Right. Let's keep going! Thanks for reviewing, SAK00.
The boiler room was unbearably hot, and sweat trickled down the girls' faces. Chihiro's T-shirt and shorts dried from her unintentional dip in the river, but continued to cling to her with the sweat. Arya's jeans were becoming uncomfortable, and she silently cursed her enjoyment of form-fitting T-shirts, which she wore to show off her nearly-flat stomach.
Arya was the first to approach the room, and she beckoned Chihiro over, catching her first glimpse of Kamaji.
He was a spider-like creature with several legs, but apart from that he resembled a human.
Neither girl had much luck asking him for a job. He had enchanted soot balls that worked the boiler, and he wasn't a bit sympathetic towards the girls. It didn't help when Chihiro took pity on a struggling soot ball and did its work.
Chihiro looked upset, but Arya shrugged. "I'll learn from this world. Take notes: most spirits despise humans."
After a few minutes, the girls finally got a lifeline.
A female spirit who looked like a young adult, came in, calling out "Chow time!" She was carrying a bowl for Kamaji, and then she gave what looked like sprinkles to the soot balls, who were happy to take a break. But right in the middle of doing so, she caught sight of the girls.
"Humans!" she exclaimed, scowling. "You two are in trouble! You're the ones everyone's looking for."
Arya opened her mouth to blurt out an explanation – any explanation, but Kamaji beat her to the punch. "They're my granddaughters." he said. "They want to work here, but I've got all the help I need. Will you take them to see Yubaba? They're tough girls – I think they can handle it."
He had to bribe her with a roasted newt, but she agreed. "Come on, girls." she frowned at them. "You better follow me."
Arya matched her scowl and muttered "Whatever."
"Aren't you polite." the woman muttered herself before turning her attention on Chihiro. "And can't you even manage a 'yes, ma'am' or a 'thank you'?"
"Yes, ma'am." Chihiro said quickly.
"A nut and a dope. Great." the woman muttered. "Hurry up."
"Whatever – and don't call me a nut." Arya muttered the last part.
"Yes, ma'am." Chihiro repeated.
The girls had to leave their shoes and socks. Before leaving, Arya turned around and said "Thank you for your help, Mr Kamaji." She bowed. After all, who knows what would've happened if he hadn't spoken up for them.
"Thank you, Mr boiler man." Chihiro echoed.
"Good luck!" Kamaji called.
The girls obediently stuck close to the woman as she took them up through several lifts. They even had a few worrying moments when the giant Radish Spirit followed them, and a bathouse worker sensed that there were humans. According to him, the girls learned, the woman's name was Lin. She distracted the bathhouse worker while pushing the girls into the last lift with the radish spirit, calling "If you want to go up, pull the lever on your right!"
Arya did so, and they continued to move up.
Chihiro pressed against the wall, trying to make herself inconspicuous, and she tensed the minute the radish spirit looked at the girls.
"He doesn't seem bothered about us." Arya whispered. "Stop freaking."
"I'm not! Shut up!" Chihiro hissed. "We can't draw attention to ourselves."
When they did reach the top floor, the radish spirit bowed to them as they left the lift, and they bowed back.
Next, they had to approach a set of ornate doors. Chihiro reached for the door handle.
"Chihiro, kno-" Arya began, but was interrupted by the door knocker, a disturbing little face.
"Aren't you even going to knock?" The golden face rolled its eyes. "You two are the most pathetic little girls I've ever seen." But the doors opened.
"Well, come in." a gravelly voice said. Arya took a step, but Chihiro hung onto her, not moving herself.
"I said come in." Suddenly, an unseen force pulled the girls into a room. Three weird green heads approached them. Chihiro looked scared, but Arya aimed a kick at one of them.
"Quiet down, you're making a racket." muttered the witch at the desk on the other side of the room. She was dressed fancily, but she was still rather ugly.
"Are you Yubaba?" Arya asked.
It was Chihiro who asked the real question, though. "Please...I was wondering if you could give us jobs?"
Finally, Yubaba looked up. She made a zipping motion and suddenly, Chihiro couldn't open her mouth.
"I don't want to hear such a stupid request." Yubaba said coolly. "You two are just worthless weaklings, and this is no place for humans."
"Please," Arya began, "There must be some job we can do. Anything."
Yubaba ignored her, except to zip her mouth up too. "It's a bathouse for the spirits. It's where they come to replenish themselves, and you humans always ruin everything. Like your parents, gobbling up the food of the spirits like pigs. They got what they deserved, and you two should be punished too." She paused. "You could be piglets. Or maybe you'd prefer to be lumps of coal." She paused again, laughing. "I can see you shaking." Chihiro was trembling a lot, while Arya shook only a little. "Actually, I'm impressed you made it this far, but I'm sure you didn't do it on your own. Let's thank whoever helped you. Just who was it, dears? Why don't you tell me?" She unzipped the girls' mouths.
