RE: [IC][Story] There's Nothing Better!
11-18-2016, 06:03 AM (This post was last modified: 12-25-2017, 03:42 PM by robkelk. Edit Reason: typo fix )
11-18-2016, 06:03 AM (This post was last modified: 12-25-2017, 03:42 PM by robkelk. Edit Reason: typo fix )
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
12:10pm
"Okonomiyaki for lunch?"
"It's better than that soup that didn't have any miso in it."
"It's something I recognize!"
In the common room's kitchen, Rob smiled at that last comment, which came from Usagi. He turned to Ruiko. "Good call, Saten-san."
"I thought they might want something more substantial than curry, but not as heavy as your cooking usually is."
Rob clutched at his heart and made an over-pained face. "Alas! I have been cut to the quick!" Then they both laughed.
"I like you. You're silly."
"That's the nicest thing anybody's said to me since lunchtime, Saten-san."
"Ruiko."
Rob immediately caught the mood shift. "You're sure? I'd say 'only if you call me Rob,' but you already do."
"You did insist, Rob-san."
"True. All right, Ruiko-san. Or should I call you Rui-chan?"
She looked angry. "If you do..." Then her expression changed. "... I'll just have to call you Jiji!"
"I'm not that old!"
"Compared to us, you are that old."
Just then, the door opened behind them. "I'm back!"
"Welcome back, Uiharu-san. Did you have any trouble at the store?"
"No, Shirai-san and I were okay. Oh, the mailman just pulled up, too. He wouldn't just give us the mail, though."
Rob shook his head. "Canada isn't like Japan. He could lose his job if he did that. I'll let all of you go meet your new housemates while I get my mail. If there's any for you, you'll have to get it on your own."
"Oh, I don't mind..." Kazari started to say.
"Uiharu-san, each mailbox is locked and I only have a key to my own."
"Oh. Why do they do that?"
"I'll explain later. Go, meet the others."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
1:00pm
Rob had gone through the junk mail, the bills, and the personal mail from people who he had given his new address to. That left three large envelopes and one package.
The package had a San Antonio postmark, dated earlier the same day. "Okay, somebody's showing off," muttered Rob as he opened it. "But is that somebody Washuu-chan or Sebastian?"
A few minutes later, he had the contents of the package sorted on his desk. Each of his tenants had a set of school transcripts, health records and a health card, a bank book and an ATM card (with the accounts as evenly divided as possible at the branches of the three major banks at the nearby mall), a bus pass card, ... and a certificate of legal guardianship with Rob as the guardian.
"Aw, man." Thinking the rest, Rob continued, 'I know I have to be their guardian and not just their landlord, and I know why, but Rei's going to be pissed off. She already doesn't trust me. Mii probably won't like it, either.' After a moment, he snickered. 'Heh. Never been married and suddenly I've got ten daughters.' Then he realized what he'd said. 'Ah, man - that means ten wardrobes to pay for, ten boyfriends - no, nine boyfriends and a girlfriend unless Kuroko changes her orientation - to hear the praises about when the relationships start and to hear the badmouthing about when they end, ten worries about whether they're safe ... No, they're Judgment and the Sailor Senshi. I only need to worry about whether Ruiko-san is safe at night.' Somehow that lifted the burden of the responsibility from Rob's shoulders, leaving only the determination to be the best guardian he could be to the girls.
Two of the envelopes he left sealed - Rob had only received them because they were sent care of him. He placed the one from Carleton University's Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice on the pile of paperwork with Mii's name on it. The other envelope, from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, he added to Ami's document pile. 'I guess that IQ of 300 bit wasn't hyperbole.'
That left the envelope from the local English-language public school board. Much to Rob's complete lack of surprise, it was an set of appointments for the other eight of his tenants to write grade-placement tests. What did surprise him was that the tests were scheduled for the beginning of October... but, reading the cover letter that came with the paperwork, he realized that the school board was so busy with the beginning of the school year that they couldn't schedule the tests any earlier.
He unlocked his office door and poked his head out into the hall. "Girls, I have some paperwork for each of you. Some of it you'll like, some of it you might not like. We need to talk about the one that I think some of you won't like."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
1:35pm
"I don't want you running my life. Or Usagi's life."
