Chapter Text
Work.
Work, work, work.
Froggy didn't know what to do anymore! After Ena cleared the smoke and sorted out issues with the folk in the Crowd Door, all there was left to do before finding the Boss was to wait on arrangements for the Horse Door. Regrettably, Coral Glasses had hired Taski Maiden to fulfill the role of Genie. She didn't want to, she ignored Taski's consistent emails for three weeks trying to find other applicants! But, to no avail. Since she was hired, Leaving Ena, oh, sweet, workaholic Ena restlessly begging Froggy for more tasks to complete during the downtime.
At first, it didn't bother him, it was easy enough to find something for her to do. Cleaning, organizing, going on a few fetch quests—but it never stopped. Day after day, just as energetic as the night before, she'd ask. Almost beg. And this time, he had enough.
"Aaahhhhh Ena! You've rang me dry! I don't have any more jobs for you! You've done so much I can't even come up with any more!"
Ena, stare blank as ever, smirked. "That waterfall of creativity in your mind parched, eh?"
"Take the hint and take the day off! Your incessant pleading makes my ears itch. You're almost as bad as Dratula."
On cue, the not-penguin-in-a-trench-coat spoke up. "I AM DRATULA!"
Froggy annoyedly rubbed the back of his head and groaned. "Look, Ena, we just have to wait for the Horse Door to finalize decorations. It shouldn't be any more than just a day or two. Take a break!"
Megaphone suddenly appearing in front of his face, Ena shouted. "FINE!! I DIDN'T LIKE YOUR STUPID JOBS ANYWAY!" She finished with a forceful rotation of her arm. Ena's expression and tone then switched, her voice smooth but pressing. "Are you sure there isn't any more gratification to be obtained? I'd hate to waste my time un-profited."
"For the hundredth time, no! No more jobs! In fact, I'm forcing you to take the day off. Now go! Shoo!"
Ena's smile tightened, giving Froggy a dramatic bow with her body turning around before her limbs and head could. She mumbled while walking away. Coral Glasses nervously peeked over the papers she had been holding close to her face, overhearing the twos quarrel. Coral did have to admit, Ena had seemed a bit more antsy than usual for tasks. The moment she finished one she'd bound over begging for another without a moment's rest. It wasn't unlike her, it just seemed rather.. desperate.
She watched Ena disappear down the stairs, seemingly cursing under her breath, white frown twitching. Why was she so antsy over this anyway? Most entities would kill for a day off under these working conditions. Then again, Ena wasn't anything like 'most entities'. Stuffing away her papers in the briefcase she lamentably drags to work everyday, she meandered over to Froggy, adjusting her glasses. "Ssssso," she dragged out the consonant. "That seemed to have gone well.." Her intercom crackled a little, voice weary from her lack of speaking.
Luckily, Froggy didn't seem to care. He looked over in her general direction and waved his hand in the air, grumbling. "Aaaah she'll get over it. She always does."
"Always?"
He sighed dramatically, crouching down near the edge of the dock to watch the leg fish swim by. "Just one of her fits. She doesn't like sitting down much. Gets restless. But there's literally nothing left to do! I appreciate her proactive approach but sheesh."
"Gets restless?" Coral echoed. "Does she.. not have anything to do after work?"
He grimaced, blood rippling as a leg fish swam underneath the surface tension, then shrugged. "She doesn't really seem to enjoy pleasantries like the others here. Has a tendency to get stuck in loops. If I'm being honest, I'm not really sure where she goes with leisure, she never strays too far from The Hub."
Coral nodded absently, head turning back towards the casino. "I see.. I'll uh, go talk to her."
"G0d, please. She's driving me up a wall."
Wouldn't be the first time, Coral Glasses thought to herself with slight amusement, standing up straight, but not leaving before a final comment from Froggy. "She seems the most receptive when it comes to you." She stuttered a moment, almost involuntarily printing at his sudden remark. She opened her mouth to reply but quickly shut it, static buzzing in the stale air for a moment before turning and making her way down towards the casino. She didn't want to think about what he meant by that.
Never strays too far from The Hub.. now that Coral thought about it, Ena did always seem to be around if she wasn't engaged in other means of work. Did Ena have a home? By the end of a day, most entities would go back to their abodes, either within the doors or taking the underwater subway stations to neighboring islands. However, she never saw Ena do either of those. If she didn't have a home, there wouldn't really be anywhere else to truly settle at.. not with the muggy heat of The Hub and the general hostilities towards ENA.