Neither girl was about to tell Yubaba who helped them, be it Haku, Kamaji or Lin. Arya spoke up again. "Please, can't we have jobs?"
Yubaba's eyes suddenly blazed. "Don't start that again!"
"Please, we just want to work!" Chihiro chipped in.
"DON'T SAY THAT!" Yubaba was suddenly right in front of them. She glared at the two girls. "Why in the world do you think I should give you jobs? Anyone can see you're just a couple of lazy spoilt crybabies with no manners."
Arya scowled at the "crybaby" comment, but said nothing.
"This is a high-class business I'm running here, so there's no jobs for you." Yubaba continued. "Now get out. Or maybe..." she drew a finger across Chihiro's throat, making Arya try to pull the younger girl away and Chihiro freeze,"I'll give you the most difficult job I've got and work you until you breathe your very last breath..."
But at that moment, there was a crash and crying.
Yubaba gasped and flew to where the crying was coming from. "Oh dear, you've woken the baby!"
"Technically, her yelling woke it up." Arya whispered to Chihiro, who managed a smile. Yubaba was trying to comfort the baby, but she added to the girls "Why are you still here? I told you to leave!"
"We want jobs, please!" Chihiro said again.
"Quiet down, you're scaring the baby!"
"We're not leaving until you give us both jobs!" Arya called out.
"Okay, okay! Just be quiet!" The girls smiled shyly at their victory, inwardly at least. Yubaba was giving them jobs. Pens and contracts flew over to them, and they signed.
"So do I just sign here?" Chihiro asked, indicating a line.
"Just sign it! Do you want the job, or not?" Yubaba was muttering to herself. "Can't believe I took that oath. Give a job to anyone who asks...ridiculous, I hate being so nice all the time. Are you done yet?" The girls' finished signing.
Yubaba looked at Chihiro's contract first. "So, your name's Chihiro."
"Yes, ma'am." Chihiro said.
"What a pretty name." And before the girls' eyes, three of the characters that spelled out "Chihiro" lifted off the page and into Yubaba's hand. The witch continued to speak. "And it belongs to me now. From now on your name is Sen. Got that? Answer me, Sen!"
"Yes, ma'am!" answered the girl who had been called Chihiro only a minute ago.
Arya was prepared for her name to change after that. Yubaba told her that she was now "Ani". She nodded.
"You called for me?"
A familiar voice sounded, and the girls spun around. It was Haku.
"These girls signed contracts, set them up with jobs." ordered Yubaba in a bored voice.
Haku nodded. "What are your names?" He asked.
"Ani." Ani said.
"What?" Sen began. "Chihi – oh. It's Sen."
"All right." Haku said. "Follow me." He took them down in the lift, but he wasn't the same boy they'd met earlier. He was completely cold and detached.
The other spirits were none too pleased at having human girls with them, but there was nothing they could do.
"Where is Lin?" Haku asked.
Lin was leaning in the corner of a doorway, scowling. "What? Don't you dump them on me!"
"You said you wanted an assistant." Haku pointed out.
"That's perfect!" said one of the men. "Give the girls to Lin."
"Sen, Ani, get going." Haku ordered.
"Why are you picking on me?" Lin wanted to know. "You owe me one, Haku, you hear me?"
"Have a nice day!" said one of the men sarcastically, looking ecstatic that he didn't have to work with humans.
The girls followed Lin out into the hallway.
"I can't believe you pulled it off!" The girls were shocked when they heard and saw this. Lin was actually smiling at them. "I thought being a hard nut like you-" Ani - "wasn't going to be impressive, and you" - Sen - "were such a dope, I was really worried. Now, keep on your toes, and if either of you need anything, ask me, okay?"
Ani smiled. "Sure."
"Okay." murmured Sen.
Lin looked concerned. "What's wrong?"
"I don't feel so good." Sen admitted.
Lin showed the girls to their room, and gave them their clothes for work. Sen ventured to ask about Haku. His behaviour had confused her. "There aren't two of him here, are there?"
"Two Hakus? I can barely stand one." Lin said, trying to find a shirt that would fit the younger girl. "He's Yubaba's henchman. Don't trust anything he says."
Sen was still feeling sick, but Ani wasn't impressed. "Sis, honestly, get up." she said. "You have to stand strong. Stop playing the sick girl. You can't honestly be feeling that bad." She sighed. "Look, I feel sick, but I'm not crouching down and whimpering. Yubaba was kind of right about one thing – you are a crybaby."
Lin was more sympathetic towards the younger girl. Finally, the girls were tucked up on futons and sleeping soundly, their minds starting to recover from what had happened.
Well, that's the third chapter done. Please review!