Note: This is set just before the end of season one of New Game, so it will almost certainly have some spoilers. This was previously posted as a chapter of Arisugawa's Locket, but has been added on to since then.
Eagle Jump visits Arisugawa's Locket!
Shizuku Hazuki smiled as the silvery haired woman declared, "Let's go celebrate the completion of Fairy Story 3!"
Everyone else in the work area pretty much groaned.
It was nearly six in the morning, and the team at Eagle Jump had been working down to the wire on finishing their latest game. They had spent several all nighters on it, and to be blunt, most were really, really exhausted.
"No. Just.. no," Rin groaned. The Assistant Director was half slumped over her desk, and was sort of looking at Ko, who was annoyingly still sitting up. The woman clearly still had some Red Bull in her system or something.
"But!" Shizuku actually pouted.
Ko nodded, "I'd like a party as much as anyone, but not now. How about we send everyone home, get some sleep and we'll do something tomorrow to celebrate?"
"Good idea," Rin agreed.
"Awww," Shizuku was still pouting, but at least she could see their point. Besides, she could do something better with a bit of planning.
"Just the art team or...?" Ko wondered.
"Anyone who wants to go. Even the debugger part timers," Shizuku declared.
After that cheerful announcement, in fairly short order everyone was gotten up, shuffled out of the building and headed home.
"Ugh," Rin sighed tiredly as she and Ko walked together.
Ko smiled down at her fondly. "At least we made it," she noted. She sort of supported her exhausted friend as she asked, "Are you going to be okay making it home?"
Rin yawned, then looked embarrassed. "It's fine," she reassured her.
Ko walked her to the train, then they separated. "See you this afternoon," Ko said, then impulsively hugged her a moment.
Rin watched her go, blinking tiredly.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The afternoon of the next day Aoba Suzukaze and her friend Nene Sakura were heading back to work via train. "I'm kind of worried about this party," Aoba admitted, her twintails swinging with the train's movement.
Nene looked over at Aoba and nodded as she cheerfully observed, "It IS Shizuku's idea and she can be a bit... odd."
Aoba snorted, "Oh yeah."
The older woman had jokingly hit on Aoba a few times. And had said that she liked to have beautiful staff so she could more easily forgive their mistakes. So... yeah. Plus, for someone who was supposed to be a Director she could be kind of flighty.
"Is Umiko coming along?" Aoba asked, referring to Nene's superior over in the debugging department. Aoba had met the intense woman a few times herself, but despite having a gruff exterior, she could be quite nice too.
"I think so," Nene said, smiling slightly as a faint blush appeared.
'Well, well...' Aoba mused.
The group met up at the building housing Eagle Jump in the late afternoon, with a fairly large crowd gathering outside.
"Hey, Aoba!" Hajime Shinoda waved. The boyish young woman was standing by Yun, as usual and was casually dressed in shorts, t-shirt and light jacket.
"Hello," Aoba half bowed to her senpais.
"Don't DO that," Yun Lijima scolded mildly, the much more fashionable animator dressed in a pretty dress.
Nene snickered a bit. "Hello, Shinoda-senpai," she teased.
"Argh," Hajime visibly shuddered. "Aoba, did you HAVE to tell her about my disliking that?"
Devilishly Aoba smiled, "Yup."
Yun snickered, "You are evil some times."
Hifumi Takimoto looked at Aoba, a shy smile appearing on the dark purple haired woman's face. "Hello, Aoba," she said quietly.
Aoba beamed up at her, "Hello, Hifumi."
"God, they're adorable," Hajime noted quietly.
"Hmm," Nene agreed.
"All right, everyone, let's get together," Rin called, standing by Ko and Shizuku and once again acting as 'team mom.'
"So, we're going to a new nightclub that Shizuku discovered..." Ko revealed.
"Oh, this is going to end well," a voice noted dryly behind Nene.
Nene turned and smiled up at Umiko Ahagon, who had again snuck up on her without her noticing. "Umiko, it won't be that bad," she said.
"Want to bet?" Umiko offered, the programming and debugging teams kind of following her like ducklings
Nene bit back a laugh as they listened.
"Eagle Jump will be covering the food bill, and drinks," Shizuku announced.
Nearly EVERYONE cheered at that.
Ko shook her head, "Oh, this could end badly..."
Rin patted her arm comfortingly as they headed out.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The nightclub they ended up at was big, apparently made up of two connected warehouse spaces, with a bright neon sign. 'Arisugawa's Locket' blinked cheerilly in the darkening twilight, with a animated section of a locket opening to reveal a pretty girl.
"Miss Hazuki, welcome," the black haired woman in a tux smiled as they cut the line up that snaked along the wall. Several women looked annoyed, but they didn't say anything about it.
"Cyber Six, hello," Shizuku smiled. "Is everything set?"
"Yes, ma'am," Cyber Six smiled back, "we have three tables set aside, in the back. May will meet you inside."
"Busy place," Aoba noted as she took in the long line.
"Uhm, Aoba.. did you notice it's JUST women in line?" Hifumi noted quietly.
