Chapter 71:
It is a hard thing to ask
Constantine:
When the workday is over, Daniel and I go home. The thought that I have to ask Thea for funding doesn’t leave my mind. I feel like those people, who only remember that they have grandparents, when those grandparents slip them a 20-scale bill. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t want for Thea to think I’ll use her like that.
There has to be a different way. A way, with which we can avoid asking Thea for assistance. I just need to figure out what it is. I go through the motions before bed on autopilot. Not only that, but I don’t taste the food I eat, even though I ate everything on the plate. I don’t even notice when I am out of my clothes, and into my pajamas.
Daniel snuggles into me, and then begins to rub circles on my stomach. That feels nice. I relax into the touch, and allow for it to lull me to sleep. When I wake up, I am no closer to finding a way around my issue, than before.
“Good morning,” Daniel says, as I pull on my clothes for the day.
“Good morning,” I say, and then look up at him. He is staring at my hair for some reason. I then blink. Wait, did I comb it?
A hand through my curls shows that no, I did not. I bite my lower lip, and wonder how today is going to go, if I can barely function.
“Why can’t Manacom simply ask for a loan?” Daniel asks. Ah, he must know what is bothering me. He was against the idea, too, yesterday.
“I don’t know? Maybe we took one too many? You have to remember, for a long time, Manacom didn’t have investors,” I say.
“There is...another option,” Daniel says, and I blink.
“Go on,” I urge him. Anything will be preferable, to asking my grandmother for money. I don’t care if she is loaded. Such things shouldn’t be done, if it is not life or death kind of situation.
“Why don’t we make Earth pay for it?” He asks. I tilt my head to the side.
“How are we going to convince them to make a world-wide TV show?” I ask him. He smiles, and taps his nose.
“Why should we have them make a world-wide show, when almost every country has a reality with tasks? We can just make them add a task that tests magic. Then, when the contestants are about to perform, we lower the shields, and bam. We get the delivery men and women,” it all sounds simple enough to work. I rush to him, and hug him tightly.
“And this will have the added benefit of not being human baiting,” I whisper in his ear. He is shorter than I, so, his nose is now in my nape. He nuzzles me, and places a kiss on the spot, where my neck meets my shoulder. That reminds me that I am yet to dress. I check the clock. Huh, we have only fifteen minutes! We have to take a taxi, today.
“Come on, we have to go,” I say, as I let go of him, and rush back to the bed, where I have laid out my clothes. I put them on, not caring if I would wrinkle them. I am so happy, that the disaster has been averted. Now, I can invite Dorothea and Antony to a barbecue with a clean conscience.
We get out of the house, and I call a taxi. As we wait, I wonder when Antony is going to drop by again to see me. There are no phone lines between the dimensions. Tony’s teleport is buried under the oldest Caltea.
Which makes me think, are the last ten years the only time he has come to visit? He certainly never mentioned anything about it. My parents never said anything about shadow Naga stealing their emotion potions, either.
I look at Daniel, and bite my lower lip. Should I also invite Rodger to the barbecue? The Naga is the closest thing that Daniel has to a friend that is entirely his. I just don’t think he’ll have time for things like that. Still, it won’t hurt to ask, will it? The taxi comes, and we pile inside. As we travel, I look out of the window.
The Caltea leaves have turned orange with the changing of the seasons. Soon, they will begin to fall, and with them, the acorn like fruits that grow in their crowns. Ah, Caltea acorns. You can make a neat preserve with apples from them. I wonder if Ms. Parsons will give me a couple of apples, if I tell her that I will give her a jar or two of the finished products?
I should take Beth to gather the acorns with me. She loves this time of the year. She has this habit, where she would pile up acorns in her hair, and pretend they are jewels.
And Noah! I have to get my second babysitting client out and playing in the Caltea leaves. If I don’t invite him, I will have to forget about our Sunday emotion bottling sessions.
Now that Manacom takes up my days, I only have the weekend for the children. They would breach the subject of the wedding that is sure to come for Daniel and I, and Daniel would just look at me with longing. Yet, I can’t propose to him, before I introduce him to my entire family. Things are just not done this way, around here.
The taxi stops before Manacom, and I pay the driver. We get to our desks, a couple of minutes before Agafia arrives. I nudge Daniel, who stands up, and goes to hers and Nahndor’s desk.
“Agafia, we have a solution for the recruitment,” he says, and then smiles. “We will make Earth pay for it.”
She blinks at that, but, as Daniel begins to explain to her the finer points, a grin splits her face. I relax in my chair, and go about screening the TV shows that we can use for our purpose.
