Energetic, I got you homie.

EDIT*

I went back and changed the final part of the chapter to hopefully patch any potential plot hole that could have formed from careless writing.

"I just barely dodged the swipe of her glacial sword, just barely saving my head," Jasper ducked, reenacting the dramatic fight he was retelling. "I quickly returned with a whack of my staff, aiming for her head to knock her out. However, the Snow Queen blocked it, putting me into a bind! I fought the bind, however the Queen was slowly-" Jasper grunted, 'being forced' back a step as he 'struggled' against the bind with his imaginary staff, "-she was gaining on me, forcing me back, forcing me into submission."

Ami took a bite from a bowl of popcorn that was made earlier, before Jasper had started retelling the story of how he and his colleagues saved their incompetent coworker Richard Jaxon from the Snow Queen's clutches. She was relaxed back in a pink beanbag that Jasper had procured for her weeks ago, with her legs crossed and eyes wide and focused on the show that was going on in front of her. Her staff was close by, relaxed on the back of her beanbag.

Jasper looked up towards his pretend opponent with desperation. "Here I was, freezing to death," he huffed out an imaginary cloud of air, "fighting for my life, my coworkers down, knocked out, or maybe worse, and Queen Carmillia was chuckling."

Ami watched with bated breath, a handful of popcorn held just in front of her face. Her golden eyes locked on Jasper's lime ones, as he held a pause. Throughout the retelling, his hair had fallen in front of his eyes, partially obscuring them. He had discarded his grey vest on his own beanbag a while ago because of the heat from all of the movement. Along with that, the sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up past his elbow to help him stay cool.

Before long, he broke the tension. "She said to me, as I gasped and started to fail, 'I haven't had such an exhilarating battle in such a long time." Jasper breathed out in the most erotic tone he could manage, sounding like a dominator who had just found his next 'victim'. "'I would love to keep you as a trophy, a toy to enjoy, so that I can duel you again, and again… Until…' she forced me lower, my grip was waning on my weapon. 'You…' she forced me to kneel on the ground, as my vision started to darken. 'Break.' she finished, breaking out of the bind, causing me to collapse backwards."

Ami gasped as Jasper mocked collapsing to the ground and dropping his weapon. He was done for, the Queen had won. "How'd you survive!?" she exclaimed, nearly knocking the bowl of popcorn out of her hands.

Jasper sat up from his supine position and sat cross legged, facing Ami. "I got incredibly lucky, I think?" he said, resting his chin on his knuckles. "I don't remember much, except for seeing a bright blue light, then a reverberating clang before everything started warming up."

Ami frowned a bit. "Well, that's anticlimactic. Where's the 'my friends came and saved the day' bit!?" she exclaimed, setting the bowl down next to her and sitting up. "There's always one of those!"

"Well I think something like that did happen, I just don't remember it." He shifted himself over so he was sat kiddie-corner to Ami, and grabbed a handful of popcorn. "From what I could glean from Kain, he went for a decapitation on Carmillia as she prepared to freeze me, but missed."

Ami tilted her head to the side in thought. "I wonder if that was the clang you heard?"

"It probably was, thinking about it…" Jasper trailed off. His gaze started slowly going blank as he thought deeper about it. He could have died, he thought. The entire journey was perilous, with many near misses as they moved through the Queen's castle from the outer, frigid plains. They fought yetis, ice golems, snow beasts, animated armors, reanimated frozen corpses- everything that someone could find in a fictitious frozen palace. Jasper had repressed all the fear, all the doubts that he had, to try his best for Liz, Kain, and for his captured teammate Richard.

