DISCLAIMER
The following is a fan-based
FICTION
Las Lindas and other products set in the same universe are all owned by Chalo/Chalosan and SoulKat.
Please support the official release.
Chapter 27: Life Happens
Setting up a 'recruitment campaign' is… far from simple.
Generally-speaking, it was all about going through job interviews, fishing out those that were legitimately qualified for the job request, and one could tell they were honest within doing a fine job or not. I had seen Grandpa taking care of a few small sessions where he would have to replace retiring workers with new ones, sometimes even employing unique questions mid-interview to determine the legitimacy of some people's attempts. After being inactive in this kind of element within the managerial life within a farm for so long, I wasn't exactly prepared to do the same, feeling too rusty for that, but Mora asked for me to handle the line since I was the smooth-talker between the two. A compliment, but one that I definitely deserved after aiding her in some 'diplomatic messes'. Plus I was really needed, especially since the recruitment campaign ended up attracting attention from all over the continent. We all expected for it to be limited to just the nearby areas to the local one at best, but the large influx of possible new workers came from all over Prism. It was clear that Ambar had done something about it when Digit pointed out how some of those had somehow received the pamphlets despite those never meant to reach as far as they lived. That and the fact that the Gossamer Harvest Festival was mentioned a couple of times in recent interviews the High Prime was part of. I sat down on my own, having decided against picking someone to stand with me as I knew that the others weren't keen to really jump at that difficult hassle.
Taffy? She decided to help around to make staying in the line bearable by bringing fresh lemonade to those waiting outside for their time.
Miles? He was too inexperienced in this kind of circumstances and would probably hand out some off-topic comments that would definitely piss off a couple of the aspiring workers.
Rachael? She wasn't a talkative individual with people she didn't know much about.
Sandy? A bit too flirty, plus she might know a good majority of the locals coming to work here, and not in a completely positive light.
Sandor? Similar as above, but definitely a step better considering how friendly it was.
Idward? He was more of a writer than a speaker, with most of his rhetoric stemming from sentences that sounded better in books than in a conversation that didn't center about those.
Sarah wasn't considered due to her general inexperience and lack of grasp of what she would have to do in there and…
Minos had a weak spot when it came to face large crowds of people to talk to. The evidence of that came from his own mouth and the fact he preferred to keep by those he knew about at the Harvest Festival rather than wandering around and mingling with others. I didn't blame him, but I would have wanted him to sit with me through these interviews considering that a large number of people I was going to interview were definitely going to join his side of the work rather than any of the others. With the idea that we were getting more people to work in the fields, I offered Mora to actually promote the original group to 'senior' positions so that they could organize things and avoid allowing people to make messes despite the clear guidelines. I was now a manager right below the owner, but I had calmly asked to hire a second one for the sake of not overburdening the farm's administration with too little 'leadership' to face the paperwork and the need to keep a flexible organization.
So, together with the regular workers' posts, there was also one open for the role of manager with me as the senior one. I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to find someone that could work well with the entire dynamics at the farm considering most of those that had reached us to find a way to settle for the big position were those that were coming from modestly rich families. I wasn't sure if it was somewhat tied to me or something else, but I really didn't feel that happy about having to go through a couple of those interviews with just recommendations from other rich individuals that had no experience in handling a farm in general. I was so unconvinced of this that I was almost given proof of it when the first one proved to be quite… tough.
"Your request for acquiring the post of manager here is based on mere recommendation. In fact, I don't see how your current, well, esteemed degree fits with the requirements of the job."
"I've been studying the basics, but I'm willing to say that I understand the economic aspects of it," The young blonde replied with an undeterred expression. Leopard Prime with intense yellow eyes. Really prepared for this, but also not.
"What about the bureaucratic aspect of it? Or experience on the field?"
"I can build both on the job."
"With all due respect-"
"Mr. Stone, I can do it. I just need time to learn through experience," She pressed on and I sighed.