Chapter 71:
It is a hard thing to ask
Constantine:
When the workday is over, Daniel and I go home. The thought that I have to ask Thea for funding doesn’t leave my mind. I feel like those people, who only remember that they have grandparents, when those grandparents slip them a 20-scale bill. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t want for Thea to think I’ll use her like that.
There has to be a different way. A way, with which we can avoid asking Thea for assistance. I just need to figure out what it is. I go through the motions before bed on autopilot. Not only that, but I don’t taste the food I eat, even though I ate everything on the plate. I don’t even notice when I am out of my clothes, and into my pajamas.
Daniel snuggles into me, and then begins to rub circles on my stomach. That feels nice. I relax into the touch, and allow for it to lull me to sleep. When I wake up, I am no closer to finding a way around my issue, than before.
“Good morning,” Daniel says, as I pull on my clothes for the day.
“Good morning,” I say, and then look up at him. He is staring at my hair for some reason. I then blink. Wait, did I comb it?
A hand through my curls shows that no, I did not. I bite my lower lip, and wonder how today is going to go, if I can barely function.
“Why can’t Manacom simply ask for a loan?” Daniel asks. Ah, he must know what is bothering me. He was against the idea, too, yesterday.
“I don’t know? Maybe we took one too many? You have to remember, for a long time, Manacom didn’t have investors,” I say.
“There is...another option,” Daniel says, and I blink.
“Go on,” I urge him. Anything will be preferable, to asking my grandmother for money. I don’t care if she is loaded. Such things shouldn’t be done, if it is not life or death kind of situation.
“Why don’t we make Earth pay for it?” He asks. I tilt my head to the side.
“How are we going to convince them to make a world-wide TV show?” I ask him. He smiles, and taps his nose.
“Why should we have them make a world-wide show, when almost every country has a reality with tasks? We can just make them add a task that tests magic. Then, when the contestants are about to perform, we lower the shields, and bam. We get the delivery men and women,” it all sounds simple enough to work. I rush to him, and hug him tightly.
“And this will have the added benefit of not being human baiting,” I whisper in his ear. He is shorter than I, so, his nose is now in my nape. He nuzzles me, and places a kiss on the spot, where my neck meets my shoulder. That reminds me that I am yet to dress. I check the clock. Huh, we have only fifteen minutes! We have to take a taxi, today.
“Come on, we have to go,” I say, as I let go of him, and rush back to the bed, where I have laid out my clothes. I put them on, not caring if I would wrinkle them. I am so happy, that the disaster has been averted. Now, I can invite Dorothea and Antony to a barbecue with a clean conscience.
We get out of the house, and I call a taxi. As we wait, I wonder when Antony is going to drop by again to see me. There are no phone lines between the dimensions. Tony’s teleport is buried under the oldest Caltea.
Which makes me think, are the last ten years the only time he has come to visit? He certainly never mentioned anything about it. My parents never said anything about shadow Naga stealing their emotion potions, either.
I look at Daniel, and bite my lower lip. Should I also invite Rodger to the barbecue? The Naga is the closest thing that Daniel has to a friend that is entirely his. I just don’t think he’ll have time for things like that. Still, it won’t hurt to ask, will it? The taxi comes, and we pile inside. As we travel, I look out of the window.
The Caltea leaves have turned orange with the changing of the seasons. Soon, they will begin to fall, and with them, the acorn like fruits that grow in their crowns. Ah, Caltea acorns. You can make a neat preserve with apples from them. I wonder if Ms. Parsons will give me a couple of apples, if I tell her that I will give her a jar or two of the finished products?
I should take Beth to gather the acorns with me. She loves this time of the year. She has this habit, where she would pile up acorns in her hair, and pretend they are jewels.
And Noah! I have to get my second babysitting client out and playing in the Caltea leaves. If I don’t invite him, I will have to forget about our Sunday emotion bottling sessions.
Now that Manacom takes up my days, I only have the weekend for the children. They would breach the subject of the wedding that is sure to come for Daniel and I, and Daniel would just look at me with longing. Yet, I can’t propose to him, before I introduce him to my entire family. Things are just not done this way, around here.
The taxi stops before Manacom, and I pay the driver. We get to our desks, a couple of minutes before Agafia arrives. I nudge Daniel, who stands up, and goes to hers and Nahndor’s desk.
“Agafia, we have a solution for the recruitment,” he says, and then smiles. “We will make Earth pay for it.”
She blinks at that, but, as Daniel begins to explain to her the finer points, a grin splits her face. I relax in my chair, and go about screening the TV shows that we can use for our purpose.
