Quest for the Ultimate Artifact

"Oh, you're the owner of Pineapple Tech?" Austin's eyebrows rose in surprise. The news was unexpected; he had been sitting with the very person who led the company he had hoped to join all along.

"Yes, I'm the CEO, but I prefer to keep things casual. There's no need for too much formality here."

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work for your company, sir," Austin said.

"I was really impressed with your qualifications," Marcus said, picking up Austin's resume and flipping through it. Austin's heart pounded; he struggled to maintain decent grades in college, fearing that Marcus might perceive him as unqualified.

"A top-notch software engineering degree? You have a brilliant mind, Austin."

Did he just called him a brilliant mind? 

"Thank you, sir. I'm glad you found my qualifications appealing, Austin replied with relief." I've been looking forward to this."

"You're not familiar with front-end or back-end web development, are you?" Marcus inquired. "We need someone who can assist us immediately, even if it's not your primary skill set."

"I'm quite skilled in front-end web development."

"Fantastic! That's exactly what we need for our software projects," Marcus replied, his face brightening. "You'll fit in perfectly with the development of our projects; I'm sure of it."

Marcus stood up. "Alright, let's get you started. I'll introduce you to the team."

He led Austin to the workspace, where he introduced a slender woman in her late thirties. "This is Lisa Hartman," he said. Lisa, engrossed in her work, barely glanced up.

"Austin, nice to have you here," she replied, her voice distracted yet polite.

"Thank you, Lisa," Austin said softly.

"Here's Ethan Caldwell," Marcus continued, pointing to a young man who was adjusting electronic equipment. "He's our hardware engineer."

Ethan stood and extended a firm handshake. "Welcome to the team, Austin."

"Thanks, Ethan."

Next was a man with broad shoulders. "This is Liam Prescott, our back-end programmer. You will be assisting him."

Liam smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Austin. We'll figure things out together."

"Looking forward to it, sir," Austin replied, appreciating his friendly and welcoming demeanor.

Finally, Marcus introduced Claire Donovan, a recent hire. "Claire started last month."

"Hi, nice to meet you!" Claire said warmly.

Austin smiled and replied, "Nice to meet you too."

After the introductions, Marcus handed Austin a manual. "This document outlines our systems and processes. It is essential for understanding how we operate here. Please take it seriously."

"Thank you, sir. I'll read it thoroughly," Austin promised, taking the manual as if his life depended on it.

Marcus departed, and Austin sat down, settling into his new role.

Three days in, Austin was already beginning to understand his job and grasp his responsibilities. He had even started to delve deeply into the team's current project. While exploring, he noticed something wrong with the project: errors—lots of them.

He turned to Lisa, seeking clarification. "I noticed a lot of bugs; it doesn't seem right."

Lisa barely glanced up. "Oh, that's Liam's fault. He'll fix them when he has the time."

Austin frowned as he considered his options. Rather than sitting idly by, he preferred to take action. He rolled up his sleeves and began fixing the bugs himself.

A short while later, Lisa noticed his screen. "Did you just fix all of that?" she asked, impressed.

Austin shrugged. "Yeah, I figured I could do it too."

"Wow! Great job, Austin," she said with a grin.

"Thank you; I'm just doing what I had to do," Austin replied.

She promptly sent a message in the team's group chat: "Shout out to Austin! He just fixed major bugs in the project! Can you believe it?"

Austin's face turned red as messages of praise poured in, filling him with a sense of accomplishment. With this newfound confidence, he continued with his work.

"Hey, the entire team is going to the cafeteria for lunch. Would you like to join us?" Lisa asked.

 Austin replied, grateful for the invitation.

Later, at the Pineapple Tech cafeteria, laughter filled the air as Austin connected with his new coworkers.

"I truly appreciate your work, Mr. Moore," Liam said sincerely, looking across the table at Austin. "You have saved me a lot of stress."

"I'm happy to help," Austin replied, pleased that his efforts were being recognized.

"So, Austin," Ethan asked, taking a bite of his sandwich, "you're from Arizona, right? What's it like there?"

Austin chuckled, pausing to chew his food as memories flooded back. "Well, if there's one thing I can say, it's that the heat is no joke, man."

"Wow, I don't think I could handle that for more than a few days," Ethan said, shaking his head.

"Me neither," Claire added. "I think I would melt."

Lisa smirked. "Oh, come on, both of you. You know they say if you can survive New York, you can survive anywhere."

Austin grinned. "Well, I survived Arizona summers, so I think I can survive anything else."

The table erupted in laughter, and Austin's initial tension faded. He was finally connecting with his team, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.

"So, Mr. Moore," Liam said, leaning back, "how are you finding life in New York?"

Austin took a sip of his water, pausing to gather his thoughts. "New York is great, but everything's crazy expensive here. it's like everything in Arizona is priced much higher here, you know?"

"Sorry about that, but that's New York for you," Liam said sympathetically. "It's all about keeping up with the pace."

With a sympathetic expression, Lisa asked, "Have you found a place yet?"

Austin sighed. "I'm still in a hotel. It's bleeding me dry. I need to find a more affordable and permanent place to stay."

"Actually, I might be able to help you with accommodation, Austin," Liam said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He leaned forward, lowering his voice.

"I know a place," he said, "and it's affordable, let's put it that way."