A Bird Flying Close to the Ceiling
Chasing after anomalies was troublesome. You either find the right anomaly to make money with or get something. Thing we saw in Alonzo was nothing more than a demon-made anomaly. Twisted by the desires of cultists. It wasn’t Kei and me who did the job. The Mage and diabolist seemed to have gotten fat stacks after the deal and they became the star of the show.
Alonzo was a reminder to us how we didn’t exactly need to be on the front. We were already risking our lives chasing after anomalies. It didn’t hurt for others to do the job. Most of the info we got from the entire mission, at least the ones not redacted, was spreading among the enthusiasts who were wondering what happened there.
Then it came to me while scrolling down the comments. We were becoming Medias. Investigative Journalists of some twisted kind.
“Close. But Journos rarely fights hard like you two.”
Aidan commented. The old man had abandoned his old outfit and settled for some respectable two-piece suit with a duster coat to hide most of his rudimentary augments. Gray hair shaded by the rays of sunlight piercing the gaps of the platform.
“Do you think it will change how they look at us?”
“No. But it gives the office credibility. Miss Kei and you have been doing a good job of making the office known. They go our way if they want info on anomalies.”
I sat properly on the chair and took a drink of the cheap coffee. Exhaust fumes make a trail in the room with people’s heads lining up.
“You got cash now. Why do we have to drink this synthetic shit?”
“It isn’t bad, or are your tastes so refined now by your improved standards of living?”
“Not really.”
I shook my shoulders. The Old man stirs his cup and puts it down. He eyed one of the waitresses and scanned the road. Ever since we sat down here an hour ago. He had been scanning the road four times. Alert and always ready for some ambush. I didn’t dislike this habit, but it makes me jumpy too.
“Remind me why I’m here again, Sir.”
“You already told me what happened personally. I don’t trust written efforts, you know? Prefer hearing it from the mouth. There’s a lot in writing you miss out.”
“So, other than what happened? What’s your insight?”
“Anomalies that are recorded are no longer anomalies. My freelancers have been chasing after anomalies. They’ve become common like monsters and have been appearing everywhere. Lately, we’ve devised strategies on how to subdue them with minimal effort.”
“I read that.”
They made most of it from experience, and the tactics taught by Aidan. The Old Man knows how to operate an office properly. Measure what his people were good at and then assign them based on what they can do.
“Then you know how ‘common’ they have become. Sato’s been collecting samples and putting what he knows on the database and selling the data as add-on. The man is a daylight thief. A good one too.”
He takes another sip of his coffee.
“Personally, I don’t mind my people going through recorded anoms. What worries me is how we can sustain the business. I don’t think you two are incompetent, far from it, but investigating these anomalies directly is too dangerous.”
“Good luck trying to convince Kei to stop what she’s good at.”
I crossed my arms. Kei’s stubborn. She’s not the kind you can convince easily unless you give her enough reason to do so. It’s dangerous and reckless, but she usually knows what she’s doing enough to survive. When we survived Vultan, I knew she had the luck to keep on surviving. Convincing me to persuade her to stay in the office won’t work out when it’s the thing she genuinely enjoys doing. It fascinates her to the point she’s willing to view through hours of footage and experience the brain footage of individuals who died gruesomely.
“Merely a suggestion. I can tell she’s a stubborn girl and there’s simply no way for me either to convince her otherwise. Just a reminder of who’s at the heart of this operation and of this office. If she dies, then we will lose our current income, and I’d rather not. It’s… a safer business and my people are fond of this. Better than hunting monsters. Still, we do off the clock hunts now and there, but the income we receive here’s too good to be true in this city.”
Kei pays fairly for the world you’ve done. Honestly, if she was a cheapskate, I’m sure she could have afforded a place in Upper Changye by now, but she’s not. She keeps on doing business and doing fieldwork. If she enjoys her interest in this, then she’ll naturally stop. I don’t see that happening for now.
Aidan finishes his cup and sticks his tongue out. His eyes on his comms and takes the call.
“I see. I will come to you now.”
He stood up.
“Off to somewhere?”
“I have business to attend to. I appreciate your hard work. And please think about it. It doesn’t hurt to try.”
Aidan moved quickly out of the shop and joined the river of crowds. Leaving me alone here to think. It’s been a while since I got some alone time. Just me and the shitty synthetic coffee I ordered. It’s not that bad, but after being spoiled by the coffee I usually drink. You notice a difference.
After sitting down for another hour. I came to realize I have been used to the busy life. Doing work and risking my life against anomalies that might end with me and my boss dying a gruesome death.
The waitress asked me if I wanted a refill. I thought why not and got myself a fresh cup of the coffee I was ordering and this banana cake with some butter on it. After filling my stomach up, I joined the people on the sidewalk and let myself get dragged by the flow of civilians heading their own way.
