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Souls of the Night – Vol 3
27.
Accompanying piece of music for this chapter. It is meant a bit ironically, by the way.
"Lazy" (Ian McConnell) on Spotify or on Youtube watch?v=WVE1ZHUQ75A - Ian McConnell - Lazy (Lyric Video)
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Almost on the border of Bergen Beach and Canarsie were the company premises of LeXa ltd. On the banks of the Paerdegat Basin. I was a little surprised that the headquarters of Lexington's company was really only a stone's throw away from the Flatlands and therefore from my apartment. On nice days I could walk there and back, on bad weather days two bus stops and I'd be home.
On my first day at work ("getting to know the place" day), I decided to take the bus not because of bad weather but purely out of nervousness, even though the afternoon sun was shining beautifully in the blue sky. How strange to go to work in the afternoon rather than the morning, but Lex had explained to me that this was how things were done at his company. Concentrating on the other people on the bus - finding it good and funny at the same time to realize that nobody cared about me as a human being - calmed me down.
My briefcase, which of course didn't have much in it but which, as Tachi had patiently explained to me, completed the outfit I was wearing for the occasion, was slippery where I held it although it wasn't really hot even on the bus. So far, the aforementioned echoes have been limited. Dreams in which I glided over the city sometimes woke me up with dried tears on my cheeks and a damp pillow. At the same time, I hardly ever slept at night, but mostly from early morning to late afternoon, which suited me perfectly because of Lex and the gargoyles. Then sometimes really intense shivering or really hot flushes with outbreaks of sweating, especially when I was stressed. Like two days ago when I almost ran into one of my most horrible aunts while shopping in a store that was purposely not in the Flatlands and luckily she didn't recognize me because of our previous sporadic contact and my healthier appearance. Many other oddities that I could blame on echoes but mostly attributed to my imagination or my often distracted thoughts I tried to ignore. Everything would pass, Alexander had assured me.
Again, I blamed it on one of the echoes that I was sweating now when it was almost certainly my fluttering nerves. I had never applied for a job anywhere (although the interview with HR was only pro forma as my influential friend had assured me). Why was I sweating so much now then? Last week, when Lex and I had written down the many rules by which we would try to organize our relationship (personal and professional) in the future, it had seemed like a good idea to get back to work as soon as possible. It had been my idea and Lex had assured me with renewed honesty that I could take my time, but I didn't want to take my time. The Jussuf problem was off the table for now with the distance torment Lex was still subjecting him to, I was working hard with Davis on the conversation I (Lex and I) wanted to have with my family and I just felt like I needed to do something that was ... human again.
I had only been human for a week and I wanted to get my feet back on the ground in human life (as well as I could with a nocturnal family of choice and an equally nocturnal boyfriend). At the same time, the gargoyles made it clear that I was still one of their own. In fact, on the second evening I had already made my way to the Eyrie where Heather had immediately claimed me to braid her hair after waking up, then Tachi had forced me into her studio to take my human measurements for "human attire". Afterwards we had sat down to breakfast with only the gargoyles eating breakfast and I got a hot meal suitable for the evening although I had begged Broadway not to keep literally frying extra sausages for me which he had chosen to ignore saying that humans ate dinner in the evening.
Two nights later, Nashville had grabbed me right after braiding to train with me as a human as promised and subtly threatened to see me every other night (as expected, he was clingy, but I thought it was so cute that I couldn't refuse). And although I could definitely tell Nashville was holding back, I was grateful to loosen my aching muscles afterwards with some relaxation exercises with Katana in her little dojo. So the first half of the nights passed and the next few evenings until midnight the human Nathaniel Sharif belonged to individual members of the clan, if only to watch TV or cook or play board games. It was as if the gargoyles had made a schedule of who was allowed to spend time with me and when, and I strangely felt that the word "allowed" was really correct and didn't mean "had to". No one made me feel like a burden that had to be taken care of, that the little human didn't feel like a fifth wheel. Everything felt so natural and willing that I didn't even have any other feelings or insecurities.
