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 Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:17 pm
Quote: Misplaced (13) : Things are just vanishing. Maybe it’s the heat, or the chaos of the times, but even if you swear you put something somewhere, it might be gone. Maybe as quickly as you exit a room and return. Usually it’s only small things; sometimes you might hear a strange rattling just before something disappears, but once it’s gone, it’s gone. So far, it’s mostly things that aren’t too big, but recently there have been reports of cars just disappearing, too…
Where was it?
Vasiliki tore through the shelf of notebooks and nicknacks over her bed, leaving a piled mess thrown on the sheets. Once it had been suitably demolished, to no avail, she turned her focus to her nightstand, knocking her lamp to the side, upending a small floral pot and a piece of decorative driftwood in her search. But nothing was forthcoming, so she moved to the dresser, picking through her scattered garments even though she rationally knew there was nothing there. There was nothing anywhere!
She’d been getting ready to go out with her best friend. It was rare that they had the same day off, seeing as they worked for the same individual, and he usually needed one of them, but in honor of the recent holiday, they’d each been given a small bonus and a day to do with as they pleased. A whole day!
Vasi was delighted! She loved when Tarra was able to show her around town in all the places they wouldn’t usually go, but…
She was less delighted now. She’d taken her wad of bonus cash and set it down on her nightstand, she thought, but now it was nowhere! Now it was nowhere, and she had nothing, and she wouldn’t be able to spend it, if she didn’t have it! There were so many things she hadn’t experienced, and it was so burdensome that everything required money, but they were supposed to have the day together to go out and do things! It would be shameful for Vasi to admit that she didn’t have any currency to spend; Tarra would probably think she was irresponsible, or a mooch hoping she’d pay for everything.
A little choke of sound slipped out of her throat, nearly a sob as she picked through the t-shirts in her drawer little fawn tail flicking in agitation as she dumped clothing to the ground because her money had to be somewhere, even if she knew she didn’t hide it here…
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:21 pm
“Vaaasiiiii~!” Tarragon sang as she leaned against said girl’s closed door. “Are you about ready? I want to get out of here soon. Vasi?”
Thinking nothing of it, Tarra tried the knob and was hardly surprised to find it unlocked. But as she peeked in, she was a little surprised to see- Gods, everything about the situation. Vasiliki’s room was a mess, the girl wasn’t in her glamor, and she was actively tearing everything apart even worse!
“Vasi, what are you doing?” Tarra practically demanded as she slipped inside, shutting and locking the door behind her. “You know you gotta be careful about not having the glamor on. And with the door unlocked? Eagun could see you. It’d be a pain to even try and explain… Well, maybe not. I guess you could be into some weird business, and honestly that would be pretty believable. Everyone is into something weird nowadays.” Her eyes narrowed a little, and she considered saying something about their boss-man probably being into girls with cute deer tails, but she decided against it with a shake of her head.
“Anyway, what’s all this about?”
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:26 pm
She hardly even blinked at her friend appearing uninvited in her room. She’d been told it was common decency to knock to announce arrival, but this was a weird custom not shared by Vasi’s people. They were a hospitable species, and closed, locked doors had always seemed selfish and unfriendly. If she kept her door closed here, it was only because she was supposed to! Tarra said it would be bad if their boss saw her strange features- or saw her in any state of undress. It just wasn’t acceptable here!
But that wasn’t important right now. Vasiliki didn’t care who did or didn’t see her in any state.
“My bonus!” She tried to explain, tipping out her wastebasket as if maybe the cash had fallen in. “I set it down for just a moment to get dressed to leave, and now it’s gone! It’s gone, Tarra! I lost it! Where could it have gone, how could I have misplaced it so easily? Now I won’t be able to try the ice creams! I just wanted to try the ice creams…” She practically sobbed.
It wasn’t exactly like she had no money to spare outside of the extra. Their boss treated them well, even Tarra said so! But a lot of the “surplus” from the check was supposed to go into some kind of savings, and she wasn’t supposed to touch it in case of an emergency!
