by P. S. Power
“This isn't for that. Master Wu-Li is working on a problem in China and may need extra supplies. Consider this a down payment toward whatever he needs. Is that something we can do? I don't know what he may need, to tell the truth...”
The wizened being contemplated the situation for a moment, asked questions about what had been gotten before, the number of people infected and so on for a while, then set to work, measuring odds and ends, taking some things out of storage, and making a box of useful items up. Scales and stone bowls with stone grinders, rasps and parchment paper.
“There is always need of more basic tools and herbs in such situations as you describe. The rescuers need to stay strong as well and their energy must stay high, yes...” The pile of bundles grew, notations added to each paper package. “If you can get this to them before another day passes, it would be a kindness. Go now. Oh, here...” He handed back the bag with about half the gold still in it. “Good doing business with you! Come again soon.”
Zack pushed the bag back, asking him to keep it toward future emergency purchases, when he might have to show up without gold in hand. The Master bowed and counted it out, making notions in a book and labeling the page as his account.
Zack decided that he needed to get the herbs and tools to the Master quickly, but he should stop at Candles and More first, so that they knew he hadn't been ambushed again. He popped in, looked at everyone and told them that all seemed fine, and that he'd be back in a few minutes.
What he'd bought approached the greatest amount he could pick up and carry, his arms burned a little with fatigue and began to shake as well.
He followed the Line to the Nexus he and Wu-Li had used earlier. It took him longer to walk to the location where the healers worked though, about ten minutes, because of his burden. He didn't see the Masters, so he left the package for them on the front table, where he hoped it would be noticed.
At his sides, now empty, his arms felt limp, he tried shaking them to restore normal feeling. That kind of worked, but only a bit.
He hurried back to the shop as fast as he could. After all, he hadn't exactly explained his plan to anyone.
He felt half the room descend on him. Hilda checked him for damage, muttering that he seemed free of bloody wounds, then began poking him and checking for mobility by moving his limbs for him. She kept going even after he said he hadn't been injured at all.
Claire questioned him closely about the whole thing. He didn't know much, just the Vaun had hit the ground running. He hadn't even seen the Vampires that had been attacking them, things moved so fast.
“The second trip, well, I'd gotten some things for Master Wu-Li, supplies and such that I bought from Master Yang that he said might help. I took those there directly, so that we could go home on time. I didn't want to keep everyone waiting...”
Lisa shook her head and headed back to her office. The door closed with a solid click that was a bit firmer than she normally used.
When nine came, Lisa came and asked him to close, even though she had to stay for a while and work. Claire said she needed to stay for a while too and asked, since her car remained parked outside his house, if he could come back and get her in an hour, since his shortcut really was the fastest way to travel between the two places.
Before they left the mall, the three going home stopped by Beautiful Plus to check on Valerie. Norris told them that she'd left hours earlier, since their store didn't practice grueling slave hours like some did. He made it clear to Zack on the deep level that he thought people were taking advantage of his good nature. There was a point there, he knew. He managed to keep working nine to nine as often as not lately. Not that he had a lot else to do, other than heal and sleep.
While Hilda and Merri walked beside him, Zack considered that. Even though they all pushed themselves, some of the people around him, Claire and Lisa, for instance, seemed to work very long hours too. Maybe he should say something? Though as long as they did it willingly, did he have a right to say anything at all? He needed to think about it.
He needed to think about a lot of things, if he could find the time.
A whole lot.
Chapter nineteen
As the next days passed, no real emergencies came up at all. He took people and beings that he still thought of as people, even though they looked different than he did, from one location to another, delivered herbs and food to Wu-Li and tried to keep the store organized and stocked. He did remember to finally call the fire extinguisher people, who came out within a few hours to put in the type of wall mounted set up that the Djinn had recommended.
He also remembered to arrange having Saturday off with Lisa, so that he could cover for Riley at the Fun Zone as he'd promised. Riley seemed surprised that he'd remembered, but pleased. There were a lot of little hopping motions at least, that he took to mean that.
The manager of The Tarantula came in with a designer, and Troy on Friday, to look at candles and lamps. Zack got the ordering catalogs out, which the designer wanted to take to the club almost immediately. Zack cleared this with Lisa, who agreed, but required the books to stay with someone she knew, so that they didn't get lost – her Shadow admitted to Zack that she had no clue how to get more.
Zack had a thought, so under the guise of getting them all some frozen yogurt – which the designer begged off, being on the latest low carb diet – he headed over to the yogurt shop. Claire had them half finished when he stepped through the door.
“Claire, Keane also works at The Tarantula right? A regional manager or something? Could he keep our ordering catalogs safe do you think? I mean, do you think he'd be willing to do that if we asked him?”
The small woman, dressed in a long skirt, with an apron over a blouse that would have looked not too far out of place a hundred years before said that would probably work and that she'd ask him when he came in. She presented four marvelous creations to him, though only two had been asked for.
