estirose | Sigh

Long story short, our complex is being repainted and looks much better than it did. I just wish I'd gotten the blue/yellow scheme instead of the green/brown one. *sigh*

Now trying to move everything back in my garden and taking care of chores before the weekend. Joy.

Work-wise, things are kind of dreadful but tolerable. I'm applying for jobs right now because I am getting rather tired of the high-level politics. (Seriously, they won't even let us put in a new voicemail message for our public line that says "Please listen *carefully* to this message." Because, well, people don't.)

She wasn't home.

Even when Michi was out late - supposedly studying, though he knew now that it was a lie - she'd always come home before nine. And while he was exhausted, busy with work and finding out exactly what she'd been up to, he wanted to be there when she got home. He wasn't ready to confront her yet, but he did want to make sure she was okay. Then, when he had evidence, then he'd confront her. He knew, reluctantly, that what she had found out meant she had to work for Yggdrasill now where he'd hoped to keep her safe. But she was a Kureshima, and true to her blood she'd been intelligent enough to figure out what wasn't always as it seemed and bold enough to do something about it.

And now she hadn't come home, and her tablet and phone weren't giving off any signals. He found himself pacing, commanded himself to stop it, and went over to his computer. He'd already spent too much time on the files regarding Ryugen - he refused to think of Michi as "Test Subject #3", even if he knew that's how the staff referred to her - and everything Yggdrasill knew on her. He knew that she'd undone her transformation shortly after she left the tunnels, blending in with the crowds.

It didn't make him very happy, so he sat down with his laptop and called up the latest version of the information on her. It hadn't changed since she'd left the tunnels, no biodata, which Ryouma had told him was normal; they didn't regularly record that type of data because it was a drain on the battery.

When Michi got back, he would be sure to get her Driver modified so that it recorded even when she wasn't wearing it. There was no excuse for a Kureshima heir to be wandering about without anybody knowing where she was or whether she was alive or dead.

But what if there was a way to get that data? He paused, considering the possibility, and then pulled out his phone. Ryouma might still be at work; sometimes he forgot to go home. He might fuss, but ultimately if there was a way, Ryouma would do it.

"Takatora?" He could almost see the scientist rubbing his eyes under his glasses, but at least he was at work and still answering calls. "What can I do for you?"

"Is there a way to pull data from an inactive driver? You said that we didn't regularly do such a thing, but...."

"Stop worrying about your sister. From her records, she's a nice, healthy - if average - young woman." The scientist sounded amused, but there was a sigh in there. "I could possibly pull some of her biodata, depending on whether the driver is close to her body."

"Do it." At least there might be a way to find out if she was still alive. She could fight as Ryugen - he'd seen it himself - but she hadn't transformed for a while.

There was a rapid tapping of keys, followed by a pause, and then a second round of typing. "I just sent out an order to the driver to wake up and report. I should have something shortly."

Takatora took a deep breath. It might not be anything, but on the other hand, it might give him the peace of mind that he needed.

"This reminds me of the time that you came to me because she wouldn't tell you about her *awful* cramps." Ryouma was typing away again, and Takatora hoped it had to do with their current conversation.

He suddenly wondered if one of the reasons Michi hadn't come to him was because she was afraid he'd somehow found out she was on a Beat Rider team. He'd have to ask her about it. "She's a heir to Yggdrasill, I want to know when she's in pain like that."

At least she wouldn't get pregnant. He hoped for her teammates' sakes that none of them were sleeping with her, but at least she had some protection. Fleetingly he wondered if her push to get birth control was more to protect herself among those street rats than her cramps, and then he decided that even if it was it wasn't important.

"Ah." Ryouma sounded distant on the phone for a moment, and then came back. "So, the good news is that your sister is fine. Biodata corresponds with what we have on her. Looks like she's moving, not sedentary. Maybe she's going home?" There was a note in his voice that suggested - gently - that Takatora stop bothering him and let him get some rest.

"I hope so. You should get home as well," Takatora said, and there was an amused huff at the other end before Ryouma hung up.

And then the front door opened. Takatora headed to the bannister, relieved to see his sister come in, looking weary from the way she hung her head. But she dutifully plodded up the stairs as if nothing had changed. "Michi," he said, coming down the same stairs. "You're late."

