It was an office, not unlike any of the other offices around the city. There were windows, visible to the lucky few cubes on the ends of the rows. Then there was Vera's cube, situated next to the row of manager's offices. Today she was lucky, someone had left their door open and precious slant of sunlight escaped, warming her back and washing out half of her computer screen.
"I never realized your hair was red," Tracy dumped a large stack of paper on her desk, "The florescent lights make everything look so soupy."
"What is that?" she pointed at the stack of paper. Tracy only offered compliments when he wanted a favor.
"I need this entered," he smiled, a dimple appearing in his cheek.
"You have a secretary," Vera waved a freckled hand to her left, "Ask him."
"He's sick," Tracy gave her puppy-dog eyes, batting his long dark eyelashes.
Vera sighed and fought back a smile. Tracy was such a silly man, he didn't even try to act like her boss.
"You have sharp eyes, Vera, I couldn't trust this task to anyone else," he placed his palms together and knelt, his mouth twisted in mock submission.
"I have my own work to do, Tracy. Can't you ask your brother's secretary?"
He shook his blonde head vigorously, his curls bouncing like a shampoo commercial, "Noooo. She'd tell him and then I'd have to hear about it for the next year."
"Fine," she conceded, "I'll try to work it in somehow."
"Thank you, Vera, I knew you'd come through for me," he darted out of her cube, pausing to pop his head over the other side, "Oh, by the way, I need it done by eight AM tomorrow." Before she could even grumble, he ran off towards the kitchen. Irritated, Vera flipped through the stack of paper. It was data that should have been entered months ago. Really, everything was supposed to be entered when it happened. She would have a long night ahead of her.
Seeing a blonde head appear above the cube wall, Vera jumped up and yelled, "Hey you!" The man turned, a startled look on his face. "Oops," Vera said to herself. It was Tracy's brother, Lynn. He scowled at her, then turned into his office. He pulled his door shut behind him, his ears a furious shade of red. "Big oops," Vera giggled to herself. She put her own work aside and started entering Tracy's stack of data. His handwriting was terrible, and she frequently paused to squint at a character that didn't seem to come from the Latin alphabet.
As the day wore on, employees trickled out of the building until she was the sole person left, typing a mind-numbing string of letters and numbers. She rubbed her eyes and stretched. If she didn't get a cup of coffee, she would fall asleep right there on top of her keyboard and crash the database by pushing "fgh" with her forehead for a few hours. "Fgh is right," she said to herself.
Something creaked behind her, and Vera jumped. With the back of her neck prickling with fright, she swiveled in her chair. All the offices behind her were dark, save the one on the far end, Lynn's office. She stared at the light, suddenly more curious than afraid. Was he working late too, or did he just forget to shut everything off? She tip-toed across the floor, her earlier sense of unease returning.
Mustering her common sense, she forced herself to walk normally. She opened the door briskly, snapping off the light. She shut the door, then froze. In that instant before turning off the light, she had seen something her tired brain had failed to process. "Oh My God," she said under her breath. She fumbled with the door knob and slapped the lights back on.
Lynn glared at her, his arms crossed on his desk, "What is wrong with you?”
"I'm so sorry," Vera giggled helplessly. The combination of exhaustion and shock made her knees go weak. She slumped in Lynn's visitor chair, trying to stop the laughter that kept bubbling up inside of her.
“Can't you do that somewhere else?” Lynn made shooing motions at her, “I have work to do, you know.” As she left the room, he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear, "I told Tracy he should have hired a different person."
“Cold,” Vera tipped her head back and squeezed an eye drop into each eye, “Such a cold thing to say.” The eye drops ran from the corners of her eyes.
Tracy popped over the top of her cube, “Thanks for entering all that - woah! Who is he and do I need to talk to him with my fists?”
“His name is Visine,” she held up the bottle, “and I wouldn't be seeing him if you got your work done on time.”
“I heard you talking before I came over here,” Tracy rested his head on the top of the cubicle wall, a maneuver that made his head look disembodied. “Who said something cold to you? C’mon, you can tell your boss,” he straightened up suddenly, a finger in the air, “I could fire her.”
“Who?” Vera looked up at the acoustical tile where he was pointing.
“So it's not a woman and not a man,” Tracy looked thoughtful, “I could fire them.”
