perfect_focus

Yet I remain indifferent on the matter.  So long as myself and my boss are safe, the rest of the world matters little, although everyone has their uses.  A mind free of oppressive magical control is open to manipulation.  There is always an incentive, and everyone has a price.

Sephiroth paid for his half of the rent up front, in the event of his capture.  I have decided to simply put my funds for the month alongside it in the safe.  The rent is not due to be paid for another couple of weeks yet, but I have always been one to prioritise the necessities before focusing on the luxuries.  I cannot fathom why anyone would operate in a different matter, but then again I don't know what it feels like to be mentally incapable.  

( Private )

Sephiroth has given me control of the bookstore, and I will not let him down.  Riff-raff are being kept out, sales remain steady, and I have made an effort to constantly check up on Squall and keep him on track.  I have often wondered how much free time he actually has in the back room all by himself, as stock only needs to be updated every so often.  As I once caught him squaring off against a stack of boxes, I decided to make him clean the front area.  He may lack social skills, but nobody ever wants to talk to the cleaner, so with that in mind he reluctantly did so.  The store looks immaculate now.  I will give him credit - he may lack motivation, but he is incredibly thorough at completing any task, even those he thinks himself to be above.  A man like him is useful.  If only I can figure out what motivates him, what makes him tick, I could have a rather excellent subordinate on my hands, both in and out of the workplace.

I wonder how Sephiroth is getting on with his quest.  I think I may prepare a good, home-cooked meal for him incase he gets back later tonight.  It never hurts to keep in someone's favour, particularly if your room-mate is also your boss.

( Private )

Well, I must say that it is strange to live with another person.  Such a thing has not happened since I became an officer, and certainly not with a man.  However, the experience is not unpleasant, although I chalk this down to Sephiroth's private nature than anything else.  Like myself, I believe he is of the opinion that it is much less 'living together' and more 'living on the same premises for mutual benefit'.  I respect that. 

However, I suspect that a bathroom rota will be required in the mornings.  We both are perfectionists well-groomed, knee-length hair, which takes a considerable amount of time to style to perfection each morning.  I don't mind getting up early in the morning to groom myself, so that Sephiroth will have ample time to do so.  I am used to getting up at 5-6am most mornings anyway.

Sephiroth, do you have any thoughts on the matter? 

Sometimes not everything goes according to plan, although once again none of it is down to me.  I must question why Lani, who I admit is capable with an axe (if a little erratic), chose to use black magic spells in a hard battle against a Garuda.  She's seen Garudas before - she got destroyed by them during Arena training.  Why then, must her idiotic pride convince her that she is even remotely capable as a black mage?  Thanks to her ineptitude, I had sewer-stained boots, unspeakable things in my hair, and not a shred of experience to show for it.

Furthermore, I return after two showers and a bath to discover the bookstore is now a place for hooligans to legally get their destructive tendencies off their chest by throwing objects at bottles.  Many choose to ignore the bottles and aim for us, although nobody who's ever tried that has been foolish enough to try it twice.  It may be a bookstore, but we have perhaps the most formidable employee roster in the mall, in that not one of us (excluding perhaps Squall in a funny mood) is going to take any crap from anybody.  It's a nice working atmosphere when everyone can read from the same page in times like these.

Still, I consider this week to be a low point of my mall life so far.  I can only hope it ends, and that anyone who wins chooses to only take books from the 'dark romance' section, as opposed to any books or objects of substance or worth.  It irks me greatly that bookstores have now had to create sections dedicated to that type of "literature" to accomodate for all of the new authors jumping on the Twilight bandwagon.

This is a rare opportunity.  The chance to retry a single day multiple times until it has been perfected.  With the pirates and Chaos/Cosmos forces out now, much blood has been shed.  Sephiroth looks on eagerly, like he has an itch he can't scratch.  He has ripped the jugular out of one poor soul who got near, but he seems to be biding his time.  I will not clean up the mess left by the corpse, since it will be gone tomorrow, and cleaning duties are not befitting of a woman of my stature.

( Private )

People have been bothering me all week.  Sephiroth has been unusually kind to me, and while often I appreciate, sometimes it really bugs me.  I can't put my finger on it, but perhaps it's the extra weight I've put on.  Perhaps it's the fact that my breasts have gotten a little larger (maybe a by-product of the unusual weight-gain?), and people have been trying to look at them without me noticing.  I am rather used to this sort of behaviour as it is, so they have all been spotted, and dealt with in an appropriate matter.  A cane rammed inbetween the ribs in order to bruise the intercostal muscles typically does the trick.

Why can't people just be nice to me?  I won't hurt them then.  Usually. This week is an exception for reasons as yet unknown.  In fact, everyone should just leave me alone if they don't want to get hurt.

Ugh, I'm out of chocolate.  I need to order some more of the kind I like.  Why aren't there any sweet shops in Mallboro!?

Like Sephiroth, I do not care much for these petty squabbles between vampires and werewolves.  Both are equally detestable in my book, but I have decided to swear allegiance to the vampires for the time being, mainly to keep everything simple at work.  I'd rather not be at odds with my boss, esepcially if some werewolves came to the store and demanded that I fight against Sephiroth.  I'd also be against Squall if that were the case, although unlike Sephiroth I am not particularly threatened by him.  I've heard that he is an incredibly powerful warrior and master of the gunblade, but seeing him shower himself in glitter makes me think that rumours of his heroism are vastly exaggerated.

I've heard that the vampires are planning to gather at the food court later, so they can go on a wolf hunt.  I hope they don't try and force me to show up.

Once again, the advantages of working at a bookstore are apparent.  Thieves don't want to steal books.  It'll either be money or high-tech gadgets, and I am not about to let the store lose any money under my watch.  Earlier today a gang member of some sort came in to try and rob me.  I don't know which gang he's from, nor do I care - they're all vermin that deserve to be crushed beneath my heel, so their differences are of little consequence to me. 

Needless to say, the robbery failed.  The fool decided to run straight to the counter, and demanded that I empty the till into a bag he had.  I refused, naturally.  After all, what could he do to me?  Threaten me with pain or death?  Neither are possible in the mall this week, and even if they were I would not be swayed by such things.  I am far too highly trained for that.  The thief pulled a gun at me, and I merely grabbed it from his hand.  It wasn't even loaded.  The thief ran off, and grabbed a couple of books from the shelves as he did so.  I didn't bother chasing him, there's no point in doing so this week.  Besides, he only left the encounter with two paperback copies of Twilight.  I left it with a handgun which is worth considerably more.

There really is no justice here.  After saving nearly everyone in the mall and a reasonable amount of stores, NORG decided it wasn't good enough, and so do not deserve a reward.  Chaos and Cosmos were more accommodating, but simple Arena experience does not make up for the injustice of having to keep a chocobo in my apartment.  It's beginning to feel like a zoo around here, what with the chocobo and the octopus next door. 

I guess 40 experience is the best I'm going to get.  Now, I'm going back to help repair Byblos Books.  It might be difficult with chocobos in the way, but at least a race will begin soon, and the store will be clear at least.  The track runs right outside the door, so nobody will be getting in or out for the duration of a race, unless they want to get run over.  At least that should give me some time to construct the new shelves we bought (self assembly required), and then stock them once Squall has deal with the stock.  I'm also going to look for a chocobo enthusiast to take care of the 4 chocobos that need to be kept at the store.  It's certainly a downside right now, having so many active staff members.

Celes, you've always seemed to enjoy the company of chocobos, perhaps you would like to look after one or more of our four chocobos here in between races?  Also, I apologise for my behaviour towards those infected like you last week, but I was simply doing what was best for the mall as a whole.

( Private )