She Skipped Skipping
Up bright and early on a Thursday morning, I showered, messed about on the computer for a while, and was about to make breakfast when I got a call from Caitlyn.
“Hey! It’s a beautiful day out there, it would be a shame to waste it. You want to blow it off and go get some breakfast?”
I thought about it for a moment. We were supposed to be at work in half an hour, but the thought of spending the day wasting time with Caitlyn sounded great.
“Sure!” I said. “There’s a great little cafe just around the corner. Meet you there?”
“On my way!”
We arrived, and I called in “sick” to the lab. But before I could get off the phone …
… Caitlyn left. She just … left. No words, no “goodbye’, or “psych!” or maniacal laughter or nuthin’. Just … gone. Fine. I’m still having breakfast.
It’s a nice little cafe, in the forest on the island. They still do a brisk business out here.
A couple cups of coffee, a croissant, and some good conversation. That’s always a great morning.
Our barista Don, looked fabulous in his uniform. Nice shoes. You do you, Don. You do you.
To add some more buggering-about to the day, I returned to the scene of my first bed, the spa. This time, as a paying customer!
Ahhh… I relaxed. There was some exercising involved, as well as a lot of swimming around enjoying the afternoon.
I ended my time at the spa sitting on the roof, meditating. It was a marvelous, relaxing day.
As the afternoon drew to a close, I wandered over to the library to see who’s hanging around. The place was fairly empty, but it looks like all those rogue books have finally been cleaned up.
I returned home for some dinner, and some experimentation. I was feeling somewhat guilty about skipping work, but still cheesed at Caitlyn for asking me to skip work, and then abandoning me. If she’s at work tomorrow, I’ll have to ask her what the hell she was doing.
Just before going to bed, I took out This Thing. I found it while digging for minerals, and while I could just sell it off for a couple of bucks, I wondered what I could turn it into.
Woo! What do we…
Dammit. It turned into some sort of interdimensional scarf, which proceeded to fall *through* the counter, and then set fire to it. I’m just not having luck with this damn thing lately.
I’m going to bed.
I got to work this morning, to find Summer standing around outside. She wouldn’t come in, speaking something about “aliens” and “re-org”, then ran away quickly. I’ll have to find out what’s going on.
Inside, I was a little surprised to see Caitlyn acting as receptionist, considering she’s one of our more experienced scientists here. Summer’s run off, and Caitlyn’s answering the phones? Am I still working here?
Meagan isn’t anywhere to be found either, and the inventor robot’s been broken. She must have taken off after damaging the thing; it’s an expensive and intelligent piece of equipment, and I certainly hope she isn’t deliberately sabotaging this stuff.
Luckily, I know how to fix these things now, but it still takes a lot of time away from what I *should* be doing.
For instance, someone delivered a rocket (from Ikea apparently) several weeks ago, and nobody’s thought to read the directions yet.
I spent a few hours hammering away at the thing, and managed to figure out most of the parts. Yeah, there were some pieces left over, but I’m sure they’re spares or something.
Eventually the boss came out to tell me how hungry he is. I really don’t care, sir. Go eat something. I’m not your mommy.
On the off chance, I could make things better with my trusty simray Steve, I attempted to get a nice stove. You just never know what …
Tuesday morning, in my new kitchen! I couldn’t be happ… well, yeah I could happier, but it’s still fantastic. The stove is a used piece of junk, but it works. The fridge smells like old cheese and dead raccoons, but … well, it’s colder than outside. I was sure enjoying dining out, so this whole “cooking my own food” thing will take some getting used to. But, I did always love mom’s grilled cheese, so…
No no… It’s a perfectly safe artificial food supplement. The boss said to test it.
Tee hee.
Well, it worked perfectly. Meagan spent the remainder of the day mad as hell, and couldn’t really figure out why. And she broke another computer.
I can’t decide if they like the work I’m doing so well, and they think I enjoy it so much, that I should have one to play with, or they think I *really* need to practice more. Either way…. Fun With Chemicals!
The raise also allowed me to purchase a small POS computer, which should really help with my gaming. WORK. With my work, and studying and whatever. Yeah. But, then I got a call from my old friend Serge, talking all excited about a fantastic dance party going on. I calmed him down, and we headed out.
