Breaking the Silence

Summer was vaguely aware of the door to her office opening but only snapped out of it when it slammed shut, making her jump. She could instantly sense that it was Jacob so she swore at him. “What’s your fucking problem?!” she asked, staring at him hard after turning her desk chair around. He just rolled his eyes and folded his arms. You’re working too late again. You need to go to bed. Even those two off-worlders are attempting to sleep. You’re overworking yourself again.  Summer shook her head. “No I’m not.” You’ve been working since about seven this morning. “Reports, reports, and more reports. Plus, there’s a lot of paperwork involved with Blake and Weiss supposedly coming from Oblivia…” She sighed, rubbing her temples. He’d never had to deal with paperwork and bureaucracy before. He had no idea what went into keeping the Union running at top-notch ability. Being chairperson wasn’t something she had never thought would happen, but here they were, many years later. Murph probably would’ve been a better choice, but even he was starting to get on in years now… He was training his replacement now, but it would still take several more years for her to be competent in her role.  Well, you should head to bed soon… I have something I need to ask you about, though. Summer tilted her head. About that woman, Weiss… She could desperately use a service Pokémon of some sort.  “You know getting one isn’t as easy as you think it is, right? They need to undergo a lot of training and you need a doctor’s or psychiatrist’s note to even start the process of looking… Not to mention there aren’t a lot of places here in Almia that train them. It’s not like our population is massive. We only have about 130,000 people.” Summer sighed and folded her arms. She could bend the rules a lot, considering she was chairperson of the Union, but something like this wasn’t something that was easily bent. She hadn’t really looked into service Pokémon much but she knew most regions had pretty stringent guidelines for what a service Pokémon was. Most had to be licensed and trained by a professional. Yes, Pokémon were pretty much as smart as humans most of the time, but it was just different when working with a disabled person. Weiss would need both psychiatric services and physical services due to her lack of strength. I know, but I think I can make it easy on you. What about Pokémon whose owners have passed away and are waiting back at their organisation? Summer blinked. “That’s…actually pure genius.” She frowned immediately after though. “But most places like that are closed and I wouldn’t know where to look. And I’d need to spend time doing that…” Let me use your computer and I’ll have an answer for you in the morning. “You aren’t—” It’s unauthorised entry but I’m a Pokémon. I can’t be prosecuted. Summer shook her head. “Just don’t get caught.” Yeesh. He had definitely absorbed some of her recklessness over the years they’d been roommates. He’d been very angry when they’d first met, but now, he was rather relaxed and was pretty much blase over breaking and entering. Even she wouldn’t do something that insane… She wasn’t sure if there would be security cameras or not… Most places honestly didn’t even have much security because the regions were so safe. I won’t. Now go to bed. “Lemme guess: easy way or the hard way?” He gave a nod with a pleasant little smile. She sighed and got up. She did not need to be teleported all the way back to Pueltown back to her house and have to contract a Staraptor back for the several hour journey back to the Union. They were so far away that it’d take a good chunk of the day to get back.  She left her office but left the computer on. No point in getting Jacob all riled up… ‡ Weiss found herself waking sometime later. What time, she couldn’t entirely be certain. She could still hear Blake’s soft breathing from the bunk above her.  She rolled over and stared at the darkness, the only light being from the little nightlight near the bunk. It cast long shadows and she could see just enough, but still…  She wasn’t sure what to do. Could it be the middle of the night? Early morning? Maybe even noon later? She didn’t know. She didn’t want to wake Blake in case she remained absolutely exhausted. She wasn’t sure what time they’d gone to bed… No clock in the room. They needed a clock and badly. A shiver went down her body, reminding her all too well of the clockless darkness and blinding light of the cell. She sat up, narrowly missing her head on the bunk above. The noise machine and nightlight helped, but she didn’t want to be in this darkness anymore. She hoped that leaving the room wouldn’t wake Blake, so she did just that. She slipped out of the room into the light, breathing a sigh of relief. It seemed the lights remained on this floor 24/7, so she remained uncertain of the time. No clock immediately in sight unfortunately.  