Aoba blinked and took another look. "Ehhh?!"
"Welcome!" the tall brown haired woman in a maid outfit beamed. "As arranged," May continued, "drinks and food will be expensed to Eagle Jump. We'll keep track and invoice the company after. Just be sure to order from your assigned tables."
"Whoa," Yun muttered, looking around as she took in the dance floor, long bar and stage. Also... what kind of night club had a LIBRARY?
"Aoba! Look, kareoke!" Nene pointed out.
"We are TOTALLY doing that," Hajime told Yun firmly.
Ko took in the patrons, all of whom were women, and many of whom appeared coupled. "Shizuku, you brought us to a lesbian bar?" she hissed quietly.
"And what's wrong with that?" Shizuku shrugged cheerfully as she, Rin, Ko and Umiko all sat at one table.
Rin looked at her in annoyance, "Some of the staff might be offended!"
Shizuku nodding towards where the programmers had already settled in, ordering drinks and flirting with a waitress in a cowboy hat.
"Okay, well..." Rin conceded.
"Isn't Aoba a bit young for this sort of place?" Ko noted.
"That's a point," Shizuku conceded, "but it looks like the others will keep an eye on her. I'll mention to the waitress not to serve her alcohol..."
As they were talking, Rin noticed several women giving thoughtful and even slightly lustful looks at Ko. Unconsciously, she shuffled her chair a little closer to Ko, to warn anyone off.
"Huh?" Ko looked at Rin, not even noticing the women looking at her.
"Nothing," Rin smiled. She showed the drink menu to Ko as she asked, "What did you want to start with...?"
Over at their table, Hajime was watching some of the customers in the various outfits they were wearing. She was SURE some of it was cosplay from various series.
"Stop staring at the near naked lady," Yun scolded.
"I am not! I think I saw a Moon Ranger cosplay," Hajime defended herself.
"Really...?" Yun murmured and took a look, too.
"This is a very strange bar," Aoba noted mildly.
"I sort of like it though," Hifumi noted mildly, watching the several women swaying together out on the dance floor.
"Eeep," Aoba eeped as she saw two women getting very lovey dovey in public.
"Aoba," Hifumi looked sheepish as she tapped her arm, "can you order this for me?"
"Oh, sure," Aoba agreed and flagged down a waitress.
"How can I serve you!" the busty, purple haired woman in a china dress declared.
"Uhm, a Orange Blossom for my friend, juice for me," Aoba said.
"Right!" Shampoo bounced off.
"How does she stay IN that dress?" Yun had to ask, wide eyed.
"Damn if I know..." Hajime shook her head.
Up at the bar, Umiko was talking with the attractive bartender. "We don't include airsoft guns in our weapons ban," Ryouko told her, "but don't shoot anyone in the club, please."
"Understood," Umiko nodded.
"Have a good night," Ryouko added.
"How did you hear about this club?" Umiko had to ask Shizuku after she returned to the table.
"I met the owner at a business women luncheon in the city," Shizuku admitted. She sighed dreamily, "She's good looking too. Too bad she's taken."
Working the other side of the large room, Juri Arisugawa sneezed suddenly.
"Someone talking about you?" Nabiki teased her boss.
"Probably," Juri conceded good naturedly.
Back at the table Shizuku noted that both Aoba and Hifumi and Yun and Hajime had gotten up and were dancing. "You and Nene should join them," she told Umiko teasingly.
Surprisingly Umiko got up. "You're right," she stalked over to Nene and asked the younger woman to dance.
"How many drinks has she HAD?" Ko had to ask.
"I think three," Rin noted owlishly. She looked at Ko with a cute frown, "Why don't you ever ask ME to dance?"
Deciding giving in was wiser Ko offered a hand, "Well, let's dance."
Shizuku watched the women walk off, then pouted. "Why doesn't anyone ask me to dance?" she complained.
To be continued...
Notes: Canon wise, there are two lesbian characters in New Game: Shizuku who basically hits on everyone, and Rin who is devoutly Ko-sexual. As a yuri fan, however, I'm pretty much writing EVERYONE as at least bisexual.
Characters: Aoba, Ko, Rin, Hajime, Nene, Umiko, Yun and Shizuku are all from the anime New Game.
Arisugawa's Locket Cast: Cybersix is from Cybersix, May is from Hand Maid May, Ryouko is from Tenchi Muyo Juri is from Utena and Shampoo and Nabiki are from Ranma 1/2.
Eagle Jump Visits Arisugawa's Locket
Two
"Fairy Story 4? SERIOUSLY?" a mildly drunk Ko yelped.
Rin patted Ko's arm as she addressed Shizuku, "No offense, but after just finishing FS 3, none of us even WANT to think about the series."
Aoba, sitting nearby, looked vaguely hurt hearing them say that about her beloved series of games. On the other hand, she had only been working on it a few months, while the rest of them had been involved for years.
"No offense, Aoba," Ko added.
"None taken," Aoba said quickly.
They had been there an hour already, and the drinks had been flowing, along with conversation. They had all pretty much danced, and were now back at their tables munching on snacks.
