Revons Plus Grand
Chapter 5:
Working My Way Back To You
Some cloudy skies and a faint hint of light caused Georgette Lemare to stir, the softness of Sadako Shimohara's embrace causing her to purr lazily. It was 7 a.m. They would need to report to the Camp des Loges, the Ooredoo Training Centre, in one hour. She sat up and stretched, slowly opening her lovely blue eyes, looking out at the quiet skyling, the cars and people moving below. "Good morning, Sada," she said to her. "Sada, wake up."
"Hmmm?" She looked at the time. "Ah, we better get ready. Do we know what to wear?" They got off the bed, folded and looked at the dresser. "I see, ah, some uniforms for us." Track suits and pants, and tuques and even some mittens. GL and SS. "I think we know what to wear."
"Our uniforms, eh? Issued by the boss. So, I guess that means we have to, freshen up right?"
"And prepare our lunch, since we have an hour to get there and report."
"Let's do it." So the two of them took a shower, put on their team-issued uniforms, packed their meals, grabbed their personal belongings and left the apartment, all in the space of 15 minutes. Outside the doors, a shuttle with the words "Paris Shuttle Service" and the team crest and wordmark was waiting, along with the driver wearing a team polo, slacks, boots and a jacket.
"Good morning both of you," said the man, who had a portly build.
"Good morning, they both said."
"My name is Sami, like the football player whose last name is Khedira. I am your driver to the Camp des Loges and back, hired by the club. You must be the two new hires. You had a good rest?"
"We did," Georgette said as she and Sadako got on the shuttle. "My name is Georgette and this is my partner Sadako. We are contracted to work with housekeeping at the Camp des Loges for the teams."
"In a way, you are the team's maids, correct?" Sami asked them as the shuttle headed northeast on Avenue Edouard Valliant before driving on the A13 westward.
"I guess...in a way, we are."
"Nothing wrong with that. The owner pays very well, so you won't be broke and feel that you have been wronged by him and the staff."
"He told us that at Le Parc before we headed home last night, Mr. Nasser did," Sadako replied. The shuttle then headed on the Router de Versailles, or N186, before merging into the D386 for a bit. The shuttle then went on the N13, took the ramp to Hors Gabarit, turned right onto Rue Albert Priolet and turned right onto John F. Kennedy Avenue before reaching the Camp des Loges, the shuttle at the gate.
"So here we are," Sami said. The two girls got off. "Good luck and enjoy your first day with PSG! Bye-bye!"
"Bye," they both said as they passed through the gate before heading inside the building, a small building but full of equipment and other important materials relevant to the club's operations. There were a few training pitches, with signs of the facility name and the logos and wordmarks and colors to go with it. The current training schedule, as shared by Nasser, was as follows.
Monday, January 30th 2017
Training session closed to media
Tuesday, January 31st 2017
Training session closed to media
Wednesday, February 1st 2017 - Roazhon Park
09:00 PM: Stade Rennais FC - Paris Saint-Germain
Coupe de France - Round of 32
Thursday, February 2nd 2017
Training session closed to media
Friday, February 3rd 2017 - Ooredoo Training Centre
11:00 AM: Training session opened to media for first 15 minutes
01:30 PM: Press conference with Unai Emery (live on PSG TV)
Saturday, February 4th 2017 - Stade Gaston Gérard
08:00 PM: Dijon FCO - Paris Saint-Germain
Ligue 1 - Week 23
Sunday, February 5th 2017
Training session closed to media
"So this is the Camp des Loges," said Jose to Sadako, seeing the interior of the building and the weight room. "My..."
"It's akin to our base in Petersburg, in some ways, but not as fancy or effeminate," Sadako remarked.
A voice. "Excuse me, ladies?" asked a man in uniform.
"Yes?" they both asked, turning to him.
"You must be our new hires to the support staff. Please allow me to introduce myself," he said. "I am Benoit Rousseau, president of the Paris Saint-Germain Association. Welcome to the Camp des Loges, and the Ooredoo Training Centre, the training ground for the PSG men's teams until 2019, when they move to a new facility in Poissy."
