#on the plus side the client didn't seem to think this was a big deal

[lex-artis-studios]

More vet tech things

Had an appointment this afternoon with an elderly lady who was hard of hearing, and her young fluffy tortoiseshell cat. While I'm taking the cat's history, the owner just blurts out,

"I think the cat's gotta be trans! She just acts like such a boy! I always have to correct myself because I keep calling her a him! And her pee stinks!"

I really had no way to reply to that.

[mad-hunts]

❝ you're so right, baby. but then again... you're right about a lot of things, ❞ barton wriggled an eyebrow at her playfully as he matched her energy with a chortle of his own. he scratched at his neck through the collar of his shirt then and started to think about how weird this would probably be. i mean, barton had already not touched his dollmaker mask for weeks, but with this plan in mind... he wasn't sure when he'd touch it again. so i guess it was a good thing now that he didn't have any open contracts with 'clients' in relation to his business dealings as the dollmaker at that time.

but was this something that barton could really do in terms of keeping up with it? and yes, he was a boxer, but his skills in disarming people — well. it was kind of lacking, to put it nicely, and he also wasn't used to being in long chases with other people. thus, his stamina probably needed some work. and as a result, it seemed like barton would need to practice some things before actually trying to delve into this. not to mention that serial killers and/or criminals were generally elusive, so 'hunting' them would certainly take more skill than a normal person.

barton maneuvered his body off of hers to lay next to her as he felt this overwhelming pressure start to hit him. but in order to stop it from completely paralyzing him, the doctor wrapped his arms around kat and pulled himself close enough to her to take in her scent; his head resting in the crook of her neck but from the side as he hummed in response to her, ❝ honey, i didn't realize this before, but with a shift like this... it wouldn't just affect me. because i had admittedly already kind of reinforced my own beliefs onto them. plus, matilda is (unfortunately) a natural-born killer, like me. so not all of our problems would go away with me suddenly... directing my bloodlust towards other people. ❞

he traced shapes onto the skin of kat's back with a finger as he cleared his throat. barton snorted at the mention of them not having a normal family dynamic, ❝ and that's one way to put it. my family is a hot mess, kat, but to be fair — i had made it this way. that means the responsibility of changing it is mine. however, if i'm being honest, i don't even know where to start whenever it comes to trying to encourage my kids to take a different path than a pure villains'.

so, i know that this is a big ask, but if you could help me try to figure things out with that... it would mean everything to me. but i agree. at least for now, i don't think we should involve them in this. ❞ barton pressed a soft kiss to her neck as he pulled away to look up at her. he began to ponder what kind of disguise he could use that wasn't doll-themed and only came up with one, which was rather unusual. but it was an idea so he thought to present it to kat.

❝ that's alright, kat. brainstorm as much as you need to. but you're also right about that. it might take some time to come up with a good concept for one, too, but i do have this animal skull in my workshop that i found a while ago. i originally wanted to integrate it into some kind of art project, maybe, to ward people away from our neck of the woods. but perhaps i could use it for this instead? ❞

"Codenames like that are kinda tacky..anyways." Kat chuckled as she knew who he was implying on. This was a great start. If Barton needed to kill then this could at least be turned into a form of good and also keep him happy mental wise as well. She didn't want him to keep hurting himself. So this was a good alternative. They could make it work.

Kat kissed him back as she was on the bed. Getting under the covers with him. "Okay good so we got some hard no's for names.. I'd say let's ask the kids for help but morally it would be wrong to involve them in this ya know? Besides we don't want to indoctrinate them do we? I know we're not a normal family dynamic. We're not serial killers or all vigilantes. Just kinda a mix.."

"Don't mind me I'm just brainstorming out loud. It helps my thinking process.."

"You're gonna need a new disguise too. None of your Dollmaker part asesthically can't be in the new mask.. or your friends will figure you out.."

[prorevenge]

Don't fuck with my money! How I got my revenge on a boss that didn't pay me.

I was working for a local computer build company back in the 90's. The owner (let's call him George) was a bit of a douche that liked to party. He struggled to get his business off the ground and took the lion's share of the profits made once it did. All that is to be expected. You take the risk you take the rewards.

I came on and ended up the best tech he ever had in the shop. He paid me fairly well but not enough for what I was doing. I finally started doing on-site work for a substantial amount more and we were both happy. I got 30% of the on-site fee per hour and he got 70%.

Now, during this time the computer industry was tightening up and profit margins had shrunk. The owner decided to do some shady things. One time George replaced name brand motherboards in the computers I sold to a customer for a network with generic crap. Half of them failed during install. Since I had listed a name brand motherboard on the invoice I took them all back and forced him to replace them! Otherwise it would have been fraud. All he had to say was "But I make another $40 per workstation if I use the cheaper part."

