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 Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:07 am
Two weeks was a long time to sit around and do nothing.
A really really long time.
So it hadn't taken but a couple days for Ursula to find herself bored to tears, and while she typically didn't mind lounging around the apartment in her spare moments of boredom, lounging lead to thinking, thinking lead her back to Charonite and she really didn't want to dwell on the General-King after the last shameful meeting they'd shared.
Keeping that in the back of her mind, she'd decided to spend her Saturday catching up on all of the delayed To-Do's she'd been putting aside for far too long. Which meant paying a visit to places she generally did not care to visit.
Like computer stores.
Sighing impatiently, Ursula Johnson rapped her fingers on the top of broken laptop as she continued waiting impatiently for the Customer Service attendant to become available. The line, for some godforsaken reason, had been excruciatingly long, and if it hadn't been for the fact that she was desperate for something to tinker with at home to keep her mind distracted, she would have given up immediately on waiting.
God, some things just really really sucked sometimes.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:16 am
It was really quite irritating, having a father who wasn't a handyman. It meant that whenever Audrey purchased a new video card, or wished to extend her RAM, she had to have them install it. She simply didn't have the tools to be taking apart and reconstructing her own laptop. Which was really quite sad, she loved her computer dearly. It was akin to her own child, and as such was tenderly wrapped and tucked into her backpack.
The line, however, was absolutely disheartening! She'd already had to put this off for a few days, her time was now absolutely monopolized by the General-King and her scouting missions for the Negaverse! And while she was absolutely full of glee at Nealite's apparent downfall, it was really cramping her normal activities. Like getting new hardware for her computer, to name one.
Sighing impatiently, Audrey's eyes scanned the crowd. At least it wasn't so bad, the view was nice. The teen was almost eye-to-eye with a rather stacked, absolutely gorgeous woman with flowing orange hair and a rack that would make any boy sit up and pant eagerly. While she was disinterested in relationships, Audrey couldn't really help but appreciate a good-looking individual. Deciding to whittle time away by striking up a conversation, Audrey smiled cheerfully and waded into the verbal fore.
"Crappy line, huh? What brings you around? Nasty virus? Dropped? Water damage?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:32 am
Delighted to be able to vent with someone who seemed to know a bit about computers (judging by the technical lingo she was spouting), Ursula happily twirled around to address the other customer. Perhaps, if she even played her cards right, this chick could spare her an additional twenty minutes of waiting time, and a bill to boot!
As her eyes landed on the bluenette, however, she swallowed her words and nearly choked on her own spit. Of all the ******** people in this store...
Linarite.
Ursula paused, collecting herself as she let out a small cough, her mind thinking quickly. Okay. It was clear that Linarite had no obvious clue who she was, judging by the actual civil statement she'd made. Oh what rotten luck this was...well. Wait.
Lina was an expert with computers.
Raising one arm up, she gently patted her chest as she gave the slightly shorter girl the best smile she could fake.
"I'm so sorry; I was just caught off guard by your looks! Normally you don't see other cute women walking around in a place like this." Her hand waved to emphasize the overabundance of testosterone mulling around in the store. "But no.. at least, I don't think it has one of those issues?"
Shifting her computer, she lifted it up to show her fellow Lieutenant in disguise. "Do you think you might be able to look at it for me? It would really save me the time."
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 2:27 pm
Seeing the small look of surprise, and the cough, Audrey blushed very slightly and was about to apologize with a healthy dose of embarrassment when the other woman beamed and chittered gaily. This surprised Audrey in turn, and the commentary on her cute looks made her a little warmer. Every girl under the sun loved to hear that she was adorable and good-looking, and a sixteen year old girl even more so.
Smiling almost as wide as she could, the Meadowview sophomore was more than happy to flex her mental prowess for a pretty lady. "I can sure try. These guys all hang out at the same places I do, so I know what they know." She scowled a bit and rolled her eyes. "I tried to get a job here once, they don't like girls. I don't get it." Shaking her head, Audrey set her bag down gingerly and held out a hand for the laptop.
"Here, lemme take a look?" Inspecting the outside as it was handed to her, Audrey was pleased that beyond the name URSULA painted on it sparkly orange nail polish, there was really no damage to the outside. The horror started only after she opened the lid. Every single key had been pried off, and alphabetized A to Z. Gasping in shock and nerdish pain, wide eyes looked to the other female.
"Wha...what did you DO to it?!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 2:35 pm
Relief washed over the older woman as the younger girl hadn't seemed to notice, or at least care, about her brief hesitation. Ursula couldn't help but grin at the idea of more or less tricking her rival into assisting her with her needs, but her smile fell down as the blue haired computer genius began to nearly shriek at her, of all things.
