It’s amazing how much work you can get done when you’ve been suspended from one of your main Internet distractions. Anyway, this chapter amuses me, but it’s a bit of a failure in that it doesn’t really do anything to move the plot. Oh well, I like it, so you’ll just have to cope.
Chapter 7: Part-time Frustration
The sun rises on another peaceful and pours its light in through the window of Johann’s loft. One beam of light smacks him in the eye as he sleeps, waking him with a start. He would probably just settle back into sleep before long were it not for the fact that he immediately notices that he’s not in his bed, but still on the couch. His first instinct is to sit up and look around, but feeling some weight pinning him down, he looks himself over and sees Gwen lying on top of him.
”Oh…bugger, what the hell did I do?” he asks. Looking over the side of the makeshift bed, he sees a pile of clothes, and looking back at himself, finally realizes the chill he’s feeling is a result of being clad in only his boxers. Similarly, the woman on top of him is covered up only by Johann’s arms around her. “I hate myself,” he says, smacking the back of his head on the cushions.
*****
On Colony, where it’s a more decent hour, Keiko is getting ready to treat herself to lunch. The cafeteria she has just walked into is well populated, but not so full that she doesn’t have a reasonable choice of seats. She heads to the back of the room and takes a window seat at an empty circular table. From her nano, she takes out a simple meal of rice, shrimp and steamed vegetables. After arranging the square box in front of her, she takes out a pair of chopsticks.
After she has shoveled a few bites in her mouth, she looks up to see that Zoe has strode past her seat and is now settling in the one next to hers with a tray from the cafeteria. “Nowhere else to sit,” Zoe says with her eyes shut as she pushes her seat in.
Keiko blinks and looks around to see if the room has suddenly filled since she has entered, but no, there are just as many free spots now as there were then. So, she shrugs, smiles, and says, “’kay. How’s your day been Zoe?”
”Irritating,” the blonde replies. She holds the back of her neck with her hand and rubs, grimacing as she says, “some idiots on Neudaiz thought it would be a bright idea to do research on live animals. The animals broke out, so I spent the morning cleaning up. They even had a freaking Zoal Goug.”
”Just the morning? Wow Zoe, if that had been me, I’d probably still be down there!” Keiko says, perhaps having missed the irritation in Zoe’s voice as she cheerily compliments her. “Hey, how are you so strong Zoe? Jo-sei and I had ossan and baa-chan to teach us, but who taught you?”
It takes Zoe a few moments to answer as she has her face stuffed with a cheeseburger, but when she does, she says, “no one really. I ran away from home when I was 14 and signed up for Guardians’ basic training. I guess I just put more into it than most people.” She stops for another bite, and then says, “I don’t have any other abilities to support myself with so it’s convenient that I’m good at the one I have.”
”I wish I got money for missions,” Keiko says.
”You…don’t?” Zoe asks.
Keiko pouts and whips her head away. ”No! Baa-chan let me join the Guardians only on the condition that all my earnings go into a trust fund. So I can’t use any of it! I’m so poor. Why do you think I’m eating cold fish?!” she wails, thrusting her palms at her meal.
”That sounds rough. Ever think about a part time job?” Zoe asks.
”Sure…but between training and missions, I don’t have enough free time. I guess it’s not a big deal since I have an allowance, but…”
”You’d rather have a paycheck.”
”Yeah...”
”Try to cheer up a little. It might seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day now, but you’re still a kid. You’ve got nothing but time,” Zoe says. Even though a smile would help that statement along, Zoe just stares ahead with her usual affectless expression.
”Hee, it’s a little weird to have you trying to cheer me up, Zoe,” Keiko says, pushing her hands underneath her chin.
”Hmph, I might not be on an eternal sugar high like Stacy, but I’m not the doom and gloom ice princess everyone thinks I am,” Zoe says, again neglecting the critical smile. “Keiko, don’t turn your head, but behind you to your right, there are two guys working up the nerve to come talk to us.”
”Reh?” Keiko says. She’s about to turn her head, but Zoe catches her by the chin with two fingers and pulls her back.
”What did I just say?” she asks.
”Fft, what does it matter? They probably want to talk to you anyway,” Keiko mutters, the words sounding somewhat muffled since her cheeks are smudged together.
”Yeah, that’s probably true,” Zoe says while tossing her hair, “but, I don’t want to talk to them. So, I’m going to give you a valuable crash course in running interference. So listen closely.”
*****
”Yeesh, it’s amazing that Zoe and Jo-sei ever managed to say hi to each other considering how complicated they make it…”
Later, Keiko’s gone home to Neudaiz. On the steps leading up into the property of Chez Launcher is where she amuses herself by thinking out loud. She’s been sitting there for quite some time, waiting for something in particular; a something that comes walking along the street this very moment.
”Oh, hey there kiddo.” The CEO, dressed like a man coming home from work, stops by Keiko, who stands up to greet him.
”Ossan! I need to talk to you,” she says.
”Hmmkay,” the man replies. He briefly looks down to the little beast girl he has in tow and nods in the direction of the house. The redhead nods and runs off as directed, waving to Keiko along the way. “If this is about training, I’m already pounding what I know into you as fast as possible. Chill out.”
”No, not that. I want a job,” she says.
”Um, Keiko? You’ve already had to cut bathroom breaks down to every other week the way you’ve got your schedule set up these days,” the man says. “Where on Cor- erm, where on Neudaiz would you find the time?”
