#i sorta quit? i think i told the gm not the schedule me for the next 2 weeks cuz of the whole pandemic thing

[bffhreprise]

Entry 352

 “Boss-man, sir!” exclaimed Aaliyah, rushing around the corner ahead of us.  “I have paperwork for tonight’s job!”  She excitedly waved her tablet, bumping her glasses in the process.  Then she pushed them back up, grinning at James as if paperwork was the best news he could want.

 “She does work here!” exclaimed Maple in a loud, awed whisper.  “This is your mother, Mila!?”

 “Of course.” replied MIla, a hint of amusement in her voice.

 “Play Ancient Tribes of Earth?” I asked hopefully.  Most people who would recognize Aaliyah would know of the game at least.  Well, I thought so.  Maybe I was wrong?

 “Yep.  Willow Wood, Elven Druid.” she told me, obviously quite proud.

 “The game doesn't have classes.” I replied, not sure if she was messing with me.  Catching sight of Cosette out of the corner of my eye, I nearly stepped away, but I didn’t want Maple to think I was moving away from her instead of Cosette.

 “I'm in an RPG guild.” explained Maple.  “We also do online Pathfinder RPG here and there, though that's been slow lately.”

 “I bet we could set up a game here if you want to play.” I suggested, thankful that Cosette didn’t actually try anything.  “I mean… a Pathfinder game thing, if you're interested.”

 Maple’s smile made my heart jump as she asked “Have you ever played?”

 “Yep!” exclaimed Aaliyah, now standing right by us.  “My baby girl is a great Gamemaster.  You should see the software we have for it!”

 “You wrote Pathfinder software!?” asked Maple excitedly.  She was staring at Aaliyah as if the brilliant, younger girl had just given her an incredible present.

 “Nope!  Mila did.” replied Aaliyah proudly.

 “Mother did offer suggestions.” insisted Mila, humble as ever.  “My original software lacked the virtual reality integration for prototype hardware in the lowest gaming room.  She also suggested a number of tweaks to my interface options for the non-VR version.”

 “Will you really be willing to play with me?” inquired Maple excitedly as she looked around at all of us.

 “I've been playing with you since we met, silly.” teased Cosette.

 “I'll gladly give it a try.” I quickly agreed.  Not wanting to sound too eager, I told her “My sister will probably want to join us too.”

 “I’ll gladly GM.” added Mila, sounding surprisingly excited by the idea.

 “Is this a unique enough job interview for you, Maple?” asked James as he watched Maple for a reaction.

 “Considering that I usually know more about others than they know about me, this started as a most unique experience.  I wasn't expecting to be hired with barely any questions.  Now we're just having fun, which I wouldn't have expected from a job interview.  So yes, this is the most interesting job interview I have had.” explained Maple in a rush.  Her cheeks were slightly flushed with excitement, and she looked like she wanted to start giving out hugs, which I wouldn’t have minded.

 “After we have your current availability, I'll send out invitations to see who is interested in joining us.” announced Mila in a more business-like tone.  “Maple, I emailed you the itinerary for our trip to France.  Please look over the information and decide on whether or not you wish to go as soon as possible.”

 Maple quickly told her “My schedule is fairly open.  Is there a cost estimate for the trip?”

 “Free.” stated James.  “We'll be taking my aircraft.  The hotel and concert tickets are covered by the company.  Marco is taking care of general dining, since he knows some people there.  You only need to worry about personal expenses.”

 Suddenly business-like as well, Aaliyah said, “As a matter of safety, you'll be required to wear an enhancement suit, so we'll need to schedule some training for you soon.”  With more excitement, she added “Mila's great at helping to coordinate outfits with it!”

 “What is it?” asked Maple, trying to watch us all.

 “This thing.” replied Cosette as she pulled back her sleeve.

 “I'm wearing one too.” I told her, pulling down my collar to show her.  “I can lift hundreds of pounds while wearing it.”

 “While wearing mine, I can lift him while he's lifting hundreds of pounds.” teased Cosette with a grin..

 “I can lift a fork to eat cake without one, when we have cake at least.” asserted Aaliyah in a tone and with a look that illuminated her current lack of cake as the worst possible thing that has ever transpired.

 “Don't worry, Mother.” encouraged MIla.  “Marco has a cheesecake in the fridge.”

 Maple suddenly looked a little worried, one of her hands stretching toward Aaliyah as if she wanted to keep the tiny girl from running off.  “Umm… Aaliyah, can I have some time to talk with you eventually?” questioned Maple as she pulled her hand back.  “No hurry or anything, since we're both working here.  Really, I just want to thank you.  The game you made makes so many people happy, and I… my guild, we sorta put something together for you.  They sent me some stuff in case I ever caught you somewhere.  I’ve been hauling it in my car.  I was honestly going to try catching you at the convention this year, but I thought maybe if you have a few minutes before then...”

