“Then, again, why would you phrase it like you didn’t know? That's counter intuitive.” Her boss retorts simply, that same hint of condescension in its voice.
“I KNOW YA KNOW WHAT SARCASM IS, STUPID.” She mentally growls out, trying her hardest to compose herself. She was already half conscious, and she had to deal with… This. She growls, causing a shuffle to go through the elevator. She pays it no mind, her attention rapt with the less than helpful conversation brewing in her mind.
“I have no clue what you could possible be insinuating. You have stooped so low as to use petty threats, which makes me ultimate victor in this situation.”
“Yer bein' stupid on purpose.” Liv half grounds out, her teeth set on edge.
"Another ad hominem. You cannot mentally compete with me."
"YER USIN' FAKE WORDS-!"
DING!
The elevator comes to a stop, the mesh slowly sliding open as light peels in. Liv watches as the mousy man scurries out, her eyebrows furrowing as she follows. What greets her is an extremely crowded office, papers festooning the ground like fresh snowfall. It all smells a bit like old ink, the moonlight illuminating the desk at the end of the room. She can barely see any of its surface area with how much stuff has been horded, and the walls were just as bad with the sheer amount of paintings and pictures. The clouds roil around the window, the buildings that once towered over her unviewable from the sheer height she’s climbed. She slowly walks toward the messy desk, taking the wooden chair on its receiving side.
A question rumbles about her head, one that takes precedent over every other; truly, one that would make or break the meeting. “Did ya have to wake me in the middle of the night?”
A low, raspy chuckle sounds from the chair as it turns, George’s haggard figure on the other end. His white, wispy hair shines in the moonlight, making him look just a bit older than when she saw him before. Still, he smiles at her, his eyes crinkling at their edges. “Cutting deep, kid. Had to ask the riveting questions! Not ‘why am I here’, or ‘why do you have an office so high up’?”
“Actually, I got a better one.” She says, a small sneer crawling onto her face. “Why didn’t I know ‘bout the elevator ‘till now?”
“Oh, that?” He asks, looking to the elevator. His smile grows as crosses his arms, leaning back in his chair. “Well, it only leads to a few, select floors– It’s also the only way to get all the way up here, to the top.” He chuckles, jabbing his thumb upwards to emphasize his point. “No point in you kiddos knowing about something that can’t help you anyone but a select few!"
“Yer a dick.” Liv mutters, crossing her arms over her chest with a grunt.
“Guilty as charged.” He smirks, kicking his feet up, his features shining with pride. “Alright, no sense wasting our time. Lets get to why I actually called you here.” He chuckles, pulling out a stack of papers 4 high, sliding them over to Liv. She furrows her brows, slowly taking them into her own hands, flipping through them. She skims them, a confused look etching into her face.
“... Exquisite timing… Finished quickly… 95… Abysmal… 32…” She reads through, her mouth arcing down into a frown. She sets them down, sliding them across the table. “I dunno if I follow.”
“Those would be your test scores.” He says, slowly pulling the paper toward himself. “A 95 on the Strata because of your damn near record breaking time, 32 on the written; amazing score, by the way.” He jabs, Liv’s frown deepening. He chuckles softly, a raspy noise as he continues down the list. “Perfect 100 on the strength test, one of the best we’ve ever gotten. Still getting that fixed…” He mutters, pushing a pen against his upper lip. “And, last but not least, an 85 on the combat section. You're good, damn near great– and your mastery over your synth is impressive to say the least. You're just a bit too reckless. That type of fighting alone gets you killed. That brings your grand total to 312.”
“Is that… Good?” Liv questions, a bud of anxiety blossoming in her stomach, replacing the ebbed anger within her.
“Damn right it is.” He says with a cackle, slapping it with the back of his hand. “You damn near maxed out half the tests you were in! If it weren’t for the… I think you get the premise.”
A smile slowly begins to spread across her face, her anxiety still high as she asks, "Ya reckon i got top five?"
George cocks an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly, a questioning expression on his face. “What do you think?”
Liv looks down, clenching her fists, the metal of the gauntlets creaking as she does. She had fought tooth and nail to get here, putting her body on the line over and over just to get to this point.
“I do.” She says, her smile less nervous, more assured than before.
George nods, reaching under the desk, sliding a massive stack of papers over. Liv quickly grabs it, her eyes darting over the pages. It seemed to be a list of names, each with a score next to them, all ranked on a list. She skimmed it, a smile growing on her face as she saw the results.
- Liv Boss |312|
Liv cheers, throwing her hands up in celebration, a manic cackle escaping her lips as she kicks her feet, her earlier anxiety completely replaced by a manic excitement mixed with blissful relief. She feels lighter, her chest filling with the warm glow of pride, of accomplishment. Even if just barely, she had made her goal… Still, she didn’t expect to see first place go to him…
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
- Faraji Alema |385|
- Florence Gale |355|
- Arata Hyoudou |349|
- Arla Arden |320|
“Wonder if he’s still pissed at me…” She ponders, her eyes trained on Faraji's name. She had seem him every once and a while, and the glares he shot her... She assumed he was, at minimum, angry with her– downright vengeful at worst. Pushing the thought down, unable to worry with the taste of victory fresh in her mind. A particularly pink pal of her springs to mind, a prick of curiosity bubbling into her mind. She begins to scan the page, looking for the familiar name. When she eventually manages to find it, her smile drops just a bit, a hint of disappointment washing over her.
- Jeoung-Yun Kara |282|
“Why’d Kara get so low?” Liv questions, her hand coming down to tap the paper. “Damn near killed me! I reckon she should be top ten!”
