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Project: TheirWorld - Chapter 002

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That University Assistant Life

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The Enclave

Dassah planned on slipping quietly into the white and blue office where she worked, but her attempt was unsuccessful as she found herself staring into the amused doe-like eyes of the assistant that she shared her room with.

“Stella,” Dassah said stupidly as she paused. Annoyed more with herself than the short haired young woman in her perfectly fitted polka dot dress that was staring at her with an all-too-pleased grin on her face, Dassah hastily moved toward her own desk on the other side of the room.

“Dah-ah-sah!” Stella’s sing-song voice rang out, full of bubbly light. Dassah groaned and turned to her, anticipating the: “You. Are. Late!” That came from the young woman’s vibrant red lips as she waved a finger in the air.

“Sorry,” Dassah half-heartedly apologised. Going over to her desk, she checked her calendar and breathed a sigh of relief. She was late to the office, but she hadn’t missed anything. Saved! “Do me a favor and don’t report me?” she asked, turning to Stella and clapping her hands together with a wink.

“Listen here, girly,” Stella told her in a mockingly stern voice as she strode over to Dassah’s desk. Her red heels clicked loudly on the floor as she placed her feet perfectly, one in front of the other. “You should never - ever - be late! To anything! But! I will make an exception, if -” she placed a finger in Dassah’s nose, “- you give your little sister here all the dirt!”

Going cross eyed looking at the red nail on her nose, Dassah dumbly questioned, “Dirt?”

“Of course! You must have a reason for being late!” Stella’s voice went quite high pitched as she moved her finger to the bottom of her own lip. “Was he cute? No… You are more into the ‘hot’ type, aren’t you?”

Dassah took a minute to let the gears click into place, then turned her attention back to settling in. “Obviously someone has an overactive imagination,” she informed the young woman whose red lips pouted as Dassah threw her purse on the floor and took off her coat. “Leave me out of your fantasies, yeah? I just missed my stop is all.”

“Well that’s boring,” Stella told her, sitting on Dassah’s desk. Dassah rolled her eyes as she continued, leaning over into Dassah’s face. “Come on now! Tell me all the secrets!” The very nicely put together woman swung her arms out and wiggled them like worms in the air with her lips puckered like a fish and her eyes wide.

How does she not laugh at herself, acting like that? Dassah wondered, though she also had managed to keep her own face straight. “Oi,” she poked Stella’s face with her pointer finger and pushed her away. “Personal space, lady. And sorry,” Dassah shrugged and sat in her chair. “We can’t all be you - and if we were, then that would be boring too, wouldn’t it?”

Stella gave a thoughtful, “Hmm?” before she gracefully stood. “Ah!” she hit her palm with her fist. “By the way. Our new roomie is coming in today.”

“Really? Today...” Dassah asked, looking dismally at her desk with all it’s miscellaneous papers and bits of wrappers, feeling extremely self conscious.

Their office was big, but it was meant to shared by three people; usually, two newbies, and an experienced mentor. However, one month in and it had just been her and Stella - two newbies that had come in on the same ship. It’s about time they gave us someone to help us out… Even though Dassah felt a little spiteful that they had had to pave their way on their own so far, there was a pang of sadness that was wasn’t going to be just the two of them anymore. Besides, who knew what kind of person the mentor would be?

Stella was nodding running a hand through her bobbed blonde hair before moving back to her own desk. Her hips swayed a little too much as she walked. Is she trying to seduce me, or mock me? Dassah shook her head and starting to go through the papers on her desk that she didn’t recognize.

With a click on her heels, Stella turned back around and said, “HR said it would be a couple of hours, tops. Apparently she’s a fancy fifth year coming back from a six month sabbatical. She’s supposedly a bit military - gonna whip us new people into shape.” She gave Dassah a smart, flirtatious glance as she pointed to Dassah’s desk and added, “So… You got a little time to, uh, tidy up a bit, yeah?”

Dassah sighed heavily. “Shit,” she muttered, attacking the trash on her desk first. After several minutes of trying to ignore the odd, knowing gaze that her co-worker was giving her, she asked, “What?”

Stella smirked as she unwrapped a lollipop. She gave it a lick before waving it around and said, “Nothing.”

Dassah watched her out of the corner of her eye as she continued to organize the papers that were strewn about her desk. Shoving them all into a drawer, she leveled her eyes with Stella. “What is it?”

“Nothing, really,” Stella told her with a smirk and a shrug. Dassah twitched as she continued. “It’s just… it’s going to be so. Much. Fun!” Laughed rang out, sounding oddly like a cackle as Dassah cringed. Witch.

“You are the worst situational best friend ever,” Dassah informed her. Stella giggled.

“On the contrary, dear Dassah,” she said, waving her lollipop around some more. “I am the bestest best friend out there! Should you ever need me, just call my name and I shall be your fairy godmother! For now… Should I help?” Stella’s eyes and smile lost their playful look, and instead donned an honest softness.

Taking a deep breath, Dassah put her hands on her hips and said, “Dear Stella, were I lost in sea or space, you would be the first person I would go to for help. As it is,” Dassah gave an exaggerated sigh. “This is a mission I must conquer on my own.”

