RE: [ic][STORY] February 2017 in Ottawa
02-05-2021, 10:08 PM (This post was last modified: 02-07-2021, 12:51 PM by robkelk.)
02-05-2021, 10:08 PM (This post was last modified: 02-07-2021, 12:51 PM by robkelk.)
somewhere in Chicago, IL, USA
February 7, 2017
11:22 AM
"I don't care who's shooting at us! Get in the car!"
"I don't know how to drive. It'd be a super mistake for me to try."
The big guy behind the wheel poked his head out the window. "Nobody drives the Roadbuster but me, kid. You might be bulletproof, but I doubt your boss is. Get in before some asshole shoots her."
She did.
"Where to?"
Said boss replied, "Ottawa. Canada."
"I don't leave the States. I'll take you as far as Detroit."
"Good enough, as long as you can lose these idiots who are shooting at us."
The driver laughed. "Just who do you think you're talking to?"
Unable to pursue their targets for more than a few blocks, the attackers had no choice but to watch them go. They dreaded the report that they'd have to make - Leonard wasn't going to be happy.
Blossom Apartments, Ottawa, ON, Canada
February 7, 2017
4:07 PM
Minako frowned. "I thought we were going to take Kongo-san, Takitsubo-san and Ms. Seivelun shopping! But Mii-san's got evening courses so she's getting supper on campus, Mako-chan's looking for a part-time job at the bakeries around here, Ami's patching up Kamijo-san -"
"Again?" Mikoto rolled her eyes in disbelief. "How many fights do he and Hamazura-san get into?"
"Too many. But we're talking about shopping. Kazari-san and Rui-san are busy with some internet project that they won't talk about, Kuroko-san refuses to go shopping with Kongo-san, Usagi said she's spending all evening with Mamoru, our resident ex-Witch has the evening shift at OSA-P today, and Rei's promised to answer your clone sisters' questions about Shinto. So it's just you and me."
Mikoto almost changed her mind and agreed, but she couldn't forget the look she'd noticed on Rob's face when she got home from school. "Sorry. Maybe Maika'd be willing to go with you."
Minako thought for a moment. "It's worth a try, I guess."
The girls separated and made their ways to the people that they wanted to speak with. Mikoto found Rob in the common room's kitchen, making a pot of Earl Grey tea. Quietly, she asked him, "What's wrong?"
He looked around, noticing that there were still a few people in the common room proper. "I'm going to make a call to San Antonio. In my office. You can sit in, if you want."
Even Mikoto could tell that Rob wanted her to take part in the call. "Do you want me to find anybody else and ask them to take part, too?"
He shook his head. "Not yet." He thought for a brief moment, then continued. "Shall we retire to my office? I'll leave the door open."
"No, you won't," replied Mikoto. "Not if you don't want Ruiko-san hearing everything."
"Right," he replied, remembering that the biggest gossip in the building lived next door to his office. "And it's a good thing I got that soundproofing in."
A few minutes later, Rob and Mikoto were sitting behind his desk (putting two chairs behind one desk was a tight fit) and connecting a video call to San Antonio.
"Hi! Oh, hi, uncle Rob, aunt Mikoto!"
Mikoto twitched at being called "aunt", even by a five-year-old.
Rob took the greeting in stride, and smiled. "Hi, Alicia! Are you keeping yourself busy?"
"Uh-huh! But Ben and Fate are keeping me busier! They keep saying I have to do my homework."
Mikoto looked surprised. "I didn't know you were already in school."
"Well... It's more like tutoring. Aunt Washuu-chan and uncle Sousuke are giving me lessons whenever they have time. Do you have homework, too?"
"Every single weekday," Mikoto answered with a theatrical sigh.
Rob nodded in agreement. "And Lord Phantomhive keeps me busy with work that I have to do at home, too."
"Like he does with Ben? I know about that! Sometimes he doesn't have time to play with me." She frowned for a moment, then smiled again. "But it's important work."
"Yes, it is," Rob agreed. "Speaking of Ben, could you let him know we're calling, please? We need to talk with him."
