Urgh… where am I?
Baelz Hakos floated weightlessly through a strange space, somewhere like a patchwork of memories stitched together by unseen threads and seams. Familiar places and scenes flanked her and roused Bae's consciousness.
I'm dreaming, ain't I?
And yet, she didn't have the will to wake up. She wanted to stay there sandwiched between her seamless memories. However, this was when a voice started calling out to her.
" Bae… "
Irys' soft, angelic voice reached Bae and swept over her like the warm Australian breeze in autumn. Memories from Australia surfaced and took over the patchwork tapestry and formed a coherent picture of the beaches of the Gold Coast. From that tapestry, the swimsuit-clad Irys emerged and broke through the fabric into the eye of Bae's mind.
Irys…!?
The Nephilim floated towards the weightless Bae and smiled while she whispered.
" Bae~ "
Bae felt tender softness wrapping around her.
This is just a dream, right? So that means…!
The rat-girl's eyes sparkled. She twirled around mid-air and hugged Irys back.
" Kya~! "
Irys' giddy squeal lit a fire in Bae's blue eyes. She held Irys closely and floated there cheek-to-cheek. The Nephilim's long locks of smooth maroon hair caressed her face and tickled her nose - familiar sensations to Bae. She smelled that distinctly fragrant Hawaiian hibiscus-scented shampoo and heard the rhythmic beating of Irys' heart.
Then, Irys brought her lips close to Bae's ear and whispered once more.
" I missed you, Bae! "
Bae's heart thumped against her chest. Her skin tingled with goosebumps. She tensed up like a volcano about to erupt.
"Irys!" Bae squealed, hugging the Nephilim harder, "I, um… I…!"
But when she did, she heard a loud…
'TWANG!'
"What the…!?"
…
Bae jolted upright in her bed. Instead of a swimsuit-clad Nephilim, Bae had her nylon-stringed acoustic guitar wrapped around her arms. The guitar slid down her chest and down to her lap, reverberating with a low hum. Sunlight flowed into her bedroom intermittently beneath the fluttering Nova Scotia flag over her window.
"Bruh…" she croaked, rubbing her eyes.
Well… I'm not in 'Straya anymore, that's for sure.
She yawned and closed her eyes.
What a shame…
Bae's hands dropped down to her guitar once more. Her fingers and the still-tender callouses on the tips tapped on the rosewood frame. Then, she started to strum.
' Tung-tung-tung-tung~!'
Bae's guitar sang one muted chord. Another one followed, less muted than the first. Bae straightened her back and started playing full progressions - the first tune that came to mind. Then, the lyrics escaped her lips.
" Darkness will fade away. Light will guide your way. Hope has…! "
Bae stopped.
She opened her eyes and frowned.
First thing that comes to mind, huh?
Bae recalled that vivid dream she had of swimsuitRys and heaved a longing sigh. She put away her guitar and swiped her smartphone from the nightstand. Eleven AM, it read. She threw her hands up in the air and cheered.
At least I got to sleep in today.
Bae hopped out of bed and, with phone in hand, started to stretch her arms and her legs. Then, her smartphone buzzed.
A text from Fauna.
Bae read the lock screen preview.
" Good morning Baelz! Sorry to bother you but have you read the… "
"Email. Shit!" Bae yelped. She rushed through a reply and sent it, "I'm not missing swimsuitRys IRL. Nuh-uh!"
Bae scrambled through her small apartment towards her closet, shimming around the still-unpacked remnants of her moving boxes.
That late Sunday morning, Bae had a ferry to catch - and a memory to relive.
…
'Ffftt-tish~!'
The sliding doors of the Halifax YMCA opened with a muted hiss. Bae, clad in her activewear, barged through the open door with a duffel bag in tow. She huffed and puffed and fought to catch her breath. When she did, her lungs were filled with a new building smell that tickled her nose. An oddly satisfied smile formed on her lips.
Large-paned glass walls, metal beams and handsome wooden accents surrounded her. The high noon sun bathed her from the sunroof.
"Holy cow…" Bae's jaw dropped. She spun around and took in the sights and sounds, "This place ain't half bad."
Then, footsteps echoed in the vast foyer and reached her ears.
' Tak-tak-tak .'
Bae whirled around and saw Irys, also clad in active wear, approaching her. Irys' hair was tied back into a ponytail and she wore sunglasses. The Nephilim's arms were crossed and her lips twisted into a pout.
"Oh, you're here already?" Irys remarked, adjusting her shades, "That's something new."
"Hey, now - I wouldn't miss out on something like this." Bae argued. She slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and shrugged, "It's not everyday your company gives you all-expense paid trips to a rec centre."
Irys' two-colored eyes narrowed.
"You were totally going to miss it." Irys tested.
"Wha-!?" Bae gasped, "What makes you say that?"
A smirk formed on Irys' lips.
"You do realize you sent your reply to Fauna's email this morning to everyone in the company." Irys snickered, "That 'reply to all' button's working overtime for you, Bae."
"Seriously!?" Bae's furry rat ears stood at attention. She scrambled for her phone. Then she facepalmed, "Shiiiiiiit~!"