***
Went back to Asobe and found Kei planting her face on the desk. She looked up and then yawned.
“Been gone for a while, Akun. Aidan told me you went to coffee or something. Didn’t invite your boss?”
“Aidan told me about his concern. Has he told you yet?”
“Oh, he did. Kinda sweet of him.”
“Guessing it’s a no.”
Kei stared at the air and then ran her palm on the surface of the table. My experience told me she’s thinking of something. I ain’t no reader of mind, but she usually does this when she’s in deep thought and lately Kei’s been more open to showing her emotions, not as secretive as ever.
“He’s right. Logically, I should be in the office. Manning the table, checking in on customers, and then doing this and that.”
Then she came to this big realization.
“But lately I’ve started not wanting that. I got what I needed. OB and 7S are curious enough about us and helping the Church put us on a good side. If I had a partner who I get to go home and hold every night, then it would be perfect.”
She was almost boasting about her successes. I kept my mouth and perked my ears.
“But after what happened lately? I understand I’m not a person who’d stay bored in her office. Sure, maybe I’ll retire, but the thing is, Akun. I rather know than be ignorant. See and believe. Know what these anoms are just in case they become a problem.”
Then I saw it. The madness lurking within Kei I haven’t seen before. She’s in this for money, you can guarantee that. But she’s also here for the thrill. The wanting to be the girl you find to know. This city… it really gives you the wanting to be important. I don’t know how it does, but it looks like Kei wants to be part of this ecosystem.
“What?”
She noticed my dissatisfaction. I want to keep it mostly hidden. But her falling to this usual disease was something I’d want her to avoid. Changye has a way of doing that. Make you feel important only to one day toss you into the trash after you did your best to be useful to it. If she was like my previous bosses, I’d nod my head right here and agree with her like a yes man. Praise her for wanting to contribute to this ecosystem called Changye.
But I didn’t want to.
“Flying too high, Ma’am. I think you need to slow down and take in the sights first. You might just bang your head and fall or crush the eggs on your freshly made nest.”
Kei looked at me. She didn’t understand for a moment, then somewhat understood what I’m getting at.
“Was I being too confident?”
“Ma’am, I hate to poke at your bubble of confidence, but compared to the other offices, despite our earnings, we’re still not enough. If we make a mistake, the branch underneath the nest will break and all the eggs will be crushed.”
She made a dramatic pause and turned to study me. Trying to understand why I was saying this. One thing I liked about her was she knows when to stop and listen. She comprehends and listens to the surrounding people. One of her greatest strengths was her understanding. It’s this ability to comprehend and understand why she’s in the business of investigating anomalies. Hell, the only thing she seemed to have fucked up was her trouble with Emily. Beyond Emily, she’s been a wonderful boss to work with. A keen mind with great insight, as long as it isn’t about her relationships.
“Maybe. Shit, I guess all the success is getting into me. Hmm, just don’t tell me to sit here and do nothing like Aidan tells me to.”
“No. I don’t think it’ll be good. If I try to look after anomalies, I don’t know what to do.”
“Please, you’re not dumb enough not to notice what to do. You survive being thrown around when we faced the fragment of the Okinawan Devil. Then I think you can do it.”
“It’s different if you’re around. Instincts trained on anomalies are much sharper than any untrained one. You’ve been hunting these anomalies down, Ma’am. You know what to do because you have the confidence to handle them. Belief plays a big part successes, and it’s what makes you good at it.”
“Your boot-licking skills are pretty great, Assistant. I wish you’d do this often. It pleases me.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“Don’t know why it irks me somehow.”
“Because it’s coming from me?”
“Yeah, it feels like some evil spirit is advising me.”
A smile formed on her lips and then vanished. She swung her swivel chair around and then took out a cigar she’s keeping on the drawer in her desk.
“I’ll keep your words in mind. I appreciate it. Thank Aidan too. I welcome the old man's concern.. Heh, he’s probably doing it because his freelancers are earning well under me.”
She got it right. The Old Man having concerns was because of money and not for her life. Aidan doesn’t want to see this gig going away, and he needed Kei to keep it going.
Still, the madness remained on Kei. Sleeping and waiting to come out if she ever started thinking that way. She won’t try to be so ambitious for now, but I doubt Aidan, and my words are something she’d immediately consider. She’s stubborn and follows her own wants more than others.
“I’m going home for now, Ma’am”
“Don’t get shot out there.”
I was about to exit the office when she stopped me from heading out.
“Thanks for the reminder, Akun. I really appreciate it. Aidan too.”
“No need to thank me, Ma’am.”
I left her shop and went back to my apartment, hoping Kei will make sense of it all.
