While I would have liked to ride the bus, the Red Line of the MBTA was a far more direct route to the Sponsors' office. I got on the southbound train at the Harvard station, stayed onboard for three stops, and got off at the Park Street station. Strictly speaking, Downtown Crossing was slightly closer to where the Sponsors' office was, but I'd prefer to get a little more walking in.

  The first thing I noticed was the crowd. I was still a good four minutes of walking away, and the streets were already completely clogged with people. That included a few cops trying to keep some semblance of organization. Figuring I might as well ask what was going on, I asked one of the cops a question.

  "Let me guess, everyone's here about the new office the Sponsors set up?"

  The cop (a black guy) nodded,

  "Yes. If you're here looking for a transformation medal, the line starts way back there."

  An idea for a little prank crossed my mind, and I couldn't hide the shit-eating grin that spread across my face.

  "Well, I do have business with the Sponsors. But I'm not looking for a medal."

  "Yeah right, I've heard that twenty times today already."

  I unzipped my hoodie and thumbed my medal's gem. In a flash of blue I was back in my armor, my catgirl body feeling much more right than my mundane form ever did. The cop stumbled back a few steps.

  "You're the Autumn Knight!?"

  I blinked,

  "It's not some kind of superhero identity, Autumn Knight is just my name. Am I going to have to explain that to every single person I meet?"

  The cop groaned,

  "Probably. Anyway, I can see you've already got a transformation medal."

  I nodded, even as I de-transformed. Ugh, that sucked.

  "Yep. I'm here to get my medal recharged, and drop off a monster pearl before it hatches."

  The cop pinched the bridge of his nose.

  "Well that sounds urgent. Fine, I'll show you in. Though you'd better do it transformed to avoid giving people the wrong idea about why you get to cut the line."

  I thumbed my medal, perking back up as my tail and ears appeared again. As I walked behind the police officer, the crowd hushed. I could practically feel hundreds of stares aimed my way, even as people muttered about whether my kitty ears were real.

  Four minutes of walking later, I finally got to the front door of the office. There was a large sign present above the door that simply read "Magi Sponsor Services". There was also a bell that would ring as the door was opened, but there were doorstops present that kept the doors open constantly.

  Just inside the office, there were two queue lines. The first was for prospective recruits, and was absolutely packed. The second was for Pearl dropoff and recharges, and was empty. Given what I was here for, I obviously walked right down the empty queue. It was then I noticed that there wasn't actually anyone at the desk.

  I raised my voice a little "Hey, I've got a pearl to turn in, and I'd like my medal recharged!"

  One of the cono scurried over; it took me a moment to notice any identifying differences from Berro, but this one had slightly bigger spots, and a fluffier tail. Also they were wearing a hat. They spoke in a much softer voice than Berro as well.

  "You must be Autumn Knight I believe?"

  I de-transformed and dug the pearl out of my pocket as I answered,

  "Yeah, that's correct. I'm here to drop off this pearl, get my medal recharged, and get paid for services rendered."

  The Sponsor took the pearl and shut it inside a locked case, passing it to another who quickly brought it out of the room.

  "Yes, I can handle both of those. Medal please."

  A bit reluctantly, I passed the Sponsor my transformation medal. She (?) promptly opened up a big block that was bolted to the desk, slotted my medal inside, and closed it again. There was a whirring-hissing noise for a few moments, and the Sponsor handed back my medal. Sure enough, the gem was as blue as when I'd first gotten it.

  Then someone else shouted across the office,

  "Scalin, we need you at desk twelve!"

  The Sponsor who'd been helping me cringed a bit,

  "Please wait here, we'll get your pay eventually."

  Then she scurried off. I groaned as I settled in to wait. At least I knew her name now?

  I wound up having to wait two entire hours until Scalin got freed up again. Having nothing better to do, I started counting the security cameras. I was able to see at least thirty cameras from where I was currently seated, which seemed a bit unusual for this size of room.

  Wait a minute. Berro hadn't even known Earth had television when we first met. He'd also mentioned that this office was provided by the government. Putting that together with just the cameras I could see, it was pretty clear that the government had this place thoroughly bugged. I'd bet my tail that there were even more surveillance devices around here that I couldn't see, too.

  Wait, I didn't have a tail right now, why did that mental turn of phrase feel so natural?

  I just sighed and resolved to be very careful with my words around here. Given Big Brother was definitely listening, I'd be a fool not to.

  That entire train of thought aside, Scalin did eventually get back to me.

  "Autumn? I have been told that this paper is called a check, and will tell your financial institutions to transfer funds to your account."

  I took the check and gave it a quick read. Everything seemed legit and- huh.

  "Three thousand dollars? That's quite a bit of money for a single paycheck. What's the pay schedule like?"

  "Schedule? Pay is not scheduled. You get paid when you turn in pearls."

  Oh shit. Being a Magi is gig work!? Calm down, calm down, it's not quite that bad. Each pearl is worth three grand, and the job isn't really customer facing. After a moment, I managed to get out a simple

  "Ah. Thank you for clearing that up."