Making a calming gesture Shizuku noted, "OBVIOUSLY, we'll be taking a break on the series after this. In fact we'll probably be developing a new title."
Umiko gave Shizuku a perceptive look, "But there's a reason you brought it up, yes?"
Shizuku sipped her drink, nodding. "We're still in discussion with our backers," she cautioned, "but they are supportive of a yuri route in Fairy Story."
"Yuri?" Rin blinked.
"It is a popular trend these days," Ko conceded, knowing several companies that had included such things in games.
"That's going to be a bitch to do, though," one of the programmers, Yuki, noted dryly.
"Hmm," Umiko agreed. She looked at Shizuku and asked, "Any idea how they would work that into the story?"
"We'd have to discuss it with the teams," Shizuku hedged her bets, "but ideally I'd like it to be a option for one of the lead characters."
"And a drama CD! I love drama CDs," Rin added cheerfully. She had a collection of the Nanoha ones, as well as Hayate x Blade and other series.
Ko chuckled, "Yeah, I've seen your collection..."
"It is probably too early to say much," Umiko noted, "considering we don't even have a story or concept yet. But it is worth while to begin planning."
"You have the oddest look on your face," Nene observed as she looked at Aoba. She smirked, "Sophia was modeled on you... imagining her in a yuri bit?"
"I am not!" Aoba yelped, but she was blushing quite tellingly.
"Imagining a certain co-worker as a prince?" Nene teased.
"Nene," Aoba groaned.
Yun looked amused, listening in on the conversation. She was normally a VERY easy drunk, so she was drinking mixed drinks based around coke. And the occassional energy drink.
Hajime grinned at her as the sporty young woman reminded her, "Don't fall asleep on me again."
Yun pouted, "You're never going to let me forget that, huh?"
Hajime laughed as she said, "Nope."
Yun sipped her rum and coke as she leaned a bit into Hajime. The LAST time she had gotten drunk, she had indeed fallen fast asleep. Hajime, being a gentleman, had helped get her home, then had stayed over as it had been quite late.
In the morning Yun had woken up stretched out over the sleeping Hajime. She had KNOWN her co-worker was fit, in an abstract kind of way, but laying on her brought the nicely rippled muscles to her full attention. It had been VERY nice, indeed...
Hajime drank her beer, trying not to notice how nice it was having Yun leaning against her. She was reminded of the time she had helped Yun home after the group had gone drinking. It had been too late to bike or drive home, so without thinking about it she had crashed there.
Waking up in the morning, Hajime was surprised to find that Yun had rolled over on top of her. With her MUCH cozier body pressed against her. Yun was also a snuggler, and it had taken all her willpower to just lie still and pretend she was sleeping.
"Hmmm," Yun drowsilly purred as she leaned against her.
"No sleeping," Hajime shook her while trying not to notice the boob pressing against her arm.
"She okay?" the cowboy hat wearing waitress asked mildly.
"Just bad with booze," Hajime admitted ruefully.
Amelia smiled cheerfully, "Well, why don't I get you a re-fill and a Red Bull for her?"
"Sounds like a plan," Hajime nodded.
Up at the bar, two old friends were having a conversation. "Kobayashi-san, it's been awhile," Umiko greeted her.
Kobayashi, who was also profoundly embarassed by her first name and also didn't use it, smiled at her fellow programmer. "Still at Eagle Jump?" Kobayashi asked.
"Indeed. Still at Jigokumeguri?" Umiko asked. She smiled wryly as she added, "Still have the asshole boss?"
Kobayashi snorted. "He got fired, newer guy is much more personable," she told her.
Umiko grinned, rather suspecting her friend had a hand in that. The red headed Kobayashi was kind, good hearted yet someone you did NOT mess with. She was occassionally tempted to sick her on Shizuku, if only to see what happened.
"I haven't seen you at Arisugawa's before," Kobayashi noted thoughtfully. "I didn't know you were that way inclined."
"I don't publicise it," Umiko calmly admitted. "Nor was I aware YOU were, actually..." she added thoughtfully.
"Yeah, there's been some changes in my personal life," Kobayashi admitted. She looked around and waved, "Hey, Tohru!"
"Kobayashi!" a VERY busty blonde in, weirdly, a maid outfit hurried over, beaming. She practically glomped Kobayashi, while looking at Umiko warily.
"Tohru, I'd like you to meet Umiko. We worked together at Jigokumeguri before she got smart and changed employers," Kobayashu explained.
"Nice to meet you," Tohru smiled.
"Have you been seeing each other long?" Umiko asked with her usual bluntness,
"A few months," Kobayashi said as she drank some of her beer.
As they chatted, Umiko noted that Kobayashi seemed less than happy with Jigokumeguri. Not surprising, considering the rumors Umiko heard about the insane hours their programmers worked.
"I don't normally try to poach people from other companies, but have you considered applying at Eagle Jump?" Umiko suggested.
"I'm not sure it'd be that different," Kobayashi noted, but seemed open to hearing more.
