This only took 2 years. Some of what Miyuri says is based on a PM Robkelk sent way back in the days of Yuku long gone.
It's been chopped and changed so many times, I'm not sure how it reads
---
The Crystal Millenium offered a lot of leeway when it came to such things, accounting for identities, personal comforts and not being a dickhead. Gaige came to the rapid conclusion that the women’s bath would the least worst option.
Gaige steeled herself while Anika opened what looked to be an ordinary isolation door. Beyond it waited another universe,
An attendant handed her a plush, fresh towel, bathing supplies, a holo-bracelet and a leaflet on how to properly use a true Onsen bath. Gaige waited for the others to move on, before following them through a curtain with the character for ‘Onna’ printed on it.
Beyond was a room clad in varnished timber, taken from an actual resort that’d fallen on hard times. The scent of warm cedar mingled with a dozen different strains of perfume and body soap, and a twinge of sulphur and steel from the minerals added to the bathwater.
Baskets sat on shelves, waiting for her clothes. A few had been used by people already in the bath. Gaige watched as Miyuri and Anika clasped their holo-bracelets around their wrists, and started to undress.
The bracelets flickered to life. Holographic steam saved most blushes.
Gaige clasped hers to her wrist and let it activate, then began to slide her boots off her feet.
Anika didn’t stop explaining to Miyuri how the baths worked, and who’s idea they’d been, and how the mineral balance this week had been carefully chosen to mimic that of a hot-spring fed by the Owakudani system, and that it could be tailored to match any resort.
Even as her body kept begging for her own attention, Gaige sensed Miyuri wasn’t really paying attention.
She washed herself, taking special care with where she placed her hands, carefully and deliberately giving herself a mental warning before pressing her hands against anything sensitive.
Gaige then wrapped her waist in her towel. A deep breath reminded her that she had more to cover up top. Gaige shifted the towelcloth up over her chest, drawing flairs of sensation that dragged her mind away from everything else.
The moment she came aware of them, they became impossible to ignore. No matter how hard she tried to focus on something else - they begged for her attention. She forced herself to walk anyway, putting one foot in front of the other to take herself towards the baths.
She slid open a light frame timber door that separated the washroom from the bath area proper. Artificial night air chilled her skin, running like a thousand fingers along her arms and across her neck.
She became aware of two voices, calmly discussing how the bath helped get the ‘speckles’ out of the body after working in the reactor.
The discussion died the instant the door closed behind her.
The dread sense that she’d been caught thrilled up her spine.
Gaige felt them both stare at her. She found herself unable to avoid staring back at them. One with a distinctly Japanese complexion, the other dark-skinned and African. She recognised them from one of the reactor maintenance teams. Noriko, and Anna
“I thought you told me you weren’t interested in women since you changed,” Anna whispered through her teeth.
“Shut. Up.” Noriko hissed, a pale pink flush warming her face.
“Sorry,” said Anna, offering an embarrassed smile. “The water’s fine. Join us. Don’t mind Nori’ - she only switched sides two months ago,”
Gaige felt herself smile despite herself, her body tensing beneath the towel.
“Me too,” she said. “More recently.”
Noriko relaxed into the water.
“My guide was Sakura Watanabe in Crystal Paris, hence…..” she pointed a finger at her face. “Who was yours?”
A flush of shame deepened in Gaige’s body.
“I had an accident.”
“Oh.” Noriko’s face fell into an expression of genuine compassion. “I’m sorry. I know this must be hard for you.”
“The water will help.” Anna reassured. “It takes the weight off.”
Gaige offered a soft smile, looked at the water, then at Anna, then gripped the towel around her body tight wondering how the sequence of events had to unfold to retain her modesty.
After a few moments, she resigned herself to the inevitable, allowing her towel to drop from her body, before quickly stepping into the water and lowering herself in.
Thankfully, nobody had dared to reassure her it was ‘All girls here’. That would've been presumptuous.
Heat soaked through to her bones and her body dissolved into the water, replaced with nothing more than the most perfect sense of comfort. A smile crossed her lips, and she allowed herself to sink lower into the water.
The thought occurred to her, that the few moments of true comfort she’d found since the crash involved hot water and things that smelled nice.
“So, how’s the water?”
Her eyes snapped open. Anika and Miyuri had finally caught up. Gaige could only smile.
“That good?” Miyuri giggled.
