“So you know how my mother basically raised her, making her sowhat her mother as well.”
“Yeah, that sounds correct.”
“So that would make her my sister.”
“I guess so.”
“And she is your wife, so that makes us sisters-in-law.”
“We're not married yet; where are you going with this, anyway?”
“Well, as your cute little sister-in-law, I request that you buy a baby lion.”
– Snippet of overheard dialogue on Sparkling Magenta Explosion base tour stream.
I sigh deeply, as I look at the clock on the top right of my vision; already forty-three minutes late. I should have known the offer was too good to be true, given that I had been fired from my last job with black marks on my resu. So, of course, I was suspicious when a random stranger sent an email saying they want to hire for a frankly insane amount of credits. I look again at the email address. it looked authentic enough, though I couldn't find any therapist with that na online, nor any office with that na.
I sigh, taking another sip of my coffee. Luckily, I planned to go to this cafe anyway to relax and think about future options, so getting stood up wasn't the worst.
The cafe itself is a cosy place, and the coffee is sowhat palatable, making it one of my favourite spots in the city, beating out my cramped apartnt by a mile.
Suddenly, soone pulls away the chair in front of , startling . I blink up at a frankly gorgeous woman, with long blond hair and glowing golden eyes frad in a soft face. She is wearing so kind of suit, but the cut is loose, making think more of loungewear than sothing more formal.
“Sorry for being late. I got distracted by a twelve-year-old begging for a baby lion on the way here. My na is Evelin Vance. It is nice to et you.” She says, as she seats herself with her own cup of sothing.
I blink slowly, “A baby lion?”
“Don’t worry, I didn't actually give her one. I know I should talk to her parents first.” She smiles with a bit of mischief in her eyes, telling she liked the idea of giving the kid a lion.
I take a deep breath to re-centre myself and look straight at the woman, who seems to be observing . “You could get her a lion?” I ask, feeling a bit unsure about how to continue this conversation.
She scratches her chin in a thinking gesture. “Probably. I an, we have a hyena, so a lion isn't that far fetched,”
“Hyenas? With children?” Fuck, is this girl insane?
Evelin frowns. “Didn’t you get told what kind of company we are?”
I pull up the email again, then shake my head. “No, it just asks if I wanted to work, and what kind of pay I would receive. Also, it is signed by soone called Lyssa, not Evelin.”
“Ah,” the woman looks a bit sheepish, “I am sorry. I should have been more clear. Lyssa is kind of my assistant, and she is sowhat new at sending emails like this.” She gives a wink “Our company's na is PsyCo and we specialise in helping samurai. Which at the mont ans helping them run charities and creating rch, mostly. We also have a rcenary division.”
A picture suddenly pops up in my vision, several people wearing colourful hoodies and animal masks, and, between them, a hyena in battle armour.
“And this twelve-year-old is part of the rcenaries?” I ask, with a bit of apprehension.
“Oh protectors, no! She is the daughter of one of our workers. Her mom is a bodyguard, and her family lives in the company's provided living quarters.”
I slowly nod. That sounds good, they have so kind of daycare system; then sothing hits . “How close would I be working with the Samurai?”
The woman shrugs. “Not sure, your profile says that you're an advocate for ntal healthcare of employees, so the people in charge probably want to have a discussion with you about that. And, of course, so would be your patients, if you don’t mind, that is?”
“You don’t mind convincing your bosses that ntal health care is required.” I say, looking directly in her eyes.
“That's why we are hiring you.” She says slowly, “Well, that, and so other factors.”
I let out a breath, then burst into full-blown nervous laughter. “This is crazy. I guess I'm in, on one condition.”
Evelin smiles, revealing a twinkle in her eyes. “I haven't even explained the benefits yet.”
“Wait, I get even more benefits. What are they?” I say, feeling my cheeks burn.
Evelin just laughs
“Well, most of it is the basic stuff, just that our healthcare is backed by Samurai gear, so, I guess ,break a leg. Other than that, you would be required to move to Stuttgart, but we offer free rooms, and food in the cafeteria. What else? I an ,Samurai equipnt can be provided on request, probably so more stuff. It's all in the contract.”
Suddenly, a docunt flashes in front of my eyes. "How do you keep doing that?”
“I am a hacker.” she says, like it's the most normal thing in the world.
I crawl into myself a bit more. "And you can see my stuff.”
“I can, but I haven't done so. Just removed all the spyware. You really should upgrade that gear of yours, by the way.”
“With what money?” I complain. I know my stuff sucks but the good stuff is expensive.
Evelin just nods. “I guess I’ll add that as a signing bonus. So what was your condition?”
I blink in confusion, then rember the earlier conversation.
“Right, I want to treat Maniac. I'm worried about her; I want to prevent her from doing anything outrageous. You know, people are saying she blew up Zürich.”
Evelin burst out laughing. “I an, she was involved, but she didn't blow it up. But are you sure you want to deal with a psycho Samurai?”
I straighten my back.
