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“So, I talked to Death-sensei”
“And?” Kiara’s face was bright with anticipation.
“I won’t be able to get any time off for our 444th,” her joy turned to sadness and the next moment it was anger.
“He can’t be serious; you’ve been working non-stop for the past 5 years. I’ve barely even seen you!”
“There’s problems cropping up all over the place apparently. I can’t get too much into the details but it’s big and he needs his number one on it.”
“And what about my number one? What about my needs?” Kiara’s exaggerated pout and fake crying showed that she understood that Cali’s job was important and that she was just playing up her feelings. In the back of her mind however, Cali knew that ‘playing up’ meant that those feelings existed, and that Kiara’s disappointment was much deeper than she was willing to let on. She hadn’t resolved to use the method she was about to suggest till she saw her wife trying her best for her sake. It seemed there were no other options.
“That being said, there might be a way for us to have our cake and eat it too.”
“You think?” Kiara’s sadness had dropped in an instant. Her ability to shift emotional gears like that never ceased to impress Cali. As she told her who they were seeing Kiara’s smile widened. It’d been a while since they’d gone to visit Ame.
Amelia Watson, multi-dimensional time traveller, was well-known in the Underworld. How she’d gotten her hands on the technology in the first place was anyone’s guess, but neither her nor her council ever seemed to pose a threat to the goings on with Time. Kronii herself never even seemed to acknowledge her existence. Whether that was good or bad, it was what was decided.
Every reaper seemed to have a story about Amelia. Some would talk about the weird noise her time-travel device would make, others would remark upon her insistence on being at every major event across the multi-verse. Of course, they could never be sure that the Amelia’s were the same. There was one story about a reaper who turned around for a moment only to find a second, smaller Amelia where the first one had been. Amelia Watson was a truly frightening creature and there was a mandate that all reapers avoid contact with her. Naturally she was best friends with Calliope Mori.
Cali and Kiara arrived at the time and address they had been given with perplexed looks on their faces. A 21st century apartment in a non-descript city stood before them. Ame buzzed them in and welcomed them to her humble abode. A large studio apartment filled with objects obviously taken from their respective times greeted them. Everything you could imagine, from sarcophagi to solid-matter projectors was scattered around the room. In the centre stood a beautiful mahogany desk with an impressively modern computer and multiple monitors.
“So what brings you guys to my place? It’s been a while so I was surprised when you messaged.” Ame was already pouring them both glasses of water from her fridge.
“We’ve got a…” Cali began, but she was quickly cut-off by Kiara.
“I absolutely love this place! Why are you here anyway? Isn’t the 21st century supposed to be dull? That’s what Cali tells me anyway.”
“Well I sorta kinda ended up agreeing to a new project of sorts. I can’t really tell you guys much about it...” Ame trailed off before starting again. “Well, there’s some wacky time stuff involved anyway.” She was being a lot more apprehensive about the details than she usually would be, but Cali knew to respect her space. Ame was never one to beat around the bush for no reason, and usually the reason was too complicated for her to understand anyway.
“You know I don’t usually I don’t make house-calls that aren’t, uh, work-related so I’ll be direct. We would like to borrow a time device.”
“You want to borrow a Pocket-Watchson?” Ame was clearly intrigued at this proposition.
“Yes, Kiara and I were thinking of taking a vacation and we were wondering if you could provide us with means for that. If it’s not too much trouble.” Cali’s bad habit of stiffening up when she was feeling nervous was beginning to manifest.
“Why do you need one of my Pocket-Watchson’s to do that? As a reaper I’m sure you could file the proper paperwork to visit some places during your time off.” As the words left her mouth she seemed to realise something. “Oh, I get it, if you’re doing this now then that means that it’s about time for that hehehe. Wait, that would mean that this isn’t sanctioned, is it?” A gremlin-like smile appeared on Ame’s face and Cali’s nervous silence confirmed her suspicions.
“Wow, The Dawn is approaching for you guys huh? Tough break. I can give you one of my spare watches considering your circumstances though I wouldn’t recommended being away for longer than a couple months. Things are about to get crazy.” Ame’s words weren’t there to scare them, and if anything Cali felt reassured that she was being so nonchalant about the whole thing. I guess being a time-traveller has its benefits.
Ame got up and went over to her kitchen, looking around in a few drawers before finding it. A small golden watch that was neither ornate, nor plain. It was perfectly inconspicuous.
“Well I know I can trust you guys, but still, if you don’t follow the rules it’s my ass on the line. The Ame council are always looking for excuses to bring me in, so you better be careful,” she looked deep into Kiara’s eyes as she placed the watch into her hands. “And don’t go visiting times you shouldn’t be. It’s bad form. Trust me.” With her motherly warning complete she bid the pair adieu.
“Thank you so much Ame, we’re really so grateful for this.” Kiara had Ame in an inescapable bear hug.
“It’s best to lap up luxury while you can, that’s why I’m here in this time. Peace isn’t always an option; remember that.” The seriousness of her words mixed terribly with the position she found herself in.
As Cali and Kiara waved goodbye and stepped out of the door, Ame walked pensively over to her computer and sat down. She almost cried, but she didn’t. That was the past and this was now. She sent Cali and Kiara both a DM on Discord and asked if they wanted to plan a collab. She’d made her choices and she hoped against hope that this time things would work out better for them.