It was all he could say, really, without a torrent of questions coming out that didn't need to be asked that night.

"I was studying," was all that she said, and he nodded. It wasn't a lie that he would fall for again, but then again it wasn't going to be an issue anymore, not after she became part of Yggdrasill.

"Good," he said, trying to sound soothing. "Go to bed, it's late."

She nodded, lowering her head and continuing her plodding way up, and Takatora didn't move until he was sure she was safely upstairs.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

From:

reka

I'm sorry to hear about your work. My brother works in government bureaucracy too and I'm rather impressed that he hasn't run away screaming yet. I think it shows the difference in our temperaments. Good luck with the job search! And I quite like that you've shown Takatora as a smart guy with significant blind spots he is starting to become aware of here. He's just unfortunately unaware of all his blind spots.

From:

estirose

Sometimes I'm amazed that I haven't run away screaming. I mean, it's nice to serve the public, but I seriously need to get away from this job that is essentially the complaints department (and a complaints department where only about 40% of the calls pertain to our office). Complaints that we can't do anything direct about, none the less, and we're the ones that get the upset callers when the offices that investigate the complaints can't move fast enough (because they're short-staffed and keep being handed jobs that have nothing to do with them). At least I might be handed a workload that gets me away from the dang phones for a while.

I'm mostly applying for accounting assistant-type jobs, because I get along better with math than I do with people sometimes.

I really like writing Takatora (even if I am somehow better with his younger sibling) because the man is smart and does take appropriate action when faced with something he hadn't considered before. Previous drafts had him charging down to Team Gaim (because Michi was still there) and my Ryouma muse was facepalming because his former friend usually wasn't that stupid.

From:

reka

My brother deals with internal bureaucracy. He's with the feds and interfaces with some local offices. I could never do phones. I just can't make my voice sound authoritative enough and then I get very flustered.

Yeah, Takatora's pretty hands-off about a lot of things but really hands-on about other things. Fortunately he can usually be talked down because of the too-trusting thing. Going down to Gaim to drag Michi away probably would've gone really badly, even if she was there alone. She resents him enough as it is.

From:

estirose

The one good thing about my job (other than the boss is flexible about vacation and the internal customers are usually quite pleasant) is that it's a job where being quiet and gentle helps for most of my calls. I don't have to sound authoritative, I have to sound sympathetic while stopping people from rambling. When I deal with angry people I get flustered. Does your brother like his job? I work with other agencies as well and so I get to find out what they do on a semi-regular basis, which is actually very neat.

Ryouma learned after two drafts not to tell Takatora where his baby sister was, because really, how would Takatora explain how he knew? And to make things worse, Kouta was still persuading Michi to go home. (Mai arrived about the time Takatora did, because Kouta called for backup.)

From:

reka

He does. He's technically on a fellowship because of hiring freezes, so he's probably not going to be able to stay for too long. When we were in California recently for a wedding he went out to meet with the local office there. He does Clean Water Act stuff, and the local offices and the DC office apparently don't always communicate well. I love hearing about what other people do, too. Otakorp meetings are terribly interesting to me, even though I don't want to have most of those jobs at all.

I tend to ramble myself, unfortunately. It doesn't make people confident that I know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, that'd probably make Michi occasionally leave her driver in strategic places or something. Even if the signal showed she wasn't wearing it, Takatora would probably think the location held a clue about where she was before thinking it might be a trap. Or just unwise.

From:

estirose

I find talking to other offices probably the funnest part of the job, but then again most of the time I'm supplying information to them so they're pretty happy with me. I hope your brother gets something permanent with the US government - we need more people who can actually communicate! (It sounds like he talked to the California Department of Water Resources if I'm remembering my agencies right. I've never dealt with them.)

I hope you had a nice trip over - according to the weather channel, it's been pretty nice the last few days over the entire state. Not the usual August weather at all!

I've learned to use my rambling to my advantage, strangely enough, but that's after years of experience talking on the phones. (If I repeat myself, eventually people will get the hint to go away and let me get their complaint in/go to an agency that can assist them.)

Of course, once Michi joins Yggdrasill, there's no need to have a driver, and Takatora realized that shortly after the end of this fic. (And he found himself realizing that, once he got over the fact that Michi ran off to Team Gaim's HQ, that Kouta was quite sensible and he and Mai were trying to get Michi to go home. Which wouldn't make Michi any happier, but it would perhaps do good things for Takatora.)