“Better than I thought,”
“The heat really helps my mind relax.” said Anika., “It forces me to cut threads.”
Gaige averted her eyes as they both slipped into the water, one either side of her. Anika’s calf brushed hers - artificial skin impossibly smooth against hers. Gaige took a breath, feeling nothing more in her body than the presence of another beside her. She surmised that maybe her attraction had somehow, finally, overloaded.
Or maybe the bathwater had dissolved it, too, along with every other little stress or strain. Gaige decided she preferred not to have anything spoiling the mood.
“Enjoying it so far?” asked Anika.
Gaige felt herself glance at everyone else in the bath, in turn. Everyon sitting in a ring around the rim of the bath, with their feet towards the centre. “I thought I’d be the one staring at everyone.” her eyes fell to her own own reflection. “It’s the other way around,”
“Well, A.C. does work in a certain, up-front, style,” said Miyuri, her eyes indicating exactly what she was referring to.
“Lady Mars?” Noriko piped up. Anna grabbed her arm, hissing in her ear to shut up.
“I didn’t actually get to meet her,” Gaige cut the line of questioning off. Noriko’s eyes still begged her for more information, like she’d suddenly morphed into some form of minor celebrity. Her reflection gave her two obvious ways to change the subject.
“Are these things supposed to be so annoying?” she pointed right at them.
“Stop bragging,” said Anna.
“I’m still getting used to having the real thing.” Noriko placed her hands on hers and smiled. “I thought I was addicted to KoFen. Then I realised it was the female avatar I was using.”
She shifted a little in the water, settling in her skin.
“My brother and I both swapped accounts, and it was harder for him that it was for me,” Anna added. “I think he just complained about it more just be sure nobody thought otherwise.”
“Hmm,” said Miyuri.
“The last time I did that, I had to turn the feedback right down, and even then seeing Faye Valentine looking back at me from a window was the weirdest sensation,” Gaige added.
It had the convenience of being the truth.
“It’s different when you have years to get used to them,” said Anna “But they can still be so annoying sometimes.”
“They’re different from the avatars on KoFen.” Noriko added. “Even the small ones move more.”
“Mine are used as radiators,” said Anika with a smile. “I need a larger area, because my mind-core produces a lot of heat.”
“We were based on fictional characters.” Miyuri said. “But Noah always tried to keep us looking like real people. It’s not really fair otherwise.” An idea lit up on her face. “You should speak to my sister Prim, Gaige. If they’re that annoying, she’ll be able to tell you where she gets her underwear made, at least.”
“Thanks,” said Gaige
She felt herself settle into the flow of conversation, finding her own space in the group, with her own particular viewpoints. Anika and Miyuri had been built, Anna had been born, Noriko had become, while Gaige had just sort of been….. bound.
Trapped.
The weight of it settled on her shoulders, her gaze settling down on her toes, twitching beneath the water’s surface, sending small ripples out into the water. Of course, they were attached to the body and did exactly what they had been told.
Another ripple washed over her, larger than the previous.
“Our time’s up.”
Anna had stood up - already wearing her cloud of holographic steam. Noriko, gave an annoyed pout a moment, obviously content to stew in the bath. A dark look from Anna convinced her it was time to move on.
Noriko pushed herself to her feet, standing up right beside Gaige. Gaige heart stopped and her mouth went dry, a sudden frission of desire rolling across the surface of her skin.
Two thoughts flashed through Gaige’ mind in the one instant.
Wow, Noriko really worked out.
And she forgot to turn her privacy hologram on.
Gaige saw everything.
“If you need help, or want to talk, I’m off shift after 10,” Noriko said, with a smile.
Gaige swallowed, terrified she’d been caught staring. “Thanks,” she said.
Noriko kept smiling, up until the moment Anna made a show of clearing her throat. She giggled, then left the bath with confident strides. The other women in their bath, fixed the eyes on a bewildered Gaige, who sat there wondering exactly what she’d missed.
What’d she done?
“What?” she said.
A moment stretched out to the infinite.
“Nothing,” Anika giggled.
“It was definitely something.”
Had she been caught looking?
“You’re stirring up the bath water,” Miyuri made a clear attempt to change the subject
Gaige settled down again, folding her arms beneath her breasts. She curled her toes under the water, making more little ripples.