"Okay!" Alicia turned away from the camera and shouted, "BENNN! PHONE CAAALL! FROM UNCLE ROOOB!"
Rob chuckled; he'd forgotten how people that young reacted to that sort of request.
But it worked - after a moment, Alicia was standing up so that Ben could sit at his own desk. "Bye, uncle Rob, aunt Mikoto! Come visit some time, okay?"
Mikoto forced a smile. "Maybe in March, when we have a week off school."
"Yay!" She raced off, full of energy.
Ben looked at her for a moment, then turned to the computer. "Any day that Alicia's that happy is a good day. Fortunately, that's most days around here. But I doubt you called just to talk with her."
"Yeah," replied Rob. "Are you alone?"
"Give me a second." Ben stood up and walked over to Alicia. "Rob and Mikoto want to have an important talk with me right now, and I think they don't want anybody else listening in. Could you go play with your sister and Nanoha for a while, please?"
"Is this a grown-up thing?"
Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know yet."
She thought for a moment, then answered, "Okay."
"Thank you. Oh, and Alicia? Girls like Mikoto don't always like being called an Aunt - it's a Japanism about being sensitive about their age. Call her Onee-san instead, okay?"
"I guess... but I thought only Aunt Kuroko - big sister Kuroko called her Onee-san."
Ben and Mikoto sighed as Rob grinned while wondering why people thought children didn't notice things. Ben followed his sigh with, "Can we talk about that later, Alicia? Rob and Mikoto are still waiting for me to get back to them."
"Sure! I'll come back in a little while!" And she took off through the doorway.
Ben closed the door behind her, almost locked it, changed his mind, then walked back to his desk and sat down at his computer again. "I am now. What's wrong?"
Before Rob could answer, Mikoto pointed out, "You didn't lock the door."
Ben nodded in confirmation. "Rule Number One of Hiding Shit: Don't look like you're hiding shit."
Rob added, "Mikoto, Ben doesn't make any secret of the fact that he has ADHD. He thinks differently than we do - not better, not worse, just differently. And that's one of the reasons why I ask for his opinion - because he brings new viewpoints to the issues at hand that I wouldn't imagine, let alone consider."
"It's more my upbringing than my ADHD that shaped my thinking. When you have a step-father who's made it his mission in life to ensure you have no way of hiding anything from him, you learn or... well, that's a conversation for another time."
While Ben's comment piqued Mikoto's curiosity, she didn't follow up on it just then. Instead, she asked Rob, "What are the other reasons?"
"I trust him, and I like him. He's a friend of ours." Turning back to Ben (who was smiling at the compliment), Rob continued, "I'm not sure what's wrong. A couple of days ago, Mikoto and I had a conversation that turned into us wondering why people from Academy City and Azabu-Juban were still showing up here. After we talked, I sent an email to Belldandy, asking her why."
"So that's what this is about," Mikoto said.
"And?"
"I got a reply today. It read, and I quote: 'I'm sorry, but I am not at liberty to answer that question right now'."
Ben leaned back in his seat. "That... is troubling. Considering she can't lie about anything, and that under normal circumstances she would otherwise divulge information that might make life easier on us... Of course, these aren't what most people would call 'normal circumstances' but even so..."
After a moment, Mikoto replied, "Even so, it isn't like the Goddesses to keep us out of the loop. Is it?"
"It's very unusual behaviour for them," Rob confirmed.
"I have no idea for certain what's going on," Ben added. "It could be any number of things. But if life has taught me anything at all? It's that Murphy and his wife, Fate, are cold-blooded bastards who'll seek to fuck you over any way possible, either by hook or by crook. That said, all signs are pointing towards this getting worse before it gets better. The only question as far as I'm concerned is 'How bad?' My intuition is bringing up that scene from White Christmas. 'How much is wow?' 'Somewhere between ouch and poing-oing-oing-oing.' Except I'm worried it's gonna go beyond 'poing-oing-oing-oing'. I've already been planning ahead just in case. You've seen it, but you may not have really realized it because it's so normal for a group like mine. All the combat drills, the cross-training, developing tactics for outside context problems... you name it, we've been doing it, to the point where I've even been scheduling mandatory recreation days, and purchased season passes for everyone at all four of the theme parks here to support that. Six if you include the water park and bath house Jodie and David are running, but fortunately those were permanent VIP passes they've granted us."
