^^ the Car, Clear Glass Mode, single Driver ^^

— Gina —

The Curtains pulled back, revealing blinding afternoon light, and I flinched awake, covering my eyes with a groan as the brat was back and grinning cruelly. "Wake up, old lady, there's work to be done!"

Thoroughly incensed and unwilling for there to be a third repetition of this routine, I threw the nearest thing on hand at her, which happened to be the now-useless alarm clock on the bedside table, and once she was looking at me after dodging it with deceptive ease, I spoke clearly, enunciating my words so she had no way of misunderstanding my intent. "I'm beginning to despise your fucking face, you know that? Which is a shame, because it's a pretty face, if you didn't ruin it by being so rude and snooty all the time, but I'll ruin it personally if you wake me up like that ever again, do you understand the terms of this agreement? Good talk, now get the fuck out!!!"

She scoffed at me, unconcerned with my threat until a summoned Kukri followed the alarm clock and embedded itself into the wall behind where her head had been moments before. Once she'd recovered from her ducking and shrieking from the fright I'd given her, I spoke again, maintaining eye contact with the shaken girl and lowering my voice. "Perhaps I was unclear?" Now understanding my threat to be legitimate, she sprinted out of the room, leaving me with no target for my freshly ignited rage except the frozen maids, who were unsure what to do here now. "Sorry about that, ladies, I was unwilling to allow that little brat to torment me any further; I cannot stand bullies, and even less so spoiled little brats who are out of their depth... now, why did she wake me up? ... There was a reason, yes?"

The blonde shook her head slowly, looking at the ground.

"That Little Fucking Twat... what time is it, then? I've destroyed the clock, to my chagrin." I climbed out of the bed and stretched slowly, feeling a little better but not entirely rested, irritatingly enough.

The blonde answered again, apparently the less shy of the two today. "It is close to Two O'Clock, ma'am. You've been sleeping for eight hours."

"Really? Damn... I guess having pieces of your soul ripped off can make you a bit groggy for a few days, who knew?" I chuckled softly, grabbing my bag which was again at the foot of the bed and slipping my flats on my feet, not bothering with socks right now. "Can one of you lead me to the front door? And the other give Mr. Isaac my number, so he can contact me when he needs to? I know the address now, so I can come back whenever he has work for me, until my Shop is finished."

"Speaking of that, I hoped to take you to see a property that would be perfect for your needs, not too far from your current home. Also, please don't throw any more knives at my walls; they're original crown moulding, and I'd hate to replace it."

I glanced to my left, where Mrs. Tomoi leaned against the doorway casually, and smiled radiantly. "Ahh, my Silver Muse returns... I'd love to go on an adventure, my dear, but I've been away from my son for a full day now, and it won't continue any longer. I'll return tomorrow, and we can look at whatever properties you were interested in. Or rather, you can come pick me up, I suppose; if it's near my house already, there's no reason for me to go an hour and a half out of my way and deal with your incredibly unpleasant daughter."

She grimaced, shrugging her shoulders in answer to my questioning glances. "That's fair. She is being rather unpleasant towards you specifically, and I can only guess it's because Isaac chose you for his Protege, instead of her. Now, I'll have to find someone else to Awaken her, but that'll likely take years, and she's a bit steamed about it."

I shook my head at the casual deflection of blame, walking out and allowing her to lead me towards the front door. "Why go out of your way to Awaken her at all? She has the emotional maturity of a toddler, and giving her magical powers seems to me like a grossly stupid plan. Blaming her bitchiness and arrogance on simple anger instead of her spoiled upbringing and entitled nature brought on by her artificially inflated self-worth, that seems like a blatant and boring red herring. A distraction from her actual lack of any redeeming qualities that I've yet seen. I mean, she's not my kid, clearly, so do as you like, remain blind and continue making excuses for her completely inexcusable behavior like you probably have her whole life, (the crux of her behavioral problems no doubt being her lack of fear for consequences, which you have fostered by never actually punishing her,) I'm only offering my professional opinion, both as a mother and as a courtesan whose job revolves around my ability to notice people's insecurities and personality defects and use them to make them pay me until they're as broke as lemons and happy as clams."

She was silent as we walked, until we reached the front door, where she opened it and sighed deeply as the near-zero temperatures washed over us both, causing me to shiver and pull on my overcoat, which had been returned to my bag alongside a large envelope that clearly contained cash. "I suppose you're right, it's just a bit of a pickle for me... I'll see you tomorrow at your residence, yes? Say, 8:00?"

"That sounds perfect, yes. I'll send John off to the Metallurgical Society with Doctor Goodwin, then meet you at the park near my apartment!" I smiled and hopped a little up onto my toes to kiss her cheek, as tall as she was, then stepped outside and started walking down the path towards the distant gatehouse.

"Wait, wait, where's your vehicle? You came in one, didn't you?"