"Better hours," Umiko noted, "good pay, and we only have to pull all nighters when it's close to deadline. Unlike some companies, we have Assistant Directors who are very organized."
Rin, over at their table, suddenly sneezed.
"Getting a cold?" Ko asked mildly.
"Or someone's talking about you," Shizuku teased.
"That's just a superstition," Rin waved it off casually.
Back up at the bar, the three women were still talking. "All right, I admit that sounds good," Kobayashi conceded.
"AND," Umiko nodded at Tohru, "Eagle Jump has same sex couples benefits."
"Oooh!" Tohru squealed.
"I'll think about it," Kobayashi promised, laughing softly.
Up on the kareoke stage, Yun and Hajime were singing the theme from Moon Ranger. Badly. But that was the fun of kareoke, really...
"You couldn't MAKE me get up there and do that," Hifumi noted to Aoba quietly.
"Not even in a cosplay costume?" Aoba teased.
Hifumi blushed. She had confessed liking cosplay in front of the others, and had nearly been caught by them while cosplaying at the game expo. And honestly, she DID find being in costume quite... liberating, in a way.
"Everything okay?" Ko asked as she did the rounds like a good team leader.
"Yes, we're having fun," Aoba beamed as Hifumi nodded.
"They're closing up in a hour or so... we've made arrangements for cabs and such," Ko added as she moved on.
"Aww," Aoba pouted at the night ending soon. She looked over at Hifumi, "Another dance?"
Hifumi blushed a bit more but smiled warmly, "Let's."
To be continued...
Notes: This is 'anime-canon' for Dragon Maid as I'm not caught up on the manga right now.
Kanno Kobayashi appears, holding a piece of paper. "If you have NOT seen Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, this is what the series is about."
"Kobayashi stumbled upon an injured Dragon, and saved her life. Feeling in debt to her, the dragon Tohru decided to move in with Kobayashi as her Maid." Kanna blushed just slightly, "Tohru has also fallen in love with Kobayashi."
"Also, Kobayashi adopted me, Tohru's small dragon friend."
Kanna looked around, "Can I go back to playing with Saikawa, now?"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Miss Kobayashi, Dragon Maids and Arisugawa's Locket
Elma approached the other woman a bit nervously. They had a ... interesting relationship, considering she had wrecked her home once. "Kobayashi-san?" she said with a smile.
Kobayashi looked up, "Yes?"
"I wanted to thank you for... well, everything," Elma said a bit sheepishly. "I was wondering if I could take you and Tohru out for dinner, or something?"
"You don't really need to do that," Kobayashi noted mildly.
"Oh, I do," Elma smiled wryly.
Not that long ago she had found out that Kobiyashi had, functionally, been doing her work AND Elma's as Elma had known nothing of programming. It was profoundly embarrassing to her, especially since she had been ungrateful about it, initially.
"Maid cafe?" Kobayashi suggested.
"That would be fun for YOU maybe," Elma noted, and Kobayashi laughed.
"Ha!" Kobayashi flashed a sudden smile. She looked thoughtful, "There IS a nightclub I've heard of, and it's one Takiya and I couldn't go to."
"Huh?" Elma blinked.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"A LESBIAN BAR?!" Elma yelped. Several women in the line gave Elma looks. And quite a few of those looks were admiring, as she was wearing a slinky dress with visible cleavage.
"Yeah, Tohru and I went a few weeks ago," Kobayashi added.
Tohru was looking around curiously. "Elma, do you sense what I do?" she asked.
Elma frowned at Tohru, but looked around. Then tilted her head to the side. "That IS odd," she agreed after a moment.
"Huh?" Kobayashi looked at the two curiously.
"This bar is a cross-dimensional nexus," Tohru told her. "It crosses alternate universes."
"That would explain some of the weird costumes and such we saw, last time," Kobayashi mused. "It's safe, I would assume?" she asked.
"It's anchored in this location," Tohru noted, "tho by technology, not magic."
"Feels odd, but yes I think it's safe," Elma agreed.
"That was an awkward piece of exposition," a character in line noted.
"No breaking the fourth wall! The author get in trouble for that!" another woman complained.
The three women mostly ignored that and moved up the line. "I hope Kanna is having fun," Kobayashi fretted a bit.
"She'll be fine," Tohru reassured her. "She likes staying over at Saikawa's, and I'm certain they'll have fun."
"And it's not like we could have brought her here," Elma added.
The attractive woman in a maid uniform caught Kobayashi's eye. English maid, and the woman herself looked European. While it was a standard dress, it also appeared to have been tailored for easy movement... interesting.
The maid noted the intense study, but decided to ignore it. "Welcome to Arisugawa's Locket, I'm the assistant manager, May," she smiled. "We're hosting a private party tonight, but we should still have enough room for everyone."
They headed in, and took in the huge internal space. Formerly two warehouse spaces, they had been connected to create a massive nightclub. There were tables off to one side, a dance floor, small stage, a long bar along one wall and even, oddly, a library.
About four tables off to one side were full, with groups of women drinking and eating, while other tables were less packed. Kobayashi noted a silver haired woman sitting at one of the tables, and blinked in recognition.