Maybe the dry goods store would have some? She didn’t know. But she also didn’t have a card or anything to buy something with… She frowned. What to do, what to do? She really needed a clock… A watch would be even better honestly… But she had no card, no account, no money.  Wait… How did Blake buy those things then? She needed to have a card of some sort. Where did she get it? Weiss just wanted to get a clock for the room and a watch for everyday wear… But she also didn’t want to wake Blake up. To interrupt someone’s sleep when it was so deep… To do so, rude. So very, very rude. But she needed to know. She wanted the time. She needed the time. The lack of time drove her insane… Something so small that she had grown used to everyday… Now a compulsion, it felt like. What ought she do…? Thankfully, she heard the door open a moment later and Blake came out, yawning. “Hey, Weiss… I heard the door open… Why are you out here?” Weiss frowned. “I didn’t want to wake you up… I don’t know what time it is.”  “Well, you could’ve woken me up,” Blake said. “We can go to the dry goods store and see if they have clocks or watches or something.” “How did you even buy anything? You don’t have a card or an account here…” That ate at her. How could someone not native have a card? It made no sense to her.  “Summer gave me a card… I think she has one for you too. She told me she bent some rules to get us cards.” Hm. Bending rules didn’t sit well with Weiss, but what else could she do? Granted, laws weren’t always ethical. The laws limiting families and licensing them felt beyond unethical to Weiss. Populations had been under control for generations. The planet had recovered from its near death nearly a millennium ago. Those laws… So antiquated and unnecessary in the modern world, but considering it kept people in check and allowed governments to keep track of its citizens more carefully… She understood why attempts at overturning the laws failed each and every time. “Are there any stipulations?” “Just ‘don’t go crazy’ were her only stipulations. So I imagine large purchases are out of the question, but small things like a clock or a cheap watch would be fine. The paper notes and stuff were cheap too, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” Weiss nodded a bit. Well, that did make sense… Though no technology… She knew it only added to her anxiety. Without her magic, she didn’t need an ethis to track her ethics. The Guild would have many questions for her once she returned home, she knew that much. She wasn’t sure if anybody even knew she was still alive… She put the thought out of her head. Now was not the time to dwell on that. “I think a clock and a watch would be reasonable…” As long as she didn’t go overboard. But a basic clock and simple watch… Not overcharging by any means.  Blake had Weiss lean against her and they made their way to the dry goods store where the employee waved at them. “Good morning! Is there anything I can help you with?” the young woman asked. “Do you have clocks and watches?” Weiss asked. “What are you looking for: digital or analog?” “…What…is analog?” She’d never heard the term before. “Uh, clock with hands? Not digital.” Weiss looked at Blake, expression blank. Clocks…could have hands? Never had she seen such a thing. Never. How could such a thing exist? “Is…is that really a thing?” Blake nodded. “There not super common on my world anymore, but some places still use them.” She looked at the employee. “We’ll take a digital clock and watch.” “Follow me!” The young woman slipped out from behind the counter and led them to a small electronics section. These…things were ancient. Granted, most people didn’t bother with watches on Selia anymore… Mostly rich people used them a symbol of status. The technology was ancient by Weiss’ standards… But considering how primitive this world stood, it only made sense to Weiss that watches might still be used at least somewhat widely. “Keep in mind you’ll have to set the clock and watch yourself, but that’s usually not too hard.” “Okay. Thank you,” Blake said. She looked at Weiss. “I guess feel free to choose whatever you want?” Weiss nodded a bit and stepped away from Blake. Yes, she lacked strength, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t stand on her own for a while. Long distances just made her legs tremble and she feared breaking a bone if she fell. Most unpleasant should it happen… She couldn’t afford a broken bone right now… It would take so, so very long to heal… This world seemed to lack much magic beyond what Ben had told her… The standing clocks looked roughly the same, boxes with