Ravensdagger_Kittypunk_Cyberpunk_Kitrpg

Chapter Eight — Getting Paid

Chapter Eight — Getting Paid We arrived back in Fenway without much fuss, and just a few minutes before our shift was supposed to start. There was already a line out the front of the bar, people waiting to get in the moment the doors opened.The bouncer let us through, though he told Sharp to use the back entrance next time, since letting us pass pissed off some of those in the line.Paris raised an eyebrow on seeing us, but she didn't complain, maybe because Sharp sprinted by towards the back and practically flung me onto the bed. "I need to get changed!" she said before grabbing her work clothes and then practically throwing off what she'd been wearing to get ready.She was out of the room a moment later.And that left me alone once more.Honestly, I was ready for a nap, though I had caught a few winks on the way over. This new body of mine was primed to fall asleep at a moment's notice, but I didn't want to do that just yet. First, I wanted to play with that burner phone.Sharp had left it in her pants, which were now crumpled on the ground. A careful hop down-this time without crashing-and I got to wrestle with her pants for a few minutes to try and dislodge the burner from the pocket it was stuffed into.It was the kind of thing that would have been easy as a human, barely an inconvenience, but now the phone weighed a quarter as much as I did.I did manage to get it out. Ideally I would have brought it up onto the bed, but I didn't expect to be able to manage that.Sighing, I moved the phone around as best I could on the floor. It had come out screen-side-down, so I had to flip the damned thing. That was a chore and a half. Once it was upright, I leaned over the screen and caught sight of my reflection in it. A... hmm, I didn't want to admit it, but that gremlin girl might have been a little right. I was definitely on the mangey side of things.Kittens, by their nature, were cute, but I was definitely on the ugly-cute side of that spectrum.In any case, I now have a phone. I pressed a paw to the screen, then tapped it until it unlocked. There was no password, which was nice. A swipe revealed that we still had internet for another two or so hours.I wanted to log into my banking accounts, or check on things, but the gremlin had seemed tech-literate enough that I didn't dare use an unsecured device like this to log into anything.That didn't stop me from opening a news app and perusing things. First local news once I figured out how to close the constant ads and demands that I join their subscriptions. There were millions of people living in Boston Two, so news was always booming. There wasn't anything, at a cursory glance, about Fenway except a few mentions of various sporting seasons about to start or nearing their end.Good enough for now.I checked the gang-related news for anything interesting. There were plenty of small-scale wars going on, pushes for turf, disputes and fights, but it seemed like the city overall was in a low simmer.I did a roundabout search that eventually led me to the obituary of one Professor Daniels. The corp he was working for released a statement, saying that he unfortunately passed away of cardiac-related issues just two days ago. Nothing about a cleaning lady dying, but that was to be expected.Another roundabout search and I was able to confirm that my home was safe.That was a weight off my shoulders.Now... did I want to head back there?At the moment it was wishful thinking. Sharp didn't have that kind of money, and walking the distance was out of the question. Did she know how to drive? If so we might be able to steal a car and make the trip....How would my cats react to a new person in the house? For that matter, how would they react to a kitten?Well, whatever. My last job was meant to be a long-term one. Housekeeping would keep my place clean for months, the vet service had at-home pickup set up with the Trauma Group Pets Premium setup I'd shelled out for, and the apartment that I was paying for was owned by a small company that I was a majority shareholder in. It wasn't like they would kick me out so easily.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.Did I want Sharp up in my house?It wouldn't be all that bad. She was a nice-enough girl.Would it be good for her?Now that was a bigger question. I didn't have any way to confirm it, but I had a sneaking suspicion that Sharp and I would improve a lot more if faced with challenges. A comfortable home was... not that.I wanted to do more with the phone, but two things stopped me. First, a ping from whatever system we had going on.Tech Has Levelled Up!Tech 0 1That was a good jump there, from nothing to something. I blinked as I felt a slight... tickle through my mind, but I wasn't sure if that was my imagination or not. In any case, that had been an easy level to earn. Was it past experience coming into play?The second thing was a wave of tiredness. I was more than due for a cat nap.Yawning, I went over to the bed and used the edge of a blanket hanging off the side to climb up and onto the mattress, then I navigated over to the pillow and flopped down onto it. It wasn't long before I was asleep.Today had been a pretty good day, so far.I was awakened by Sharp's insistent shaking what felt like only minutes later. "Hey, kitty, wake up, please.""What is it?" I asked."Uh, they're back. And this time Jenny wants to talk to me. What do I do?" she asked.I blinked the crud out of my eyes, then stifled a yawn. "Is she here to pay you?""Oh... I hadn't thought of that."I gave the girl the flattest stare I could manage, then stood up and stretched. It felt wonderful. There was something about being a cat that made the act of stretching really nice. "I'll come with you. Honestly, she should have just passed you an envelope with the cash. Or else made an electronic transfer of some sort.""I know, but she told me to meet her below, in the parking lot under the bar."That had my ears perking up. The parking lot? That... could be entirely innocent. But then, why not just pay Sharp here? The bar was neutral ground, and the kind of money owed to Sharp wasn't anywhere near large enough to sound alarm bells or catch anyone's attention. "We're letting the bouncers know," I said."We are?""Well, you are. If this is a trap, we'll make sure it's one that'll cost them their neutrality. Is the grem-Jenny still around?""Yeah, she's waiting by the bar," Sharp said. She adjusted the hem of her baseball shirt, tugging it down as though it were a dress. It was almost big enough for that, actually.I nodded, then allowed her to grab me and hide me under the shirt. I clung onto the inside with my claws, which was... not as bad as it might have sounded. I weighed nothing and my claws were perfectly grippy. I imagined that the small lump in her shirt would be obvious, but people tended to default to not asking questions."Let's go," I said.Sharp giggled, then patted the area of the shirt I was hiding in before she took off. I could just about see through the material, especially when we entered the main floor of the bar and the brighter neon lights lit the shirt up from the outside.She moved over and talked to one of the bouncers, telling him that she'd be talking to someone in the parking lot and should be back soon. He asked if she wanted him to accompany her, and Sharp froze for a moment before saying yes.I hadn't expected an escort, but I wasn't about to say no to a bit of help. He said it would have to be fast, since Paris wouldn't want them gone, and Sharp agreed.And then we were off. The parking garage was three floors down, accessible through one of the elevators in the concourse just outside the bar. The doors opened to a low-ceilinged space filled with cars and choking with hydrocarbons.Jenny and the mage were there, standing way out near the back next to a small minivan with an opened side. I noticed a shift in the shadows nearby a moment before that mage turned and looked our way.It was time to see what this was all about. I had a feeling it wasn't as simple as us getting paid.