And the castle… It was so cold… the chill bit into his skin, his eyes, his nose. It consumed him entirely. The saying 'chilled to the bone' was both literally and an understatement. Even the many layers of winter gear wasn't enough to keep him from freezing. It felt as if the frozen grip of Death himself was grasping his soul. And the Queen herself. Her malice, her selfishness, her greed. She had no soul, her heart as frozen as the ground that Jasper nearly…

He nearly died…

"-asper! JASPER! JAZZY ARE YOU OKAY!?" Ami was shouting into his face, shaking him by the shoulders to try and wake him from his thoughts. His eyes refocused from the golden void that they were staring into, only to come to realize that it wasn't a golden void at all. It was Ami's brilliantly glowing eyes. Their noses were nearly touching as she looked at him with panic. "Jazzy say something! You're scaring me!"

Jasper leaned away from her. "Oh hey, sorry, just thinking," he said nonchalantly, gently pushing her away from himself.

She plopped back onto her haunches and pouted. "Don't scare me like that again! Do you know how spooky it is when you do that?" she berated angrily. "When people get like that they always become mean to themselves, and then they leave me!"

Jasper chuckled. "I'm sorry Ami, I was just thinking about how I haven't properly thanked Kain yet," he said while scratching his neck. "If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have ever gotten out of that frigid castle… or had gotten a chance to meet you." He touched her cheek and gazed into her eyes.

Ami blushed, and pushed him away playfully. "Argh now you're being cliche and mopey!" she groaned, the blush subsiding.

Jasper righted himself and smiled. "Man it's so easy to get you to blush," he chuckled at her expense. "Everytime the most cliche manga romantic stuff sets you off, it honestly adorab-ruuh!"

He was cut off, receiving a high speed pink pillow to the face, knocking him over. Ami was standing up, face redder than a tomato and more miffed than a cat that was moved from its bed for cleaning. "Ha! Got ya! Serves you for being so mean to me all the time, Turel-san!" she declared triumphantly, a wide smile christening her face from taking Jasper off-guard.

Jasper pushed himself off of the ground and spat out a feather from the pillow. He gave Ami a deadpan look, before saying, "You got lucky, and you know it."

Ami's smile turned cocky. "Oh yeah, if that's so then why is it that you got hit twice?"

Jasper closed his eyes and shook his head. "You only hit me on- ooog!" He doubled over from the memory foam pillow thwacking into his stomach. He fell onto the ground, the pillow resting on him.

Across from Jasper, Ami was bent over clutching her stomach letting out round after round of laughter at having managed to hit Jasper with two pillows, something she hadn't done before in their little game of back-and-forth. Jasper would normally dodge out of the way, or let himself get hit intentionally for the comedic effect. This time she genuinely got him.

Jasper sat up, and frowned at the girl across from him. "While that was good," he started, reaching to his side, "you should make sure you've beaten your enemy before gloating!" He flung one of the pillows he was hit with at Ami, hitting her and causing her to yelp from being impacted by the fluffy object.

She shook herself after getting hit, and grabbed a nearby pink, sequin pillow. "Hey, no fair! I was laughing at you!" she complained, before launching the pillow towards Jasper.

He rolled out of the way of the projectile and returned with his own blue fluff pillow. "All's fair in Love and War, dear Ami!"

She sidestepped the offending projectile. "I happen to be an Expert on one of those, and I have to say…" she started giving a speech. Then a down filled white pillow slapped into her face, sending feathers everywhere.

From across the chamber Jasper was laughing as he sent more projectiles at her from the few that were on her new, pink, lounge couch. If it were possible, steam would have shot out of Ami's ears, angry at being interrupted during her heroic monologue. "OH IT'S ON TUREL!" she shouted before diving towards the massive pile of stuffed armaments that was in the opposite corner of the room.

Jasper peaked up from behind the couch and looked towards the pile. He slinked his way closer to it, padded projectiles at the ready. "I know you're back there Ami, if you don't come out now…" he stopped moving forward and waited a moment, nothing came from the pile, "I'll be forced to go in there after you, and I will not be taking prisoners." Again nothing came from the pile. He smiled. "Bravo team, going in."

Just as he was about to dive in after the girl, the pile exploded, as an Ami dove out with a battle cry. Pillows were scattered everywhere, as Jasper ducked underneath her attack, returning fire as he did. The plush armaments flew through the air, pillows, plushies, and others being scattered all across the chamber.

