by P. S. Power
After three minutes, Barb came back and settled down, directly next to Ravi, who was next to Keeley.
“So, my new boyfriend is Ravi and Keeley is my new gal? Awesome. Are we keeping Troy and
Avery, or…?” There was no joking in her words at all.
Keeley still took it that way.
“You like it then? We can do other things too, if you want. Get together and do each-other’s hair and all that. I don’t want to over power the world with super hotties, if I can help it. Normally I charge a million bucks a pop for this kind of work, but you’re an old friend of mine, so you get freebies, inside certain limits. If you want work for other people or things like this more than once or twice a year, then you have to pay for it, like everyone else. You don’t have to date me even.”
A little part of her tried to tense up, inside. It felt so wrong, giving anything away. Barbara the Vampire wasn’t exactly her best friend forever or anything, either. Still, there was a slow nod then, and a cool hand reached across Ravi, to touch her.
“Thanks! I won’t abuse that. I promise. So, we have a new line walker already? That’s… Cool, actually. He’s working out of here, or down with you, Zack?”
Troy shook his head.
“Maybe part time with us down at the node room. Most of the time he’s going to be out of Sparks. Which means he needs to learn to make his own nodes. That takes a bit. Magic, too. Plus, that new thing you have going on, Ravi. Creating energy constructs. Keeley, you’re working on that project for us, right? The new Human Wizard issue?”
It was a strange thing to call it, though she nodded. It was close enough.
Zack tapped the tabletop.
“That… Works for me. It keeps the competition down, while giving Sparks someone that can take people around at need. As for a permanent node… I’m going to need to do some work on that one. I can do it, but it will need to be stable enough to hold its place for a few hundred years. That makes it a major work project, not just an afternoon spent waving my hands around. What do I get paid for it?” He glanced at Keeley, who smiled at him.
After all, it was real work, that was actually going to be hard to put in. A real thing that was actually worth hundreds of billions of dollars or more. Which they, the Coalition of Nations, didn’t have the funds for.
So she made some things up.
“Well… How about fifty million dollars, but we’ll also put around that you and the new bridge travel service are doing it for a discount, as a public works project? That should help get you some free advertising. Especially if we raffle off some travel to other realities. Safe ones, of course. There and back in a way that average people can possibly get in on.” It sounded weak and like she would be better off offering to punch him in the nuts, instead.
Except of course that he was faster than she was and her feeble attempt to strike him would probably end in her death. Even if he was the nice one of her people.
A thing she understood a moment later, when he nodded.
“I can move down on the cost, even. I like the publicity angle. The trips as well. Ravi, Troy and I can take people? Barb, are you in on that as well?” He glanced at her, getting a slow nod in return.
The now slightly prettier woman brushed her black hair from her face.
“As long as we can do it when I’m not on schedule for the Council? As the Assistant Ambassador, I have to keep that in mind first. Plus, I want it in the mix that the Vampires are in on the raffle at least. That way we can piggyback on the free publicity.” She crossed her arms, as if anyone there was going to keep them out.
Keeley leaned into her boyfriend, who was still a bit blank face. His eyes followed energy patterns in the air. Things even she didn’t bother to notice most of the time. The background movement of things that came off the people there, as well as the movement of space and time itself. He felt warm, without being far too hot at the moment. The mall was kept cool enough that it was hard to tell he was actually slightly fevered.
Not that he was ill. His brain was simply working so hard at the moment that it had boosted his metabolic rate. Nearly as much as if the man had been running, instead of sitting calmly in a booth.
There was nodding then, from Ravi.
“I, um, have a new job? I guess I can do that part time. Three jobs though…”
Zack waved his hand, palm toward the table.
“Quit the two you have. Working for Division Six has to pay enough to be worth doing. Even a few hours a month here will be enough to keep you in ramen. Really, the current rate for line travel tends to be an average of half a million dollars for four hours work. Which is more or less a full work day here, for you average people. You know, the ones that don’t own part of the business. We can put you in on Wednesday and Thursday nights? Those are the order nights for the book store, so it would really help. I had to change that twice already in the last few years, trying to get people in to work it. Call it… Six at night to three in the morning? That’s a long shift, but only twice a week. You also get free food, if that sweetens the deal?”
Ravi shook his head a bit.
“I… Don’t know. That’s a lot to change. I was gone for a long time, only…”
Keeley understood the basic idea in concept, though Troy and Barb both nodded emphatically. Like they understood on a deep level something that she really couldn’t fathom at all.
Barb leaned into the newest line walker and took his hand, below the table. Then, she had claimed they were dating now. All of them, apparently, since Keeley wasn’t going to cut her pal Avery out like that. Troy either. Replacing Hally with four new people sounded a bit desperate to her, she had to admit. A thing she decided not to care about, since no one there was going to take it as a real thing, if she didn't press the idea into being. Barb was just being nice, fondling her boyfriend in front of her like that.
In front of her own, married boyfriend, so at least it was fair in its abusiveness.
Barb cuddled in a bit closer to the guy.