absolutely ancient displays that used lines to create numbers. She could see it from how the light hit them. No real style to them, just simplistic practicality. Some different colors, but she felt certain that she could figure out how they worked without needing to even look at the manual…  She couldn’t get over the plugs though. Nothing plugged in on Selia anymore. She picked up a box and then walked over to a small display case that contained the watches. Most were rugged, obviously meant for outdoor use, but she did see some daintier ones with more style. Not like she would be out in the wild like these Rangers… She asked the employee for one that had a white face with a light blue strap. It seemed to have no frills or additional functions which felt fine to her. She didn’t need anything fancy… Just something to help her keep track of time. They went back to the front desk and got checked out. Blake swiped the card which stood odd to Weiss. Nobody used cards anymore… An ethis was an all-functional device that could do pretty much anything… She felt so naked without one, but if they used plugs, cards, and such, then she doubted they had anything resembling an ethis… They went back to the room and unboxed the clock. Weiss frowned. “What time is it even?” “I think I saw a clock in the hall… Just give me a second.” Blake slipped out of the room and told her the time. It might be a few minutes off, but oh well. A few minutes off was better than nothing. She just wanted the time. But still, to think clocks could have hands… What a bizarre world. She hadn’t even seen anything like that in technology museums… Floppy disks, USB sticks, and CDs, all badly degraded due to being millennia old, but no clocks with hands… She couldn’t even imagine it.  At least setting the time on the standing clock took no time. The buttons were straight forward and easy. Though she had to resort to the manual for the watch. She was a technomancer, but for technology far more advanced than this. This world was beyond primitive compared to Selia. She had to deal with it, though… How long she’d be here, there was no telling. She needed to rest, recover, then hopefully the Time Witch would return her to Selia. That could be months, even a year or more… Considering the amount of healing she needed to do, these were early days…  So it was around 9 AM… Not super early, not super late. Her stomach growled and she sighed. “We should probably get some food…” She knew she wouldn’t—and couldn’t— eat much. She still had yet to be seen by a doctor. She had no approved foods outside of water and bread… She really hoped that she could get seen soon… Her body craved nutrition and smelling the food was its own special kind of torture… She wanted far, far more than just bread… Blake nodded. “Well, we should probably get dressed first.” Weiss’ cheeks heated. Oh. Oh, dear, she had gone into the dry goods store without changing out of her pajamas. Such uncouth behavior for a woman of her status. “I could definitely use a shower, though…” Thankfully, the room had an attached bathroom. Grateful. No having to share showers with anybody else… The bunked room they visited the previous night brought back memories of the war. No personal privacy. Yes, she shared her room with Blake, but one person as opposed to simply being a soldier in a war… She could deal with that.  “Will you need any help?” Blake asked. Weiss shook her head. “I showered at the Time Witch’s on my own.” She frowned. “I don’t know if there are shampoos or anything here though…” The Time Witch didn’t include anything like that in their bags. Granted, Weiss was no longer picky about shampoos, soaps, or anything like that. Being in a war as a conscripted soldier… No time for fuss and being delicate like she’d been beforehand.  “Lemme go check.” Blake went into the bathroom and came out, shaking her head. “Do you have any ingredients or anything you avoid?” “Uh, sulfates of all sorts. They’re increasingly rare on Selia, but a lot of lower tier shampoos and conditioners still use them. Too much use and I want to tear my scalp off.” She’d tried. She really had. But sulfates did not agree with her scalp which they never touched before the war. She needed her own shampoo so she didn’t want to tear her scalp off. Thankfully, it was an easy accommodation to make. “Sulfates, got it. I’ll go back to the store and see if they have anything. As long as there aren’t any sulfates, I might just get a big, bulk bottle if they have any. I know it’s probably not what you’re used to but…” “I was in a war. There was no time for being delicate and dainty.” Weiss knew she still bore many mannerisms of an upper-class woman, but they had broken and scattered between the war and the torture… She couldn’t