First of all I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I honestly wasn't expecting that many reviews at all, but I'm glad that you all enjoyed the first chapter. And special thanks to those who gave their opinion on the foot fetish scene; I was pretty worried asking about such things, but after hearing back from you I think I'll be writing it as I had originally planned.
I'll be updating this story every other Friday, as I feel a once per week schedule is more likely to be missed and more prone to burnout and eventual abandonment of the story. That being said, between this chapter and chapter 3 there will most likely be a four week gap, as like I mentioned in chapter 1, I want to be a few chapters ahead of my upload schedule. If I get a lot done in two weeks' time then I'll post the next chapter then, but in all likelihood, chapter 3 won't be out until the 12th of October.
Also, just a little disclaimer, I have never worked in an office before, nor do I know much about photography, so I apologize if I get any of the finer details wrong. I'm sort of just going off of what I think both things are like, so feel free to point out if and when something doesn't sound right to you.
Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always your reviews are greatly appreciated.
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Tuesday 14th August 2018
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"Floor twenty one, Crypton photography." The monotone voice accompanied the polished metal doors of the elevator sliding open, announcing both its own, and a certain tealette's arrival to the floor. She stepped out into the office tentatively; the sight of it completely devoid of any people, with every cubicle currently empty unnerving Miku somewhat. Partly as it was honestly a little scary knowing that she was alone, but mostly because it almost felt like she wasn't meant to be here this early; almost like she wasn't authorised despite her boss asking her yesterday to be here. "8:42…" She mumbled to herself after glancing at the clock; she was a little earlier than necessary, but she didn't want to run the risk of being late for her early appointment with Luka, instead opting to give herself even more time and be extra early rather than there be any chance of showing up later than 8:50.
She leisurely made her way through the near silent office, the only sounds being the quiet hum of the air conditioning units up above, and of her own footsteps against the floor below. Given her slow, almost cautious pace, and the decent size of the main office space, it took the tealette the best part of a minute before she reached her cubicle, gently setting her backpack down on the desk so as to not disturb the peace and quiet. "Well…" Miku said to herself lowly, checking her surroundings once more and confirming that she was indeed all by herself. "Looks like I've got some time to kill before she shows up."
The tealette pulled out her chair, but just as she was about to lower herself into it, the door to Luka's office swung open, revealing none other than the pinkette herself. It didn't look like Luka had seen her though, as she was still going about her business in the glass fronted office. But, seeing as the glass door was pinned open, Miku mustered up the courage to call out to her boss after a few seconds of indecision. "G-good morning Megurine-san!"
Luka instantly looked up, her eyes rapidly identifying the source of the noise, smiling as soon as she saw the distinctive shade of teal of her new employee. Without any hesitation, the pinkette dropped the now no longer important paperwork she had been carrying onto the vacant secretary's desk, and hastily made her way over to Miku's cubicle, her quick stride seemingly filled with great purpose. "Good morning to you too Hatsune-san." She offered back cheerily once she reached the tealette. "Sorry if I kept you waiting, I wasn't expecting you to be quite this early."
Miku couldn't help but blush softly, partly at her boss' greeting and comment, but also just because she was alone with the pink haired woman again. "I… I didn't want to be late, and the trains, they… they just worked out this way." She explained hurriedly. "It's not a problem is it… me being this early?"
Luka smiled and shook her head. "No, not at all. In fact I'm glad you're early; it shows that you're invested and committed, and it gives us a little bit more time to get everything sorted out." She replied back encouragingly, before pointing out the studio to the younger woman. "Everything is already pretty much set up, so if you're ready then we can get started?" She asked, getting a confirming nod from the tealette. "Great, then follow me to the studio and we can get that picture taken, hmm?"
Miku nodded enthusiastically, unable to stop herself from smiling back at the pinkette; Luka's own smile being too contagious to resist reciprocating. As they began the short walk over to the studio, with Miku following the older woman as instructed, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous because of the situation. Part of that feeling came from her worrying about her appearance; she was having her photo taken after all, and she at least wanted to look presentable. It had been the reason why she spent a little extra time this morning getting ready, particularly focusing on her hair, as after Luka had brought it up yesterday, Miku had felt the need to make it look as good as possible.
