Trash: Chapter 112 Leverage Of A Different Kind Entirely (Patreon)

Chapter 112

Leverage Of A Different Kind Entirely

Of all the inanimate things that I knew Mr. Karl had a personal grudge against, the number one issue he had was clearly doors. Well, doorways in general, as most were designed for the idea that most people entering and exiting a room were not super giants who would have to duck, bend, and twist their way into doorways. Doorways that were designed for two students to be able to enter at once, even at awkward angles.

Yet, despite the clear issue with doorways, and the inherent lack of response one could expect from Mr. Karl based on his position in relation to a doorway, most people overlook the big giant’s frame and antics. Realizing that he will smile, wave and nod to everyone.

As a larger person, no doubt Mr. Karl had to grow up realizing that if he looked troubled or angered, people would respond negatively to him, often with fear. That was partly why he was such a good detention monitor, not because he was angry, but because all it took was one stern look form him to get most any delinquent student back in line. Which is great, as that role rarely ever pushed him to be truly violent, most students backing down after witnessing the sheer size of Mr. Karl and realizing that there was barely any fat on his rather robust and muscular frame. While some students claimed he purposefully wore clothes that were a size too small to showcase his rippling muscles, I now felt I had a better understanding of why his clothes always seemed to be on the smaller size. Namely I blame Madame Voyou, his partner in all things short of being married for whatever reason. It was clear that they had a special relationship that went beyond that of typical coworkers and they clearly had chemistry, an undeniable bond.  That was why I could almost hear the mocking undertones of provocation coming from Madame Voyou when she called out the two ROW officers, with her simple statement.

“I wish you would try.” The try was almost silent, only if I went back and relistened to the speech in my mind could I hear the try, almost spoken at a whisper. But that whisper was there, and it seemed to reach its intended audience. Being a musician who was used to engaging audiences all over the place, Madame Voyou clearly knew what she was doing and how to provoke an intended response from her audience. That was why it should have come to one one’s surprise when the large looming shadow that seemed to fill the entire doorway responded.

Not in the conventional ways that one might expect a shadow to act either, for this shadow seemed to grow and move with size and fluidity that denoted a natural grace of movement. What had begun as a simple arm reaching up to fully open the door and allow for a larger frame to enter, suddenly shifted as the left arm went to open the door, while the right hand seemed to jab out at the doorframe. Not the inside of the doorframe either, but the outside, the side that effectively sealed the door’s frame to the wall. With one ominously glowing hand, I saw the moment the shadow of a glowing knife hand lunged out and struck at the wall. The impact being enough to shake the room and cause a layer or large cinderblocks to crumble and break apart easily, as parts of the wall began to buckle and bend from the sheer impacting force.

“What the?” The two ROW officers responded in unison as they first heard the brick wall behind them crumble. A wall that had been used as part of their interrogation process against me twice today. A moment later, they felt the shift, as the buckling continued, while even the metal door began to buckle and bend at the sudden force that was being applied to it. It took me a moment to understand what was happening. For it wasn’t until the giant massive glowing paw of a hand belonging to a monster knifed its way through the protective framing for the door that I could begin to see what was happening.

For that massive paw of a hand tore through, grabbed the metal frame and for lack of a better word, bent it, with one empowered movement the monstrous scene unfolding behind the two ROW officers began to show clearly in their suddenly startled expressions, as both ROW officers fled from the scene and all but dashed into the large interrogation table. A table that the two officers had been using as a weapon to pin me in place, now served as a dividing line, a demarcation point that caused the two to have to pause their retreat as they looked back in horror at the monster that was now physically tearing the door off its hinges.

Then with a massive heave, the doorframe was forcefully removed. Strands of rebar stuck out from the frame, almost resembling wild strings of gnarled hair one might find attached to an abused child’s doll.  One second the door frame just hung there, as if it somehow deserved to be floating in the hallway. Then the next, it was thrown aside, revealing one now double-sized hole in the wall and an intensely panting and clearly angered Mr. Karl.

Who again, is the epitome of an emotional support bear, that is, if emotional support bears were also apex predators that purposefully chose pacifism over their normal violent tendencies.

Mr. Karl’s rage filled eyes swept the room, first scanning over the two scampering and cowering ROW officers, who found the limit of the table and began climbing over each other in the one corner where the table met the wall. Their actions of trying to hide by climbing over the other reminds me of the way rats would, if rats were trying to flee a burning building, sacrificing their own, in their haste to survive.

I could feel the intense gaze of Mr. Karl relax slightly as he next noticed me in the back, arms crossed but otherwise defiant. Then finally his eyes rested on Madame Voyou who seemed to have some saw over the big guy, as he took one look at her, and let all the fire that had been burning to a rage within him die down. In a second, the burning flames around his hands extinguished leaving faint trails of smoke in their wake, as he took in a visible breath that seemed to both calm him down, while somehow also causing his massive frame to shrink slightly. Only after watching the slow transformation did I realize he used a type of growth skill that caused his already large frame to become even larger.

