And thus is the first of what may be many parts of 'Help Desk Day Off'! Hope you all enjoy! More to come soon!
"What do you think he wants? Are we in trouble?", Tomo asked as they walked the rather sparse carpeted hallway toward the control room of the studio which was headed by the one and only man they used to call 'Master'.
"He didn't sound upset.", Yomi answered.
"He never sounds upset.", Yukari mumbled.
"Maybe he passed a bladder stone or summin' and he wants to celebrate!", Osaka posed the matter to the group.
"Uhh...Osaka-san, I don't think that's it.", Chiyo giggled, used to the odd conclusions Osaka often came to.
"I do not think anything is amiss. He seems to be a rather calm individual.", Madoka mused.
"Well, whatever. Race ya to the room Kagura!", Tomo said before sprinting off.
"Hey! You cheater!", Kagura yelled after her as she tried to catch up.
She did manage to catch Tomo, but the force of the collision sent the two girls tumbling through the door to the control room. There they lay, sprawled before the swivel chair stitched with Italian leather and filigreed with gold piping along the arms and seat.
It didn't make a sound as it turned toward the girls lying upon the ground.
"How did I know you two would be the first to arrive?", Jay said with a playful smirk.
"Uhh...lucky guess?", Tomo said, standing and brushing the dust from her favourite blue shirt.
It was not really a lucky guess so much as it was a reoccurring event recently that Tomo and Kagura would collapse through the doorway due to a botched race.
The entire group of girls joined soon afterwards. They all gave a curt bow and, although they looked nervous, Chiyo was the first to speak up.
"You called us?"
"Yes.", Jay answered. "I have very important news."
"I told ya it was a bladder stone!", Osaka whispered to Chiyo.
"What is it, hmm? C'mon spill it!", Tomo said, very obviously impatient.
"You amuse me, Takino.", Jay smiled. "Anyhow, being the kind soul I am, I have decided to give you girls the day off from the show."
"Holy shit! Really?", Yukari asked.
"We get the day off?", Koyomiko asked with excitement.
"Yes.", Jay nodded.
"All right!", Tomo screamed, pulling on Yomi and Koyomiko's arms. "Let's not waste any more time!"
"Tomo, it's 8 A.M.", Yomi reminded the hyper girl.
"So?", Tomo said, continuing to pull the girls who soon relented.
"Now, everyone, don't get into trouble and have fun!", Jay reminded them.
"Thank you very much.", they bowed before exiting.
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Lo and behold, after only an hour outside the studio Tomo was bored. She lay on Yomi's bed, dangling her head over the edge and relishing the rush of blood to her brain. Yomi and Koyomiko sat on the floor playing word games, seemingly oblivious to Tomo's groaning.
"I'm booooored! Let's do something fun."
"Like what?", Yomi asked.
"I dunno.", Tomo said, rolling over. "Let's go to the arcade or something."
"Maybe after we're finished here.", Yomi said.
Moments later, the telephone rang. Yomi picked up the receiver.
"Hello? Yes, she's right here."
Yomi held out the phone toward Tomo.
"Is it my mom?", Tomo asked.
"No, it's some guy."
Tomo took the phone with a very surprised look on her face.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Tomo-chan. This is Collin.", said the voice on the other end of the line.
"C-Collin?", Tomo said, holding back what would have been a rather obvious blush.
"Yes, I heard from Jay that you have the day off today and...I was wondering if you would like to partake of another violent film and another round of Halo 3?"
"AH!", she let out a rather unbecoming squeak. "Sure! Better than sitting here in this boring 'ol room!"
"Gee, thanks.", Yomi inserted.
"How about we meet downtown at the pizza parlour we went to last time and then we can head to my place? I have a good selection of horror flicks.", Collin said.
"Sounds awesome! See ya soon!", Tomo said and hung up.
"Was that Collin?", Yomi asked.
"Yep! And we're going on another date! See you guys later!", she said and exited the room.
"Kaa-san, where's Mama going?", Koyomiko asked.
"Don't worry about it. She'll be back in no time.", Yomi answered.
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On her way out of the house, Tomo hit upon a novel way to impress Collin.
"I'll call Yukari for a ride!", she said to herself.
And thus she dialed. Yukari was more than happy to drive her downtown. And by more than happy I mean she nearly threw her phone in glee.
No less than three minutes passed before a vast rumbling could be heard. And then it turned the corner, the new and improved Yukarimobile with music blaring way too loud and tired nearly the size of a person. I looked like a makeshift monster truck, except this one had a saki dispenser included.
"Hop on in!", Yukari called over the blasting music.
"All right!", Tomo was more than happy to join her favourite teacher in their favourite shared pastime, driving like a psycho.
Needless to say, they didn't even get down the street entirely before knocking over a fire hydrant. But the way you play this game is to ignore all signs of destruction.
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"Kaa-san, what was that sound?", Koyomiko asked.
"I don't know. Must have been some big truck.", Yomi mused, knowing full well what had just come rolling down her road.
And to add insult to injury, the doorbell rang.
Yomi walked to the door in a huff, hoping that Tomo and Yukari hadn't decided to come back together.
She opened the door to face another person she could rather live without.
"Funari-mama!!", Koyomiko cried and jumped into the arms of the red-jacketed girl.
"Hello there, Koyomiko! And hello to you too, Yomi.", Funari said.
