Ben didn't know this, but before the Oligarchy Chambers had taken over the grand building that was now called the Luminary, Halen had regarded the lack of a thirteenth floor as ridiculous superstition and had every floor above it renamed, just so the floor would exist. Ben was aware that many hotels and office buildings didn't have a thirteenth floor and liked the fact the Luminary was different. Someone superstitious might say that the Oligarchy was doomed because of Halen's move, but he knew better.
Halen was murdered by an ambitious vampire, not by the number thirteen. And Lazarus had lost his seat because he was a fool, not because of the number thirteen. And Kerr had disappeared and 'died' because of Ben's mistake, not for the fact a thirteenth floor existed. So, to thumb his nose at all of those beliefs and because he was supernatural - not the number thirteen - he'd taken the floor for his office, as had Kerr.
It was ten PM and Sam was sitting outside in the waiting room. Ben had an assistant sitting at a desk outside of his office (and didn't that feel weird and executive-y?) who would show Sam in. In front of Ben on his thickly carved golden oak desk was the contract that Ichabod had sent over to him earlier that night. It had gone through the lawyers and would keep Sam contracted to the Academy for five years on the same fixed rate of pay, no advances, no promotions. He wanted Sam to sign his name to it, proving his word.
Ben pressed the intercom button on his phone. "Show him in," Ben said, feeling like a kid pretending to play grown-up. He squashed that feeling when Sam stepped into his office. He stood, unsure if that's what he was supposed to do but fuck it, he'd bounced up out of his chair like a jack-in-the-box, so there was nothing left to do but to offer his hand for the shaking. "Thanks for coming in."
He felt like he was on a TV show about cutting-edge lawyers. He wondered if Sam would think the same, though he doubted it. His office felt more like an absent-minded professor type. Bookshelves the same style as his desk were crammed with thick tomes - some of which he didn't want going into the library. Ben had found and pilfered a giant globe that stood a metre high from another part of the building and put that in one corner - one of the walls that met that corner had a giant tapestry of a historic earth. It wasn't genuine, unfortunately, but it did capture what people understood of the earth in the middle ages. It was mostly tan in colour but there were bright spots of red throughout. A large rug broke up the space - white and light blue zig zags. There were a few armchairs in the far corner of the room and a low coffee table (same style as the bookshelves and desk) where people could sit around and discuss things. So far Ben hadn't used that space but he liked the idea of it. There was an architectural magazine and the latest 'Demonology' newspaper edition atop it. Potted plants and interesting statues filled the rest. There was definitely an impression of space, as one wall of the office was nothing but glass, so Ben could look out into the city.
It was an eclectic collection of a modern vampire who had an interest in history. Very Ben.