“Hm?” George hums, his head cocking as he slowly takes the paper from Liv. He looks at the number before shaking his head with a scoff, his smile never fading. “Kid, aside from Written, 50 is the average. She did damn good for someone who nearly bombed the strength test.”
“Oh.” Liv says, her hands clasping on the table. The two sit in relative silence, the only sound cutting through being the sound of George flipping through papers. Eventually, Liv cuts through the silence, her voice small. “You told us we gotta pick our team or somethin’. Do I gotta do that now?”
George looks up from his papers before sliding them back to Liv, giving them a quick tap with his pointer. “No, not now. You still have the Brightflame Gala to attend. It’ll let you mingle since scores will be posted on the wall when the other kiddos return. Wouldn't want you stuck with people you hardly know.”
“And that is…” Liv starts for him, her curiosity piqued.
“Probably a day?” George says slowly, shrugging as he does. “A day is a good bet since they still got to buy their outfits for the gala. Don’t want to get an earful from a bunch of shitty nepo families mad at me cause I didn't let their shitty kids get shitty little outfits to prance around in.” George grunts, seemingly annoyed. Liv seldom sees the man without a smile, so seeing him clearly rattled is strange.
She watches as he quickly shifts back to his usual large grin, a cackle escaping as he reaches over his desk, slapping her on the shoulder. “Luckily, I'm free of most of that since I'm a geezer! Not you, though. Just remember: keep your head up, puff your chest out, and don't show a lick of weakness– they prey on that stuff."
Liv blinks, her confusion mounting. What the hell was he talking about? Before she can inquire, she suddenly finds herself, and her chair, displaced in the elevator. She blinks, her head whipping side to side rapidly. The office looked the damn same, and George was smirking at her while waving, a pen in hand as he plucks a paper from a stack, returning to work. Liv shoots up, poised to inquire; unfortunately, the elevator begins to descend, the mesh closing right in front of her.
“What in the…” Liv mutters to herself, slowly reclaiming her seat. She rubs her temple, her nights exhaustion completely forgotten as she descends down the building, returning to her floor. Maybe the delirium from lack of sleep was finally getting to her. She exits the chair as the mesh opens, opening the door with a creak, wandering the halls absent mindedly.
As she winds down the halls, a single thought dominates her mind. Who would be on her team? Charlotte would have to be on it, and Kara would be a nice bonus, but anyone beyond that was unknown. Sifting through the papers as she walks, she quickly finds her friend, a smile spreading across her face.
- Charlotte Arcille |289|
An extraordinary score if George was to be believed. Liv would have to hope nobody else scooped her friend up before she had the chance herself. Aside from Charlotte. She knew Kara's score, of course, which meant she had a general idea of what her teams power level would be; though, that did leave a fourth gap. Maybe one of them could recommend someone. Or...
“Ya got an idea?” Liv inquires mentally, prodding the connection to her boss.
“You have to tell me what you want my help with. I cannot read your mind, Liv.” Her boss responds, eliciting an annoyed grunt from Liv, even if it was an unjustified one.
“For a final member. I ain’t got any ideas.”
“Wait for the Gala.” Her boss responds quickly. Liv blinks, momentarily taken aback by the near instant response.
"Ya already thought of that?" She asks, her eyes scanning the pages, hundreds of numbers and names flooding her brain like a wave of knowledge. It made her head spin with the sheer amount contained in the pages.
“It would be best to shore up your weaknesses when you know how you can do so. This has no information about anything related to their strengths or weaknesses, just the score itself." Her boss notes, mentally prodding the connection between the two, drawing attention to the paper. "Scores that include multiple tests I believe to be flawed. While important, knowledge on continental tectonics isn't as important as who can deal with a famished demon."
Liv's face scrunches up further in confusion, a question rumbling through her mind. "Why'd they do that? Reckon they have each score. Can't they just put em' on there too?"
"Certainly. I am not sure why, though." Her boss admits just a bit too slow, almost reluctant to admit it, "My best guess is to show some sort of weakness with their own scores...?"
"I reckon I get it..." Liv mutters mentally, her hand coming to stroke her chin, a memory flashing through her mind– the day seared into her mind, steeped with embarrassment. "Old Man George gave us that once month thing. Reckon that's part of it?"
The connection is silent for a moment. Liv begins to sweat, worrying she made a fool of herself. After a moment, however, her boss pipes up once more, their voice almost reluctant. "That... Would solve this conundrum quite cleanly." They admit, their voice even more reluctant than before. Liv pumps her fist, her pride swelling as she continues to walk. She didn't quite remember the way back, but she would find her way eventually. In the mean time... She had some papers to sift through.
487. Ethan Kaster |203|
942. Billson Evanance |142|
Liv chuckles softly as she reads through the names. So many people who did worse than her... It was a strange sight to behold. She couldn't wait to show everyone the good news. She wondered what Kara would think, what Charlotte would think, what Anthony would think... Her mind flashes to the arcade, and she briefly wonders if Charlotte would enjoy it. She would have to ask her when she got back. Kara seemed the type, though. She would have to invite her soon enough; however, conversations felt difficult to initiate with the pink haired girl. She supposes that's why Kara is the one who typically speaks the most amongst them, endless chatter about this and that. Still, a friend is a friend, and she was determined to keep the ones she had, and that meant learning about conversation starters. Comparing, perhaps? Thats when a rogue thought pops in her head, one that clings to her brain like a hook in a mountain.
Liv looks back to the papers within her hands, diving through the lower ranks: 100's, 90's, 80's, and 70's passing in a blur before she even gets to the final page. Most of her friends were here anyway, so they could talk about the people below them! As she does, however, her eyes bulge, her jaw slacking as she looks at the name… One all too familiar.
- Anthony Bouiour |0|