The thought of her not having a place to stay unsettled her.
Despite the casino feeling similarly stuffy to the plaza above, she welcomed the temporary relief from the sun. She stepped into the hall, grimacing at the blood trickling through the metal grate. She knew it was just decoration, but still, could this not be filed as a safety hazard? Turning the corner is when she finally spotted her—Ena—sitting slumped against one of the garage doors. She seemed to be talking to herself, not really aware of the space around her. Coral Glasses tried to approach with caution, worried about Ena's erratic behavior. Ena quickly noticed her however. She always seemed to notice her. A scowl formed on the paler side of her face before it was swiftly replaced with a disarming smile. Her body lagged as she stood up, glitching momentarily and giving a dramatic bow. "Ms. Glasses! If it isn't the belle of the hour."
Coral's cheeks tinted a flint grey, giving her a smile and an awkward little wave. "Evening."
Ena picked invisible dirt off of her shoulders with her claws before stepping closer towards the taller woman. "To what brings you to a dolt like myself?"
"You sell yourself short," she murmured, something Ena seemed to freeze at. Quickly bouncing back though, she cleared her nonexistent throat and flexed her claws. "Whatever. What do you want? You don't have a stupid job for me, do you?" Despite the insult, she sounded more eager about it than she wanted to let on. Coral shook her head, idly scratching her cheek. "No.. I admit I don't have any roles for you to fulfill. I just.. wanted to talk to you. I overheard your conversation with Froggy."
Coral could have sworn she saw the faintest shade of pink on Meanie's cheek. It was quickly replaced however. "That damn frog doesn't know ambition!" Her words warbled with slight static at the end, fizzling out as she deflated, hackles raising along her hair. "Take a day off, huh? It's like we aren't even coworkers!"
"Well.. you have been running around quite a lot, Ena. You've been doing a great job."
She opened her mouth to retort but faltered at the end of Coral's sentence. She lowered her arms in front of her torso before her face switched sides, claws now gently tracing circles over her mitten. "Why.. thank you."
After a few beats of silence, Coral slightly dug her shoe into the pavement. "..when you don't have work, what do you do to pass the time?"
Ena blinked. "Nothing. Well—that's not true." She looked pensive for a moment, head spinning in thought. "I enjoy the temperate nature of the dock. Maybe try my luck at a few stone skips."
"Ena.." Coral Glasses started, fidgeting with her hands out of habit. "Have you ever.. actually had hobbies? Like—something you did on your own without guidance? For.. fun?"
The use of the word 'fun' reminded Ena of the dreaded Purge Event, something that made her shudder. A deep frown etched into her paler side. She certainly hated that kind of fun. Fun was the entirely wrong word for it. Bright lights, horrible music, pungent pink liquid—everybody dancing like there wasn't anything to be done! She sighed to herself and cleared her mind, trying to focus on Coral's actual question.
She placed her red hand underneath her chin and started lightly tapping her foot against the ground. Work was the sort of thing she'd consider to be fun, however, she knew that wasn't the answer Coral was looking for. But what else was she supposed to say? She didn't have any sort of home for resting outside of the Bed Door, and she certainly didn't have a well-enough reputation to do as she pleased without unnecessary barbs anywhere else. She looked up at Coral—who was still staring at her—this time with a softer expression. Almost one with pity.
Before that look could get underneath Ena's paler skin—she blinked, crossing her arms while her twin ahoges twirled in place. "What more fun is there to be had than aiming for a target? Certainly other pursuits would be an interference from one's true goal!"
Coral Glasses's shoulders slumped forward in dismay at her response. She already guessed what Ena's answer would be before she even asked the question—though the visual route Ena took to get there was concerning. She looked almost.. frightened, for a moment. Then guilty, then angry—there was a whole unspoken process to her thoughts. Coral just wished Ena would actually be upfront about them all. She rolled her eye and held her head, thinking on how to reply for a moment. "Don't you think it would be worth a shot to at least try a hobby? You might find something you really enjoy."
She figured her attempts would be pointless, met with rebuttals or arguments, but she didn't like the thought of Ena never once being able to enjoy herself. Even someone as busy as Coral—who would work late nights consistently—at least had a pillow to lay her head on at night. A book to read. Some sort of personal time. Ena had none.
The salesperson shook her head and placed her hands on her hips after a quick rotation of her chest piece, "There is no greater fulfillment I confide in other than a completed stint! Without ambition, my existence rivals triviality."