"Soone has to, and the fact that I would be part of her company ans that she probably won’t kill .”
“She won’t kill you, sure, but what if she doesn't want to go?” she says, sounding way too amused.
“That's your problem, not mine,” I say, giving her a wink.
Evelin quirks her eyebrow.
“Alright then, love the confidence! So, benefits, relocation, anything else you would like to know?”
I pause. "Just like that. Don’t you have to call her or sothing?”
Evelin laughs. “No, that won’t be necessary. If I tell her to go, she will. Just send the tis when you expect her in your office, and I’ll make sure she will be there.”
“She would really listen to you?”
Listening to instructions was not one of the things the new Samurai was known for.
“Well, she is my twin sister, so yeah, she listens to .” she smiles. “So trust , she will be there, unless there is an incursion, then normal operation might be delayed.”
Twins? Well, that is sothing but this girl looks more well adjusted than her crazy twin sister. Maybe she was forced to keep an eye on Maniac so she beca more mature.
"What about you?”
Evelin blinks. “What about ?”
“Do you want therapy too?”
“Yeah, it’d probably be smart, lots of trauma, so don’t worry, we will be in session soon enough. So you are in, then?”
This ti it is my turn to laugh. “Who would ever turn this kind of offer down? I an, are there even any downsides?”
Evelin winces “Probably a few.”
“Like what?”
“You will be working with Samurai. Not only that, if you are their therapist, you will know more about them than most. Sothing a lot of corporations want, so you might be threatened. Of course, we will do our best to protect you, but there always remains a chance,” she says, fixing with her gaze.
Right, Samurai. People would want to know more about them so they can use them. But still it is an opportunity. Not only can I see what makes Samurai tick, but I can also use them to make the world a better place.
“I still want to do it. Just give so protection.” I say with determination.
“I would offer you a lion, but if I did that, I would have an irate 12-year-old.” she says with a big smile.
“Okay, first of all, how would I keep it from not eating , and second, how would I even feed it?” I say as I shake my head.
“They are trained. Well, parts of their brain are modified to be more obedient, I think. As for food, we could provide that.”
“I am still not taking the lion.” I pause at the thought. Having an animal protector that was smart and trained sounded nice. “Are there other options, maybe sothing smaller?”
Evelin shrugs. "Probably most things are possible. How do you feel about birds?”
I blink. “I an, they're interesting, not sure if they make good guards.”
“I was just inford about the cassowary. Apparently, they can rip people apart with their claws.” A new image appears this ti of a black bird with a blue head, with so kind of bone on their head.
“I kind of would like sothing that wouldn't freak my patients out.” I say, as I look at the claws of the bird.
“So sothing fluffy, then.” Evelin surmises.
I nod, “Maybe about this big, I guess.” I say, hovering my hand at the side of my seat.
Evelin looks to the side to observe. “Lyssa?” Evelin asks, confusing , before suddenly a whitish-grey chunky cat with black spots and a long fluffy tail appears, its yellow eyes looking at my own.
I slowly pet the cat as my brain tries to co up with a reasonable explanation for all of this.
“Lyssa, that ant ‘are there options?’ not ‘buy her a fucking leopard'.” Evelin curses under her breath.
The leopard, for its part, doesn't seem to care much for Evelin’s complaints, putting its big head on my lap as it sits next to . I smile and slowly pet its soft fur.
I slowly focus back on Evelin. “You’re a samurai?”
She winks. "Guilty as charged. Anyway, we are attracting a lot of attention now, so we might want to bounce soon.”
I slowly nod. "That makes sense. Must have been fun when I asked if I would et any Samurai.”
Evelin smiles, “It was amusing, but don’t worry, most people don’t realise it. I am a bit small after all.” I notice that she looks a bit more uncomfortable and starts looking around us a lot more.
“So when can I start?” I ask, trying not to pry too much.
“Honestly, the sooner the better. I kind of need you. My sister-in-law is not doing so, great so I would like you to see her sooner rather than later.”
I nod. “I just need to ship over my stuff. You did offer a place to stay, right?” I ask just to be sure.
“Yeah, one of the floors used to be a hotel. We just cleaned them up, and now they are places where our employees can live. Of course, if you would rather find your own place, you are more than welco to do so.”
“Maybe, but staying in what's provided, for now, is a good idea if I want to start soon.”
“Great, so how much stuff do you have?”
I blink, “Uhm, why? Are the rooms that small?”
Evelin shakes her head. "Space is decent, better than most apartnts, though the rooms don’t co with a kitchen, so that automatically makes them feel bigger. I was asking because I ca with an ambulance and I can take so, if not all, of your stuff with . Saves you from having to pay anyone to do it.”
I blink, “So you want that badly, huh?”
“You have no idea! So, what do you say?”
I look at her, then at the biggish cat that is now purring softly. “I feel like it would be stupid if I said no”
Evelyn's smile grows wider and more radiant. “Welco aboard, Doctor Noir!”
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