"Mr. Rousseau, my name is Georgette Lemare from Barenton, and this is my partner Sadako Shimohara from Hiroshima, Japan," said Jose.
"Please take good care of us," Sadako said with a bow.
"So we shall," said Benoit. "The players have not arrived yet but they are on their way. Your roles will be to maintain the condition and cleanliness of the facility, assist our players with anything they need while they are here, and also do meal preparation, since our players are directed to eat, train and sleep right for maximum results, continuity and consistency."
"Do we have a say in what we can prepare for them?" Sadako said. "We are known to provide excellent meals for those we serve and can adapt to the tastes and wishes of the players."
"They are cultured athletes from all corners of the world, Ms. Sadako, so they naturally have fine tastes and I do not believe they will have an issue with what you plan to prepare for them, but I have heard from somewhere that the reviews are compatible with the high standards we set here at PSG."
"I guess that's a good thing!" Sadako winked at Georgette, who giggled like an innocent Catholic schoolgirl.
"Of course it is. So, with that said, you may...huh?" He noticed that Sadako and Georgette were getting to work preparing the quarters almost instantly. He shrugged his shoulders, turning to an invisible camera in a Gallic shrug. "Guess I don't have to say anything else then..."
"Please accept my deepest apologies, I did not have this installed in time because this needed to be tested further before installation," said a girl with blonde hair and glasses, feeling guilty as charged, bowing in self-imposed humiliation. "I'm deeply sorry."
Ursula Hartmann came in, escorted by her sister Erica as they reported to the base at Petersburg, standing next to a new monitor in the dining hall. Waltrud Krupinski, Naoe Kanno, Hikari Karubuchi, Gundula Rall, Nikka Edvardine Katajainen, and Edytha Rossmann were on hand to meet them. Nikka and Edytha returned to base simply to bear witness to the special equipment installation and the camaderie of the meeting in question.
"Don't worry about it," said Commander Rall. "As long as everything is set, there is no need to worry. You got it installed, and that's what matters."
"So, allow me to demonstrate," said Erica, taking a remote and pressing a button. A visual popped up of a building, cloudy skies and a few grass pitches. "This is a brand new device we developed with input from civilians in that dimension and timeline."
"How did the input get sent here somehow?" asked Flight Sergeant Rossmann.
"Some pieces of paper on our desk in our study, some notes, were brought to our attention," Ursula said. "Two people gave valuable input that we implented along with our expertise and resources: a Mrs. Nao Otosaka and a Ms. Tomoyo Daidouji. Civilians. As it goes, it took us a few months to engineer then test this device and after some extra testing, we have this monitor that you see here."
The camera moved through the door and into the building, which normally would not be accessible to the public or media as it was a private property. "So this allows us to see what Pilot Officer Lemare and Pilot Officer Shimohara are doing out there," the Countess mused. "Ah, and they are in different outfits, doing stuff similar to what they do here. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Except that they look like boys now," Nao snarled. "Jose is even wearing long pants. She never wears men's outfits. Is she turning into a tomboy all of a sudden?"
"Don't have any idea, Nao," Hikari said. "Maybe it's orders from their work. Things are quite different over there, you know."
"I wear leggings, so it's no big deal," Nipa reminded them. "This is maybe an adaptation. It's fine with me."
"Of course it's fine with you, you're from Suomus," Flying Officer Krupinski said.
"Well, yes, that as well..."
"But what does the tracking device look like out there?" asked Flight Sergeant Rossmann.
Ursula smiled, her glasses maliciously tinted. "Well, given that this is Pilot Officer Lemare's wish to be in this place, it looks like..."
"Mrrrrknaaaaoghw, mrrrrknaaaaoghw..." A white cat that only Georgette and Sadako walked in to where they were. She headed to Georgette and rubbed herself on her legs.
"Oh my, this is my familiar, a Persian!" Georgette said, blushing as she held up the cat.
"Mrreeaaoghw!" the cat exclaimed happily before purring.
With a giggle, Georgette placed the cat on her shoulder, where it stayed. She petted the cat, the softness warming her up that her cat ears and tail also sprouted. "We should keep working," Jose whispered with a smirk.
