's kidnapping, it appeared Jeremy had more personal reasons to be mad at their methods.

Yes, Silence advising him not to report his possible Chaotic Core when he first joined the chatroom made more sense now.

"I am flattered, Mr. Jones. You already knew from my comment on my résumé that I'd like to hire you, and you just passed my test on your character. Congratulations, you have the job."

Jeremy smiled in a slightly smug way, and there James saw more of the dramatic guy he had talked with online. Still, there was one more matter to discuss.

James hadn't been sure whether he should do what came next. And, since it involved Jeremy, someone from his personal life, he couldn't quite as easily ask his usual council of advisors for what they thought of his idea. Instead, he had to stew on it on his own. Ultimately, he felt he owed it to his friend to be a little more honest about what went on behind the curtain.

"Thank you, sir."

"There is one last thing I'd like to talk about, Mr. Jones. Something secret that shouldn't leave this room. As such, I had a magical contract prepared to ensure secrecy."

James placed one of the usual scrolls he got from Mesker on his desk before gesturing toward Nanyet, the celestial still standing in the back.

"Nanyet here will act as a representative of the Black Bank to ensure the terms are fair. Now, I would like to say you have no obligation to sign this contract. It merely means you will not be involved in the matter I would have liked to share."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes before picking up the scroll and quickly reading through it before whispering, and James had to assume Nanyet had a way to hear and respond since the young man kept his eyes on the towering creature's marble-like body.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jeremy signed the contract and, instead of handing it back to James, gave it to Nanyet, who promptly hid it in its robes, much to James' relief.

"Mr. Jones, I have been told your sister was taken by the Patcher in the past."

Jeremy's eyes darkened as his previously politely approachable tone became absolutely frigid.

"Yes."

"I have begun a program to reform and help former Patchees reinsert into society. I would like to invite you to tour their current location to see if you could perhaps recognize and reconnect with your sibling."

Any of the anger and resentment that had started to bubble up in the young man died at that, the heat in his stare instead was replaced with a mix of confusion, doubt, and most importantly, hope.

James just hoped he wasn't making a mistake.

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