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Chapter Nine — I Moths Ask You a Question

Chapter Nine — I Moths Ask You a Question "I don't like it," Jenny the gremlin said. She was shrugging deeper into her oversized coat, and from what I could see of her, she was regretting wearing so little.Look, I was young once, with nice legs and all, but I'd gotten past the 'show off myself' phase real quick when it started to be too inconvenient. One could only pull off Famme Fatale for so long, after all. Now I was firmly in the old-person camp of looking down on anyone young and stupid who wore too little. Like these two brats here.The mage, Aly, was at least wearing pants, but her entire midriff was exposed. Was she not aware of how many organs were there? And that pale skin would stand out in the dark. She was asking to get shot.The girls whispered something to each other, the sound swallowed by the hum of the ventilation system hanging near the ceiling."Here goes," Sharp muttered."You've got this," I said. She might need a little encouragement, after all. No harm in giving her a little push.Sharp adjusted her shoulders, then walked on over to the girls. I noticed that there was a third person with them, a middle-aged guy sitting in the van with a pair of headphones on. A driver? He didn't seem exactly interested in being here. It was worth noting though.I wished I was free, then I'd have a better view of the area... actually... why not? These two had seen me before, and playing it as though I was hiding would stand out as non-catlike-behaviour.I clawed my way up Sharp's side from inside her shirt, and she wriggled a bit as I exited out by her collar and settled onto her shoulder. "What are you doing?" Sharp asked."Acting natural. Which you should too. Yup, that's the right level of nervousness. Remember, deflect, distract, and distrust.""Huh?"Ah, right, I hadn't taught her all of my mnemonics yet. I had to get around to that, but the last few days had been rather busy. I really did have to draw up a proper lesson plan at some point. But I could worry about that latter."Hey," Jenny said. "You're almost late. You know we're on a schedule here?""Sorry!" Sharp said. "But I'm here now. Hi!""Hello," Aly said with a nod. "Give me a moment." She reached to her back, and I tensed. A weapon? I could probably make the leap from here to her face. A mage she might be, but she needed her eyes as much as anyone else.Instead, she removed a small gauntlet from a pouch by her back and settled it onto her hand. It was golden, with a few grey bands around the forearm and what looked like a set of gems by the knuckles. The girl closed her now-armoured fist, and the air suddenly buzzed with a strange, static-y feel.I shifted, trying to stop my fur from standing on end.She snapped her fingers, and the shadows in her palm unfolded into a small cascade of moths that flitted out and started to fly in lazy circles around us. The sound of the air con was suddenly muffled."There," she said as she lowered her arm. She was trying very hard to look casual, but I caught that bit of sweat beading on her forehead. This had cost her something to cast.I eyed the mage up and down, making note of a few things that I might have missed previously. She had a small silver clip in her hair in the shape of a moth, and her belt buckle had the same outline.Not a mage then, a warlock. Similar, but entirely different. It wasn't a hard guess to determine that she worked with or for the Eidolon of the Moth. What would that mean? Moth warlocks weren't super common, but they weren't unheard of. She'd be practised with a lot of magic that helped her remain stealthy and unnoticed. Some magic having to do with light and darkness, and obviously some with sound. But nothing too strong, offensively.I glanced back. The bouncer was staring off into space, his eyes glowing a bit. Definitely not paying as much attention as he could be.Right, the moth mage... what else did I know about them? There was a strong assassin on the east coast that was a