But her nerves mostly stemmed from the fact that she was about to spend the next ten minutes alone with just her boss. She knew she had nothing to worry about, Luka was incredibly pleasant to be around, it almost felt as though she wasn't her boss at all; so much so that Miku could even see them becoming friends just on a count of how nice Luka was, or at least she imagined they could. But it was just that point that the tealette was nervous about. In spite of the fact that Luka was so pleasant, Miku had only worked here a day, and so didn't know for sure where the older woman's limits might lie. She didn't want to get too suckered in by Luka's playful attitude, only to misread the situation and screw everything up by making a joke at the wrong time or mess about when Luka wanted her to act more seriously; she was still her boss after all . "Just don't say anything stupid, be respectful and professional and everything should be fine." Miku mentally prepared herself; just in time too as they had quickly arrived at the studio, her legs taking her in the open door after the pinkette without her even having to consciously think about it.
She took a moment to take in her new surroundings, what with it being the first time she had set foot in the studio. It was fairly small, but it extended deeper into the building than what she had imagined, so the usable floor space was actually rather large, albeit quite long and thin. The long wall to her right was completely white - presumably a neutral background for photoshoots - with a pair of large lights at each end, pointing inwards to illuminate the subject. Across the room was a reasonably expensive looking camera mounted on a professional tripod, aimed squarely at the centre of the white wall. Lastly, in front of the shorter wall at the back of the room was a small editing workstation; a slim desk with a computer, a monitor, and a few other pieces of related hardware, all ready to process the incoming images from the camera, with a long black wire providing the connection between the computer and the camera.
Luka let the tealette look around for a few moments, finding no reason to rush the younger woman, especially as they had quite a bit more time than they really needed. "It's not the most amazing studio, but we can get a surprising amount of work done in here when we need to." She said to the tealette, capturing her attention.
"I wouldn't say that Megurine-san, what you've got here is pretty impressive." The younger woman praised, her tone completely genuine. "I'd love to have a computer like that at home, and that camera… I'd kill for a camera like that." She added jokingly, her heart jumping slightly at hearing her pink haired boss laugh softly at her comment.
"Well I'll be sure to let the authorities know it was you if I ever find a dead photographer without their camera." Luka joked in return, laughing along with the now giggling tealette. "But seriously, I'm glad you like it. We're pretty sure that having our own studio has really helped us stand out above the competition, even if it isn't as fully featured as a typical standalone studio." Luka continued, glad to see that a few jokes and some pleasant conversation had seemingly relaxed the tealette somewhat; the nervous tenseness Miku had just a couple minutes ago already mostly faded away at this point.
With that, Luka decided that it was about time to get started on the task at hand. "When you're ready, if you could just stand right there in the middle for me, that would be great." The pinkette instructed, pointing to the center of the white wall as she spoke.
Miku didn't waste any time, following her boss' orders and quickly making her way over to the point that Luka had specified, watching as said woman went behind the camera that she was now standing in front of. "Like this, is here okay?" She asked dutifully, wanting to be as efficient and helpful to her boss as possible; the impression she was making on Luka holding great importance to the tealette.
Luka looked through the camera, unable to stop her lips from curving into a smile at the picture of her teal haired employee standing there, finding the look on her face; a mixture of determination and nervousness, to be incredibly cute. "Almost, can you move over just a little bit? Maybe just an inch to your right and you'll be perfectly centred." She called out from behind the camera.
Miku did as she was asked, shuffling over a short distance. "How about now Megurine-san?" She asked professionally, her tone rather enthusiastic.
The pinkette took a second to check the alignment, before bringing her head up from the camera to look at her subject directly. "That's perfect; you're right where I need you." She replied, before moving in front of the camera, heading for the tealette. "But…" She started as she walked over, not continuing her sentence until she was right in front of the shorter woman. "When it's just the two of us… would you mind if we were more casual with each other?"
