The Vespidian
Arc 8
Chapter 9
We had arrived at the Music department and I could hardly contain my excitement. Ichigo was somewhere around here. Still, I never knew that she could sing. I should know these things, after all, I am her biggest fan. Her blog page never mentioned it. Maybe she was just saving it for a big reveal when she did this project? It could have been in her contract to keep it hush hush. I can’t imagine her not being popular. Come to think of it, Sunshine is here as well. Hmm, I should probably go check up on her, make sure she isn’t getting into trouble.
This place was, well, noisy. Outwardly to normal people not so much, but due to my enhanced senses, I could hear the varied music and singing voices through the sound dampened walls. Truly an incoherent orchestra of discord. Every sort of style from rap, to country, pop, and somewhere there was even what sounded like a metal band. Never really been a metal fan due to the screaming and loud noises. At first, it was merely annoying, but that was quickly changing as a queasy feeling rose in my stomach. Uh oh, I am starting to regret eating all of that food.
This was not really the sort of thing that I could just filter out normally. The suit, though, it could and I had to change a few settings. The newer suit was a bit buggier than my old one. The menu was annoying to scroll through with my eyes, especially since I did not know my way around. I am somewhat tech savvy and did find the correct menu. Now that I knew where to go it was easily found. I turned down the sensitivity, deafening peripheral sounds beyond fifty feet or so. That seemed to do the trick. My antennae were no long throbbing and had calmed down a bit. I have enough voices in my head already, so I don’t need a choir screaming at me while I am here.
I looked over at Caroline, who was patiently waiting since I had stopped and proceeded to tap at my helmet like some sort of primitive. Seeing my new movement, she asked, “Finished? Did you get a call or something?”
“Adjusting my suit’s hearing. I was getting a headache from all of the sounds.”
She looked around, “I am surprised you can hear anything. The recording booths are soundproofed.”
“The suit has some pretty good hearing. These antennae are not just for show, you know.”
Her face scrunched a little, “I have been meaning to ask, why the bug motif?”
“What you don’t like pretty butterflies?” I asked, spreading my wings a little. I mean, I like my wings. Chief did an amazing job on these things.
She shook her head, “I mostly just don’t like insects in general… wasps especially.”
I can assume that was a jab at me. Mom, I get it, alright? Well, at the least she didn’t say, I hate a certain wasp creature that is acting like it is my daughter. I might have a carapacy exterior now, but it is still me on the inside… well mostly anyway. Not like I can tell the difference at this point. So what if I don’t remember every tiny, tiny thing? Like eh, when your birthday was… or even mine for that matter. Hmm, now I am getting all self-conscious about this.
“Well, enough about your wasp problem, let’s go see Ichigo.”
Her face looked fairly grumpy, “I didn’t say I had a wasp problem. If I see one I tend to take care of it, even if I have to throw something at it.”
My eye twitched, “you don’t say.”
“I doubt you have bug problems with that nice suit and everything.”
“You would be surprised. Besides, mutants are way worse than household critters, I can tell you that. Suit only does so much against them.”
“I am sure they are. I don’t even want to know what sorts of horrifying things you found down in the sewers.”
“What, like the giant roaches?” I asked.
She shook a little, “I said, I don’t want to know. So don’t tell me.”
I could have continued this to freak her out, but Ichigo sounded like more fun. “I want to meet Ichigo. I wanna shake her hand and get her autograph and hug her and pet her. Can I feed her treats? Does she like cookies?! I mean I don’t have any on me, but I can get some.”
“She is not some sort of pet, so don’t go touching her without permission and especially don’t look down on her. Treat her with respect, she is your elder here.”
“But Sunshine lets me touch her.”
Caroline just shook her head, “I don’t know how you people do it in the Hero League, but out here people have personal space. Especially, Ichigo, she hates people touching her. She is a little weird. She wears gloves to avoid direct skin to skin contact when she has to shake people’s hands.”
All my fingers wiggled, “Oh, no need to worry about that. See, I am wearing a suit.”