And that was the other problem, Ena didn't view herself as anything other than a worker. Which, who could blame her? ENAs were a species considered to be nothing but sinful, lacking both purity and comprehension. Coral had heard all the rumors about this Ena when she was first hired at The Hub, though they were disproved almost instantly by her mere existence. She wasn't some sinful creature by nature, didn't spread lies for entertainment, didn't hurt people for pleasure, she just.. did a job. Her job. One she took insanely stubborn pride in.
The businesswoman rubbed her temples in slight frustration. How do you explain that it's okay to simply rest and exist for a prolonged period of time to someone who only finds purpose in themselves with a job? Her body flashed a dark gray as a couple of papers printed from the top of her head. Embarrassed, she hurriedly grabbed them as they fluttered through the air, face flushing. That always happened when she got deep into thought. Ena gave her a blank look before her face switched sides. "What? If you got something to say, than say it already!"
She hastily folded the ink-blotched papers and put them into her back pocket, looking back up at Ena but avoiding eye contact. "Your job isn't the only thing you're good for, Ena. Burnout is entirely real—you can't do a good job if your mental state is in shambles, can you?"
"Like you're one to talk," She retorted. "You have no idea about my mental state! And quite frankly," Ena fished for her megaphone. "I could be HALF DEAD and still do a better job than these MORONS!!"
She flinched slightly at the sudden change in volume and the minor attack to her psyche, the coral on her face radiating with orange lines. Touched a sensitive nerve there, got it. Don't bring up mental issues. Ena's outburst made her feel like she was screwing everything up instead of helping. She took a deep breath to compose herself, wiping the sweat from her face with her sleeve before stepping a little closer towards her coworker. "Alright, I'm sorry, forget I said anything about that. However.. I do think doing something that isn't strictly work would be very beneficial for you." Her fingers lightly tapped against her own arm, "Maybe don't think of it as a hobby but as a.." She trailed off, trying to think of a better word for it. "Task, an optional one. It's not assigned to you and no one is forcing you to do it—just something to be completed only after work hours. There's no succeeding or failing it, you just kind of.. do it."
Ena gave her a bored stare in response, claws rubbing against her softer red arm rather roughly. "Then what's the point of doing it in the first place?"
Coral knew she had to phrase her answer a certain way, or else Ena would completely shut down the idea. If she explained it as 'doing it for yourself', she'd find a way to deem it unnecessary for her own good. But if she related it to a job—Ena would never actually get to relax. Great Runas, this was difficult. "To umm.. pass the time! Between jobs, waiting around doing nothing can be quite boring, right? It can also serve as a way to help clear your mind.. from work stress or upcoming business opportunities."
She was speaking from experience on that front—sometimes her only escape from work plaguing her mind was a good book. Curled up on the couch lost in words of fiction. It then made her wonder how Ena even dealt with stress if she practically never relaxed since her birth.
Ena seemed to vaguely soften at the idea before sighing. "I still deem it futile, if there's no satisfaction in the conclusion, then is it even worth it?"
"Have you ever tried it?" Coral's patience was slipping, but she knew Ena wasn't all at fault. The salesperson went quiet as if she had to think about it. "Seriously, how would you know if it grants you any satisfaction or not? What have you tried to do? Read? Work out? Play games? Paint? Have you tried any—"
Ena's head tilted slightly sideways at the word 'painting', making Coral pause her (slightly irritating, Meanie thought) monologue. She'd seen few people paint in her life—sometimes on old discarded buildings as a means of delinquency, sometimes on the walls of homes for decoration. The deliberate harmony of colors and unique shapes to form illustrations intrigued her. It made her think of her own anatomy at times, not quite like anyone else.
"..painting? Have you.. painted before?" Coral adjusted her glasses, suddenly curious about Ena's random pique in interest. She also found the little tilt of her head terribly endearing, looking similar to that of a cat.
"Myself? No, but I've seen others try their mitts at it. It looked.. unusual. Like one's impression of character tumbled and slipped onto the canvas."
Coral never thought about art that way. Of course she enjoyed looking at it, passing by plenty of paintings and murals in her studies, but she mainly stuck to drawing little doodles on receipt paper. Maybe Ena had more of a fascination for artistry than she initially thought. She seemed like the type to rather enjoy physical activities or card games, but Coral knew better than to judge. "Would you.. like to try painting? Yourself?"