With Luka being only a foot away at most, their height difference felt much more noticeable to the tealette. At a distance it wasn't really a problem, but up close it felt like Luka towered over her; their natural height difference, plus a different, but equally tall pair of heels put the pinkette almost a head taller than Miku; a difference so great that she had to crane her neck slightly just to be able to meet her eyes. "C-casual… what d-do you mean by that Megurine-san?" She stuttered a little as she spoke, the pink haired beauty being quite the distraction up close.
"That…" Luka responded swiftly. "Megurine-san… you don't have to be so formal in a situation like this." She continued, flashing the younger woman a soft smile. "When it's just us two, I'm fine for you to call me Luka." The pinkette went on, making sure to keep her tone as calm and friendly as possible; not wanting Miku to think she was telling her off or anything. "But only if that's okay with you… I just thought it would make things easier and friendlier between us."
Miku was a little surprised by the pinkette's suggestion, but certainly wasn't against it, even if the thought of calling her boss by her first name so soon felt a little inappropriate to the tealette for some strange reason. "I can do that; it's no problem at all… Luka." She said with a little pause, getting oddly embarrassed at how smoothly the pinkette's name rolled off her tongue. "B-but only if you call me Miku too… deal?" She asked a little timidly, struggling to hold the pinkette's gaze for more than a second or two at a time.
Luka loved the way Miku's head tilted to the side with her question, finding it to be incredibly cute paired with her current, unsure of herself facial expression. "Deal, Miku it is!" She answered with a reassuring smile, glad to see Miku soon sport a grin of her own at her positive response.
With that, Luka turned on the spot and made her way over to the computer rather than the camera; presumably to double check that everything was set up properly. At least that's what Miku guessed she was doing. "Umm… Luka-san…?" Miku called out questioningly - a pressing issue on her mind that she needed to ask about - but was interrupted by the pink haired woman before she could finish; Luka chuckling softly at what she had said.
"Please, just Luka is fine, Miku." The pinkette reiterated, earning a small blush from the younger woman. "Sorry… you were going to ask me something?" She formed her sentence into a question just to be sure, before spinning the monitor around 180 so that the front of the screen was now visible to the tealette.
Miku was a little surprised to see that the monitor was displaying the camera's output in real time; although also sort of glad at the opportunity to check her appearance one more time. "Umm… yeah, I just wanted to check if I can keep my glasses on." She asked more than a little nervously. For Miku, her glasses were her lifeline. So much so in fact that despite being the most passive and peaceful person she knew, if anyone were to try to damage or take her glasses, she was pretty sure that even she would end up getting physically aggressive if it meant protecting her precious sight enabling spectacles. "It's just… I'm really short sighted, and I can only see a few inches in front of me without them…" Miku began to explain, her nervousness and embarrassment growing rapidly as she approached the crux of her point. "And without them I… I can't focus properly… my eyes… they…"
"It's okay, Miku." The pinkette offered softly, stopping the younger woman before she could continue any further; the mention of her eyes clearly causing the tealette a great deal of embarrassment. "You can keep them on; it's not a problem at all." She said sweetly, looking to Miku with an understanding expression as she walked by her. Luka knew what she had been trying to get at; that being the fact that without her glasses, Miku's eyes most likely had a tendency to cross and wander; a look that she clearly wanted to avoid whenever possible, but even more so whilst having her picture taken. "I get that a little too, Miku. I'm short sighted as well, although not massively, but still enough that I need to wear glasses on a day to day basis." She offered sympathetically; glad to see that her words had put the shorter woman at ease.
Miku was relieved that her boss was so understanding, and that she could indeed keep her glasses on, but she did still have some queries about the requirements of the ID photo. "Thank you. I also wanted to ask if this is like a passport photo." She started, earning the pinkette's attention. "Do I have to do anything in particular with my hair… or am I allowed to smile for instance?"
Luka couldn't help but titter softly at the shorter woman's concerns; finding her inquisitive and questioning attitude to be quite endearing. "It's not really like a passport photo; as long as we can make out who you are from the photo then it should be okay." Luka began, moving behind the camera as she spoke. "Your hair is fine how it is now; I can see your face clearly, and I think having some teal in the shot will only help further identify you." She pointed out, bringing her hands to the camera, now seemingly ready to photograph her subject. "And as for a smile, I would actually encourage you to try for one."