Even if I wasn’t wearing the suit, it wouldn’t be skin to skin… a carapace doesn’t count, right? I mean it is basically my bones, so it would be bone to skin? She must be a clean freak though not to touch people directly.
Yes, give her the old boning.
‘Shush Sub.’
You know you want to pet her, feel her. Drink in her delectable scent and taste her in every way.
‘Sub that is for later. We have to take it slow, or else she will catch on to our intentions. From what I am hearing she is easy to spook.’
But I wanna munch her carpet.
‘Sub come on now you are getting ahead of ourselves here. We haven’t even stolen her used towel yet.’
Why stop at the towel?
‘Who said we were stopping there?’
Oooh go on, go on. Tell me more.
‘Well, obviously, we need to swipe a pair of her panties. It is going to be so fun to diddle while rubbing those all over our antennae and smelling her. It will be like she is there!’
I approve. You have my blessing, now go my child, make me proud!
Hmm, this is the first thing in a while that me and Sub have agreed upon. No surprise there, our girl crush on Ichigo is burning like a phoenix at the center of a thousand suns! Where are you, my love?! Have my babies or I will have yours, either way, I am not picky. I want to wallow in your presence and bask in your essence. Reign it in, reign it in Vesper, you are getting out of hand. I took a deep breath and let it out. Ah, much better. Seriously, what are you going to do if you scare her off by being a weirdo? Where will the snoo snoo be? Be normal damn it, be normal!
“Still,” said Mom, “don’t touch her.”
“But, but I wanna hug her. Is that ok, for the love of god is that ok? Tell me! I need to know.”
“Don’t ask me, ask her,” she said staying out of arms reach from me.
“Ok,” I said, best behavior mode activated.
First impressions are key. She can’t think I am a freak or my life will be over. Oh Helix above, oh Heavenly Father, and the Great Tentacle Beast of Gigak 9, please, grant me your powers! Please let me not fuck this up.
We arrived at the studio that she was in. It was not actually all that far from where I had been messing with the helmet. Only about three doors down. The light was off meaning that they were not currently in session. Mom opened the door and closed it behind me. We were in a booth like section that was separated from the rest of the room by thick glass. There were a lot of recording equipment in here. At the far side of the room was a man who looked pretty professional what with his slicked hair and gleaming glasses. He had a nice suit too.
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“Caroline, come for a visit?”
“Yeah, figured I should introduce Mecha Fairy and Ichigo.”
“Unfortunately, she is not here at the moment.”
“Where is she?” asked Mom.
“Something urgent came up, so she went home early.”
“Oh… well, I hope it is nothing too serious,” I said more disappointed than anything else really.
I hope she is ok. I wonder what happened? Did somebody break into her house and steal her stuff? Oh no, what if she has been kidnapped!
“How long ago did she leave?” I asked.
“About ten minutes ago.”
So if stupid Camille had not held me up I could have met her! If I remember correctly her apartment is about a half hour from here so there is no way she could be home yet. Then she probably has not been kidnapped then. Oh no, what if it was her cat that had a problem? No, that thing was cute, it was a big white fluffy critter. Wait a minute if it was only ten minutes, then her scent should still be here.
I wiggled my antennae smelling, drinking in the aromas around. Hmm, well, there were a few different scents. One was Caroline, another me, then there was that glasses guy, and finally there was a last that I could not name, but by process of elimination, it could only be Ichigo. Oooh, it is strong too. Almost like she were still nearby. So this is what she smells like, oddly enough, she lives up to her name and there was a hint of strawberries. Must be her body wash or perfume. She smells so soft and delicate and tantalizing. Uh oh, popping a stiffy just imaging what things we would do together. I wonder if she tastes like strawberries? I don’t think I have ever been so turned on by the thought of strawberries before.