Rob nodded. "I don't want to run your life, Hino-san. It's enough work running my own life."
"Then why have this?" She waved the certificate of guardianship in his face.
"Because it's the only way to keep all of you together. If I'm not your legal guardian, then the court system will appoint guardians for you - and the chance that you'd all get the same guardian that way is so small it may as well be non-existent."
Rei stopped her rant. "So... this is for us?"
Mii nodded. "This is for us, not for Donaldson-san." Then she picked up a pen and signed her own form. "And I accept that, even though I'm old enough to not need a guardian here."
"Would somebody hand me a pen, please?" Usagi asked from the overstuffed chair that she was sitting in.
As Rob handed her a pen, he realized that Rei and Ami had made sure Usagi got one of the chairs when they came in. Then he remembered that Ami said she had read The Incomplete Enchanter when she was in middle school - past tense - which implied that she had graduated to high school already. Then he realized where in the story the Sailor Senshi had come from. "You're exhausted, aren't you, Tsukino-san? I'm sorry that I asked you to come to this office instead of going to you."
"Why would you think that?" asked Rei, very quickly.
Usagi giggled, surprising everyone else. "He's read about us, Rei. He's seen the anime. We're anime characters here, remember? He probably knows what I did just before we showed up in Ottawa."
"So, what happened?" asked Mikoto.
Ruiko answered first. "I think episode 200 happened." She turned to Usagi. "You fought Galaxia, right?"
Usagi nodded. "Yes. And I won, and I undid what she did, and there was a flash from the Ginzuisho, and we were here."
Rob nodded again. "And what you did to undo what Galaxia did must have taken all of the strength you had left."
"Ano..." Kazari interrupted. "I haven't seen your anime. What did you do?"
Before anyone could answer, Rob said, "Later. Or get the story from Ruiko-san, outside. Let Tsukino-san rest. Hino-san, would you accompany me to a furniture store and help me pick out a bed for Tsukino-san? We'll get it delivered immediately, and then she can relax in comfort."
"... All right. Makoto, keep an eye on Usagi for me."
"Of course, Rei."
As Rob reached for his coat and car keys, he said, "Everyone else, please take your pile of papers to your own apartments and go through them. Read the guardianship forms before you sign them, okay?"
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
2:20pm
"I like the beds you picked out, Hino-san. I think Tsukino-san will like her bed, as well."
"It's the closest I could find to her bed back home."
Rob continued driving back to the apartment building, and Rei sat beside him in silence.
Finally, he broke the silence. "You know that I know things about you that only your family and closest friends should know. What do you want to know about me in return?"
"Nothing."
They passed two intersections.
"Can you tolerate my presence under your roof?"
"It's your roof, not mine."
"All right. Can you tolerate living under the same roof as me?"
They passed another three intersections.
"I think so. But only for Usagi's sake."
"I'll accept that answer. Is there anything that you would like to get on the way back to the apartment?"
"No."
"Not even a different change of clothes?"
"Not from you."
Rob sighed quietly. "The other girls have been here for a few days, and they know where to find some decent clothes. You can blame me for that rather drab outfit you have on - I didn't know what you'd like, so I asked Uiharu-san to get something simple for each of you so you'd have something to wear while your decent clothes were in the wash."
"Really?" It was barely a whisper.
"Really."
After a moment, Rei said, "I guess that was thoughtful of you."
"Oh?"
"You didn't give me no choice but to dress up for you."
As they pulled into the apartment's parking lot a few minutes later, Rei added, "Maybe I can stay here for more than just Usagi's sake."
Rob parked the car, they got out, and he headed for his office - where he found Usagi asleep in front of a neatly-stacked pile of guardianship forms. Only Rei's was missing - and she had been with Rob.
An hour later, the last signed guardianship form was slipped under his office door.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
5:55pm
"Ooh! Katsudon!" Rob smiled. "Who do we have to thank for this for dinner?"
Ruiko raised her hand. "Kino-san was still setting up her bed when the time to start dinner came, so I volunteered."
"That was good of you, Rui-chan."