"Eh?" Tohru noted her reaction and frowned jealously.
"That's Shizuku, she's a higher up at Eagle Jump, a game company here in Tokyo," Kobayashi noted, "I know a programmer that works there."
"Ah," Elma nodded as they found an open table.
A attractive if green haired young woman hurried over to their table. "Welcome! I'm Alpha. What can we get you?" she asked.
Kobayashi noted the green hair and wondered if she was a dragon too. Ehh, whatever. "Beer for me," she noted, then looked at the others.
Elma smiled, "Uhm..." then she went RIGHT into indecisive mode.
"Two wine coolers," Tohru took over.
"Be right back," Alpha hurried off.
"Hey! I was choosing!" Elma pouted.
"We wanted our drinks soon," Tohru teased.
Unaware that she had friends in the bar, a very attractive blond was being admired by many women at one of the Eagle Jump tables. Shizuku was looking at the stunning blonde with a certain amount of awe, actually.
Lucoa was clearly enjoying the worship, too. "You're adorable, young lady," she teased.
'Young?' Shizuku blinked, being the oldest woman at Eagle Jump. Though there was a sense of... wisdom, around the pretty blonde. It was hard to explain.
"Wow," Ko noted to Rin quietly. "I've never seen Shizuku that stunned before."
"It's kind of cute, actually," Rin agreed.
"Come on," Lucoa grabbed Shizuku's hand, "I want to dance."
"Ah, sure..." Shizuku agreed.
A little later, up at the bar, two old friends were having a conversation. "Kobayashi-san, it's been awhile," Umiko greeted her.
Kobayashi smiled back at her fellow programmer. "Still at Eagle Jump?" Kobayashi asked.
"Indeed. Still at Jigokumeguri?" Umiko asked. She smiled wryly as she added, "Still have the asshole boss?"
Kobayashi snorted. "He got fired, newer guy is much more personable," she told her.
Umiko grinned, rather suspecting her friend had a hand in that. The red headed Kobayashi was kind, good hearted yet someone you did NOT mess with. She was occassionally tempted to sick her on Shizuku, if only to see what happened.
"I haven't seen you at Arisugawa's before," Kobayashi noted thoughtfully. "I didn't know you were that way inclined."
"I don't publicise it," Umiko calmly admitted. "Nor was I aware YOU were, actually..." she added thoughtfully.
"Yeah, there's been some changes in my personal life," Kobayashi admitted. She looked around and waved, "Hey, Tohru!"
"Kobayashi!" a VERY busty blonde in, weirdly, a maid outfit hurried over, beaming. She practically glomped Kobayashi, while looking at Umiko warily. "I thought you were just coming to get another beer," Tohru noted.
"Tohru, I'd like you to meet Umiko. We worked together at Jigokumeguri before she got smart and changed employers," Kobayashu explained.
"Nice to meet you," Tohru smiled.
"Have you been seeing each other long?" Umiko asked with her usual bluntness,
"A few months," Kobayashi said as she drank some of her beer.
As they chatted, Umiko noted that Kobayashi seemed less than happy with Jigokumeguri. Not surprising, considering the rumors Umiko heard about the insane hours their programmers worked.
"I don't normally try to poach people from other companies, but have you considered applying at Eagle Jump?" Umiko suggested.
"I'm not sure it'd be that different," Kobayashi noted, but seemed open to hearing more.
"Better hours," Umiko noted, "good pay, and we only have to pull all nighters when it's close to deadline. Unlike some companies, we have Assistant Directors who are very organized."
Rin, over at their table, suddenly sneezed.
"Getting a cold?" Ko asked mildly.
"Or someone's talking about you," Shizuku teased.
"That's just a superstition," Rin waved it off casually.
Back up at the bar, the three women were still talking. "All right, I admit that sounds good," Kobayashi conceded.
"AND," Umiko nodded at Tohru, "Eagle Jump has same sex couples benefits."
"Oooh!" Tohru squealed.
"I'll think about it," Kobayashi promised, laughing softly.
Umiko noted what appeared to be a disturbance over at their tables. "Excuse me," she said, "I should take care of this."
"It's been nice catching up with you," Kobayashi agreed.
"You're not seriously thinking of quitting, are you?" Tohru asked as they went back to their table.
"WHAT." Elma yelped.
"Easy," Kobayashi said as they sat down. She added, "A old friend of mine over at Eagle Jump suggested I might want to move there."
"Still," Elma made a face. She LIKED working with Kobayashi at Jigokumeguri.
"It's not that I mind the work either," Kobayashi noted, "but the HOURS are murder." She looked at Tohru, "Remember how much overtime I had to work just to get a day free to go to Kanna's sports day?"
"You were late more than a week," Tohru agreed.
"Well, true...," Elma nodded.
"Anyway, that's something to thing about later," Kobayashi noted, drinking more of her beer.
"Kobayashi, I noticed there was dancing. Could we...?" Tohru asked, smiling.
Kobayashi smiled back, just drink enough to be buzzed. "Sure, why not?" she beamed, taking Tohru's hand.