Dinner was another quick grilled cheese, and this one was far better than my first. Mom would be proud.
You know… just before bed, let’s see if this …
Eh… whatever. It’s a place to sleep.
Shall we try that again?
Holy Crap! That’s a $3,800 bed! As much as I really want to keep this, that’s more money than I can pass up.
This damn thing’s a money maker.
Okay, what the heck? After this crazy yellow thing, I got a nice little grey bed. C’mon, I can do better…
Whoa whoa… what …
Crap! What the heck happened? I don’t have a fire extinguisher! I mean, I can’t burn the house down, because … well, you know. Hang on…
Right! Freeze ray! Huh. Okay, so fire’s out. I put in a call to the insurance company, letting them know that the bed just “caught fire”. They claimed that this particular model didn’t have a history of bursting into flames, but did agree to pay me a hundred or so in compensation.
Okay… one last time.
You know… that’s okay. It’s not on fire. How can I sleep if my bed is burning? That’ll do for now.
It was a fairly routine shift at work, although Meagan spent literally all day sitting on the computer. Looking for a new job, I hope. Meanwhile *some* of us actually researched and experimented.
Some of us did our jobs, Meagan.
I finally have walls around my washr… I finally have a washroom! Dry TP that hasn’t absorbed the dew all night!
I got a few hours of quiet reading in as well, followed by a half hour or so of just picking up all the fricken’ books people left lying around. I didn’t get them all, but some. I was getting tired and angrier every time I picked up another. I gave up and went home.
Say… that’s a *much* nicer bed than it was earlier. That thing must be worth more than all the money I have in the world currently! I bet I could sell it and buy a kitchen. Oh, but it’s so much more comfortable than it was. I’ll think about it.
Nobody opened a breakfast place in the time since yesterday afternoon, so I returned to the Pelican, where grumpy Mr Kim led me to this table out over the pool. I couldn’t decide what I wanted this early in the morning, so I settled for a cup of coffee and a bowl of clam chowder.
I know what you’re thinking. Clam chowder for breakfast? And if I was going to just have chowder, why didn’t I go back to the Chowder House? I’ll tell you why; Bacon. The Pelican’s clam chowder is full of bacon. Bacon, cream, potatoes, and clams. That’s practically breakfast food anyway.
But for some reason, one of the waitresses collected all the dirty dishes, and left them on my table, and on the floor beside me. No, seriously; a big pile of dirty dishes, stinking up my breakfast.
Luckily, her co-worker came running over and cleaned them up, apologizing for the other’s incompetence. I asked if the other waitress’ name was Meagan and laughed. The waitress asked me to leave.
We played for a few hours, until I received a phone call from Caitlyn, who invited me down to the gym for a workout.
Caitlyn met me at the gym, and we headed in.
The workout felt great. Caitlyn coached me through a few things, then went off to the punching bags. I stayed at the machine for a bit, until …
… something just didn’t feel right. I was pretty sure I was about to throw up. Something about that breakfast chowder wasn’t sitting right.
I called the restaurant right away, letting them know that the chowder might have gone off. They assured me that everything was fine, nobody else was sick, and they were refunding the cost of my meal and another $300 to keep quiet. I should drink plenty of water.
Great.
Well, that certainly wasn’t pleasant. I cleaned myself up, and felt quite a bit better after … letting it all out. I may just survive this.
Out in the hallway, I bumped into a nice man who introduced himself as Bob … something-or-other. We had a great chat about the gym, and its patrons. I bragged a bit about surviving food poisoning, and he seemed honestly impressed.
Oh, look who it is. Meagan.
Hello…. Meagan.
(bitch)
Hungry again – finally – I took a trip to a local bar where I ran into Nancy Landgraab, who introduced me to … Sam. Samuel? Samuel Something. Anyway, there wasn’t any food available here, so we both – Sam and I – headed off to the Chowder House for dinner.
I ordered the fish and chips (I don’t think I could handle any more chowder), and Sam … Sven? Martin? … asked for a burger.
I see the Landgraabs eat here too. That’s good to know.
As we waited for our meal, I took a trip to the washroom to freshen up some. I returned, to see that Maxwell, or Samwell or whatever was not there!