Miku's head naturally tilted to the side; a trademark of hers whenever she was a little confused. "Really… why's that Luka?" She asked with genuine curiosity; wondering if it was a requirement for the picture.
A pink head of hair appeared from above the camera, Luka sporting a mischievous… almost seductive grin of her own. "Because sweetie… you have a beautiful smile, and you really should wear it more often." She answered lowly, her voice sounding even silkier than usual.
Miku didn't have the first idea on how to react, her lips opening and closing repeatedly as she desperately tried to form words, a deep red blush rapidly consuming her entire face. "Y-you… wha…" She tried, and failed to speak coherently; Luka's seductively uttered sentence having completely caught her off guard.
Luka beamed at the sight in front her; the tealette's reaction being far better than she had imagined. "Perfect…" She said loudly enough for Miku to hear as she pressed the button on the camera; the device capturing the image of the blushing, flabbergasted teal haired young woman in an instant.
The sound of the camera's shutter reached the tealette's ears, signalling to Miku that she had just been photographed in her current state, but it wasn't until a few moments later when the photograph was displayed on the monitor in all its high resolution glory that Miku properly started to panic. That, coupled with the fact that she was still stunned from Luka's earlier compliment, left the tealette completely unable to think straight, let alone speak.
The pinkette's eyes found their way over to the picture presented on the monitor, Luka seemingly taking a second to inspect her handiwork. "Great, that'll work perfectly." She decided out loud, giving one last glance to the still deer in headlights looking tealette before beginning to pack away the camera, pink tipped fingers delicately unscrewing it from its mount atop the tripod.
Miku couldn't let that happen; there was no way she could walk around the office with that picture hanging around her neck. "L-Luka-san…" She respectfully called out, successfully stopping her pink haired boss in her tracks. "I… I know it's your decision, but… but surely we can't use that picture." She protested nervously. Luka looked completely serious and confident in her decision, leaving Miku feeling as if she had to tread carefully so as to not offend her boss. "While it does show my face, it's a little… inappropriate don't you think?"
The pinkette looked down at her teal haired employee with the same serious expression, but it wasn't long before she lost her composure completely; a few small giggles spilling from her now smiling lips. "You're right, don't worry, we won't be using that one." She revealed, simultaneously making the shorter woman feel both relieved and confused, prompting the pinkette to explain. "Sorry Miku, that was kind of mean of me. I was just messing with you a little to see your reaction." She admitted as she proceeded to set the camera back up. "We'll take some proper ones in a second, but…" Luka paused, her own cheeks turning a faint pink at what she was about to ask. "Do… do you mind if I keep that photo for myself?"
The expression on the younger woman's face morphed from one of confusion to one of surprise, albeit still with hint of confusion as to why Luka would request something like that. "Keep for yourself…?" She parroted back under her breath, trying to make sense of her boss' request. "Why would you want to do that?"
The pinkette stepped out in front of the camera, walking towards Miku as she spoke. "Well… it's a little tradition of mine." She began to explain, stopping to take another look at Miku's photograph on the screen. "In every photoshoot I have ever worked on, I always try to capture my subject when they are off guard; I always try and get one real picture of my clients during the shoot."
As she was forming her response in her head, what the pinkette had said suddenly hit the younger woman. "Wait… are you a photographer as well?" Miku certainly hadn't expected that. She had thought that Luka was purely on the managerial side of things, and that she was only taking the ID photos to help out, rather than her actually having real experience out in the field.