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  Right. Paycheck acquired, next thing to do is to get it deposited. I quickly stuffed the check into my wallet, and made my way to the exit. Wait a minute, crowd. Perfect place for pickpockets.

  I quickly transformed, so as to hide my wallet under my armored skirt; getting through this crowd should only take a few minutes, so I should still have plenty of charge afterwards.

  Of course, I'd just left the building when my medal blinked, and I felt that tug again. The magic had built up enough to form a monster. Ugh, I really wanted to go deposit my paycheck before dealing with that. But people could get hurt if I didn't. I suppose I'd also get paid for the new pearl, but the paycheck I already had, but people could get hurt.

  Groaning, I started northwest, towards the higher concentration of magic in the air. I really didn't want to be doing this right now, but I was still the only Magi with any combat experience at all. At least, the only one in the general Boston area.

  My path towards the concentration of magic almost immediately brought me to the Boston Common. In just two minutes I'd found the epicenter, under the shade trees between the visitor's center and the frog pond.

  As I turned around, I also realized that something like fifty people were staring at me. I quickly clamped down on my fear of a monster attacking the crowd; I'd already had proven twice now that sudden emotional shifts were the trigger for a monster actually forming. Feigning calmness, I spoke up.

  "You guys should probably back up. The reason I came here is because a monster will probably form soon, and I don't want you to get hurt."

  Murmers rumbled through the crowd, and to their credit most of the gawkers backed up. The exception was a blonde teenage girl who trotted right up to me.

  "Didn't I just tell you to get clear of the danger zone?"

  "Yeah, but about that-"

  She pulled on the necklace she was wearing, revealing a transformation medal. Figures.

  "We've actually met online, Autumn."

  "We have?"

  The teenager grinned as she thumbed her medal's jewel,

  "Yep, I'm PrincessBEEEEES!"

  There was a flash of blue light as PrincessBEEEEES transformed. Now she had an armored vest with yellow and brown stripes, a fluffy white collar, a protective circlet on her head, a pair of antennae growing from her forehead, a massive set of bee wings growing from her shoulders, a knee-length armored skirt, and what looked to be a bee's abdomen attached to her back end.

  "But my real name is Marigold. Nice to meet you!"

  I blinked. Figures.

  "Right. So, is this your first time transforming?"

  Marigold's antennae drooped,

  "Yeah…"

  "So you just got lucky that you turn into a beegirl, got it. I'm going to recommend that you spend a bit of time figuring out what you can actually do like this before you get into a fight."

  Marigold tilted her head,

  "But isn't a monster about to form right now?"

  "Just raw magic isn't enough; a sudden emotional change is needed to trigger the forming process. So long as everyone stays calm, we've got some time."

  "Ah. Okay."

  That's when I noticed a darting blur of orange, low to the ground.

  To be more specific, a fox pounced out from under a bench, biting an unfortunate squirrel on the back of the neck. Barely half a second later, every color in the world started flowing to a single point just above the fox. Said fox startled and ran off at top speed, still holding the dying squirrel in its mouth.

  As for us, we suddenly found ourselves staring down a fox monster the size of a cow. Its coat looked brown-green, and something that smelled like death was dripping from its snarling mouth.

  Before I could think of something to tell Marigold, the beast lunged towards her. Acting on reflex, I drew my pistol and put a bullet right between that fox demon's eyes. The shot ricocheted off the monster's face, only doing cosmetic damage. But I'd certainly diverted the fox demon's attention.

  In the brief moment of confusion, I shouted to Marigold,

  "I'll keep the fox busy! Figure out your powers!"

  "On it!"

  Then the fox-demon lunged at me, clearly having decided to take out its frustrations on me. Shortly before the monster could make contact, I darted to the left. My sword scored a shallow cut along the beast's right side as it whirled and jumped away. The monster paused for half a second, sizing me up as it evaluated the situation.

  Evidently, the beast determined that it could find safer prey elsewhere. It turned around and started running away from me at full tilt, heading towards the crowd. I chased after, but the fox-demon was faster than me in a straight line. I risked hitting bystanders if I opened fire, so using my gun here was out of the question.

  Then I heard a very loud buzzing, as a blur of yellow and brown slammed into the fox-demon from the side. Marigold had figured out how to fly just in time, ramming her stinger into the fox-demon's right shoulder. Adding to that, Marigold's momentum had bowled the monster over onto its side, presenting an opportunity.

  "Thanks Marigold, now get out of the way!"

  "I can't, my stinger's stuck!"

  Shit.

  The fox-demon stumbled to its feet, but Marigold's weight was throwing off its balance something fierce, and it wasn't flexible enough to forcibly remove her. Before anything else could happen, I dashed in and stabbed the fox-demon right in the neck. Pretty sure I hit the spinal column.

  The monster cracked, starting from the spot I'd stabbed it. Then it shattered completely, reverting to a rapidly collapsing cloud of every color imaginable. Half a second later, all that was left was the fox-demon's pearl. I got a brief glimpse of Marigold's stinger before she retracted it; it was barbed.