“Stop, you can't fire this person anyway,” Vera wiped the eye drops off her cheeks.
“They don't work here . . . oooooor, it's my mother,” Tracy looked stunned, “What did my mother do to you?”
“No, it's not your mom and I told you to stop speculating.”
“Not going to stop until you tell me,” Tracy walked around the cubicle wall and perched on the corner of her desk.
Lynn walked by and glared at them. Vera shrunk down in her chair. “You’re making this worse,” she hissed at Tracy.
Tracy pointed at Lynn, who was returning to his office, “Not him, not my brother?” He stared at Vera, his facial expressions cycling through shock, horror, and revulsion. “What, um,” Tracy gagged for a moment, then recovered, “is your, um, relationship, ugh?”
Vera sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingertips, “Thanks for implying I’m gross, Boss.”
“That's not what I meant!” Tracy snatched one of her hands off the keyboard, “You are a lovely person, but still, imagining one’s relatives . . . doing things . . .”
“Wait, what? No. No, no, no, no. He just said he wished I hadn't been hired. That's all. Geeze.”
“Ah-ha!” Tracy grinned, “You just told me who made you sad!” His look of triumph faded, replaced by a serious expression, “You know, that doesn't mean what you think it means.”
Vera shook her head at him, “He hates me?”
“No.”
“He loves me.”
“No.”
“He is a robot incapable of human emotions.”
“Well, yes, but that was not my point,” Tracy looked around, peering over the top of her cube. Lowering his voice, he leaned towards her, “He finds you distracting.”
“I am,” she whispered back, “Yesterday I yelled at him for no reason, then shut the lights out on him.”
“Good,” Tracy slid off her desk, “Now get back to work.”
"I never realized your hair was red," Tracy dumped a large stack of paper on her desk, "The florescent lights make everything look so soupy."
"What is that?" she pointed at the stack of paper. Tracy only offered compliments when he wanted a favor.
"I need this entered," he smiled, a dimple appearing in his cheek.
"You have a secretary," Vera waved a freckled hand to her left, "Ask him."
"He's sick," Tracy gave her puppy-dog eyes, batting his long dark eyelashes.
Vera sighed and fought back a smile. Tracy was such a silly man, he didn't even try to act like her boss.
"You have sharp eyes, Vera, I couldn't trust this task to anyone else," he placed his palms together and knelt, his mouth twisted in mock submission.
"I have my own work to do, Tracy. Can't you ask your brother's secretary?"
He shook his blonde head vigorously, his curls bouncing like a shampoo commercial, "Noooo. She'd tell him and then I'd have to hear about it for the next year."
"Fine," she conceded, "I'll try to work it in somehow."
"Thank you, Vera, I knew you'd come through for me," he darted out of her cube, pausing to pop his head over the other side, "Oh, by the way, I need it done by eight AM tomorrow." Before she could even grumble, he ran off towards the kitchen. Irritated, Vera flipped through the stack of paper. It was data that should have been entered months ago. Really, everything was supposed to be entered when it happened. She would have a long night ahead of her.
Seeing a blonde head appear above the cube wall, Vera jumped up and yelled, "Hey you!" The man turned, a startled look on his face. "Oops," Vera said to herself. It was Tracy's brother, Lynn. He scowled at her, then turned into his office. He pulled his door shut behind him, his ears a furious shade of red. "Big oops," Vera giggled to herself. She put her own work aside and started entering Tracy's stack of data. His handwriting was terrible, and she frequently paused to squint at a character that didn't seem to come from the Latin alphabet.
As the day wore on, employees trickled out of the building until she was the sole person left, typing a mind-numbing string of letters and numbers. She rubbed her eyes and stretched. If she didn't get a cup of coffee, she would fall asleep right there on top of her keyboard and crash the database by pushing "fgh" with her forehead for a few hours. "Fgh is right," she said to herself.
Something creaked behind her, and Vera jumped. With the back of her neck prickling with fright, she swiveled in her chair. All the offices behind her were dark, save the one on the far end, Lynn's office. She stared at the light, suddenly more curious than afraid. Was he working late too, or did he just forget to shut everything off? She tip-toed across the floor, her earlier sense of unease returning.
Mustering her common sense, she forced herself to walk normally. She opened the door briskly, snapping off the light. She shut the door, then froze. In that instant before turning off the light, she had seen something her tired brain had failed to process. "Oh My God," she said under her breath. She fumbled with the door knob and slapped the lights back on.
