March 3rd
Ivy Town
0745 EST
The tiny bungalow wasn't much, just a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. But, in a major college town, the rent was more than fair for what she got (considering utilities were included), and the landlord was an absolute angel. If only her district manager were too.
Sitting up out of bed, Aasha Nagra slipped her feet onto the floor and stood up stretching. The sunshine coming through her window shone on her bare, dark, and flawless skin as she debated breakfast or shower. The shower won out after a moment's thought, so she wandered nude into her bathroom, her mind trying to figure out why the DM had called such an early meeting on a Saturday morning. It was almost criminal.
She handled her morning business quickly and pushed the small stool towards the bathroom vanity so she could get a good look in the mirror. Aasha turned to the left and right, and once again decided against a haircut. It had grown long enough that she had to be careful to move it out of the way before she sat down on the toilet to prevent peeing on her own hair. It was a definite pain sometimes, but her hair was healthy and beautiful and she loved it.
That was one of the few things she loved about herself though. Her last doctor's appointment had been joyous, since her doctor had been able to deliver the news that she'd grown an inch. That still left her two inches shy of five feet tall though, and at twenty-two years old, she probably wasn't going to do much more growing. It seemed like the footstool was going to be a constant companion throughout her life.
She could, at least, be satisfied by her breasts, seeing as she'd paid enough for them. Her cosmetic surgeon had done a remarkable job of making them look like they really belonged, and it leveled her out between her boobs and her bum. She hadn't gotten them out of vanity, but instead to actually look like an adult woman, so she could stop being accused of carrying a fake ID.
The thought brought a flush to her face, something she had to banish before she got too involved in that line of thinking and made herself late for the meeting. Instead, she got down off the footstool and ran her hands up and down her arms, legs, and across her more private areas. With a thoughtful look, she summoned a web of electricity between her fingers, and began the process of removing what hair she discovered.
It was a curse common to people from the Indian subcontinent; a natural abundance of body hair growing on people living in an exceptionally hot environment. Granted, she'd only lived in India for a couple of years before moving to England, and finally, the United States, but genetics were genetics, no matter how much of her body was planned by her parents in their efforts to conceive a magically superior being.
As usual, once she got to her pubic hair, the electricity tingled, tickling her terribly. She couldn't contain her giggles, she never could, but the finished product made it worth it. Perfectly smooth without an inch of irritation or stubble, it left her feeling sexy, and Aasha loved feeling sexy.
Going back to the footstool, she got back in front of the mirror and gave another turn. "No, you know what, I am sexy." She said with a determined nod. So what if she was short? So what if she hated her nose? So what to any of it? She was capable of knocking on a door in Gotham city, flashing a smile, and taking one of the most badass women she knew to bed, and unquestionably satisfying her. More than that, she'd turned away hurricanes and tidal waves, by will alone, and calmed the raging Earth. She wasn't so sure Goddess was the right thing to call herself, but she wasn't some scared little girl.
Finally stepping into the shower, she bathed as quickly as her very long hair would allow. Her whole body could be washed in under a minute if she was being efficient, but her hair was a whole other matter, taking several minutes to even soak all the way through. Drying it, that was quick at least.
Once her shower was finished, she took control of the water in her hair, and began drawing it together, forcing it to roll down each strand to collect at the ends, before releasing the large bubble in one go, letting it fall to the floor of the tub in a dramatic splash that made her giggle.
After that, it was a quick towel and a both hair and tooth brush. Her moment of self-confidence had left her feeling peppier than usual, so she wiggled her bum to music in her head as she finished her daily routine.
March 3rd
Ivy Town
0930 EST
"Good morning!" Aasha called out cheerfully, slipping into the Children's Boutique where she worked. The store wouldn't be open for another half hour, but all seven employees and the three managers were within, leaning against counters or sitting on small benches that they'd pulled from the shoe section. Most seemed more curious than anything, though the two closing employees and the night manager seemed quite tired.
"Good morning Aasha." The store manager, an elderly woman named Linda said. "You're the last one to get here, so let's get started."
The assembled crew of the small store all turned to face their boss, who was standing in front of the counter in the middle of the store. "Jerry, our district manager, contacted me three days ago and asked me to call a meeting." Linda said, and reached behind the counter and grabbed a short stack of envelopes.
"The store has been underperforming for three years now. It's nobody's fault, we're just in a college town, which means there are fewer families here than in other locations in the district. It's just bad luck." Linda explained, and the looks on the faces of her crew were heartbreaking. It was clear what was happening.
"Effective today, this store is closed, for good. Jerry wanted me to wait to give you your severance checks until after we packed everything up to ship it back to the company, but I'm not going to ask you to shut your livelihood down. Jerry can get a crew and do it himself as far as I'm concerned. I'm retiring next week anyway, but I've added my personal information to these envelopes. Don't list him as a reference, use me." Linda instructed, and began handing the envelopes out.
A cold chill gripped Aasha's gut, making her regret her 'upgrades' again. She had almost nothing in savings because of it, and a severance check from a corporate store wouldn't be more than a couple of weeks. She'd played all manner of hell getting the job here to begin with too. She must have looked as worried as she felt, because Miranda, one of her favorite co-workers, put an arm around her and gave her a side hug.
"We'll be alright." The young black woman said quietly. She'd overheard Linda arguing on the phone with Jerry when he'd called about it, and had known it might be coming, though the confirmation had struck her just as hard.
Aasha nodded and accepted her envelope. She had some major decisions to make, and quickly. It left her distracted through the rest of the meeting, even when Linda broke out the coffee and donuts she'd bought to share with everyone before they parted ways. That severance check was a little less than three thousand dollars, or two months of full time, after taxes had been taken out, meaning rent would be covered for about three months, if she didn't feel like eating.
"Hey Ash," Rance, another of her coworkers asked. He was a young man who she'd attempted to flirt with until she discovered he wasn't so much into girls. "Does this mess up your work visa?"
"No," she replied after shaking her head clear of her bleak study. "Not that it'll matter soon. I submitted the first round of paperwork to become a full citizen last week."
"Oh yay!" Rance said cheerfully. He came from money, and was only working here for something to do during the day. He could afford to be cheerful, but at the moment, it was a good thing. "You wanna celebrate?"
"I'd love to, but I need to cash this and get my rent paid before I accidentally spend it." Aasha said, having a hard time not perking up at Rance's mood. "But thank you all the same."
"Do you know what you're gonna do yet?" He asked, handing her a donut. Seeing her so down broke his heart, she was such a bright presence in the place that it didn't suit her well.
"I've got three months to decide. I have friends in Gotham, I might go there. There's plenty of galleries and museums too, I might be able to actually use my degree." Aasha decided quite suddenly. Showing up on Deke and Barbara's doorstep might be a bit problematic, especially after all of the sister wife jokes she and Babs had made. "I also have a friend in Florida too, so I have a couple of options."
"Gotham's not a safe place you know, Blüdhaven's probably better." Rance said, trying to talk her out of the dark city. He'd visited when he considered attending classes there, but the constant sirens had soured him. Not to mention not getting to see Batman at all, that had been a deal breaker.
"Like I said, I've got friends, and I've got a little time." Aasha said. "But, I need to get to the bank and catch my landlord." She moved towards the door and turned to wave at everyone, her small arm moving wildly.
"Goodbye everyone! It was a pleasure working with all of you!" She called out, and smiled at everyone's parting words in return.
After that, she hurried to the bank. She wasn't joking about accidentally spending her money. She'd chosen a double major in art and art history because she wasn't going to be an accounting major, like ever. As she walked through the chilly streets of Ivy Town, that worry began gnawing at her again. If she went to Gotham, or Hawaii, she'd be imposing on somebody. She could move into the Hacienda, but living out of the base just felt too strange to her. How Maddie could do it was beyond her.
It was rent free though. All she'd have to purchase would be her own health and hygiene supplies, and getting a job there wouldn't be that difficult, especially with warmer weather just around the corner. Though, a job was the thing to consider. She'd gone to school, and put herself into remarkable debt, to work in the art field. There weren't many galleries in a vacation town in Florida, especially one that got its start as a fishing village.
Gotham was the place to go if she wanted to work in her field. Despite everything, the place was filled with art galleries, and the kind of wealthy people who enjoyed being patrons of the arts. Word was, Gotham's favorite son Bruce Wayne, bought large quantities of art to donate to galleries all over the world. Aasha was sure he already had a broker, but if he did it, others would too.
Aasha went about the rest of her day in this quiet, lonely funk, her landlord commenting on it when she paid her rent up for the next few months. She'd explained everything, and was relieved when he said he wouldn't hold her to her lease agreement, letting her move when she needed to. Again, the man was an absolute angel.
She ate a sandwich for lunch, sitting quietly on her sofa and ignoring the television while she chewed quietly. After that, in an attempt to break her mood, she slipped into her bedroom and pulled up a few spicy pictures she had stashed of Barbara and Deke. Before long, her hand grew busy, but her heart just wasn't in it. "Great, I'm a dried up shrew." She lamented sourly, putting her laptop away and washing her hands anyway.
It wasn't until around four in the evening that the idea struck her. Aasha checked her phone, and bollocks she'd paid too much on rent, so her phone was going to get shut off. Frowning, she opened the search and checked the time difference between Honolulu and Ivy Town. It was ten in the morning there. Deke and Barbara were visiting Liho, and she no longer had a job to do.
Aasha quickly pulled up Liho's name in her contact list, and put it on speaker while she put together a small overnight bag, grabbing her bathing suit first before she forgot. On the fourth ring, the line connected, though she expected it would be voicemail. Instead, she got a woman's voice.
"Hello?" the very pleasant sounding lady said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number." Aasha replied, though she'd dialed Liho from her contacts, not from the dialer.
"This is not my telephone, are you trying to reach Liho?" the woman asked, still sounding very pleasant. That's when it dawned on Aasha that the person on the other end was the Atlantean girl.
"Yes I am, may I speak to him please?" Aasha asked, debating internally on packing a sexy set of underwear, before finally saying sod it and tucking them in anyway, preferring to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them.
"He is fishing at the moment, may I tell him you called?" Pacifica said politely. Aasha could hear another voice in the background, muted, but clearly Babs from the pacing and tone. A pang of jealousy struck her, but she put it away. Barbara wouldn't go around seducing women for fun, nor would she allow herself to be seduced. "Wait, I am speaking to Aasha?"
"You are, yes." Aasha said, zipping her bag up and setting it by the front door. The sudden recognition Pacifica showed at her name was heartening.
"You are Liho's sister in salt. I am pleased to speak to you!" Pacifica said. "I had precious little time to meet all of you when we were together in Themyscira. Are you available to talk now?"
"I am, but I was actually hoping I would be able to come visit. I find myself having time away from work quite suddenly. Could you ask Liho to ring me when he returns from his fishing trip?" Aasha asked, her mood slowly beginning to lift.
"I will do better than that. Please wait a moment." Pacifica said, before setting the phone down. In the background, Aasha could hear her doing something, and then heard the Atlantean woman's voice, muted from being away from the speaker. She clearly heard her name in the second conversation.
"Hey Aasha, it's me. Pacifica doesn't know my real name." Barbara said, her voice coming over the phone quite suddenly. "So, if you could please?"
"Of course." Aasha replied. "How are you and Deke enjoying Hawaii?" she asked, picturing the two of them making love on the sand. While she certainly enjoyed being involved in it, she'd be lying if she didn't admit she liked watching it too.
"It's been fun." Barbara said, and Aasha could hear the mischievous look on Barbara's face in the way she spoke. "Oh, here's Pacifica."
"Aasha, I was able to reach him on his other line. He asks why are not already not in Honolulu. Deke volunteered to come pick you up, and, yes, Bee is also volunteering. I believe they will be there presently by the way she is dressing."
"I'll be there in no time, thank you." Aasha said. "Speak to you soon." She added, and hung the phone up. The walk to the Zeta stop from her tiny home was no short stroll, which gave Babs and Deke a chance to get there. The timing should work itself out well.