From:

reka

We went in March, actually, but I'm glad to hear that you're having such nice weather. We're having a pretty nice summer over here, too. It's actually cool in the evenings and not as obnoxiously humid. The wedding was out in the San Francisco area, and we stayed in SF for a couple of days first.

I really hope he gets a permanent job, too. My brother has a good combination of verbal skills and scientific understanding that I think is pretty valuable in bureaucratic science policy stuff. I think he met with people in the regional office of the EPA.

I'm sure he found the realization that the Beat Riders his sister hangs out with are sometimes more reasonable than she is to be slightly awkward.

From:

estirose

San Francisco is (almost always) nice, especially the weather. And I'm so glad it's cooled down. It's been so hot here! Thank goodness for fans.

EPA, huh? That's cool. We've never worked with them, but I've had some good times with our federal counterparts. What does he want to do for a living?

Currently having uncooperative muses. Takatora was musing on how reasonable Kouta was, Michi decided the fastest way to get him off the topic was to mention that she knew that Kouta was too shy to ask her out (trying to provoke the "protective big brother" response), and Takatora kind of went "hmmm...." and went silent on me. Michi is irritatedly tapping her foot, and Kouta and Mai are just kind of staring at the two.

From:

reka

He wants to work in environmental policy, so where he is isn't too far from where he wants to be except for the not permanent part. He did some policy stuff for environmental non-profits before grad school and says he wouldn't mind returning to something like that too. And he has interest in possibly doing small-time local politics someday for some reason, which I cannot understand at all. My brother is a painfully honest and sensitive guy. I don't know how he can stomach the idea.

San Francisco is really nice, but I'm afraid that I'm too much of an East Coaster for it. I couldn't get over the differences in vegetation or how much sun I got. It was the first time I'd been out there, though, so maybe I'll have a different reaction next time.

It'd provoke more of a reaction from Takatora if Kouta planned to do anything about it, but like this it's just another item in the "surprisingly reasonable" column. Poor Mai. She doesn't have much patience for these kinds of politics, I think. Would Takatora's appearance trigger her protectiveness too? She could either try to protect Michi or try to protect Kouta. I'd assume she at least agrees with Michi that Kouta shouldn't get involved in it.

From:

estirose

Yeah, I tend to avoid politics for that reason too. I'd be torn apart. I'm glad that he knows what he enjoys and maybe he'll find something in state service if he can't with EPA. I enjoy tutoring people myself, but there are jobs I'd be total fail at. I admire anybody who can teach classes.

I don't always notice differences between places much (other that people in Boston were crazy when it came to crossing the street), so I can't really say what I'd feel moving to Boston or New York. I'm sure it would take me some time to adjust if I was moving to, say, Brooklyn. (However, I think I have the MTA pretty much down.)

Yeah, Takatora's kind of going "hmm, maybe this boy has possibilities, especially since Michi seems to like him." And Mai's trying to protect Michi from Takatora and Kouta kind of wavering between being upset that Takatora showed up (and is therefore protective of Michi) and wishing that Michi would go home because Takatora is family. (Takatora told everybody that he traced it down from Michi's tablet to cover how he found her, and Michi's not going to contradict him.)

From:

reka

Teaching seems really hard to me, too. The idea is appealing, but presenting yourself the way you need to for teaching tires me out.

Brooklyn does have its own feel, doesn't it? Even though they're all part of NYC, I always feel a little out of place in the outer boroughs. I'm not very good at spatial orientation, so it takes a while for me to really feel like I know where I am. I love the subway system very much. I can't drive and have a bad sense of direction, so knowing that if I can find a subway stop I can find my way home is really important to me.

Kouta needs to hope that Takatora never asks Ryouma about it. Yeah, talking about tracking Michi through the belt might lead to some uncomfortable questions.

From:

estirose

I'd have problems controlling a classroom, myself. I just don't quite have the right leadership skills. I'm in awe of those who do. And I'd get tired out having to interact that much.

I wish I'd gotten a better sense of NYC when I was there, but I loved being in Brooklyn and it did feel much, much different than when I was in Manhattan (the only other part of the city that isn't kind of a blur). I loved the MTA - subways make things so much easier, I think. I do the same thing with bus stops, because our transit system is much more limited.