He screamed as he chucked pillow after pillow at the giggling girl, who was abusing her magic to effortlessly float around his ammunition. She used her telekinesis to pick up a large number of stuffed ordinances and sent them flying towards Jasper.

He was hit a few times, but he quickly found cover behind a bright pink arm chair. Pillows bounced off the ground around him, as he collected himself. "The tables are turned now Jazzy! Come out with your hands up and your Judgement will be swift!"

He poked his head over the back of the chair. "NEVER! VIVA LA RESISTANCE!" he shouted before flinging a rainbow colored pillow towards her. It sailed through the air, heading directly towards her gloating face, laughing at her impending victory. She opened her eyes just in time to see the fluffy armament coming directly at her, but it was too late!

Then it sailed through open air, its trajectory unchanged, landing uneventfully near the bean bags they were sitting in earlier. Jasper's eyes opened in shock, "How'd she dodge that!?" he exclaimed. Then it dawned on him, he had no idea where his opponent was- she just disappeared. In a panic, he turned to find better protection behind a giant plush penguin-

"*Oof!*" he grunted, tumbling onto his rear, back against the chair he was hiding behind. Standing above him, was his enemy, his opponent, his adversary. She was smiling sinisterly, a shadow hanging over her face. A yellow light glinted from one of her eyes, as she stared down at the helpless man.

Jasper gasped at her devilish visage, and attempted to get into a standing position, however he was stopped, when a sock covered foot came down on his chest, forcing the air out of his lungs. He grabbed her ankle, and attempted to throw her off of him, to little result. Everything seemed to get darker. Her smile widened, seemingly taking pleasure in his struggle. "It seems as if your luck has run out, Jazzy," she uttered, the shine from her eye glowing brighter for a moment, "are you ready to submit to My Righteous Justice?" She cocked the pillow she was holding. It literally made a shotgun cocking sound.

Jasper gulped, before closing his eyes and turning his head away from her. "Be gentle mommy," he begged, submitting himself to his fate.

A moment passed, with Jasper clenching his eyes shut in anticipation of his fluffy demise. A demise that never came. He opened his eyes, and allowed them to drift up Ami's legs, past her frilly skirt, over her pink bow tie, up to her face. The darkness that surrounded her- that concealed her face was now gone, instead replaced with a bright red blush. Her evil smile was being challenged, a genuine smile tugging at the edges of her mouth. Her intimidating glare was replaced by a forced facade that was very quickly succumbing to a shocked one.

With a grin, Jasper seized the opportunity. "Punish me like the bad boy I am mommy~," he said with a grin.

She snorted and broke down, losing her balance on him, and falling over laughing. There she rolled on the ground, bellowing out wave after wave of laughter. Jasper smiled. Then he chuckled at the absurdity of the joke and the situation. Then he felt the infectious laughter get to him, causing him to start laughing along with her.

There they sat on the ground, both dying of laughter, the prior quarrel forgotten about, their positions of researcher and subject, normal person and anomaly, bland guy and anime girl, disregarded. Instead, just two people- two friends, dying of laughter on the cold floor of a testing chamber, deep underground, and Jasper wouldn't have it any other way.

Cr-Crack!*

A dirty cue ball crashed into the neatly set formation of billiards, breaking their formation and sending them ricochetting across the green velvet table. They jetted around, bouncing off of each other and the soft bumpers. A solid yellow-colored '1' ball rolled into one of the pockets, falling in it. The balding, silver-haired man grinned, his pool stick extended past his hand and rested on the table, where it had struck the cue. He stood up from his hunched position, and flicked his acid green eyes over to Jasper.

Jasper was chalking up the tip of his own pool cue, across the table from Kain, eyes wandering around the room. In a corner booth, a group of workers let loose a line of cheers, followed by the clinking of glasses. In another, a tall, large, heavily built woman just walked through the door, and put down a massive sword in the weapons holder. She walked across the dull, scratched, wooden floor, over to a meticulously kept bar, where a robotic bartender had a drink already set out for her.