The next thing that happened was I made a ten computer plus server sale for a new network. I hadn't worked in the build shop for a few months and noticed that they were cloning drives to speed up the build process. Not a big deal normally but I lost a client due to the owner's shady practices. He cloned the drives then failed to put the certificate in the customer package for the OS and Office! He couldn't get around the server license so at least the client had that. Every time the client called about the key codes he'd tell them they were on back order. He was cloning pre-loaded and pre-ACTIVATED drives with Windows and Office!

I finally got tired of it and walked over to where the software was kept and took the licenses to the client. I had noticed the cabinet was unlocked so took matters into my own hand. Client was still so pissed off that he refused to do business with me while I still worked for that company. George saw me and accused me of stealing. I looked at him and said, "I'm getting what the CLIENT paid for and taking it to them. I'll make sure I have them sign a receipt for the software you seem to have forgotten to include in their purchase." After that I started to pay attention to what was going on in the shop. I insisted on software before I even left the building with a client's systems. The piracy got worse and worse.

Now during this time I was making about $50K a year from that 30% so George was clearing at least that much off his 70% even after taxes, etc. One day he comes to me and says, "I think I have to start charging you for your cell phone. This was back in the day when if you really needed a cell phone most companies paid for it. I said, "That's fine George but I'll want 35% of the on-site fees." To which he replied, "I was going to lower it to 25% and make you an independent contractor."

I was honestly left speechless! I just walked over to the bar in the shopping center and sat down and drank beer for the better part of two hours. It was the end of the day and I didn't have a late client so no worries there. I sat for another two hours after that just drinking water and thinking. I made the decision to go my own way. If I was going to have to pay both sides of my social security then fuck George! I'd do it ALL myself

The next day I drove around to several of my clients. I didn't want to call them on my soon to be former company phone. I secured a dozen that said they would stay with me. After all, as one of my clients told me, George wasn't the one that showed up at 5AM before the restaurant opened when their point of sale system crashed, I was.

When George's shop opened I walked in with my phone, charger, etc. found George, placed it all in his hands, said, "I quit." and walked out. I went and got a phone and called the clients I had spoken with and gave them my new number.

Payday came around the next day and I was expecting a bit over $2K in the check. George had called payroll in several days earlier as always. Well, low and behold, no check. When I confronted him he cussed me out and told me he owed me nothing. I used the same type of line that I used with the guy at the ski manufacturer (my first ProRevenge post). I calmly told him, "Are you sure? I'll cost you a hell of a lot more than $2K if you refuse to pay me what I earned." He just told me to get out and I did.

Well, I knew I had just cost him at least $5K a month because nobody in the shop had a clue what to do with networks. I started my own company and grew my client base. Even after having to pay all my taxes, self employment tax, and expenses I was clearing about $45K a year! I was going to leave George alone until I got word he was badmouthing me around the city. He was saying I used pirated software and cheap parts. Things I knew he had done and was still doing. I would have let it all go. When he badmouthed me I went scorched earth on his ass!

Revenge.

I contacted BSA. I gave names, dates, processes, practices, and more. Everything I could remember about clients that had cloned drives and withheld software. About a year later I was reading my local news when George's company was in an article. It seems secret shoppers went in from Microsoft and bought some of his computers. In the end they hit him with charges that he made hundreds of illegal copies of Office by cloning hard drives. This was back when once activated Office stayed activated and didn't check again.

The end result was he had three stores and ended up with only one store along with having to pay a $1,000,000 fine.

(source) story by (/u/cds8745)

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

CHAPTER TWELVE

                                            ~ x JUDGMENT x ~

"I thought you were leading up to something more."

Makoto smirked across the table as she sat back in her chair. "Why, whatever do you mean, Onee-sama?"

Clearly irritated by the formal tone her sister had taken, Sae crossed her legs in the opposite direction to abate the sudden discomfort. "You and Kawakami were kissing on your bed. That painted a very specific picture of the events that would unfold."

"So now you're mad that I didn't meet your expectations? That she didn't push me down and force me into anything? That's nice, Sis."

"Not 'mad'. But that was my hypothesis, and it's… I'll have to adjust my thinking." Then she smirked a little and sat back, unconsciously mirroring her little sister's movements. "I am curious about something else, though."

"Really? Is it the leftover duck? I was a little surprised you didn't ask about that."

"No, no. And I was just thankful that it was delicious." She noticed Makoto's eyebrows shot up at the unexpected praise, but pressed onward. "Why does her teasing about feet get to you so much?"

