Hit them hard: Slash
"Well that's fancy,there's a letter, but it was too big to fit in my reguilar box, according to this note." "Hmm, wait, there's more than huge letter too. Ok, I'll bring them both in." "Ok, this is official material, I'll keep it for later. Hmm, how interesting, most envelopes don't have stone inserts, this is heavy." Shrrrip her letter opener went. "Ok, ok, Kagomine Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences..." skipping. "You are cordially invited to the all-Arnd premiere of Hit them hard: Slash, the new premium sensation from director Ray Rhuthen. That's new, I've attended premieres of course, but never by my own invitiation, it was always the principal's." She furrowed her brow, why would I get an invite now? "I'll think about it later, now this other letter..." "Hotel "Le Dawn Standard", otherwise known as Kagomine corporation number a6054a8c-c9e8-4349-915e-b4de87dbcdc2, writes you to inform you that your shares in the corporation allow you to participate in our coming shareholder vote on." Oh that's the hotel daddy's the boss of, what do they want me to vote on? "Chief decision officer Marhamat Dandelion is nominating new board officers, as well as making explicit the steps to be taken in the event of his demise. Oh, I guess one of my sisters is getting some money, cool. Mrs. Shibué Dandelion, your shares entitle you to 10000 votes in the coming election, and count as a meaningful part of the voting quorum, please confirm your presence on... Oh, darn, both are on the same day, well phtewey, not going to find myself a date for sure, not in less than five days.""How come I got an invite to a movie? I thought only principals did?" "You're on the list, you just don't get called if they fill up the auditorium early enough." "Oh, so this isn't that popular a movie?" "Let's just say there's more explosions than I'd like in this one." "Urh, ok. Do I know anyone going?" "State usually has the most people going, especially at transnational productions like this one. Mikhi isn't going because of the pregnancy, so expect Luci or Linni to be the main people there." "Linni? I thought he was like three rungs down from everyone." "He was, before Lai Dang, when I saw how he handled himself, and the Tsou, Nisans and Goghurs, I told Mikhi to stop pretending he was one-eight as competent as he really was..." "Oh, so he went up?" She tried not to sound interested, but he hadn't been a total klutz, and well, those platinum eyes of his had gotten into her brain... At least once a week she caught herself thinking about him. She probably needed to get laid, it'd been a solid month... No, wait, she hadn't seen anyone that way since Lai Dang... Far more than a month, damn, and I haven't even been tempted, what's wrong with me? She thought to herself. She saw a pair of platinum grey eyes, kind eyes, but didn't admit to herself they were possibly the reason. "Yeah, with Mikhi not holding back for him and his sister, she's made undersecretary for policy, and he's... hmm now that's interesting." "What's that?" "Mikhi just nominated him for Undersecretary for classification." "Whoa, that's huge. Also, what's that doing at State? Isn't that like more of a secret agent thing?" "I can't have my XFOF-10 Meihomei's secret keeper without any checks and balances on him. Since most of the secret code book stuff is between embassies, it made sense to have it at state. He's probably the best choice for the job we've had in a long time, too." "Why?" "He can do the math, the people we've had doing the job can't always manage that. I saw him doing it, at Lai Dang, with a pen and paper and a code book, and he was nearly fluent..." "What do you mean, nearly fluent? How does one get 'nearly' fluent in this context?" "He couldn't keep up with a normal conversation, but he could probably transcribe when I slowed down..." "Noy Jitat!" "Please, try not to make trouble for yourself guarding me dear." "Sorry, but that's amazing, there's like six operations per letter, he'd have to be a pure genius to do even quarter speed." "Like I said, he impressed me, and not just with his brain. He was all over Lai Dang." "Who did you manage to leave behind, I thought he was the entire state house at that point?" "Oh, well he was, but I rotated Mahirkama Wallander out of Lai Dang, since I was going there with basically everyone else, I needed someone back home to handle things." "How far down is she?" "Not far down at all, she's the next one after those two, for the simple reason, he had to handle the job with me around, and she had to handle it, without support from me or Mikhi... There's a Vice-undersecretary for commerce in her