Ena gave the idea a genuine thought, wondering if she could even create something with her own hands that wouldn't be reduced to just sin. Unfortunately, with a frown, she shut down that vision. "I certainly don't have any access to those materials, nor do I own the scope to keep them tidy."
Coral slowly nodded, sweat dripping down her face. "I think I can remedy those concerns."
Ena's brows raised.
"I-I mean it! Here—why don't you give me a day? We can come back to this conversation at a different time. It's late, after all." The sun had long after set, though it was hard to tell inside the casino itself. Ena glanced around the dingy hallway and nodded in agreement, giving Coral an unusually gentle smile. "Then may our departure be in close proximity! Goodnight, Ms. Glasses."
Adjusting the rims of her namesake, she inclined her head and returned Ena a half-nervous smile. "Goodnight, Ena."
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Coral Glasses spent most of the following morning trying to acquire paint. Getting the canvas board was easy enough, but apparently trying to find tubes of colorful liquid proved to be more challenging than she thought. After a few social fumbles and a lot of walking, she found a merchant made out of very saturated pixels at a nearby vendor selling various art supplies. Sure, she was spending extra chocolates she didn't really have, but it was for Ena. That's all that mattered to her.
The next problem was space and storage; an easy solution she knew Ena wouldn't like at first. Her house wasn't too far from The Hub, just a short underwater(blood..) monorail away, and her living room served as a great open space for such activities. She would probably just have to make sure her furniture wouldn't get ruined. With an unpleasant railway ride and a bit more tottering out of the way, she stepped inside her home and set the bags on a nearby counter, smiling at the supplies.
Maybe Ena would finally get to enjoy herself.
Just maybe.
Rubbing away the dull ache in her arms from carrying bags all day, Coral walked into the living room, reviewing the open space as if she were seeing it for the first time. There was a medium sized couch and coffee table facing a window on the opposite side of the wall, two small bookshelves crowding the glass on either side. They were stocked full with books, ranging from insightful encyclopedias to embarrassing fiction novels. She decided to move the table towards the middle of the room so they'd have more space to work with. She didn't have any easels—nor the budget for them—so she'd certainly have to get creative on how to set up the canvases so they didn't lie completely flat. As she deliberated on how to protect the table's surface, the obvious answer came out of her head. Literally.
Her body flashed grey as blank printer paper emerged from the top of her head, her hands grabbing at the sheets and placing them neatly to cover the tables whole surface. Once she was sure most of the area was 'paint proof', she then thought about what she could use to hold the canvases up. Her home was sort of bare, minus the few decorations on the wall. She didn't think the informational poster about underwater fauna would help her in this situation.
After further contemplation she turned to her bookshelf and exhaled, scratching at her back. She could sacrifice a few books for this excursion, surely there had to be some she wasn't fond of, right? She strolled over to them and scanned through the titles, searching for any that dulled her attention. Picking out a few, she set them down on the table, stacking them on top of one another to make two little piles tall enough to hold the canvases at an upright angle.
Going back over to her bags, she pulled the boards out from them, placing them against the stack of books and smiling. Homemade looking, that she knew, but it was functional. That's all that really mattered anyway. It felt nice to get away from the standards of an uptight business for a change. She finished neatly setting up the area with paints, brushes, towels, and water cups before a small realization came over her.
This is almost.. like a date.
The polyps on her face buzzed with jagged orange as she shook her head to nobody but herself, t-this is nothing of the sort! Just a small hangout between.. coworkers? Her mouth quirked. Coral wanted to be more confident with that answer, but she wasn't sure she could. They definitely weren't strangers—not with their months of after-work hours contact with one another—but they were too friendly to just be work-mates. Coral invited her out for drinks a handful of times, even helping her relax and getting her to sleep after a few buzzed disasters. Ena often returning the favor with gifts or less than platonic gestures. Ena's silver tongue has made Coral melt on more than one occasion.
Enough!
Coral wiped the sweat away from her face, glancing out the window. It was mid-day now, she should probably get going to find Ena. Though, finding her wouldn't be hard, as she's gathered recently. She slipped on a dark grey shirt-jacket over her white top before heading outside, not bothering to change her too-small slacks. She didn't have to clock in today, but she still wanted to look somewhat professional, especially in front of her peers.