My Ryouma muse thinks hiring Kouta on would be great for some reason. He'll also be happy about having Michi (both average people, more or less). Kouta would be horrified and Michi would be talking Takatora out of offering a job to Kouta ("I don't think he'd fit with Yggdrasill, big brother.").

From:

reka

I think I've mentioned/indicated before that I live in Manhattan. Same place I grew up, even. I'm a bit of a homebody and haven't explored much of Brooklyn, but I did do a volunteer thing in Brooklyn and one of my best friends lives there.

Most places have more limited public transportation than NYC, alas. I'm not sure I could live somewhere where there wasn't any. I'd hate needing to get people to drive me everywhere.

Kouta would be a horrible Yggdrasil employee. He'd be okay at general office work once he got used to it, but his moral compass is too strong to handle making hard choices. There are probably ways Takatora could keep a connection up with him without giving him a job. Unlike Michi, Kouta probably doesn't need to be in on everything to contribute.

From:

estirose

Yeah, being without a car out here can be an exercise in frustration (unless you live in, say, San Francisco or another city with excellent transportation). Even with decent transit, the nearest bus to me only runs once an hour on Sundays. (This is, alas, also true of weekday bus service to the airport.)

I would like to get back to NYC someday, maybe renting a room through AirBNB so I can actually see more of Manhattan. Because I mostly saw Brooklyn, a little bit of Manhattan, and a tiny bit of everything else either coming or going.

Yeah, for Kouta's sake, it's almost better that Takatora just leave with a better impression of Team Gaim and not get any ideas (or talk to Ryouma, who would get excited).

From:

reka

I don't really know the sights very well (I've never been to the Empire State Building, for example), but I'm probably not moving anywhere so I might be able to give you a little advice at that point in the future. Going out to California again would be nice but I have no idea when that would be possible.

Takatora might not get a better impression of anyone except Kouta. I love Mai, but I don't think Takatora would understand her very well.

From:

estirose

I might take you up on that when I find a cheap fare.

As for Mai, Takatora's not going to like it when Mai takes off with Michi....

Edited (darn it autocorrect) Date: 2014-08-21 04:22 pm (UTC)

From:

reka

Autocorrect is wonderful when it works, but otherwise it bothers me terribly.

Absolutely! Since I'm still living with my parents I can't really offer a place to stay, but I'd love to point out some things I find cool that I think you might too.

Certainly not, I'd imagine. I'd be really interested about where she'd take her, too. And whether Michi would decide to stay where she can't change anything about the team's future.

From:

estirose

(Ah, back to having a form of keyboard!)

Yeah, it autocorrected "Michi" to "Michigan". That was annoying.

I've got things I want to see, but my brain won't come up with them rigt now, of course.

On Michi's end, I'm sure once she calms down and uses her brain, she'll go back. Maybe after a few days crashing with Mai and/or Kouta.

From:

reka

I avoid using touch-screen keyboards whenever I can. I'm a slow typist as it is, and the extra annoyances make it just tedious and frustrating. I often will check things on my phone but grab a computer for typing replies.

I got the impression from canon that Michi would be welcomed to crash at Kouta's at any time, and I'm sure Mai would do the same. Kouta's sister is probably minor enough at Yggdrasil that Michi wouldn't feel awkward or anything around her.

From:

estirose

Yeah. My keyboard is invaluable. Right now I'm without it.

Michi would probably crash at Kouta's just to spite Takatora. It won't take her long to figure out that she was tracked via her driver.

From:

reka

Probably. Since Yggdrasil is a technology company and has control over Zawame in general, it's quite possible that she could have been tracked another way. But I'm sure she'd evaluate the likelihood of being tracked by driver and know that Ryouma would definitely put in a tracker if he could.

From:

estirose

She's likely to take the worst possible explanation, I think, so she'd presume it was her Driver.

Which would make her not very happy with Takatora and more determined to keep her friends safe from what's going on. Which might mean going home.

From:

reka

Which will, of course, lead back to her friends worrying about her because the idea of doing so had been causing her distress earlier. And Mai will remember this.

Poor Michi. Nothing ever goes her way.

From:

estirose - Date: 2014-08-24 08:29 pm (UTC) - Expand

Sigh

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