"I came in a Cab, Mrs. Tomoi, and I'll call one now to pick me up, you don't have to concern yourself with it, I'm fine!"

"Nonsense, dear, you're a member of our Clan; Avid!"

At her shout, the man appeared like a wisp of smoke, already bowing, and smiled briefly at my flinch as I hopped away from him swiftly. "Yes, Madame?"

"Have someone take Lady Chamberlain home and then have them remain in her presence, unseen and unheard, as a guardian. A second for her son, as well. We swore an oath to protect them, and protect them we shall, yes?"

"Without fail, Madame." He nodded seriously, and then turned to leave, but was stopped by me.

"Wait! I forgot, your dagger! Here, I might summon it if I need to defend myself, but I did promise to return it better than I found it." The dagger in question appeared in my hand at the thought of it, and I held it out to him with the hilt towards him.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly accept-"

"Mr. Tellurium, I gave you my word I would return it to you. Take it, or make of me a liar, your choice."

He frowned a little stressfully, but took the dagger and sheathed it carefully, as he felt the magic suffusing it now. "I will go and acquire your security detail, Lady Chamberlain. By your leave, Lady Einz-Tomoi?"

"Yes, of course."

By the time I looked back at him, he was gone, leaving only smoke behind, and I raised an eyebrow, looking all around us in confusion. "Did- did he just fucking use a Batman exit?!?"

"It's cool, isn't it? I wish I could do it, but I asked for a Sword, instead; y'know, like a dumbass." She grinned at me in response, laughing at herself carelessly.

Incredulously, I stared at her for a moment to gauge whether or not she was joking, but she seemed entirely serious. "You asked a Devil... for a sword?"

"Oh, Here's the car now, isn't that serendipitous? Enjoy, it's yours now." Unlike Avid, she was not quite capable of the Batman Exit, so when I glanced away from her and back I could still see her retreating form, as she had jogged back inside and was closing the door to avoid the question. The car in question slid up next to me silently and smoothly, the electric engine being housed in a sound-proof casing to eliminate all sound except for the nano-tech tires brushing the gravel path underneath it's carbon-fiber exterior.

I raised both eyebrows at it in surprise, walking a slow circle around it and whistling under my breath at the slick matte-black finish on every single surface, even the windows and wheels. "Holy fuck, you just had this sitting around to give away? Like... I mean, you don't have to ask me twice to enjoy something like this, but... dayum!"

One window suddenly turned clear, making me flinch, and a young African woman with a tight bun of equally tight braids cleared her throat at me uncomfortably.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that... Who are you?"

She stepped out and opened the back door for me, one indiscernible section of the glass sliding into the others, before answering me simply in a light, yet posh French-sounding accent. (I wasn't sure, as accents were never my forte. Nor geography.) "My name is Zawahili, but you may call me Zaza, if you prefer. I am your assigned Guard. My partner Agnus will be your son's guard, if they get along well enough. Entrez, s'il vous plaît?"

"Right, thanks..." The interior was a total opposite from the matte exterior, with bright and shiny red leather upholstery covered in a thin layer of sealant on the simple bench seat in the back, and all four walls looking exactly the same if it weren't for the scenery as we started moving. Another bench seat up front was barely visible through the tint on one side, so I spoke to the second figure, a tall person sporting a clearly impressive musculature. "So you're Agnus, then, I imagine?"

The person in the right side of the bench turned a little, nodding to confirm my question.

"I hope you have either the tolerance and patience of a saint or the scholarly mind of Plato, my friend. My son is excitable in the extreme, and wicked smart to boot, which is a mixture that causes me a lot of headaches, but I'm sure you'll get along fine if you like science or you are good at listening to long rants about complicated subjects, because he loves to explain things to people-"

—

"- and then I see him trying to throw a basketball, and he's so adorable! The ball is nearly bigger than his whole chest, but he managed to get it in after a few tries and a gramma throw! He's just the cutest thing..."

"Ahem... Madame? We've arrived at your residence."

"What?" The windows un-tinted, showing my apartment complex, and I hummed in confusion. "Now, when did that happen?"

"... about three minutes ago."

"Oh, hell... sorry, I can ramble on for hours about my John, he's literally the light of my life; let's park this car in the underground garage and go get him from the doctor's office." I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and poked the door on the side of the car to see if it would open, looking for a door handle of some kind, but found nothing. "And how do I open this?"

"Your fingerprint, actually; the silver button on your left is for your thumb." I found it after she'd pointed it out, so I pressed a thumb to it, and watched it scan my finger. "There we go, now that's in the system, and try again?" The button lit up again, and then once I pressed a finger to it the side panels opened up smoothly.

"Alright, then..." I stepped out with my duffel bag over my shoulder, clicking my speed dial and watching the car go away while Miss Zawahili stood by my side calmly. She was the perfect amount of relaxed and actively searching for threats, masking it as curiosity with a masterful skill, so I knew I wouldn't mind having her around at all.