"I was… well, I sort of still am on occasion." Luka tried to explain, quickly deciding that she would have to give the tealette the full story, unless she wanted to further confuse the younger woman. "I started here at Crypton years ago, in the exact same position you're in today." Luka began, glad to see that her teal haired employee's interest seemed to have piqued at her story; giving her the go-ahead to continue. "I quickly specialised as a photographer and worked my way up through the ranks; working hard at my craft to be the best." Luka paused to take a breath. "It wasn't all that long before I was the best; pretty much the most sought after photographer in the whole company. I had more clients than I knew what to do with, some that refused to work with anyone but me." She went on, a nostalgic smile playing on her lips as she remembered that era of her life. "I really enjoyed it, but as I got a little older the thought of transitioning to the more managerial side of things became more and more appealing. I eventually changed the path I was on, worked my way up again, and before long I had reached the position that I'm in today." She explained; glad to have someone new to tell her old story to. "I still do a little photoshoot work for very particular clients, but it really isn't very often anymore these days."
The tealette couldn't help but smile as she listened to Luka's account of her past; her opinion of her boss once again growing better and better with each passing word. Luka wasn't just some exec, not some manager from another company brought in at the top without a clue; she actually had extensive experience in her field, she actually had to work hard to get to where she was today. Miku couldn't help but look up to Luka; not only was she young and beautiful, but she was also seemingly incredibly talented and skilled in her line of work, all whilst still managing to be one of the nicest people Miku had ever met. "Wow… you're so well suited to your current job that I never would have thought that about you. Not many people can say they've been at the top of two professions, that's… that's pretty awesome Luka." She offered genuinely; glad to see that her comments had elicited a pleased expression from the taller woman.
Miku caught the embarrassed picture of herself in the edge of her vision; her blushing face reminding her of what she had previously asked before they got side-tracked. "Oh yeah, what were you saying before… something about a tradition of yours?" She asked curiously.
"Yeah, back when I was a full time photographer I tried to do it on any every shoot, but even now, any time I'm behind a camera I still can't help but continue my tradition." She began, scratching the back of her head as she spoke. "I would always do my work properly - getting all the pictures required by the client - but I liked capturing one moment of realness for myself during the shoot, rather than the facade… the mask that models usually wear." Luka explained herself to the attentive tealette. "I did a lot of work for magazines; various fashion designers and makeup brands, but no matter the product the models always looked so serious… almost expressionless sometimes." She continued, her voice holding more than a little passion about the topic. "It was almost as if their faces were just a canvas for the newest makeup, and their bodies merely animated mannequins for the latest fashions… it was almost as if they had lost what it meant to be human, and I sought to bring back a moment of that, for me and for them too."
The tealette nodded along as Luka spoke, definitely being able to her point. Be it magazines, catwalks at a fashion show, or adverts on the tv, the models did always seem to be a shell of their true selves; robotic and emotionless for the most part. She was pretty sure that those sorts of people probably had some of the most fun and interesting lives imaginable, and yet in their jobs they had to leave that all behind. It was almost like Luka was checking to see if they were still human deep down. "So, every time you were on a shoot, you would try to get a reaction like you did with me?" She questioned, getting a nod from the pinkette in return. "Did you ever get in to trouble?"
Luka chuckled at her employee's concern. "Not really, at least nothing major. I always asked them afterwards if I could keep the picture." She explained. "There were a few people now and again that weren't too happy about it, but most people were perfectly fine with it." Luka continued. "Oftentimes, people found it funny to see themselves with a goofy look on their face whilst wearing a ridiculously expensive dress or suit, finding the juxtaposition to be amusing as I did." She added, before glancing over her shoulder at the most recent continuation of her tradition. "It's fine if you're not okay with it, feel free to say no, but… do you mind if I keep that picture of you? It would really mean a lot to me."
Miku was a little apprehensive. For a shutterbug, the tealette wasn't the biggest fan of being in front of the camera, much preferring to be the one taking the pictures instead. She always felt self-conscious and even unattractive at times; so she often had a tendency to hide whenever the camera would come out like at a family event or a school festival; doing her best to avoid being photographed. So, Luka asking to keep an embarrassing picture of her was quite the leap for the younger woman. "M-maybe… but only if you promise that no one else will see it."
Luka moved in closer towards the shorter woman, sensing her apprehension. "Of course, the pictures I take off guard have always just been for my eyes only." She explained, meeting Miku's concerned gaze. "I promise you, no one else will ever see your picture, Miku."