She was just too damn happy for 9:30 AM according to the Yomi-clock.
"Hi, Funari. What brings you here?", Yomi asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"I heard that you all got a day off and decided to come pay a visit to my favourite couple.", the kissed Koyomiko on the forehead. "And my favourite little girl."
Koyomiko giggled and said, "I'm happy you came, Funari-mama!"
After a moment Funari posed another question.
"So, where is Tomo?"
Yomi narrowed her eyes a bit before she spoke.
"She went on another date with Collin."
Funari's eyes flew open in shock. Her hands felt weak. She was in quite a distress!
"What!? Does she not know of the pain and terror that await her? We must stop this at once!"
A bit panicked she grabbed Yomi and Koyomiko by the wrists and spoke to them intently.
"You must help me save her from making terrible mistake!"
Yomi looked down at her daughter, hoping she'd have a decent answer.
"Let's go get Mama!", the little girl concluded.
Yomi nodded in assent.
"So it is settled!", Funari proposed as they headed toward downtown.
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Jay looked up from perusing the letters that had just arrived for the next installment of Help Desk.
'It feels like I'm missing something.', he thought.
Almost as if one cue, a blackened swirl filled the air. It seemed as if a rift in the time-space continuum itself opened. Out of this rather dark rift stepped a man. A man that distinctly resembled Sakaki. In his hand he held a slim box.
"Oh, you must be Sekeki.", Jay noted in a rather off-hand manner.
The tall man nodded which seemed to coincide with the closing of the darkened doorway.
"I believe you're looking for Sakaki, am I correct?", Jay asked.
"Umm..yes.", Sekeki answered.
"Well, she's at her home. I don't know where that is. But I'm sure Keshi-sama has provided you with some sort of high tech device to find her."
"I can find her...", he mumbled as he exited the room.
Jay stared after him a moment before going back to his reading.
"Well, that was interesting."
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Yukari brought the car to a screeching halt on the side of the road as her and Tomo sat within, aghast.
"What the hell did you hit back there?", Tomo questioned, looking out the back window.
"It kinda looked...like a juvenile Sasquatch.", Yukari said.
Yet, no matter how much Tomo searched there was no sign of any mythical beast. What she did see though was a girl running toward the Yukarimobile. Upon closer inspection, she recognized the girl as Osaka.
"Osaka! Did you see the Sasquatch?", Tomo yelled as she jumped from the high 'cockpit' of the car.
Osaka ran up panting.
"Ah saw the Sasquatch! Been...trackin' it for some time now.", said the exhausted girl. "Then ah saw tha car and came runnin'."
"So it really was a Sasquatch, Osaka? Not just some skinny bear with mange?", Yukari asked.
"Uh-huh! A real Sasquatch!", Osaka confirmed.
"Awesome! Hope you catch it, Osaka!", Tomo said, patting the girl on the shoulder. "I got a date to get to!"
And thus, with a wave, the Yukarimobile sped away once more.
Osaka nodded swiftly.
"I'ma catch that Sasquatch."
Little did she know that she would soon have company.
-------
Chiyo had resorted to her favourite pastime that had quickly made her the bane of anyone who abhorred school; she studied.
Oddly, or maybe not oddly, she heavily enjoyed learning. Almost like it was in her blood. She was just about to finish the chapter on RNA transcription when the doorbell rang.
Hopping downstairs she pushed the button on her video-intercom to speak with her visitor.
What she saw was something she did not expect in the least. She expected Tomo or Sakaki maybe. But not a sword-carrying armoured man with large brown bird wings emerging from his back.
She did not speak out of sheer terror, but apparently the man had noticed her presence on the intercom screen.
"Chiyo Mihama.", he spoke. "My name is Zero, I have written to you in letters before. But now, the world is in danger and you must help me save it! Many of the people I was assigned to search for have answered my pleas and now you must help us defeat the evil!"
"Uh...", Chiyo droned, scared to death that the man may force her to come along with him.
"Please, Chiyo-chan.", the odd looking man said with an honest expression.
Chiyo, being the trusting girl she is, seemed to feel good intentions flow from him.
"Uhh...I'll come out and we can talk, ok?", she said.
The man nodded in confirmation.
Picking up a can of pepper spray from her parent's self-defence kit, she put that in her pocket and exited the house to stand face to face with the bird-man.
"P..P...Pleased to meet you.", she stuttered and bowed. "You must have been serious coming this far to ask me to join you."
"Yes.", Zero returned the bow. "I have come with a vehicle so we can rejoin the other members of my group.", he said motioning to the small green Honda outside the gate.
"What...do we need to do?", she asked.
"There is an evil force at work in the world. You are the final part of the group I was assigned to assemble. With you we can eradicate evil from this planet!", upon the final words Zero clenched his metal-sheathed fist.
"Umm...", Chiyo shook visibly as the decision of whether to assist or not clouded her mind.
"The world needs you, Chiyo-chan!", he said with bravado.
That settled it. Chiyo could not stand idly by and let the world fall to ruin when she could be helping!
She nodded sternly.
"I will help. But...how long will this take?"
"I'm not sure. As long as it takes it is worth it!", Zero answered.
"As long as I'm back by dinner.", Chiyo giggled.
An thus, they drove to their destinies in a tiny green Honda Acura.
Find the joke I inserted about a recent news item and you get a gold star sticker! (Yay!)