I chuckled. It was another facade that Nala had created. Just like Na Na, it was all for show, to keep up her branding. She projected to the world what they expected to see. She typed in a code on an alarm pad inside then led me into the space beyond which was dimly lit.
The interior of the building backstage was at least dry and dusty. Though showing years of disuse, the place was relatively sound and clean. The rigging for the lighting and curtains drooped down around us as she led me to a door which had Stage Manager painted on it in faded red lettering.
She typed in a code on the electronic lock there, and she held the door open with that smug smirk of hers that did all kinds of warm, flip floppy things to the butterflies in my belly.
I stopped half way through the door and stopped as I took in what I was seeing. “Kuso!” This... I was not expecting. Instead of an old musty backstage office where she could put her feet up, there was what looked like a modern studio which looked like it belonged at the station. Heck, our sound and video guys would be drooling over some of the equipment that adorned the room.
I realized the giggling I was hearing was coming from me. I shut my mouth and fought off the blush burning at my cheeks before I made even more of a spectacle of myself. I realized that this is exactly what I should have been expecting. Nala didn't run a brilliant media empire out of some musty back office somewhere. This... was where the magic happened.
The woman had my respect, and that was important to me for some reason.
She pushed past me with that smug smirk on her face and said as the others pushed past me too, with similar smirks on their faces, “Welcome to the Crib.”
I muttered playfully to them all, “Yeah yeah yeah, make fun of the new girl's surprise.”
One of the girls chuckled and told Nala, “This one's cute, can we keep her?”
I blushed as Nala replied with, “I hope so.”
She stopped any protestations I may have had by giving me a quick peck on the lips.
Oh, ok.
I mentally slapped the back of the head of the neko cat me who was exploding into little hearts in my mind as she hopped around in tiny circles.
Nala said as she spun slowly, her arms wide in the space as the others went to sit in places that seemed natural for them. She reiterated, “Welcome to my home away from home.”
I narrowed one eye and shook a finger at her as I scolded, “You're not half as clever as you think you are, lady. I knew you had to have a studio tucked away somewhere to do all your post on your footage. You couldn't be doing it in Garage Band and iMovie on an iPad.”
This got a group chuckle and then she took the time to finally introduce her core crew to me. They were an intriguing bunch, but I could easily see each of their values to her inner circle as she shared what each of them contributed to the branding and production effort.
After introductions, she took my hand and excitedly showed me around the place. I could see in my mind's eye what the place had been like in the past, an art deco masterpiece worthy of the name, Empire. We finished at a sheet of plywood that was resting on some sawhorses in the front lobby. There were hundreds of papers and blueprints on it.
I absently shuffled through them as she explained her vision of the Empire being a destination for the punk and rock scene. And how she saw it being some sort of dance club on the off days when concerts or raves weren't planned.
I nodded as I started organizing the utter chaos of the proposals, contractor contact information. Scribbled notes on scraps of paper and even sketches on the backs of napkins. I caught myself shaking my head. This lacked any sort of organization and would only cause it to breed more chaos as the mountain of disorganized stuff grew.
How could a woman who had planned her brand down to the tiniest detail, be in such a disarray for something as simple as a building renovation?
I realized she had trailed off as I stacked things by relevance and topic. I paused and looked up sheepishly as she asked, “You're not even listening are you, you little snot?” She had an amused look on her face.
I lowered my eyes and made a pained face. “Honto ni gomen ne. Sorry, Nala-chan. I was... this is a disorganized mess, no wonder you said you were pulling your hair out.” I found myself absently reaching for her 'tail' of long locks as I mentioned hair when she moved beside me. I ran my fingers through it as she looked at what I was doing.
She closed her eyes like she was savoring something then she looked at her wrist, where there was no watch, only a chunky chain that looked to be made of silver links carved like little skulls. “Aren’t you going to be late for work?”
My eyes shot wide, and I pulled out my cell. “Kuso!”
She giggled as I started running for the back, muttering, “I can't be late!” I was pulled in an arc from my own momentum and into her embrace. The urgency left me as I was captured by her eyes, they pulled me into their depths as she lowered her lips to mine and gave me a kiss I'd be able to savor all day as it charged my body and gave me so many inappropriate urges I just wanted to act upon.
I felt like my feet were fluttering just off the ground as she said, “See you tonight, Kar. Dinner, remember?”
I wandered off in a daze toward the back, touching my lips as I nodded. I think I heard someone who sounded like a dazed me saying, “Ok, Nala.”
Hey, why did the sexy punker look so smug as I left?
I squeed in my car as I rocketed down the road to the station. I had kissed Nala Dupree again! I needed no chibi to express myself just then as I acted silly all the way to work.
I brought coffee for the boys and headed down into the mail room. I handed out the warm beverages as I greeted them, “Kon, Armin. How are we today?”
Armin waved and pounced on his coffee, Kon said, “Hi Karmin. Thanks!” He seemed a little nervous.
I squinted at him as I started sorting the new bags of mail waiting by the sorting table. “What?”
He seemed reticent to answer then he said with a touch of mischief, “Nothing... Kitty K-Hue.”