"That's not the point. You're literally asking me to hire you based on the assumption you will study how to do this job… while being accepted to do it beforehand," I replied flatly, fixing a few papers on the desk in front of me. "I don't need to tell you that this isn't an acceptable behavior within this circumstance."
"...Apologies then. I didn't mean to sound too… forceful."
"I understand you're trying to gain confidence within the interview by trying to take control of it but you should really accept the fact that while this isn't a heavily-regulated company, we're still doing things the legitimate way."
She nodded, quite dismayed by her defeat, but didn't seem to harbor any hard feeling of this when she leaned in for a handshake before leaving. After this first obstacle out of the way, I was 'blessed' in the form of numerous interviews for those wanting to be hired as farmhands. It was a mostly positive streak, with a couple of those offers that I had to decline due to how these people… behaved around the interview. I was already prepared to find a couple of those that expected a simple and quick win out of this kind of interview and they were… well, really vocal when I refused their requests. Nothing that bringing up Minos to calm things down couldn't fix. Still, the entire session proved to be quite interesting in some aspects as I ended up finding people… that seemed to be somehow all tied to each other by the same symbol. A single line that curved thrice to form three layers which would then form a two-peaked mountain. It was an odd emblem that I was quite sure I had seen somewhere before but… I couldn't remember where precisely. Quite odd, but overall these interviews were tame and devoid of reason to be suspicious beyond mere curiosity.
Still, I really felt the strain after going through forty interviews without catching a break. Sighing just for a moment, I noticed the umpteenth candidate was at the door. I merely nodded their way, noticing that this one was fairly nervous from the way she approached and took a seat. I blinked her way and hummed.
"Good morning, miss?"
"S-Sunny, Sunny Cooper, sir."
Blonde hair combed with two lower braids, blue eyes that emitted pure uneasiness at this occasion, possibly her first job interview ever. The Golden Retriever Prime was slim, but definitely far from petite with the few muscles exposed through her blue overalls and white shirt.
I nodded while calmly accepting the little but thick paperwork she offered for me to start digging through. "So, which role are you seeking in this interview, Ms. Cooper?"
"M-Manager. I've been… I suppose it's already taken?"
"Nope," I admitted flatly, my eyes still on the paper. "Those before you offered incomplete requirements, showing wrong degrees to handle the current job. But… I see here that you have yet to gain yours just yet. Any reason why-"
"T-There was an issue with the final exam which forced it to be delayed despite the fact I already did it and got a result out of it," She replied, sounding fairly truthful about it despite how unusual of a matter it was. "In fact, the teachers were willing to write down that, as of now, I would be able to sustain questions concerning the more important topics of this… noble work."
That response had me seeking the proper documentation. And I found it… but I was surprised by the fact it wasn't just the teachers, but also the director of the Gossamer Community Night College. High praises, and final grade certification that was actually a prospect of her previous attempt which wasn't considered due to some issues with the system of registration.
"I suppose you will answer a few questions to confirm this. Nothing too difficult."
"Y-yes. I'm prepared, arf."
I smiled, but decided to be a bit tough on her to really test her determination. Much to my surprise and growing curiosity, Sunny didn't hesitate in answering all the queries correctly, with the sole exceptions being a few moments of silence as she had one of those 'mind going blank for nervousness' situations. Nothing really concerning as she easily recovered and allowed me to get through the next bit of this already positive interview.
"The next part I wish to discuss is the fact you listed that you have no experience on farm work."
"Yes, I… this is my first real job, so I don't exactly have that much experience on this," Sunny admitted with a hint of awkwardness, yet she looked surprised when I didn't look convinced by that.
"And yet I believe it would be correct to add the fact you worked at your family farm as an accountant and also a farmhand," I brought up with a serious tone. "In fact, while this doesn't apply as a proper work experience, it still counts as experience and this is what we're mostly seeking. I see from your father's letter that you definitely worked in that department and made some good decisions and learned under that circumstance."