It was wonderful and yet so exhausting that I quickly understood the point and advantage of being picked up from my apartment in the evening just before sunset and driven back to the Flatlands at night before the second round of patrols began, for which all the adult gargoyles really did fly out. Not in a limousine but in a slim, inconspicuous dark car with its own - "Call me Dustin"- driver. Since I allowed this, Lex in turn had to allow that no staff would drive me to or from work (even if it was raining and my little head might get wet). What had Lex had in mind before our arrangements? Chauffeuring me in a limo to the main entrance of LeXa ltd where a driver in uniform would run around the car and open the door for me as if I were a princess? And then he would have called a full staff meeting and told everyone to be nice to me because otherwise-? Probably exactly that. So that the other children knew straight away that someone very special was honoring them with his presence. God, the thought alone made my head turn red as I walked towards the front gate.
It was closed, behind the gates and between the footpaths leading off in three directions to different modern but not too outlandish looking buildings, there was a pleasant green lawn with mid-height trees and no one to be seen, but Lex had explained to me how things worked here. So I pressed the button on the gate. I looked up at the CCTV camera on the gate floodlight, which was currently switched off, and flinched when a cool male voice called out.
"Good afternoon at LeXa ltd. Your request?"
I cleared my throat, clutched my briefcase even closer to my chest and leaned against the intercom. "Nathaniel Sha-Sharif. I have a job interview and a company tour at 5 p.m.," I said.
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The click-click-click of the little plastic ball bouncing back and forth was abruptly drowned out as someone pushed open the double doors and an African-American woman in her thirties hurried in past non-same-team employees from various departments trying to clear their heads here in massage chairs, on lounge furniture and beanbags in separated television areas or while playing video games. Her fantastically voluminous wash'n'go Afro bobbed with every agitated step, accompanied by a beaming face that warned that her teammates' game was up.
"AliChadAliChadAliChad. Hot news. Literally hot!" shouted Lavonne as she marched through the recreation room (aka brain cell venting area) in Building B in such a hurry that it bordered on running. As well as she could do either in her miniskirt without it riding up and exposing her bum to the part of the company that was passing the time here. LeXa ltd was a unique company in many ways. Not only did it have unique working time concepts (driving kids to school and then coming in? - Gladly. Leave four hours early to make up for it at other times? - Go ahead. Are you a night owl?- welcome!). As long as you could work it out with your team and your division head, almost anything was possible. LeXa ltd. also had leisure concepts to offer from which the much more famous companies in Silicon Valley could take a leaf out of their book. A gym and childcare around the clock, snooze rooms with private sleep pods and integrated smart TVs with all the streaming channels, bookable hairdressers, manicures and pedicures and physiotherapists were just some of the services on offer to make sure that employees would rather spend their time at work than at home. As long as the employee could show results at the end of the month and their total working hours remained within the contractual framework, they had a great life.
Chad (Security Supervisor for Building B and with LeXa ltd for four years) caught with his hand the ping pong ball that Alistair (Medical Technician with LeXa ltd for nine years) had just served him and rolled his eyes as Lavonne (Robotics and Autonomous Systems Engineer with LeXa ltd for six years) slammed her hands on the ping pong table and couldn't decide which of her teammates to fixate on. She just decided to turn her head from left to right in her hyperactive way, her grin almost manic.
"Ali! Chad! Awesome news!"
"You figured out who was stealing your yogurts from the communal fridge in your department without sneaking into the House B monitor room and tapping into the cameras?" Chad asked, sounding rather annoyed though he gave Ali a look that announced this game would resume later or tomorrow. Alistair smirked in her you'll-never-beat-me wifey way. Inevitably, LeXa ltd. was staffed by a lot of weirdos, eccentrics, introverted nerds and all kinds of freaks (perhaps only natural when the company co-owner and technical director was a fucking gargoyle). But Lavonne was a class of her own. The in her profession remarkably stylish and eccentric manner, her startling dominance and cheekyness scared a lot of people off and only with Chad and Alistair had she found a solid team (because only if all team members agreed to "work" together did a new willing member remain).