Slightly flustered, she waved her hand nonchalantly, "I'm not... quite sure what you mean? I haven't been able to get this thing to work properly for some time now, but I haven't had much need for a computer until recently again."
Staring at her painted on name reminded Ursula to schedule an appointment with her manicurist, and she glanced down to inspect her nails, which were clearly overdue for some pampering time.
"It doesn't seem to want to work anymore, anyhow," she continued, gesturing one finger towards the CD-Drive, "And the coffee holder needs to be extended in size, if possible. I can't fit nearly any sort of cup in it!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 2:45 pm
"I think you're somewhat lucky you didn't get up there yet, these guys would probably make you buy a whole new machine!" This thing was probably barely salvageable as it was, and Audrey folded her legs up under her and started stripping the keys off as fast as she could, mentally chanting the home row and others in her head as they were quickly replaced.
All activity froze, however, when mention of the 'drink holder' reached her ears. "Oh...my god." Frantically, she pried it open to only get her fingers sticky with the residue of spilt drink coating the inside of the plastic tray. At this point, Audrey was ready to hop up and beat the woman with her own laptop, but that would be so rude! Taking a deep breath, she tried to sound calm and reasonable.
"How long have you had this? Is it your first computer? Have you ever heard of a CD-ROM tray?!" The volume rose as she spoke, and her color was almost as coral red as her sporty little uniform. The question 'Are you insane, or just stupid?' was never uttered. Yet.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 2:52 pm
Her eyes widened at the idea she would have to pay for another laptop. It had cost her quite a bit of money to begin with to get the laptop in the first place, and now she was going to have to replace it? After only having used it for about a month or so?
"Y-yes," she confirmed, hesitating at first, "It's my first laptop, why? I've never had any use for a computer since my office is still using paper..."
Which was a partial truth, of course. Ursula herself never bothered with using the technology provided to her in the office, save for the coffee machine, and the hapless Principal had been taking it upon himself to deal with all computer-related issues and paperwork on behalf of the busty secretary. Poor b*****d thought he had a chance with her, still.
Her eyes met with the girl on the floor's, and she began to chew on her bottom lip anxiously. She didn't want to have to pay such a hefty sum just to be able to play on a computer again!
"Is there any way you can fix it?" She asked, nearly pleadingly.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 3:15 pm
"Mm." The noise was noncommittal as Audrey tried to block out what was now useless chatter. She was in her element here, using her brain to solve what looked like an impossible problem. It was much preferable to what the General-King had her doing. Spying? That was such a Nealite job! Not that she was ungrateful for the responsibility, but the Lieutenant of the Negaverse would much rather be acting than watching.
Maybe next time the b***h'd learn to do things properly instead of half-assing it and botching the whole damn thing! Speaking of botched, this laptop was probably in the grave, and they should start digging the hole now! Using the water bottle she so conveniently snitched from her locker on the way out, she dampened her handkerchief and scrubbed at the drive. Maybe it'd come clean. Maybe not.
"In the future, if you do replace this one, you should ask someone before just doing things to it. You can paint pretty things on it all you want, Ursula ma'am, but this isn't a drink holder." Sighing at the dismal state of it, she resignedly pushed it back in and hit the power button. Surprisingly, it started right up and she was able to input a small series of commands, all of them working with minimal problems.
With a cry of triumph, she shut the thing down and handed it back to its original owner, still having no idea who the woman really was. "There you go! It was just a little sticky, and when you messed the keys up you shifted the power key in the wrong place. Should work pretty well now, if you can keep food out of it and don't fuss with the keys." Job well done, for a GIRL! was the smug thought as the crowd around them clapped politely and the boys behind the desk glowered at her.
Whoops. Maybe that wasn't so smart. She still needed her video card put in!
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 3:29 pm
Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment as the terribly undersized cup holder was revealed to be anything but that. Her head moved slightly, watching to ensure that none of the other customers in line were paying any mind. Thankfully, only one young man seemed fascinated with her low cut blouse and not her inapt nature with computers.
She contemplated asking her about the keys having to be rearranged (for whoever's idea it was to arrange them in such a nonsensical fashion was a complete fool), but thought better of it. It clearly worked and there was no bill to pay, so Ursula was quite satisfied.
Taking the laptop back in her arms, she stepped outside of the waiting line and gave the younger girl a grin. Oh, how Ursula would enjoy this moment forever.
"Thank you so much, darling, I really do appreciate it. And I do hope you have an enjoyable time while you still can, you know, before some terrible karma comes back and kills you for being a little job-stealing b***h."