Ichigo, no, my long awaited fateful encounter has been postponed! Wait is this an event flag?! Ichigo at home. I can see her in her natural habitat. I wonder if she is still all soft and snuggly even in normal clothes. Does she still look like a magical elf creature? We can have a pajama party and I can roll around on her bed soaking up her aroma. It will look weird if I just show up at her house without a reason… hmm, oh this guy gave me an in. I can just go to make sure she is ok with whatever the problem is. Is this a get well soon type of thing? Should I bring flowers, chocolates, and a teddy bear? Does she even like bears? Dammit, what was her favorite animal? It was dolphins, wasn’t it? No, it was turtles, sea turtles. Why turtles though? They are not that cute. Shouldn’t it be butterflies? I mean she is a fairy creature, so surely she should love her kin.
My head was spinning with all sorts of courtship ideas. I am really not good at this. Everything for me just revolves around food and sex with some video games sprinkled in there. It is not normal, I know that, which is why I am hesitant. How could I possibly express a love greater than the all-consuming void of a black hole? I mean Astrea was something special, but Ichigo was like the sun in the sky deserving my worship. She was the shining light in an otherwise bleak and dead world when I was living in my parent’s basement.
I will find you Ichigo and I will snuggle you!
You could break into her house and spoon her while she sleeps?
‘Sub… that was almost a good idea, but somehow I don’t think she would appreciate that and I will get charged with rape.’
Well, I certainly would like that sort of treatment. Maybe we should write a love letter?
‘Great Idea! Where to even begin though?’
Well, clearly it has to be written in our own blood to convey how serious we are.
‘Sub our blood is yellow and smells bad.’
True enough… hmm, I am not good at this. You are the romantic, I am just a rutting beast in the sack.
‘I got it, we will leave her anonymous presents with letters pasted together from magazine clippings.’
… I am pretty sure that is what serial killers do. Something tells me she will call the police if something like that showed up. Besides, even if it did work, she won’t know it is us so the effort will be wasted.
‘This is a magical fairy creature we are talking about. I can’t just say, I will suck yo dick, les go.’
Well, obviously, you gotta be all like I wanna go oyster diving in your south sea or like I wanna get lost in your secluded grove.
‘What the fuck kinda pick up line is that? You might as well say I am going to egg you bitch, bite the pillow I am going in dry.’
You would take me home with that one, just saying.
‘But you are a thirsty bitch Sub.’
I want some action damn it. Seriously, I am desperate here. This dry spell is really starting to piss me off. I still say that Neon Nurse should be on the table. Remember when she was bragging about that robo puss? What was it, up to 1000 rpms? Gotta say, I am intrigued.
‘Sub that sounds terrifying. I don’t know about you, but I would rather not stick our ovi in a meat grinder.’
I was just throwing it out there. We have outlets for this, you just have to use them.
‘It is weird though, Neon Nurse might as well be my adoptive Mom for fuck’s sake.’
Oh for fuck’s sake, stop personifying our problems onto other people. Just cause mom hates our guts doesn’t mean you gotta adopt a new one. You are just trying to make things weird. Unless… wait a minute. I knew it! You are into incest. Then why are we not banging daddy?
'I am not! Why do you even have to go there? Just no. Stop it Sub.'
Hey, you started it! If anyone is our adoptive Mom it is Dr. Arbor. That bitch made us out of goop.
‘She is more like the crazy aunt that shows up uninvited and unannounced, bearing strange gifts to lul us into a false sense of security so she can molest us in the backroom while no one is looking.’
That is oddly specific. Don’t tell me you are hiding a childhood trauma from me?! Give me the dirt you filthy whore!
‘She has done that though!’
You are being overly dramatic about this. Dr. Arbor has saved our asses how many times? So if she says “Good news it is a suppository!” then that is a small price to pay for being alive. We would be dead right now if it wasn’t for her. Besides, we both know you are a low-key maso anyway and actually like it. You know, I always thought it was weird how I am the S and you are the M.
‘Not always. Maybe I just feel like you need to pamper me.’
Our conversation was interrupted by Caroline, “Are you ready?”
“Ye-yeah.”
We could have gone on for a while longer, but Caroline was already waiting at the door. It was best not to poke the tiger. No Ichigo here anyway, so no point in sticking around. I followed her along the smooth hallway, passed the ever gawking trainees… or eh, what are they called? Talents, I think. The uniforms of the music department were red, but they had the same design as the rest. All the boys wore jogging suits and the girls had skirts and blouses with long socks. I bet those would suit Ichigo.