"Hmm, this is nice," Tohru sighed as they swayed together for a slow song. She pulled Kobayashi closer, her hands moving downward.
"Watch the hands," Kobayashi murmured as Tohru grabbed her ass.
"Meanie," Tohru chuckled.
Elma pouted as they headed off. They shouldn't leave her alone like this. Besides, she wanted to dance with Kobayashi TOO!
"Hello," an attractive young woman from over at the Eagle Jump tables smiled shyly. "I've been kind of... well, watching you all evening. Could I have a dance?"
Elma smiled in surprise, then nodded. "Certainly. I'm Elma, and you are...?"
"Yukio," she smiled and they headed off together.
To be continued...
Notes: WAS gonna do this as a separate one shot, but decided to add it here. Also 'officially' making this a Kobayashi's Dragon Maid crossover. Will integrate the characters more next chapter.
The New Game Yuri Crossover
Chapter Four
The sun shone on the building housing Eagle Jump, even as the staff trickled in.
"When did the story title become 'The New Game Yuri Crossover?'" Ko had to ask, wincing from the hangover from last night's party.
"When the author decided 'Eagle Jump visits Arisugawa's Locket' was too limiting a title, probably," Rin noted, looking at her worriedly.
"I feel like I'm gonna die," Ko whimpered, leaving off breaking the fourth wall anymore. Her headache was too annoying to be meta.
"I'll get you some asprin and water," Rin said gently.
Over in another part of the offices another early meeting was taking place. "So basically you want to swipe a programmer from another company?" Shizuku asked, blinking at her guest. The VERY good looking blond she had been with yesterday had literally drank her under the table, so she was feeling a bit slow.
"Not so much swipe as encourage to defect," Umiko noted. She shrugged, "The place she's working is pretty awful, and she's an excellent programmer."
"So what's the downside?" Shizuku had to ask as she cautiously drank from her cup of coffee. The asprin was kicking in too, thankfully.
Umiko hesitated then admitted, "She's a bit of a lush."
"What."
"Part job stress," Umiko shrugged, "and the company has a culture of drinking together off the job. If she comes here, less stress and we don't do that."
"Huh," Shizuku said dubiously.
"Anyway, all I'm asking is you give her the tour and stress the benefits of joining Eagle Jump," Umiko explained.
"That seems reasonable," Shizuku conceded the point as she added, "plus it'll give me a chance to get a feel for her."
"Thanks," Umiko smiled. Impishly she asked, "How's the hangover?"
"Oh god don't ask," Shizuku winced. "Remind me never to go out drinking with strange blonde's again," she lamented.
Umiko just laughed.
Over in the art department, Aoba was ministering to her hung over comrades. "I put a fresh pot of coffee on," she noted, "and here's the refills."
"You are an angel of mercy," Yun softly groaned, the usually fashionable young woman collapsed over her desk.
"Told you to take it easy," Hajime teased, the sporty young woman apparently mostly unaffected by the drink.
"I hate you," Yun sighed.
"Thank you," Hifumi smiled warmly up at Aoba. She thankfully had not drank as much as the others, but she was still feeling it.
"Does anyone feel up to eating something? I think there's fresh donuts in the break room," Aoba suggested.
"Oh lord no," Yun made a face. "I'd be sick."
Aoba sat at her computer as she looked at her distressed comrades. "After last night's party I kind of wonder what the point of us being here today is," she mused.
Hajime shrugged, "In theory we're supposed to start brainstorming on a new game idea, but I think we're mostly here to finish up any work related to Fairy Story."
"Plus we're being paid so..." Yun shrugged.
"And there will be a series of interviews, now that we're finished," Hifumi added.
"INTERVIEWS?" Aoba squeaked nervously.
Hajime waved that off, "It's fine. They just want your impressions on working on the project and stuff like that."
"Oh," Aoba nodded.
"Hello everyone," Rin waved as she passed their work area. Ko was following her, looking about as hung over as everyone else.
"We've got coffee going," Aoba said, "should I get you each a cup?"
"Please," Ko agreed.
"Thank you all for coming in," Rin added warmly, "I know how tempting it would be to just call in sick."
Yun groaned again, probably indicating she'd wished she HAD called in sick.
Rin just ignored that. "Please try to complete any paperwork relating to Fairy Story, as well as ready materials for the upcoming guide books..." she instructed.
"Oh, like the drawing of Sophia-chan Ko asked me for," Aoba remembered.
"Plus monster design art and so on," Rin agreed.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Kobayashi looked up at the building housing Eagle Jump, glad it was afternoon and that she wasn't too hung over. Being at the bar with Elma and Tohru had been fun, so much so she hadn't really drank that much.
'Plus, it was nice to see Umiko again,' Kobayashi admitted.
However, she really wasn't sure about visiting Eagle Jump like this. Despite how nicely Umiko described it, it was probably just your usual hell hole for programmers. Just like her current job... just arranging to get a half day off had been murder. Ugh. Her new boss at Jigokumeguri was better than her LAST one but not by much.