At that, her little sister looked like her little sister for the first time since she had walked in the door, deflating and scowling toward the corner. "Come on, do we have to talk about that? I swear, I just really liked giving her a massage; she enjoyed it so much! It has nothing to do with me being 'into' feet!"

"Sure it doesn't," she snorted. "Mostly, I'm surprised to be learning all these things about you. It's fascinating."

"Don't be fascinated by things that aren't real," she sighed.

"Maybe not. I suppose you should finish telling me what is real." But while she said as much, she turned the chair to the side and propped her heels up on the table, crossing her legs at the ankle.

And Makoto glanced. She didn't stare at her high heels openly, but her eyes definitely flicked in their direction. Police instinct told Sae that was a red flag that the girl might have a budding fetish, but that didn't necessarily mean she was lying to her; sometimes people weren't ready to admit things to themselves, which meant they were literally incapable of admitting them to someone else.

Or perhaps it was purely due to the teasing - both from her and from Kawakami. Sometimes, that could almost create a fixation against the target's wishes. Or it could have simply been an innocent glance due to the movement and nothing more.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered before clearing her throat. Another red flag. "What's real. I'm not sure you're ready for that, but I'll keep going."

                                            ~ x The Priestess x ~

We finished dinner without anything else happening to interrupt. And the conversation went back to school, and eventually to Ren. I found out that he had known for weeks, and she found out that I already had spoken to him about it a little. Plus, she reassured me very firmly that there was nothing romantic going on between them… despite the many, many visits to his little loft.

Then she helped me with the dishes. I tried to tell her to relax, but she said she couldn't since she was supposed to be my maid - despite the clothing change. It was oddly heartwarming, doing something so mundane and domestic next to her.

"So I guess there's no point trying to change your mind," she sighed as we set the last few in the drying rack.

"Maybe. I still don't really understand all this, but every time I ask myself if I like you… I have to say 'yes'. Even if it's inconvenient."

Sadayo laughed quietly as she picked up the towel to dry off her hands. "That's one word for it. Kind of 'inconvenient' for you to date your teacher."

"Yeah. But how can I let that stop me? Look at you… I mean, you're already so pretty in class, but now? In this dress? It's like you're a pop idol."

Finally, my little comments were starting to flatter her instead of making her distressed. Smiling and biting her lip, she took a few steps away. "What, this old thing?" Then she did a little spin for me, and covered her face when I hooped and hollered. "Stop!"

"Hey, you twirled! If you didn't want me to like it, why did you do that?"

"I don't know!" When she lowered her hands, she was still smiling. "By the way… I don't exactly know how to say it, but you look nice, too. I'm just not used to thinking of girls like that but I should have said it earlier."

"Oh, I don't care about that," I lied. I mean, I did care, but I also didn't… so it was half-lying. I guess.

"But it's important. You're a really beautiful young lady, and I don't want my, uh, straightness to keep you from knowing that."

"Like I'm that much gayer than you! Considering I have never looked at any other women!"

Pacing closer again, she took up my hands and squeezed them gently. "How can I be your first? That seems… I don't know. Unrealistic somehow."

"Well, you kind of tried to touch me somewhere nobody had before," I whispered, and she flinched. "Hey - it's alright. I should have been more clear that I didn't want you to; you just thought I was nervous, like a lot of your other clients probably are."

"They are," she admitted with a hesitant nod. "You sure seemed to enjoy taking my tights off, so I thought I might get to… 'upsell' you into a handjob. Isn't that terrible?"

"Not for most of them. I'm sure a lot of them are happy you're showing interest - and underneath my fear that you would find out my identity, maybe I was, too." In a whisper, I added, "I certainly enjoyed the feeling."

Flushing a little darker shade of red, she whispered back, "And I hated it. But only because it felt like… you know when you're walking up the subway steps, paying too much attention to your phone, and you think there's one more step but then there isn't?"

"Ohhhh. Yeah, I know that feeling - it was like that?"

"Definitely. I, um…" Letting out a deep breath, Sadayo announced, "I've never touched another snatch. What a weird thing I have to say out loud!"

That got me smiling and stepping a little closer. "Me, neither. So at least we both have a first that we can still enjoy together."

"That's true." And her eyes danced with something like hope.

"Anyway, what I meant was that you touching me, letting me take your tights off… flirting at me, giggling, all that stuff. At first it didn't do anything, but after a while, I could feel it…" I paused, gathering my thoughts. My teacher waited. "It drew something to the surface that was already hiding beneath it. I always thought you were beautiful, it was just… I had no reason to think it was anything besides… not quite 'hero worship', that's not it. But similar."