“So what’s that body like, anyway?” asked Miyuri after a few moments. Gaige gave her a look, pursing her lips into a pout at the idea of having to stand up and demonstrate. “I meant, technically. I’m based on some of Peter’s work - but we’re not really her personal designs.”
Gaige’s eyes settled on her reflection in the water.
“How does it compare, technically?” Miyuri clarified.
“The balance is better. Better senses.”Gaige answered, quickly “Better touch sensitivity. More accurate movement - there’s no clumsiness,” she tried to keep her voice as dry as possible. “I don’t drop bolts as much, it’s easier to get things into place first time, and i can do things by touch where I can’t see them - and I’ve more reach and better kinesthetic mapping…” which she demonstrated by curling every finger on her right hand individually, one at a time. “My own body was made by VF and it was more naturally human, this is supposed to be….”
Gaige’s mind searched for the right word
“Idealised?” Miyuri suggested
“Exaggerated,” said Gaige. “Kind of, beyond the normal for humans.”.
“I can see why your sister bought it then,” said Miyuri, after a moment. “It must’ve been humanising for her.”
Gaige forced a smile.
“Jet used to look a lot like this,” she pointed a finger at her cleavage. “Her hair was a different colour and she didn’t have the heels, but this was her body.”
Anika and Miyuri shared a glance for a moment.
“But it’s not yours, is it?” asked Miyuri. “It’s a beautiful body, a wonderful body, a technically amazing body, but it’s not really yours, is it?”
Gaige felt her insides squirm, like she’d been attacked. Miyuri sat opposite, eyes watching, waiting for an answer.
“Sis made a mistake,” she said, swallowing her true words. “I can’t be transferred out of this body. My motor interface was damaged, so she tied me in through the external data bus instead and …. “ her mind scrambled to catch up. “I can’t be transplanted anymore. I’m stuck.”
She bit her lip to keep from screaming, to keep whatever had started to well up inside down. She hoped Miyuri wouldn’t push her to explain anymore.
A hand clasped hers under water.
“I’m sorry,” said Miyuri. “That must be difficult.”
Miyuri’s face seemed earnest. Gaige felt her insides twist. Anika watched with a puzzled expression, looking for a moment like she wanted to say something, but hadn’t quite figured out what that something would be.
“At least I’m independent,” Gaige said, taking a breath. “I can go places, do things, build things. I mean, I feel - completely separate from this skin and…..” she stopped, noticing the concerned change in Miyuri’s expression.
“...Can enjoy the hot springs for a start.” Anika finished.
“You didn’t have to change your entire identity though,”Miyuri said. “Most people don’t. And I know how open the Millenium is with such things.”
You may be stuck in a body that came off the pages of an issue of Intron Depot, but that’s not who you are. Nobody would bat an eyelid if you said something. Why are you doing this?
Anika watched again, her eyes fixed on Miyuri
“Maybe….” Anika began.
“It’s fine,” Gaige cut her off. She forced herself to smile as she placed both hands on her chest. “Do you really think people would accept it when I was wearing a body like this?”
“There’re many in the Crystal Millenium who’d disagree with that,” said Miyuri.
“Maybe we should just enjoy the bath.” Anika suggested, a nervous giggle rising from her throat before she could strangle it.
Miyuri gave Anika a look, looking like she had something to say, but thought better of it in the moment. She looked away, then she looked at Gaige, causing a shiver of unease to crawl up Gaige’s spine.
“I just wanted to be sure you weren’t being hurt,” Miyuri finally said
“I’m fine,” Gaige lied, settling herself lower into the water. “Really”
Truthfully, Gaige couldn’t quantify exactly how she felt, even to herself. Comfortable in the water. Alienated from the reflection. Safe with friends. Attacked in a way she didn’t fully understand. She stretched her legs out in the bath, letting her toes peek through the surface.
The seemed so much further away than they should’ve been. She waggled her toes, just to confirm they were indeed attached to her body.
“I’m so much taller,” she said, after a few moments.
“Bragger,” said Anika. “Looking down on all of us like that.”
Gaige settled herself lower in the water. “I can’t help how I’m built.”
At least, she thought, the water was comfortable. In the back of her mind she knew, the longer she sat there, the longer it’d take to finish the Rebecca Brown, which meant longer wearing the puppet.
Eventually she’d have to get back to work.
Another fifteen minutes in a hot-spring bath seemed like a fair trade.