There was a moment of silence as Mr. Karl clearly tried to compose himself, while everyone stared in silence at him. The two ROW officers stared on with wide-eyed and slack jawed stares, while I couldn’t help it as I let a smirk break out on my lips at his display. As for Madame Voyou, I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell by her body posture that she was not angry at the action. In fact, if anything she seemed calmer because of the fierce level of protection being displayed, as she should. Finally, I decided to be the one to break the tension with a comment.

“You do know how to enter doorways, I’ve seen you do it,” I call out, a faint tone of mirth sinking into my words. At my comment, I can see a faint blush cross Mr. Karl’s face for a moment before he looks down at the door and just sort of shrugs in a ‘what can you do’ gesture.

“It’s okay, I have it written into my contract that I am allowed three ripped doors a semester. This is my first one so far,” Mr. Karl responds and I almos think he is joking, but something about his comments cause me to pause as I almost feel like he isn’t lying. Something about the resonance of his voice lets me know that this is either a bit he uses a lot, or he truly means what he is saying.

“Yes, but you do know the janitors hate having to clean up the rubble when you are done,” Madame Voyou replies, the way only a loved one can. Her voice calm and casual, the way one might chastise their partner for eating a few too many calories while on a diet. Nothing serious, just a light admonishment. For a moment, I stare at the two. That’s when the two ROW officers speak up, letting us all remember that they are here.

“Karl? Christoph Karl?” The Chief asked, staring at the large dean of discipline and apparently making connections that might not be readily apparent.

Mr. Karl for his part turned and looked at the chief but clearly drew a blank on the face of the person he was now looking at, causing him to reply like he would to any stranger, “that’s me.”

At his dismissive comment, the Chief seemed to pause as it was clear he was expecting some type of recognition. But ultimately decided to get to the heart of the matter.

“Can, I ask why you came?” The Chief asked.

Hearing his words, Mr. Karl gave one last glance at Madame Voyou, as if trying to see if she had somehow hidden an injury from him that he might have missed the first few times he scanned her. Then with his mind certain that she was in fact safe, he switched his attention away from Madame Voyou and focused his full intensity on the Chief.

“I thought I heard something stupid happening in here.”

“Stupid?”

“Yeah, I thought I heard someone threatening my,” at this he paused for a moment as if searching for the word, then finally stated, “Lebensgefährtin.”

“Lebens…” the Chief began but was quickly cut off by a glare. A glare that stated this conversation was now over.

***

(Luna Paraisthisi)

It would be a while before Luna could get used to just how smooth and quickly the Bloom carriage seemed to move. Despite having mostly modern roads with most people using some form of combustion engine, the Blooms seemed to be purposefully stuck in the past, using horse and carriages like they were a status symbol.

Yet, despite the seeming antiquity of the state of travel, Luna could not help but find herself staring out and enjoying the ride.

Outside the carriage, she saw the city that had seemingly loomed over her like an oppressive cloak until now, one she used to hide her very existence now pushed back to reveal it for what it was. A place where people moved about and freely bought and sold goods. A place where people walked along the same cobblestone roads that the carriage and lighter vehicles used for travel.

In Luna’s mind she was finally free. For the first time in however long she could remember, she was free. Yes, her system now listed her as bound to a Self-Created Teams Doctrine contract. The very contract that everyone knew was a poison pill to swallow, as almost no one could achieve the qualifications needed to sign up as a team healer in such a condition. Those that could, were already scouted and identified long ago by people like Madame Bloom. Which was why Madame Bloom’s signing was the only signature needed to make it so that Luna and Lucia’s contracts were both automatically approved.

A fact that Luna still couldn’t believe happened. Yet her status kept telling her that this was real.

Name: Luna Paraisthisi

Age: 18

Class: NA

Status: Academy Enlistee under the Self-Created Teams Doctrine Signatory

Self-Requirements: Have a fully qualified healer sign up as a member of your team (contract fully activated).

Items-Owed: Empire citizenship- granted, Military Training – missing, Military rank – pending qualifications, Class Resources – missing.

To put it simply, Luna and Lucia both could rest easy knowing that the Empire needed to throw the full weight of its resources at the two of them, without either having to lift a finger. Just thinking about this sudden change, from being close to homeless by having the only father figure they both knew outed as a conspirator, to possibly being forced to help family that they never remembered meeting. To now having a real shot at life, a fresh start with any career path that they wanted waiting at their feet, well it felt too good to be true. Which of course meant that there was a catch somewhere in this whole process.

“Cough, cough,” Madame Bloom coughed, the dry hissing sound of lungs long since running dry. It was the dry raspy cough that Luna’s grandmother had, the one that the doctors said she had only a matter of months left to live. Which given how long her grandmother had in fact lived, showed her perseverance and her tenacity for life. Hearing the same sounds coming from Madame Bloom, Luna couldn’t help but ask one question that would explain why such a great deal was being offered.

“How much longer do you have to live?” Luna asked her words blunter than she intended, but this was important for her and Lucia to know as they were both in her care at the moment.

“Is it that obvious?” Madame Bloom asked.

“It is, when you know what to look for,” Lucia cut in, apparently hearing the same thing that Luna had.

Hearing the reply, Madame Bloom seemed to think it over for a moment before nodding her head as if coming to some big conclusion. With that she opened her mouth and said the words that Luna had expected.

“Not long, which is why—”