"Am I your senpaaaaaiiiiii?" she called out in a very Becky sing-song. When I rolled my eyes, she laughed and pulled me into a light, gentle hug. "Mmm… oh, Makoto, I'm sorry. This whole thing is my fault; I should have tried to find another part-time job. An educator shouldn't spend her off-hours going down on random guys in a French maid outfit."

"No, she shouldn't," I breathed against her skin, breathing in the light, clean scent. She clearly only used the perfume on her shoes and undergarments; it was so severely muted that I was mostly only enjoying pure Sadayo without obfuscation. "But that's not your fault, and you aren't doing anything wrong. It just… turned out this way because I'm so nosy. It's my fault you ended up servicing me, not yours; I made the call."

"Alright, alright. Maybe we should just quit blaming each other. I just can't believe I didn't see through your disguise!"

Grinning, I began to sway slightly to the piano music that was still playing, even an hour later. "Well, we worked pretty hard on it. My friend and I."

"Your… friend?"

"Yeah. She knew about this, but she didn't know which teacher I meant - and I told her I wouldn't tell."

The taller woman pulled back to blink down at me. "You told a friend? That's… why?"

"Because I'm so confused. Still am a little, but I just needed to talk through some things to figure out what to do."

"Well…" Sighing, she nodded before resting her head atop mine - and it felt so good. Why? I loved it and couldn't even quite put my finger on the reason. "I guess that's not really a big deal. You didn't even tell her who I was. Did you blame Ms. Chouno?"

"She did guess Chouno," I giggled, and she laughed as well. "And you, and Ms. Usami. I just didn't confirm anything at all and she told me she didn't care that I wouldn't tell her. Respected my choice."

"That's a good friend."

"But I trust her. And I did eventually have to tell her everything, because... I needed her help guessing your dress size. I'm sorry, but I promise she won't tell anyone."

"Oh, it's fine. Everybody else and their cousin is finding out, so why should I be mad at you for trusting your friend?" We were both quiet for a minute. Then she began, "This friend…"

"Hmm? You want to know who it is?"

"I do, but it's alright if you don't want to tell me. Cuts both ways, right? That wasn't what I was going to ask." After a brief hesitation, Sadayo went on, "Have you ever… with her?"

"Have I ever what? I'm not s- oh! Oh, no, no way!"

"Sorry, sorry." And she definitely sounded apologetic. More than that, she sounded mortified that she asked at all. "Just curious because, well, this whole thing is new to both of us. I thought maybe you and her…"

Leaning up to gently kiss her cheek, I whispered, "Told you that you're my first. Anything."

"God…" This close, I could actually hear her swallowing, and somehow that was the most exciting thing I had ever heard. "You're driving me crazy…"

"Good. And don't worry, my friend is not going to steal me away from you. I promise. We aren't like that."

After a weak whimper, she finally replied, "Maybe she should… I don't know. Why would you want some oba-san when you can have a girl your own age? Is she not prettier than me or something?"

That made me laugh out loud. "No way! You have no idea, she's practically perfect!" But when she drew back to raise an eyebrow at me, I realized my mistake. My stomach seemed to shoot straight down into the floor. "W-wait, that's not- I didn't mean it how it-"

"No, no, it's totally fine. I know I'm over the hill and shouldn't expect to be able to compete with girls in your class."

"I meant that the reason I like you and not her doesn't have anything to do with her being ugly or whatever! Not that you aren't beautiful, because you are! You're the most… come on, don't be mean to me, I'm new at this!"

Laughing at my expense, she reached up to cup my burning cheek tenderly. "That's kind of the whole problem, isn't it?" The mirth left her expression until she just looked like the exhausted teacher I had come to know over the years. "You have no idea what we're about to go through."

Her telling me that did make me take an extra second to contemplate my response. I already knew what I wanted to say, but I tried to take her feelings into account first. Then I shrugged and kissed her on the chin.

"You're right. I don't know. But I trust you to help me figure it out. I trust you completely."

"That's so dangerous," she warned me as we swayed in the space between the dining room and living room. "You already know my life is a mess, and you think I'm going to do any better of a job with yours? What if I screw this up, and I hurt you somehow? What if I ruin everything?"

One of my shoulders rose and fell as I laid my head on hers again. Letting her lead. "We'll fix it. Or we will figure out that we can't, and deal with that when the time comes."

"Wise little girl. Young woman," she corrected with a quiet laugh. I felt her hand slide down to push into the small of my back, and tried not to think about how badly my legs wanted to turn to jelly. "Too sweet and trusting for your own good. But I promise I'll try my best to take care of you. Really, even if I fail, it won't be because I didn't try."

