Chapter 15: Sentiments of an Underling
Linda sat on zabuton pillows around a built-in Japanese Irori along with Warechu and Mr. Badd. The comforting, clean environment would have distracted her had her allies not been talking. "I say we oughtta run away when we have the chance! You've seen what those girls can do, chu! They repelled the very ones we're running away from! If they find out the truth, we're dead, chu!"
Mr. Badd shook his head, "Nay. You are not thinking ahead, rat! We don't know where we are or where our next meals will come from! I say we bide our time here, scout out the area, and then decide our next course of action."
"And keep up this whole 'daughter being chased by government wackos' nonsense? Like hell we'll get away with it!" Linda folded her arms, "first off, that entire act was cringey as hell! Even if we were a…" Linda gagged on her words, "family, they'd still be onto us after a while."
"Hmph. It wasn't that bad." Mr. Badd leaned back, looking more relaxed. "I thought you both made a great daughter and pet duo." Linda turned her head with a scoff.
"Well, what about you, underling? You got a better idea, chu?"
"I have a NAME, dammit! And you of all people have no room for that underling crap, under-rat!" the two began spitting remarks back and fourth at each other, Linda's facial muscles tightening as the mouse's tone grated against her.
"That's enough! Goodness, you all certainly act like children." Badd sighed. "Now, do you have an idea or not, Und-eerrr… Linda?"
"tch. The only one who's not hurt's the short one for now. I say we gang up on her while she's least expecting it, and beat-… eh… beat em and eat em! That's a fun family classic to play at night, eh?" Linda smiled awkwardly as Kafuru walked in with a tray of cups.
"Here. It's Gyokuro tea. It'll help you." Kafuru said, passing out the cups. The group gave a simultaneous 'thank you very much', to which Kafuru glanced Warechu a strange look. Linda glared at Warechu, swiping her fingers across her neck before looking at Kafuru with an awkward smile and a slightly higher pitched voice.
"Ehehehe. Chuchu thanks you too. Ain't that right, little guy?" Linda grinned, Warechu attempting to make cute 'chu chu' noises.
"Well, I'm glad you're thankful at least." Kafuru's tone lowered into passive-aggression. "My sisters were hurt because of you."
"Oh, and that's our fault, why?!" Linda snarled at her comment.
"Why do you think? You led them to our doorstep, and we were kind enough to defend your sorry asses!" Kafuru folded her arms, her snide tone heightened despite the short stature, serving only to irk Linda more.
"Alright bitch, if you think I'm gonna take that crap from you-…" Linda started to get up, but Mr. Badd put his hand out before intervening.
"Please, Linda honey. These are very stressing times for all of us. And, miss Kafuru, was it? We are indeed very grateful to our saviors. How are your sisters doing, by the way?"
"We're doing just fine!" Linda looked over, seeing a bandaged Renka in the shoji doorway.
"Renka, what are you doing out of bed?!" Kafuru shouted.
"What does it look like, dummy? Standin' and walkin'!" Renka retorted.
"You're the dummy, Renka! You should be resting!"
"I did rest. Besides, can't have you escalating things all the time." Renka smiled, Kafuru replied with stuttering 'buts' to which Renka patted her sister's head, "You're fine, little sister." She turned to the others, "It wasn't your fault. And please, feel free to help yourselves to whatever in our kitchen. You may stay here for now. All we ask is that ya don't cause trouble."
"Thank you very much, miss Renka. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated." Mr. Badd gave a slight bow towards Renka, who then smiled, sitting on the end between Linda and Badd, Kafuru helping her down as Renka winced at her wounds.
"Welp, since I know you're too stubborn for your own good, would you like some tea, sis?" Kafuru offered, to which Renka accepted. As Renka asked where they were from, Linda went silent, but not because she was put on the spot. As Mr. Badd began slowly drawing out places, soon playing along with Renka that they came from a place called 'North Korea', Linda's mind wandered down the old memories trail.
Where she was from? It had been a long time since somebody asked her that. Why would they? They didn't care when a family of immigrant Night Elves applied as Lowee businessmen, instead giving them cheap laboring jobs. And because that very family couldn't get what they desired, they brought their own spiteful insecurities onto their young daughter, which she carried with her growing up. 'Some people will never amount to anything' they would say. The words rang in Linda's head like a hive of bees. Hateful bees that kept stinging her throughout life whether it involved her mother destroying her project she took nearly a week to work on, or getting suspended from school vandalism she was barely a part of while others got off scot free, or suffering mistreatment from a gang she at first considered family.