”I know, I know! But don’t you have some job somewhere that needs a two hour slot filled? Anything would be fine!” she says with her hands clasped together. On her face is a pleading expression dotted with wide, quivering eyes. It’s a look that makes the CEO grimace just by looking at it.
”Okay.”
”Yeah, I didn’t think so,” Keiko says while dropping her hands and head. “Thanks for hearing me out- what?!”
”Sure, I have a job for your particular needs,” the CEO says. He pauses briefly to smirk, and goes on to say, “yes, this is perfect actually. Meet me at Yohmei’s main shop in Ohtoku this time tomorrow. I’ll send a uniform over to your mom.”
”Yes! Yes, thank you ossan! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you!” By now, Keiko has hopped onto the CEO and thrown her arms around him, forcing him to carry both their weight. After a few moments of this, he leans over and sets her back on the ground, still gushing.
”All right, you’re a little old to be glomping, don’t you think? And hey, don’t get your hopes up about the paycheck. It is minimum wage work, after all.”
”Eeeee!” Keiko yells, running off without having heard a word.
The CEO gently grazes a finger against his forehead and laughs. “Fufufu…this will be entertaining.”
*****
The next day, Keiko steps into Yohmei’s main store. Being, essentially, the boss’ daughter, all the employees give her an exceedingly warm welcome, making her blush. Walking through the sea of waves and sugary greetings, she makes it over to the grinding counter where she sees the CEO waiting.
”Hmm…knew I should have sent an outfit with pads,” he says, looking her over. Keiko just sticks her tongue out and tugs her purple coat over her body. “Anyway, you’re going to be working the grinding counter for the tail end of the 12-6 shift. The woman who normally works it is easing into maternity leave, so this works out well for everyone.”
”Okay, got it. I’ll do my best!”
”I know you will sweetheart,” he says. He leans over and pecks her on the forehead and again says, “I know you will.”
Later, Keiko has gotten settled behind the counter and is shining with all the exuberance of a first day of work. Up to now, everytime someone has come in through the main door, she’d begun to bounce in anticipation, only to sigh when it turned out they just came into use the tools counter. But, patience finally rewards her with her very first customer; a human brunette strutting up to her counter that’s paying more attention to her simple mail than where she’s going.
”Hello, and welcome to Yohmei! How can I help-“
Not even looking up from her texting, the human tosses an ulteri onto the counter. Keiko bites her lower lip, but holds up her smile. “Okay, I just need to go over the disclaimer with you then.”
”Whatever girlie, just grind it up to 10,” the human says while tossing a scattered variety of A grinders at Keiko.
Keiko picks up the chips and, sorting through them, sees that they’re mostly A+5s. She grimaces and raises a finger to get the woman’s attention, but the clickity clack of her simple mail doesn’t cease for even a second. “Uh, miss, I don’t think this is such a great idea-“
”Just do your freaking job! I’m a guardian, see?!” she says, holding up the Guardians’ Tag affixed to her line shield. “I don’t got time for this!”
Keiko sighs and proceeds to open up the photon cage. Since the first grinds are the easiest, she starts with the weakest grinder available, an A+3, and applies the prongs of the chip to the feelers inside the cage’s reactor. The chip dumps its charge successfully and Keiko proceeds to the next, which also goes smoothly. Miraculously, this keeps up for the next six grinds, by which point, Keiko is a shivering wreck while the brunette is still texting away without a care.
”Ah miss? This next grind is probably not a good idea…”
”I said take it to ten! Freaking Light…”
The poor little newman groans and puts the chip into the cage. Almost as soon as the prongs hit the feelers, a web of cracks shoots along the ulteri’s cage. “Oh…miss, I apologize, but this ulteri is destroyed beyond repair.”
Finally, the brunette looks up from her simple mail and sees her ulteri in ruins. Her face scrunches up as she slams her hands on the desk and bows over to get all up in Keiko’s grill. “What the hell is the matter with you?! Do you know how much an ulteri costs?! How could you freaking break it?!”
”S-sorry?”
”Ugh, stupid bitch!” the human screams, stomping out of the building. Keiko whimpers, and in that moment, a tiny bit of her innocence is brutally sodomized.
Outside, the human pulls off a wig, digs pads out of her shirt and wipes makeup off with the back of her palm. “Hee hee, I’d better pace myself. This is too much fun,” the CEO says.
~~~~~
I think I made a mistake in making Zoe human. Given a chance to go back, I would make her a caseal. Her affect and demeanor are much more suited to being a caseal, and it’d make her strength more believable. Plus, it would make perfect sense that Johann’s first love was a caseal, being a momma’s boy and all. Oh well.
Connect the Dots!: Grinding
Grinding is simple, at least, in theory. You take a grinder chip, which resembles a 9V battery, and place it into the photon cage. The cage then mutates slightly from the stress of the added photons and increases its capacity slightly.
Now, the reason it’s difficult in practice, is because grinding is a lot like merging onto a highway. Inside the cage, there are already photons, racing around at the speed of light. To add more photons, the grinder has to slip them into a gap in the stream. If the added photons collide with the photons already there, the latter group gets knocked off its plotted course and smashes against the cage where it’s not designed to be hit.
The better the chip (+1 vs. +10), the less photons it drips per application, lessening the chance of this disastrous collision.
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