“I know. You were gone for longer than this country has been here. So long ago that the pilgrims hadn’t even come yet, or at least it feels that way. Islam was only founded about that long ago. It’s real, only here you were gone for a minute or two. If you go into work tomorrow and announce that you haven’t been there for fifteen hundred years, they’d call the hospital, being worried about your mental health. That or ignore you, thinking it was a joke. Where do you work now? Is it… can we buy you out of your contracts or… Are you tied to anyone?” She looked at Keeley, as if that might be her, for some reason.
After a moment, there was an all over shake from the man. Like a dog trying to get dry after a bath.
“No, I’m good that way. I work at Safeway and Coffee Hub. It’s a branch of Starbucks. A franchise thing.”
Behind the counter, Karen, fully dressed now, with her apron back on, and hair down, since her perfect curls were incredibly manageable, laughed. It sounded warm and friendly, since she’d have to work in order to manage anything else now.
“You can just quit, then. Having a job that makes you a couple million a month is a good enough reason for most people. Even that thing with the Coalition… Really, you should just tell them old jobs that one. It sounds more normal. Say that you’re their new janitor or something.”
The statement sounded ditzy, coming from the ultra-hot girl. It also made a good bit of sense, given the information Karen had on the subject. After a moment Keeley nodded, being matched by Zack, who did it nearly at the same moment.
“That’s not too bad as an idea. You don’t have to really lie though. Tell them that you’re in transportation for them. Everyone will assume you’re the new bus driver, but that’s on them. If they ask… Well, explain it to them. I bet they won’t really. Let me… Actually, not call Will and explain. We’ll go in tomorrow. He has a date right now.” She stopped and glanced at everyone there. “With Avery’s sister, Morisy?”
Troy seemed a bit confused
, though Zack got it.
“Right. Fellows is the Ambassador for the Shifter Nation there at Sparks. She’s cute too… I take it you’re matchmaking? That... I’d need to meet your Will first. She’s not a bad person though. They’re in the same location, so that’s going to help. Nice. Are you planning on having them marry?”
The phrasing was off, and not done on accident. She could tell that one right off the bat. After all, Zack was calling her on being manipulative, even if it was being done with a gentle hand. He wasn’t trying to start a fight, just asking her if she was being evil again.
So, she shrugged and answered as honestly as she could.
“Will was lonely. I was planning on getting Alede to come in and do him a few times a week, and arranged for Judy to do it. At the same time, it worked around to Morisy. Like you said, she’s nice. Will is a good man as well. Judy is sweet and can manage being with both of them, if they want. It could work. It might not. Either way should be fine.” The embassy there was big enough that as long as Will didn't have a Shifter centric issue, Fellows would never be seen, if they broke up or simply didn't click.
Ravi nodded.
“That’s nice. That you’re trying. Things like that normally don’t really work out. I mean, my sister-in-law tried to set me up with a friend of hers. Sally. She’s nice enough. Built like a linebacker, with a better mustache than mine and totally lesbian, but not a bad person. We actually went out for about six weeks before she mentioned the part about me not having the right body parts for her.” He winced, his face not showing why that was. Neither did his mind really. That was remarkably clear.
Barbara sucked air in then.
“Ouch. At least Keeley is bi.” She looked scared for a moment, but went on anyway, like they were actually friends and no one was going to end up a slave for speaking out of turn. Which was correct.
“I mean, you know that, right? She’s, she used to be, a Greater Demon. They all swing that way. Unless, is that something that’s changed?” There was an audible gulp at the end of the sentence.
For her part, Keeley just smiled. She wasn’t hiding who, or what, she was. Not to anyone that mattered.
Ravi smiled.
“You know, I picked that part up when you offered to be her girlfriend and she didn’t scream no and run away. Not that it matters. She mentioned the rules being different for her that way. For me, too… Not that I can see getting with other women when I have a girlfriend. That probably means I have a closed mind and will be doomed to her bringing ten guys back to our house every week, while I hide in the closet watching, doesn’t it?” There was a smile to go with the words, like he knew that wasn’t really the plan. Which was correct.
All Greater Demons had higher than normal sex drives and a lack of concern about other people’s feelings. Not all of that was down to the old rules, though part of it clearly had been. You couldn’t seem weak, and if people could use anything to get to you, they would. They had to, or others would think they were going soft and go for them. So they all had learned to not only be willing to have sex with all comers but to make themselves want to.
Only, sitting there at the table, she realized something. If they were going to have sex right there, in public, she was willing. With anyone there, including her nephew. Not because she was making herself feel like she wanted it. Just because, without even thinking about it, she honestly did.
For a Human woman that was a horrible thing to have to admit about themselves, of course. For her, not so much. She couldn’t get a disease and was infertile by nature. Even shape changing wouldn’t allow that to happen. Only males of her species could have children. At that, they could only do it with Human women. Possibly with Mages, since they were essentially Human. When she checked, that data was right there inside of her own mind. Without even having to look into the idea very deeply.