 “Don't worry.  Best Friend For Hire is already scheduled to attend and promote Global Princess Entertainment!  Catching me then will be easy for you!” exclaimed Aaliyah, seeming oblivious of Maple’s plight while cake was a possibility.

 Sounding exasperated, Mila said, “Mother means to say that you have plenty of time to run out to your car right now.  She's free enough to sit and talk with you for a few minutes while the master checks in on his daughter.  We can continue the tour from the ballroom after you're finished.  I'll show you out.”

 When James nodded his encouragement, Maple quickly said,  “Thank you, thank you!  I'll try to be fast.”  Then she hurried down the hall behind Mila while I did my best not to chase after her.

 “Does someone have a thing for trees?” teased Cosette, leaning against me to get my attention.

 “Huh?  What do you mean?” I asked, stepping away from her.

 Cosette’s stare made her look like she’d jump, pin me down, and torture me if I didn’t spill the beans immediately.

 Not wanting to see if she’d follow through, I quickly told her “I wasn't going to bring it up, but I went to high school with her.  Well, we didn't have any classes together.  She was a couple years behind me, but… I-I don't know if she remembers me.  She kinda seems to, right?”

 Cosette’s mouth broke into a smirk.  “Ever actually talk with her?” she probingly questioned.

 “Well, no, not till today.” I admitted, not wanting to go into detail about how my gaze always found Maple whenever she was nearby.  “She was always with her clique, ya know.”

 “Not really.  I've never been to high school.” she reminded me, still looking dangerous.

 “O-Oh.  Yeah.” I told her, really wanting to escape and knowing that Cosette could easily catch me.  Trying to appease Cosette, I said, “Seeing her again, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to speak with her.”

 James was suddenly behind Cosette, grabbing her by the shoulders.  When she looked up at him, he said, “Be nice, or he might really try hiding.”

 I had a sudden urge to run around behind James, but I controlled myself when I considered that Mila might show that to Maple.

 “Aaliyah…” pouted Cosette.  “James acts as if I'm being mean.”

 “Boss-man, sir, you wouldn't pick on my friend, would you?” asked Aaliyah in an adorable, but menacing tone.

 “Shouldn't you be heading to speak with Maple?” he pointedly questioned.

 “Shouldn't you be checking on Dani?  I hear she's helped release an ancient undead from its tomb, maybe a vampire.” retorted Aaliyah.

 “Really!?  I want to see this!” exclaimed Cosette, ducking out of James’ grip and sprinting down the hall.

 With a glance at me, James said, “Might as well join us, Jemal.  Maple will be back when she's done with Aaliyah.”

 “Unless I'm done with her first.” teased Aaliyah.

 “Please be nice.  She's a good person.” I told her, remembering all of the times I had seen Maple helping people in high school.

 “I will be.  Why would I be mean to someone bringing me gifts!?” asked Aaliyah as if I was being crazy.

 “Y-You wouldn’t.  Sorry, but… umm…” I started, knowing I was no match for the secretary either.

 “But that’s what you were accusing me of, weren’t you?” she asked, her eyes watering.

 Hesitating only a second, I quickly followed after James, who had already started moving down the hall.

 “Why, Jemal?  Why did you accuse me of meanness?  How could you think that I would be mean to such a sweet, beautiful, wonderful girl?” questioned Aaliyah, her little legs moving rapidly to keep up with our casual strides.

 “B-But you said…” I started, not knowing where to go with it at the moment.

 “Now you think I’m forgetful!?  Oh, Jemal… I always said such good things about you to the boss, and now you betray me like this?” she pouted, stretching her arms at me like she wanted a hug to feel better.

 I didn’t hesitate, kneeling down to hug her.

 At the same time, she jumped, twisting in the air to sit on my shoulder.  She wrapped her arm around my head for support as she said, “You’ll have to give me a lift to make me feel better.  To the ballroom with haste!”

 I realized then that she had been manipulating me toward this the whole time, but I did as she wanted.  Nothing good could come out of offending Aaliyah, not that I’d want to even if she wasn’t the secretary here.  The kid was incredible and generally quite kind.  She just was… well, she toyed with me occasionally, seeming to enjoy how I reacted as much as Cosette.

 Brushing aside my worries over why my co-workers enjoyed teasing me, I focused on the greatest positive of the day: Maple was here.  After all of these years, I got to meet her again as if by fate.  One way or another, I would show Maple that I wasn’t too bad myself.