"No, I haven't tracked down the thief yet," Lavonne said so hurriedly and casually that it was clear there were more pressing things on her mind, which was spinning a little too fast as usual.
"Hold on tight. We've got a new one!" Lavonne jumped up and down in her (they're not fashionable at the moment but I'm making them fashionable again) sneakers with the high heels and giggled like a lunatic, while Alistair and Chad exchanged perplexed glances. What could possibly excite the bundle of energy from Team 34 when she was usually the cool one? The planner, the self-proclaimed team leader and pack mom - she could have that title as long as she fought everybody 's battles.
"We have a new one, do you hear me?" she said again in a tone that demanded participation and interest.
"A new ... outbreak of herpes in teams 14, 23 and 31?" Chad asked very seriously and probingly.
"They take their days of collaborative activities way too seriously," Alistair commented, equally deadpan. Before both of them simultaneously and synchronously cackled and gave each other a high five. That was the advantage of having a spouse who was also your best friend. Similar dirty humor.
Lavonne put on her staring snake look.
"No, you two goofballs. A new one on the team!"
"Oh, cool," Ali said after a three second pause and walked off to stow her bat in the utensil closet, with Chad on her heels doing the same.
"I hope it's not another technician. We keep getting stuck on the same work-related topics, even during breaks and team bonding activities."
"It's not a new employee in security, though - I would have gotten wind of that," Chad said, grabbing his blue button down shirt that he had shed to play, letting his black DragonHeart t-shirt professionally disappear underneath where his wife had the luxury of staying in her jeans and Van Halen band shirt. But she thought he was hot in his uniform and he liked being hot for her.
"Good news!" Lavonne announced, beaming with joy. "No technician. Not a security chump like you Chad. Love you but don't need two of you."
"Me neither, thanks," said the tall blonde jock, rolling his eyes.
"Please, no one from HR!" groaned Ali as they walked out of the light-filled recreation area, Lavonne taking the lead to guide them to the new little pup in their enclosure. "I don't want to have to spend time with people who analyze our monthly performance reports and then make me feel bad for every break. It's like getting up close and personal with a snitch. I brainstorm while rollicking in the gaming room! And I get the best ideas in the sauna."
"Me too," Chad cooed and Ali giggled a dirty laugh at that.
Lavonne grumbled and tried to ignore the following billing and cooing, her eyes fixed firmly ahead, dodging the occasional staff member who was also active in the evening.
"You have one more try, then I'll have your firstborn child."
Ali giggled more. "You wouldn't want our future first child."
"Exactly," Chad said with a disconcerting mixture of factuality and mischievousness. "It would kill you in your sleep and make a blanket out of your freshly peeled skin to stay warm."
"Our children would shave your liver."
"Squeeze the jelly from your eyes!"
"Actually, it's quite good on toast!"
Both spouses laughed and even Lavonne snorted. The two English-born idiots had a fondness for fantasy and fairy tale movies but cited the Shrek movies the most because they had met at a fan meeting before Chad had switched to LeXa.
"Adorable. Good thing I don't have any toast in the house. Okay. The new one is an accountant but-"
Chad stopped and looked at her in horror. "WHAT! That's even worse than someone from HR."
Ali nodded. "Not another boring old sod who can't take a joke or a movie quote and tells us off to his department head when we use too many pencils."
"What have we done to deserve this? They must hate us up there."
"Get over yourselves, you psychos," she scolded bitingly.
"WE are the psychos?"
"Yes!"
"Says the woman who writes perverted fanfiction about the movie Joe's Apartment. How many times can one of the people (female OR male) get impregnated by cockroaches? I'm still traumatized today!" Ali complained, glaring at another employee standing around with his smartphone who was staring at her in horror with a dare-you look that made him flee.
"It's a very intriguing concept, Alistair, my sunshine - the invasion of a body by creatures that normal people normally avoid or repel. Not me, of course! And insects are not only the largest group of animals on earth, they are also indispensable for every ecosystem and for humans. Nothing against insects, they're cool. So - Why do you think I'd be happy to have an accountant. Be my guest – I`ll show you."