"Yeah," I said as we slow danced. "And this feeling… I would chase it across the stars."

For a few more seconds, I thought Sadayo would not answer at all. Then she breathed, "So would I." Her fragile, frightened voice just barely loud enough for me to hear it.

"Are you really going to be okay? I keep trying to let you go, and you keep trying to let me go… but we're still here. I could kick you out if it will be easier."

"I… no. I think it's too late for that tonight. Maybe we'll both wake up tomorrow and come to our senses, realise we made a huge mistake. But tonight… oh… Makoto, I really don't think I should be saying these things to my own student. But do you wanna hear them, anyway?"

"Sure. No… let me rephrase. I need to hear them, but will also understand if you can't."

Drawing back to look me dead in the eyes, she swallowed hard - and I saw for the first time that she was crying. But she had kept it out of her voice completely. Maybe that's what being an adult was all about: learning how to cry without crying. Her hands moved up to rest on either side of my neck, holding me steady.

"I think you're strong. And beautiful, and… noble. Nosy." At the last one, I laughed shyly, and she smiled a little wider. "But now I know it's because you just… really need to do the right thing. That's very rare to find. And you're also sweet, and steadfast and a million other things. But more than all that? You make me scared because never in my life have I felt more like losing someone would hurt than I do when I look at you."

The raw emotion in that statement bowled me over, and I had already been floating on a cloud at the rest. Now I felt like I might ascend to a higher plane of existence. "Lose me…?"

"Yeah." As my hands moved up to wipe away her tears, she half-flinched away from them but forced herself to stay put. "I just found you in my life - losing you now… isn't that even worse? When we barely got to…"

"I understand," I breathed as I leaned closer. "It's why I keep coming back for more. Just need you, and I'm scared if I don't take what I can get now, that I'll miss my chance. That's a terrible outcome."

Her head shook from side to side as her lips ghosted over mine. "Terrible… but I still don't understand this." We kissed again, still hesitant but less so. "Don't understand… why me…?"

"Because I'm not an idiot," I whispered back, pursing my lips on her bottom one and tugging gently. That shiver along her spine was real and visible.

"Maybe we both are."

"Maybe… I just can't seem to care."

The next kiss lasted a lot longer, and took us to the wall, then over to the counter. Sadayo's lips were so sweet and inviting, her body warm and soft, that I couldn't imagine ever getting enough - and if her reaction was any indication, mine must not have been so bad, either. We seemed to unconsciously take turns pursuing and being pursued. Oddly enough, even though I hummed a lot and felt my entire body tingling in anticipation, she was the one who more often squeaked in surprise, who took breaks to gasp and mention again how crazy this all was. Wasn't I supposed to be the virgin?

Finally, I had her pinned to the couch as we devoured each other's mouths. We had both felt flashes of tongue but never dared explore that deeper. One particularly loud moan broke us apart to catch our breaths, eyes locked in a blistering gaze of warring intentions.

"This… I really-"

"Holy shit," she finished for both of us, and I laughed a little. "That was incredible! Where have you been all my life?! Wait… wait, don't answer that."

Smirking, I shifted my hips atop hers from side to side. "Why? Don't like to think about where I was when you were my age?"

"Makoto, do you actually want me to keep going or to die of embarrassment?" Still, she bit her lip to weather the heat as I ground against her - a totally subconscious act. "Stop, I don't think I'm… ready for all… that…"

"Neither am I. Honestly, I only know how this is supposed to work from what I've read."

"You read about this?!" she gasped out. "Lesbian sex?"

"No! What?! I mean, mostly in class for sex ed. But then… after all this with you, I started to wonder… how… to do it? And I still can't quite picture it in my head."

My teacher's expression grew even more bashful as she looked away. "You were that serious about me? Before tonight, I mean. That is… I don't really get it, but I can't deny it feels wonderful. Being yours like this."

"You're mine for as long as you want to be," I purred. But it didn't take her long after that to push me back slightly. "What?"

"Listen. I, um… I need a little more time to think about this. Before we go any further, I mean." The shame was etched into every inch of her face, so I had no trouble believing her.

"Okay." My hips came to a stop despite how much I wanted to continue. "Seriously, don't be afraid to tell me to slow down at any time. I know it seems like I'm… only interested in pushing this as far as I can, but I swear that's not what's happening. I'm just really awkward."