be delicate and dainty anymore. At this point, she was grateful for any little comfort she could get… The bed stood as something she though she would never experience again… The cold, hard floor and a tiny blanket came as her only companions in that cell. “I was too but still… Anyway, I’ll be back soon.” Blake exited the room, leaving Weiss alone. The white noise machine continued to play, the only comfort for her at the moment. Being alone like this…  She swallowed hard. Being alone. Would she ever be able to stand it again? She had always been one for privacy beforehand but now… Too much quiet, too much darkness… Simple things like this sent her over the edge and into remembering what she’d been freed of less than a week ago.  Thankfully, it didn’t take Blake too long to come back and she held up a bag. “I got some combs, brushes, and hair towels too. I’m not sure what all you did for your routine, but we can hopefully start to rebuild it.” “Thank you.” Weiss stood and walked into the bathroom. Blake helped her sort through everything and get it set up. The wet brush went on the shower spigot and the shampoo, conditioner, and soap into the shelves built into the shower walls. Weiss went back and grabbed some clothes, then set about cleaning herself again. She welcomed the warm water and cleanliness. It wasn’t as bad as when she’d first arrived at the Time Witch’s but the warm water… Such a luxury to her, considering she’d only ever been given cold sponge baths in the cell… This felt heavenly beyond words. She reluctantly turned off the water once she finished and dried off as best she could, pulling on the long-sleeved clothes, leggings, and knee-length skirt she’d chosen from her assortment of clothes. She would stay in the Union, so her clothes didn’t need to necessarily be pragmatic with her choices. She grew used to pants and the dull, pallid military uniform during the war… Being an upper-class lady long evaded her so bearing feminine clothes again… How very odd. Not unwelcome, but odd. She let Blake take her shower, then they headed down to the cafeteria which hustled and bustled with several different uniformed factions. One wore solid red, one wore a greenish-blue suit with a purple tie, and one wore red, yellow, and black. Weiss hadn’t yet had time to really see who wore what yet… She’d eaten earlier yesterday, but hadn’t really had time to observe quite yet.  She got a small bowl of a soup and some water along with some warm bread. Her body needed more nourishment than just the bread. She would mostly just drink the broth, but having some actual vegetables and maybe even some meat in her system would hopefully do her some good. She wouldn’t eat everything, just a little bit… She didn’t want to shock her system and go into some sort of failure or something. Just a few solids would hopefully be okay.  Blake put Weiss’ meager portion on her tray and had Weiss rest against her. They found a place to sit in a somewhat isolated corner behind a pillar. She looked at Blake. “Why are we sitting here…?” “Do you really think you can handle being bombarded by half a dozen people?” Blake’s tone was gentle, but Weiss still flinched away. “I met a group of pretty nice people last night while eating dinner…but it was a lot. I really don’t think you’re up to that, are you?” “No.” She sighed. No. The cafeteria spread people out, but no, she couldn’t handle a small group of people all at once like this. It would be far too much for her. She already could feel exhaustion rolling over her in waves from the long walk down to the cafeteria. She needed to rebuild her stamina… It would take time, so much time. She wished she could be back up to where she’d been but it would take months, if not a year or so to fully recover from all of this… She still lacked knowledge on how long she’d been trapped in that cell. Time had no meaning to her anymore… Readapting to having a twenty-four hour clock would take time. She ated quietly along with Blake, mostly drinking the water and eating the bread, though she also drank the soup broth and a little bit of the solids within it. Her belly rumbled, wanting for more with the solids, but she limited it severely. Too much could make her body go into shock. She needed to be careful with what she did until she could get an appointment with some sort of medical professional… However, she looked up when she sensed something off.  Eyes. She could sense the intent of someone looking for her, for them, but she couldn’t place it. “Is something wrong?” Blake asked. “Someone’s looking for us… I can feel it.” Unnerving. Why would someone be looking for them?  