Thunder Corp Recruitment Drive

[raisednpcs]

Who: Everyone who agreed to be approached by Thunder Corp
When: September 21st
What: Thunder Corp is out to recruit
Where: Various Locations

On the date of September 21st, the visitations begin.

For some, they arrive in the form of men in well-pressed business suits. All of them are fit and attractive, almost artificially so, carrying suitcases that contain contracts they wish for those they approach to sign. Their friendliness is also absolute, though they are somehow aggressive at the same time. They've bought themselves into absolutely every location possible, either having traveled great distances with ease or simply found people where they would logically be. In any case, they approach their "targets" out of the blue, greeting them with an outstretched hand and an aggressively polite demeanor.

Still others receive a message in the form of electronic mail. The approach is different simply as a matter of personal resource. How exactly did they find out your e-mail address? Why, it's for the same reason they're able to approach people wherever they happen to be right now: They're Thunder Corp, and they are very resourceful! That's how!

A much more pressing question would be... how did they know you are a Numbered?

[OOC: There's two threads you can reply off of depending on how you decided to be contacted, ones for being approached in person, and ones for being contacted by personal e-mail.]

Comments

[meteormercenary]

Jacob stops in his steps when he sees the man. The glance at the phone, the man that moves toward him, the mention of his name. His eye narrows with the quirk of a brow. While the man may not necessarily be threatening, it still catches Jacob's attention enough to be on some sort of guard, though he doesn't seem tense.

"Do I know you?" he asks as the man approaches.

He listens carefully as the man asks for his attention. 'A business opportunity? I don't think you can do much unless you want to promote my flower company,' he thinks. But his actual voice says something different: a clue of curiosity.

"Alright, I'm listening."

[raisednpcs]

The suit checks briefly, realizing his mark is onto him, but he grins all the same. Must look too threatening, he supposes. "You don't, no. You may not know my employer, either, but they'd like to know you, which is why I'm here. I work for Thunder Corp., a large, diverse company out of Locke City, New Jersey, on America's east coast. We're doing talent scouting, of sorts, and we think you have something we're looking for. Something rare enough that I've been sent here to see you."

Looking around for a moment, confirming the immediate street around them is empty, he leans in conspiratorially, keeping some distance still but looking for all the world like he wants to share a secret. Which, in a way, he does.

"We think you're Numbered. And that makes you very rare, indeed."

Taking a quarter-step back, he's back in the mode of talking about a grand opportunity. "You could be big! Famous! Rich! Financially secure, to do whatever you desire! Imagine, if you could have a shop three- no, five times the size you own now! With more customers, rarer blooms, even staff!" Tone it down, guy, you're going to scare him off.

[meteormercenary]

Jacob tries to recall what he's heard about Thunder Corp. until the man says Locke City. There's been a record of suspicion with these people. Suddenly, both of Jacob's eyebrows go up. Still, he doesn't know much about these people. He decides to hear him out, but will take anything the man has to say with a grain of salt.

"Rare?" Jacob didn't really think the Numbered were all that rare. But then, he lives in Shepherd's Haven where more of them reside. And if he could be Numbered, who knows who else is? Jacob gives a quizzical look, because nevermind that. How does this guy know I'm Numbered? It seems to only encourage his suspicions.

Jacob has to fight back a scowl at all the words of renown. I hardly make an effort to stand out as it is, what makes you think I want to be famous? Although the second part seems to calm his expression. Being financially secure might be nice. He doesn't think he wants a shop that big, but having more varieties in his flowers definitely humoured his thoughts well. Staff might be an option, but it would take a little coaxing.

Wait, what was he doing, letting himself get swept away in the fantasy? Jacob huffs through his nose and folds his arms. "And what would I have to do, exactly?" Even if he did humour the thought, that's too big a deal to not have a catch.

[raisednpcs]

"Yes, rare!" Still mildly excitable. He's not sorry. "By our estimates, there are at most several hundred Numbered around the world, maybe very slightly more. That's a fraction of a percent of the human population - rarer than even many of the rarest diseases and recessive genes." Okay, maybe he's done some research.

"That's why we need you and others like you," he goes on quickly. "The Numbered are a small, often tight-knit community. But there are a great many people around the world who look to the Numbered as a source of information. And among the Numbered themselves, there are a number of voices. Some of them don't trust us for things our prior superiors did years ago, which is... admittedly understandable. But we've changed! And we want to be able to show people that, so we'd like a voice that can help support our actions in a positive light." That brings him to business for true, and he reaches into his briefcase for a series of slides on printed paper.