In a busy cubicle warren over at Jigokumeguri a middle aged man sneezed.
"Someone talking about him again?" Elma noted as she typed away. Somehow, there seemed to be more work when Kobayashi was absent.
Makoto Takiya smiled wryly, "Wouldn't he be sneezing all the time?"
Elma snickered.
Back at Eagle Jump Kobayashi strode through the main doors, then nodded to the pretty secretary. "Kobayashi," she introduced herself, "I'm here to see Umiko?"
"Of course," the woman smiled, "I'll call her."
Umiko arrived a few moments later, smiling slightly. "Kobayashi, thank you for coming by," she said, shaking her hand.
"You're welcome," Kobayashi felt obligated to add, "not promising anything, mind you."
Umiko just chuckled warmly, as if she knew something Kobayashi didn't.
Eagle Jump was NOT what Kobayashi had expected. The place was comfortable and airy, unlike the dense cubicle farms she was used to. The programers, character designers and animators all had areas to work, where they could decorate their sections and work in peace. The people, also, were all pleasant and surprisingly good looking.
"Why are there only women on this team?" Kobayashi had to ask.
"Our Producer is somewhat eccentric," Umiko admitted.
"I HEARD THAT," a voice called.
Kobayashi turned to see a older but still quite good looking woman hurrying up. She has silver hair, and a somewhat impish look on her face.
"Shizuku Hazuki, meet Kobayashi-san," Umiko said, adding "She's the eccentric I mentioned."
"Umiko, you're so mean," Shizuku sighed, pouting.
"Nice to meet you," Kobayashi smiled. "So... only women?" she asked.
"I personally find there's less conflicts," Shizuku admitted, "we also weed out people who end up having issues too."
"Makes sense," Kobayashi conceded. They finished up the tour and ended up in the programming department. It was oddly empty, with several computers idle along with Umiko's weapon adorned station.
"We had two temps leave after our latest product finished," Umiko explained, "it's why I want to hire more full timers this time."
"So far this place looks terrific," Kobayashi admitted. "What's the catch?" she asked.
"We DO still have crunch times, and extra hours of programming," Shizuku conceded. "But we have good staff and manage time quite well."
Rin sneezed, blinking.
"Admittedly our art director mis-figured the number of characters we needed to create and the time we had, but that's a rare error," Umiko added.
Rin sneezed AGAIN.
"Are you catching a cold?" Ko had to ask.
Back at the meeting Shizuku gave Kobayashi a thoughtful look. "As I understand from talking to Umiko, you're comfortable working at Jigokumeguri. Why switch to here?" she asked.
"It's actually more a personal issue," Kobayashi admitted. "You see, my partner and I, we have a daughter. And she had a sports day...," and Kobayashi went on to explain that she originally couldn't go because of work, but after over several weeks of overtime cleared enough time to attend.
"Awww," Shizuku murmured.
Even Umiko looked impressed, "I didn't know you had it in you."
Kobayashi waved that off, looking embarrased. "Anyway, the point is I realized I had NO work/life balance at all. I worked, I slept, I worked again. I want to change that," she admitted.
"Well, having looked at your resume we'd be glad to have you," Shizuku admitted.
"Would you like the job?" Umiko asked, offering her hand.
Kobayashi took it and shook it firmly. "I'm in," she agreed.
To be continued...
Notes: Next chapter is more 'Kobayashi' focused including how her boss reacts to her leaving. Not well, basically. Heh.
The New Game Yuri Crossover.
Chapter 5
"I'm giving my two week notice," Kobayashi told her boss bluntly.
"WHAT?" Mr. Magatsuchi yelped.
"WHAT?" Elma cried.
"Well, shit," Makoto Takiya murmured.
Magatsuchi took a few seconds to process what she was saying. Kobayashi was the cornerstone of their programming department. He didn't want to use the phrase 'carrying the others' but... Kobayashi did an incredible amount of work for them.
"You can't," Magatsuchi started.
"I have. Sorry," Kobayashi said gently.
Magatsuchi's normal 'pleasant smile' was rather strained. "Clearly there's issues I wasn't aware of, but surely we can talk this out..."
With that Kobayashi explaibned why she was leaving, and Magatsuchi felt a remarkable twinge of guilt. He hadn't even been aware of Kobayashi's recent relationship, nor had he been aware of the OT she had to do to just attend a simple sports day. Nor had he been there for his son Shouta, which ALSO bothered him.
"I see," Magatsuchi conceded. "We could ty to address the work load issues," he offered. If he had to, he supposed they could transfer her, but...
Kobayashi smiled at him wryly. "And the next crunch time I would for sure be back to my 'usual' hours," she pointed out.
"Well, yes," Magatsuchi admitted reluctantly.
"Sorry," Kobayashi bowed slightly, "I'm giving my two weeks notice. Thank you."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"How could you do this to me?" Makoto Takiya demanded at lunch, somewhat jokingly.
"REALLY!" Elma added, not joking at all.
"Less hours, good pay, good working environment and it'll give me more time with Tohru and Kanna," Kobayashi said bluntly.
