POV: Trigger.
Today… I woke up slowly. It took quite a bit of effort to get off the wall, but I was still able to get up.
Blinking in confusion, I glanced down at my right arm. Right, I didn't take off Gold Rush before falling asleep, not a smart thing to do in hindsight… actually I didn't take any of my equipment off aside from the coffin, which I didn't forget carrying with me while moving towards Safety.
Thank god, E.G.O doesn't need cleaning. Seems like E.G.O's resistances extend to everything, and anything that could leave a stain or smell counts as Red damage. Yes, E.G.O resists getting dirty, funny how that works.
I had kept some food inside my room, I didn't feel like… going to the cafeteria. I'm just going to wait for work to start and do what I'm meant to do.
My smoking pipe was doing wonders to my mood, or at least it kept me calm enough to actually use my brain. I really need to get my shit together before… better to not think about it.
Once inside Safety's Main Room, I saw Tiffany angrily looking around the place with an expression that promised pain. She noticed me entering and stomped towards me, "Where the hell is Zele? That bitch took my prescription." She growled at me and I rolled my eyes.
"I don't know where she is." At my simple and bland reply, she decided that grabbing the collar of my suit was the best reaction.
She got right in my face with red, puffy eyes. Great, she is having a backlash from suddenly not doing drugs, "Fucking… you have to know!" I sighed and smiled at her widely.
"Sure, I have some in my coffin!" I said cheerily and her mouth twisted into a maniacal grin, she let me go and dashed behind me...
What she got? A butterfly-made fist to the face. She sprawled to the ground from the unexpected hit. Now her eyes were more focused and seemed less crazy.
She was still angry though, "What was that for!?" She demanded from the ground, looking up at me.
I huffed, "I'm not putting up with you being high in the middle of work again. Now get your shit together or do you want another white damage treatment?" Tiffany grumbled from her place on the ground.
"Shut up… great, now I'm actually thinking clearly." She sounded despondent, and I had to force down my need to punch her in the face again.
I looked at my pipe and then back at her, "This thing won't get you high, but it helps a lot when dealing with stress. Try asking for permission to specifically work on Der… fruitcake? I dunno." Tiffany threw me a small glare that didn't hide her contemplative frown.
"... Guess I could use the back-up plan." She grumbled while getting back up, she took a deep breath and scratched the back of her head.
After a moment of silence, she spoke again, "Look, could you stop with that judging shit?" I cooled down my expression and sighed.
Guess I was staring a bit too intensely, "Fair, we all deal with the shit life throws at us differently. I'm no one to judge… until you start screwing me over with it, then I'll judge you again." She grumbled at my words before releasing an exasperated sigh.
"Fuck you too, but I get it." Tiffany slowly started walking towards the door, before glancing at me once.
"Did you see Jeremy anywhere? I'd ask Netz… but I can't find him either." Mulling her words for a moment... I think before coming here, I saw him going to the Cafeteria.
Not sure on that, but may as well tell her to try, "I think he went to the Cafeteria? Don't quote me on that, though." Tiffany gave me a brief nod, and I eyed the giant plant in the room with annoyance. I can feel two different emotions there.
Tiffany was probably too far gone in her anger and then too tired to actually try to look properly for them. I moved behind the plant to see Netzach and Zele sitting on the floor drinking Enkephalin. Netzach… well, he was just pouring the drug through his name plate, which he could apparently move up and down like some kind of cap.
"Hey there boss." I blandly commented. Both eyed me and then slowly started drinking again, their eyes not leaving me.
Using my free hand, I rubbed my eyes while grimacing, "God, it's almost like you don't care…"
"I don't, you should know by now that no one cares about the employees in the facility. I just give them a way to not think about it." He incredibly bluntly spoke those words, and I had to take a couple more whiffs of my pipe.
He grumbled at me, "You are also smoking like crazy, can't really go around judging how we do things with that kind of example." I genuinely felt like I just tried to use my glare to kill someone.
"You know what? I'm not dealing with this today. Choke on it if you feel like it, just don't go shouting for help when you find out that ignoring shit doesn't make it go away." I growled at them and shoved Zele aside with Gold Rush, who had gotten up and was dangling a box of Enkephalin in front of me, I don't want that shit.
Netzach seemed surprised, but I didn't stick around to find out. I left the room and leaned against a wall in the hallways while smoking, just waiting for work to start…
Just ignoring it won't make it go away… I sighed and let my body slowly slide on the wall, until I fell on my ass. I'm not ignoring it, I'm not...
I just don't know how to deal with it. Just waiting for the right way… yeah.
That's what I've been doing.
POV change: Malkuth
"Are you sure about this?" I asked Bethany, who revealed… quite dangerous news to me. She wanted to tell me earlier, but she didn't manage to find me yesterday, I was too busy calming my nerves and trying to not go to Safety and strangle Netzach.
Bethany nodded slowly, "I think… no, I know that's some of the issue." I nodded to myself. Awkward as the move was, I couldn't really avoid making human gestures in a robotic body.