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:21 pm
The glee inside of Audrey dimmed as suddenly everything became clear. The woman she'd been helping, and subtly checking out had an absolutely catty tone to her voice. And while some things like eyes and hair could be glamoured, that tone could never be misunderstood for something else. Ursula, the computer illiterate babe, was Nealite!! And like a buffoon, she'd helped her! It was unbearable.
Snatching her backpack up and hugging it to her chest defensively, Audrey's narrowed her eyes and all but hissed at her former client. "It's not called stealing if it was GIVEN to you. You LOST it, babe, so get over yourself and realize that if you were just a little more careful we wouldn't be in this situation."
With that, she turned on a grey-sneakered heel and strode away, blue hair flying out behind her.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:29 pm
She stood there, the smug look still on her face, as she watched the truth dawn on the younger lieutenant. Out of the whole miserable week she'd had, this was her crowning jewel that made everything better, even if it was just for a moment.
Ursula watched as the bluenette stormed away, but that was when the girl's words echoed in her mind.
"we wouldn't be in this situation"
Eyebrows rose at this realization, and dark high heels followed hastily after the retreating schoolgirl.
"Wait!" she practically ordered, struggling to keep her laptop from slipping as she power walked forward, "Lina, stop!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:40 pm
Normally, Audrey would've just kept on going. The idea of Nealite chasing her down a busy street trying to get the last word in would've been quite satisfying and more than a little delightful. But she'd then had to go and use the nickname given to her by the more casual Negaverse lieutenants. The name that shouldn't really ever be uttered outside of their rendezvous while out of disguise.
Hastily, Audrey turned and nearly barreled face-first into Ursula's nose. "Geez, watch out! And whatever you do, call me Audrey. My name is Audrey!" She whispered this quickly and angrily. It would be beyond bad if their covers were blown, was all she could think.
Talking to Nealite was preferable to the wrath of the General-King. If they no longer had covers, he'd kill them. And she very much wanted to live.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:47 pm
Ursula was far too caught up in the girl's words to give a damn as to her nagging insistence to call her by her civilian name. Names were names, and it wasn't like anyone was going to hear them anyhow. The orange hair lieutenant had far better things to be concerned with at this point.
"Lina," she hissed, latching onto the girl's arm and jerking her forward, "What did you mean when you said we were in a situation? Because the way I see it, I'm the only one getting screwed over here."
The idea that Linarite, or Audrey as she apparently demanded to be called, was not happy with her new job sent a minor thrill through Ursula. Could it possibly be that this girl didn't care for the position she'd been given?
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:54 pm
"I'm sure you're screwed quite often so I don't see what you're bitching about." Calming down just a bit, Audrey disentangled her arm and stepped back and slung her precious laptop back back over her shoulder, holding it casually. "Listen. While it warms my heart that you screwed up and are getting punished, this job isn't for me."
Pursing her lips, she stared at the sky while trying to think of how to word her thoughts properly. "I'm a strategist, true. I like to look at things and figure out how to attack. But that's where we're different. I want to be there when the attack happens, making sure it all works out. Not hearing that my information was botched by some cutesy little girl who is playing at being a lieutenant. I don't work hard to let other people mess s**t up. If I am going to work and have it mess up, it'll be 100% all me everywhere."
It cost her a lot to admit that this job made her edgy and restless. It wasn't easy to sit back and watch her precious information, her beautiful strategies, fall apart because some baby lieutenant couldn't handle their new job. At least when she messed up, it was because her plan was faulty. Not her.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:11 pm
She didn't try to hold on to the girl's arm as she lurched back, remaining very still as she processed this new information that the bluenette was prattling on about.
It was a relief, she wouldn't deny it, to actually hear Lina admit to despising the job she'd been given. If anything, she had assumed it would be much harder to return to her duties, should Lina take a liking to the new position and remain a confident for the General-King himself.
Ignoring the snarky comment made (for everything with this little twit turned into snarky by some point), she concentrated on the gist of what the girl had to say. As she well knew that Linarite wouldn't be referring to her as the 'little cutesy' lieutenants, Ursula could only assume she meant the fresh new recruits that Charonite had pulled out of god knows where.
"I can imagine." She finally said after a brief moment, her eyes falling down to examine the other girl's outfit, without thinking. "The Negaverse has definitely changed with these new recruits, but I can't admit to being very pleased with the results. Not everyone can...."
Was she really about to say what she thought she was?
"Not everyone can dole out damage as well as others. I fear a good majority of these new girlies don't have the faintest idea what it is to retrieve information or execute plans based from information retrieved. I fear the both of us have a few new challenges on our hands."
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