name in this pile, too. You look troubled, trying a Miptun instead of a Grib this time?" "No, why do you say that?" "Well, I had a Miptun at one point, although, considering we were also sharing a boytoy, it's not a surprise we ended up on each other's nerves. I shouldn't bundle you into my own assumptions, but it's harder than a lot of people think." "I'm probably the only woman in Megamisama who'll admit it, but I don't really see the attraction." "Oh, no, there's more than a few people who are in that situation dear, but why are you troubled then..." "..." "Come on, you've saved my life, surely I owe you some good advice in return, but for that, I have to know what's wrong..." "Hmm, just, not been that interested in one night stands lately... It's vexing." "How lately?" "Since Lai Dang." "I heard you crashed a dive bar there quite harshly..." "Err, well, err, I did get drunk, and I don't remember what I did after, although, I do remember waking up in the local jail. Ended up no-showing on a cutie too..." "Ah, typical armed services folks in foreign lands..." She knew the cutie had posted bail for her, but hadn't told her yet... "Hrmph." "Aw, come on, you know it's true, I fished your dad out of a jail once..." "Dad?" "Well, I'd say how many times, but he asked me never to mention a number higher than one, for the number of times I fished him out of those..." "I presume the number of countries is also greater than one?" Shibue's eyebrow was raised. "Considerably, although I couldn't possibly tell you exactly how much higher..." "I'll make sure to tease him about at least an order of magnitude over, and tell him you never said... but that he should know better than to lie, while correcting you." She dimpled. "Greetings Meihomei, Greetings Zim." "Linni? Are you handling my briefing already?" "Err, I'm undersecretary for classification, provisionally, until you approve, I'm told." "So basically, I'm not giving you the job, I'm just saying Mikhi she can't take it away anymore? I need to have words with my sister..." "I presume she feels pressure to have someone in the post trained in time for her maternity leave." "Oh, you're right, good thinking on her part. You know Shibue's cleared for the briefing, don't you?" "I've read the regulations, she's not what I'm objecting to..." "What?" "The otter, it can't stay." "What?" "No animals. That includes even Robyn." "What? Who... Oh." "What's that side of garbage?" "Is it really that unbelievable that she could be outfitted with a recorder? Or trained to mention things? I don't think so." "i don't think she's quite that smart..." "Could she just wait in the antechamber, we should only be half an hour." "Sure." Shibue's emotions were in turmoil, she used to curse people for underestimating Jor-Jie's intelligence, now, the man with the cute grey eyes was overestimating it, and it was so inconvenient, and frustrating! Hmm, ok, maybe that's not what's frustrating. He does look nice in that traditional shirt. Wait, how come he's wearing traditional robes? Doesn't he have a uniform to respect, at State? "There, wait for me Jor-Jie. Oh, and someone brought you kibble and water? You should be fine." "Dit-dit." The otter started her one dry, one wet routine almost immediately. "Who brought that kibble and water?" "Err, I did, small-cat breed fish-flavoured protein. I hope that's satisfactory?" "Close enough, I gave her that myself, last week, with eggs for treats." "What's she having this week?" "Chicken, and some river mussel-meat for treats." "Darn, and I thought I spoiled my cats." "They don't have eggs?" "I can't feed four cats river mussels, not consistently anyways." "You have four, right, that'll be more of a challenge, I bet they're good kitties though. They're Robyn's grandkits?" "Who told you that?" Linni looked startled. "You did, over when we were at Lai Dang..." "Careful, Linni, women who ask you about your cats are probably out to eat you whole..." She had to pinch herself not to laugh, not realizing Shibue might take it the wrong way. "Now, now, as a fellow pet owner, I do understand how much of a challenge the little furbabies can be..." "Thank you for that, but I should get on with the briefing." He looked down, the two women famously got along so well, he felt awkward that one had taken his side against the other. "Please." .... "So are you going to the movie premiere, Linni?" "Err, which one is that?" "Hit then hard: slash." "Err, I guess, I did help with some of it, actually, I should go and encourage local industry and all that." "Help with permits?" "The movie was produced by Kagomine no longer living in Kagomei, I helped them secure legal counsel and