Maki and Marianne stepped into the room onto the wooden floor that bordered the meditation garden on two sides. There was a sharp difference in their reactions. Both were awed, but Maki was notably more affected, almost stumbling in shock as she entered. Her perceptions must have been grandfathered into the normalizing effects my Deed had on the Base, because Marianne, while equally as surprised as the other woman, shared none of the existential terror.
I smiled at them. "I was just thinking about you two." To Maki, I said, "Where's your family? I wanted to show your mom my shrine. Maybe if we light incense and pray my apartment can get its own little guardian."
The miko shook herself free of her thoughts and pursed her lips. "Our mother, you mean?" she asked pointedly.
I held my hands up in surrender. "Honest to god, I thought Ken had told you and you just didn't feel like talking about it in the moment."
"Hah. Fair. It's my other brother I should be annoyed with. And you're right, last night would have been…"
"Not the best time to talk about technically being siblings? No. Can you forgive me?"
Maki surprised me by taking a step forward and full body glomping onto me with a hug. "You are forgiven, Kenji."
I groaned. "Please don't."
"Why not?" She stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "What's wrong with the name Ishida Kenji, hm?"
"Kenji?"
"You're his successor, it makes complete sense."
"I'm not even my mother's successor, alright." I jabbed my chest with my thumb. "I'm my own thing. I don't walk in other people's footsteps; I carve my own trail."
My younger sister—ugh, no. Maki patted my upper arm condescendingly. "Of course, you do, dear. Anyway, our mother and cousin Susy left twenty minutes ago. Their original plan was to leave before you woke, but your younger cousin Susy knocked over your decorative bowl of sex toy party favors." She paused to let that sentence hang in the air on its own for a bit. "I've been filling in Marianne on the Underworld while you were meditating. I thought it best she hear about it from anyone but a martial artist. We decided we'd check on you since it had been some time."
It had been over thirty minutes since I'd entered? I would have guessed a fraction of that. The epiphany had been pretty good, I suppose, a pleasant reminder that I wasn't alone if nothing else.
I coughed into my fist. "Yep. Sounds good to me. So, Marianne, how much time do you have before work?"
"I've got a little before I should leave for the bus, working a swing shift today."
"Nice, I'm glad you stopped by when you did. No question, it was for the best that Maki was the one answering your questions, I won't argue that. But I've also been meaning to pick your brain about Harbor Hill, and I'd like her here for that as well."
Marianne was amenable and we returned to the living room; the meditation chamber felt like the wrong place for a relatively casual conversation. We left the door open, however, letting in the 'natural' light and giving us a picturesque view.
There was an overfull envelope on the low coffee table. I picked it up curiously.
"It's as much money as they thought you would accept as payment. I warn you, there's no way to get out of taking it. You will also be expected to take a salary, as an official retainer to the Shrine. My mother invited you to come at your leisure for a proper introduction to the rest of the family and an orientation to your duties. I would ask you to let me know when you intend to be by so that I can be present as well."
I blew out a puff of air at the contents, five freshly bank-wrapped thousand-dollar bands in twenties. "Oh, thank god," I muttered to myself. I'd have done a show of 'I can't take this', but even without having to pay for rent, money remained tight. No way was I taking a salary though, who'd ever heard of a salaried hero?
I passed Marianne two of the bands, rolling a Deception + Finesse to trick her muscle memory into taking the money before she could realize what I was doing. Four Successes later saw her looking aghast at the two thousand dollars in her hands.
"A completely reasonable fee for waking you up in the middle of the night to stitch me together last week. I don't want to hear it."
"Are you out of your mind? This is way more than I would have made for that job. James, this is more than I make most weeks."
"That's not even an ambulance ride, woman; I don't have insurance. It may be more than you would have been paid, but not more than I would have had to pay for an emergency, midnight, at-home, trauma nurse visit. In fact, you're cutting me a huge deal. Thanks!"
"James—"
"Marianne. Can the impossible happen in Black Harbor, for once, please? Can two good deeds go not just unpunished but actually rewarded in one day? Can the unthinkable occur? You have the power, Marianne, all you have to do is accept the money that's already in your hands. Me and you, we can hold back the tides of cynicism by being paid to be exceptional, civic-minded neighbors. Imagine that, a Jersey miracle."
She was conflicted clearly, but I had spoken to a feeling that all decent people in the city probably had at one time or another. "I mean…I had a pretty great time that night. I mostly remember what happened after stitching you up. I'm not trying to sound cold, but if you getting badly injured means—well, no, I'm not going to go that far—"
Maki interrupted her with a hand on her elbow. "I know precisely your sentiment, I assure you. However, I also believe you should take the money. Surely, saving James's life is worth more than a few orgasms and two thousand dollars, no?"
Marianne sighed. "Well, shit. Fine. You two fight dirty. What did you want to know about Harbor Hill?"