Stray Cat Strut

Chapter Thirty-Seven - The Call

Chapter Thirty-Seven - The Call

Chapter Thirty-Seven - The Call

"I think the idea of a work-life balance is a myth. There's no such thing. Not for a Samurai, at least."

-Deus Ex, 2055, while still wearing pyjamas

***

It had taken me an hour to fish that one part that had fallen out from within the mech's leg. I almost gave up, but then Myalis told me that if I didn't get it out, the mech would make a constant rattling noise whenever it moved that leg, and I couldn't live with the idea that my failure would be broadcast out there like an all-metal maraca.

That would go counter to the whole stealth thing I was aiming for.

Anyway, that frustration aside, I was actually getting things done pretty well. All I had to do was close up a few dozen things and I'd be good to go with the leg. Then it was back to work on the gun mount above. That was going to take... about twenty hours, give or take. It depended on how easily things fell through tiny cracks and had to be fetched.

"So, she's pretty much functional at this point, huh?" I asked.

Yes, it is. Have you decided that the mech is female now?

"Is that bad?" I asked.

No. It's very human to decide that an object needs to be personified to the point where it needs its own gender.

"We can't be the only ones that do that," I defended.

Of course not. There are literally tens of thousands of species with their own cultures. Nothing humanity has done is unique to humanity.

"Wow," I said. "Way to make a girl feel special, Myalis."

You're very special.

I snorted. Myalis usually spoke at a pretty even tone, but right there she'd really pushed the condescension to the max. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

I was about to go on with the work, starting on the next part, when I heard the door open. A glance towards the entrance showed a familiar face walking out. Delilah, without her full samurai getup. Instead she was in one of those long, modest skirts that stopped near mid-calf and a knit pullover

"Yo! Delilah," I said. "What are you doing up here?"

"I live here now, as you may or may not have noticed," she said as she came over. "Or I will eventually. Turns out massive renovations are more trouble than I'd expected."

"Yeah, it might take a while. Did you need help with all of that?" My repair drone was up here helping me, but I could send it down to help. It could do... renovation stuff, probably.

"We're fine," Delilah said. "If it takes a couple of weeks, then that's what it takes. We're working on things bit by bit right now. The plumbing's almost done, and then it'll be the kitchen, bathrooms and the bedroom. I'll get the rest done as I go."

That was probably fair. "How are you on points and such?" I asked.

"Good. Really good. Those tests I ran the other day really helped. There's a pretty big shortage of samurai right now, so if you're ever looking for easy work, there's a lot to be had."

I groaned. "Yeah. I should. Kinda enjoying the vacation life right now, though."

"Really? I heard that you've been hard at work fixing the sewers and shooting the mayor."

I shook my head with a snort. She wasn't entirely wrong. "Yeah, sure, but it's mostly about bullying others into doing the work. I'll pop over to the Family tomorrow, do a quick spot-check to see if they're getting any work done or if they're just messing around. Thing is, the problem's kinda way too big for me to handle, so I need to rely on these guys instead."

"That's how it is," Delilah agreed. "Well, I appreciate you doing all of the boring work. I'm... not so fit for that kind of stuff."

"Really?" I leaned up against the leg of my mech. "You're a nun, I figured that charity was right up your alley."

"Oh, I've done my share, but it's not something I necessarily enjoy. It always feels like we're just patching over a problem instead of fixing it at the root. You can give food to people who can't afford it, and that'll feed them for a day or two, but it doesn't change the fact that there's not enough good work, or how food is priced too high. It feels like a waste of time."

"Hmm, you're basically giving the corps more time to rip people off instead of just blowing up their headquarters and shooting their shareholders until the problem's fixed," I said with a nod.

"See, that kind of thinking was always very frowned upon at the convent."

That was silly. The solution seemed pretty obvious to me. "Hey, Myalis, can we have some drinks? Just soda or something."

Two cans appeared on the workbench next to me, one covered in neon cats and the other with sick flames on it. No points for guessing which can was meant for who.

"Thanks," Delilah said.

"Meh, it's like, a point a can. Plus point-bought food tastes best." The tab popped with a carbonated hiss, and I took a big gulp while the drink was still at its fizziest. "Ah. Yeah, that hits the spot. So, you said something about a kitchen? Does that mean you know how to cook?"

"If you're trying to convince me to cook for you, you'll be severely disappointed," Delilah said. "I can manage. We all took turns at the convent, but it's not something I'm overly fond of."

"Aww, but what if you cook Franny a nice romantic meal. Like, steak and potatoes or whatever."

Delilah flushed a little, but she quickly turned that into a confused glare. "Steak and potatoes? That's your idea of a romantic dinner?"

"I mean, I guess?"

"Wow. How did you ever end up with someone as good as Lucy when your idea of romance is steak and potatoes?"

"Mostly blind luck, and the fact that I was the only gay girl within arm's reach for long enough that I eventually convinced Lucy that she should give me a chance," I said.

Delilah chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Things are... interesting, right now."

"With Franny?"

"Yeah," she said. "Just... I don't know exactly where we stand, but it's going in a... nice direction, I think?"

"Still tip-toeing around each other and blushing like innocent little maidens?" I asked.

She glared some more. "Yes, essentially. But I don't think it's all bad. At least, I hope it's not."

"Is she moving in with you?" I asked with a vague gesture down towards her new place.

"I think so. I got her a room. Well, a guest bedroom. If she wants it."

"Build it last," I said. "Just make sure your room has a big enough bed for two."

Delilah shook her head. "I'm not going to do... trickery or whatever. I don't want that. Even if it might work with you and Lucy."

That was probably fair. Lucy and I liked coming up with stupid excuses to spend time together. We'd definitely have jumped on the 'oh no, there's only one bed' scenario, but Delilah was uptight, and Franny was... also uptight, but she tried not to show it. They'd probably spend a lot of time talking about their feelings and slowly pushing boundaries before anything serious happened.

A waste of time, as far as I was concerned, but if it worked for them, then that was their thing.

"Do what works for you," I said. "But if you need a bit of advice, well, there's this thing I do with my ton--" I paused as my augs went off. I raised a hand in a 'one second' gesture and looked at the incoming call.

"What's wrong?" Delilah asked. "It's not like you to stop mid-perversion."

"Got a call coming in from Rac," I said. "You know, the girl we picked up a while ago. Gimme a second." Delilah nodded once, and I picked up. "Yo?"

The line was quiet for a while, then Rac spoke. "Cat?"

"Yes?"

"I, ah, might be in a bit of trouble."

"Okay. How much is a bit?"

"Well, we're pinned down right now. Spider hacked one of the bots, but it's only distracting them. Coco's shot, and Garter's saying that we're going to have to try and save our ammo. And I'm out of grenades."

"A bit," I said. "Where are you, exactly, and what the hell are you up to?"

"It's complicated," Rac said.

"Uh-huh," I replied. "Can you not die for like, a few minutes?"

"I'll try?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, then turned to Delilah. "Sorry, something's come up. I need to get geared up. Rac? Hey ,can you still hear me? Yeah, so... this trouble, is it 'show up with a pistol' trouble or is it more than that?"

"More? Definitely more."

Well, that was something. But hey, at least Rac had called!

***