A Bird Flying Close to the Ceiling
Chasing after anomalies was troublesome. You either find the right anomaly to make money with or get something. Thing we saw in Alonzo was nothing more than a demon-made anomaly. Twisted by the desires of cultists. It wasn’t Kei and me who did the job. The Mage and diabolist seemed to have gotten fat stacks after the deal and they became the star of the show.
Alonzo was a reminder to us how we didn’t exactly need to be on the front. We were already risking our lives chasing after anomalies. It didn’t hurt for others to do the job. Most of the info we got from the entire mission, at least the ones not redacted, was spreading among the enthusiasts who were wondering what happened there.
Then it came to me while scrolling down the comments. We were becoming Medias. Investigative Journalists of some twisted kind.
“Close. But Journos rarely fights hard like you two.”
Aidan commented. The old man had abandoned his old outfit and settled for some respectable two-piece suit with a duster coat to hide most of his rudimentary augments. Gray hair shaded by the rays of sunlight piercing the gaps of the platform.
“Do you think it will change how they look at us?”
“No. But it gives the office credibility. Miss Kei and you have been doing a good job of making the office known. They go our way if they want info on anomalies.”
I sat properly on the chair and took a drink of the cheap coffee. Exhaust fumes make a trail in the room with people’s heads lining up.
“You got cash now. Why do we have to drink this synthetic shit?”
“It isn’t bad, or are your tastes so refined now by your improved standards of living?”
“Not really.”
I shook my shoulders. The Old man stirs his cup and puts it down. He eyed one of the waitresses and scanned the road. Ever since we sat down here an hour ago. He had been scanning the road four times. Alert and always ready for some ambush. I didn’t dislike this habit, but it makes me jumpy too.
“Remind me why I’m here again, Sir.”
“You already told me what happened personally. I don’t trust written efforts, you know? Prefer hearing it from the mouth. There’s a lot in writing you miss out.”
“So, other than what happened? What’s your insight?”
“Anomalies that are recorded are no longer anomalies. My freelancers have been chasing after anomalies. They’ve become common like monsters and have been appearing everywhere. Lately, we’ve devised strategies on how to subdue them with minimal effort.”
“I read that.”
They made most of it from experience, and the tactics taught by Aidan. The Old Man knows how to operate an office properly. Measure what his people were good at and then assign them based on what they can do.
“Then you know how ‘common’ they have become. Sato’s been collecting samples and putting what he knows on the database and selling the data as add-on. The man is a daylight thief. A good one too.”
He takes another sip of his coffee.
“Personally, I don’t mind my people going through recorded anoms. What worries me is how we can sustain the business. I don’t think you two are incompetent, far from it, but investigating these anomalies directly is too dangerous.”
“Good luck trying to convince Kei to stop what she’s good at.”
I crossed my arms. Kei’s stubborn. She’s not the kind you can convince easily unless you give her enough reason to do so. It’s dangerous and reckless, but she usually knows what she’s doing enough to survive. When we survived Vultan, I knew she had the luck to keep on surviving. Convincing me to persuade her to stay in the office won’t work out when it’s the thing she genuinely enjoys doing. It fascinates her to the point she’s willing to view through hours of footage and experience the brain footage of individuals who died gruesomely.
“Merely a suggestion. I can tell she’s a stubborn girl and there’s simply no way for me either to convince her otherwise. Just a reminder of who’s at the heart of this operation and of this office. If she dies, then we will lose our current income, and I’d rather not. It’s… a safer business and my people are fond of this. Better than hunting monsters. Still, we do off the clock hunts now and there, but the income we receive here’s too good to be true in this city.”
Kei pays fairly for the world you’ve done. Honestly, if she was a cheapskate, I’m sure she could have afforded a place in Upper Changye by now, but she’s not. She keeps on doing business and doing fieldwork. If she enjoys her interest in this, then she’ll naturally stop. I don’t see that happening for now.
Aidan finishes his cup and sticks his tongue out. His eyes on his comms and takes the call.
“I see. I will come to you now.”
He stood up.
“Off to somewhere?”
“I have business to attend to. I appreciate your hard work. And please think about it. It doesn’t hurt to try.”
Aidan moved quickly out of the shop and joined the river of crowds. Leaving me alone here to think. It’s been a while since I got some alone time. Just me and the shitty synthetic coffee I ordered. It’s not that bad, but after being spoiled by the coffee I usually drink. You notice a difference.
After sitting down for another hour. I came to realize I have been used to the busy life. Doing work and risking my life against anomalies that might end with me and my boss dying a gruesome death.
The waitress asked me if I wanted a refill. I thought why not and got myself a fresh cup of the coffee I was ordering and this banana cake with some butter on it. After filling my stomach up, I joined the people on the sidewalk and let myself get dragged by the flow of civilians heading their own way.