advice." "How much help?" "Err, the paperwork's pretty intricate, they contacted my office five times..." "And you didn't bill them even once, I bet..." "Err... No." He hung his head. "I've never been clear on what's a for-pay service to Kagomei." "Was that the assistance you were telling me about, in Lai Dang?" "Err, yes, now that you refresh my memory, it is." "Then he did one better." Shibué's smile was infectious. "Better than legal fees?" "Owernship stake. Kagomine Heritage Sovereign Fund?" "Err, yeah, only two per cent, but still. Should be around ten thousand sums..." "Err, you didn't listen to the pre-sales they had, they've been on a tear... Linni, sometimes you just amaze me." "What?" "Two per cent of their pre-opening numbers should be over a million... Provided it's proportional revenue, and not shares of profit." "Err, no, I know better, besides, the Heritage Sovereign Fund operates under edict, they were delighted to get our money, put a lot of it into promotion, then were a little nonplussed when they checked we owed 2 per cent of every ticket sold, but only a little." "How much money did we lend them?" "Sixty million." "Oh my." "But it's a loan, from what you told me, they're repaying that in installment, I think, over the next year or so." "Twelve months?" "Yeah, the negotiator for their side kept getting on my nerves, so I wasn't going to cut any slack." Amalthea laughed. "Linni, people do keep underestimating you, don't they?" "Err, a little." "Well, now that this briefing is over, I'll make sure not to." Shibue gave him a little half-smile. He looked a bit like a deer in headlights, in return, but managed to return a weak smile. She opened the door, retrieved her otter, and watched him glide away in his robes. "Why's he wearing traditional robes? I bet that thing's rare and expensive." "Oh, he's Kitten-Ra, he's entitled to wear the actual silk robes of the position. Matsu Dandelion's own priestly robes." "What, he's wearing founding-era silk?" "60AK or so, I think." "He's wearing 755 arnds old silk? Like it's nothing?" "No, like he was born to it, I must say. He's been taking a mix of modern and authentic precautions with it, bathing it in alum to refresh the colours from time to time, or getting it dry-cleaned, but also getting the thing blessed by the conclave. There's regulations with the post, and I'm quite impressed with how he's following them. Out with it!" "What?" "Come on, I know that look you were giving him, you were flirting..." "Who me?" "Come on, and you almost never disagree with me except on life and death, but you were defending him..." "Aw, maybe a little, his cats are cute, what I've seen of them anyways." "Mew." Robyn Frobanasynnia Kagomei walked in, since she was a cat, she tended to walk into any place like she owned it. The Kagomine Palace at Megamisama was the only place where, as mayor of the palace, this was literally true. "Oh, there you go old rug." "Miau!" She sniffed Shibue, and then Amalthea, after her ritual skritches, then conspiciously went over the spot where Linnaeus had spoken, and started to groom herself. "Something I should know?" "Well, he does take care of her grand-kits, he would smell like them..." "I think she does, must be why she visits them so often." "She visits?" "Well, they mostly go play in that hunting preserve outside his house. The wild plants and voles are choice for her there, I imagine." Shibue went back and offered her hand to the cat, for more pets. Robyn flounced back off her back, and leaned into getting more pets enthusiastically. "I didn't know Robyn left the palace... You watch her?" "She has an escort when she does. Just like Jor-jie, she's around too many secret discussions to be left unsupervised long." "Oh, and you didn't correct him, I do believe she could have stayed..." "Was time for her afternoon snacks, and he didn't need to know she basically sleeps with me these days, anyone who got a tracker or listener on her would be qutie good indeed. Or part of the vet hospital staff..." "Why not let him know? Want to impress him with your pet otter?" "Err, no, quite the opposite..." "What?" "He's kinda cute, but I don't trust him yet..." "Cute huh?" "Yeah, that dress... He looks a lot more muscular in it." "You like him?" "I'd like him a lot more if he wasn't of an age with my sister's kid... He's not even twice Shen's age for that matter." "Ugh, ok, fair enough." Shen had died at sixteen, a year ago. That meant Linni was 33? Hmm, guess she was liking men a little closer to her own age these days, the oldest paramour she'd had was 28. Get your head in the game Boo, you can't be mooning over a boy like you're a teenager anymore.