“Oh, Hilda's coming and she'll insist you have some too. She's right, you know, you do forget to eat enough if people don't force it on you. I'll actually just give Keane a call. We can have young Drake in again. He's learning the ropes well enough. He still won't read my notebook though. Thinks that he knows everything about the business because he can hit the cup with some yogurt half the time.” A wonderful looking treat carrier came at him across the counter with the four beautiful creations balanced within. “Attention to detail is what allows the very long lived to weather the years, you know. He needs to figure that out soon. If you don't have something to strive for, everything will pale, and then you begin to go wild, trying to make things more exciting. Only that never lasts for long, not when decades and centuries are how you mark time. I thought Nikki seemed to be getting it, but that stunt a few weeks ago... letting Troy, a Human that didn't even know about us, see her... I'm afraid that maybe I've given her too much credit too soon. Oh. I'm going to have her over at night for a while. Do you think that Merri would look after her?”
Zack took the treats off the counter and said he'd check with her about that. He didn't want to promise Merri's work without her say so. Fictional marriage aside, the small woman seemed to take suggestions as orders. Not just from him, but from everyone in the house, including Troy. Luckily his friend hadn't noticed that effect yet.
After Troy, his manager, and Cecil the designer – just Cecil, no last name, he'd told them – left, Lisa came out and handed him two envelopes. He noticed that she looked upset. When he mentioned it she brushed it aside, saying only that things with Deidre weren't going very well.
Her Shadow went on about how jealous the other woman seemed. She'd been hurt before, so now she pushed everyone away to protect herself. He nearly missed what Lisa said on the surface her Shadow talked about this subject so intently.
“So this is your store paycheck, cash again, and this other is an accounting of what you've earned in the last four days. You can have the gold physically at need, but it's enough that you'll pr
obably just want to use the transfer system for anything over a few hundred ounces. The goods and services are being brokered by various groups. Hilda's monitoring the disposition of goods, actually. Valerie has services so far. I'm taking care of the gold. Let's go over what this means while we have a chance...”
Zack got the envelope open and pulled the papers – it felt like six or seven – out and laid them on the counter.
“All right, here, this column, is the raw gold taken in. It's in ounces which is the normal way of accounting for it. The make of the coin itself doesn't matter, just the weight. You've made seventeen trips at the rush rate, five that we decided we could count at the normal rate, and then all the free work you've done. Now this is written down as being all gold, but almost half of it is really in goods or services.”
She pointed to a number that had been underlined. “So five hundred sixty thousand gold ounces or gold equivalent. Not bad for the first week. Congratulations.”
He did some math in his head, then decided to just ask Lisa, who seemed to have a head for such things, instead. He missed a lot of school growing up and some subjects suffered because of it.
“So what's that split six ways?” he asked. “Wait, am I forgetting anyone? Me, you, Claire, Hilda, Val and Merri... That's everyone for now, right?”
Lisa considered this for a moment and finally just asked him to wait while she ran up the paperwork for that. She came out a half hour later and smiled at him and took a handful of envelopes out into the mall. She delivered one to Claire, then quickly left, headed into the mall proper.
Claire came over a few minutes later.
“Quiet generous. You do realize that every group will be clamoring to send you wives and concubines now, don't you? For all that you said to ignore the agreement others put in place for you, this will seem as if those chosen as your 'managers' will fare very well.” Her left eyebrow lifted.
“Ah, but you see, that's what you're being paid for, to make certain I don't end up with more than I can handle, right? So you all get a percentage for acting as managers. If others want in, they need to go through all of you first. Vote on it or something. And remind them that it's really just a manager's position, not a marriage.” It felt right, like his decision would work out, and seemed only fair to him.
“A weekly one ninth share though...”
One ninth? He asked to see the receipt breakdown. Indeed, it listed all of the women originally picked out as his wives as managers and gave them and him an equal share. Except the Demon. That hadn't actually been his intent, and he said so to Claire.
“You see though, it's dead clever! By giving everyone an equal share as manager, no group can claim slight later. We may have to assign the others some duties, but, yes... I think this may end up being a brilliant move. I need to check on some things. I'll see you later at your house.”
He shrugged to himself. It's not like any of this meant anything, not to him. He made enough now to pay the bills and buy food. Even other things if he wanted them. Gold, goods, and services? Markers on a piece of paper as far as he could tell. He could have been playing one of Troy's video games for all the reality this stuff had. If giving some of it away made others happy, they could have it.
Hilda ran in, nearly taking out the new end cap display he'd built in his spare time over the last few days. She hugged him, holding him close for nearly a minute.
“It's a small fortune! I don't know if I deserve it... Thank you!” She jumped up and down happily.
“Just seeing you that happy is worth it.” He said with a smile, meaning it.
For some reason this caused her to scream slightly and hug him again.
Merri came in next, with a very different reaction.
“Have I done something wrong? Am I just an employee now, to receive cold coins? Forgive me if I've wronged you. I'll do better, I'll...” She was nearly in tears over it. Real ones.