"The biggest thing, and the one we're asking before anything else - there are other opportunities I can speak to after this, but this one is more important - is that we'd be counting on you to help represent Thunder Corp. to the rest of the Numbered in a good way. I'm not saying we want yes-men, but when something comes up with a good spin to it, we want to make sure that good spin makes it to your fellows." Illustration: a speech bubble coming from a Thunder Corp. logo, and an arrow to a clip-art silhouette with a string of numbers superimposed saying a variety of positive things. At once, Jacob can probably be sure this poor guy made these himself. "For even this much, there's a compensation package we're prepared to discuss, as well as access to some other opportunities down the line. But to start with, this is what I'm here for." Another slide: the silhouette from earlier with a bag of cash. There's also a generic bulleted list full of literal lorem-ipsum with a much larger bag of cash under it, and a line separating the two.

He pauses. "It's a lot to take in, I know. Business is complex, these days. Am I making sense here?"

[meteormercenary]

Jesus Christ, the guy can talk! Jacob takes a step back as he tries to let the man talk, but, the more it goes on, the more off-put Jacob looks. He's almost sorry he asked. But, he listens to the end, trying as it may be.

"Yes, you're right, they are a tight-knit group. So much so, that I'm not even a part of them. I'm not friends with any of the Numbered." Okay, so that last part is a bit of a lie. He likes to think he's at least friends with Tony. But, he chooses not to make himself known to the Numbered, and he's certainly not into being someone's source for advertisement. And, again, it begs the question of how they know he's a Numbered.

He takes a look at the man's slides. He thinks to himself that a child could do better with a stick and some water. With or without the slides' help, Jacob is rapidly losing interest. And, the guy is making sense, he supposes. But, this seems like something you see in a pyramid scheme. Maybe he should just go home before he offers the guy another opportunity to spew more word-vomit.

"Look, it's good and all that you're willing to show us you've changed, but I'm afraid I'm not suitable for what you have in mind. I'm not exactly eager to let the Numbered know I'm one of them. And how you found out yourselves is something I'm even less thrilled about. Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I'm interested."

[raisednpcs]

He sure does look off-put... hmm. The suit has a sudden and growing feeling that he's not going to catch this one.

"I'm not asking you to be friends with them - but if one of them brings up a matter we're involved in, I'm just looking for someone that can help swing things in our direction. There's a lot of blind hate, you see, and that doesn't help anyone. We want to be able to get our foot in the door, and that's why we're looking for people." It seems a simple enough explanation - enough that there is mercifully no slide to deal with.

"If you're not interested, of course, we understand. Not everyone would want to cooperate with us so suddenly. But if you change your mind, give us a call." He draws a business card from his pocket, professional and well-designed, and holds it out. "Between you and I, I understand that being suddenly thrust into a situation like this is hard. Crazy, even. I understand that this sounds like a terrible idea and you're wondering what the catch is. There isn't one, but that's hard to trust, right?" He's being... surprisingly honest, and sincere. "Take some time to think about it. We won't wait forever, but we'll give you a short while to consider our offer. If you should change your mind, call us."

[meteormercenary]

Jacob feels baited, but asks anyway. "And just how am I supposed to 'swing it' your direction? I'm not the sort to just be agreeable, and if people have more proof of wrong than right, I have nothing to work with."

He takes the business card and stares at it. It definitely looks better than the flyers; he reads it over a couple times before pocketing it.

"Fine, I'll think about it. Is there any way I can get more information? I like to know exactly what I'm getting myself into, should I decide to do it."

Jacob's demeanor is completely uncertain, and he's not sure whether to believe the guy or take it as a blatant lie. With all the missing spots, it's hard to choose one.

[raisednpcs]

"I'm just asking you to keep an eye on what's going on, and be positive about the good things," he insists. "I'm not asking you to play up an explosion or something mysterious. But if we release a beneficial new product, or we start a public works campaign, we want people that'll be willing to happy about those things, instead of wondering what we're up to." Quite enough of that happens already on the news; having it happen on the network is asking for trouble down the line. "From there, we might have other work for you, from time to time - if you want it. If not, we'll let you continue to sell flowers as you are."

Taking another card out, he gestures to the front. "My office, the Numbered Relations Department, has contact information on here - you can direct questions there. If you want to get back to me, let them know who you are and that you want to talk to your recruiter. They'll transfer you." On closer inspection... this suit's name isn't even on the card. Is he new or something? "If you decide to work with us, there's a little bit of paperwork - you can't agree to help and then blast us on social media, that kind of thing. You don't get paid for that," he adds lightly.