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DDRRIIIIIIIINNN! Hey hey hey, wake up Squids! Time to get up and fresh with the new day! Let's kick things with the song -click-
… yaaaawwnnn… … groan… give me 5 minutes, mommy…
… uh… … wh-what's up with this headache…? It hurts a lot… … bah… it'll go away…
… yep… it's a new day, alright. The sun rays are greeting me on my little, yet busy desk. … looking at it right now, it really feels like a terrible mess! I should really get some cleaning job, before heading out of my room!
… huh… now that I got up from my bed… for some reason I feel much taller than usual. … wait, what am I saying?! I have always been a tower! I encountered like 2 or 3 girls who were taller than me… and the difference wasn't even that noticeable!
… still… why I remember being much shorter…? … what a weird day to start with: I have those unexplained feelings about me. Not that I even cared about my height at all… well, except when I look totally like an alien on photos. Being a "giantess" isn't all that easy as someone might think… oh well, time to clean!
… my headache is sure is odd… it's like something inside my head is exploding in rage. I can't really explain it… but if I let my guard down, I feel like throwing something out of the window! … I hope I'm not changing into some kind of freak… a-after all, Squids like staying around me!
There… the desk is all cleaned up! … this would have been a great time for me to draw, if it wasn't for my job. I just can't get enough of drawing, I have to say… seeing a world opening up from my hands it's a sensation unique in its genre.
Alas, art has to wait until the evening. Sigh… although, I have to finish up that letter where I ask some mercy on the shifts. This job is literally crushing me… but after being so loyal, I should deserve some kind of reward!
Actually… today my current job shift lasts less than a hour! I couldn't be more happier than that! I just can't wait to go out of this building and start doing some shopping! I could also pay a visit to that art exhibition, too! … speaking of that… … OH NO! I TOTALLY FORGOT!
Wh-what I-I'm going to do now…?! I-I still haven't decided! WHAT I'M GONNA DO?! … uugghh… my headache got worse just now… great… … oh! I know what to do! I could ask for advices to him… that's it! Knowing him, he should be in the kitchen… well, what I'm waiting for?! Let's go!
…
The smell of coffee around the kitchen… the usually burned toast scent… yep, I wasn't wrong at all! There he is, sipping his little coffee!
"Good morning!"
"… good morning." His eyes were closed, probably he was enjoying his coffee.
"Do you know today what day it is?!"
"… another day of work… as usual." He puts down his coffee, putting his pen on his mouth.
I… never really understood why he does that. It's like he wants to smoke, but he really doesn't…
"You know, I never understood that habit of yours… do you want to smoke a pipe or something?!" Ih ih ih!
"Ha ha… very funny. No, I really can't do much about it… without it, I don't feel right." He looks elsewhere.
As usual, he didn't tie his tentacles… weird guy! But he's not that bad, actually… ... uhm! Thinking about it, there is more about him than this… not that he ever talks about himself that much!
"… go ahead… I can see it in your eyes." His arms rested behind the top of the chair.
That's the signal I was waiting for!
"W-well! It's about today you see…"
"Today, huh… let me guess: it's about that art exhibition?" His hand picked up that toast with peanut butter on it, putting the pen on the table.
"Why, yes! How did you guessed it?!"
"… not that you are that hard to figure out." He took a bite off the toast. "Especially when you couldn't stop talking about it."
"Eh eh… I'm so anxious and eager to attend such exhibition! Think about all the cool drawings we could see!"
"You said that phrase may- wait, what did you said?!" He bended forward! "We?!"
"Yep! Oh come on, don't be shy… it would be great!"
"I-I have work to do, you see…" He turned his face the other way!
"You mean those silly 30 minutes job?"
"I wanted to work more than that." Ooooh, I see that annoyed expression… tee hee! He also puts his pen back on his mouth "You know that our job is so persistent… it's better to get things down quick and good."
"But just look at your eyes… they have dark circles under them!"
"It's nothing… really." He looks away from me. "… so, what's the advice you want from me?"
"As you said, it's about the art exhibition… I… I don't know if I should bring my pictures with me or not."
