A Candid Interview With A Succubus's Business Partner
20250821
Written for the "Kev's Odyssey" series.
While Jeffery is definitely new, and I'm not sure whether it's the same interviewer, this story is building on this earlier microfic.
The recording starts with a crackle. Moderate background noise, gentle cafe bustle. “Thank you, I’ll keep this short.”
“Uh-huh. You have until I finish drinking the coffee.”
“Right.” Throat clearing. “I’m talking to Jeffery Brooke, co-owner of the ‘Babbling Brooke’ company, which is a… how would you describe it?”
“We’re a service company. Start-ups hire us to help them sort out their business plan, polish their marketing, figure out if what they’re offering is viable. If it isn’t, we try and help them pivot until it is.”
“Mm-hm. And your fellow co-owner is…”
“Delilah Gogh. Self-taught marketing expert, she heads up the research and presentation side of the business. Gets amazing results. Everyone we’ve worked with was blown away by her skills.”
“And she’s a succubus.”
“Uh-huh.” Jeffery’s voice is forbearing. Faintly resigned.
“What’s it like, working with a succubus in a, uh, close capacity?”
“You’re asking if I’m banging my business partner.”
“I most certainly am not.”
“Mmh. You might not be, but your eyebrows are.”
“That…” Brisk cough. “I assure you that I am purely interested in the, the business angle. What’s different about working with a succubus compared to a human?”
“Well, firstly, since they feed on human desires, they’ve got a serious advantage on understanding those desires and gauging market need. Deli - Delilah - can walk out of a focus group workshop with insights I never would’ve picked up on. Stuff that the participants might not have even consciously realised. Same goes for sales - she can suss out what someone really wants, even if they don’t know what they’re looking for, and figure out exactly how to make what she’s selling give them that.”
“I can see how that would give you an edge.”
“Oh yeah.”
“So, what is it you bring to the table?”
“Consistency.” Said with just a hint of a wry smile.
“Oh?”
“Um, well, you see…” Fumbling pause. Pensive slurp. “The thing about succubi being ‘creatures of desire’ and all is… when they want something, you’ve never seen anybody more motivated. But the moment they have it… that motivation goes poof.”
“Oh. Huh.”
“Yeah. They’re all about the pursuit. Deli’s got a poster on her office wall about when dogs actually catch a car that pretty much sums it up. Once she’s got the solution in her hands, doing anything with it is a struggle. That’s why they tend not to do great at, like, conventional business work. The final stretch, the implementing and following through, which is the stuff people actually pay for… it’s so hard. You can’t understand how hard it is. You can’t just, just will yourself into wanting to do something, and without that impetus you’re just…”
He trails off. Then coughs and in a brighter tone continues “So that’s where I come in. She hands me all the stuff she’s found and figured out, these amazing insights and ideas, and I lay them out and fill in to make a proper action plan. That’s what goes to our clients. And if issues crop up I bring those to her, and with a new problem to chase she’s immediately locked in again. And when we reach the point where there aren’t any new issues, well, that means we’re done with this project and need to find a new client. She’s amazing at that aspect too. We’re never short of work.”
“I see.” The interviewer’s voice is intrigued yet ever-so-slightly disappointed.
“So. Yeah. In my experience, working with a succubus is like eighty percent just making sure they have what they need to stay motivated. The other twenty percent is being that… that bridge to completion for them. Which is fab, honestly, having someone hand you a project at ninty-something percent and then being thrilled you finished it off for them is a real ego booster.”
“She’s always grateful, eh?”
“…Your eyebrows are getting nosy again.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean…”
“Mmh.” Loud slurp. “Alright. Hope you got your coffee’s worth.”
“Ah, one last question - do you find the, er, preconceptions people have about succubi causes any, you know, issues for you?”
“Mmm. I…” Jeffery pauses. Then, in a slow deliberate manner continues “Personally, I find it a great way to filter out judgemental asshats.”
“I see-”
The interviewer is interrupted by the sound of a chair being pushed back.
A grumbly sigh, then the recording stops.
Prompt was “Pursuit”.