"Angelina Wisteria Chamberlain, ya best explain ya'self in three seconds or I'll pop ya ass so damned hard it'll come flyin' off!!!"

"Hello, D, I missed you too; I'm at my apartment, and I'm headed to the Doctor's to get John and the dogs. Tomorrow I'll be going to look at some properties for my new business while John goes to the Metallurgical Society, and then I'll swing by to talk to you about said business around about 6 or 7, is that a good time for you?"

"... Hmph. Yes, baby girl, 6 is good. Everything is alright, then?"

"Yes, D, I just caught up on some much-needed sleep in the softest fucking bed in existence. Two words: Silk. Pillows."

"Ha!!! Okay, doll, now that's a good reason to fall off the grid for eight hours! You feel better, then? Not missing a kidney?"

"Y'know, I hadn't thought to check, but no, I don't think they stole my kidneys while I was asleep. Still, the second bed was better than the first, I think, -yeah, by the way, their house was so fucking massive that I fell asleep twice and woke up in two different beds,- but it wasn't the pillows, I think the mattress on the first one was softer, and it didn't agree with my back? But those satin sheets and comforter, uuuugh!"

She scoffed at me in amusement. "Oh boo, you whore, stop bragging about the fancy beds you've been fucked in, we've all had a couple."

"That's the best thing though, D, I didn't have to fuck anyone to get in either bed! Ha!"

"Really?... what's your new contract about, then, dear?"

"I think I signed an NDA, but the basics is I've made myself... something close to irreplaceable. So close to irreplaceable, in fact, that they promised to get John on the List and into a surgery room in less than three months! And the only dicks I had to suck were metaphorical!"

"Ha, alright, that does sound good, but keep your eyes out for anything suspicious, baby, don't let them snakes out there bite you in the ass because you weren't looking at them, you understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am. And send Jeremy over to the apartment to grab the duffel full of your toys? I'm leaving it in the blue box outside." I stuffed the duffel into the blue package box, usually used for the delivery people to do the opposite of what I was doing, but I didn't care.

"Alright, he'll be there in ten. Anything else?"

"Oh! Yes, I managed to get a car that I don't know how to drive due to never owning one before and a pair of cute guards to watch over me and Johnny until we move sometime in the coming weeks? I'm thinking of moving closer to Doctor Goodwin and setting up a little 'salon' with your help, if you're interested?"

"... We will talk more about that tomorrow, dear, I need more details than that."

"Alright, love you Desiree, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"I love you too, Gina. Stay safe."

I nodded and hung up, clicking the next number and looking at the two guards suddenly behind me as I walked. "When did you get- did you already park the car? I like you, you're sneaky."

Agnus, now revealed to be a very tall woman on par with Lady Tomoi and just as muscular, smiled shyly and the  bowed her head humbly, a silent but most likely quite deadly lady.

"Hello, My Dear, no, we are not playing with explosives, but rather we are exploring the last portion of the Smithsonian's Private Collection of Minerals; somehow, and I swear to you I do not know how, somehow, your son managed to 'Cute' his way into a private tour of the restricted access section!!!"

"Is the guide a middle aged woman?"

"I don't see how that's- oh. Well, still, it's a terrifying power to hand a small and mischievous child, so do watch out for it in the future, dear?"

"He will naturally grow out of being so cute, to both my chagrin as his mother and my relief as a woman who must share the world with him. Let me know when you're on your way back, alright?"

"I will do that, yes. No, no, no, don't touch the iridium!!!"

"It's Selenium, though, Doctor? It's non-radioactive, according to Mrs. Raskin. She said they got it from Oklahoma, where it was part of a meteorite that crashed in 2007, just 3 years ago! However, it is chemically unstable, so if we put one drop of water on it, it would crumble to a pile of dust! Wait!!! Can we try, Mrs. Raskin?!?"

"Oh, uhm... I don't think that would be advisable? The resultant chemical instability may cause irritation to your lungs, not to mention my own; perhaps another day, in a more controlled setting, Hmm?"

"Ooh! I'm going to the Metallurgical Society tomorrow, maybe you could send some over there to them and we could run experiments on it for my lessons?!? Doctor Goodwin, would that experiment count towards my total Lab Requirements?!?"

"Using the Metallurgical Society's State-of-the-Art equipment to destabilize a precious metal, just to see what happens?!? You're Darned Right it would!!!"

"Vincent, this is adorable, you're both more adorable than I can bear, but I'm going to leave you two nerds to your fun for now, alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, the phone is still on. Yes, dear, I'll keep an eye on him; you know, supervise. Carefully."

"Yes I can see that, dear. Take care, I love you both."

"And you as well, Gina. Now, Johnathon, how does Actinium react to the presence of water compared to, say, Frozen Mercury?"