“You know what? One of these days, I’m going to hit you with a fantasy as dirty as I can make it. Just to watch you swim through it. Alright? Cause right now, I’m at about a thirteen on the one to fuck you in the eye-socket scale of in pain,” Felix said, leaning forward over his desk. “So if you want to get right down into it, I’ll be happy to drown you in a sea of damned seme—”
As bad as the headache was, it was the sudden relief that took his breath away.
“Better?” Kit asked, coming up beside him.
“Yeah… yeah, it is,” Felix said, closing his eyes and hanging his head. “Sorry, I felt like there was a piston pounding at the back of my skull.”
“You definitely were having some tension problems in your neck and base of your skull. I’ve been going through that library you put together. Read about it in your thoughts,” Kit said happily.
“Un?” he mumbled.
“I took one of the medical books for things relating to the head and brain. Helpful, yes?” she asked, a hand pressed to the middle of his back.
“Yeah. Helpful. Very helpful. Super helpful. You need a bonus,” Felix said, simply enjoying the lack of the headache.
“I’d like you to make some more books like the one I took. I need one for everyone on my staff,” Kit said, her hand patting his back.
“Sure thing. Whatever you want,” Felix said, nodding.
“Good. Now, you have a nice date with Lily, and please turn off the mind reading. I’d really rather not hear your thoughts later tonight. I also have a report I need to put together for you. I know those questions are burning holes in your head, but it’s all rather silly. It’s embarrassing, really,” Kit said.
Should have let her into my head earlier. Ever since she got free rein in there she’s about as passive as could be.
Popping the ability into an off-state, Felix stood up.
“You’re right, gotta get going. I’ll see you later,” Felix said. Waving at her he stepped around his desk and left his office quickly.
Lily caught him right on the other side. She was in a knee length grey dress with a black jacket that ended at her elbows, and a white blouse underneath.
“There you are. I see Kit’s turned you loose. I also approve of her choice,” said Lily as she walked up to him.
“You would. You enjoy seeing me being uncomfortable. Maybe not in pain, but uncomfortable,” Felix said, trying not to let his eyes make the elevator trip down and back up.
Which he imagined he failed at since her smile spread.
“I’m no mind reader, but I take it you approve?” Lily asked, glancing down at herself.
Felix wrinkled his nose but didn’t rise to the bait.
“So, where are we off to then. You’ve kept me in the dark long enough,” Felix said.
“Ah, ah, not spoiling it quite yet. But we’ll get there. First we need to take a trip back into your office. Kit should be ready by now,” Lily said, making a shooing gesture with her hands.
Now without the miserable headache that had been plaguing him all day, his patience for her nature was at an all-time high.
“Alright, sure,” Felix said, turning around.
Only to have two hands press into his back. “Faster already.”
“Har har, maybe I should drag my feet and see if you can push me?” Felix said, moving a bit quicker despite his words.
Opening the door to his office after having only left for a minute, he was surprised to find an active and open portal in the middle of it.
“Ah, fantastic. Thanks, Kit. I owe you one,” Lily said from behind Felix.
“I take it we’re going through then?” Felix asked, walking up to it and peering through.
“As soon as I finish our disguises, yes.”
“Disguises? The heck do we need disguises for?” Felix asked, leaning in through the portal.
“Get out of there, silly. You’ll ruin it,” Lily said.
Sighing dramatically, Felix leaned back and gave Lily a bright smile.
“Only cause you do look good. Otherwise I’d be half tempted to walk through just to see if I could incur the wrath of Mab. You haven’t gone all high-and-mighty on me in a while,” Felix said, looking to Lily and Kit.
“Sorry. He’s being insufferable and it’s partially my fault,” Kit said.
“No, he’s always insufferable. Alright, make sure I do this right? I can’t see it since I’m on the other side,” Lily said to Kit.
“Of course. Go ahead and put them on.”
Missing something here. Put on what?
Lily turned and stared him down. Hard.
Like he was a bug, kind of stare.
And as quickly as she did, she looked to Kit and held up a hand.
“So?” she asked with a touch of hesitation in her voice.
“They look good. Pretty much right in the middle of average. Good show,” Kit said with a smile for her.
“Grand. Open it up tomorrow morning? I’m sure we’ll be ready by about eight or so,” Lily said. Turning, she grabbed Felix by the elbow and led him through the portal.
“Have a good time!” Kit called behind them, and then closed the portal shut.
Lily looked around as soon as they stepped out of the portal and smiled to herself.
“Perfect. This is literally right outside,” she said as if to herself.
“Uh, where are we exactly? I’m guessing it’s further away then an hour long car ride?” Felix asked.
It looked familiar to him, but he had no memory of the place.
“You really haven’t explored your own kingdom, have you,” Lily said dejectedly.
“Ok, by that comment I can assume we’re back in Skippercity then?”
“Yes. And in the lower habitation levels. The ones shielded by about ten feet of reinforced concrete with steel plates. You paid a lot for them? You don’t remember?”
“I sign many things. I think I want to buy a stamp with my signature on it. It could just sit on my desk. ‘Oh, sign this’, stamp,” Felix said, feeling playful. For the first time in a long while, he wasn’t being drowned in paperwork, working a headache out, or dealing with something.
“You do realize how quickly that’d end up in Andie’s hands, yes? Then everything would have your signature on it. Including her, I imagine,” Lily said, pulling him along through an archway.
“Ah… yeah. That’s… yeah. Good point. Ix-nay on the stamp,” Felix said.
As they passed the arch and got deeper into the room, Felix realized they were surrounded. It started with a few people, and almost immediately climbed into a throng of men, women, and children running about on whatever chores they were doing.
“These are…” Felix started, watching as people streamed in and out of what looked to be stores.
Grocery stores, knick knack shops, even an electronics boutique.
“These are your people, living in their underground world that you carved out. You subsidize almost all of their costs, so the fact that almost everyone’s salary is the same, doesn’t matter at all. And since you actually pay them their full salary now, that goes pretty far with the subsidizing. Shame about that loophole. I really thought that would last a while. Or at least, longer than it did. It got wiped out pretty quick in the grand scheme of things. Skipper realized how much they were missing out on in taxes,” Lily said.
“Yeah. Skipper is definitely paying attention. I imagine that probably shored up some gaps in the budget for Skippercity, too.”
Lily only nodded her head and led him along as they walked down the street. There were no cars or bikes, just pedestrians.
Everyone moved about as if they were simply out and about. Enjoying an evening after work in a shopping district.
There were even dark gray security guards on patrol making their rounds.
It was obvious they were treated vastly different by the crowd in comparison to how most people acted with the police.
The security patrol smiled and nodded to friends and acquaintances as if they were still at the office. Quite a few stopped and chatted with others.