She mock-glared at him across the table. "If you call me that again, I'll just have to call you ojisan."
"And why would I get upset at you calling me 'uncle', Rui-chan?"
Even Rei laughed at that question.
September 15th, 2016
12:10pm
"Okonomiyaki for lunch?"
"It's better than that soup that didn't have any miso in it."
"It's something I recognize!"
In the common room's kitchen, Rob smiled at that last comment, which came from Usagi. He turned to Ruiko. "Good call, Saten-san."
"I thought they might want something more substantial than curry, but not as heavy as your cooking usually is."
Rob clutched at his heart and made an over-pained face. "Alas! I have been cut to the quick!" Then they both laughed.
"I like you. You're silly."
"That's the nicest thing anybody's said to me since lunchtime, Saten-san."
"Ruiko."
Rob immediately caught the mood shift. "You're sure? I'd say 'only if you call me Rob,' but you already do."
"You did insist, Rob-san."
"True. All right, Ruiko-san. Or should I call you Rui-chan?"
She looked angry. "If you do..." Then her expression changed. "... I'll just have to call you Jiji!"
"I'm not that old!"
"Compared to us, you are that old."
Just then, the door opened behind them. "I'm back!"
"Welcome back, Uiharu-san. Did you have any trouble at the store?"
"No, Shirai-san and I were okay. Oh, the mailman just pulled up, too. He wouldn't just give us the mail, though."
Rob shook his head. "Canada isn't like Japan. He could lose his job if he did that. I'll let all of you go meet your new housemates while I get my mail. If there's any for you, you'll have to get it on your own."
"Oh, I don't mind..." Kazari started to say.
"Uiharu-san, each mailbox is locked and I only have a key to my own."
"Oh. Why do they do that?"
"I'll explain later. Go, meet the others."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
1:00pm
Rob had gone through the junk mail, the bills, and the personal mail from people who he had given his new address to. That left three large envelopes and one package.
The package had a San Antonio postmark, dated earlier the same day. "Okay, somebody's showing off," muttered Rob as he opened it. "But is that somebody Washuu-chan or Sebastian?"
A few minutes later, he had the contents of the package sorted on his desk. Each of his tenants had a set of school transcripts, health records and a health card, a bank book and an ATM card (with the accounts as evenly divided as possible at the branches of the three major banks at the nearby mall), a bus pass card, ... and a certificate of legal guardianship with Rob as the guardian.
"Aw, man." Thinking the rest, Rob continued, 'I know I have to be their guardian and not just their landlord, and I know why, but Rei's going to be pissed off. She already doesn't trust me. Mii probably won't like it, either.' After a moment, he snickered. 'Heh. Never been married and suddenly I've got ten daughters.' Then he realized what he'd said. 'Ah, man - that means ten wardrobes to pay for, ten boyfriends - no, nine boyfriends and a girlfriend unless Kuroko changes her orientation - to hear the praises about when the relationships start and to hear the badmouthing about when they end, ten worries about whether they're safe ... No, they're Judgment and the Sailor Senshi. I only need to worry about whether Ruiko-san is safe at night.' Somehow that lifted the burden of the responsibility from Rob's shoulders, leaving only the determination to be the best guardian he could be to the girls.
Two of the envelopes he left sealed - Rob had only received them because they were sent care of him. He placed the one from Carleton University's Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice on the pile of paperwork with Mii's name on it. The other envelope, from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, he added to Ami's document pile. 'I guess that IQ of 300 bit wasn't hyperbole.'
That left the envelope from the local English-language public school board. Much to Rob's complete lack of surprise, it was an set of appointments for the other eight of his tenants to write grade-placement tests. What did surprise him was that the tests were scheduled for the beginning of October... but, reading the cover letter that came with the paperwork, he realized that the school board was so busy with the beginning of the school year that they couldn't schedule the tests any earlier.
He unlocked his office door and poked his head out into the hall. "Girls, I have some paperwork for each of you. Some of it you'll like, some of it you might not like. We need to talk about the one that I think some of you won't like."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
1:35pm
"I don't want you running my life. Or Usagi's life."
Rob nodded. "I don't want to run your life, Hino-san. It's enough work running my own life."