Sadako giggled. "Let's fix this place up some more."
"Eheheheh!"
As the two of them continued to clean up the place, the players, dressing up, were trodding to the pitch. One of them noticed the two new girls fixing, including...the girl with the twintails and the heavenly blue eyes. "Oh my...that girl, she is here!" he said with a gasp. "Oh shit..."
"Goncalo, what are you doing?" asked Thiago Silva to Goncalo Guedes. "Hurry up, let's go, leave those two alone."
"Yes, captain."
"Thiago. Just call me Thiago."
"Yes, Thiago."
But Georgette saw Goncalo's cute face and their eyes met for a bit. Georgette had to turn away, blushing madly. Goncalo chuckled as he continued to walk with the others into the cold of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. "Does...he like me?"
"Is something wrong, Jose?"
"I think...someone on the team...likes me." Georgette's face was like a rose.
"Don't think too much of it, you'll always have me."
"But, I'm fine talking with boys too."
"You are?"
"I mean, it has to be the right boy to come in, the right boy. Someone I can talk to and be comfortable with. I'm 17 coming on 18, I can do this, I can think about being a mom, I want to have a future too!"
"You can be a mom while being a lesbian," Sadako suggested.
"Is that possible?" asked Jose as the two of them moved to preparing dishes for the players to eat after their training.
"You can adopt kids or go through the cycle through sperm donors, according to what I read," Sadako hinted.
"Oh my, that is news to me. Thank you for telling me that. I appreciate it."
"But of course." The Persian cat was really the tracking device from the other dimension and timeline in the form of Georgette's familiar.
"A great thing about this device is because it acts like Pilot Officer Lemare's pet, it can also leave her and Pilot Officer Shimohara to themselves where there needs to be a private moment between both of them," said Ursula back at the base. On cue, it did.
"Private moment, hmmm, I wonder what that might be," asked the Countess.
"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Nao shot back. "They're cleaning the place up over there, it smells! Lazy idiots who own the place didn't even win the damn game last night, get with the program!"
"My apologies."
"Still, to possess an AI that exhibits consideration of privacy, that is a massive boost to our IT knowledge, very advanced for our era," Flight Sergeant Rossmann remarked. "A feather in our collective cap for us Karslanders."
"Meh, whatever, that can't be helped for us," said Nao, triggering a triumphant smile from Flying Officer Krupinski.
"And only the two of them can see this, no one in that dimension and timeline can," Erica added. "So, no need to worry~~~!"
"That's what she said..."
"Looks like our cat tracker is now on the pitch watching the players go through exercises," said Commander Rall. "So this is what training for an association football match looks like, with drills designed to focus on technique, skill, efficiency, production, defense, minimization of mistakes, teamwork...parallels our military drills in the air."
"Even better," Ursula said, "we can set it to music and juxtapose slow-motion pictures to make it look like a montage worthy of a movie. Watch this." A press of a button, and music played as a montage of training scenes from the day was being shown from the tracker feed.
"I'll be working my way back to you, babe, with a burning love inside
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe, and the happiness that died
I let it get away
(Been payin' ev'ry day)
When you were so in love with me, I played around like I was free
Thought I could have my cake and eat it too, but how I cried over losin' you
See me down and out, but I ain't about to go living my life without you
For every day I made you cry
I'll pay and girl, till the day that I die
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe, with a burning love inside
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe, and the happiness that died
I let it get away
(Been payin' ev'ry day)
Oh, I used to love to make you cry
It made me feel like a man inside
If I'd been a man in reality, you'd be here, babe, lovin' me
Now my nights are long and lonely, and I ain't too strong, babe
I just miss you so
Girl, but you're too proud, and you won't give in
But when I think about all I could win
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe, with a burning love inside
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe, and the happiness that died
I let it get away
(Been payin' ev'ry day)
My road is kind alone
I just gotta get back home
I'm really sorry for acting that way
I'm really sorry
Oh little girl I'm really sorry
For telling you lies for so long
Oh please forgive girl
Come on (give me a chance)
Won't you forgive me, girl
Hey (let's have romance)
Ooh, forgive me, girl (let's try again)
Come on, forgive me, girl
I want you over and over
And over and over again
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe
With a burning love inside
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe
And the happiness that died
I let it get away
(Been paying every day)
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe..."