"…Linda… Hey! Underling!" Linda gasped as Warechu's voice broke her thoughts. "What's your deal, chu? You been real quiet for a long time. Baddy's had to cover for you, chu. Though I admit I'm a kinda impressed he can come up with such crazy improv stories for an old man."
"Hmph. When you've been around as long as I have, then tons of experience is something you've got under your belt." Badd spoke.
"Then why don't ya convince em to just give us all their food or better yet… just donate their house to us, chu? I'm anxious to see how far your 'experience' can take us, Mister Bald." Warechu snidely remarked.
"I guess you can take the rat out of the sewer but you can't take the sewer out of the rat. I am a patient man, but you best be watching which buttons you push, Warechu." Badd grimaced with a gleam of his glasses. "Now, let us get back to the topic at hand."
"Tch. Finally." Linda complained, "We can't stay here. Who knows when those dumb broads will be back with reinforcements! And it's like Warechu said earlier. If these girls catch us, we're equally if not more dead than with that crazy Lowee CPU."
"Just how the hell can one be 'more dead', chu?" Warechu shrugged his little shoulders.
Badd then took over the conversation. "Linda, did CFW Magic tell you anything about this… sphere thing?"
Linda scoffed, "I wish. Once we regroup, I've got quite a few questions for her. All I know is that she never mentioned it, and by the time we knew something was being hidden… well, you know the rest."
"Still, we really ought to be more aware of our surroundings until we can find our allies. It's dangerous with those CPUs still lurking about, or worse those creatures." Badd replied.
Warechu shivered. "There was something about those monsters that made them even more terrifying than that sadistic airhead, chu. There was so much bloodlust in their eyes… it was like they lost any animal instinct they once had, chu."
"Which is exactly why we must take at LEAST two days here to give ourselves enough time to scout out the area." Badd stated.
"Fine, but I still say we steal some stuff. While you're scouting out the area, I'm going to scout out the kitchen, chu." Warechu placed his paws on his hips, sticking his nose up which only served to make him snobbier than Abnes, at least Linda thought so.
"Don't just go in there recklessly! What if they catch you!?" Linda exclaimed.
Warechu had now crawled onto the table before jumping onto a wooden pole, climbing up to a shelf, and proceeding to pass by a small Kimidana. "As much as I hate putting on the cute act, it's got one advantage that I can tolerate, chu. If I start stealin stuff they'd never think such an innocent little rodent knows any better! Maybe I should try that approach on Compa so I can steal her heart, chu." Warechu laughed before climbing up through a small shoji window to the other side.
"That putz. I bet he doesn't even know where the kitchen is." Linda pouted.
"Well, I'm sure I wouldn't either if I was spacing out while Miss Renka told us exactly where it was." Badd's reply irked her blood.
"Shut up." Linda quickly gulped down the rest of her tea, letting the cup roll onto the table as she got up, storming out of the room. Dark clouds smothered Linda's head as she let her legs do the thinking. She just wanted to get away from it all. Linda made her way out to a porch that wrapped around the inside of the shrine where a small garden could be seen in the middle. The night sky illuminated the garden below with the moon as it's heavenly lamp. Sitting on the edge of the engawa porch with legs crossed, a long sigh drifted from her mouth as her mind once more began wandering.
Surrounded by cold walls and steel bars, Linda sat stiffly on a lone bench in a cell. Drained of all emotion, she felt light as a husk, wondering why she had not yet fallen off the bench. Not a muscle moved, even when the Loweean guard knocked on the door saying she had a visitor. As the footsteps drew closer to the cell, Linda could make out a woman's voice she didn't recognize, which had a deep, almost entrancing tone to it. "Might I have your name?"
Still not looking up, Linda's sorry, scratched voice uttered the words, "What's it to ya?"
"I was impressed by that heist you nearly pulled off. It's a pity you ran with a crowd who saw you as nothing but disposable." The woman said.
"Laugh it up all you want… I have nothing left to live for." Linda's voice cracked.
"I'm not here to laugh. Mind telling me where you're from?"