Right… so Trigger is breaking down, Yesod has been on me like a hawk and Angela is still being herself, "Ugh… I'm thinking of what could we do, but if we don't know the full scope, we may just end up making things worse." Why does Trigger, one of the most emotional people I know, is also so good at hiding what he feels?
One wrong step, and it could go downhill rather quickly. Then there is the probability of the Manager just… trying a more permanent solution.
I looked at the documents in my hand, papers with the permission required for Tiphereth A and Tiphereth B to have full control of the quantity Netzach and Hod can use of Enkephalin for the employees. Why the Tipherets?
... Well, Gebura wouldn't care, her hate-filled crusade is the only thing on her mind and Chesed is too busy being afraid of Angela. Hokma and Binah... just no. I may be unable to cancel the program, but I sure can twist it if I need to.
It was quite easy to get the Manager's signature, he tends to deal with stress by drinking and sometimes even gets a little drunk. Saying this would make Safety an actual working department, he agreed in a flash.
But for now… "Ryn, could you be a dear and give these to Yesod? I already told him for whom those are for." From behind the door of the elevator from my floor came Ryn, who cursed under her breath. Binah was better at being sneaky.
"Uh, yeah... yeah, no problem." She quickly took the papers and moved stiffly towards the elevator again, Beth gave her current team leader a baffled stare.
"Are they still..."
"Yes, and I would tell him to focus more on his own job… but I'm pretty sure he is always the first to finish." To say my relationship with Yesod became strained would be an understatement. He obviously suspected I was up to no good, and while true, that doesn't mean I would back out.
I can't afford to bend my knees anymore.
Taking a calming breath, Beth spoke once more, "Back to our current issue… should we just wait and see?" I didn't even bother thinking about it before answering.
"No, if we let it continue, he could close up and that's not good for him." But that raises the question, what can we do? Keeping Amelia on him is going to be crucial, to at least know how things move forward.
… Just spying on him like this feels really wrong. Why can't things ever be easy?
Suddenly, I heard the metal doors of the elevator move again, from it came Angela of all people, her posture was the same as ever… I think? Something was off, I couldn't quite pinpoint what, did she seem smaller?
She took a slow walk towards us, until specifically stopping next to Beth, who seemed surprised, "Malkuth, I couldn't help but overheard your conversation." If I still had eyes, I would have blinked. That was… it sounded awkward.
Like badly done acting, I was planing to also tell Beth of what me and Trigger are planning to do against the corporation. Guess that has to wait now, "I like to think we were being rather quiet." Angela didn't react, but Beth threw me a questioning look. Right… somehow these two became friends.
I still have no clue how THAT happened, "Not the first time you missed something." I had to resist the urge to scoff.
"Because ignoring very clear bad practices in the facility is any better."
"It's called work flexibility, you wouldn't understand."
"You must just love seeing people so high they can't even vomit correctly."
"I only give them the tools, they are the one's misusing them."
Beth coughed quite… threateningly, "Yes ladies, you are both pretty. Angela, I know you are worried about Trigger, no use hiding it. Malkuth, I know you don't like Angela, but let's focus, please." I eyed Beth with a bit of surprise… and is that pride I'm feeling? It feels good.
Sometimes I forget when put under enough stress, Beth just flips a switch and becomes a lot more upfront and bold, "Sorry…" I mumbled bitterly. I KNOW Angela must suspect what I'm trying to do, which is why (I think) I'm so unsure of her.
What's her deal? What does she want? I wasn't sure how much time has passed thanks to TT2 and the other Sephirah… let's call it wonky link to it. I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time we have been in day one, but I can't remember or know this... but I'm sure only three people seem to always remember.
Angela, Hokma and Binah… the last one being more of a guess. With so many attempts, or I assume they happened at this point, wouldn't she be tired of it all?
Maybe I'm missing something?
Beth stared at Angela for a moment until to my surprise she backed out, "I suppose… my attitude was unwarranted." I glanced at Beth once, who was now smiling pleasantly, and her whole posture returned to her more reserved and shy self. That girl is scary.
"I'm going to assume you have a plan?" Taking the conversation back on track, I asked Angela the most obvious and direct question I could think off.
Angela didn't nod or gave affirmation, "You will have to wait and see. Just be sure to keep close attention to him, I'll do the 'dirty' work, as one may say." Suddenly, this feels like an awful idea.
Beth's eyes lit up with innocence, "Oh! What are you going to do?" Angela's expression wavered in something I could actually recognize.
If I hadn't been looking for a reaction, I wouldn't have noticed it. Angela seemed guilty, if only for a second, "What I have years of experience with. Malkuth… I would like to talk with you after today's work is done, but for now, I have things to prepare." Well… that's a bundle of red flags.
Angela left the room and while Beth seemed happy, I was very much conflicted in what to feel. Beth seemed to notice, "It should be fine. Angela may not show it, but she enjoys his company." That's what worries me, you may never know how much others are willing to do for those they care about.
Just like 'A' did, "I'll take your word for it." I replied, but in the back of my mind? Having Amelia keeping an eye out just became a necessity.
Now I see why the Manager drinks so much, dealing with the unexpected is simply stressful…