"Then why have this?" She waved the certificate of guardianship in his face.
"Because it's the only way to keep all of you together. If I'm not your legal guardian, then the court system will appoint guardians for you - and the chance that you'd all get the same guardian that way is so small it may as well be non-existent."
Rei stopped her rant. "So... this is for us?"
Mii nodded. "This is for us, not for Donaldson-san." Then she picked up a pen and signed her own form. "And I accept that, even though I'm old enough to not need a guardian here."
"Would somebody hand me a pen, please?" Usagi asked from the overstuffed chair that she was sitting in.
As Rob handed her a pen, he realized that Rei and Ami had made sure Usagi got one of the chairs when they came in. Then he remembered that Ami said she had read The Incomplete Enchanter when she was in middle school - past tense - which implied that she had graduated to high school already. Then he realized where in the story the Sailor Senshi had come from. "You're exhausted, aren't you, Tsukino-san? I'm sorry that I asked you to come to this office instead of going to you."
"Why would you think that?" asked Rei, very quickly.
Usagi giggled, surprising everyone else. "He's read about us, Rei. He's seen the anime. We're anime characters here, remember? He probably knows what I did just before we showed up in Ottawa."
"So, what happened?" asked Mikoto.
Ruiko answered first. "I think episode 200 happened." She turned to Usagi. "You fought Galaxia, right?"
Usagi nodded. "Yes. And I won, and I undid what she did, and there was a flash from the Ginzuisho, and we were here."
Rob nodded again. "And what you did to undo what Galaxia did must have taken all of the strength you had left."
"Ano..." Kazari interrupted. "I haven't seen your anime. What did you do?"
Before anyone could answer, Rob said, "Later. Or get the story from Ruiko-san, outside. Let Tsukino-san rest. Hino-san, would you accompany me to a furniture store and help me pick out a bed for Tsukino-san? We'll get it delivered immediately, and then she can relax in comfort."
"... All right. Makoto, keep an eye on Usagi for me."
"Of course, Rei."
As Rob reached for his coat and car keys, he said, "Everyone else, please take your pile of papers to your own apartments and go through them. Read the guardianship forms before you sign them, okay?"
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
2:20pm
"I like the beds you picked out, Hino-san. I think Tsukino-san will like her bed, as well."
"It's the closest I could find to her bed back home."
Rob continued driving back to the apartment building, and Rei sat beside him in silence.
Finally, he broke the silence. "You know that I know things about you that only your family and closest friends should know. What do you want to know about me in return?"
"Nothing."
They passed two intersections.
"Can you tolerate my presence under your roof?"
"It's your roof, not mine."
"All right. Can you tolerate living under the same roof as me?"
They passed another three intersections.
"I think so. But only for Usagi's sake."
"I'll accept that answer. Is there anything that you would like to get on the way back to the apartment?"
"No."
"Not even a different change of clothes?"
"Not from you."
Rob sighed quietly. "The other girls have been here for a few days, and they know where to find some decent clothes. You can blame me for that rather drab outfit you have on - I didn't know what you'd like, so I asked Uiharu-san to get something simple for each of you so you'd have something to wear while your decent clothes were in the wash."
"Really?" It was barely a whisper.
"Really."
After a moment, Rei said, "I guess that was thoughtful of you."
"Oh?"
"You didn't give me no choice but to dress up for you."
As they pulled into the apartment's parking lot a few minutes later, Rei added, "Maybe I can stay here for more than just Usagi's sake."
Rob parked the car, they got out, and he headed for his office - where he found Usagi asleep in front of a neatly-stacked pile of guardianship forms. Only Rei's was missing - and she had been with Rob.
An hour later, the last signed guardianship form was slipped under his office door.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 15th, 2016
5:55pm
"Ooh! Katsudon!" Rob smiled. "Who do we have to thank for this for dinner?"
Ruiko raised her hand. "Kino-san was still setting up her bed when the time to start dinner came, so I volunteered."
"That was good of you, Rui-chan."
She mock-glared at him across the table. "If you call me that again, I'll just have to call you ojisan."
"And why would I get upset at you calling me 'uncle', Rui-chan?"
Even Rei laughed at that question.
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown