One Hundred Ways to Love
29 of 100: Mistake
Nano scrutinized the expense report glancing at the name. It was her tenth. She decided to discard it and settled for another, another name this time. They were all pretty typical, mostly food. 13th Division used a standard form which was handed it monthly and paid monthly. Patrol officers were permitted a certain amount of expenditures covered by the office.
Food, temporary lodgings, gigai rental, and a few miscellaneous were the usual line items. Miscellaneous items were permitted so long as they totaled less than a certain amount. For the most part, they seemed to be complying with the rules. Then she started spotting oddities: taxi cab, health spas, treatments, tonics, dinners, hotels, and items that she could not identify.
Getting out a sheet of paper, she began to make lists.
"Today's agenda has been passed out for you to view. Does anyone have any new business to discuss?"
Nanao glanced over her paper, ordinary agenda. The Vice-Captain meetings rarely changed from month to month. As Vice-Captain of 13 her seat had been moved to the last chair which put her at the back of the room directly across from the Seventh Division officer. Two tables, six persons per table. At the front of the room Vice Captain Sasakibe, of Division One, was leading as always.
"Yo! Vice Captain Saskibe."
Sasakibe turned his head toward the Seventh Division officer who leaning back in his chair, sunglasses perched on his nose. "Did you have something add Iba-san?"
"Since they're here, I would like to request that Kusajika-san and Ise-san of the Shingami Women's Association desist interrupting the Men's Shinigami Association meetings."
Nanao looked up to find him staring at her though she could only guess with those sunglasses perched on his face. "I would like to suggest that the Men's Association stop producing articles about picking up women and other licentious tips."
"Since when is the Women's Association the authority on men's publications?"
"It is part of the Women's Association charter to protect and promote the positive image of women in Soul Society. The Men's Association has proven themselves to be both disrespectful and unnecessary."
Iba opened his mouth to reply.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Men's and Women's Associations, please take these arguments outside of our meeting as they are unrelated." Saskibe turned toward the first chair on the right. "At this time I would like to welcome our newest Vice-Captain of Eight, Honda Kano."
They were a weak set of salutations and Sasakibe frowned quite suddenly. "Ah, before I forget I would like to see Ise-san and Honda-san at meeting's end."
Sasakibe was busily marking what looked to be next month's agenda when Nanao approached the front of the room. The others, save for Honda, had already filed out.
"Ise-san, I've meant to contact you earlier. I understand you're having some kind of problem in 13th with expense reports?" he raised his bright eyes in her direction.
"I haven't gotten it straightened out yet, but there appears to be some excessive charges to the office budget."
"And how did you plan to balance those…inaccuracies?"
"If it is a concern I do not plan to ask Division One for additional funding. I have decided that the guilty individuals will be logging additional hours at headquarters since it was their overspending that has caused the budget shortfalls in repairs."
The man blinked. "I see. Thank you, Ise-san that was my only concern."
She nodded and headed for the door.
"Honda-san, we have not received any paperwork from Division Eight in two weeks. Is there something amiss?"
"Well, no Sir, I-"
Nanao stepped out and headed back. She had several meetings before the day officially ended.
The new Vice-Captain was pleased as she peeked out her office doorway spotting a pair of people and a couple of toolboxes. The two men looked at her grouchily.
"Going well?" she inquired.
The damages to the hall had been caused when she and Miyado had gotten into a little scuffle. Or, he had gotten smart with her and she'd blasted his disrespectful behind through his precious office door. He had proven thick-headed and come back out prepared to battle and she had blasted him again, this time through the wall knocking him totally out. Thus far she'd had no continued problems with him; he was keeping his mouth shut and avoiding her.
"Yes, Vice-Captain. We're doing okay, though; we really don't have the skill set for this kind of repair work."
"Yeah, can't we hire some guys to fix it?"
"We could hire some repair men to fix it except our budget in is short due to people padding their expense bills. Our money doesn't grow on trees, so until you make up all the money you've rightly stolen that I've added up on your individual bills working at standard shinigami base pay, you work for the office in any manner I choose."
They blinked at her.
"Gentlemen, look at this as an opportunity. 1, you learn not to charge unnecessary items and 2, you get to improve your skill set."
AN: This one was okay, not as fun as I'd hoped it would be. But the next one, 30: Blood. That one is good. I'm trying to finish it before I leave for work in an hour.