She peered around the pillar and saw Jacob standing a bit into the cafeteria, not blocking the doorway but definitely looking. It blinked and floated over, a chair pulling itself out as it approached. It sat down then offered a smile. Good morning, Weiss, Blake. Weiss, I have some news for you that you might find nice. Weiss blinked. “What would that be?” Let’s just say a few rules were bent last night and this morning, and we might have found you a prospective service Pokémon. Usually, these things are stringent, but considering Summer’s position, we can sometimes bend things for the sake of others. Weiss frowned. Not all laws were ethical, but they were there for a reason. Granted, in this case, she could also understand. Needing a service Pokémon was more immediate than something she could wait on. She needed help walking the longer distances between the cafeteria and between floors of the Union. Otherwise there stood a chance she could fall, possibly break a bone. Then she’d be bedridden for two, possibly three months to heal. She couldn’t afford that… “How did you do that?” Let’s not worry about the details. It waved its three-fingered hand. Anyway, I brought the Pokémon here. She’s a Ninetales named Tyche.  “Nine…tales?” The picture in her mind… Some amorphous blob with nine tails. She prayed that wasn’t that obvious… It nodded. An exceptionally large Ninetales that would help with your mobility issues… She’s over four feet tall and was trained specifically to also be a psychiatric service animal. Ninetales can be somewhat vindictive Pokémon if you treat them without respect and abuse them, but I doubt you would do that. Weiss frowned. “Why would I ever mistreat a being as smart as if not smarter than myself?” She couldn’t understand that… This world sang with a large diversity of life from what she’d seen of the Pokémon with the Rangers. The little white Pokémon from last night had been absolutely adorable… She saw new creatures when she looked up from breakfast, some flying, some walking, and some floating. Strange oddities to her, but completely normal here. You’d be surprised how some people can be unfortunately. Ninetales is an interesting Pokémon as it’s a Fire type, but it also has strong psychic abilities. Some Ninetales use telepathy, others don’t. This one does, so you can expect good communication between you and her. Thankfully, with your mindset, I doubt there will be any issues or causes for the Ninetales to become vindictive. Your mind and soul do strike me as quite gentle. The frown remained etched on Weiss’ face. “Despite the fact I was in a war and killed people?” Did you sign up? Weiss shook her head. “I was drafted, conscripted… It was against my will. Even so, I still have blood on my hands.” I don’t think anyone can hold it against you if it was against your will. Are you done eating?  Weiss looked at Blake. “Go on. I’ll take care of the dishes.” “Thank you…” She stood up and Jacob floated over, offering its arm and shoulder. She rested against it and they went up several floors to a small office. Her head dropped forward a bit. The long walk… It wore her out. She really needed to regain her stamina, but it would come with time as she regained body weight.  You can sit down in a minute. I promise.  The door opened and they walked in. Weiss sat down in the chair in front of the desk. But it was only a moment later that the chair turned around, revealing Summer. “Hey, Weiss. I’m sorry for forcing you to come such a long way up, but I didn’t really want anybody else to hear all of this. I did a lot of stuff to arrange this and I don’t want the Rangers, Operators, and Mechanics knowing just how much I bent stuff in order to accomplish this.” She got up and went over to the corner, filling a glass from the standing water cooler, then offered it to Weiss. “Here. You look exhausted so some water would probably do you some good.” Weiss nodded and accepted it. “Thank you.” She started sipping at it, knowing that too much at once could send her system into shock. It still wasn’t used to having water accessible at all times. She felt certain her body was beyond dehydrated at this point.  Summer motioned behind her desk and a very large, fluffy creature with red eyes, what looked like a mohawk, and was cream colored stood up. She counted several distinct tails on the creature and guessed it truly did have nine of them. “This is Tyche. Her previous owner died a few months ago and she’s been waiting to be paired with somebody again by her previous organisation. Jacob did some…investigating last night and felt like she might be a good match for you.” Investigating? Did…she even want to know? Honestly, best to probably leave sleeping dogs lie and not question it. “I see… Why do you think that?” At her organisation? What did that mean? Did people own these creatures? She shuddered at the thought of someone