  I sighed as I picked up the pearl.

  "Marigold, we've got to do something about those barbs on your stinger. They nearly got you killed."

  The beegirl nodded,

  "In more ways than you know. Honeybees die when they sting; their stinger stays in the target, and rips out some of the bee's organs as they go."

  I blinked,

  "And you were still willing to risk that?"

  "If I didn't, the fox-demon would have reached the crowd."

  I sighed,

  "Stick your stinger out, I'm getting those barbs off before they get you killed."

  "Oh- okay."

  Without further explanation, Marigold laid down on her belly and stuck her stinger out. I sat next to it, silently thanked my armor's protective handwear, and got to work very carefully shaving the barbs off with my sword.

  Ten minutes in, I noticed that the parts of Marigold's stinger I'd already worked on were a lot smoother than my efforts could really account for. Interesting.

  After thirty minutes, I'd completed the task. Now, Marigold's stinger looked entirely different. Where before it had been three parts that could move a bit to sort of saw into a target, now it was a single slightly curved stabby injector thing.

  "Done, please keep your stinger out for a bit so I can take a picture of it."

  "Okay, Autumn."

  I briefly de-transformed to get at my phone, snapped the photo, and showed Marigold.

  "Huh. That looks a lot like a queen bee's stinger, rather than what I'd expect from you just cutting off the barbs."

  "Yeah, I can't account for it either. Anyway, let's get back to the office and turn in the pearl so you can get paid."

  Marigold blinked as she stood up.

  "But you did most of the work, and just did me a massive favor…"

  "If it weren't for you, the fox-demon would have definitely gotten into the crowd."

  That's when some jerk shouted,

  "JUST KISS ALREADY!"

  Marigold and I both promptly replied.

  "SHUT UP!"

  I sighed, as I tried to figure out how to wrap up this conversation quickly.

  "Marigold, is a fifty-fifty split good with you?"

  "Sure. Let's get back to the office."

  I nodded, beginning the walk back as I noted,

  "We may as well stay transformed the whole time, seeing as we can get a recharge while we're there."

  "Yeah sure."

  The Sponsors' recruiting office wasn't any less clogged than before when the two of us arrived, but the two of us being obviously transformed meant there weren't any complaints about us walking right in. We were still the only people in the line for medal recharges and turning in pearls, though.

  It was a different Sponsor who came to talk with us. They had a longer snout than either Berro or Scalin.

  "Autumn Knight and Marigold Smith, I believe?"

  Marigold nodded,

  "Yes, that's us. We've got a pearl that we'd like to split the pay for. Fifty-fifty."

  I chimed in,

  "We basically saved each others' lives there, so an even split seemed the fairest."

  The Sponsor working the desk nodded, even as Marigold presented the pearl.

  "Very well. I will see to it that you both get an even share of the pay for this pearl. Do you want your medals recharged while you're here?"

  Marigold and I both thumbed our gems to de-transform, even as I passed my medal to the Sponsor.

  "Yes please."

  "Very well."

  Getting our medals recharged was fast, then Marigold and I settled in to wait for our paychecks. For lack of anything better to do, I asked Marigold a question.

  "So, want to be partners for the whole magical girl thing going forwards?"

  "Maybe? But I'm not sure if we live close enough together for that to really make sense. It's entirely plausible that there's going to be a lot of cases where we just can't back each other up."

  "Makes sense I guess; I live up near Harvard. Though I fully expect to spend a fair amount of time in Boston proper."

  "I live on Sheafe street in the north end. So it sounds like I was right; we just live too a little far apart to team up all the time."

  I hummed,

  "Friends, though?"

  "Oh absolutely, one hundred percent friends. You actually for real saved my life back there, and I'm not going to forget that."

  The conversation drifted between topics for a good half an hour, before the Sponsor came back with a pair of checks for $1500 each. I handed Marigold hers, we exchanged contact information, and then it was off to deposit my pay.

  I got home around one in the afternoon, after a quick stop at the bank. Unsurprisingly, Rachel was the only other member of the family present at the moment; mom one's shift usually ran until the mid-afternoon, and mon two had left for work around noon.

  "Welcome home Autumn, how'd it go?"

  I shrugged,

  "Got paid, got my medal recharged, had to do a hunt so nobody would get hurt. PrincessBEEEEES turned out to be a pretty quick learner; we split the pay from that pearl."

  My sister looked up from her bowl of oatmeal,

  "And all that managed to take four entire hours? What happened?"

  "Yeah, turns out the Sponsors' office was absolutely swamped with thousands of people who all wanted transformation medals. Took them two hours to get around to writing the first paycheck, and half an hour for the second. Add in travel time, the hunt, needing to de-barb Marigold's stinger, and a bank errand, and I was away from home for four hours."

  "Checks out. Also interesting to learn PrincessBEEEEES' real name. Anything else planned for today?"

  I nodded,

  "Catching up on my studies; my mechanic training course resumes tomorrow."

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