She looked fairly flustered due to my words, but slowly nodded. "I guess that counts..."
Smiling at that reaction, I hummed as I verified the papers needed to confirm her hiring.
"I believe we're done now and… I have to say that you're definitely a surprise, Ms. Cooper."
The girl failed to grasp if it was a good surprise or not. "How so?"
"Well, I have to say I didn't expect someone to be so overqualified for the job. In fact, I feel embarrassed that we can't provide you with a higher job," I hummed happily. "Ms. Cooper, I believe I can say without hesitation that you are hired with the position of Junior Manager at Las Lindas."
Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open. "A-Arf, really?"
"Yes, but I would suggest you check the contract so you can see the benefits coming from it. You were quite quiet about it, so I believe it would do well if you verified what you're signing first before having issues with it later."
She was still shocked, but complied with my request as she slowly went through the papers and… nodded with a bright smile. "I don't have issues with it."
"I'm glad that we are on the same page and… welcome aboard."
Happily grinning, she accepted the handshake offer and took a moment to listen to how we were going to move her things on the farm. That entire operation was meant to wait for after lunch, when we would have been able to get through this kind of need without creating too much stress for either Sunny or us as we prepared her new room and office. Much to my relief, I had two more interviews before Digit came by together with Phi to announce that the 'torture' was finally over and I could catch a break. Still, the fact the 'younger' Nanozell Spirit was here meant that Alejandra had decided to take some time off her part of the work to check on how things were faring at the farm. I wondered what to expect once I was done stretching a little after getting the duty of sitting for so many hours now and… the answer to that question came to be in the form of a loud noise erupting from the kitchen. Followed by numerous others that made me panic about a possible home invasion from some of the disgruntled rejected people. But much to my surprise, and Mora's as the woman entered the kitchen from the outside's entrance, the disaster we found seemed to lack hints of multiple individuals behind it… despite the fact the damage would suggest someone big was doing all of this.
And the kitchen wasn't the only location getting taken out by what looked to be an individual-sized tornado. The trail of dirt, food, and water reached upstairs, with part of the bathroom upstairs slightly destroyed and the path leading up to… the main bedroom Mora and I usually slept.
What we found there was… confusing- no, outright baffling. Because who we found there didn't have the size to be able to accomplish that degree of madness. Long blue hair left free and uncombed, the Lizard Prime was munching on some of the fruits she had taken from the fridge and now set on the mattress. Her 'skin' was mostly green with several spots over her central bit of her torso, head and lower body a solid and pleasant yellow, while a few hints of purple stretched around her upper back down to the base of her tail. Inquisitive yellow eyes turned to gaze at us and… she blinked.
Before anyone could have said anything about it, I tensed up as I saw the young woman, the very naked young woman at that, rush up to me and tackle me down in a tight hug.
"Hello~!" She chirpily announced and I felt incredibly… confused.
Instead Mora looked absolutely and rightfully pissed. Minos' abrupt arrival and seemingly knowing who was currently nuzzling me so madly didn't help trying to make sense of what was going on.
Who is this girl!?
I believe I was the one that did the last push needed for Minos to bring up the truth on what was going on when I got him to speak with both me and Mora back to her office. The Bull Prime was reluctant, heavily so, but the fact this sudden visit caused so much damage seemed to offer a good enough platform to make the last push. Geecku, the girl I just had the chance of meeting through that unexpected tackle, was surprisingly tame during the entire aftermath of the situation and merely took her chance to check around the office while Minos did all the talking.
"I understand you have many questions, but understand that the way I will be able to provide answers is… limited due to specific situations you will soon understand."
I could only nod as I knew something big was tied to Minos. Geecku's sudden arrival and 'need' to be kept at the farm for a while, the fact she was also tied to Ambar and that knew 'Minnow' for a very long time were more than enough reasons to expect a big explanation from this one.