I dropped the stack of mail I was holding, and it went everywhere on the floor. I bent and started picking it up. “What!?”
Armin pointed at me, “You're wearing the same clothes as the pictures. Did you... are you and Na Na... did...”
Again, what!?
Armin, Jared, reached out carefully with a Seattle Tattler like he was afraid I'd bite off his hand and eat it.
I took it as I placed the mail back on the table with my other hand, and then I blanched at the cover photo, and the headline made my blood run cold. I shivered as I read it while I looked at a picture of Nala pulling me out the door at the Spartan.
It read, 'Who is Kitty K-Hue? Na Na Evermore and lover get expelled from the Spartan for Fighting.'
No no no no... “Chikushō! Manuke Karmin!”
I shut my eyes and didn't look back when Mr. Reins from HR spoke from the doorway, “Miss Hughes. The station manager and I need to speak with you in my office please.”
I turned back slowly and saw a copy of the Tattler in his hand too. Mr. Kernan wanted to see me?
I inclined my head, bowing ever so slightly from my waist and said, “Hai.” Then followed behind him, clutching the copy of the Tattler in my hand and quickly perusing the article. They didn't have any of the facts right at all, except for the name Nala had left for me at the door. They made it sound like Nala went into the club itching for a fight.
The dark look the station manager had on his handsome face told me this wasn't going to go well at all. He motioned to a chair in front of the HR director's desk and said in an ominous tone, “Miss Hughes, have a seat.”
***
Kuso! I can't believe my career is over just like that. Sacked over lies in a gossip rag. And even if I were with Nala they way they implied, I wasn't her PA anymore, and my personal life was just that. Personal!
I walked numbly from the station, holding my little box of personal belongings as security escorted me out... li
ke a criminal.
I didn't know what to do as I walked toward the parking structure, not looking back.
I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not give them the satisfaction.
I shrugged to wipe a tear from my cheek as I walked. They hadn't even let me defend myself. It came down to them believing that it looked as though the station was plying Nala with... me, to get a favorable deal with her. They didn't care about the truth, just their image. Even Nala, where her image was completely everything for her brand, wouldn't callously fire someone over lies... if she had employees that is.
The worst part of it all was that I think that Mr. Reins believed the story. It stung just as bad as when I had seen that shadow of doubt in Porter's face the prior day.
Three days. That's all it took to tear down everything I had been working toward in my career, just three days after being assigned to be Nala's PA. Three days for the company I worked for and dedicated the last few years of my life to, to turn their backs on me.
I stopped at my car, put my things in the back then got in. I stared at the steering wheel, still numb and in shock. I knew an emotional tidal wave was just hiding under the surface, preparing to crush me under its weight if I allowed it to start flowing.
That thought was all it took to open the floodgates, and I sobbed long and hard, pressing my hands against the ache in my chest as it heaved. I cried until I couldn't breathe until I was forced to restrain my feelings again, to push them back into a cage that would only hold them for so long. I needed to pull myself together long enough to get home.
I pulled down the visor and looked into the little mirror in it. I cringed then got a tissue... fine multiple tissues, to wipe away the snot and tears from my face. I'm not a pretty crier, ok? Once I got myself looking presentable again, looking so impassive with all my emotions locked away, I started the car and headed out onto the streets of Seattle.
I didn't even have a clue where I was going. I could go back to my place, but it would seem like a tomb. I needed comfort. Someone to affirm to me that I wasn't a failure, that I was a good person.
My parents were out of town with the Peace Corps until next week. I hadn't made many friends outside of the station since I came back to the States. I've been too busy with... work. Proving to them I was a good asset for the company.
That's how I found myself sitting in the far back of the parking lot at the Empire. A little voice in my head telling me that Nal could make everything better. After a few minutes, I composed myself and turned off the car and headed in.
I stopped at the door and looked around. There were four different contractor trucks in the lot which weren't there when I dropped Nala off this morning. And I saw a couple men, one on the roof, one down below with a tape on a spool, measuring the height of the structure.
This made me smile a bit, pushing down the darkness of the roiling emotions just under my surface. Nala wasn't waiting around on corporate to recognize her, she blazed her own trail, chased her own dream without relying on the approval of anyone else.
I looked at the door and furrowed my brow. Should I knock? Or was this just like any other business and I should walk in? She wasn't expecting me.
Little neko chibi me slapped my brain then stuck out her tongue at me before she started licking her paws. Just great, she's got paws now. Yeah, yeah, I'm overthinking everything, questioning my every move and decision. That wasn't me. Pull yourself together Karmin. I took a deep breath and exhaled, squared my shoulders, and stepped through the door... straight into pandemonium.
Two contractors were in the process of yelling at each other, faces red in anger. I moved around them, heading toward Nala's backstage studio. I heard a familiar voice in the auditorium beyond the heavy curtain, trying to calm down a chorus of disgruntled sounding people.
Brandon, was saying, “If you can all just settle down. She'll be back in a bit.” His voice was drowned out by protests.
Doshitano? What in the name of Ruby Rose was going on?