***
Went back to Asobe and found Kei planting her face on the desk. She looked up and then yawned.
“Been gone for a while, Akun. Aidan told me you went to coffee or something. Didn’t invite your boss?”
“Aidan told me about his concern. Has he told you yet?”
“Oh, he did. Kinda sweet of him.”
“Guessing it’s a no.”
Kei stared at the air and then ran her palm on the surface of the table. My experience told me she’s thinking of something. I ain’t no reader of mind, but she usually does this when she’s in deep thought and lately Kei’s been more open to showing her emotions, not as secretive as ever.
“He’s right. Logically, I should be in the office. Manning the table, checking in on customers, and then doing this and that.”
Then she came to this big realization.
“But lately I’ve started not wanting that. I got what I needed. OB and 7S are curious enough about us and helping the Church put us on a good side. If I had a partner who I get to go home and hold every night, then it would be perfect.”
She was almost boasting about her successes. I kept my mouth and perked my ears.
“But after what happened lately? I understand I’m not a person who’d stay bored in her office. Sure, maybe I’ll retire, but the thing is, Akun. I rather know than be ignorant. See and believe. Know what these anoms are just in case they become a problem.”
Then I saw it. The madness lurking within Kei I haven’t seen before. She’s in this for money, you can guarantee that. But she’s also here for the thrill. The wanting to be the girl you find to know. This city… it really gives you the wanting to be important. I don’t know how it does, but it looks like Kei wants to be part of this ecosystem.
“What?”
She noticed my dissatisfaction. I want to keep it mostly hidden. But her falling to this usual disease was something I’d want her to avoid. Changye has a way of doing that. Make you feel important only to one day toss you into the trash after you did your best to be useful to it. If she was like my previous bosses, I’d nod my head right here and agree with her like a yes man. Praise her for wanting to contribute to this ecosystem called Changye.
But I didn’t want to.
“Flying too high, Ma’am. I think you need to slow down and take in the sights first. You might just bang your head and fall or crush the eggs on your freshly made nest.”
Kei looked at me. She didn’t understand for a moment, then somewhat understood what I’m getting at.
“Was I being too confident?”
“Ma’am, I hate to poke at your bubble of confidence, but compared to the other offices, despite our earnings, we’re still not enough. If we make a mistake, the branch underneath the nest will break and all the eggs will be crushed.”
She made a dramatic pause and turned to study me. Trying to understand why I was saying this. One thing I liked about her was she knows when to stop and listen. She comprehends and listens to the surrounding people. One of her greatest strengths was her understanding. It’s this ability to comprehend and understand why she’s in the business of investigating anomalies. Hell, the only thing she seemed to have fucked up was her trouble with Emily. Beyond Emily, she’s been a wonderful boss to work with. A keen mind with great insight, as long as it isn’t about her relationships.
“Maybe. Shit, I guess all the success is getting into me. Hmm, just don’t tell me to sit here and do nothing like Aidan tells me to.”
“No. I don’t think it’ll be good. If I try to look after anomalies, I don’t know what to do.”
“Please, you’re not dumb enough not to notice what to do. You survive being thrown around when we faced the fragment of the Okinawan Devil. Then I think you can do it.”
“It’s different if you’re around. Instincts trained on anomalies are much sharper than any untrained one. You’ve been hunting these anomalies down, Ma’am. You know what to do because you have the confidence to handle them. Belief plays a big part successes, and it’s what makes you good at it.”
“Your boot-licking skills are pretty great, Assistant. I wish you’d do this often. It pleases me.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“Don’t know why it irks me somehow.”
“Because it’s coming from me?”
“Yeah, it feels like some evil spirit is advising me.”
A smile formed on her lips and then vanished. She swung her swivel chair around and then took out a cigar she’s keeping on the drawer in her desk.
“I’ll keep your words in mind. I appreciate it. Thank Aidan too. I welcome the old man's concern.. Heh, he’s probably doing it because his freelancers are earning well under me.”
She got it right. The Old Man having concerns was because of money and not for her life. Aidan doesn’t want to see this gig going away, and he needed Kei to keep it going.
Still, the madness remained on Kei. Sleeping and waiting to come out if she ever started thinking that way. She won’t try to be so ambitious for now, but I doubt Aidan, and my words are something she’d immediately consider. She’s stubborn and follows her own wants more than others.
“I’m going home for now, Ma’am”
“Don’t get shot out there.”
I was about to exit the office when she stopped me from heading out.
“Thanks for the reminder, Akun. I really appreciate it. Aidan too.”
“No need to thank me, Ma’am.”
I left her shop and went back to my apartment, hoping Kei will make sense of it all.