She grabbed Chad by his shirt and pulled the beefy man with her. He looked desperately for support from his wife, but Alistair just shrugged her shoulders and went to see where it led. It led to the entrance of the dining hall. It wasn't staffed at night, of course, but now at seven o'clock in the evening the last people were being fed. Everyone who came in afterwards had a wide choice of drinks and food vending machines, spitting out almost everything from packaged salads to sandwiches made on the day to ready-baked pizza.
"Look - at - this - snack*," Lavonne whispered, peering around the corner into the hall. Chad and Alistair, themselves gripped by curiosity, did the same.
"Ant is keeping him warm for me," their pack mom added conspiratorially and after both had spotted their last teammate Anthony (maintenance worker at LeXa ltd. for eight years), they took a good look at the man sitting next to him on one of the benches. The mixed-race looking man in the navy blue suit had a can of Coke in his hands and was eagerly listening to his new teammate, who could be chatting about anything and nothing over his plate of meatloaf. Ant was short and chubby, but by far the most approachable and perhaps the least disturbing of the team because he was sober and friendly. A typical NPC, as Lavonne called him, which regularly made Ant blush because he had a serious crush on the woman, which she would continue to ignore because it was nothing to brag about.
"Ant is good for ikemen*-sitting. I didn't want to scare him off right away," Lavonne commented on the couple's unspoken thoughts. "He's got that shy deer vibe."
"Sounds ... strange. And Ikemen?- I don't know. Pretty skinny guy. He's not tall either."
"Well, not everyone can be a ninety-tall football player, Chad." his wife murmured lovingly before her gaze went back to the man with whom they would spend a little time every day if he suited them, if he wanted to and they wanted to, as was company policy so that not all the nerds stayed in their own bubbles. "He looks quite likeable. Cool dreadlocks for an accountant. But he's really got something ... skittish - which is probably normal for his first day and when he's already spent more than two minutes with you, Lavonne."
"It was three minutes before I went looking for you and so no one slips on my slick. I proudly present to you the future Mr. Lavonne and father of my future children. You have to see his eyes. It's like he sees right into your soul - it gives you goosebumps. And that shy smile. This guy is SO dank! Dibs!"
Chat and Ali straightened up again and exchanged meaningful glances with each other while Lavonne continued to drool.
"Lav ... he won't want to stay on the team if you're simping for him like that," Alistair said.
"Simping? Meeee? Nope - me ... I'm quite cool. Take another look. His suit."
"Yes - nobody told him that it's not required to wear a suit here. Only the security and maintenance staff wear work clothes."
"Not that! The suit is custom-made. And his leather briefcase is genuine!"
"An accountant who can afford a tailor-made suit? More like no-"
"You think I couldn't tell when something wasn't off the rack!"
Chad took a step back with his hands up. This was an issue where he had the choice of kowtowing to Lavonne or being swept up by Ali with a broom later.
Lavonne now stood up herself and leaned against the wall, fanning herself with her hand with her long fingernails. "Maybe he has bread* and just wanted to piss off his family by becoming an accountant. His name is Nathaniel Sharif- Muslim, but he doesn't practice at all. And his mom is black and his dad is Arab - we'd be a multi-culti power couple."
"I see you've asked the most important questions first," Ali commented, beaming with sarcasm.
"He talks really softly and I'm sure his hands are gentle too. He seems so innocent. Like an unstained piece of paper just waiting to be written on. But there must be a fire simmering underneath. He may be an accountant but the dullest jobs are usually the best lovers. Maybe he is kinky - maybe he is an Entomophile* like me or I can get him to like insects. Still waters run deep and all that."
"Do you want him as a permanent partner now or just as a fuck. I'm confused," Chad said.
Lavonne shrugged and plucked at her Insect Lovers USA bracelet. She loved insects, had four stick insects, two praying mantises and three Madagascar hissing cockroaches at home and you'd think that combined with her bubbly personality would be enough to attract men in droves. "And I'm still undecided but leaning towards permanent. Maybe I'll clear him up first, break him in and then decide whether to ring the wedding bells."