Stella laughed in reply as Dassah shoved a few pencils in her pen drawer.

All things aside, her desk wasn’t as bad as it had looked and was relatively quick to clean up. The combination of valkyrian technology and design made the room look very simple and clean in it’s natural state, so any bit of rubbish made it look messy. Simply having holographic monitors and keyboards saved a lot of desk space, but it wasn’t like Dassah really owned a lot, either - aside from the junk that had a tendency to accumulate on her desk. What she did own was able to be tucked away in neat-ish piles or displays in the bookcases connected to her desk.

With her own space problem solved, Dassah spared a look for the rest of the room. Though Stella’s daily cleaning sessions tended to leave the room in good shape, sometimes even she was lazy about it. Obviously not today, though. Everything looked to be in perfect order.

It was a nice office, really. The room was mostly rectangular, save for the entry way which was just a hallway, and the lounge area, which was a half rounded section of the room that was covered in windows, letting plenty of natural light in and served as a recreation and relaxation zone. Two of the desks - Dassah and Stella's - were ‘L’ shaped and built into the wall with their own shelving units, cornered against the walls so they faced each other and into the inside of the room. The third desk - a larger, fancier desk - was sitting comfortably in front of a large shelf unit that took up nearly the whole side of the wall it was on. There was also a small kitchen in the one, otherwise unoccupied corner. The whole thing came complete with it’s own bathroom and storage area connected off the entryway, and a balcony off the curved windows.

Dassah and Stella had chosen their desks based on a game of rock-paper-scissors - but it ended up working out quite well for the both of them. Dassah was closer to the window, exchanging extra shelving for light and easy access to the recreation area, while Stella got the best view of the window, tons of shelf space, and easy access to the bathroom.

Dassah stood and walked over to the lounge, where ‘her’ sofa chair faced the window at forty-five degree angle. Picking up the sketchpad and pencil that were on a side table nearby, she sat and lounged at her favorite angle. She watched outside the windows that enclosed them, the bird-like Da’Viare University logo frosted on them.

The university was a U-shaped building that looked out over the golden ocean and bits of the city that floated upon it. Dassah couldn't say it really looked like land; rather, the cities looked a bit like potted plants, with their pots floating on the lake like lily pads. A garden of people; of life…

A strange, red and blue bird with two sets of wings swooped down and rested on the railing of their balcony. Sitting up slowly, Dassah took to sketching the creature. The long feathers. The sharp, curved beak - like a hawk’s. It’s eyes were beady and dark, but a light with intelligence on it’s hunt. It was beautiful in the danger it emanated.

“Squee!”

Starting at the sound, Dassah looked back at the source of the noise. Stella was at her desk, an excited look on her face. “What the hell?” Dassah asked, twitching.

“It’s Silver Hound!” she exclaimed. “Dassah, Dassah - look, look! Oh my god, why is he so good looking?” Oh, of course.

When she looked back, the bird had flown away. Sighing, Dassah closed her sketchbook and set it back on the coffee table. Leaning over the back of her sofa chair, she rested her chin on her arms and asked, “Aside from his pretty face, what good is he, anyway?”

“Who cares?” Stella made a quick hand motion on the holo-screen over her desk, sending it to the office wide holo-screen that was set up in the center of the office.

“Stella…” Dassah groaned, but the young woman’s face made it look like she was on cloud nine.

On the screen, a cheery valkyrian girl wearing a white and gold cat mask was interviewing a white haired valkyrian. While she didn’t know anything about the girl, who's short, almost painfully blue hair made Dassah judge her in more ways than one, she did recognize the white haired one as Stella’s favorite pastime: Silver Hound.

His real name was Corvex Sai, and he - or his TheirWorld identity, Silver Hound - was the handsome face of the Virtual Crimes Unit in their own prefecture of Galiamori. His face was plastered all over billboards and flyers, advertising trust and safety in the digital worlds. Dassah, however, couldn’t have cared less about the man and his famous fake smile.

“You know,” Corvex Sai was saying; Dassah had missed what the question was. “People are always coming up to me and asking me, ‘Hound, what made you do it?’ It’s amazing, you know, because it’s like they think that I can’t do my job because my face is all over the city - all over the web - but it’s not like that at all. I do it because I want people to know who I am. If they know who I am, then they know who to come to, who to contact, if they are in trouble.”

The interviewer laughed, “That we do! Now, we were all terribly saddened by the loss of your partner, Tabika Kvakas, earlier this year…”

“Yeah,” he nodded, pursing his lips. His eyes dropped a bit before he lifted them back up. Tsk, Dassah thought to herself with a raised lip. Look at this guy, laying it up…She looked over to see Stella, tissue in hand. Oh good lord. The man on the TV was playing into the moment with a forced smile in the silence. Dassah wondered if anyone else noticed that his eyes were devoid of emotion. Or cared. Stella certainly didn’t seem to. “She would have loved to have come on this show and spoken with you all,” he said, dutifully.

“Our hearts have gone out to you and your families during this hard time,” the blue haired interviewer told him.

“Thank you, truly,” he responded.

