Chapter 5

“Hey. Hey. What does that mean?”

Tiff shimmied up to Victoria, who was leaning casually against the counter, and tugged on her shirt. Tiff could very easily go with the flow of most situations, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like to be informed if she was being volunteered for something.

“It’s for my work,” Victoria explained simply, and while it mostly satisfied Tiff’s worries, she was still skeptical. It was entirely possible Victoria was lugging Tiff around with her for some chores on a whim, but Victoria was a planner, and most things she did had a purpose.

“Very well!” The receptionist gave them a brilliant smile and Tiff blinked. The woman was a receptionist, but was she an actual [Receptionist]? Classes came in all shapes and sizes, and while there were hundreds of common ones, there were also variants and unique sub-classes that made the total number and possibilities for any particular class practically infinite. It was entirely reasonable that there was a [Receptionist] class (Tiff knew one of her mom’s friends was a [Secretary]), and Tiff assumed that it would have skills or something to help with charisma. Tiff snorted at the thought of Skill: Winning Smile and what that might actually do.

“Member Tori VanDyne, in order to issue a new commission or contract, please present your Guild ID.”

The receptionist sounded strangely formal to Tiff, but her sister wasn’t bothered by it and produced a wallet from her back pocket without hesitation. She handed over a card and the woman behind the desk started typing away furiously. Yet another skill? Tiff mused, watching her hands fly at far greater than 60 words per minute.

“Will this be System Integrated?”

“At this time, no.”

“What capacity will this contract entail?”

“Bodyguard services.”

“Expected duration?”

“One week.”

“Will you be open to taking on concurrent clients?”

“No.”

“Will there be any need for additional clauses, restrictions, or requests not accounted for on the base form?”

“No.”

“Thank you very much.”

A few more keystrokes and the receptionist took a deep breath.

“Member Tori VanDyne,” the receptionist smiled while reading from her screen, “Is hereby entering into a non-binding, independent venture as a [Bodyguard]. For Guild and Associated purposes, this contract will be considered private and conclusive, starting at but not limited to one week in duration, wherein re-negotiation may begin. No other cases will be recommended to or required of Member Tori until this contract is completed. As pursuant to all definitions laid down in Guild bylaws, section 17, article C, preliminary conditions, expectations, and preparations are considered ‘normal’ and ‘mundane’.”

Victoria smirked.

“I understand and consent.”

​

Tiff narrowed her eyes. She typed all of that in less than 30 seconds? She has to be some sort of [Receptionist].

She was about to open her mouth and ask what was going on when the lady continued.

“Will you need a private meeting room to meet or discuss with your client?”

“No.”

“Very well. Do you have a request or authorization from your client?”

“Tiff?”

Tiff looked up, slightly startled to hear her name. She blinked twice at her sister before her eyes narrowed. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on. For reasons that she couldn’t begin to comprehend, her sister wanted to abuse her position as a [Bodyguard] to…what? Tiff realized she didn’t actually know what a [Bodyguard] did! The obvious-sounding name meant she could make some pretty obvious guesses, but that could also be Hollywood movies talking. She didn’t want her big sister jumping in front of random bullets!

…she didn’t want any bullets, for that matter, anywhere near either of them.

“Trust me on this,” Victoria pleaded in a low voice. “I can explain when we get back in the car.”

Tiff swallowed her complaint and nodded. She would play along for now.

“Yes?” she asked more than declared. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. Apparently, that was enough.

“Understood. And what will you be listing for payment? Should I assume you will not be using the standard accompaniment fee and will be taking this case pro bono?”

Tiff grimaced. She didn’t know the literal definition of that term, but she knew it meant lawyers sometimes worked for free, so she assumed it meant the same thing here. Essentially, she was being treated as a charity case. For some reason, that really irked her.

“Yes,” Victoria confirmed. She must have noticed Tiff’s rising ire as she looked down to explain. “We have to mark something, Tiff. The guild requires all work to be done at fair, reasonable compensation. So it’s either that or free, there’s no middle ground.”

“That rule has been in effect since the very beginning,” the lady chimed in. “It’s there to protect our members in case of fraud or default.”

Tiff really didn’t like thinking of herself as “charity,” but it wasn’t like she had anything to pay her sister with. She wasn’t up to date on market rates for [Bodyguards] or Mercenaries in general. Yet another thing she needed to talk to Victoria about. She didn’t think she could handle many more of those.

Fortunately for Tiff, they were done. The receptionist thumped a huge stamp down onto some printouts and handed them over the counter.

“Great! We’re all done here. I’ll update your records to reflect your new assignment, and you won’t receive any referrals for the next week. Please visit the guild for any updates or revisions.”

The moment the papers were in Victoria’s hands, she froze like a deer caught in headlights. The receptionist reeled back as if surprised, so Tiff instantly knew this wasn’t normal, and she really wanted to get out of there so she could start asking questions. But no matter how much she tugged on her sister’s clothes, Victoria didn’t budge. Victoria simply stood rooted to the spot, her eyes unfocused as she stared into nowhere.

​

“Oh,” Victoria eventually said after a moment. She seemed to come to a realization, and with it came a grim determination. “It seems my worries were on the mark. I completed a Quest and I gained a level.”

Both Tiff and the receptionist blinked in confusion, but the receptionist recovered first.

“Congratulations!” she said demurely, but Tiff could see the genuine excitement and joy in her eyes. She was clearly excited for her colleague, but maybe she didn’t want to draw attention to it in the middle of a busy workspace. Or maybe there were unspoken rules or etiquette for people who leveled? Tiff didn’t know. She was still brand new to this, having been Awakened for barely more than a day. Several awkward seconds passed as the receptionist seemed to wait for Victoria to offer more information, which she was too distracted to do, all the while Tiff fidgeted like the third wheel on a date. Eventually, Tiff tugged on Victoria again and found her more movable, so they muttered a distracted “thank you” and led Victoria back to the car.

​

Once safely inside the admittedly less-than-private confines of the car, Tiff exploded.

“What was that?” she demanded. “What do you mean by making yourself my bodyguard? That’s not what you said we were going to do today! And did you really have to lock yourself into a contract? Without taking any other clients or getting paid? That’s what it sounded like! I don’t have much money saved up, but I can pay for some of it! What were you thinking?”

Victoria smiled softly and let Tiff wear herself out. Once she stopped huffing and started actually panting, Victoria held up a hand.

“Take a breath, Tiff, seriously.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

She waited and, thankfully, her sister obeyed.

“Good. Now…number one. Of course it’s not what I said we were going to do, because I didn’t say we were going to do anything. I just asked if you wanted to come with me to the guild and get out of the house. Yes, I planned on doing it anyway, but if I told you, would you have said yes?”

Tiff’s silence was answer enough.

“As far as money goes, don’t worry about it. No, you can’t pay, and you couldn’t afford it anyway. Not to brag, but I’m a pretty big deal.”

Victoria puffed out her chest and Tiff rolled her eyes.

“But seriously, Tiff, look at me.”

Her little sister did so, only to see the grim determination on Victoria’s face. “I’m worried about you. I really hope you don’t need it, but if I need to step in to protect you, it’s so much better, not to mention easier and less of a hassle legally, if I’m doing it not as your big sister, but a licensed [Bodyguard].”

Tiff was clearly unnerved.

“Why do I need a bodyguard?”

“Because of the real reason we’re going out today: we’re going to go get you Assessed.”

Tiff perked up…and then frowned.

“That’s not dangerous at all…we could go to the DMA and the most dangerous thing there is the hard plastic seats and the long lines where we might die of boredom or old age.”