—
It's been chopped and changed so many times, I'm not sure how it reads
---
The Crystal Millenium offered a lot of leeway when it came to such things, accounting for identities, personal comforts and not being a dickhead. Gaige came to the rapid conclusion that the women’s bath would the least worst option.
Gaige steeled herself while Anika opened what looked to be an ordinary isolation door. Beyond it waited another universe,
An attendant handed her a plush, fresh towel, bathing supplies, a holo-bracelet and a leaflet on how to properly use a true Onsen bath. Gaige waited for the others to move on, before following them through a curtain with the character for ‘Onna’ printed on it.
Beyond was a room clad in varnished timber, taken from an actual resort that’d fallen on hard times. The scent of warm cedar mingled with a dozen different strains of perfume and body soap, and a twinge of sulphur and steel from the minerals added to the bathwater.
Baskets sat on shelves, waiting for her clothes. A few had been used by people already in the bath. Gaige watched as Miyuri and Anika clasped their holo-bracelets around their wrists, and started to undress.
The bracelets flickered to life. Holographic steam saved most blushes.
Gaige clasped hers to her wrist and let it activate, then began to slide her boots off her feet.
Anika didn’t stop explaining to Miyuri how the baths worked, and who’s idea they’d been, and how the mineral balance this week had been carefully chosen to mimic that of a hot-spring fed by the Owakudani system, and that it could be tailored to match any resort.
Even as her body kept begging for her own attention, Gaige sensed Miyuri wasn’t really paying attention.
She washed herself, taking special care with where she placed her hands, carefully and deliberately giving herself a mental warning before pressing her hands against anything sensitive.
Gaige then wrapped her waist in her towel. A deep breath reminded her that she had more to cover up top. Gaige shifted the towelcloth up over her chest, drawing flairs of sensation that dragged her mind away from everything else.
The moment she came aware of them, they became impossible to ignore. No matter how hard she tried to focus on something else - they begged for her attention. She forced herself to walk anyway, putting one foot in front of the other to take herself towards the baths.
She slid open a light frame timber door that separated the washroom from the bath area proper. Artificial night air chilled her skin, running like a thousand fingers along her arms and across her neck.
She became aware of two voices, calmly discussing how the bath helped get the ‘speckles’ out of the body after working in the reactor.
The discussion died the instant the door closed behind her.
The dread sense that she’d been caught thrilled up her spine.
Gaige felt them both stare at her. She found herself unable to avoid staring back at them. One with a distinctly Japanese complexion, the other dark-skinned and African. She recognised them from one of the reactor maintenance teams. Noriko, and Anna
“I thought you told me you weren’t interested in women since you changed,” Anna whispered through her teeth.
“Shut. Up.” Noriko hissed, a pale pink flush warming her face.
“Sorry,” said Anna, offering an embarrassed smile. “The water’s fine. Join us. Don’t mind Nori’ - she only switched sides two months ago,”
Gaige felt herself smile despite herself, her body tensing beneath the towel.
“Me too,” she said. “More recently.”
Noriko relaxed into the water.
“My guide was Sakura Watanabe in Crystal Paris, hence…..” she pointed a finger at her face. “Who was yours?”
A flush of shame deepened in Gaige’s body.
“I had an accident.”
“Oh.” Noriko’s face fell into an expression of genuine compassion. “I’m sorry. I know this must be hard for you.”
“The water will help.” Anna reassured. “It takes the weight off.”
Gaige offered a soft smile, looked at the water, then at Anna, then gripped the towel around her body tight wondering how the sequence of events had to unfold to retain her modesty.
After a few moments, she resigned herself to the inevitable, allowing her towel to drop from her body, before quickly stepping into the water and lowering herself in.
Thankfully, nobody had dared to reassure her it was ‘All girls here’. That would've been presumptuous.
Heat soaked through to her bones and her body dissolved into the water, replaced with nothing more than the most perfect sense of comfort. A smile crossed her lips, and she allowed herself to sink lower into the water.
The thought occurred to her, that the few moments of true comfort she’d found since the crash involved hot water and things that smelled nice.
“So, how’s the water?”
Her eyes snapped open. Anika and Miyuri had finally caught up. Gaige could only smile.
“That good?” Miyuri giggled.
“Better than I thought,”
“The heat really helps my mind relax.” said Anika., “It forces me to cut threads.”