We arrived at a studio about twenty or so doors down along the rows. The light was currently on. So the occupants were recording at the moment. She opened the door and I slid in as quietly as possible. The layout was identical to the other with a room on the other side of the glass. We were in the control room due to all the switches and little things that could be slid around to adjust the music or sounds. Among them were several computer screens displaying little pulsating bars that went up and down. I think this thing is measuring the frequencies of the singer’s voice.
I looked through the glass to find, well not Sunshine. I had been expecting to be taken to her next and yet, sadly that was not the case. Instead, there was this girl I had never seen before. She had that stereotypical drill hair that those rich girls had… I thought that was only an anime thing. So it is real? A real-life Ojousama. Is she a stuck up bitch too? I always thought it was just a myth, like big foot or a noncorrupt politician.
She was clearly in the music department due to her uniform. She had brown hair and green eyes. This girl could sing. Like seriously, it is beautiful. The sort of thing that made tingles run down spines like spiders and hair stand on end. If only I had such a thing, then I could make a living off of it. This was a voice suited for singing in a choir or a national anthem, however, that was not what she was singing. She was singing a pop song… it was Barbi Girl. I feel bad for her, nobody is ever going to take her seriously if she sings that type of stuff and that is coming from somebody who likes that sort of stuff.
The song came to a close and she came out of the room, she smiled “Mrs. Vasska, I didn’t think I would see you so soon.”
“Good to see you too Isabella. Is everything going alright?”
“Yes, everyone is treating me well. But what brings you here? I thought you had a new-”
She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked up at me. Clearly, she was intimidated by my mere presence. Honestly surprised it took her this long to notice I was here, usually I am the first thing people notice.
“This is Mecha Fairy,” she said, motioning to me.
“Nice to meet you… Isabella,” I said, extending my hand.
She hesitated for a few moments before gingerly taking my paw for a moment and shaking it. So girly. Well, she is an Ojousama so that should be expected.
She said with a bit of a condescending tone to her voice, “You are big.”
“Why yes, yes I am. How observant of you,” I replied squinting at her. I knew it, total cunt. I turned to mom, “So how do you two know each other?”
“She is my former Talent. You could learn a few things from her.”
“Like what?”
“Good question. Why should I teach this plebeian anything?” replied Isabella scowling at me.
I frowned, “What the fuck is your problem? Bitch.”
“Hey, none of that now. Isabella, I know you are harsh to new people, but I would really appreciate it if you didn’t piss off somebody who could kill us rather easily,” said Caroline.
What are you, my mom? Oh, wait. “Hey, that is not nice. I don’t kill people.”
She looked me dead in the faceplate, “Mecha Fairy I looked you up. You are violent and have killed before.”
Isabella seemed to finally realize the potential danger that I represented and seemed a lot less antagonistic, “She has killed people?”
I replied, crossing my arms, “That was self-defense. The guy shot Sunshine, which caused her to drop five cars off of a bridge. He deserved to die.”
Caroline glowered, chewing on her lip a little. I remember this habit, she did this when she knew that she was wrong, but didn’t want to admit it. Though technically she isn’t wrong, I did kill that guy and I am a violent person. However, she is mistaken that I kill just anybody. I mean they gotta be some real pieces of shit that don’t even deserve to live and even then only if they hurt me or somebody else.
It took her a few moments but she said, “That might be, but accidents do happen. Be sure not to hurt anyone.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I know. You act like I have no self-control.”
She glanced at her watch. I know that watch… I, I gave that to her. Well, not the current me, the me from before I went to college. It was a birthday present and I spent like an hour picking through the different ones at the store. I ended up on silver since gold was way out of my price range and the rest just seemed kinda cheap. I am surprised that she still even has that thing.
“We should get going. There is a vocals class that will be starting soon.”
I nodded, “Ok.”
“See you around, Mrs. Vasska,” said Isabella, though she didn’t even look at me. Must be mad. Well, fuck her, she don’t matter. Thus our adventure continued!