A blow of the whistle from the manager, Unai Emery. "Okay, everyone, stop what you're doing. Assemble." The players huddled up. "Mr. Rousseau is here with a couple of new faces to our support. He will introduce them to you. They'll be working with you for the rest of the season. Benoit!"
"Thank you, Coach," Benoit said. "Gentlemen, first off you put on a brave performance against Monaco and were unlucky to draw. I am confident you will rebound on Wednesday against Rennes, so stay positive in that regard. I want to introduce two young ladies who will taking care of the Camp des Loges and doing housekeeping so that the place is in perfect condition before and after you use it. They will also help with prematch and postmatch tasks as directed during home games at Le Parc. Ladies?"
"Good afternoon, my name is Georgette Lemare, and I come from Barenton," she said with a bow. "This is my partner."
"Good afternoon, my name is Sadako Shimohara, from Hiroshima, Japan, here on a work visa," Sadako said in perfect French with an accent. "Thank you for having us here. We support your club, your mission, your culture and your efforts. We are with your the rest of the way and beyond."
"My name is Thiago Silva, the captain of the team and a defender," Thiago said, shaking hands.
"Unai Emery, first team manager," he said, shaking hands as well. "This is our first team squad. We apologize for not fulfilling the expecatations last night but at the same time it was a fair result that we accept. Gentlemen, introduce yourselves."
The players did.
"Kevin Trapp, goalkeeper."
"Alphonse Areola, goalkeeper."
"Remy Descamps, goalkeeper."
"Presnel Kimpembe, defender."
"Marquinhos, defender."
"Thomas Meunier, defender."
"Maxwell, defender."
"Serge Aurier, defender."
"Layvin Kurzawa, defender."
"Grzegorz Krychowiak, midfielder."
"Marco Verrati, midfielder."
"Lucas, midfielder."
"Thiago Motta, midfielder and vice-captain."
"Javier Pastore, midfielder."
"Angel Di Maria, midfielder."
"Blaise Matuidi, midfielder."
"Giovani Lo Celso, midfielder."
"Haten Ben Arfa, midfielder."
"Julian Draxler, midfielder."
"Christopher Nkunku, midfielder."
"Adrien Rabiot, midfielder."
"Edinson Cavani, forward."
"Jese Rodriguez, forward."
"Jean-Kevin Augustin, forward."
"Goncalo Guedes, forward."
"Thank you, all," said Jose.
"Oh, and, I do want to talk to you later, if you don't mind." Jose nodded with a smile. "Okay."
"So, with that said," Unai said to the two girls, "we hope you serve our players well and pamper them with style, the way that our club is built on. We want to be the best, because we are the best. So we look forward to a great relationship."
"We are in your care!" the players said as one, bowing.
"Ahahahah," Jose said with a hesistant laugh, Sadako smiling at here. "Let's have fun, okay boys?"
"YES MA'AM!" they all said, saluting her.
She returned it. "Just call us Jose and Sada. It's better that way." The boys laughed and gave an ovation.
"Okay," Unai said, "let's do some strategy here before we adjourn for lunch. Let's go!" He blew his whistle and the players were back on the grind in no time.
"There they go," said Sadako as she and Jose went back inside. "Such admirable athletes on our team. Such character and charisma."
"I am very comfortable with these people, I can't dislike them, they are honest with themselves, too," Georgette remarked. "Especially Goncalo."
"That's right, you wanted to talk with him, right?"
"He wanted to talk with me. So, this is between both of us, after our work is done today."
"Do you want me to join you?"
"Um...I think there is a clause in the contract that prohibits them from asking such favors, but as long as it doesn't boil over into that, I think...I can work something out."
"Ohhhhh?"
"But, no, this is simply between both of us so, as for you, just stick to attending to the others on the team, please?" Jose asked in a praying stance.
"Anything for you, my dear, sure thing."