The wind brushed her face gently as she exited through the door. Her home was on an island not too far from The Hub itself, meaning her option of travel was either by bridge or the monorail. She opted to walk today, the earlier train ride unsettling her, though with the heat it made her wish she chose otherwise. She was used to being sweaty, but this was somehow worse. The bridge itself started from a port off of the small island and connected to a lower level of the casino located at The Hub. The bridge itself looked unusual, pixels stretching as if it ranged for miles, shrinking and elongating at random intervals. Walking the actual viaduct though made it feel as if time stopped, all noise ceasing minus the sound of one's own breath.
As soon as she reached the bridge's end, sound came rushing back to her, quickly replacing the tinnitus in her ears. Stepping through the halls of the casino, she took a moment to glance around her surroundings. Bright lights, hungry slot machines, even an angry customer yelling at what she assumed to be a lost gamble. The atmosphere wasn't exactly pleasant, but it was nice refuge from the swelter.
Did Ena overheat? Did she ever come down here seeking shade from the sun's relentless greetings? Or did she not care, perhaps used to unsavory conditions?
Coral Glasses found it slightly annoying that her mind always drifted to Ena when it was unoccupied, like a rolling pen placed onto an un-level desk, but some part of her didn't mind all that much. Before any papers with Ena's face on it could print—she hurried up the stairs and glanced around for any sign of her two-toned friend. Dratula and Froggy were uncharacteristically nowhere to be found. In fact, other than occasional cheers from the coin-cat and gentle swaying motion from the doors, The Hub was rather quiet. No fireworks, no vexed arguments from coworkers, no irate laps from the red sea. She ambled forward towards the dock and was met with a familiar form standing near the edge with her hands orderly behind her back. Typical.
Coral faintly smiled at the sight of her, intrigued on why the dock seemed to be the place she found most comfort in. Or at least, the one she frequented the most. She paced forward until the sound of footsteps creaking on wood interrupted Ena's thoughts. Her head turned 180 without the rest of her body, causing Coral to slightly jump and freeze at the sight, looking as if she got caught stealing. She somehow had a tendency to forget the extent of Ena's body separation abilities.
Ena chuckled and turned to face Coral Glasses fully, lifting up her hat to smooth her hair down before snugly setting it back on. "Salutations! My dear coworker, to what do I owe the delight of your visit?"
Delight, she found her visit delightful. Something in Coral's chest stirred at that, unsure if it was just Salesperson's persona, or if she truly meant what she spoke. She cleared her throat and mindlessly fussed at her jacket's buttons. "Remember our conversation yesterday? I was interested in continuing it."
Ena eyed her closely and nodded haphazardly. "I do remember the latest broadcast with your name affixed, but I was so convinced it came to a resting conclusion.." She rubbed her jaw gently, acting as if she was trying really hard to remember the events of last evening.
Coral rolled her eyes, Ena and her twisted way of speaking.. though, some part of her couldn't deny it she found it.. charming. Almost cute? "I figured out a solution to yesterdays dilemma. Do you still wish to paint?"
Ena's angular eyes softened, a tender rest to her lips, unusual, like she wasn't expecting Coral to be serious about her earlier offer. "I was unsure if your plans held weight. Again, materials—"
"I'd like to invite you over for the night."
She blinked, eyes widening into diamonds. So did Coral's own. She started to sweat nervously now, not meaning for her language to be so direct—but she didn't want to dodge around it this time. As her coral rang with squiggly orange lines, Ena had trouble finding her voice. Something like.. astonishment blooming in her chest. Wanting to do something.. with her? It had to be some sort of trick, perhaps a caper. Coral wasn't the type to indulge in crude pranks however. Maybe she wanted a returned investment for the future?
She quickly shook her head to regain her composure and gave Coral a warm smile, hands making unnatural shapes in the air. "The opportunity is once in a lifetime! But I am not sure if my geometry should intrude in your personal space."
"Y-you wouldn't be intruding!" Oh G0D Coral that sounded way too forward. You don't need to hard sell it, damn it! She cleared her throat, getting more sweaty by the second. And it wasn't the sun. "I mean—" She sighed heavily and cursed her social skills. "I'd like for you to come over, I want you to paint with me."
Ena didn't know why, but she felt something close to tears in that moment. She shook away the feeling almost as quickly as it came, refusing to let it linger. "Well, if you insist, the invitation would feel upset if it was rejected, no?"
Coral gave her a bright, opportunistic smile, shoulders slumping in relief as her coral's lines relaxed. She turned on her heel back towards the casino, wiping her hands on her shirt. "Then let's leave sooner than later, yeah? The heat is getting to me."
Ena chuckled and nodded, hands clasping together as she spun around quickly and started to follow her footsteps. "Verily!"
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