"Oh good, I thought the new guy had a say."
"He really is a bit thin. Maybe you can get him interested in a couple hours at the gym, Chad. Otherwise he'll break with all the self-defense classes and anti-rampage drills we have to go through."
"Me?"
"You work out there every other night. Why not you, muscle man?"
"Can the man settle in first before you throw yourself at him and make him Mr. Lavonne? We don't know anything about him yet. You don't know anything about him. He could be a mass murderer or collect severed doll heads."
"Those would be the first to go - my terrariums need space! I could put one of our new nano-tech robots in him and the day after tomorrow I'd have all his data, from blood pressure to sleep rhythm and fertility. What do you think of Xavier and Tiana?" she asked carefree, looking at Alistair.
"Oh, Tiana as in The Princess and the Frog. I like that. Can I be godmother?" asked Ali.
Chad rubbed his temple, annoyed. "Blimey, you're going to scare this one away even faster than the last one. Our team never stays complete like this. Other teams have been stable for years - you know that. I heard at the last company day that they call us The weirdos of House B - did you know that? And that in a company full of freaks!"
"I take that more as an honorary title," Lavonne exclaimed, made a hand gesture to end the topic and barred her teeth. "I'm sick of watching you two being flirty. I want to have my own romance. I want a workplace romance too, damn it! I'm soon to be in my mid-thirties and I'm done with fucking around that gets me nowhere. I'm this close to getting artificially inseminated, wouldn't that make my critters jealous."
"Last minute panic or rather baby fever? Too bad your pets can't get you knocked up."
"I'll soon be making ants scurry under your skin," Lavonne said sweetly to Chad who grinned like he would not believe her.
"If he's really such a jackpot, then he's definitely in a relationship. Is he wearing a ring?" Ali asked, much more helpfully than her husband.
"No! Not even the shadow of a ring. Checked immediately. I haven't asked him about his relationship status yet and believe it or not he does NOT have an Instagram or Facebook profile! I looked him up on the way over."
"Okay- weird."
"Maybe he's on other sites."
"Insta. Reddit. LinkedIn. Diaspora, MeWe, Mastodon ... all zilch*. That's all I've been able to check - I'll do more when I get home. As if he had been living in a cave. It's kind of cool and mysterious but really frustrating. Everyone has some kind of profile - even my grandpa, fuck."
Chad spoke in the voice of reason. "Is the psychopathic mass murderer option off the table yet? That doesn't sound normal or safe."
"Maybe he's just one of those social media deniers," his wife said placatingly.
"Doesn't matter. I don't care about anything. The last hot guy was snatched away from me by the GOAT* cunt from PR. I'll make the guy clear. He'll join our team and in two weeks at the latest he'll be my beau."
"You could ... pee on him so the other bitches know he's yours," Chad mumbled dryly.
Lavonne patted his cheek patronizingly. "That'll be the contingency plan. For now, let's make the cutie feel welcome. I'm going to have maad rizz*! I can feel it in my ovaries."
"Great," Chad muttered, shuffling into the cafeteria after Lavonne and his wife.
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Yay! New characters! They're getting more and more! There must be a nest somewhere.
Thanks for reading, Q.T.
someone is a Snack = extremely attractive or sexy person
Ikemen = hot guy. A pretty male anime character. They tend to have soft/elegant hair, beautiful eyes and charming smiles.
NPC = Non-Player Character = A simply programmed character that is only there to give the real players or their avatars the impression of a real gaming experience or of a game world that is populated by other people. Background characters, the ones with repetitive movements and sayings, and no storylines. The main, playable character can interact with them but only in limited ways. They are tools in someone else's story.
someone is dank = high quality
Bread = money
Entomophile = Entomo came to mean insect and entomophile, insect lover.
zilch = nothing; none; no
GOAT = Abbreviation for Greatest Of All Time.
rizz = One's charm/seduction skills