Seriously? I mean, it wasn’t a date or anything, but I did pay for food he hadn’t eaten … did he just grab all the food and take off!?
Ah. No, he’s just outside, chatting up a couple of women. Class act, Sam.
The food arrived, and Samwise was actually a decent conversationalist. However, it turns out he’s a “entrepreneurial music enthusiast”. An unemployed musician. Fine. Well, the meal was nice anyway, and I haven’t got food poisoning from it yet. I said goodnight to my new friend, and thanked him for a nice evening.
But, morning comes early, as mornings tend to do, and I really should sleep before Monday begins.
Damn, this transformed bed is *really* comfy. Maybe I’ll sell it tomorrow, but not … not, quite… well, maybe.
Aaahhh… Saturday. I slept in until noon, and probably wouldn’t have got out of bed then if I didn’t have to use the toilet and shower. I wonder what kind of mischief I can get in to in a town like … nah, I’m just going to hit the library.
I went to the bar, where I’d met Georgia initially, and asked about her. The bartender had never heard the name before, and didn’t know what I was on about. I ordered a quick charcuterie tray and a red ale, but insisted that I’d met a different bartender.
Dammit, what was going on here? I’ll have to call Georgia later.
I had decided to spend some time today at the library, reading up on the local history, studying some technical science journ… oh, who am I kidding? I spent six hours reading true crime novels.
I wasn’t alone though, there were quite a few other people hanging around on a Saturday afternoon, pretending to not read true crime novels.
I did notice though, that people here just never seem to put their books away. The librarians here spent a lot of time picking up after everyone.
And who do these tablets belong to? Why are people coming to the library, not putting books away, leaving their tablets lying about, and just …. go? Is everyone here that trusting? Or … forgetful? Don’t be like all those inconsiderate people, little girl, grow up smarter and better mannered.
Dammit. She just left her book where it was. And there’s two more tablets over there. I should take them home and sell them online.
Up bright and early this morning, feeling great, if a bit hungry. I’ll be very happy when I can afford things like … a fridge. A stove, maybe. Walls.
When I tried ordering, the woman behind the counter announced that she was on a coffee break. Or a break from coffee, I don’t remember. I was hungry and under-caffeinated. I had to wait until her co-worker showed up before I could order a cup and a croissant.
THAT’S better. I might not kill anyone at work today, Meagan.
I sat for a while talking to some of the neighbours, enjoying the company and the coffee. But, eventually I needed to get to work.
It was “collection day” at the office, which really had me nervous over the return of the aliens. That happened, right? I’m not just imagining it, I’m certain. Anyway, no what they meant was rocks and things. I was getting quite proficient in digging things up.
But apparently “collecting” also included collecting fish. I’ve never been fishing in my life, and it wasn’t’ something I had ever put on a list of things I’d wanted to do before I die.
But suddenly there I was, trying to convince fish they needed to come with me. I figured I’d just sneak up on them when they were trying to sleep, and just pull them out of their home in the water and into my OH MY GOD I’M THE ALIEN! I’M ABDUCTING FISH. I put them all back.
Inside, I watched as Caitlyn broke the computer, then just walked away to play with the microscope. We’re both going to blame Meagan.
“Meagan sure did break that computer, alright,” Caitlyn mentioned. I needed to upgrade by simray Steve, to include a transformative setting. Time to see if that works.
I decided to try it out on one of the office chairs. I fired it up, but Summer started talking, distracting me as I let loose. I’m surprised I didn’t transform the entire building into a potato or some such.
Well, that worked. Nice chair.
Time for lunch with Summer, with Meagan pretending not to be listening. The first week at work is almost over, and while I love my job and – most – of the co-workers, I look forward to the weekend, and blowing off a little steam.
The place was jumping!
Yes, I know it’s quarter past 1 in the morning, Mr Kim, but your sign clearly says “Open”, and so was the door. And you’re standing here at the front counter. And the chef is busy in the kitchen, and there are PEOPLE EATING HERE. Stop being such a grump.
Menu looks nice, and the prices are reasonable. Well… reasonable for someone who can afford walls. It’s going to take a chunk of my bank account, but I really need to eat.