“Such a shame…” Stella went from across the room, sniffling. “If only I had been there to wipe away his tears....”

“You really think he cried over it?” Dassah asked her. “Even if we forget the fact that his former partner was one of those pig people, do you not see this guy’s face right now?”

Stella threw her tissue box across the room at Dassah - it missed. “Don’t be so rude!” she told her. “You have such issues with the other species - your mouth is the only threat here! ‘Pig people’ - they are called ‘jikak’! And she was a police officer no less - show some respect!”

Dassah snorted. “A jikak then. My point stands,” she said. Judging from Sai as he talked about it, she wouldn’t have been surprised at all if he didn’t trust - or even like - that piggy partner of his. She probably drooled over him worse than Stella…

“Horrible girl,” Stella mumbled as they turned their attention back to the screen.

The interviewer was saying, “Rumors have been floating around that you have gotten yourself a new partner - but he is nowhere to be scene! Does he not intend to follow this new tradition?”

Suddenly - inappropriately, Dassah thought - Sai burst out laughing. “Ahhh,” he started. “Well. That's a…. Well, it’s a story - frankly one that I don’t have full permission to tell, so I won’t go into detail but -” He paused and leaned back. “Life works in funny ways. Coincidence, or fate, we end up meeting people in our lives. We grow up and go our separate ways - thinking nothing of it - and then, whether we want them to or not they end up right smack where you never expected them. My new partner is one of those.”

“See?” Stella said across the way, “He’s a poet!” Dassah ignored her.

The interviewer’s voice sounded surprised as she asked, “You knew him from before?”

“Yeah,” Sai chuckled. “He’s a brat, back from my police academy days; haven’t seen him since then!”

“Really?” the blue haired girl asked. “That’s amazing! How was it when you found out that he was your new partner?”

“Well,” Sai smiled - a genuine smile, from the looks of it. Even Dassah had to admit that he looked good when he meant it. “I love it. Kid’s been kicking my ass since way back then - you would just not believe this guy’s life story, really. If he does ever decide to become a public figure, get him on this show and ask him. It’s a real inspirational story. He’s different than me though - totally different reaction. He asked for a transfer the moment he saw my face, the brat.”

The interviewer laughed. “It sounds like you are enjoying it! We have to go to break, but everyone please stay tuned for more fun with our favorite VCU Detective, Corvex Sai!” The show’s logo flashed and went to commercial.

“Squee!” went Stella again. “That man has got to be the sexiest man alive!” she declared. “His new partner sounds young - I wonder if he’s cute…”

“Tell me seriously,” Dassah went from her perch on the back of the sofa chair. “Do you not see how fake that guy is?”

“Tell me seriously,” Stella returned, walking toward the kitchen area. “Do you think I care at all about anything but that cute face of his? I’m a material girl, Das!” She took out a mug and pour herself a cup of tea. She offered some to Dassah, but Dassah declined, so she went on, “I am talking about bodies - heaven forbid he decides he wants to marry me. That’s just too much drama and I’m too beautiful for just one man anyway!”

“Drama, is it,” Dassah snorted as Stella took to lounging on the large couch by the window where Dassah was. She took off her heels and pulled her feet up, sipping at her tea with a coy grin. I am pretty sure that you live and breathe drama, Dassah thought to herself, but sighed with the futility of such a thought. “Tell me truthfully,” Dassah said. “The only reason you play TheirWorld is to stalk him, isn’t it?”

“Of course!” Stella answered without hesitation.

“Well, if you ever do meet him outside of your fantasies, I suggest that you start practicing on how not to sound like a creepy pervert.” Dassah told her flatly.

“I could lie and say I actually cared about his feelings, but wouldn’t that make me a worse person?” Stella scrunched her nose.

“Hopeless girl.”

“Boring girl.”

The two shared a laugh as Stella sipped her tea and Dassah stared out at the sea on the other side of the glass.

“Speaking of TheirWorld,” Stella started. “Aren’t you supposed to be starting soon?”

Dassah nodded and said, “Yeah. I’m supposed to be setting it up tonight.”

“Then you’ll be in for buckets of fun then. That tutorial is a doozy,” Stella told her. “Took me a whole day to get through it, and it was miserable.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m not exactly new to those types of games,” Dassah said, looking at her nails. She needed to cut them again.

“I am, so I can’t say much - but don’t underestimate it or you’ll find yourself in a fix!” Stella waved her finger in the air again.

Before Dassah could answer, the office door burst open with a loud BANG!

“Whoops! Sorry! Kicked that a bit too hard!” came a rather deep, pleasant, husky voice. Dassah and Stella both stood up quickly, but Dassah shrunk back just as fast when she saw the person in the doorway was eight feet tall. Peeking out from behind a bunch of stacked boxes, was a single, orb-like, yellow-green eye the size of a tennis ball, and the legs holding those boxes were tall, scaly, and standing on bare, clawed toes. “Would one of you darlings mind giving me a hand with these boxes? I should have thought this through a little better… How embarrassing!”

“Just a second!” Stella said. Dassah stared as the smiling Stella leaned into her and said in a low voice: “So. Much. Fun!”