I'm relieved it should still be a few years before Mother is officially no longer Master, because my own Master feelings are a mess. I've tried locking myself in the Channelling Chamber when nobody's around and channelling spirits, but it scares me every time and I can only bring myself to channel Mia. Some stupid part of me is always expecting a gunshot, or an assassin to grab me, or… who knows what. Even being locked in the small space brings on a kind of panic. When I force myself not to think of Dr Grey's murder, I instead just remember being locked up by DeKiller, and I always think of Nick.
Whenever I think about Nick I get mad, and I force myself to get more mad over how he betrayed me. And I know this is because it's preferable to and can block out the pain of that other feeling. He abandoned me. That HURTS. But maybe I was wrong to think he ever cared about me, that he felt the way at all I felt about him. Maybe he only ever wanted me around to channel Mia. But why did he lie? Was he just tricking me, then at the train station? Why did he take my case the day we met? Why did he lose it when I claimed I was a murderer over Dr Grey?
It's much better to just get mad, and I whip it up again. How dare he betray me!
The remains of Kurain's reputation was in tatters over the Engarde thing. It was the talk of Oh!Cult and all the tabloids.
Mr Armando wouldn't let me read most of what was said about me, but it was pretty terrible. He was the one who bailed me out, again. Master? I can't even look after myself. But they've finally got the idea from him and whatever resources he uses that I was just an innocent victim and everything was Nick's fault. I have a horrible feeling all those stories aren't true either, but I can't bear to read them. I just hope Nick doesn't have to either.
Nick's just gone. The office is abandoned. Mr Armando gave me the money to pay the rent, because I have a stake in the business too. I didn't like accepting money from him, but I don't have much choice. Kurain's finances are a wreck. Because of the fiasco, this exhibition of its sacred objects has been cancelled, and we lost money.
Pearly's so upset, I don't know what to do with her. For some reason, Nick's 'betrayal' seems to have hurt her even worse than me.
Mr Armando's offered to employ me in the Prosecutors' office. If I can learn to make acceptable coffee. He's really picky, though. So far he just spits out all my attempts in disgust. I can't tell the difference. In my apartment, I just keep the cheapest kind of instant stuff – and I have to, 'cause now I get withdrawal if I don't have 5 cups a day minimum.
And if I don't get employed by him, I'll just have to move back to Kurain permanently, because I can't afford the rent on my apartment. Well, I guess I could move into Wright and Co. but what if Nick comes back and is mad? And I'd have to pay the rent on THAT next month, anyway, and I… haven't decided on that one. Besides, if I lived there, I'd think of Nick 24/7. That would be unbearable.
I tried applying for jobs at the supermarket and café, but they all look at me like I'm insane, and won't give me an interview. I'm not sure why.
###
I'm not sure my new job as Mr Armando's assistant is going too well.
I only ever got to go on one crime investigation. Now I always just have to stay back at the office and file. Mr Armando spent the whole time yelling ("Stop touching that, it might be evidence!" "No, that's NOT what happened!") and chugging coffee, alternately.
I get the sense he doesn't find me very helpful. Practically everything I do seems to break one of his 'rules'. I can't help thinking I actually create more inconvenience for him that I solve.
And a lot of the time, Mr Armando gives instructions and talks in weird metaphors, and I do what he said, but he doesn't like it. I guess I didn't get it right, again. But I did what he said….
He doesn't seem to like any of my suggestions to improve things around here, either. (But why can't we have a TV? How boring!) Or any of my suggestions when I'm trying to help him with crime cases. He just looks at me like I'm insane. I don't get it. Then he tells me to shut up, or go make coffee, or file in a different room, or something.
On many days, he ultimately just decides to send me to the thankless task of re-sorting the old, dusty files and evidence from long ago cases, in the Resolved Minor Cases records room. Pointless since nobody will ever look at at least 99% of them again – half of them aren't murders, but minor crimes like shoplifting or severe traffic offences. And I'm supposed to weed out and discard files past their expiry date, and move the others along, to make space for new ones.
I know this is a waste of time, so I think he just does it to give me something to do, away from him.
He doesn't bother checking very hard, so after I've sorted for about half an hour, I usually spend the remaining time reading old murder cases and looking at evidence. Most of them are really boring and straightforward too, nothing like the cases I worked on with… before. I wonder why?
I used to play Samurai Warriors™ on my phone instead, but then I got the phone bill, and it must be charged for time or something, because it ended up being more than I get paid as Mr Godot's assistant.
###
Of course he doesn't make the same kind of oversights on my other tasks, however. I try, really!
"I'm sorry! They don't have photocopiers in Kurain!"
"Doubly reason for you not to attempt to change the toner yourself! How could it possibly run out already anyway, the maintenance staff changed it just yesterday!"
"Uh…" I'm caught in a beam of alien death glare. Now I know how Mr Armando corners and breaks down criminals.
He marches me to the crime scene, infinitely reminiscent of a murder site, save that the splashes and pools of blood flooding the scene, dripping down the walls, and smeared in unfortunate fingerprints are pitch black. Somehow this evidence-spoiler did not reach to the overflowing recycling bin. Mr Godot fingers a few pieces of this, clenches and unclenches his fists, then gulps three mugs of coffee in frenetic succession.
"MEEKINS!" he barks.
"Sir!" Meekins strangles himself in eagerness.
"Clean this up. NOW."
"But Sir, I was just doi.."
"Do you want another salary review recommendation?"
"But M…Maya…"
"Ms Fey is otherwise occupied with our performance review meeting." He drags me roughly around the corner. 'My office! In one hour!" he hisses, jerkily releasing his grip and turning his back as if he can no longer stand to look at me.
The hot water and soap after I've scuttled into the Department restroom aren't very good at making the toner budge. I'm in so much trouble anyway, I figure it won't make things worse to sneak off and run home to change my clothes. Peeking in upon return, it seems the only toner successfully removed has been transferred onto Meekins, and his inky fingerprints have smeared together with my own.
I trepidatiously enter the office. It's not quite as bad as I'd feared.
Mr Armando's obviously trying to control his anger, but I can sense a worse tirade may be building.
"What exactly *did* they teach you as this 'spirit medium' thing in Kurain?"
"Oh! How to channel spirits!"
"I take it you aren't up to, uh, full competence with that yet either?"
"Hey! I can channel, easy! Watch this!"
###
When I regain consciousness, I'm back in my apartment, a note from Mia beside me.
"I've convinced Mr Armando not to fire you. I think he considered today productive."
The next day, when I arrive (only 18 minutes late!) instead of sighing in resignation, Mr Armando greets me with a genuine grin. He tells me he's going to give me a pay rise.
###
FIC NOTES: Yeah, maybe a photocopier wouldn't do this, but Maya's spiritual powers accidentally cursed it or negatively interacted with the mundane physical plane or something.