"I tried to keep it a secret since it wasn't really important for the work here at the farm but, due to recent circumstances, I have to come out clean and… say that I'm not exactly a simple 'wanderer'," He further added an incredible amount of 'layer' to cover for any major shocks and yet I couldn't help but feel even more ready to be shocked as he delivered the truth. "I'm… the Earth Crest."
…
"As in one of the Twelve Guardians of the legend?" Mora asked with a skeptical tone. "We know Ambar, but…"
"You don't believe me considering that I never displayed any hint that could lead up to that, I understand," He guessed with an awkward tone and I blinked.
"If asked in private, would Ambar confirm your version?"
"Yes," The Bull Prime replied without hesitation, making me believe more about this.
"I guess that would work and… It would explain why you're tied up with Ambar to the point you both exchange favors," I argued for his side while glancing at the Cow Prime. "Sure, it's a bit unexpected, but it would fit a lot about why you don't have any documentation to your name."
His mouth opened, and then closed as Minos frowned at me as he digested what I had just said.
"You checked?"
"We did it for all workers here at the farm," Mora elaborated with a calm tone, still stomaching what she was listening to. "We just went for what was known to the public, normal paperwork in the Prism census."
"I understand..."
"If I may, there is a question I would like to ask Minos," I interrupted politely while looking at him. "Geecku is… another Crest, right?"
"Yes."
I turned to look at the distracted woman as she was more engrossed by the small details of the office to genuinely care about this discussion. There was silence for a moment as I thought about it and… then I advanced the only guess I could after just a few interactions with Geecku. There were nine options available I could pick on from those Crests that weren't known to the public and only one seemed to match well with her personality and outright wilderness.
"Life?"
Minos merely nodded, but my voice at the mention of that specific word seemed to gain some attention from Geecku as she tensed up and frowned some more at what she was looking at in that moment. She didn't turn around but it was clear she was now listening. Speaking of the Bull Prime, he seemed to have calmed down a little bit since we started this conversation, but as he looked ready to speak up again, another voice piped in.
"Why is the ship in the bottle?"
I glanced to the side, looking at Geecku as she was holding the aforementioned bottle in her hands.
"Oh, it's an… artistic thing, I believe. They call it an 'impossible' bottle."
My response got a greater frown from the still naked girl. Despite it's been a while since we entered in contact with her, the Lizard Prime refused any offer or request to get clothed. Quite distracting, but I could tell, just like the rest, that she didn't mind the attention from the way she strolled around naturally and clearly unaffected by any subjective stances from the others.
"But why?"
"Artists can be logical and not. I believe that's one of the moments they are not."
She took a moment to think about it and nod before settling the thing back where she found it. But as soon as she did that, Geecku seemed to grow interested in the conversation as Minos spoke up again.
"Once again, this information will not create any trouble for you. I've no intention of using any magic until a circumstance of emergency, and I've been using my natural strength through the work up until this point."
Mora sighed. "And that's not the problem, really. But I have to understand why she is… here."
"Boredom," Geecku replied flatly, gaining a confused look from Mora.
"Just boredom?"
"That's Geecku's motivation."
"But not Ambar," I brought up with a curious look, catching on to the little cipher she got going.
"Yep," The girl spoke up without a single doubt in her tone. "But Geecku knows not what Hamster Lady wants with Geecku's leaving."
"I will have to ask her myself but I doubt she will want me to reveal it to you." The Bull Prime jumped in.
"That big of a reason?" The brunette interjected with the question.
"Potentially," Minos confirmed with a tired sigh. "And something that will get a headache out of me if she sticks by riddles just like usual."
The conversation went on for a while, but there wasn't much else to discuss beyond Geecku's role at the farm, and where she was supposed to stay considering her arrival was sudden and we had nothing prepared for her at the time. Much to our immediate relief, the girl planned to 'live outdoors' near the apple orchard. I was confused about what she meant early on, but we slowly saw that, as she retreated to the planned spot of her new 'living quarters', a big tree with pink leaves emerged suddenly from the ground and consolidated as a new landmark within the area. The girl's current task was to join workers' endeavor in retrieving apples in the orchard during their shifts. She got the same deal as Sarah's when it came to working hard regarding getting a few of those for herself once the work was over.