Gaige averted her eyes as they both slipped into the water, one either side of her. Anika’s calf brushed hers - artificial skin impossibly smooth against hers. Gaige took a breath, feeling nothing more in her body than the presence of another beside her. She surmised that maybe her attraction had somehow, finally, overloaded.
Or maybe the bathwater had dissolved it, too, along with every other little stress or strain. Gaige decided she preferred not to have anything spoiling the mood.
“Enjoying it so far?” asked Anika.
Gaige felt herself glance at everyone else in the bath, in turn. Everyon sitting in a ring around the rim of the bath, with their feet towards the centre. “I thought I’d be the one staring at everyone.” her eyes fell to her own own reflection. “It’s the other way around,”
“Well, A.C. does work in a certain, up-front, style,” said Miyuri, her eyes indicating exactly what she was referring to.
“Lady Mars?” Noriko piped up. Anna grabbed her arm, hissing in her ear to shut up.
“I didn’t actually get to meet her,” Gaige cut the line of questioning off. Noriko’s eyes still begged her for more information, like she’d suddenly morphed into some form of minor celebrity. Her reflection gave her two obvious ways to change the subject.
“Are these things supposed to be so annoying?” she pointed right at them.
“Stop bragging,” said Anna.
“I’m still getting used to having the real thing.” Noriko placed her hands on hers and smiled. “I thought I was addicted to KoFen. Then I realised it was the female avatar I was using.”
She shifted a little in the water, settling in her skin.
“My brother and I both swapped accounts, and it was harder for him that it was for me,” Anna added. “I think he just complained about it more just be sure nobody thought otherwise.”
“Hmm,” said Miyuri.
“The last time I did that, I had to turn the feedback right down, and even then seeing Faye Valentine looking back at me from a window was the weirdest sensation,” Gaige added.
It had the convenience of being the truth.
“It’s different when you have years to get used to them,” said Anna “But they can still be so annoying sometimes.”
“They’re different from the avatars on KoFen.” Noriko added. “Even the small ones move more.”
“Mine are used as radiators,” said Anika with a smile. “I need a larger area, because my mind-core produces a lot of heat.”
“We were based on fictional characters.” Miyuri said. “But Noah always tried to keep us looking like real people. It’s not really fair otherwise.” An idea lit up on her face. “You should speak to my sister Prim, Gaige. If they’re that annoying, she’ll be able to tell you where she gets her underwear made, at least.”
“Thanks,” said Gaige
She felt herself settle into the flow of conversation, finding her own space in the group, with her own particular viewpoints. Anika and Miyuri had been built, Anna had been born, Noriko had become, while Gaige had just sort of been….. bound.
Trapped.
The weight of it settled on her shoulders, her gaze settling down on her toes, twitching beneath the water’s surface, sending small ripples out into the water. Of course, they were attached to the body and did exactly what they had been told.
Another ripple washed over her, larger than the previous.
“Our time’s up.”
Anna had stood up - already wearing her cloud of holographic steam. Noriko, gave an annoyed pout a moment, obviously content to stew in the bath. A dark look from Anna convinced her it was time to move on.
Noriko pushed herself to her feet, standing up right beside Gaige. Gaige heart stopped and her mouth went dry, a sudden frission of desire rolling across the surface of her skin.
Two thoughts flashed through Gaige’ mind in the one instant.
Wow, Noriko really worked out.
And she forgot to turn her privacy hologram on.
Gaige saw everything.
“If you need help, or want to talk, I’m off shift after 10,” Noriko said, with a smile.
Gaige swallowed, terrified she’d been caught staring. “Thanks,” she said.
Noriko kept smiling, up until the moment Anna made a show of clearing her throat. She giggled, then left the bath with confident strides. The other women in their bath, fixed the eyes on a bewildered Gaige, who sat there wondering exactly what she’d missed.
What’d she done?
“What?” she said.
A moment stretched out to the infinite.
“Nothing,” Anika giggled.
“It was definitely something.”
Had she been caught looking?
“You’re stirring up the bath water,” Miyuri made a clear attempt to change the subject
Gaige settled down again, folding her arms beneath her breasts. She curled her toes under the water, making more little ripples.
“So what’s that body like, anyway?” asked Miyuri after a few moments. Gaige gave her a look, pursing her lips into a pout at the idea of having to stand up and demonstrate. “I meant, technically. I’m based on some of Peter’s work - but we’re not really her personal designs.”
Gaige’s eyes settled on her reflection in the water.