"They've opened the park? We'll have to go say hi. Maybe take Alicia there when we visit." Rob noticed Mikoto's expression his comment. "You all but promised that we would."
"I know, but should we really be planning to do something fun when we don't know what's going on?" she asked in reply.
"Of course we should," answered Rob. "Worrying about everything all the time isn't very good for our mental health."
Ben nodded in agreement. "Mikoto, I'm sorry if any of this worries you. But you know by now that I'm not the kind of person that likes to make someone suffer unduly. If there was some way for me to shield everyone from this, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but even with the power I've gained recently... unfortunately, not everything can be solved by a 180 gigawatt gamma-ray laser to the face. At the very least, though, I know that you've seen enough in your life so far to understand the gravity of the situation." He took a breath, to give Mikoto time to let his words sink in. "That said... I'd keep this on the down-low. Over here, the only people that know about my true worries are Gil Graham, Noike, Tenchi, Homura, and Teletha. I'd tell Teams RWBY and JNPR, but I don't know for sure if they're ready for that kind of pressure just yet. But if any of the others were to come out and ask me, I'd tell them as well because if they're smart enough to notice what I'm doing, then they're smart enough to handle the truth."
"Over here," Rob replied, "the only people who know I'm starting to have concerns about all of this are Mikoto," - he inclined his head toward her - "Mii, Ami, Hyoga, Mamoru, and Usagi. And sometimes I regret telling Mii and Ami, what with their course loads at university, but I'm not going to keep secrets from them."
"I'm glad to hear that," remarked Ben.
"And I'm starting to see what Mii-sempai sees in you, Rob-oji," Mikoto added.
"Hey, you two - don't give me a swelled head!" But Rob said that with a grin.
Blossom Apartments, Ottawa, ON, Canada
February 8, 2017
5:54 PM
"Do you think Kazari-san and Ruiko-san will be joining us for dinner this evening?"
Makoto raised an eyebrow at Maika's question - not the question itself, but the way that she said it. "That's up to them. And we all know that being a maid is just your cover for your job for Necessarius -"
"Except for the newcomers, Kamijo, and Index."
"Fine, we almost all know, but would it hurt you to pretend to act like a real maid?"
"What's wrong with how I act?" Maika asked defensively, just before Kazari burst into the room.
"Is Rob-oji here? He's not in his office."
Makoto shook her head. Maika answered, "He, Hamazura-san, Mamoru-san, and Mii-san are out looking at used vans."
"Oh. I'll send him a text, then. Thanks!"
As Kazari turned to leave, Makoto asked, "Are you and Ruiko eating with us today?"
"No time! Sorry!" And Kazari was gone.
Elsewhere
Same time
"The last place we visited, the salesman tried to sell us a minivan that had only one owner, who only used it to take the kids to school and back. We could see from the amount of wear on the upholstery that it had been used as a private school bus." Rob sighed. "That's why we're here instead of there." He didn't mention that this was the third used-car lot they had visited.
"We don't act like that here," replied the salesman, who knew that acting like that would send these customers elsewhere. "Exactly what are you looking for?"
"Something that can hold at least eight people, plus luggage," Rob said.
"Preferably with a standard transmission," added Shiage.
The salesman frowned at that comment. "There isn't much call for standards in Ottawa. I think all of our minivans are automatics."
"Maybe we should get a cargo van and convert it," Shiage mused.
"You could, but the conversion and the inspection would cost so much that it would probably be cheaper to buy new."
Mii frowned. "Our budget won't allow that."
"And it isn't as if we're going to be treating this like a high-performance sports car," added Mamoru.
"Okay, okay," grumbled Shiage. "I can live with an automatic. What have you got?"