The housing section bar, while worn old, was still frequented by nearly everyone in the Control Team. A chance to unwind is never one that should be passed up on when you have to deal with incredibly dangerous entities ten hours a day, six days a week. Even if the wooden facade was chipping from the walls in a few places, even if the pipes and conduits overhead leaked occasionally, it was one of the only places in the entire facility where workers were allowed to be themselves, with very little oversight.

The only oversight came from the experimental bartending robot. It was installed, back before even Liz had joined the Corporation as an autonomous alternative to having a proper bartender. Apparently they were running through bartenders faster than new agents, on account of all of the traumatizing stuff they were being told. Before the robot they had tried taking away the knives used for preparing basic foods, but they would always find a way to get the job done, plus people were complaining about not having cut sandwiches. So they installed the sharply dressed robotic butler based off of some proprietary blueprints from Omnica Corporation. Only the top half however, as from the waist it was attached to a boom arm coming from the floor.

Jasper's attention returned to the table, where he set the chalk block down. After a final inspection of the tip of his pool cue, he lined up a shot on the yellow-striped '11' ball. "It's been a while, huh? That's a lot of stuff you've done." The two were discussing the past weeks, with them comparing the project they each were on. With a quick movement of his arm he sent the cue flying, bouncing balls all over the table. The 'striped 11' just clipped the edge of the pocket, and bounced back towards the center of the table.

Walking around the edge of the table, Kain spoke. "Indeed, after the transition to a new organizational unit, I have taken it upon myself to become more dedicated to the management of the anomalies." He took aim at the 'orange striped 13' ball.

Jasper raised an eyebrow as he watched Kain line up the shot. With a crack the '13' ball was sent forth and caused the solid-purple '13' ball to pocket. Kain continued, "while it has been difficult, it has been nothing that someone of my upbringing can not deal with." He paced around the table, his heavy boots clunking on the worn wooden floor, and leaned back over the table.

While Kain was lining up his next shot, Jasper spoke. "You mention your upbringing a lot, but you've never gotten into just why you're here and not-" Kain made his shot, pocketing the ball. "-not just, wining and dining with the Socialites."

"You seem to have a habit of forgetting things you are told," Kain grumbled, walking around the table. Jasper paid no thought to the insult, being used to Kain's mannerisms when in good company. Instead he backed away from where he was standing to allow Kain the angle for his next shot. "As I have mentioned before, I do not wish to sit in a posh throne and dine on the meals of the wealthy." He took a shot, but missed. "But instead, I wish to reclaim the family's honor."

Jasper walked around to the far side of the table and rested his pool cue onto the back of his extended hand. "Your family's honor?" he questioned, squinting for the shot, "aren't the Razaels already famous for owning a large portion of both the regular and black market shares of weapons and equipment manufacturing?" *Ki-ktchick* "Sounds to me like taking over a branch of that would bring honor to you or something like that." A solid colored ball was sunk, and not the striped one that Jasper was aiming for, causing him to cringe.

Jasper backed away to their shared table and brought his drink, a tall glass of pink lemonade, up to his mouth. Kain *Tsk-tsk*'d as he stepped over a bit to be in position for his next shot. "Jasper, there is no honor in exploiting conflict and strife for money, instead I wish to become a Fixer."

Jasper, who was taking a sip of his drink, choked on it from an attempted gasp. The sudden commotion caused Kain to miss his shot, instead sending it off in a random direction, no hits to be made. Kain glared at his dying opponent, watching as he tried to get a handle on his breathing again. "What is so shocking about striving to become a Fixer?"

Kain waited impatiently while Jasper coughed a few more times, before breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, you just caught me off-guard is all," he apologized. He set his drink down on their dining table, and moved back over to their game. "Why a Fixer? Why start here?" he asked, taking another shot. A striped ball ricocheted off a solid one, and pocketed, to Jasper's delight.