The younger woman had still been a little unsure, but not once her eyes met Luka's. From her stare she could easily see that her boss was telling the truth, not that she ever doubted the pinkette in the first place. But it was Luka's gentle, caring look that put Miku at ease, that made her worries and insecurities vanish in a heartbeat, and what ultimately let her allow herself to answer the way she did. "Then… then you're more than welcome to keep it Luka." She replied back, her eyes still locked with the older woman's. "And after all, I'd hate to break your tradition." She added jokingly, the pair sharing a few small laughs as they broke away. Weirdly, the more she thought about it, the more Miku was coming to like the idea of Luka having a private picture of her; a moment that they had shared together that only Luka would ever get to see.
"Thank you Miku, I really appreciate it." Luka offered with a warm smile, before making her way over to the computer. "Give me a second to sort it out, and then we can get back to taking some pictures." She said as she went behind the desk, getting an acknowledging nod from the younger woman in response.
Luka reached into her purse, fumbling around for a few seconds before her hand emerged holding her personal pink flash drive, which was promptly inserted into the front of the computer. A few seconds and some audible clicking of the mouse was all it took for Miku's picture to disappear from the monitor, leaving Luka with the only remaining copy solely in her possession. "All done!" She called out to younger woman, stashing away the small storage device and returning the monitor to its original orientation before swiftly returning to her. "I copied it over and then deleted the original, no need to worry about anyone else seeing it now." She explained; glad to see that all traces of Miku's worrisome expression had completely disappeared. "Now you've calmed down and that pesky blush you had is gone, why don't we try again for another picture?" She asked with a cheeky, joking tone.
The tealette didn't mind the teasing remark, finding the comment to be more playful rather than mean. "Sounds good to me." She offered back enthusiastically, before moving back into place and facing the camera once more, her eyes following the taller woman as she moved back into her own position. Miku made a conscious effort to smile, remembering the comment Luka had made about it. She couldn't help but wonder it if was just Luka trying to get the reaction she desired out of her, or whether she had actually meant it; her brain working overtime to decide whether Luka's compliment had been genuine or not.
The pinkette watched the younger woman through her lens, finding the way she looked up and to the left as she thought to be quite the cute sight. She felt it was almost a shame to disturb her, but as the clock was still ticking, Luka didn't have much of a choice; letting the younger woman's mind drift for a few more seconds before she finally called out to her. "Miku, are you ready?" She asked softly, snapping the tealette from her thoughts.
Miku just about managed to hold back the faint blush threatening to form on her cheeks at being caught, shaking her head at herself for daydreaming in front of the older woman. "I'm ready when you are, Luka." She replied eagerly, making sure to wear her smile just as her boss had suggested.
Luka was glad to see it; her own lips curving up unconsciously to match the younger woman's expression, smiling brightly back at the tealette for a second before finally getting to work. The sound of the shutter repeatedly going off filled the room for a few moments; Luka taking multiple quick shots so that they would have a selection to choose from, before everything fell silent just as quickly as it had started. "That should hopefully be enough." She remarked, more to herself than to the tealette. "Why don't you come over to the computer and choose the one you want, Miku?"
"Nnn." Miku made a soft noise of agreement, before hastily making her way over to, and then behind the desk. She was greeted with a selection of photos of herself on the monitor; the twenty or so images lined up as thumbnails along the bottom of the screen, with a single larger image being displayed in the centre. "Let's see here…" She murmured to herself as she looked through the pictures, instantly disregarding a handful that were unsuitable; any with her eyes closed or where it looked like she had moved slightly during the photo were quickly discarded by the tealette; the selection rapidly shrinking to only a handful of decent candidates.
Luka watched from behind, not only to see which one she would ultimately pick, but also to assess Miku's ability to find flaws in photographs that would make them unusable; a small test the pinkette liked to do for all new employees, and she had to say that Miku was doing swimmingly; far better than the other five from yesterday. "You've got quite the eye on you Miku." She complemented the younger woman, her voice low and quiet as she moved in closer behind her, eventually leaning over her shoulder so that she could get a better view of the screen. "I'd also say those are the best few examples that you've chosen… any idea which one you'd like to go with?" Luka asked, her voice practically a whisper at this point, what with her lips being mere inches from the shorter woman's ear.
