The General Story

You just graduated college and got a job offer that seemed too good to be true. Lots of money and great benefits that were so good, you just couldn't say no. There was only one real oddity: you would be working for a reclusive billionaire. He was practically more myth than anything, as he was hardly ever seen in public anywhere.

When you arrive, you are paired with a man in his late 20s that also works on the same floor. It's his job to get you acquainted with the collection and settled in. Due to the extraordinary non-disclosures you had to sign, he becomes the only person you can talk to about your job--essentially, your only work friend.

The building you work in is enormous, with floors and floors of works, artifacts and artwork from around the world, from nearly every era of civilization. Your job is to help archive and organize recent acquisitions according to a fastidious protocol.

When you are assigned to your section, you learn it's erotica of various nature. Some tame, some very kinky. You are uncertain, but you remind yourself of the salary. You are making in one year what your friends will make in 10.

As you begin your work, you start getting messages from the reclusive man. And his grasp on your life begins to take shape.

Story Potential

I have, what I believe is an interesting plot twist, which I thought of revealing here but decided not to. I think it would be more impactful if done in the flow of the story. If you feel like you must know, I'd be happy to discuss as part of getting the story going.

The overall theme can go in a multitude of directions, though I was initially seeing something slightly dark, though not creepy, if that makes sense.

I'm open to ideas here, so please feel free to add in thoughts to help make the story your own, too.

A Bit About Me

I am a seasoned roleplayer, that writes in multi- paragraph style, typically 3rd person. I prefer longer term storylines where we can build characters and explore a few subplots.

I won't bug you. This is about co-writing a fun story. I might check in from time-to-time to discuss plot points, but your privacy will be respected.

Lately I've preferred Discord, but we can RP in/on other platforms (reddit PM, email, shared google doc, for example). Sorry, no kik.

I did write an intro to kick things off, and also to provide a writing sample. It can be adjusted.

Evan loosened his scarf a bit as he walked through the morning air. Winter was finally breaking and it was a bit warmer than he expected. He quickly followed by unbuttoning the top button of his jacket, though it was more to do with him reaching in to the inside pocket to grab some money. He pulled out a few bills and set them on the edge of the street vendors cart, who in turn quickly handed him a steaming coffee.

He continued walking, only briefly looking up once or twice, just long enough to get a glimpse of the parliament building on the other side of the river basking in the morning sun. The streets were awake with activity as everyone was starting their day.

It didn't take him long to reach the building where he worked. The giant gothic structure loomed above him, with buttresses and spires that added a majesty in a way that almost camouflaged what it really was--a giant warehouse. It had sat empty for a long time to the point where Parliament considered tearing it down at its own expense just to open the land for other use. Then suddenly it was purchased by the Atticus Company and as soon as the papers had been signed, truckloads of boxes began to show up. For the first six months there was a non-stop line of Zeppelins landing on the roof offloading more giant crates.

Security gates were promptly installed around the building and armed guards began to patrol. It was a strange site for being in the middle of the city, but like most things, after awhile everyone got used to it and it just became part of the texture of the area. The increased activity and workers even brought a new boom to the area, with a few new shops and restaurants opening nearby.

"Badge," the older, slightly gruff man said. Evan had been walking in the main entrance nearly every day, showing his badge everyday, to the same man. He knew Alexander wasn't gruff, but he played the part.

"Yes, of course," Evan said as he dug into his pocket. He thought it was a little silly. Alexander obviously knew Evan from four years of him walking in an out. But the company was known for exacting protocols that everyone had to follow. After a moment, the ID badge was pulled from his jacket and held up. Alexander thanked him and with a lazy wave, Evan walked by. The lobby was enormous, like everything in the building, and the tile floors projected every footfall from a hard soled shoe out into the space. The first time Evan walked through, the sound attacked his senses, but after a little while he barely noticed anymore. It was interesting how quickly something odd could feel normal eventually.

For as busy and crowded the first floor was, the upper floors were nearly devoid of people. Each floor was home to vast archives to a wide array of subject matters. The family had been collecting them for generations, and with the purchase of this building five years ago, a portion were moved here. Some floors were more haphazard than others, but the job of Evan, and people like him, was to organize.

Each floor had only one, two, or maybe three people. Honestly, they needed 100 people per floor to work through the collections, but they were either not in a hurry, or wanted very few people to actually have access to anything. The elevator slid open quietly the 5th floor and he stepped out. His ID badge was needed to get there, and they were limited to only certain floors based on where they were allowed to go. He was overseeing lots of scientific papers and documents, but he wondered what else was here that required such tight security. There was a desk and workstation nearby, but it was empty. At least for the time being. Seeing the empty workstation reminded him that someone new was starting today, and he was supposed to help her get settled and round off her training.

He walked what felt like 200 yards to the other side of the floor. The aisles were not unlike the streets in the city outside. Some aisle were larger, main arteries with smaller, narrower offshoots. He remembered the first few weeks here, somehow managing to not get lost, which was very possible. And with only one other person on the floor, getting lost could be a long and lonely adventure.

He dropped his coat over his chair and set his coffee on his desk. The workstations were comfortable and the desks large. This allowed for each archivist to lay out items to examine while they were entering into the database. There were other tables with examination lights and two couches and a coffee table. If you were going to largely be alone, at least everyone was going to be comfortable. He didn't stay long, just setting his things down, then he turned around to make the long walk back to the other side, past acres of shelves, boxes and crates to head back toward the other workstation by the elevator. He didn't want the new employee to be waiting alone too long.

As he walked he let out a big yawn. He stretched his arms high above his head, elongating his 6' 2" frame briefly with the sound of various cracks coming from joints across his body. He wondered what his new coworker was going to be like. They would be just about the only other person he'd see outside of the main lobby, so he hoped they could at least get along. As he reached the other workstation, the elevator slid open. He managed a warm smile.

"Hi, I'm Evan," he said as he extended his hand. "Welcome to the 5th floor."