"Give me a moment to get some keys." The salesman walked into the lot's office, and came back out a few minutes later. "I thought we had more than that - must have sold the other ones. If you'll walk this way, I'll show you what we have." The salesman took them to one corner of the lot, walking straight past the first few minivans without stopping.
"What's wrong with those?" asked Mii.
"They're only six-seaters. This one," he gestured toward a longer minivan, painted jet black, "is the only one on the lot that can meet your needs. It's a nine-seater, including the driver's seat. Would you like to take a look inside?"
"Please," replied Rob as the salesman unlocked the minivan's doors.
A quick inspection followed - the interior was slightly worn but clean, the odometer reading about what Shiage expected to see on a minivan that old, and Mamoru approved of what he could see in the engine compartment. Miracle of miracles, all of the receipts for oil changes and other consumables were present in the glove compartment. Rob and Mamoru spent a few minutes going through those. "I'd like to get a mechanic's opinion, but I like what I see here," commented Mamoru.
The salesman smiled at that. "Who wants to take it for a test drive?"
Mii frowned. "I only have a learner's permit - I'd better not."
"I'd be happy to take her for a spin," Shiage answered.
Rob frowned. "How about Mamoru gives it a try first." The tone of his voice made it clear to Shiage that this wasn't a question.
"Fine..."
Just then, Rob's phone buzzed. "Excuse me for a moment." He read the text message - from Kazari - and re-read it. Then he swore under his breath. Turning to Mii, he said, "Try to stay within our budget, if you can - Sebastian won't like it if we go over. Shiage and I have to go back to the apartment building."
"We do? Why?"
"Not here, but it's about Takitsubo-san. And I'm driving."
Shiage nodded nervously. "If you're going to drop a line like that on me, you're damned right you're driving."
As they headed back to Rob's car, they heard Mii ask the salesman, "Does that price on the window include your prep work and the transfer of ownership?"
Once the two were in Rob's car, he passed his cellphone to Shiage, who stared at the message for five minutes. "Fuck."
"Yeah."
"You're sure there isn't some mistake?"
"Kazari's one of the best researchers that Judgment has."
"She's that Kazari Uiharu?" Seeing Rob's nod in reply, Shiage continued, "There's no mistake, then."
They continued in silence for a few moments. "So, what do we do now?"
"I drop you off at the apartment, and you talk with Kazari and Takitsubo-san. She needs to know. I go get Mamoru and Mii."
"That's a given. What happens after that?"
Rob smiled thinly. "After that, we call our doctor and ask her to make a house call."
West Fort St., Detroit, MI, USA
February 8, 2017
6:55 PM
"It should be dark enough to risk it now."
They looked out the window of the roadside restaurant to see yet another truck slow down for the turn-off to the Ambassador Bridge. The younger of the two stood up to leave.
"Hey! I like this place! I want to come back here some day. We aren't skipping out on the bill."
After they'd settled the bill, the two girls headed a couple of blocks west, to the fenced-off area for trucks waiting to take the international crossing - that they had spent the entire day observing. They were almost out of cash - their ride in the Roadbuster had nearly cleaned out their wallets, but it was worth every penny - and they didn't have any contacts in the local underworld who could provide them with fake passports even if they had the money to pay for them, so they had to cross the border in a less-comfortable fashion than they would have preferred. Using the esper powers that the older of the two possessed, it was child's play to get into the customs zone, then into the trailer of one of the trucks. They hoped that getting out of the truck on the other side would be just as easy.
Club Lofts, Windsor, ON, Canada
February 8, 2017
7:33 PM
Slash was uncomfortable - he thought he sensed somebody with more power than his mistress Mahoro, or Ryu, or even himself. And the power had the same feel to it that the power of that girl who had visited a month ago - Konori, that was her name - felt like, but much, much stronger.
By the time he'd padded over to Mahoro's apartment, the sensation had tapered off to the point where he wondered whether he'd imagined it. But it was best to report his concerns anyway.
Not coincidentally, a Greyhound bus had just left Windsor, headed for Toronto. Aboard were two Asian girls who had to get out of town right away before the customs agents noticed them, but had decided they were going to exchange their cash for Canadian money in the big city, rather than get ripped off by paying the bus company's exchange rate any more than was necessary.