Sadayo thought about that for a moment before she snorted. "Yeah right. You're working me so easy! But… I know, it's all new for you. Awkwardness plus inexperience equals… well, a lot of what's happened tonight." With a helpless laugh, she added, "This is insane, I can't believe it feels so natural with a woman! I thought it would disgust me!"

"Me, too! But… at least you've been on actual dates with men before. Maybe that makes it worse for you?"

"Oh, definitely. I keep finding unexpected things and not finding things I expect!" One of her fingers poked the side of my breast and I shivered. "Like these."

"Well, they do tend to be found there on women," I laughed softly, earning a much more full belly-laugh from my teacher.

"And you're so soft and delicate, gentle… which is part of what's throwing me. I'm used to exclusively dating men taller than me who can truly make me feel like a lady. I was kind of shallow about it, if I'm being really honest with you. But a year or so of working this job for Victoria has kind of broken me of that shallowness. Maybe…"

When she had been thoughtfully silent for a few seconds, I kissed her cheek and prompted, "Maybe?"

"Maybe that's part of why I'm not running screaming from this right now. Being required to flirt with and jerk off a bunch of gross guys reset my expectations. A cute girl like you is… a relief? Definitely a step up from any of them, even if I never thought about it before."

"And even if I'm a little younger than would be ideal," I admitted. She did nod her agreement, but also looked apologetic about it. "I get it. And I know there's really nothing I can do about it, but I would if I could."

"Whoa, whoa, wait." She rested a hand on my shoulder. "You don't think I blame you for being in school, do you? I would never-"

"No, no," I assured her quickly.

"Good," she sighed in relief. "This is nobody's 'fault', it's just a really cruel twist of fate. You're an amazing young woman, Makoto, and I wouldn't change a thing."

I must have been smiling even wider than I thought, because Sadayo kissed both of my cheeks tenderly. "Th-thank you."

"What? It's just the truth." Then she rolled her eyes and said, "Besides, if I could magically change one of us, why make you older when I could make me younger? Talk about a waste of a wish; I'd rather add ten years to my life then subtract from yours."

"Nine years," I corrected gently, petting up and down her side. But it made her laugh. "What? Isn't that less bad than ten?"

"Yeah, but I really doubt it's going to make much of a difference to our families." Then her eyes went wide. "Oh God… my parents."

Wincing, I pictured the middle-aged couple that had been yelling at Miss Kawakami in the hospital. I knew they definitely were not her parents, but my brain filled in the mental image with them anyway. "Are they going to think less of you?"

"Definitely. They are good parents, don't get me wrong, but they're pretty traditional. Take your pick! Will they be more mad that I'm gay or that I'm dating a teenager? Honestly, I'm not sure."

"Bisexual," I corrected again. Though I did start to worry that correcting her so much would be annoying. "You still find men attractive, right?"

"They won't care about that. Especially because they think girls liking other girls is 'just a phase' anyway." Her hand caressed over my hair, and I leaned into the touch. "I have to go soon."

My heart squeezed in my chest. "Oh. Yeah, I guess our time's almost up. I should grab your money."

"Thanks. It's… I can use it, sure, but really it's the best protection I have against catching hell for sneaking around with you. If it's part of my job, who can really blame me?"

"Exactly. And it's not forever."

As I extricated myself from her tempting body, she looked vaguely sad. "No… not forever. You're right. Just feels like it."

                                            ~ o ~

Within about five minutes, she was back in her maid outfit and I had her ¥10000 stuffed into her pocket. We lingered by the door. Neither of us seemed to know what to say, but kept trying to communicate something with our eyes to the other person. I know what I was trying to communicate was that I hated to see her go, that all I wanted was for her to stay so we could explore the strange new feelings together. I can only guess what she was trying to tell me.

"Thanks for a wonderful evening," she told me with a smile and a bow. "You really pulled out all the stops. Kind of blew me away."

I bowed back. "My pleasure. I'll… have to save up a little before I can request you again. Sorry."

"Oh… I'm sorry, we can find some time when I'm not working. I don't want to bleed you dry! Maybe…ugh, it'll be riskier but you could come to my place. I live alone."

"Riskier?"

"They'll see you going in and out of my apartment. God… okay, what flimsy excuse will we use? I'm tutoring you? I mean, you're probably the smartest girl in school. But… maybe with me being a female teacher, it could work…"

Eyes dancing with with ill-suppressed glee, I leaned up to deliver another heated kiss to the woman I was suddenly dating. Or something like dating. Then I pulled back, biting my lip as I watched her sway and waiver.

"We'll just have to be very careful. Like a game."

"What a dangerous game. Didn't think a little kid like you could be such a gambler." But at least she was smiling as she bowed low at the waist. "Thank you for your support, Master! Becky really enjoys getting dirty for you!"