Jose sighed. "That's better for all of us, then."
Minutes later, Jose and Sadako watched the players eat lunch. A nice spread of high-fiber, lean-protein dishes designed to boost muscle mass and sustain energy and promote recovery, as suggested by sports scientists affiliated with the club, was prepared by the two of them and set on the tables.
"Mmmm, this risotto is good and meshes well with the chicken," Hatem told Thiago Silva. "Nice blend and balance."
"Not too heavy either," Adrien remarked. "It exceeds the expectations of what we have for our new folks. Better than what we used to have."
"I have to ask you this, Ms. Jose," said Angel. "Are you and Ms. Sadako professional chefs by any chance."
She laughed hesitantly. "Well, we are paid very well by Mr. Nasser, so..."
The boys laughed. "No, no, I meant, do you work at a Michelin star restaurant for a living serving dinner and cleaning up afterwards?" clarified the Argentinian.
"I have never been to one in my life, whatever that is," Sadako said.
"Whatever that is, that's what she said," Javier snarked.
"That's what she said," the others echoed, laughing before continuing to eat.
Jose poured some more beverages for players needing more. "I come from a small village in Normandy so I only work with real food."
"Real food, she says," Christopher snarked. "That's what she said."
"That's what she said," the boys chorused gleefully.
"But you mention real food though," said Marco. "Ms. Jose, have you heard of the Slow Food Movement?"
"What's that?"
"It's basically an organization promoting all-natural, organic food while taking a stand against processed genetically-modified ingredients. Italy, where I come from, is where it originated. Just wanted to point it out."
"I'll look into it," Jose said. "Um..."
"Something wrong?" Edinson said.
"Uh, I did see you goal, Edi...it was a great penalty and liked your play. You had a good game."
"I passed Pedro Pauleta for second in goals scored at the club. You heard of him?" asked Edinson.
"No, I haven't."
"He used to play for this club, as well as others like David Beckham, Ronaldinho and Zlatan."
"If this guy remains with us for at least two more go-around, he will pass the great Zlatan himself," said Lucas, giving Edi a pat on the back. "Right, Edi?"
"If I can find the back of the net faster and stop butchering my shots I'll pass him by the end of the year." Laughter all around. "Really, I mean it!"
"Don't worry about it. We're going to belt Rennes midweek because Goncalo here will get a chance to prove he belong with us. Right, kid?" he asked him.
"Yeah, I will show you guys what I can do, even though I've only been here a few days," Goncalo said.
"He's only 20, he'll be with us for a while," Adrien told Edi.
"Exactly."
"Thank you for the meal!" the players said as they all left, except for Goncalo whose chose to watch the two of them pick up the dishes, throw the trash, and clean up the dining hall. Afterwards, Georgette returned to him while Sadako attended to the players returning to training.
"Well, shall we talk?" asked Georgette to Goncalo.
"Let's do it." The two of them left the Camp des Loges to go on a walk around the nearby forest, the city landscape of Paris in the distance.
"So I want to talk with a little about myself. I am from Barenton, a small town in Normandy. People tell me that should be supporting SM Caen, the local first division club, but I don't like their identity and their place in the table, so that's why I am here. What about you?"
"I come from Benavente, also a small town, in Portugal near Coimbra. Before I came here," said Goncalo, "I used to play for SL Benfica, one of the big-name sides in Portugal that is a dominant force and will be playing in the Champions League round of 16 against Dortmund."
"Dortmund?"
"Borussia Dortmund, of the Bundesliga in Germany. They are not having a good year. A team from Leipzig owned by Red Bull has overtaken Dortmund for the second-best team in the competition over there. For me, what drew me to Paris was the tradition, trophies, heritage, culture, and their brand which is really nice. It means they have very high standards that I want to make for myself here."
"How nice, I like that from you," Jose said, giggling. "Tell me more."
"So, Jose, I told the coach this: that I will do some extra sprints since I am supposed to be with them, but he said not to worry so that I can chat with you without any retribution from him or the staff. Also, he is doing it because he felt that he should have let me play more minutes on debut against Monaco so this is how he makes up for it. Unai is very humble and likes to be firm but fair in what he does. He says he will give me a chance to show what I can do on Wednesday against Rennes."