"… this time, I can't do much." His eyes turned over me. "It's all about you, really…"
"Bu-but I don't know! I don't know what to do…"
He keeps staring at me.
"… do you want others to look at your drawings?"
"Yes… I do."
"Then, you should do that. I heard this art exhibition comes here every 2 years…" He closes his eyes, rubbing his pen with his right thumb and forefinger.
… he has a point… but… … maybe he doesn't know that particular thing about my drawings…
"Listen… if the answer was that simple, I wouldn't need your advice. There is another thing which is bugging me."
"… personal drawings." He reopened his eyes.
"Huh?! Personal… drawings?"
"… Ursula… it's been a while since we first meet here in the office. I know who you are… and I'm sure you know me as well."
His face got serious… I wonder what he's up to, this time.
"… you aren't the talkative type, as you are nowadays." He looks away… "Actually… I'm still rather skeptical about it."
"You think…?"
"… you trust me, Ursula. That's why you keep on and on talking about your drawings and the art exhibition. You have no one else to talk about with…" He took off his pen, looking at it.
"Are you saying that I'm shy…?"
"… no. How you see life is simply different than the average, if you know what I mean." His hand rotates his pen. "It's like you are watching a drawing… if you find something who doesn't feel right, you dissociate yourself from that drawing."
"… Soke, how did you know all this? I-I wasn't imagining"
"There is a reason why I'm working on that game… remember?" His eyes rested on me. "I can see people from the inside… I know exactly what they could do or not. My knowledge will make the game feel more real… which is the point of the whole research."
"Wow… you could replicate a person 100%?"
"… maybe 99,99%." He puts his pen back on his mouth. "There might be something inaccurate here and there… but I don't care about perfection."
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAID?!"
…
…
Huh?! Wh-what just happened?! Wh-why I said that…?! Th-that's not me at all…!
"… don't worry." His eyes closed. "You must have a headache or something… people do tend to slightly change, daily."
"S-sorry…! I-I don't know why I said that."
"Ignore it. That's the best medicine you can take…" He reopens his eyes. "Anyway, I know you Ursula… those drawings you keep making have a personal reason behind it. It's essentially your soul trying to communicate with the rest of the world…"
"… I don't know if I should expose my drawings over other Squids…"
"… do you fear that people might judge your drawings negatively?"
EEEPP!
"Ehm… well… sort of…" How did he figured this one out?!
"Look… every day, we are judged by everyone we meet." He took off his pen. "Whenever it's positive or negative, it's something inevitable… might as well dive into it, without regrets."
"… you know… wh-what if someone says something bad about my drawings… and others believe in such opinion? What should I do…?"
"… people generally hate liars… you do it too, right?" He looks away…
"Y-yes! I can't stand them! My drawings are always in fact carrying the message of truth in each of them!"
"Then, ask yourself this question… would you lie to yourself?" He keeps looking away.
"Lying to myself?! I-I would never do such thing!"
"… if you are ready to accept the truth… then you should never worry about it." His sight returned on me, as he puts his pen back on his mouth.
"… I see it now… I understand why you are telling me this, hu-huh…"
He has a point… I can't hide inside my own opinions all the time! I need to get confrontations… I need the truth.
"Thank you, Soke."
"… are you sure to be ready for that exhibition?" His fingers rubbed his pen.
"Of course I do! Look at me! I-I could go out there even now!"
"In your pajamas? I don't think they will let you in…" He sighs.
"AGH! Ha ha ha ha ha! Wh-what a nice joke I-I did there, right?!"
… he doesn't seem convinced… siiiigghh!
"Aside from the clothing… I'm rather skeptical about your desire to keep up with your goal." His face got all serious…
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"… you could break down, once you are there." His head lowered. "Especially with your drawings on your hands."
… ehm… … who am I kidding?! He's right! I-I never did anything like this! I-I don't even know what I'm supposed to do!
"Uhm…! You know… it would be really fantastic, if you could come with me…"
"Sigh… why I decided to say everything out loud like that?!" He snorted.
"Oh, well… if you don't feel happy about it…"
"… no, there is no way back now." He stands up. "I know you are going there at the art exhibition in any case… bringing with you the drawings just in case."