I don't exactly know where the flirty line came from. But before I could stop myself, I was muttering, "Seems like you do." It was the reason a deeply blushing Sadayo scrambled for the doorknob and out of my apartment as fast as she possibly could.

                                            To Be Continued…

[britthellstrom]

     Maybe she was biased—ok, yes, she absolutely was—but Olivia could've had a day from hell and Britt would still think she was beautiful and hot. As with anyone, on those days where she wore a beaming smile, a brightness shone from her eyes, and she radiated happiness she was absolutely untouchable. Life wasn't so easy that it was a look that could be carried every day. It was just that even on the days that the world had dimmed a bit ( or a lot ) it couldn't take away from the beauty that her friend had been born with. ❝ ⸻ I don't even know what that means, ❞ the blonde joked with a little laugh, ❝ I'd still take you home. ❞ Britt winked at her friend and then her brown eyes scanned around at the patrons before returning to Olivia. ❝ They are. Or, well, they try, but I'm trying to be a bit more discerning now that I no longer have my twenties and youth to blame for my horror show of past judgement. ❞ It hadn't made things any better nor Britt any smarter in knowing she collected red flags but it was never too late to start making a difference, right?

When it came to money and property the biggest investment people made in their lives was usually their homes. She'd seen the stacks of paperwork and contracts on the few times she's visited Olivia at the real estate office. Usually bringing her a coffee and snack or pulling her away for a lunch break. It kind of scared Britt off from ever trying to own a home herself some day. But only a little. Getting out on her own was a big want. Life on the ranch had been good to her, especially when it came to being close to her cousins and looking after her mother when she'd become sick, it had just become a bit stifling to still share a living space with her mother when she was now thirty. ❝ Not only that, ❞ Britt broke away from her wandering thoughts and jumped back into the conversation at Olivia's response, ❝ but don't y'all work for free essentially until the deal closes? ❞ Her lips pursed and she shook her blonde head. ❝ I think I'd lose my shit spending that kind of time with a client for free and they take something out on you when you're representing them and trying to help them. ❞ That was the way of the world though. If you were a service provider of any kind it meant you needed a thick skin for the abuse you'd endure. 

What she loved and admired about her friend was her strength and backbone. Hearing that Olivia wouldn't be a doormat for clients nor a punching bag made Britt smile, her head slowly nodding as she beamed with pride. Some things were worth so much more than money. Quickly she poured them both a shot and passed one over to Olivia then raised her own in a toast. ❝ Cheers to that! ❞ The shot was tossed back and Britt reminded herself to take it slow as there was a long night ahead of her. ❝ When are you supposed to be taking the licensing test? ❞

At the signal the blonde poured her frend another drink. One that Olivia could sip on and enjoy while they chatted in-between Britt's demands on serving other patrons. Thankfully her friend knew the best times to come, where things were slower, and she had more time to hang out and catch up with her. Especially on days like today where it seemed like it'd been a rough one for Olivia. ❝ Please do. I'd love nothing more than to put a snooty bartender in their place. Or ones that cheat the customer. ❞ Plus any bartender that didn't seem to understand that the better your pour usually meant the better the tips deserved to get reamed. ❝ Are these helping, though? ❞ Britt tapped on the side of Olivia's drink glass. ❝ With the less than spectacular day? ❞

Having the support of a friend like Olivia was priceless and definitely soothed over what had her worrying at her lip too often. So many of her conversations lately veered in this direction, no matter what she had been chatting with the person about. The next step and this current step being nearly over had dominated Britt's thoughts now that she was on the precipice of this stage in her life coming to a an end. ❝ I just feel so far behind. Like I wasted so much time. I'm just barely getting my bachelor's at thirty when pretty much everyone we went to school with is already well into a career by now. ❞ Not only that but they were married and started on kids anf family. How in the hell had people figured out their life at eighteen or in their early twenties? The blonde still struggled with it even though she had a determined path. ❝ I better be the hottest bartender you know or I'll go beat up the others, ❞ Britt joked and smiled at the encouragement Olivia continued to give her. She was right. Plus Britt knew that comparison wasn't fair to herself because everyone's journey was different. It was just difficult to not look around, especially at her past, and see where she'd gone wrong. ❝ I do kind of love being the therapist bartender. ❞ Even if she pretended to hate it. ❝ I know the town's deepest, darkest secrets. ❞ With a mischievious grin she tapped her fingers together. Everything that Olivia had said she'd needed to hear and she was again so grateful to have this woman in her life. ❝ Thank you. You always help me get my head on straight. ❞ Most therapists had therapists, didn't they? ❝ I definitely need the help because I'm not even sure where to look or how. Do I call private practices or the hospital? ❞

Olivia was used to blushing around Britt, since it had been a constant thing since the duo had met, so this was just the norm for them. It didn't stop her from grinning as her cheeks turned a shade of rosy pink though. "B, you have such a way with words. I'm flattered, really, but I don't even look as hot as I normally do right now." She pointed out, and truly, a rough day, or month, would do that to a gal. "But just so we're clear, you're the smoke show right now. Honestly, I'm surprised that half of the people in here aren't hitting on you right now. I thought hot bartenders were all the rage?" She teased.