"The boss is telling me that I do not need to help out during road games unless notifed in advance. Me and Sada. But I would have loved to be on the road with you folks over there."
"You're always with us in spirit. I like their slogan. You know it, right?"
"Revons Plus Grand. Dream Bigger."
"I want to help this team win trophies, win big games, maintain form, do everything I can to make this organization proud because I embrace everything about the team. When I saw you in the stands, I realized, I have to do it for her as well. She's counting on me, and I couldn't let her down."
"Really, Goncalo?"
"For you, just call me Gonca."
"Sure..."
"So on the way to the Camp des Loges, I decided to myself that I need to commit my life and my career to making everyone happy and making you, Jose, happy as well, because I am very glad that you walking into my life like an angel from above, with you wonder brown hair, heavenly blue eyes, fair complexion and charm. I need this in my life because in a way..." A pause. "...you are like a little sister to me."
"I'm 18, you're 20. If I wanted to have a relationship, you'd be a good example of who I would want, even though, I already have someone I am with. But..."
"But?"
"If I am a younger sister to you..." Georgette lifted Goncalo's chin, causing his manhood to stiffen up instantly, "will you be...mon grand frere, o-nii-chan?"
"! Onii-chan?" squealed Goncalo, blushing like a girl himself. "I know what that means in Japanese. I know some friends of mine who like anime and all that fun stuff. Big brother. In Portuguese that's grande irmão. That is the first time anyone ever called me that. So, in that case."
He struck a pose. Jose tilted her head in confusion. "Mon frere? Hein?"
A sinister laugh, similar to Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass. "As your adopted big brother, I will do whatever I can to make you happy and protect your happiness. I will score goals. I will make plays. I will score goals and make plays. And I will finish, finish, finish. We will dream big together and win big together. That is my promise to you...as your...onii-chan," Gonzalo whispered dramatically.
She shook her head. "No, it's not like that, I want to take it further."
A facefault. And a blink. Wink, wink. "Eh? Further? Huh?"
"Give me your hands," Jose said softly.
"Um, okay..."
"Mmmmm." She took them and warmed them up, causing her cat ears and tail to pop out.
"Oh my god, you can't be...!"
"That's right. I am more than just your adopted little sister."
"Who are you, really!?"
Jose smiled. "I am a Brave Witch."
"Like in the anime that one of my friends in Lisbon was talking about? Oh shit, oh my god, I thought this was restricted to just 2D, but being real in the flesh, oh my God..." Goncalo embraced Jose. "Best Brave Witch, too. My motivation is complete now. I truly appreciate you coming into my life right now!"
Jose took her hands again. "So, I want to let you know that I want to be the one that protects you. If anything happens to you, if anyone tries to mess with you, just think of me and I will be there before you know it. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you as long as I am here. Just do your training, your playing, anything that your coaches or others want, and I will do the rest. And I won't let you down, because I know you won't for me. Goncalo, even though I can't be your partner, I still like you, and I'm going to show you how much that is true. Okay, onii-chan?"
Goncalo hugged her, crying for the first time in a while. "Take good care of me, I'll never be complete without you. Because Paris Saint-Germain is also Paris Sainte-Georgette! Je t'aime! Ici C'est Paris et Georgette est Magique!"
"Your French is pretty good. I like it."
"And I love you!"
"I love you too..." Georgette looked to the skies, smiling. The Persian Cat tracker was also watching and followed the two of them back to the Camp des Loges to wrap up a busy day, one of many that would follow.
"What's going on with Nao?" asked Commander Rall to Flying Officer Krupinski as the others watched the tender moment in the forest, the skies parting with the light on both of them for unintendedly theatric effect.
"The love scene broke her unfortunately," said the Countess.
"Nao, hang in there, no need to feel sad," Hikari said, a sympathetic smile on her face.
She was on her hands and needs, crying before looking up the sky in her lamentation in vain. "RIP me, PSG, you left me out, oui, oui, oui!"
END CHAPTER 5