"Ummm…" Miku tensed up at her boss' ever increasing proximity; not even having to look around to tell just how close Luka was now. She could feel a gentle warmth emanating from the pink haired woman's body; which did nothing to help her manage her own steadily rising body temperature. And then there was her perfume… its sweet, complex aroma gradually invading her senses what with them being so close; the pleasant smell quickly intoxicating the younger woman and effortlessly rendering her unable to think. And, if that wasn't enough for the tealette, Luka silky smooth, almost sensual voice so close to her ear was more than a little exciting on its own, so when combined into a trifecta of sensory stimulation with both her scent and her warmth… Miku was having a very difficult time focusing on anything other than the tall, beautiful pinkette behind her. "Wh-what d-do you think of this one, L-Luka?" She inquired nervously, just about managing to stutter her question out.
The pinkette took a moment to inspect the image currently displayed on screen, nodding approvingly at the younger woman's choice. "That one's good; it's centred perfectly and it's lit just right." She began, but stopped when another picture caught her eye. "But…" She drew out the word as she took another small step towards the tealette, her left hand moving up to rest gently on Miku's hip as she leaned in further, using the younger woman to stabilise herself. "… What about this one?" She asked in a whisper as she pointed to the screen with her right hand.
"Err… which one?" Miku asked with uncertainty, not quite sure of the exact one her boss had pointed to, what with her mind going a little haywire at Luka's warm hand on her body. "That one?" She nervously stabbed in the dark, choosing the first one that came to mind and bringing it up on screen.
Luka chuckled softly so as to not startle the tealette due to their closeness, the breathy sound caressing the shell of Miku's right ear. "No, that one there sweetie." She corrected light-heartedly, although the message still didn't seem to be getting through to her new employee for some reason. "Let me show you." Luka whispered as she reached forward a little more and placed her hand over Miku's that was still on the mouse, gently moving it, along with Miku's hand, to the one she was thinking of. "This one. Nice bright smile, eyes open just the right amount, and with that cute little tilt of your head… I feel like this one would be perfect." She explained, using the cursor on screen to highlight the tealette's features as she spoke. "What do you think; we don't have to go with that one…" She had started, but was interrupted by the rather hasty sounding tealette.
"That one works for me too, Luka…" Miku agreed a little nervously, before she felt Luka give both her hip and her a hand a soft squeeze before she eventually pulled away, finally letting her think… and more importantly, breathe normally once again. Luka had said she was the touchy-feely type, but she hadn't been expecting that at all. However, as unexpected as it was, it certainly wasn't unpleasant to the tealette; just a little much too handle all at once.
"Great, then let's get that printed for you." She chirped enthusiastically as she moved to stand beside the tealette, observing the younger woman with an amused expression on her face; what with Miku still awkwardly standing at the computer, both hands still on the mouse and keyboard. "Miku…?" She said her name questioningly, looking at the other woman expectantly as she motioned with her head towards the computer. "I kinda need to get to the computer sweetie." She decided to clarify after a few seconds of Miku not quite getting the message.
Miku hastily moved away, almost as if she had been burned by the objects in her hands. "S-sorry Luka…" She apologised to the older woman, once again having been just a bit too caught up in her thoughts of Luka to be able to pay full attention to what was happening around her.
The pinkette flashed her employee a reassuring smile. "It's fine, don't worry about it Miku." Luka offered sweetly before stepping into the space the younger woman had just been occupying, quickly getting to work on the computer. She moved the picture they had mutually agreed on to another program, expertly resizing and manipulating it to fit the software's template in mere seconds, before sending the newly edited file to the printer sitting on desk; the device buzzing to life as it received its instructions. A few cuts on the guillotine, and a run through the laminator was all it took for Luka to create her employee's new ID badge; before slender, pink accented fingers slid the small card into an empty clear plastic holder, before attaching a company lanyard to complete the package. "All done!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, turning to face the tealette before beginning her description of the item. "This is your ID for use here at Crypton, but also for the whole building." She explained, showing the younger woman the card as she spoke. "It doesn't happen very often, but if you ever get stopped by building security, just make sure to show them this and you'll be just fine."