"Hey Boo, going to that movie tomorrow?" "Yeah, I got a board meeting for my dad's company though first, can I get Senya to replace me with your detail?" "What about Amarat's and Mikhi's?" "Nagisa was already on it." "Oh, that's fine then. What's that thing with your dad's company?" "He wants to make one of my half-sisters his heir, I think, the letter says he's declaring a succession structure, but doesn't specify."
"What are you thinking?" "That I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time." "Silly! You were the right person in the right place at the right time at Lai Dang, and when we captured that alien, and..." "No, well, I mean... I feel like I'm always treading water." "We're all always treading water, my namei. Being arndan means you are in the place where your greatest challenges come from where your greatest strengths aren't." "Aumhivina, always know the right quote." "Stop that, It's only the right quote if you believe. If not, I'll have to earn my paycheck as Aumhivina and think of another one." She grinned. "Don't be so hard on yourself, I'm a pretty good judge of character, and I married you." "Past tense." "Oh, grow up. You get to look around for a bit, there's worse things... Don't let it bring you down... I never said I wasn't going to remarry you, just that I don't want to rush into things." "Ok, I'll take my reassurance for what it is. Are you coming to that premiere?" "What reasssurance?" "This is the first time you've said you might be remarrying me..." "Oh, well that's just because you're sounding so glum and dour about it. I never thought thought giving you some sexual freedom until we remarry would make you act like I killed your cat." "I just need some hope for the next step." "How does a man who's had everything so securely in his grasp end up so insecure?" "I never hard to earn anything, well except maybe your regard... I'd hate you think I valued it too little..." "Aw, you get a kiss for that one..." "Even if we're not married?" "Especially because we're not married, you don't have to work for extra kisses, after all." "But I like extra kisses." She kissed him. "So do I. And that was your plan all along, wasn't it?" "Maybe." He grinned, but his body language hadn't returned to neutral, she knew him better than that...
"Is this seat taken?" "What, who? Oh, hi dad, no, not taken, where's everyone?" "What?" "Isn't Chrys coming?" "No, your step mom isn't coming." "What about my sisters?" "We're the only ones in the family who'll be here dear." "Oh, okay." Maybe they don't need to be here since he told them already? Wait, I thought they had shares too? "I thought they had shares too?" "They're letting me act as their proxies for this, you could too, but you're my daughter, you'd want to vote for yourself, I bet." His aged eyes were turning green now, whereas all her life, Shibue remembered his being a deep dark blue. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Just that your sisters and mother are sometimes a lot more passive than you are, and that you'd want to make your own opinion of the proposal, before you'd vote, by yourself. It's just how you are, and very much how your mother was. She always showed me the path forward by example. Have you heard from my son-in-law and granddaughter?" "Nellun's health is becoming a concern father, and Senya's taking over for me right now." "Uh huh." "Firrson is also on duty." "Uh huh." "Dad?" "Yes, dear?" "Why do you always act like it's normal that I mention Firrson?" "Err, he's dating Senya?" "Err, no, he's Senya's ex. He's Venya's grib." "Oh, my, you told me before, you must be thinking I'm going senile now then?" "Not senile father, but I am used to you paying much more attention... Something bugging you?" "Some of it is this, some of it is I'm probably going to go to Ferrare with your stepmother, spend some time sunning my old bones." "Ferrare? Where did I hear that recently?" "The young lords, they have property there, I'll be visiting Amarat and Linnaeus." "Am I offending him, when I call him Linni?" "No, I dare say, he is quite easy going, wait, did he tell you to call him that?" "Err... Wait, he did..." I didn't like that I forgot he asked me to drop the formalities, that he asked me long enough ago, it'd gotten natural. And I mean, dad and him go way back, the only reason he isn't on a first name basis with dad is that he