Eh eh, he's sure is tall…! Together, we must be the tallest coworkers ever! Not even many guys could pass my height.
"You know… is it just me or this whole speech was all a cover up for your desire to come with me?"
He spitted his pen! And look at his face: it's all red! … I hope he's not getting mad at me…!
"As if!" He picks his pen back from the table, grasping it tightly. "How could I predict your reactions in front of this speech?! I can't! That's the truth!"
… I-I never see him reacting like this…
"Ehm… you sure did take a lot of coffee, this morning! But I don't understand why getting so worked up, if you just want to stay with me."
"I'm not worked up! Especially in front of a person I know so well!" His face got even redder…
"… you know… if you are coming with me at the art exhibition… wouldn't that be the first time we go out together?"
… wh-why I'm feeling so embarrassed all the sudden?! … th-the headache is gone too!
"… yeah, it seems like it." He puts his pen on his mouth, then he puts his hands inside his pockets.
His face was still red, though… … you know, it wouldn't be that bad to stay with him at all. Even without my… admittedly particular needs.
"Then, we should celebrate someone! A first is a first!"
"Well… it's not like we won a trophy or something…" His right hand was adjusting his tie, as his eyes were looking elsewhere.
"But you can't deny how many months you were literally stuck inside this building! Not that I got many chances to get out of this building… our job is literally crushing us! Hopefully that letter I'm writing will reach the Headquarters! Do you remember it, right? It's a complain about the tremendous shifts we have to suffer!"
"… I don't think that letter will change anything…" His right hand goes back inside his right pocket. "Considering the rumors going on about the Headquarters…"
"Oh? Rumors…?"
"… ah right, you are not working online with the others." He cleared his voice. "Sometimes I take a break and chat with the staff working with the game. They sure love pestering the chat with rumors and theories…"
"Now that I think about it… I don't think I ever had a job this weird! I mean not on the compiling paper side… more the fact I was forced to live here."
"You are not the only one… I also had to sell my apartment because of the job. I didn't know at the time, it was shared… but nevertheless, I never complained about it." He looks away. "According to others, we are not the only ones… and usually it's a debate you get to see in the chat."
"What about the rumors, then?"
"That's something recent, actually. An user said this game I was working on would utilize a special technology developed about 30 years ago." His fingers rubbed his pen.
"Wow! … wait a minute… shouldn't that be too old?!"
"Exactly my point. This rumor sounds stupid at first… but then, the same user released a private document to all of us." His face gets serious again… "According to this document, this technology is something unique on its own. The original creators are the only ones who could bring improvements and whatnot…"
"That sounds odd…"
"The machine is way too complicated for any ordinary scientist to work on. Unless you have a blueprint or something…" He looks away. "… which are never found in their offices."
"No?! But you need one in order to create machines! It's like drawing: you need the skeleton of your characters as your guide through the emptiness of a paper!"
"… that's why I still think they are still around." He took off his pen, rotating it. "No one has any idea where they are… well, except the scientists who worked on that."
"And they disappeared…?"
"They were kicked off for betrayal." … he really plays a lot with that pen… "… and this is where the matter is also affecting us."
"How? I mean, we are talking about the past here…"
"This betrayal… according to the same document, the accusations were all found illogical." Finally he stopped playing with the pen! "But the exile still happened. Nowadays, no one knows where the scientists went…"
"Suspicious… that makes me more curious about the situation."
"You should… because their job is now ours." … his face…
"… what do you mean?"
"Apparently… those scientists were traveling around the world, writing notes and studying." He stops for a moment. "They were the only ones who could do this… the reasons exist, but they are censored by the Headquarters."
"Why?! If we don't know anything about our jobs, how can we do them?!"
"Calm down, you…" He sighs. "… anyway, people working behind the scenes found a way to substitute the scientists' researching jobs. The way is to create a huge team of several workers, all around the world… I can also confirm that only the best are selected."
"All around the world…? I thought I was working for a company! Same for you…"
"That's what I was thinking too. However… some months earlier, I started to grow a suspicion over this whole job deal. Especially in front of this…" His right hand came out of the pocket… which was holding a paper?!