With the unexpected development coming to a temporary closure, which I doubted was going to last beyond a few days with how important it was for us to determine what Minos' status as Crest entailed within his normal work days. It was clear not much changed beyond now other than more honesty and knowledge coming from the mysterious Bull Prime now revealed to be part of the twelve figures that defeated the Emperor of Chaos. But as I remained behind to check on Mora's own thoughts on the matter, I found myself handling a difficult query.
"What do we do?"
I sighed at the question, knowing it wasn't an easy one to answer on the spot. To be fair, this situation was risky since harboring two Crests meant there was a chance some of the less 'pleasant' groups within Neo-Earth could come and cause us really big trouble if they discovered they were there. I was still confused as to why Ambar would go through these lengths considering she had the funds and the places to set up Geecku in a safer place. So I was… unsure about her decision to move the girl here considering all other possibilities…
Unless there was something that she worried about what she had at her disposal.
It wasn't unusual for the classic groups of those opposed to the High Prime to appear and disappear after a few rallies against her, with most of the people just not caring about siding for them considering how peaceful and positive her reign has been. Perhaps one managed to get through her usual system of people and Spirits and now was spying on her things?
It sounded so confusing considering the extensive power behind the Nanozell Spirits' spires. There shouldn't be anything or anyone that could get through those but… what if there was something that the Wisdom Crest wasn't saying? Many questions, but still not a legitimate answer to Mora's query.
"For now… we wait. I think we could wait just so we can speak up again with Ambar. Surely she can say something more about this instead of leaving us in the dark."
"If she will provide us with anything," The Cow Prime replied dryly. "Still, I guess there's nothing to lose in trying."
I hummed calmly, walking up to her and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. It was clear she was a little more drained than I was due to how 'light' today's tasks had been. Sure, the interviews were no joke to get through, but it was way lighter compared to my usual shift in the fields.
"You know what? I'll help you with the remaining documents so, after we're done with lunch and dinner, I'll treat you to a massage."
She blinked, a little smirk on her face. "Only a massage?"
"A treat before the main event."
A giggle left her lips as I said this and just as I took a chair to sit beside her, we paused to a knock at the door of the office. The door soon opened as Mora allowed the one knocking to enter the room and I was surprised that it was Taffy. The Bunny Prime looked quite tired, probably drained by going around the line and offering snacks and drinks to those waiting.
"Are you two free?" The girl asked with a hint of nervousness.
"Yeah, is there anything you need?" The older woman asked and the pinkette hummed.
"Would it be fine if… you know… tonight?"
My lips twitched and I felt Mora's gaze over me about this matter. She definitely was into this lovely escalation, but I took a moment to ponder about it since I knew that this could be discovered, and I worried it wasn't going to be Sarah to spot us, but someone like Sunny or even others. Despite the risks… I could tell the Bun needed some late night cuddling afterwards, so I just went for it.
"Sure."
She sighed in relief. "Sorry if it's so sudden."
"It's alright. We're all drained from all of this."
Taffy smiled at the news and…
We failed to realize that someone had eavesdropped to the conversation, an intrigued look appearing on their face.
AN
It would seem like things are spicing things up. Next chapter will hopefully see an 'unleashed' Geecku at work.
It will be intense, lewd and, most of all… *Gazes at Ambar*
*Notices she is getting a look from author* What?
So… Hamster Lady?
...You know what. Do you remember that reluctance I had about doing a follow up of that Omake? I think it would be funnier if the roles were reversed.
Wait-
I have plans, my dear friend. Plans that entail you, and cuddles, and eternal humiliation through some loving!
Ambar…
Yes?
Can I apologize?
Nope~!