was dad's principal while in diapers. "Did he ever ask you to call him that?" "Yes, he asks everyone, I'd worry about him if he started to ask people to go formal on him. He's been consistent for so long... You seen him lately?" "He's moving up, spending time with my principal." "How high up, he was a six last I checked." "He's a nine now. Just after his sister, and the both of them little States in Megamisama." "Little states?" "Undersecretary, the only rung below secretary of state. Anyone who runs afoul of them is in for a bad time." "Well, if you see him, tell him I said hello? Oh and to that cat brood of his, too." "Dad, did you ever wear the kitten-ra robes?" "Only when I had no choice, I preferred my dress uniform." "But, you could?" "I could, did, and was required to, at times. The almost 8 hundred arnd old silk is really comfortable, I just don't like the look..." "Why is he wearing it?" "He doesn't have a uniform, there's no such thing at state... And there's no way even Toutatis can beat something tailored for Matsu Dandelion, not in prestige, anyways." "What, it's actual by-god made for a founder?" "Matsutan isn't a founder, he's the founder's grandson." "Same difference, I mean, he'd have MET his grandma, for sure?" "Oh, he has. That's in the books. It's re-enacted in fact as part of the coronation rites." "And you wore that?" "Yeah, quite comfortable, for robes, if you're into that kind of thing." "I know you dad, you're not the type to hate wearing a dress because it's a dress, come on, tell me..." "Err, I'm a married man dear, quite a few ladies really liked the cut of my jib in that dress, if you're getting my drift, they were trying to make it hard to be faithful to your mother, when she was alive, and to be faithful to your stepmother, afterwards." She smirked. "Aw, daddy beating off the ladies with a stick, as usual." "Well, I won't say I do it quite as often as I used to..." "Come on daddy, I have one of those." She pointed to his three merits of honours. "After one, you need a bigger bat... Not sure what it would take after three..." Her smile was impish. "I won't argue with you there, I'm not sure anything that would work after three except open carry is all I'm going to say on the topic." Shibue giggled. "Time?" "Oh, yeah I gotta get on the big stage and do the daddy talk, don't I?" Marhamat never belied his age, but the luster in his eyes wasn't what it used to be, even to Shibue, right now. "Go Daddy!" He walked up to the lectern.... Two hours later. "Well, that was a shocker! Dad!" "You're the only one who didn't sell her shares, I presumed this was what you wanted!" "I... I don't know, ok? And I have to go, but, daddy, please don't think I'm ungrateful, I just don't know if I can give up my job to succeed you..." "It's not just giving up the job, I know you..." "Well, I got a pet, well a service animal, to take care of now, and Jor-Jie is like so sweet..." "Aw, you have her with you?" "No, she's working, I don't take her to cocktail nights, most of them like seafood..." "Oh, and that's all you can eat for the otter contingent I take it?" "Exactly. It feels cruel to stop her before she's full, but to her, being full means eating as much as three humans, if it's river mussels, oysters or anything the like, and don't get me started on River Gaigang." "Oh, and she lives with you?" "Except when she's working and I'm not... When we share a shift, she sleeps on the pillow next to mine, she's so cute." "You said you had to go? Hot date?" "Movie premiere." "Going alone? You usually pack a beau for this..." "Dad!" "What? I'm saying you usually do something, not that you must..." "Just, no time. Too busy lately." "Well, if you run into Linni, tell him I said hi." "You think he'll go?" "You said he went up to nine? He'll be invited, back when he was a six, he wouldn't necessarily rate..." "Oh, yeah, he did go up, you think he'll go? At least I'll have someone to talk to." "Oh, I'm sure." "DAD!" "What? I'm an older man, with grandchildren, trust me, I'll get over my daughter getting involved with a principal I changed diapers for..." "Dad." "I'm kidding, and you're a grown woman, I'm sure you'll be fine." "Thanks dad, I think." "I changed both your diapers, so I can say go get him tiger!" "Dad." My face was red like third degree burns, but I had to hustle, I called a Mensacar so I wouldn't be too late...