It took over an hour for the food to get here, considering there were three people sitting out on the patio, and they already had food. But finally, it arrived; a nice glass of wine and some poached salmon.
Time to get home though. Four o’clock on a Saturday morning, and I finally hit the streets for the slog back to my pretty lot on the Island. What a fantastic evening! Here’s to a weekend off!
Well. That was surprisingly anti-climactic and underwhelming. I don’t know what I was expecting, never having been ABDUCTED BY ALIENS previously, but I was returned hours later with a distinct loss of memory for the time gone, and a really low Fun level. I kind of expected it to at least be fun.
But no. Now I’m returned home, bereft of both fun AND sleep, none the wiser for having – apparently – been on an alien craft in what I hope was space. It would be really disappointing to find that we only went to Willow Creek or Pleasantville or something.
Huh. Aliens are going to make me late for work. I wonder if they’ll buy that at the lab?
Well, back to work. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I was ABDUCTED BY ALIENS LAST NIGHT. I don’t know if I should tell anyone. Is this a regular occurrence in Windenburg? Is it just because I’m playing with forces and chemistry that no human should have access to? Was it the basil? Did the robot sell me out? Did Georgia take me out for a late-night … probe … session… without asking?
“Oh the aliens!” says Caitlyn. “No, that happens all the time.”
I tried talking with Meagan about it, but she wasn’t interested. “Nope! No such thing no way NO ALIENS HERE.” I think she’s in denial.
Playing video games on the office computer. I’d finished all my work for the day, and decided to stick around to get some other things sorted out. That hover-lamp, for instance. But maybe some quick gaming while everyone else is up in the lunch room.
Well, that certainly did the trick, I feel refreshed and lighter, and ready to finish up some work at the chem station. I should get back before someone…
Jeez, Meagan. I shut it down just in time, but she certainly likes to sneak around. I’d hate to have my progress with this organization held back because Meagan thinks I was playing video games on the company dime.
If I *had* a table, I’d totally put the lamp on it.
It’s late, and I’m exhausted again. I considered heading over to The Chowder House to have a quick “WHAT THE HELL!?” with Georgia, but it’s already half past nine, and I just want to sleep. I’m hoping that maybe the lamp will help protect me from any further abductions. I’m not exactly certain why, but something about … UFOs… and shapey things…. or …
With Summer’s assistance, I made another sample of SynthFood. And this one….
… worked! It looks like I can create this as viable on a regular basis. This could seriously solve my hunger problems. Heck, it could solve the world’s hunger problems. If I hadn’t signed that stupid proprietary information agreement, I’d market it and make a fortune. Or … you know … solve the world’s hunger problem. Whatever.
…plumbing! I have no roof over my head, nor walls to hold up said roof, but I have a shower of my very own, a sink, and – the best thing ever – a toilet. My own toilet.
We had a great time! The food was good, and came to the table without much delay. We had a few drinks, and some great conversation.
I made a great friend this evening. Yeah, she’s an alien, but I can’t hold that against her, can I? Isn’t my job as a scientist to discover new things, investigate every opportunity with an open mind? We joked and laughed well into the night.
The nap didn’t last very long. I was up at 3am with the sudden realisation that I had enough money to have that ancestral suit of armour brought over, with enough left over for …
A bed! A glorious, wonderful (slightly small, but private) bed. With no tvs on or dudes trying to talk to me.
I have some time to get some real sleep before work. Luckily it never seems to rain here.
Ugh. It’s going to be a rough day. I didn’t get a lot of sleep, nor did I have time to grab a bite on the way to work. I’m grateful that I don’t have to sleep at the spa any longer, but I’m going to need some time to adjust, I think. In the meantime, I’m starving.
Crap. That’s going to require some more experimenting.
I made another one, and while I had a further breakthrough while doing so, failed to make a viable serum. I’ll just grab a sandwich and coffee again.
Caitlyn told a few jokes near the end of the shift, but Meagan wasn’t impressed.
I spent the last hour of my shift collecting rocks. It seemed like an important thing to do. But I’m starving again.
Another shift ended, and I return home. I want to head into town again to visit the library, but I’m really going to have to eat something first.
I *did* make another sample of that meal-replacement drink, this time with basil and daisies. Maybe this one will work better than the last.
Dammit.