“How does it compare, technically?” Miyuri clarified.
“The balance is better. Better senses.”Gaige answered, quickly “Better touch sensitivity. More accurate movement - there’s no clumsiness,” she tried to keep her voice as dry as possible. “I don’t drop bolts as much, it’s easier to get things into place first time, and i can do things by touch where I can’t see them - and I’ve more reach and better kinesthetic mapping…” which she demonstrated by curling every finger on her right hand individually, one at a time. “My own body was made by VF and it was more naturally human, this is supposed to be….”
Gaige’s mind searched for the right word
“Idealised?” Miyuri suggested
“Exaggerated,” said Gaige. “Kind of, beyond the normal for humans.”.
“I can see why your sister bought it then,” said Miyuri, after a moment. “It must’ve been humanising for her.”
Gaige forced a smile.
“Jet used to look a lot like this,” she pointed a finger at her cleavage. “Her hair was a different colour and she didn’t have the heels, but this was her body.”
Anika and Miyuri shared a glance for a moment.
“But it’s not yours, is it?” asked Miyuri. “It’s a beautiful body, a wonderful body, a technically amazing body, but it’s not really yours, is it?”
Gaige felt her insides squirm, like she’d been attacked. Miyuri sat opposite, eyes watching, waiting for an answer.
“Sis made a mistake,” she said, swallowing her true words. “I can’t be transferred out of this body. My motor interface was damaged, so she tied me in through the external data bus instead and …. “ her mind scrambled to catch up. “I can’t be transplanted anymore. I’m stuck.”
She bit her lip to keep from screaming, to keep whatever had started to well up inside down. She hoped Miyuri wouldn’t push her to explain anymore.
A hand clasped hers under water.
“I’m sorry,” said Miyuri. “That must be difficult.”
Miyuri’s face seemed earnest. Gaige felt her insides twist. Anika watched with a puzzled expression, looking for a moment like she wanted to say something, but hadn’t quite figured out what that something would be.
“At least I’m independent,” Gaige said, taking a breath. “I can go places, do things, build things. I mean, I feel - completely separate from this skin and…..” she stopped, noticing the concerned change in Miyuri’s expression.
“...Can enjoy the hot springs for a start.” Anika finished.
“You didn’t have to change your entire identity though,”Miyuri said. “Most people don’t. And I know how open the Millenium is with such things.”
You may be stuck in a body that came off the pages of an issue of Intron Depot, but that’s not who you are. Nobody would bat an eyelid if you said something. Why are you doing this?
Anika watched again, her eyes fixed on Miyuri
“Maybe….” Anika began.
“It’s fine,” Gaige cut her off. She forced herself to smile as she placed both hands on her chest. “Do you really think people would accept it when I was wearing a body like this?”
“There’re many in the Crystal Millenium who’d disagree with that,” said Miyuri.
“Maybe we should just enjoy the bath.” Anika suggested, a nervous giggle rising from her throat before she could strangle it.
Miyuri gave Anika a look, looking like she had something to say, but thought better of it in the moment. She looked away, then she looked at Gaige, causing a shiver of unease to crawl up Gaige’s spine.
“I just wanted to be sure you weren’t being hurt,” Miyuri finally said
“I’m fine,” Gaige lied, settling herself lower into the water. “Really”
Truthfully, Gaige couldn’t quantify exactly how she felt, even to herself. Comfortable in the water. Alienated from the reflection. Safe with friends. Attacked in a way she didn’t fully understand. She stretched her legs out in the bath, letting her toes peek through the surface.
The seemed so much further away than they should’ve been. She waggled her toes, just to confirm they were indeed attached to her body.
“I’m so much taller,” she said, after a few moments.
“Bragger,” said Anika. “Looking down on all of us like that.”
Gaige settled herself lower in the water. “I can’t help how I’m built.”
At least, she thought, the water was comfortable. In the back of her mind she knew, the longer she sat there, the longer it’d take to finish the Rebecca Brown, which meant longer wearing the puppet.
Eventually she’d have to get back to work.
Another fifteen minutes in a hot-spring bath seemed like a fair trade.
—
I love the smell of rotaries in the morning. You know one time, I got to work early, before the rush hour. I walked through the empty carpark, I didn't see one bloody Prius or Golf. And that smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole carpark, smelled like.... ....speed.
One day they're going to ban them.