owning such intelligent creatures… Yes some people owned birds, but that… Different from this. They shared their intelligence with young children, yes, but these creatures were fully sentient and aware of everything. How could one ‘own’ a creature able to fully able to think through its judgements and learn from its experiences in the same way as a human? So many troubling questions she may never get the answers to. “Jacob talked to her a bit last night and she was trained first for mental health issues, then mobility ones once she evolved from Vulpix into Ninetales. Just remember to not fully bear your weight down on any Pokémon. They can help, but they’re not able to take the full weight of another being on their back. You can lean against her, but try not to pull your full weight on her.” Weiss nodded. “I understand.” She did need help with balance, but no, her whole weight would not be on the creature. She didn’t even put her full weight on Blake or Jacob. They merely helped her balance and keep upright. Yes, that was all she needed. A help to balance while she walked from Point A to Point B. Granted, not like she weighed much right now… Her body no longer had any fat on it. All of her bones protruded… All she needed was help so she wouldn’t fall. Yes, that was all. Summer smiled. “All right then.” She blinked. “Also…did you know about the elevators?” “Ele…vators? No. I didn’t notice them.” She knew what an elevator was. They were still in use on Selia, of course. Why didn’t she think to look for any? Summer got in her desk and rummaged around before pulling out a card and handing it to Weiss. “Here. The elevators require a badge to get into and all Rangers, Operators, Mechanics, and general staff have them. We just don’t want people going from the first level which is open to the public up to the restricted floors. Normally, the floors you guys are on are restricted to staff, but considering the unique situation… It’s not like you can go anywhere else. I mean I could let you stay in my house in Pueltown… Would you prefer a normal house or the Union?” Weiss frowned. Good question. No house would ever stand in for her home, but…the Union was a massive building. Walking from Point A to Point B…very difficult. Elevators would make it easier, but for her, very very long distances. Going up to different stories and such. No doubt would be more comfortable. But on the other hand… People. Being around people would help ease her mind somewhere. A house would no doubt be more comfortable and allow her to recover in peace, but here… People understood. Rangers seemed to accept oddness that happened without much issue. She doubted civilians would be so kind. She still got looks here, but the Rangers empathised with her easily and didn’t treat her as lesser which civilians may well do. And she may be able to find friends here as she recovered. “I think I’ll stay here. The house would be more comfortable but I might be able to find friends here. People seem to understand my plight here.” “Yeah, part of it’s because their Chairperson is a nexus of strangeness.” Summer chuckled. “It’s always a shock for new Rangers when they come in and there are legendaries roaming around the place without rhyme or reason. It takes a good six to nine months for them to settle into that strangeness… And the cycle repeats. Every year. The more senior Rangers are absolutely used to it by now. So when weird things happen, they’re just like ‘oh it’s Summer doing something weird again.’” She shook her head. “So you’re probably right on that front. It probably would be easier for you to stay here in that regard. Plus, we do have a medical floor where you can get any treatment you may need. One of our most competent, Ailis, will be in charge of you.” Weiss nodded. “Okay. When…should I meet with her?” “She’s the type to stress herself out easily and keep herself busy to the extreme, so let me know when you want to meet with her. I just thought it’d be good for you to settle in for a day or two before subjecting you to her mother henning.” Weiss nodded. “Okay.” “I’ll set you up with her tomorrow, then?” Weiss nodded. “That sounds fine.” She frowned. “Will…she be able to handle the entire malnutrition thing?” “Yeah, she definitely will be. She’ll probably give me an earful for not getting you into her right away, but your psychological needs are important too… I hate to put it this way, but you were tortured for months. What’s another day or two without proper nutrition? You already have a lot to take in with being in a different world.” Weiss nodded. “Yeah… That’s true…” Being subjected to a fretter right away would not have done her any good, no way. She needed a day or two to settle in. She still needed to learn much more about this world, but she felt at least on a more even keel at this point. She could understand what came with this world at least a little bit better. Tossing her into a medical appointment before she had time to settle… Definitely not a good idea. “I’ll talk to her and get you an appointment set up with her after this. But yeah, keep the badge on you and you can use the elevators. You won’t have to walk quite as far now. You didn’t have a badge.