Kain grabbed a shot glass full of amber color liquid from their dining table and eyed it, thinking for just a moment. "My great-great-grandfather was a Fixer," he spoke up, raising his voice to be just a bit louder than the cacophony of the bar. "He was one of the best, if an issue came up, he was the man that they sent." He downed the shot- his third for the night. He carefully set the glass back down, and continued. "It was only after a particular Ordeal nearly killed him, that he retired from the role, instead focusing his effort on his Workshop."

Jasper's turn concluded with him just barely pocketing his final striped ball. "So you want to be just like your grandfather?" he asked. He pointed to a side pocket and took a shot, but hit the bumper instead, causing the ball to rebound back to the middle of the table. Jasper backed away from the table.

Kain stepped up to the table, and readied his pool cue. "Better than him. This is simply one of the many steps that are required to become a Fixer," he clarified. With a terse motion, he sent the cue ball careening towards a solid colored one, causing it to pocket effortlessly. "I wish to prove to the family and the world that we do not sit on our thrones and allow the world to do our work for us." Another sharp motion, another ball in a pocket. "While my brothers are happy to take that role, I aim for greater ambitions."

With one last motion only the eight ball was left on the table. Kain indicated to a corner pocket and attempted to sink the ball, missing by a hair. He grimaced at the mistake, and backed away from the table.

"I guess that's one way to get proper respect from your family," Jasper commented as he approached the table. He leaned over it, stretching as far as he could so he could line up the particularly difficult shot.

"One way?" Kain questioned, as he grabbed the fourth shot that was on their table, "What exactly do you mean by 'One Way'?" His tone became weary, as he eyed Jasper who was preparing to shoot.

Jasper hesitated, causing the cue to mistrike the eight ball, and causing it to go off course. Jasper swore under his breath, and stood up. "Well, it's just- you know the Fixers aren't exactly…" he trailed while making a circular motion with his hand in the air. He frantically searched for a word that wouldn't be too offensive to Kain.

Kain walked around the table. "Are not exactly what, Jasper?" he asked as he effortlessly took his shot. He hit the cue dead-on, sending the eightball for the pocket, although it missed its mark, instead hitting the nearby bumper.

Jasper approached the table and took another try at pocketing the last ball. He spent a moment while leaning over the table, quietly thinking. "They aren't the best of people doing the best of things, really…" he spoke after a short time. He hit the cue ball. It hit the eight ball, sending it across the table, where it pocketed into the targeted hole.

Jasper won the game.

He stepped away from the table with a nod and a proud smile. He ever so rarely wins against Kain in their pool games, so every win is one to be celebrated, if quietly. He set his pool cue into the rack where he got it from.

"I am aware of what Fixers are, Jasper," said Kain as he set his cue away as well, "even so, they are not much better than what my family does anyways. Not much better than what we do here." He stepped away from the rack, took a seat at their table, and leaned back casually, gazing at the shot of brandy, almost analyzing it.

Jasper sat down across from him, folded his arms, and leaned on the table, thinking about his response. Before long, he spoke up. "I know we don't do… exactly the best of things here-"

Kain scoffed.

"-but I try my best to make everything as good of an experience as it can be for everyone, for the most part at least," Jasper finished. They sat in relative silence afterwards, with Jasper staring at the precipitation rolling down the outside of his drink glass, while Kain contemplated his thoughts and what Jaspers words.

Jasper started playing with his half-empty cup, rotating it back and forth, seeing the ice and straw shake with the motion. "It's honestly the reason why I do so much, at least for the Anomolies," he continued, "at least for the ones which are, you know, reasonable." He shifted his cup on the table. "Some of them are still human to some degree, that's why I'm here. I know that the only reason why we don't terminate the ones that can be is because we harvest energy from their traumas and power like they're animals." He took a quick sip from the straw. "'Doesn't mean they have to be treated like animals," he finished.

Kain hummed, thinking for another moment, before sitting up. He set his shot glass on the table, the glass still full. "I have noticed all of the effort you put in to ensure the Anomolies are well contained. While your actions may be noble to a degree, you must not get emotionally attached to your work, or your subjects," he concluded sternly, shaking his head.