Lynn glared at her, his arms crossed on his desk, "What is wrong with you?”
"I'm so sorry," Vera giggled helplessly. The combination of exhaustion and shock made her knees go weak. She slumped in Lynn's visitor chair, trying to stop the laughter that kept bubbling up inside of her.
“Can't you do that somewhere else?” Lynn made shooing motions at her, “I have work to do, you know.” As she left the room, he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear, "I told Tracy he should have hired a different person."
-~==~--~==~-NEXT DAY-~==~--~==~-
“Cold,” Vera tipped her head back and squeezed an eye drop into each eye, “Such a cold thing to say.” The eye drops ran from the corners of her eyes.
Tracy popped over the top of her cube, “Thanks for entering all that - woah! Who is he and do I need to talk to him with my fists?”
“His name is Visine,” she held up the bottle, “and I wouldn't be seeing him if you got your work done on time.”
“I heard you talking before I came over here,” Tracy rested his head on the top of the cubicle wall, a maneuver that made his head look disembodied. “Who said something cold to you? C’mon, you can tell your boss,” he straightened up suddenly, a finger in the air, “I could fire her.”
“Who?” Vera looked up at the acoustical tile where he was pointing.
“So it's not a woman and not a man,” Tracy looked thoughtful, “I could fire them.”
“Stop, you can't fire this person anyway,” Vera wiped the eye drops off her cheeks.
“They don't work here . . . oooooor, it's my mother,” Tracy looked stunned, “What did my mother do to you?”
“No, it's not your mom and I told you to stop speculating.”
“Not going to stop until you tell me,” Tracy walked around the cubicle wall and perched on the corner of her desk.
Lynn walked by and glared at them. Vera shrunk down in her chair. “You’re making this worse,” she hissed at Tracy.
Tracy pointed at Lynn, who was returning to his office, “Not him, not my brother?” He stared at Vera, his facial expressions cycling through shock, horror, and revulsion. “What, um,” Tracy gagged for a moment, then recovered, “is your, um, relationship, ugh?”
Vera sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingertips, “Thanks for implying I’m gross, Boss.”
“That's not what I meant!” Tracy snatched one of her hands off the keyboard, “You are a lovely person, but still, imagining one’s relatives . . . doing things . . .”
“Wait, what? No. No, no, no, no. He just said he wished I hadn't been hired. That's all. Geeze.”
“Ah-ha!” Tracy grinned, “You just told me who made you sad!” His look of triumph faded, replaced by a serious expression, “You know, that doesn't mean what you think it means.”
Vera shook her head at him, “He hates me?”
“No.”
“He loves me.”
“No.”
“He is a robot incapable of human emotions.”
“Well, yes, but that was not my point,” Tracy looked around, peering over the top of her cube. Lowering his voice, he leaned towards her, “He finds you distracting.”
“I am,” she whispered back, “Yesterday I yelled at him for no reason, then shut the lights out on him.”
“Good,” Tracy slid off her desk, “Now get back to work.”
-~==~--~==~-END-~==~--~==~-
So I've been binge-reading this manga called Kaguya Wants to be Confessed to. It's supposed to be a romcom, but it's mostly com, and really just laugh-out-loud funny.
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| Obligatory reminder to read from right to left. Source |
And it made me want to write a little something about a tsundere again, because yah know, glaring at people is cute (or so Kaguya says).
Anyway, the next chapter of Egregious is up, Chapter 14: A Pure Mind. Tatiana gets to see the inside of a work camp for the cursed, which turns out to be a pretty nice place:
Anyway, the next chapter of Egregious is up, Chapter 14: A Pure Mind. Tatiana gets to see the inside of a work camp for the cursed, which turns out to be a pretty nice place:
“Don’t people just escape over the dam?” Tatiana asked.“Sure, sure,” the guard smiled, “Even if they survive the fall, into a dry creek bed, I might add; they land in Egregia and are good as dead. Nine times out of ten they’re back here begging to be let in. They like it here. The cursed need this kind of structure.”Tatiana shivered involuntarily. There was a type of evil that was so institutionalized, so sanitized, that it couldn’t even be perceived. “Unless,” she thought, “Unless you are the one it is structured against, and you are the blot it is trying to wipe out.”