"What's this?"
"… a letter from the Worldwide Investigation Team." … his face didn't change.
"Who are they…? I never heard of them."
"That's the thing… they are an anonymous team working all over the world." His right hand was grasping that paper. "If you get news from them… judging from the paper I received, it's never good."
"What did it said, then?!"
"… they put me in the list of the suspects… …" He… hesitated? "… for a crime that I never committed."
"A CRIME?! YOU?! But… bu-but you were always here! In this house!"
"I know you believe me… but they don't. Yet… I'm indeed in their list." He frowned… poor Soke!
"Did you took a look at that list…?"
"… yes, since I have the right to do so. Surprisingly… I found the names of my coworkers as well." He turned his head to
"WAIT, AM I IN THAT LIST TOO?!"
"… sigh… why we got in this matter…?" … he's sweating… "I didn't wanted to tell you this, now… but yes, you are also in that list."
… no… how… …
"At first I thought this was a joke… but then, I investigated a bit on this company… after some days, I found out that the crime is real. This is why we are working hard every day, Ursula…" He turns his head away. "… that's why I don't think your letter will be accepted…"
"And your reason for staying at home, working…?"
"… it could happen in any moment… someone may come here… and bring us away from this building." He looks at me, w-with that scary face! "I don't have any idea what they will do to us… … and honestly, I don't even want to find out."
… does that mean… my days are counted?
"… sorry if I'm telling you this…" He lowered his head. "… I didn't want to make you suffer…"
"S-suffer you say? Can we do something about it?!"
"As far as I know… no… and I dedicated a great amount of my time, doing the researches." His face darkened. "There is nothing we can do to get out of that list…"
"What if we get fired?! If this crime is connected with our jobs, we can choose to get away with it and be safe!"
"… that would raise another problem… and the reason why that betrayal happened years ago is considered illogical." He rose his head, now he spitted his pen on the table. "Ursula… do you want to know why we were secured in this house…?"
"… I-I don't like that question… but go ahead, please."
"The reason is… to make sure no one will leave it."
… oh no…
"They… th-they knew that?!"
"Yeah… they know they are being watched by this anonymous team. What they don't know is what they will do to the whole project… that's why they are forcing workers to continue the technology, without having much rest to enjoy." He seems really getting mad… "Everyone loses their houses… and if they still try to leave, the Headquarters will start incriminating them with fake documents."
"This is terrible… this whole thing is terrible!"
"We have no choice… we are stuck here, working in the present and praying for the future." I-I don't think I have ever seen a face this serious…!
"Bu-but… didn't someone said that this company was working for years?! Will there ever be an end to all this?!"
"… it may take many years, for all I know…" He returns rubbing his pen. "… I'm not so sure to say the same about this investigation team."
"Wait… why I never received a letter from this team, anyway?!"
"… because this letter was sent through my personal email. An email that the Headquarters don't know its existence. I'm sure the team is not aware of the Headquarters operations with its workers' emails. Not even the workers themselves." He snorted.
"… what crime we committed, Soke? I don't understand…"
… he hesitated again.
"… it's too late, now… you must know." His head turned away. "Right now, we are accused of two crimes: abuse of innocents and fake documentations."
"… wait… I-I compile documents… ... compiling… fake documents, hu-huh…"
"But you are not aware of it!" He frowned! He stomped the floor! "You didn't even know those were fake to begin with! We have proofs who could shut down their butts, if they try implying"
"Soke! Calm down, please! Getting mad… it's not something belonging to you…"
"… sorry, this time I got truly worked up." He turns his head away. "… look… I know I said that there is nothing we can do…" He returns his face in front of me. "… if that day will ever come… Ursula, I'll do everything to make sure you are proven innocent."
"Wh-what about you?!"
"… I will try…"
"No! Don't say that! It's not fair I'm the only one who gets saved, here!"
"… thank you for saying that…" … he smiled?! "… unfortunately, my position is much harder to defend since I was closer to the project than you. After all, I'm still continuing my job despite the fact I knew all of this…"
"But you are forced to do it… you could easily expose the threats received from the Headquarters and prove your innocence!"
