Talvi Koskinen

Talvi let the door click to a close as they began to walk down the murky hallway.

The office was close to the apartment, a quick ten minute walk. Slipping the thin black band of their lanyard over their head as they walked, Talvi caught a glimpse of the photo on it.

Despite the difference in time, their outfit was actually quite simple. Black dress shoes, crisp white dress shirt and tailored pants. Though in the photo, one piece of their blond hair was sticking up, a fact that almost all of their coworkers had laughed at when they’d showed them the photo.

Back then, Erik had chuckled so hard his stomach cramped.

Despite working for the New York Tribune for three years, Talvi had only been working on the fourth floor for about a year.

Some of their heads popped upwards as Talvi made their way towards their desk. The phones were ringing loudly despite not many people being in the office at this early hour. Talvi’s desk was decorated with cheap plastic toys that Erik and their father had given them over the years from the museum. The gods, a few of the creatures.

“Koskinen!” Turning at their name, Talvi saw their boss’ head popping out from behind his thick office door. Putting down their bag, Talvi followed their boss into his office, slower by just half a step.

The walls of his office were decorated with achievements encased in unsullied glass. A stark contrast to the state of his desk. Louis Capito was engraved onto a golden name plate and placed at the front edge of his large desk.

Deep sunken eyes were overshadowed by circular wire glasses. By the way the beams of bright sun passed over the small pieces of glass, Talvi couldn’t see his eyes.

“I know we talked on the phone but I still wanted to talk in person. Can you tell me more about what happened?”

Talvi fiddled with the lapel on their crisp dress shirt, “He can’t remember anything anymore. Barely his own name at this point.”

He breathed a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair, which squeaked slightly as he did, “Fuck. Nothing at all? I can’t imagine. So he can’t remember what happened while he was gone for those few days?’

Talvi shook their head, “Nothing at all.” The memory of seeing Erik at the police station played like a curdled memory in their mind. The sight of him, the bruises, the empty eyes, the wrinkles of confusion. Like it had all slipped away from him.

Their wavering gaze looked back up at Louis, “We’ll talk more about your…situation later on, okay? For now just go back to your desk and work on your article.”

“Oh, Talvi?”

They turned back towards him, his light blue dress shirt was wrinkled at the elbows and collar. His gaze held to theirs, his bushy eyebrows held straight and flat, “Your actual article, not the one about the missing persons case, okay? It's a dead end.”

Gulping Talvi responded with a soft tone, “Yes, Sir.”

“Good.”

Talvi returned to their desk, unpacking their notebook and beginning to delve into the research ahead. Despite respecting their boss, his words did not heed their actions in the slightest when it came to this article.

There were a series of missing persons reports plaguing the city. Prominent figures suddenly ripped away without a word. Leaning back in their chair, Talvi tried to piece together the missing people’s last movements, a task nearly impossible. Especially since the police were being anything but helpful recently.

The world always fell away during these times; sounds, lights, even the weather were dampened as their eyes were held between their computer and notebook. Soon enough, pages upon pages were becoming full of more information about Talvi’s most recent article topic.

Rising with a stiff back, Talvi made their way to the small kitchen. Cracking open the fridge, they grabbed a bright red apple.

Popping her head into the kitchen, Missy whispered, not so quietly, “I heard.” Talvi watched as Missy rounded the corner, she fixed her pink cardigan as she did. “I put a casserole into the fridge for you. Hopefully it will make things easier.”

“Thanks Missy.” Talvi sounded, crunching down on the apple and not opening the door of the fridge, “But I literally just had the conversation with (boss name). How did you know to make a casserole?”

She shrugged and smiled sweetly, “I’m a journalist, it’s what I do.”

“Do I hear the sounds of slacking off?” A bright eyed Farah Abdul walked into the kitchen with a smirking smile. Her long dark hair was curled into a braid touching her lower back.

Talvi smiled at her, “Missy made me a casserole.”

Furrowed eyebrows flitted across her face before disappearing, “That’s so nice.” She walked to Missy and pinched her cheeks, “You’re such an angel.”

Smacking away Farah’s hands Missy’s cheeks had turned a pink so bright it matched her cardigan. “I’m going back to work. Tell me if you need more casseroles, Talvi” She said, slipping back to the cubicles.

Farah walked over to the fridge, grabbing her glass container and popping it open. Mouth watering smells of bibimbap filled the kitchen. Talvi could hear their stomach beginning to rumble with sudden cravings.

Talvi leaned against the kitchen counter, their back slightly rounding as their gaze caught on their dress shoes, “I don’t know what I’m doing. I just don’t want to fail him again.”

Farah mirrored them by taking up space to the left of them. “Again?”

Placing her container onto the counter behind her, Farah turned towards Talvi, “You know it’s not your fault he probably has amnesia. There’s nothing you could’ve done, you’re not a God, Talvi.”

Talvi’s head tottered, “I know that, I just wish I could do more. I feel useless.”

“You’re not a doctor, you’re just a person. The best you can do is support him, be there for him and let him come to you when he needs help.” Farah’s amber eyes reminded Talvi of Erik, the golden flecks falling into a mahogany sky. Farah continued, their voice catching every so often, “You’re his partner, yeah, but you can’t take away all his troubles.”

“Love won’t bring back his memories.”

Silence filled the room afterwards, the sounds of faraway keyboard clicks, rising and falling chests shared between the two of them. “Why are you so smart, it’s literally annoying at this point.” Talvi huffed all too dramatically and crossed their arms across their chest.

Apparently Talvi was gaining another trait of Erik’s; being entirely too dramatic.