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, the Union isn’t really built for disabled people. You’re just expected to be able-bodied because of the nature of Union jobs. The elevators aren’t wide enough for wheelchairs which, frankly, you could probably use, but this place was built in the 1160s. That…was a long time ago.” Weiss nodded. “I understand…We don’t have many old buildings anymore but the few that are there… Upgrading them to be compliant for wheelchairs and such would be difficult.” Oh so very difficult… Yes, she knew it would be very difficult to upgrade a large building like this… All the wiring already sat in place and attempting to widen elevators would require extensive and expensive upgrades. She couldn’t hold it against them for not upgrading the building… “What exactly are the nature of Union jobs?” “Well, there’s Rangers, Operators, and Mechanics. Rangers are a combination of park rangers and police officers. They stop crime as well as deal with issues related to Pokémon and nature. Operators help them by analysing areas around the Ranger and figuring out what obstacles might stand in their place. Mechanics help keep tech around the Union fit and running. Rangers need to be able bodied to handle criminals and be able to go into places like Peril Cliffs. Operators need to have clear minds in order to be able to think quickly and effectively. Mechanics also need to be able bodied to be able to handle small pieces of tech without shaking and compromising the circuitry. We can and will put people on leave if situations effect their mental or physical health for whatever reason.” Weiss frowned. “I suppose I wouldn’t be a good candidate for a Mechanic or Operator then.” Summer shook her head. “Not at this moment in time, no. Your mental health issues would severely impede your ability to think quickly and effectively as an Operator while your physical limitations would make it difficult for you to do much with machinery or data collection. Plus, you get fatigued easily, right?” Weiss nodded. “Right now, focus on getting better. That’s all I want from you.” “Okay.” Weiss sighed. It only made sense. Still… Not being able to give back in some way drove her insane. Her position as a technomancer made her able to give back to society in a constructive way during her teen years. She’d been far from fully employed, but she could still receive pay for her work… She could give back. She’d given back and been financially independent for nearly a decade at this point. “Oh, right. One last thing.” Summer got in her wallet and pulled something out. A card. Weiss took it. “Like I told Blake, don’t go crazy with it. However, you said you were a technomancer?” Weiss nodded. “I can only imagine that not having any sort of tech on you is driving you nuts. If you want to look at tablets or phones or something, I’ll give you a budget of 75,000.” Weiss’ eyes widened. That…was an incredible amount compared to what she stood used to. “That should net you some lower-end tech. I don’t usually spend too much, but I still don’t want to drain my savings account entirely.” “I… Thank you.” She frowned. “Do you do online shopping or is it all local?” “Delivery from larger regions unfortunately costs an arm and a leg.” It was Summer’s turn to frown. “You’ll have to go to a local store. The nearest town to the Union is Thorpes but Pueltown is really the best place to shop since it has the most people in the region. Actually…” She fell silent for a moment and Jacob floated in. “Jacob, can you take Weiss to Pueltown for a bit of tech shopping?” Jacob bowed a bit. Yes, I can do that. I suppose teleportation is the best? Summer nodded. “It absolutely is. There is no way that she could stand a Staraptor trip to Pueltown.” Jacob looked at her. Do you want to go now or wait? Weiss’ heart leapt. Technology… She hadn’t held it in so long. She wanted it more than anything. “Is there any chance we could do it now?” she asked quietly. Despite her desperation, coming across as such… Unladylike. Unfitting of a lady of her standard. She could not lower herself to the level of excessive enthusiasm.  Very well. Let’s go then. It offered its hand out and Weiss stood, leaning against Tyche who already stood by herself. She put her hand on Jacob’s and they office disappeared in a flash.