Linda suddenly turned an angry head towards the bars, seeing the cloaked woman who only revealed a small portion of her lavender-skinned face with pink bangs of hair just above a pair of gold, glowing eyes. "WHY DO YOU CARE?! Why should you care!? You don't know me! I haven't done anything for you! Besides, nobody cares that I got caught… I'm just… an underling after all. Just… an underling." Linda crumpled to her knees, her eyes flushing with water as she said the word 'underling'.
"You've seen the way Gamindustri is run by these reckless CPUs. You know the damage they cause. Many complain, but not all are willing to do something about it. I've been watching your little gang for a while now. And I haven't seen devotion like yours in a long time. Together we can change Gamindustri. Join me and your name will go down in history." The woman said.
"Heh. Please. You talk delusions of grandeur. If you have a plan, then get me out of here." Linda scoffed, unamused. The woman smirked, slowly raising a hand, a ball of energy forming in her palm. Linda's eyes widened, backing up till she was against the opposite side of the wall. "H-hey! That looks dangerous!" Next thing she knew, the woman had blasted apart her cell doors before killing the two guards that had let her in. With her back against the wall, Linda froze up, the only movement her trembling body. "Wh-who are you?!"
"You can call me Magic. Now will you tell me yours, since I told you mine?" the woman asked once more. Linda gulped before telling Magic her name. "Well then, Linda. Do we have a deal?" Magic held out her hand. Linda's fingers trembled, hesitating for a moment before embracing what would soon become her destiny.
Linda shook her head. Oh yeah, Magic was the last one to ask me that… Jeez. Why am I thinking of that now of all times? She turned suddenly to see Renka coming out the door, with her hair let down out of the buns Linda was used to seeing as she walked up wearing a loose kimono, which revealed the inner sides of her cleavage and down her stomach until it closed into a belt near her lower torso. "Heya. Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Oh… Hehe. No, I was just… staring at the moon, ya know. It's… pretty and… whatnot." Linda gave a forced chuckle, trying to sound more girly.
Renka held a plate of small, powdery pastries. "Would you like some Daifuku?"
"I… don't have any money." Linda said.
Renka laughed, "Money?! What kinda con artists you take us for?! You think Kafuru woulda given you tea so openly if we expected something from it?"
"Oh… I… guess not." Linda reached out, taking the Daifuku, hesitating before biting into it. The sweet tang of the red bean filling oozed into her mouth, alighting her taste buds with euphoria which melted her suspicious frown into a smile. "It's been a while since I had something this sweet."
"Ain't it good!? Especially in the moonlight with company!" Renka hollered before wincing at her wounds, holding the bandaged spots.
"Still… there's nothing you want from us later? Clean up around the place, shake down some deadbeats, help ya with shopping or whatnot. Why be so kind to us and expect nothing in return?" Linda looked over, making eye contact with Renka.
"Because… we know what it's like to be branded as outcasts. A long time ago my sisters and I were part of a village. And… due to our own negligence, we got someone killed. Someone who was very important to our entire village." Renka's eyes dropped to the ground.
Linda looked over with curiosity, taking another bite of her Daifuku, asking Renka to go on. Renka sat up, folder her arms over her legs. "As if being racked with guilt wasn't enough, we thought it was a good idea to come clean. We were then banished from the village…" Renka then looked back towards Linda. "We expect nothing of you because we know you've suffered just as us. I imagine it hasn't been easy with everyone picking on you for being different."
"Heh… hasn't been easy for sure." Linda finished the rest of her Daifuku before standing up. "Still… at least you folks HAD some dignity. Some people are born without it. And without it, they'll never amount to anything."
"Nuh uh!" Renka's quick response startled Linda, quickly turning her head, "Ya, it's true, some folks have it hard. Dealt a bad card at birth, some of em'. But that does not mean you cannot pull yourself from your stinky beginnings and rise up to be something great. Yeah, some folks never do… But I say only thing holdin' em back is themselves." Renka's eyes beamed at Linda, who couldn't understand why this girl's positivity made her stomach feel sick.
Linda turned, opening the shoji doors before pausing a moment as if Renka's words were preventing her from running away from her problems once again. A long sigh left her mouth, Linda forcing herself back to the living quarters where a couple of futons lie. Mr. Badd was already sitting up in one of them, reading his favorite business book that he had on him. Warechu had a small pillow which he used as a sleeping bag. "Linda, you shoulda seen their pantries. These broads are loaded, chu! I snatched these from the cupboards, chu." Warechu tossed her a pack of pocky. "Badd and I already had some, so help yourself, chu."