"Welcome, can I see your invitation?" The Maitre asked Flora. "Here." "Splendid, thank you Aumhivina, will you be leading us for tcha?" "Oh, I got here in time for that? Sure." "Hey!" "Hey Boo, fancy meeting you here, you're never into those dressy events, at least, I don't remember." "It's not you, it's the first time I remember being invited, instead of a principal. Dad thinks the promotions at state changed the orders of things enough for me to get invited." "That makes no sense..." "What?" "Well, not by itself, they had to have demotions or something too." "I hear the maternity leave and the accidental loss of hearing left at least two folk at state unable to partake too, if that's what you mean..." "Oh, yeah, that'd do it. Do I know anyone else here?" "Well, my sweet namei is expected." "Sounds good, anyone else?" "He said his brother was coming, I guess he means either Firrson or Linni?" "Linni, Firrson's on detail, he wouldn't have said he was coming, even if he's likely tracing Amarat here..." "Anyone on this frequency?" Firrson's manly burr chirped over her ear, she should have left her earpiece at work, but since she was the escalation point, in case someone was on vacation, she was usually carrying it anyways. "Four." "Two." "Twelve." "Escalation, I'm in civvies, don't shoot me." She said, and hid her smile from Flora, as she joined over the open circuit. "Mamma otter, you shouldn't be here." "That's not what my invite says, otterity." The teasing code for whoever was carrying Jor-Jie always amused her. "Oh, you're here as a _principal_ mamma otter, that changes everything. Parade drill, detail, consider mamma otter to be a performance audit, with double points substracted, anyone who messes up where she sees, I will personally write you up! Detail out." Flora asked: "Something the matter?" "Just Firrson checking in, I guess Amarat just got here." "I did, and look who I brought with me." Amarat walked, wearing the formal Kitten-Ra dressed Linni normally wore, while Linni had put on a Toutatis black linen suit, white shirt, blue bowtie. They were on the lawn outside state, and so Linni had a claim to being Sun'ga here, which is probably why he didn't have the Kitten-Ra dress on, some roles didn't mesh well, like being the cat's host and the humans' host. "Aumhivina, Gold-Zim." Linni's greeting was so perfunctory, Shibue froze. "Err, Boo?" "Better, if I'm going to sing-sync with you, you can't call me by my grade anymore, them's the rules." She grinned, as she referred to that night at Lai Dang, they'd gone out. Wait, was that the last time I've gone out with a man? Does it mean my standards are going up? He sure doesn't look it... Looks soft and gormless, and I bet I press half as much as he does. "Well you beat me. so I owe you a drink?" "I thought you said you owed me a dinner, in there." She pointed at state. "The state cafeteria?" "There's a club on the top floor I thought, Natusi's?" "I call it a cafeteria..." Despite herself, she curled an eyebrow and waited for him to explain. "So do I." Amarat interjected. "But we are both part owners of a restaurant, the same restaurant, so I think that's just professional deformation." "What restaurant?" "Platinum Redoubt, in Alessia." "The five fork place?" "Oh, that reminds me, those got renewed, we should go to celebrate Linni." "Boo, can I trade you something then?" "Hm, what?" "Instead of eating 'in there'." He pointed to the state department building. "You can come with me to Alessia, and we can celebrate." "Err, thanks, but that's too much, no, really, I couldn't." "Linni, that was putting her on a pretty big spot..." "Err, sorry." "Well, we did have fun in Lai Dang, you're so bad at song-sync.... Who'll be keeping an eye on the cats for you?" "Nellun, wait, I''ve been meaning to ask... Is Nellun your half-brother?" "Yes, he is." "Why isn't he a Dandelion then? He's the son of a Dandelion mother..." "Because that's not how it works, Dandelion lineage is yours to lose, not yours to win. You marry without the family's say-so, you lose the name. And Nellya was expected to aim higher. Unlike Amarat, most people don't come into Dandelions from on up." "Hah!" "The fact that he wasn't just a dandelion, but the son of a quintuple dawn standard, three-times meritant probably helped him get the job though." "I knew he was a Dawn Standard, but quintuple?" "Same act, dawn standard of five different countries, disarming a bomb in a diplomatic conference with a bunch of rulers present will do that." "I know how Amarat knows my 'big brother' Nellun, but how do you know him?" "You mean besides Aunt Mikhi all but adopting me, Firrson and Luci when my parents passed, not really." His tone was tart. "I thought detail people did background checks?" "Err, yours is still pending... I figured I'd ask a stupid question..." "Come on, it's not a stupid question, but how would my background check be pending? It's not like my family situation's changed much lately..." "No, but you've been out of the country so much they're spending a lot of time accounting for all the places you've been at..." "Oh, and I bet, all the possible spies I could have fed?" "And all the blackmail possibilities, I mean, who wouldn't hold your kitties hostage for your good behaviour?" Her tone was lightening up, and she really did have a nice smile, he wasn't used to taller women so much, either, she could tell, he was getting a crick in the neck.