You guessed it: To be continued...
February 7, 2017
11:22 AM
"I don't care who's shooting at us! Get in the car!"
"I don't know how to drive. It'd be a super mistake for me to try."
The big guy behind the wheel poked his head out the window. "Nobody drives the Roadbuster but me, kid. You might be bulletproof, but I doubt your boss is. Get in before some asshole shoots her."
She did.
"Where to?"
Said boss replied, "Ottawa. Canada."
"I don't leave the States. I'll take you as far as Detroit."
"Good enough, as long as you can lose these idiots who are shooting at us."
The driver laughed. "Just who do you think you're talking to?"
Unable to pursue their targets for more than a few blocks, the attackers had no choice but to watch them go. They dreaded the report that they'd have to make - Leonard wasn't going to be happy.
Blossom Apartments, Ottawa, ON, Canada
February 7, 2017
4:07 PM
Minako frowned. "I thought we were going to take Kongo-san, Takitsubo-san and Ms. Seivelun shopping! But Mii-san's got evening courses so she's getting supper on campus, Mako-chan's looking for a part-time job at the bakeries around here, Ami's patching up Kamijo-san -"
"Again?" Mikoto rolled her eyes in disbelief. "How many fights do he and Hamazura-san get into?"
"Too many. But we're talking about shopping. Kazari-san and Rui-san are busy with some internet project that they won't talk about, Kuroko-san refuses to go shopping with Kongo-san, Usagi said she's spending all evening with Mamoru, our resident ex-Witch has the evening shift at OSA-P today, and Rei's promised to answer your clone sisters' questions about Shinto. So it's just you and me."
Mikoto almost changed her mind and agreed, but she couldn't forget the look she'd noticed on Rob's face when she got home from school. "Sorry. Maybe Maika'd be willing to go with you."
Minako thought for a moment. "It's worth a try, I guess."
The girls separated and made their ways to the people that they wanted to speak with. Mikoto found Rob in the common room's kitchen, making a pot of Earl Grey tea. Quietly, she asked him, "What's wrong?"
He looked around, noticing that there were still a few people in the common room proper. "I'm going to make a call to San Antonio. In my office. You can sit in, if you want."
Even Mikoto could tell that Rob wanted her to take part in the call. "Do you want me to find anybody else and ask them to take part, too?"
He shook his head. "Not yet." He thought for a brief moment, then continued. "Shall we retire to my office? I'll leave the door open."
"No, you won't," replied Mikoto. "Not if you don't want Ruiko-san hearing everything."
"Right," he replied, remembering that the biggest gossip in the building lived next door to his office. "And it's a good thing I got that soundproofing in."
A few minutes later, Rob and Mikoto were sitting behind his desk (putting two chairs behind one desk was a tight fit) and connecting a video call to San Antonio.
"Hi! Oh, hi, uncle Rob, aunt Mikoto!"
Mikoto twitched at being called "aunt", even by a five-year-old.
Rob took the greeting in stride, and smiled. "Hi, Alicia! Are you keeping yourself busy?"
"Uh-huh! But Ben and Fate are keeping me busier! They keep saying I have to do my homework."
Mikoto looked surprised. "I didn't know you were already in school."
"Well... It's more like tutoring. Aunt Washuu-chan and uncle Sousuke are giving me lessons whenever they have time. Do you have homework, too?"
"Every single weekday," Mikoto answered with a theatrical sigh.
Rob nodded in agreement. "And Lord Phantomhive keeps me busy with work that I have to do at home, too."
"Like he does with Ben? I know about that! Sometimes he doesn't have time to play with me." She frowned for a moment, then smiled again. "But it's important work."
"Yes, it is," Rob agreed. "Speaking of Ben, could you let him know we're calling, please? We need to talk with him."
"Okay!" Alicia turned away from the camera and shouted, "BENNN! PHONE CAAALL! FROM UNCLE ROOOB!"