Straight-faced, Linda took the box, muttering a simple 'mm-hm' before covering up in the Futon. Badd and Warechu exchanged perplexed glances. "Is there something troubling you, Linda?" Badd asked, putting his book down.
"Yeah, you keep bein' this gloomy and you'll be in the Neppess Book of Gamindustri Records, chu." Linda silently kept her back turned. "Fine, don't talk to us. Just don't pig up all the pocky, chu."
Silently, Linda slowly opened the pocky box, pulling a few of the chocolate cream sticks out, staring intently as though analyzing something, but all she could see was the kindness of Renka and her sisters. Her hand trembled, close to breaking the pocky. What the hell? I never had problems with stealing, hell I've done worse than that! So why? Why now? Forcing her hand to her mouth, she chewed down aggressively. Though they tasted sweet, the strange knot in Linda's stomach did not want to leave. Looking at the expiration date, she scoffed before going to bed.
The following morning, Warechu grabbed the cloth shopping bag he had found the previous night. Crawling through the same window he had before, he smirked at the sight of the kitchen. "Hehehe. Time for a raid." Climbing in cupboards and digging through drawers, he started carefully taking food and objects he thought they might not miss, or at least realize right away. After a while, the mouse's shopping bag was almost 2/3s full as he dragged it onto the counter. "UGH! Maybe I shoulda asked Baddy or Linda for help, chu. This shit's heavy! Baddy better hurry and get back here with his 'scouting'. I don't wanna have to deal with these dangerous broads anymore than I have to CHUUU!" Warechu dove inside the bag as he found a pair of large green eyes staring straight at him.
"Huuuh? Did… you just talk?" Hanabi tilted her head in confusion. Warechu slowly came out, sniffing the ground and going, 'chu, chu.' Oh man oh man! I can't remember if that's the dumb one or not! I hope she doesn't suspect anything, chuuu! Hanabi scratched her chin, "Nah, it couldn't be. Mice don't talk… But then… why is Kafuru's bag on the table with all those goodies? Nooo… a mouse could never… oooorrrrgghhh. Nonono! I can't think of it here!"
Just then Linda walked in to find the scene. Gulping, she quickly walked over to where Warechu was, picking him up in a singsong voice, "Oh, there you are Chuchu! I was wondering where you got off to ya little bas-… I mean you silly." She then turned to Hanabi, "I am sorry. I hope he did not cause any trouble."
"Oh no. He was just fine. Cutely hiding in our little bag." Hanabi smiled, but kept her eyes on Linda, "although, I don't remember sticking this bag on the counter. Renka's still in bed and Kafuru never uses it unless we go out… You wouldn't happen to have seen anything… have you?"
"Tch. I've never seen that bag before! Hell, this was the first time I've been in your kitchen." Linda protested.
"Then… why was our bag out… full of groceries… and… I could have sworn I heard your mouse talking… but… mice don't talk. And if none of my sisters-… UURGH." Hanabi started holding her head.
"Augh! What's wrong?!" Linda stepped back with a start.
"Too much. Thinking… gonna… explode." Hanabi held her head, seemingly in pain.
"Explode?" Linda began laughing, "What are ya, too much of a ditz to think?"
"NOOOO! I mean it! Please, I beg of you! Water… on… my face!" Hanabi crumpled to her knees, holding onto the counter as her face began turning a light shade of red.
"Better do as she says. I smell something bad gonna happen, chu." Warechu mumbled through his lips. Linda frantically looked around for a cup before reaching for a random bowl on a shelf. Quickly filling it in the sink, she splashed it on Hanabi's head, the latter's heightened breathing now began to alleviate.
"So, you used our Shinto ritual bowl to douse Hanabi, eh?" came the voice of Kafuru, standing in the doorway.
"AUGH! Ritual bowl?!" Linda quickly dropped the bowl back onto the nearby counter.
"Normally, you would be in trouble. But this is one case where we can let it slide. If Hanabi went off in here, the damage would be irreversible. Better cleanin up a little bit of water and a bowl than mounds of debris. Have fun." Kafuru walked off.
"Kafu-… ugh. What a pain." Hanabi sighed. "Anyhow, thank you very much. You don't know how bad that would have been for all of us had I exploded."