Jasper sat up and raised his eyebrow. "What do ya mean by 'not getting emotionally attached?'" he questioned, "I'm not getting attached. I'm just doing my job."

Kain shook his head. "You're doing more than that though, are you not? While your work has improved results across the board, you have been getting too invested into the procedure changes and the Anomolies themselves," he stated as if it was self-evident. "You do not want to get attached to this job, your work here, or the people you work with; it will only end in tragedy."

Jasper ran his finger around the edge of his glass. "Then what's the point?" he asked genuinely, "I thought that was the reason they hired me on? To care for them, ensure we understand the Anomolies, what makes them tick, and how best to optimize energy harvest, right?"

Kain sighed dejectedly. "Yes and no, Jasper. While you may have been hired to be a behavioral analyst and correctionist, you were not hired to go to these extents," he said strongly, "you were not hired to be a therapist, nor a friend to the Anomalies."

Jasper clasped his hands around his drink. "Why not though? A portion of them have been through devastating trauma like the rest of us," he questioned, voice taking on a more defiant tone, "Don't they deserve at least some compassion?"

Kain crossed his arms. "This is what I meant, Jasper," he stated plainly, "becoming emotionally invested will not end well. Others have found themselves in this situation before, and those others are no longer with the Corporation because of their attachments." Of course, they both knew what 'no longer with the Corporation' meant, and it was commonly emphasized that Employees 'left' frequently, for a variety of reasons. While on record all of them terminated their employment willfully, the reality was much more grim, and each one served as a reminder to everyone else…

Don't get attached.

Jasper went quiet, opting to go back to observing the liquid in his cup. "I know, Kain, I know…" He sat in solemn silence for a moment before adding, "But I want to do at least something to make this place better, if not for us, then for something…" He knocked back the rest of his lemonade, the ice rattling in the cup as he set it back on the table. He sighed, and looked towards Kain who was moving to standing from his seat.

"Jasper…" he began, before hesitating. He stood for a moment next to his chair, his eyes analyzing Jasper. A disappointed and sad look washed across his face, and a sigh escaped his lips. "You are a bright individual, Jasper. Incredibly intelligent and diligent. You could outshine your peers and rise to the highest ranks here, or even anywhere you worked," he said, pushing in his chair, "but you will never see that potential fulfilled if you do not regulate your idealism and shift your perspective of morality."

Jasper frowned at him, with a tinge of scorn and offense seeping in. "I understand that, but-"

Kain cut him off. "At the end of the day Jasper, I do not want to see you killed," he put bluntly. Jasper's hung open, mid-word. He remained quiet, giving Kain a chance to continue on, "You are one of only a few individuals who work here who are decent individuals, even after bearing witness to horrors beyond average comprehension." He started walking away from the table, passing by Jasper who was still sitting. "Do yourself, Liz, me, and the few others who know you as a person, and not a coworker, a favor: do not lose yourself in your work. All of the effort in the world will not make your death worth it," he finished, while walking past. He moved his way past a couple of other patrons before slipping out of the door.

Jasper sat at the table alone, just staring at his empty cup, his thoughts racing like a white-rapid river. He sat and thought, Kain's words resonating in his mind.

*EDIT*
I went back and changed the final part of the chapter to hopefully patch any potential plot hole that could have formed from careless writing. As much as I liked the idea of a deeper, more sinister story, I think I want to save that level of writing for a different project, and maybe even a real proper book. I'd love to do something like that one day. Yes, I do plan on doing more work with this story over the coming months. Time is a commodity I am terrible at managing, considering the amount of play time I have put into Secret Lab, making Youtube videos (Kalmaro4152), an Esperanto Translation mod for Lethal Company, and just studying Esperanto in General, on top of having a part-time job. I'll see what I can get done. I want to see this to it's finish, and I wish I didn't have to force myself to write.

Mi deziras al vi bonan vesperon!