Rob chuckled; he'd forgotten how people that young reacted to that sort of request.
But it worked - after a moment, Alicia was standing up so that Ben could sit at his own desk. "Bye, uncle Rob, aunt Mikoto! Come visit some time, okay?"
Mikoto forced a smile. "Maybe in March, when we have a week off school."
"Yay!" She raced off, full of energy.
Ben looked at her for a moment, then turned to the computer. "Any day that Alicia's that happy is a good day. Fortunately, that's most days around here. But I doubt you called just to talk with her."
"Yeah," replied Rob. "Are you alone?"
"Give me a second." Ben stood up and walked over to Alicia. "Rob and Mikoto want to have an important talk with me right now, and I think they don't want anybody else listening in. Could you go play with your sister and Nanoha for a while, please?"
"Is this a grown-up thing?"
Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know yet."
She thought for a moment, then answered, "Okay."
"Thank you. Oh, and Alicia? Girls like Mikoto don't always like being called an Aunt - it's a Japanism about being sensitive about their age. Call her Onee-san instead, okay?"
"I guess... but I thought only Aunt Kuroko - big sister Kuroko called her Onee-san."
Ben and Mikoto sighed as Rob grinned while wondering why people thought children didn't notice things. Ben followed his sigh with, "Can we talk about that later, Alicia? Rob and Mikoto are still waiting for me to get back to them."
"Sure! I'll come back in a little while!" And she took off through the doorway.
Ben closed the door behind her, almost locked it, changed his mind, then walked back to his desk and sat down at his computer again. "I am now. What's wrong?"
Before Rob could answer, Mikoto pointed out, "You didn't lock the door."
Ben nodded in confirmation. "Rule Number One of Hiding Shit: Don't look like you're hiding shit."
Rob added, "Mikoto, Ben doesn't make any secret of the fact that he has ADHD. He thinks differently than we do - not better, not worse, just differently. And that's one of the reasons why I ask for his opinion - because he brings new viewpoints to the issues at hand that I wouldn't imagine, let alone consider."
"It's more my upbringing than my ADHD that shaped my thinking. When you have a step-father who's made it his mission in life to ensure you have no way of hiding anything from him, you learn or... well, that's a conversation for another time."
While Ben's comment piqued Mikoto's curiosity, she didn't follow up on it just then. Instead, she asked Rob, "What are the other reasons?"
"I trust him, and I like him. He's a friend of ours." Turning back to Ben (who was smiling at the compliment), Rob continued, "I'm not sure what's wrong. A couple of days ago, Mikoto and I had a conversation that turned into us wondering why people from Academy City and Azabu-Juban were still showing up here. After we talked, I sent an email to Belldandy, asking her why."
"So that's what this is about," Mikoto said.
"And?"
"I got a reply today. It read, and I quote: 'I'm sorry, but I am not at liberty to answer that question right now'."
Ben leaned back in his seat. "That... is troubling. Considering she can't lie about anything, and that under normal circumstances she would otherwise divulge information that might make life easier on us... Of course, these aren't what most people would call 'normal circumstances' but even so..."
After a moment, Mikoto replied, "Even so, it isn't like the Goddesses to keep us out of the loop. Is it?"
"It's very unusual behaviour for them," Rob confirmed.
"I have no idea for certain what's going on," Ben added. "It could be any number of things. But if life has taught me anything at all? It's that Murphy and his wife, Fate, are cold-blooded bastards who'll seek to fuck you over any way possible, either by hook or by crook. That said, all signs are pointing towards this getting worse before it gets better. The only question as far as I'm concerned is 'How bad?' My intuition is bringing up that scene from White Christmas. 'How much is wow?' 'Somewhere between ouch and poing-oing-oing-oing.' Except I'm worried it's gonna go beyond 'poing-oing-oing-oing'. I've already been planning ahead just in case. You've seen it, but you may not have really realized it because it's so normal for a group like mine. All the combat drills, the cross-training, developing tactics for outside context problems... you name it, we've been doing it, to the point where I've even been scheduling mandatory recreation days, and purchased season passes for everyone at all four of the theme parks here to support that. Six if you include the water park and bath house Jodie and David are running, but fortunately those were permanent VIP passes they've granted us."