Miku nodded along as she listened to the taller woman, carefully taking in what Luka had to say. "Will do… let's just hope I don't lose it then." She added jokingly.
"You should be fine, just so long as you keep it around your neck I'd imagine it would be quite hard to misplace it." Luka replied with a smile. "But should that ever happen, just come to me and we can get you another made up. We already have your picture on file after all." She pointed out, before taking a step towards the tealette. "Here, let me put it on for you, Miku."
Miku's heart skipped a beat at the pinkette's words; the thought of more physical contact with her boss making her rather nervous. "O-okay…" She managed to reply, not that Luka had really been asking, more so simply telling her what she intended on doing.
It wasn't long before Luka had moved behind the shorter woman, standing almost as close as before so that she could place the lanyard around Miku's neck, adjusting it from behind so that the ID card came to rest along the centre of her body, just under her modest chest. She then proceeded to gently coax the two knee length teal twintails through the lanyard; taking extra care to make sure her overly long hair wasn't caught up along with her ID. "Wow… it's even softer than it looks." Luka whispered close to the shorter woman's ear, her hands still playing in Miku's teal tresses despite having already sorted the lanyard out. "I'm honestly a little jealous sweetheart; your hair is simply to die for."
Miku blushed heavily at the older woman's compliment; Luka's words catching her off guard again somewhat. "Th-thank you Luka… and thanks for sorting out the lanyard too." She whispered in response, glad that she spent the extra time this morning on her hair after all, especially as she could still feel the pinkette's delicate fingers running through it gently.
"No problem, it was my pleasure." Luka said with a sly grin as she took Miku by her shoulders softly and span her around to face her, before her hands came down and further adjusted the position of the tealette's ID card; lightly brushing against the front of Miku's blouse in the process. "I'm really happy with how your photo came out; it's been a while since we've had anyone as photogenic as you in the studio…" She started casually, though her expression soon saddened as she spied the clock on the wall ahead of her. "It can't be that time already." She grumbled, sounding more than a little disappointed, prompting Miku to look over her shoulder for herself. "9:05 and yet it only feels like it's been a few minutes." She said glumly, getting a nod of agreement from the younger woman; Miku also feeling as though time had flown by rapidly whilst in the studio. "Well, I would have loved to have stayed and chatted with you for a little longer, but it's probably best if we get back to work; the time is already getting on as it is."
Miku found it a little odd that she had liked the idea of them casually talking; odd because had it been anyone else that she had only known for a day, the last thing she would want is to be stuck in a room with them with nothing else to do but chat; but with Luka something felt fundamentally different to the tealette. "I suppose we should." She mirrored the older woman's disappointed tone as she nodded to her, both women then slowly making their way over to the door.
"For now Miku, it's probably best if you continue with what you were doing yesterday afternoon." She instructed, reaching for the handle of the door and pulling it open to reveal a now busy office. "We'll let you get on with that for an hour or so before Kamui-san and I come around for some more training, does that sound alright with you Hatsune-san?"
Miku smiled up at her boss. "That sounds fine to me Lu…" She started, but a gentle hand on her shoulder and a quick look into the crowded office from Luka reminded the tealette that they were no longer alone. As fun as it had been to be more relaxed around her boss and use their first names, now that they were back in public view, it was time to act professionally once again. "Sorry… that works for me Megurine-san. Thanks again for sorting everything out for me."
Luka reciprocated her employee's smile. "Not a problem at all, I was happy to help sweetie." She replied back with a cheeky little wink at her own use of her term of endearment for Miku, just after reminding her to switch back to being professional no less. "I'll see you in about an hour." She added as she gently ushered Miku out of the studio and shut the door behind them, taking a moment to secretly watch as the tealette gingerly made her back to her cubicle, unable to wipe the pleased grin from her lips as she even found Miku's particular way of walking to be especially cute, just as she did every other aspect of the younger woman.
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Thanks for reading.