He held up a hand and asked to see her receipt. On the Shadow level he could see her concern, giving her a share like this had overstepped a social boundary in her mind. An important one. Family didn't get paid, they were part of the whole, she cried, tears on the inside that would come out soon if he didn't fix this.
He crossed out a line and wrote in “Household Budget” where it had listed her share. Then he handed it back to her.
“Oh! I see. I'm to be in charge of expenses and purchases then?”
Zack nodded, thought for a moment and handed over the other envelope with his weekly pay in it too. He explained that she'd have to find out what all the bills were and how to pay them, but since Troy had been managing on his own for a long time, she should be able to handle it just as well or better. She could get the bills from Troy, who he assured her, would help her with it to start with.
After Hilda calmed down, they both went back to work, Merri promising to send food for him and Lisa shortly.
Valerie came to the window of the store, staying out in the hallway, holding the envelope. He wondered for a moment why she didn't come in, then felt the waves of sex and desire that thundered off of her. She blew him a kiss and quickly left. Two men drifted after her, looking at her longingly. Given what she was, they really should have just approached her and asked for a date. He'd have to suggest some things like that, if he ever met anyone that would work for.
The next two in were Nessa, the were-cat and Libby the bat-girl.
“Dang! Now I feel even worse that I didn't make the cut on that deal originally. Lose out on the cute guy and a fortune to boot!” Libby huffed, a friendly tone underneath.
Nessa spoke up next, almost a velvet purr, her Shadow, a cat/girl mix, looked at him closely, sizing him up. She didn't think he looked all that good. A little geeky, still, cute enough, her Shadow said. Some better clothes would help, her inner self seemed to start planning this out for him already.
“I'd heard that the deal had fallen through, something about Demons being too much? Are we back on then? What's my part in this?”
He took her meaning.
“All the original managers, except the Demon, get a share if they decide to do management stuff. You can opt out if you want, or stay in. Either way you should check with Claire or Lisa about what your part should be. They're doing that part, I think. If you need household stuff done, then talk to Merri.” He told her.
She shrugged and said that the Weres had wanted in to begin with. This just meant she didn't have to try to seduce him later. She could just call. Or they could hang out. It would save time.
Libby started laughing, her voice going a little high pitched and squeaky toward the end.
“That would be fun to see though! Haven't you noticed who he hangs around with? He's surrounded by beautiful women, and most of them would sleep with him instantly. He wouldn't even have to snap his fingers, but he still keeps them out of his bed. To seduce him right now, you'd have to interest his mind. You're good Nessa, but you tend to rely on sex a lot. I can't imagine even you could out-sex a succubus though.”
Nessa laughed at this herself and conceded the point with a gesture that looked like she was throwing the idea away.
Libby, never one to leave something unsaid, leaned in a bit, but managed to look like she was serious.
"How are things going with those memories of yours? Do you need help with that or anything?"
“I haven't been doing much on the conscious level yet, but I think my subconscious mind is working on it. I've been having these dreams... I don't know, but they seem to be helping some.”
Nessa looked surprised that Zack had simply answered the Bat-girl's invasive question like that. She seemed to reappraise him a little at that moment. Her Shadow cat self told him what that was about, thankfully. Honesty and self examination are to be prized. It sounded to Zack like a quote, but he didn't ask about it.
Libby kept talking until Lisa came back. He shooed the women out then, saying “Leave quick, the boss is here!” Relieved to have a reason to get rid of them.<
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Lisa smiled, still looking strained. Instead of talking to him, she just went to her office and shut the door.
He handled three more transfers to other Nexus locations in the next forty minutes. Hilda came in at five and waved to him, heading straight to Lisa's office.
A few minutes later they both came out. Hilda, took his hand and led him out without speaking. He thought she might be taking him to the food court until they passed it. Instead she headed for the Gym. She had sweats for him from home and asked him to get changed so they could begin.
Lars stood waiting for him, instead of Hilda.
“Thinks she'll be too easy on you today, so she gets Lars to push you instead! We will work most hard friend Hartley.” This came out loudly, a jovial boom to his voice
Lars proceeded to do just that. Perplexed, he raised the amount that Zack lifted several times. By the third exercise simply starting at about forty percent higher than what the paper in his hand said Zack should be trying to lift.
When they got to squats Zack surprised himself by lifting fifty percent more than he had the last time, when they tested him. The work out took about an hour, then Lars ordered him to the shower and went to talk with Hilda.
“Zack, you're getting strong quick. Faster than we thought you would by a lot. We have both worked with other Humans, even some doing the steroids. This kind of improvement is... impressive, especially considering your injury. Do you know why this has happened?”
He wondered, out loud, if it might be the exercises Wu-Li had shown him. He had done them as close to constantly as he could manage since he learned them. Not perfectly, true, and probably losing them while he slept at times, especially when dreams came. He'd make a point of asking when next he saw Wu-Li or Dan, he promised.
Hilda took him to the food court next, immediately, so he could get food in him, turning the work into more strength if possible.