She warily eyed the bottom corner of her mattress, where she kept all of her cash tucked away. This was an emergency, wasn’t it? She’d just lost a whole wad of money, and she needed to recoup it somehow, so that she could do the activities Tarragon had planned for them! That’s what savings were for, weren’t they? It was still super disappointing that all of her extra-extra had disappeared, but… Having some was better than having none.
She scrambled to crouch next to her bed, lifting away the fitted sheet and rummaging her hand around until it came back out with a fistful of green bills.
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:29 pm
Tarragon may have looked a little suspicious at her friend’s claim of ‘just putting it down’ and losing it. Set it down…? Like something physical. She brushed the initial doubt away and moved to Vasi’s side, instantly prepared to console her, when-
The girl must’ve pulled a fat grand out of her mattress.
“Vasi, whoa!” Tarra hissed. “You keep this on you? Don’t you get your pay deposited in a bank?” Tarra’s bonus had been sent directly to her bank account, like all of her salary and extra earnings. She found it hard to believe that Eagun wouldn’t have set Vasi up the same kind of account he’d set up for Tarra, with a checking and a savings, and two debit cards, where money was deposited every week both for Tarra’s pay, and for any groceries or supplies she picked up for Eagun’s estate. “Does he pay you in cash?” She prompted incredulously. “You shouldn’t let him do that. It’s harder to keep track of what you have, and you won’t lose it if it’s in the bank.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:37 pm
Vasiliki slumped sidelong as Tarragon settled next to her, immediately burrowing her face in her friend’s shoulder and voluminous violet curls. She’d expected her friend would offer unwavering support, and Vasi had feared the unspoken strain it would cause, but it was difficult not to just bundle herself close to her friend and be pleased to have someone to help her through this.
For the most part.
“The bank,” she sneered. “No, no, I told him I didn’t want the bank to have it! I want me to have it, in my hands so I can use it!” It sounded terribly selfish. This world’s way of resource dispersal made her sound terribly selfish, but she couldn’t buy anything without money! And she did need some things, like clothes and food, and coat oil for her tail. It gave an unhappy waggle. “I know how much I have, and it doesn’t move around, usually. I’ve never lost it before. Just the one time, just now…”
Maybe once was enough, though. Tarragon did, of course, still know much more about this place than Vasi did, and if she vouched for “the bank,” it was hard to argue with her. She puffed out her cheeks a little, laying her fistful of money on the ground and beginning to sort and neaten it into a little ordered pile.
It was definitely enough to replace what had been lost, and enough for whatever they were going to do on the town that evening. She folded it up, and slipped it into the little purse Tarragon had given her for just such occasions as going out.
“Maybe I’ll find it when we come back,” she grumbled. Or rather, it would just appear where she’d originally left it. For now, she didn’t want to keep Tarra waiting any longer.
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:40 pm
“Alright, well, that’s ridiculous,” Tarra snorted as she gave Vasi’s back a reassuring pat. “The bank just has it so you don’t lose it. Sometimes, it even gives you a little extra back, called interest as a thank you for trusting them, sorta. And anyway, anything you give them is still yours! They give you a little card that you can use to spend it! Vasi, I know you’ve seen people using them at the grocery store…”
She watched in bemusement as her friend sorted, folded, and stashed her bills, then they were ready to leave.
Tarragon wasn’t sure how much she wanted to support her friend blowing through all of her savings on their day off, but it wasn’t like she should be there to offer any more than advice. She couldn’t tell Vasiliki what to do with her pay, and Tarra was still excited to go out. “Did you mention ice creams?” She prompted after a moment.
“Do you want to go to the ice cream parlor first, and then maybe we stop by the bank on the way out? I’ll show you the ATM, where you can get your money whenever you want. I promise you’ll like using it. And then once the whole money thing is taken care of, we’ll see about a cute new dress, alright? You deserve a cute new dress in weather like this!”
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