So there was no reason for her not to enjoy sex, with anyone that wanted to do things with her. There were still people that she kind of held as being off limits that way. Her mother, mainly. Everyone else was fine as far as familiar and close relationships went. Not that she was going to bother doing that kind of thing. Her sex drive was high. Not insane. It was just that, in the past, when it had come time for the sex to take place, she’d almost always used a bit of magic to ramp her desire up, making sure she seemed ready all the time. Even with Hally.
The first time she hadn’t done that, not even thinking about it, was the night before, with Ravi. Mainly due to the idea that if she couldn’t get off with him, it wasn’t a huge loss. After all, she could make that happen with magic if it became needed. Only she really hadn’t had to. Oh, it hadn’t been universe busting sex or anything, but it had been nice and nothing about it had been fake.
It was, she had to think, just another way that she’d manipulated people. Not that she wouldn’t do it again, if it came up. Only… She really didn't think it was going to be needed. As it was, she sort of wanted to grab Karen, Barb and Ravi up for a nice sex romp in the back room. Instead, she slowly stood up, not wanting to shock anyone.
Everyone in the place was dangerous, after all. In their own way. Even Karen and Ravi. Her new man had gone from being a hard-working underachiever to someone that even an old-style demon would have to pay attention to. Maybe not for long, if it came to a fight, but in a serious way that involved real concern.
Taking his hand, she led him to the back.
“We need to get some food. That and have sex. I’ll make calls tomorrow?” She smiled and no one acted like announcing that she was planning to get busy was horribly out of place there. Even though it clearly was.
The trick, her not so subtle manipulation, was in the fact that by announcing what she had planned to the room, no one would simply suggest they eat at the food court or the bookstore coffee shop. Both were fine as far as food quality went. Better than many four-star restaurants, in fact, plus they wouldn’t look at you funny if you got enough to feed a small army.
On the way in to the back, Ravi in the lead, since he was a line walker now, Zack called out. To her.
“Just walk! Don’t try to do anything. He’s Human…”
That complaint had come from the man before, so for the first time, she really did it. Allowing Ravi, the newest line walker, to take her home. Ending up in her front yard, outside the warding line, very near where she normally came out herself. Even if there was no node there, meaning Ravi had already worked out that he could come into any world, in any location. Moving from there would be harder, perhaps, until he learned to make rifts for himself.
They both lived and everything. She decided to take that as a promising sign.
Chapter thirteen
It wasn’t hard to get Ravi Pendar into work with her in the morning. They did it by simply walking around security, entering directly into the basement, at about eight-fifty in the morning. Even Will, who had probably been there for nearly two hours already, didn't expect the new hires to show up before nine, most days.
After a night’s sleep, the first in about fifteen hundred years, her new boyfriend looked better. Rested and like his mind was coming back, if not to normal, then to what he was going to be, eventually. A person that held all of his old memories, along with the full skills of a being so old and disciplined that even space itself bent under his regard. It was impressive. That kind of thing always was to Keeley. She did similar things and wasn’t exactly a slouch as far as will power went, but the truth was that Ravi was able to focus on a level that she simply hadn’t mastered yet.
For her, that kind of thing was possible only due to magic being used. Not that it was a lesser ability, just one that didn’t take as much work or effort to master.
Ravi had dressed up a little bit, since Keeley had gone in the night to get him some new clothing. From Paris. It was off the rack, since he was working with Division Six, not as a fancy pants ambassador or one of their assistants. So he looked nice, in a light blue button up, with a clip on tie that was
black and blue strips. That, the temporary and unreal nature of the neckwear was on purpose. Both to keep him from seeming too pretentious, as well as to prevent easy choking, if one of the beings he had to work with decided to go with strangulation as a method of influencing him.
That kind of thing was very possible. Tyler Gartner had expressed that kind of thing to her often enough that it seemed he had to handle fights every week or two, there at the massive embassy complex. The attacks weren’t random, but no one was going to be totally immune to that kind of thing, she didn’t think. There was too great a chance that an angry, confused or culturally different being might just lash out at whoever was at hand, if they weren’t getting their way at the moment. So, if anyone tugged on his tie, the thing would slip off, allowing him to counter attack with full blood flow to his brain.
The slacks were a simple black, being almost perfect for his body, even if not tailored at all. That had been down to the fact that she’d gotten the size right, just from eyeballing the whole package. On his feet were running shoes, which were actually gray and not new at all. Not because she hadn’t known his foot size. That was nine and a half.
No, it was down to the fact that real line walkers lived on their feet. Wearing cute footwear that killed the ends of his legs would be not only stupid, but feel wrong. Even Kaitlyn, an Alede, wore something similar to work in. In her case they were a bit nicer looking, but the idea was the same. No one that did the job wore dress shoes, much less high heels. Plus, Ravi might have to run or fight at times.
It was a danger of working with other people, after all.
Sometimes you had to beat them down, in order to get their attention.
Which seemed to be both true to her, while also being something that should be avoided, most days. At least if she was going to pretend to be good. Except, that, pretending… It wasn’t what she really wanted to do. Her goal was to actually become someone that did the right thing without too much effort or thought. A goal that was probably impossible. She could fake being anything, if she had to, of course. For a short period of time. A few decades even.