"… it's not enough." He sighed, as his smile disappeared… "Besides, the Headquarters could easily shut all my accusations, since I have nothing who could prove their double games."
… so, is that it, huh. To think my biggest problem was something so small at the end. I-I feel small, now. Thinking that one day or even today, someone could take me away. … if that moment will happen… will I still have the possibility to draw? To see Soke again? Or even taking a walk around?
No one is talking now. It's like time just stopped now… well, at least from my part. I'm accused for abusing innocents…? How could I have done such thing, if I would never wish to do something like that?! What Soke said before, about me… it's so accurate, I couldn't describe better!
I observe and see the little details going on around me… and when something doesn't feel right… I simply walk away. This is what I do… I-I would never impose anything or rubbing off such parts. I-I can't really stand fights… I try to avoid them as much as possible.
… still… I was inserted in this list, without any notice. It's like someone puts my name on a drawing which doesn't represent anything about me. And now, everyone is looking at me as if I'm a monster. … no wait… if I really think about the situation…
"Soke, if we are on this list, why no one ever came to us? Shouldn't we get interrogated or something?"
"… that's the only bright side about the situation." His hands fell inside his pockets. "What I said before was the worst possible case… but I can't deny the simple fact they will leave us alone, while we pass on our lives."
"If they show up, they could still interrogate us here…"
"No, they are not allowed to do that." He turns away. "In fact, if they ever come here… they are probably wearing civilian clothes, pretending to be our friends."
"You sure know a lot about a team which is kept anonymous…"
"… that was one of the rumors." His mouth was grasping that pen tightly. "The only thing certain is to keep on working, hoping their attention get far away from us…"
"… speaking of work, isn't this an odd day? Today our shift lasts something like 30 minutes."
"Yeah, it's the first time this ever happened… actually, this isn't going to be the only one." He smiles!
"NO?!"
"Well, at least we can conclude this huge discussion on a positive note…" He nodded. "Again, what I heard is another one of those loud rumors, everyone seem to believe. At the Headquarters, they found a drastic decrease on job performance. The number one cause is the great amount of stress all the workers cumulated for the past 4 months."
"That's so true…! Really, I can't even walk right, after finishing the huge pile of paper!"
"From the Headquarters, first results are reporting an overshot progress made in every single area. Translated, it means we broke the expected objective by 50%." His hand took of his pen, playing with it a bit more actively.
"That's wonderful news! Finding the time to draw is going to be so easy, if they will do that!"
"About that…" … his smile disappeared? "… don't forget the fact this is a rumor. The future days may still be the same…"
"… my letter may change their mind!"
"Only that? No. All complains coming from everyone, including you? Sure." Putting his pen back on his mouth. "Speaking of complains… someone on the chat is making up a secret group, intended to stop this company from abusing everyone. I don't really trust people too much, though… but hey, I can't deny the possibility of seeing improvements as well."
"I think letters should be enough! I mean, taking away the negative sides, this job isn't really that bad at all… actually, I really like living here. This place is so familiar for me… I even forgot my older house!"
"… rubbing off the errors in the picture, I see…" ACK! A-am I really that obvious?!
"Ehm… eh eh, well! Shall we get out of this house?"
"After everything I said?" He looks up. "… why not… but don't forget to change your pajamas, ok?"
"I-I promise!"
That whole speech was very scary… but at the end, that might just be a nightmare! For now… I have the chance to expose my drawings! Uhm… you know… this occasion is too good to just burn it out on that art exhibition.
… maybe Soke wouldn't mind, if we walk around the Arowana Mall and visit some shops! Not only we would get a good exercise with all that walking… but I also have a chance to buy something cute! Oh, ooor maybe… I could visit that holiday shop! Wooow! Maybe I got the fantastic chance to travel in some new place!
Something warm though, like a beach: I really don't like getting lost in a snowy mountain or something… with the beach, it's much easier to relax and enjoy the sun rays. I could use the warmth excuse to eat more ice-creams than usual! Tee hee hee, it's going to be so great!
… am I daydreaming again? Sigh… that's sure me in a nutshell…