As life altering of a decision as switching to real estate was, she had been trying her best to remain hopeful about it working out for her in the end. It wasn't as important as what Britt wanted to eventually become, but it was a somewhat lucrative business as long as the housing market wasn't crashing. She just needed to pass that pesky exam first. Smiling at her friend's encouragement, she nodded. "I appreciate that, babe." If there were ever anyone who could turn her frown upside down, it was the blonde, and it felt good to be lifted out of her funk a little bit. Taking another sip of her drink, Liv listened to Britt's critique of the unruly clients and couldn't help but agree with her. "From what I've seen, the whole process can be long sometimes, and there can be problems with some of the houses when it's time to inspect them, but I truly don't understand why they take their frustrations out on their realtors. Especially when they've built up some form of a friendship with them at that point."

Other than Fae, Liv wasn't like any of the other realtors, who would crumble the second a client yelled at them and then go out of their way to make it up to the assholes. Once she got her license, she sure as hell wouldn't be tolerating any of that crap, which could be both a bad and good thing. "I'll take the praise either way, so thank you." She beamed. "Don't worry, though. The second I yell at my first client, I'm treating you to dinner and all the booze we want." She promised.

Finishing off her drink, Liv put the glass back down on the bar top before signaling for another. She probably didn't even need another one, but she wasn't even tipsy yet so one more couldn't hurt. Britt instantly going on the defense about bartenders skimming her on the booze was admirable, yet she truly didn't know why she trusted any other bartenders anyway. Her friend always seemed to be the only one who could pour her drinks right, which meant she needed to stick to her. "The next time one screws me over, I'm calling you in as back up to put them in their place." Her tone was teasing, but she truly would go to such extreme lengths if she were paying for a decent pour and wasn't receiving it.

Liv hated seeing Britt in such turmoil over the post-college funk most people in her shoes were probably going through as well, but she could recall what that uncertainty felt like. Trying to figure out your next path was difficult no matter what your major was, but psychology was a real bitch of an area to make future plans for when you had more degrees to add first. Listening intently as Britt spoke, she was sure that the blonde would sort it all out in due time, and she'd be there for support the whole way. "You have somewhat of a plan, so you're in much better shape than I was when I was in your shoes." She praised, giving her friend a slight smile. "But just so we're clear, there is nothing wrong with being a bartender while you continue your studies. You're good at it, you're the hottest bartender I know, and I'm sure you use your knowledge to either lend an hear or offer some advice for customers here so in a way, you're getting some practice in." She suggested, and she wasn't quite sure if that really counted, yet it sounded like it did. "There is nothing wrong with being content here until you have all of the degrees you need to pivot into your career. So as your friend, I'm gonna demand that you stop selling yourself short here. And stop worrying so much about what's next. If you can find an internship for this summer, go for it. I'll even help you look around, if you need me to."

[dollarpuppet]

Charts

I'm making an in-browser game, some kind of simulator that will allow people to see how manipulating various factors impact the overall economy.

I didn't pick a game engine yet but I already made up my mind for the client-side frameworks (React and Bootstrap); I also decided to stick with React classes for components and not to use hooks.

I think a key element of my game will be charts, which will allow users to see the impact of their decisions over time. They will probably be quite a number of charts available.

I'm not gonna embed those charts in the central canvas that will be used for animations; it would be too much work and would not add a lot of value. Instead, I'll use typical JavaScript charts floating around the canvas, maybe let players reorganize them or something.

This means that I have to pick a charting library.

There are many options: there's a react version of chartjs, plus a number of react-specific chart libraries. But after playing with the various options for a few minutes, I decided to use Victory charts.

I'm not sure if it's the best, or if I'll regret going with a library that seems to be backed by a single commercial entity. But it's not a big deal since I will wrap my charts in React component. The blast radius will be limited.

I like the simplicity and convenience of Victory charts. With a few lines of code I'm now able to track updates to my GDP variable:

That works for now.