Knock-knock "Just a sec." .. Drat, where are those panties? "What is it?" She opened the door a crack to speak. "Just thought I'd check on you, you were pretty far drunk when I left you, everything ok?" "Just my head wants to kill me, but yeah. Thanks." You doing ok? "Just barely less murderhead, I'm guessing I'm not as used to drink as you are, since you had a few more..." "I'm not averse to a few drinks after a party, or a date, your point?" "Err, that if I was a total dork, hopefully that was the cause?" "You weren't a total, utter, complete dork... Listen, I had fun last night, we should do this again, but right now, all I want is for my head to kill the rest of me and put me out of my misery, can we talk later?"
I can't get it out of my head, I don't think she wanted to flash me full frontal, but damn, I can't exactly forget it either... I can't dwell on it though, having a hardon at a diplomatic reception will get only the bad kind of attention. Meanwhile, elsewhere... I can't believe I opened the door naked, I hope he didn't see,,. That'd be so awkward. Later, at the palace. "Firrson, you're with Meihomei, I'll take care of Nameihomei this time..." "Ok, sure." "Looking good boo..." That was Linni! How'd he manage to sneak up on her in that robe? Oh, he's not in that robe, he's in a different suit, hmm nicer suit.. Makes him look buff, how'd he manage that? Glad I got my suit back from the cleaners. Amarat is my height, but he's been doing so much cardio, a suit of his on me is like window drapes! "You've been holding out on us? That suit is nice... Linni-Zim." "Now, now, you're not supposed to call me Zim anymore, we sing-synced." "I did say that, and it does feel like we've been at low tcha together, after singing so long." She was blushing, She'd looked at him like porridge in a way, too bland to be interesting. But he kept surprising her, paying attention when she spoke. None of her other... male friends, seemed to, and she'd lost hope that they would, unless they had something they wanted from her. He was on a fast track to being her friend, for sure, partly because she didn't have that many... Hm, but those eyes, they were starting to haunt her, even if it was a little strange she had to look down a little at them. He didn't stay in shape like he should, but he wasn't dissolute either, just sedentary she guessed, books and cats aren't exercise, she told herself, but maybe I can be his exercise regimen... Boo! now is not the time to think such thoughts, that bra's getting a bit tight! "Well, I'm glad I made a good impression, I was afraid I'd behaved like a terminal dork..." "Not terminal." She tittered. "Although, I don't think anyone ever messed up Stana quite that hilariously before." Why am I noticing only now that he's lively, funny? "Glad to hear it. Here's your codes for today." "You hand deliver them now?" "Only to people who think I'm not terminally dorky." And he walked away. Shibué's heart skipped a beat, for him, that was almost flirting... Wait, since when am I an authority on him? Oh, since I spent more time with him than anyone save Meihomei and those cats of his, probably "Hey Boo, you're my detail lead today?" "Yes, Zim." "Was that Linni? What's he doing here?" "He delivered us the codes Zim." "I'm going to have a word with that boy, he doesn't have cipher clerks so he can do deliver things in person." "Aw mom, give bro a break." "What?" "I don't think he's going to make a habit of it..." "Hmm, why do you think this is a one shot, what am I missing? Oh."