"They've opened the park? We'll have to go say hi. Maybe take Alicia there when we visit." Rob noticed Mikoto's expression his comment. "You all but promised that we would."
"I know, but should we really be planning to do something fun when we don't know what's going on?" she asked in reply.
"Of course we should," answered Rob. "Worrying about everything all the time isn't very good for our mental health."
Ben nodded in agreement. "Mikoto, I'm sorry if any of this worries you. But you know by now that I'm not the kind of person that likes to make someone suffer unduly. If there was some way for me to shield everyone from this, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but even with the power I've gained recently... unfortunately, not everything can be solved by a 180 gigawatt gamma-ray laser to the face. At the very least, though, I know that you've seen enough in your life so far to understand the gravity of the situation." He took a breath, to give Mikoto time to let his words sink in. "That said... I'd keep this on the down-low. Over here, the only people that know about my true worries are Gil Graham, Noike, Tenchi, Homura, and Teletha. I'd tell Teams RWBY and JNPR, but I don't know for sure if they're ready for that kind of pressure just yet. But if any of the others were to come out and ask me, I'd tell them as well because if they're smart enough to notice what I'm doing, then they're smart enough to handle the truth."
"Over here," Rob replied, "the only people who know I'm starting to have concerns about all of this are Mikoto," - he inclined his head toward her - "Mii, Ami, Hyoga, Mamoru, and Usagi. And sometimes I regret telling Mii and Ami, what with their course loads at university, but I'm not going to keep secrets from them."
"I'm glad to hear that," remarked Ben.
"And I'm starting to see what Mii-sempai sees in you, Rob-oji," Mikoto added.
"Hey, you two - don't give me a swelled head!" But Rob said that with a grin.
Blossom Apartments, Ottawa, ON, Canada
February 8, 2017
5:54 PM
"Do you think Kazari-san and Ruiko-san will be joining us for dinner this evening?"
Makoto raised an eyebrow at Maika's question - not the question itself, but the way that she said it. "That's up to them. And we all know that being a maid is just your cover for your job for Necessarius -"
"Except for the newcomers, Kamijo, and Index."
"Fine, we almost all know, but would it hurt you to pretend to act like a real maid?"
"What's wrong with how I act?" Maika asked defensively, just before Kazari burst into the room.
"Is Rob-oji here? He's not in his office."
Makoto shook her head. Maika answered, "He, Hamazura-san, Mamoru-san, and Mii-san are out looking at used vans."
"Oh. I'll send him a text, then. Thanks!"
As Kazari turned to leave, Makoto asked, "Are you and Ruiko eating with us today?"
"No time! Sorry!" And Kazari was gone.
Elsewhere
Same time
"The last place we visited, the salesman tried to sell us a minivan that had only one owner, who only used it to take the kids to school and back. We could see from the amount of wear on the upholstery that it had been used as a private school bus." Rob sighed. "That's why we're here instead of there." He didn't mention that this was the third used-car lot they had visited.
"We don't act like that here," replied the salesman, who knew that acting like that would send these customers elsewhere. "Exactly what are you looking for?"
"Something that can hold at least eight people, plus luggage," Rob said.
"Preferably with a standard transmission," added Shiage.
The salesman frowned at that comment. "There isn't much call for standards in Ottawa. I think all of our minivans are automatics."
"Maybe we should get a cargo van and convert it," Shiage mused.
"You could, but the conversion and the inspection would cost so much that it would probably be cheaper to buy new."
Mii frowned. "Our budget won't allow that."
"And it isn't as if we're going to be treating this like a high-performance sports car," added Mamoru.
"Okay, okay," grumbled Shiage. "I can live with an automatic. What have you got?"
"Give me a moment to get some keys." The salesman walked into the lot's office, and came back out a few minutes later. "I thought we had more than that - must have sold the other ones. If you'll walk this way, I'll show you what we have." The salesman took them to one corner of the lot, walking straight past the first few minivans without stopping.