moth warlock for some time, but he'd died recently. The Death Moth. He grew famous, which was a death knell for any assassin worth their salt.Stolen story; please report.Still, that didn't bode well for us."Hi!" Sharp squeaked. "I mean, hello. I did the job.""Yeah," Jenny said. "You sure did." She reached into a pocket of her coat, then pulled out a small envelope that she tossed over. Sharp fumbled it out of the air, and it smacked into the ground with a dull thwap. I had to cling on for dear life as she bent down to scoop it off the floor.She opened it, revealing a tiny, emaciated stack of bills."That's your pay," Jenny said. "You did okay. Not that it was exactly complicated.""Thank you!" Sharp said. "Uh... well, that's all, right? Have a nice day?""Nuh-uh," Jenny said, though she didn't make any moves to stop Sharp from actually leaving. "We gotta chat a lil' more.""We do?" Sharp asked."I'd appreciate it," Aly said. She raked a hand through her hair, then let out a long sigh."Okay then!" Sharp said.I... really had my work cut out for me with this goofball, didn't I?"Are you a magic user?" Aly asked."Gosh, I wish," Sharp said wistfully. She shook her head. "Nope. Sorry. My magic stat is at a big fat zero." She made a small circle with her free hand. I'd have batted her ear for dropping that kind of hint if it wouldn't be out of character for a kitten.Then again, why would anyone jump to the conclusion that she was being literal?"I see," Aly said. She tilted her head a little, her bangs shifting enough to reveal a small tech tattoo marked on her forehead. "Well, I suppose that's that, then. We appreciate the help. It was kind of you.""I appreciate the money!" Sharp said. "If you ever have anything else like that, I'd love to help more.""We can handle ourselves," Jenny snapped."We can," Aly agreed. "But that doesn't mean we should be so quick to dismiss help when it's offered so freely."Sharp agreed. "Yeah! Never say no to help! I sure never do."I eyed her for a moment. For some reason that made me feel just a little guilty that I wasn't helping her more. But I couldn't just trust her so easily, could I? What if she was trying to trick me?But if she was, then she probably deserved to get away with it on account of being such a good actress. Damn. I'd have to help her more, wouldn't I? It was that, or someone like these would help and her allegiance to me would crumble."We'll keep in touch," Aly said. "You're good for more delivery work?""Uh, yeah," Sharp said. "And anything else you might need help with! I'm flexible!""I'm sure," Aly replied."So... what are you guys up to?" Sharp asked.Jenny snorted. "Cute. We won't be spilling nothing so easily," she said. "Come on, we're late already. No, not you," she said when Sharp took a small step forwards. "You stay here.""Oh, right, I should get back to work. Um. It was nice seeing you again. Thanks for the money?"Aly gestured, and the moths flying around us faded to nothing. "See you," she said simply before turning and climbing into the van.Jenny stared at Sharp with narrowed eyes. "Keep that burner I gave you around. We'll call you if anything comes up.""Oh, okay, bye!" Sharp said.She stepped back as Jenny closed the van's side door and it took off, leaving a haze of unfiltered hydrocarbons in its wake that left us both coughing."That was... something," Sharp said."At least we got our pay. If we're lucky, we'll never have to see either of them again.""I don't think I'd call that luck," Sharp said. She sighed again. "She's very pretty.""Snap out of it," I suggested. "You're still on the clock, you know.""Oh! Paris is going to be miffed! Back to work, quick quick!"It wasn't before I was back in our rooms and Sharp was back to work. The envelope was sitting on her bedside table, more cash than Sharp had seen in her life, and yet barely enough for a decent meal at a good upper-end restaurant.I sighed. Right. No matter what, I probably owed it to Sharp to invite her back to my place for real.

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