"What did you tell your mom that changed her mind? Come on, you must have used a spell or something." "No, she just realized what I did..." "What?" "That he was coming to talk to you..." "What?" She was blushing so hard, she was sure her face would have cooked an egg at two paces. "Come on, I was there, sing-syncing with the two of you, neither of you are any good at hiding things from me of that nature, either." "And just what makes you such a good judge of character now?" "In general, I'm not a good judge of character, but when I'm talking about my bro and someone who could be between my kid sister and a second cousin, depending on the year, I think I'm pretty good." "Oh, how did I get to rank that high?" "Your dad is my babysitter's dad and my other babysitter's grand-dad?" "Oh. Yeah, among other things, but yeah." "So when it comes to judging why Linni does things..." "Yeah?" "He was trying to spend more time with you, he's not usually inefficient, and he doesn't volunteer for clerk work, he's had it assigned before, and he respects it a fair bit..." "Oh, so your mom thought he was doing work a few grades below his badges by accident, but it had to have been on purpose?" "Look, he has been known to show off to some cipher clerks I've met, but as Undersecretary for classification, if he does that, he'll need a good reason, by next code exchange review. He could justify it, once, by saying he didn't trust a particular clerk, or that he wanted special precautions with a specific cipher. But all that has to go in the order book first." "State has an order book?" "State has a decision journal, same concept, different terminology. But this is the cipher order book, shared between the border guards, state, the lifeguards, and the rest of the armed services." "Doesn't that book belong to Meihomei's Secret Keeper?" "It would if Mister Tcha was enclined to do things through his own people, instead of advising on best procedures, and recommending consultants. Kagomei has the most privatised and ad hoc covert ops, intelligence gathering and counterintel of the gubba-200. It's a jade assistant that keeps the book for him." "Isn't that risky?" "We'll see, I do know that New Etrusca has troubles with their intelligence agencies trying to take over, so the danger of them being permanent and ambitious isn't nil, but is that the right way to do it? I don't know." "Spoken like the Bameimeito." "What?" "Like it was your problem, or would be, soon." "Noy Jitat, it will be, soon enough." He sighed, I'll hyperventilate about it another time, for now, back to Linni. "Yeah, sorry, what about him?" "He was coming to talk to you, not to me, not to mom, or he'd have not left when we got there..." "Eh, how do you figure?" "How long did you talk to him, before we got there?" "Maybe a minute? We didn't exactly read each other's life stories. It was more like the small talk before a conversation, if anything." "Linni, deploying small talk?" "What's that mean?" "I don't think he's deployed small talk since his first love..." "First love? I thought he was a hermit?" "We actually got involved with the same women at one point..." "Women, plural?" "Sisters, the Dell'Auro's." "The snooty two shoes?" "Try not to refer to them that way to their face." "You make it sound like they visit often." "They do, they're family friends, of mom's." "Not yours?" "With me and Linni and Luci, it's more complicated." "But that's everyone except Firrson!" "Everyone?" "All of the people your mother 'mothered', as I like to say." "Ah, yeah, Firrson's not part owner of a company with them like the others are, nor are they one of his exes, to my knowledge." "All three?" "What, yeah, the youngest sister apparently really liked all three of us." "What about you, you dated more than one?" "Ended up dating all three, some of it under protest, but I still did it." "Protest?" "Their dad was trying to set up the eldest with me, since I was also the eldest. Then with Annunzia. the middle child." "The youngest?" "Ended up passing on her when her dad said something, but she had other ideas when she and Linni broke up." "The one who started with Luci? Ick." "Yeah, they did end up together the longest though." "What?" "Four arnds and some, listen I don't want to get into his business too much..." "But?" "The last time he 'deployed' small talk, outside of work, was with her..." "Oh, so you think he's... flirting?" "He does it so rarely, I think flirting's too mild." "What, you think he's seriously interested in me, somehow?" "Yeah, be gentle on him, you're..." "A serial dater? And he's not?" "Yeah." "I'll let him off gently, I promise." "Not give him a proper chance?" "He's so bland, you think he can keep my interest? After all the other men that didn't cut it?" "He may yet surprise you, after all, I know him better than you." "Hmm, now I'm curious." "And he managed to keep Ninu interested... People underestimate him all the time." "I bet."
Type
Announcement, Invitation
Comments