"What's wrong with those?" asked Mii.
"They're only six-seaters. This one," he gestured toward a longer minivan, painted jet black, "is the only one on the lot that can meet your needs. It's a nine-seater, including the driver's seat. Would you like to take a look inside?"
"Please," replied Rob as the salesman unlocked the minivan's doors.
A quick inspection followed - the interior was slightly worn but clean, the odometer reading about what Shiage expected to see on a minivan that old, and Mamoru approved of what he could see in the engine compartment. Miracle of miracles, all of the receipts for oil changes and other consumables were present in the glove compartment. Rob and Mamoru spent a few minutes going through those. "I'd like to get a mechanic's opinion, but I like what I see here," commented Mamoru.
The salesman smiled at that. "Who wants to take it for a test drive?"
Mii frowned. "I only have a learner's permit - I'd better not."
"I'd be happy to take her for a spin," Shiage answered.
Rob frowned. "How about Mamoru gives it a try first." The tone of his voice made it clear to Shiage that this wasn't a question.
"Fine..."
Just then, Rob's phone buzzed. "Excuse me for a moment." He read the text message - from Kazari - and re-read it. Then he swore under his breath. Turning to Mii, he said, "Try to stay within our budget, if you can - Sebastian won't like it if we go over. Shiage and I have to go back to the apartment building."
"We do? Why?"
"Not here, but it's about Takitsubo-san. And I'm driving."
Shiage nodded nervously. "If you're going to drop a line like that on me, you're damned right you're driving."
As they headed back to Rob's car, they heard Mii ask the salesman, "Does that price on the window include your prep work and the transfer of ownership?"
Once the two were in Rob's car, he passed his cellphone to Shiage, who stared at the message for five minutes. "Fuck."
"Yeah."
"You're sure there isn't some mistake?"
"Kazari's one of the best researchers that Judgment has."
"She's that Kazari Uiharu?" Seeing Rob's nod in reply, Shiage continued, "There's no mistake, then."
They continued in silence for a few moments. "So, what do we do now?"
"I drop you off at the apartment, and you talk with Kazari and Takitsubo-san. She needs to know. I go get Mamoru and Mii."
"That's a given. What happens after that?"
Rob smiled thinly. "After that, we call our doctor and ask her to make a house call."
West Fort St., Detroit, MI, USA
February 8, 2017
6:55 PM
"It should be dark enough to risk it now."
They looked out the window of the roadside restaurant to see yet another truck slow down for the turn-off to the Ambassador Bridge. The younger of the two stood up to leave.
"Hey! I like this place! I want to come back here some day. We aren't skipping out on the bill."
After they'd settled the bill, the two girls headed a couple of blocks west, to the fenced-off area for trucks waiting to take the international crossing - that they had spent the entire day observing. They were almost out of cash - their ride in the Roadbuster had nearly cleaned out their wallets, but it was worth every penny - and they didn't have any contacts in the local underworld who could provide them with fake passports even if they had the money to pay for them, so they had to cross the border in a less-comfortable fashion than they would have preferred. Using the esper powers that the older of the two possessed, it was child's play to get into the customs zone, then into the trailer of one of the trucks. They hoped that getting out of the truck on the other side would be just as easy.
Club Lofts, Windsor, ON, Canada
February 8, 2017
7:33 PM
Slash was uncomfortable - he thought he sensed somebody with more power than his mistress Mahoro, or Ryu, or even himself. And the power had the same feel to it that the power of that girl who had visited a month ago - Konori, that was her name - felt like, but much, much stronger.
By the time he'd padded over to Mahoro's apartment, the sensation had tapered off to the point where he wondered whether he'd imagined it. But it was best to report his concerns anyway.
Not coincidentally, a Greyhound bus had just left Windsor, headed for Toronto. Aboard were two Asian girls who had to get out of town right away before the customs agents noticed them, but had decided they were going to exchange their cash for Canadian money in the big city, rather than get ripped off by paying the bus company's exchange rate any more than was necessary.
You guessed it: To be continued...
--
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