Irys guffawed.
"Oy." Bae frowned.
"Sorry, sorry!" Irys apologized, but she couldn't stop laughing.
"Irys…!" Bae's eyebrow twitched.
Under the warm sunlight of the YMCA hall, though, the laughing Irys shimmered radiantly. Bae's brows unfurrowed, replaced by a small smile on her lips.
"You've always been a jerk, you know that?" Bae teased.
"And so were you." Irys smiled, "But you were my j…!"
Irys stopped herself halfway through. Bae blushed. The two of them whirled away from each other.
Then, Bae heard that muted hydraulic hiss again.
' Ffftt~tish~! '
Bae and Irys turned around and found half of the entire Bread Dog office marching in through the front doors of the YMCA. All of them wore gold-colored Bread Dog branded activewear.
They're like a freaking football team coming to the pitch!
In the midst of that sea of gold uniforms, Ina'nis Ninomae walked beside a beaming Gura. For some reason, Ina, too, had a Bread Dog kit.
"Oya, oya." Ina greeted Irys and Bae with a smile. She tugged on Gura's arm and mused, "I thought Gura was the only one bringing a plus one."
"Everyone's got a plus one in this company. In one way or another…" Mumei grumbled, lugging a backpack on top of her own duffel bag. She rolled her eyes and added, "Keeping the HR records of Bread Dog is a nightmare."
"Plus one?" Kaela asked, but her eyes were glued to her smartphone while she walked, "That a new enchantment?"
Bae and Irys felt beads of nervous sweat on their brows. However, Sana broke ranks and wrapped the two new-hires in a big, warm hug.
"Ooooh! Thank you for coming!" Sana cheered. She let go of the two and patted their shoulders while beaming brightly, "Team-building's a big deal for us here at Bread Dog. Our Health and Wellness events are optional, but it's a chance for us to let our hair down, get closer and all of that good stuff!" She turned to Fauna next and smiled at her too, "Plus, Fauna puts her heart and soul into organizing these."
Fauna smiled back at Sana and then sauntered towards Irys and Bae. She joined her hands together and swayed from side to side like a tree in a strong Nova Scotian breeze. Under the sunlight, Bae could have sworn that the flowers in Fauna's hair were blooming
"Mhm, so I'm really glad you two came!" Fauna remarked, "After all, the two of you are the stars of our show for this event."
"Stars of our show…?" Bae asked.
She suddenly recalled Irys calling her 'rockstar' back at work and felt her spine tingle. Fauna tilted her head at Bae's silence, but answered the question in the rat-girl's mind anyways.
"You're our new hires this year, so this Health and Wellness event is special already!" Fauna explained, "But we're not the only ones who get new hires at around this time of year, you see."
When Fauna said this, the front doors of the YMCA opened again.
' Ffftt~tish~! '
Irys and Bae turned towards the door and saw a peculiar bunch. Eight men clad in powder blue uniforms marked 'NORTH ELYSIUM INSURANCE'. One particular man stood out from the bunch - a tall-fiery headed Australian who promptly turned Bae's way.
"Oh… it's the field mouse." He broke ranks and marched over to Bae, looming over her.
"And it's the bogan dingo." Bae stood tall under his shadow.
Sparks flew between the two Australians. Irys shuddered as she watched, but Sana and Fauna kept smiling. After a short while, and in perfect sync, Bae and the Australian man cursed cheerfully and shook hands.
"You sonovabitch!"
Their voices reverberated throughout the YMCA's foyer.
"Oy, that's my new-hire you're ruffling up there!" Sana joined the fray. She grabbed the Australian man and gave him a noogie, "You haven't been giving Mr. Regis a hard time at North Elysian, have you, Axel my boy?"
"No, ma'am!" Axel answered, laughing heartily, "Not as much as our new hires have, at least!"
"Oh, you cheeky bugger!" Sana laughed.
With that, Sana started introducing Bae to Axel and Axel to Bae. Irys' jaw dropped while she watched the exchange.
"I'll never understand Australians…" Irys sighed.
Then, in the corner of her eye, she saw the employees of Bread Dog, plus Ina, greeting the employees of North Elysian insurance. Fauna saw Irys aghast and approached her with a smile.
"North Elysian Insurance is our industry rival, but we're fighting in the same trenches so to speak. Their new hires write the same qualifications exams that ours do too." Fauna explained, "So, when we get new hires in the summer, we organize a Health and Wellness Event jointly. A little competition - just for bragging rights."
"Like a sports-fest, huh?" Irys hummed. She turned to Bae and felt a small smile form on her lips, "This takes me back. I guess it wouldn't hurt to go all out like this from time to time."
"That's the spirit!" Fauna cheered.
Irys whispered, "And I wouldn't mind seeing Bae in her swimsuit again, that's for sure."
"Did you say something just now?" Fauna asked.
"Oh? Nope!" Irys lied.
And with that, the Bread Dog team, plus Ina, and the North Elysium team went to their respective locker rooms to prepare for their activities. The battle of the Halifax YMCA was about to begin.
…
Nowhere With You
Scrimmage
…