I altered course and stepped out onto the stage from behind the curtain Stage Left. Brandon was standing with his arms out, between a heavily muscled woman in a yellow hardhat and a slightly portly looking man in a white hardhat. The man was saying, “Listen, sweetheart, I was called...”
The woman took a menacing step toward him, pushing into Brandon's outstretched hand. She moved Brandon like he wasn't even there as she glared at the other contractor and ground out, “Sweetheart?” Her voice took on a dangerous tone, “Listen, sweetheart... I was called in by...”
There were three other men gathered around who all started arguing, drowning out her voice. There must have been more contractor vehicles up front as everyone seemed to be wearing different company logos on their shirts.
I saw Beth sitting in one of the few rows of chairs that remained in the auditorium, she was grinning as she texted without looking at her phone. She looked thoroughly entertained by the chaos as Brandon repeated, “Miss Evermore will be back soon. Please, can we all be civil until then?”
My heart sank. Nala wasn't here? I looked around and shrugged internally, it wasn't like I had anywhere to be anymore, I could wait.
The noise level rose, it was clear that Brandon was in over his head. I took two deep breaths centering myself, then slid on my mirrored sunglasses as I stood to my full five foot nothing, brought my fingers to my lips, and gave a shrill whistle that made me squint one eye in pain.
Just like that, silence fell on both sides of the curtain. I said in my best Na Na voice, “You two, backstage, get out here! The rest of you,” I pointed at the combatants, “sit down and zip it!”
There was some hesitation, but they all moved over to a row of chairs and hesitantly sat, leaving empty chairs between each of them. The woman sat on the arm of a chair at the aisle, and I just cocked my head at her. After a moment of indecisive hesitation, she sat in the chair.
The two from backstage emerged, and I simply pointed at the chairs. They each hopped off the stage wordlessly and took a seat. All eyes were on me. I scanned the group, who were all silently watching me.
Huh. That worked. Kitty me was strutting around in my head, overly pleased with herself.
I turned and pointed a finger at Brandon, “Rokudo, what's going on here?”
Beth snickered from her seat, and I suppressed a grin over the fact she got the reference from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. But Brandon really did look like an unshaven Rokudo. Though the confusion on his face showed me that Brandon himself wasn't an anime aficionado. He lifted a hand palm up toward the contractors and opened his mouth.
Before he could speak, Katherine poked her head out from backstage. “Umm... it's my fault. I asked these contractors to come speak with Na Na about the renovation of the Empire and to get them to do takeoffs for bids. I umm... I didn't think... I just asked them to show today, I should have staggered the times.”
Brandon gave her the evil eye, one brow cocked as he added, “So she's been hiding in the Crib while they've all been arriving, leaving me to referee until Na Na returns. They started showing up just after she left.”
One man started speaking, and I channeled some of Nala's Na Na and just shot a hand out to point at him as I kept my attention on Brandon. To my surprise, the man went silent. Oooo... I could get used to this false authority I was exuding, I wonder if this is how Nala feels when she goes all badass in her alter ego.
I asked, “Where did she go?”
I felt ice water in my veins when he shrugged and said, “She broke that Devon kid like a toy and he quit. She's heading to the station to talk with the station manager and that Porter chick.”
The... station? She didn't know...
Well, she would soon, then she was going to be upset with me. I may as well try to make it up to her here. Nal's crew may be good at what they do, but this kind of thing seemed out of their wheelhouse, whereas I lived and breathed organization.
I nodded, glad they couldn't see the panic in my eyes I w
as hiding behind my glasses. I must have looked a sight, still dressed head to toe in my tight Major leathers, taking control. I turned to the contractors and addressed them sternly, “Try to comport yourselves with a little decorum. We'll need you in the office one at a time, so I can schedule a time for each of you to meet separately with Miss Evermore about the project this afternoon.”
They all started to talk, and I held up a hand, and they stopped. “Anyone who cannot comport themselves with the dignity and professionalism your craft deserves, will be asked to leave and you will not be asked to bid on this project. Do I make myself clear?”
They grumbled assent, and Brandon whispered in my ear, “What are you doing, Karmin?”
I looked at him and smiled and said plainly, “Saving your ass.”
He blinked twice and teased in mock shock, “I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't just heard you cuss.”
I grinned at him, stuck out my tongue, and pulled down my lower lid. “Be-da.” This got him chuckling. Then I schooled my face and turned to the group and pointed at the woman, “Ladies first. Come on back.”
The warning look I gave her as she stood and gave the others a smug look, washed that look away and she hustled up the stairs to follow me to the office.
Why was I smiling? Hadn't I just been fired?
Chapter 12 – Will you be my...
I got to the station and my new PA, Jerry, met me at the doors, looking almost terrified of me as I tied my tail in a knot around my neck. I had forgotten I had it out for Kar to play with. It was sort of nice having it down like that.
The new guy was a redhead, as tall as me, and looking like he had just turned twenty or twenty-one. Why did people that age look like kids to me? I was only a few years older. He had obviously heard about me from Devon, who had requested a transfer this morning from what I was told by Jerry when he called to introduce himself an hour ago.
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