"Point," Takiya conceded.
"UGH," Elma sighed.
"It's not going to be the same here without you," Takiya noted. Mentally, he had to admit it was going to be worse. Kobayashi had been doing the work of two... maybe three people, really. Her leaving was going to throw everything out of wack.
"So where are you going?" Elma had to ask.
"Eagle Jump," Kobayashi explained, "it's a well established video game company."
"They do Fairy Story," Takiya noted. "Good series."
"Hmph," Elma still looked unhappy. "I want to see the place. It could be some kind of trap for Tohru!" she added.
"Heh," Kobayashi smiled faintly, "I can ask my new boss about it. I don't see why we couldn't all visit in the weekend."
"Works," Takiya agreed.
Elma sniffed. "It CLEARLY can't be as good as here," she murmured.
Takiya gave her a wry look. She still had a lot to learn...
Kobayashi finished her lunch, then sighed. "Back too it. Wonder how long Mr Magatsuchi will be giving me that 'wounded puppy' look?"
"Probably for the full two weeks," Takiya noted wryly.
"This is going to suck," Kobayashi sighed.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Umiko listened to Kobayashi, nodding thoughtfully. "Two weeks is fine. We're still finishing up on Fairy Story Three, so we won't be starting the next project before you arrive," she noted.
She listened to Kobayashi thoughtfully.
"Your coworkers are worried about you? Aww, cute," Umiko teased. "Sure, you can bring them by on Saturday. I'll meet you here."
She listened a bit longer.
"Sure, bring Tohru and Kanna too. I'm looking forward to meeting your daughter," Umiko added. "Did she inherit the fish-eyes?"
Kobayashi sqwaked, and Umiko chuckled warmly.
"All right, see you then," Umiko hung up.
Shizuku looked at her amusedly, having dropped in the programming department to bug Umiko. The silver haired woman noted, "That was Kobayashi?"
"Yeah. She's closing things up at her old job, and will be starting here in two weeks," Umiko said to her.
"Sounds good. Have you decided how you want to re-organize your staff?" Shizuku asked her curiously.
Eagle Jump had, previously, just used temps. That had mostly worked ok, but they were increasingly seeing issues with that. Once you finished getting a temp used to the company's processes and style, a project ended and they moved on. Worse, all the effort you spent in training them was wasted too. Or worse, they brought those skills to a rival company.
"Ideally I'd like at least three full time staff," Umiko admitted. "We also may need some part timers on top of that, but..."
"Corporate may complain," Shizuku cautioned her. They were owned by a Japanese/French company, who occassionaly balked at added costs. On the other hand, Eagle Jump did generally made them money.
"Is someone talking about me again?" a woman's voice noted.
"Christina," Umiko smiled, "Looking for this scamp again?"
Christina Wako Yamato rolled her eyes, "Oh course. We have a meeting she's late for."
"Ooops," Shizuku hopped up.
"Rin's going to lecture us BOTH for being late," Christine growled as she nearly dragged Shizuku off by the arm.
"I'll follow up later," Shizuku added as they left.
Christina had recently arrived as a representative of their publisher, Houbundo. She was a pleasant woman, though Umiko had some concerns she was here to be a hatchet woman for Houbundo. Still, they'd need to see how it all played out.
Meanwhile, in another part of the building, Rin sighed. "Where are they?" she wondered aloud.
"Christine will be back with her soon," Ko reassured her.
"I know, I know," Rin sighed. She sipped her coffee as they waited at the meeting room table.
"Sorry," Christina arrived a few moments later, dragging Shizuku behind her.
"Welcome," Rin smiled wryly.
"Sorry," Shizuku repeated as everyone sat. "All right, I believe Christina called the meeting?"
"Thank you all for coming," Christina noted wryly. "Houbundo wants to hold a event celebrating the release of Fairy Story 3, in a few weeks."
"Our night club visit doesn't count?" Ko asked. She REALLY didn't like formal events. At all.
"No it does not," Christina scowled at her.
"I assume the sponsors, voice actresses and such would be attending," Rin said. "Is Houbundo organizing it or...?"
"I and Shizuku," Christina agreed. "The game itself hits the streets in two weeks, so we want the event slightly after that."
"Hopefully the game doesn't bomb..." Ko sighed.
"Don't SAY that," Rin punched her shoulder. "Advance sales are brisk, apparently."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"I'm home!" Kobayashi called tiredly as she opened the door.
"Welcome home!" Tohru beamed, the blond rushing up to her.
"Welcome home, Kobayashi," Kanna noted deadpan, but the little girl seemed happy to see her.
They dished up dinner, and talked as they ate. "I'm taking a few co-workers over to Eagle Jump. Would you like to come?" Kobayashi asked.
"It sounds interesting," Kanna noted.
"Yes please!" Tohru said cheerfully.
"This way you don't have to sneak in again," Kobayashi teased.
"It was just the one time," Tohru pouted.
To be continued...
Notes: Baring unexpected story ideas, next chapter should set up the integration of the Kobayashi characters and New Game ones.