"So… what exactly is this explosion you're talking about?" Linda asked. Warechu began to ask as well until Linda shut his mouth, laughing nervously and pretending to make her 'pet' speak. "Heehee. Chuchu was also wondering, 'ooh just what are you talking about, chu.'?"
Almost instinctively, Linda began helping Hanabi put away the bagged food, despite Warechu's charade attempts to stop them. "Well… it's a bit of a story. My sisters and I come from a village far away from here. And… due to an incident we got banished."
"I heard. Your sister, Renka, told me." Linda mentioned.
"Well then, before the banishment… Renka was to receive a punishment from one of the elders. Because we failed to inform anyone in the village without thinking about it… the elder readied a curse and said, 'If you ever get any more bright ideas, perhaps this will make you think twice from now on.' I couldn't bear to have our sister take all the blame just because she was the eldest. Being the dummy I am, I pushed her out of the way and… took it for her. And now I live with being a ticking time bomb that can never think too hard about things."
Linda's eyes widened. "My CPU, that's horrible! And I thought I had it bad. I…" Linda gulped, the same troubled feeling in her stomach returned as she said the words, "I… I hope that… your sisters take good care of you."
"Oh, we all take good care of each other. That's what family does after all. Renka especially feels guilty over the incident. But I keep telling her not to worry. I brought it upon myself after all." Hanabi smiled.
"Really? After what you've been put through, you don't expect anything from them?"
"Why should I expect anything more than our sisterly bond, after all? They're family. Yeah, it's no fun being a living firecracker at times, but we make it through. And ya know what… I can see you have a loving family too. Your father seems to be a wonderful man. And even though you've had it rough, you seem to be A-Okay yourself." Hanabi gave a thumbs up, but her positivity only weighed down on the lie they constructed, making Linda look away. "Well, I gotta go perform Shrine duties now. Help yourselves to whatever, alright?"
The moment Hanabi left and closed the door, Warechu face planted onto the counter. "What the hell were you thinkin', chu?! Putting away all that food I successfully looted! Who's side are you on, chu?!"
"Me?! What the hell were YOU thinking?! The innocent pet act may work for YOU, but if I didn't start helpin' her put things away, she woulda thought I did it! Did you see the way she looked at me?!" Linda barked back.
"Yeah, so super effective that the underling used fake tears, chu." Warechu snickered.
"Like hell you'd know anything about feelings, filthy rat. And I wasn't crying! It's just… complicated." Linda sighed.
"Hey! I know you hate the underling spiel, but there's no need to call me filthy! In fact, I am the most cleanly of my species, chu!" Warechu and Linda continued their comical back and forth, not realizing that Hanabi had stepped back into the doorway.
"Oh. I forgot to tell you guys that there's also some cookies on the top… shelf?" Hanabi's eyes widened into white, cartoony circles as her mouth gaped.
"Crap. You weren't supposed to hear that, chu." Linda smacked Warechu as he said the words "Hey! That's animal abuse!" Hanabi turned around, running out and about calling for Renka when Linda ran up and smacked her in the back of the head with her iron pipe, knocking her out. "What'dja go and do that for, chu?!"
"Well maybe if you'd have kept your damn mouth shut, I wouldn't have had to!"
"Whatever, let's just put her in the closet or something, grab as much stuff we can carry and get the hell outta here, chu! Baddy will have to catch up later." Linda then began helping Warechu pick up an unconscious Hanabi when Linda stopped, the discomforting twist in her stomach returning. "Hey! What are ya doin, chu! We need to move. Now!"
"I don't understand… I've always been okay with crime. Why… why is it bothering me only now?!" Linda trembled, confused frustration seething from her breath.
"Huh. So NOW you choose to grow a conscience? Wow, you really are going for the record books, chu. And here I only thought you the world champion at being called an underling peon." Warechu snickered.
With a combination of the situation and her ally's comment, Linda growled, quickly shoving Hanabi into the closet. "Let's just get what we can and go. This place is doin' stuff to me and I don't like it."
"I'll say, chu." Moving quickly, Linda helped Warechu take what supplies they could stuff into the bag before the two headed out the back door, all the while the knot in her stomach twisting tighter until, by the time they were out the door, it reached her chest, hanging on her heart like a mysterious burden which only seemed to pull even harder when Linda looked back at the fading shrine. Forcing herself away, Linda began running. After all, it was what she knew best.