Opportunities by Caedes
Chapter 1
“Kagome!” Her boss called from the other room, she stood up from her desk and walked into his office. His salt and pepper hair was a bit disheveled from him running his hands through it so many times, and he had loosened his business tie.
“Can you be a dear and cancel all my appointments for the afternoon?”
She cocked her eyebrow and leaned against the door frame, “Cancel a meeting with the head of the WCYA (West Coast Yokai of America)? I don’t think so.”
He smiled, “My last assistant did what he was told.”
“Your last assistant let you get away with murder. How you got anything done—
“Yes, yes, I know. Will you at least go send some intern to get coffee for me?”
“It would be an honor,” She joked, rolling her eyes before leaning out of the door frame, “Josh?”
“Yeah?”
“Two medium—
“Large” Samuel interrupted,
“Two large coffees please,” Kagome finished.
“Cream and sugar?”
“In mine.”
“It tastes much better than it used to. That sludge they used to call coffee can’t even compete with todays.” Samuel said with a sigh.
“Your meeting with Luther should be pretty simple,” Kagome told him, getting him back on task with his meeting with the WCYA.
“I know, we just don’t get along,”
“Why?”
“He is a California hippie. I remember when the pup was still wet behind the ears.” Samuel said, standing up from his desk.
“Just because you remember him being little doesn’t mean he isn’t a responsible adult,” She reminded him as she fixed his tie, then grabbed his blazer and helped him put it on.
“He is a damned hippie. If he calls me dude—
Kagome couldn’t help but giggle, “Samuel, don’t make a problem before it is one.”
“You could run this meeting, Kagome.” He offered
“Don’t be ridiculous, just because you want out of this meeting—
“No, I am being serious. You have been working here for six months. It is time you do this yourself.”
“Are you sure you want to do that? Luther is going to like me more than you.”
He laughed, “I like your confidence.”
“I don’t mind running the meaning, Samuel. If it is what you want?”
“Yes. It is. And that coffee.”
“You are incorrigible.”
He laughed deeply again, “Don’t you forget it!”
“And I trust you will run the meeting with the European Yokai?”
“I have a meeting with them?”
“Samuel, how many times do I have to remind you that you also hold the elected seat to represent all American Yokai. So yes. You do have meetings.”
“How much longer do I have that role again?”
“Four years. You got it two weeks ago and you already hate it?”
“No.” He had been rubbing the bridge of his nose and stopped to say his answer strongly and passionately- and much more seriously. Kagome smiled softly at him. If it is one thing she couldn't accuse him of, it was not caring about American yokai. Sure, he didn't like meetings, he liked to complain about ties, and he was as organized as a tornado- but he cared about his people.
“Samuel, it is time to pass the torch.”
“I like my job in the ECYA.”
“And you like your job as Representative of American Yokai.” She replied,
“I know.” He grumbled, “My last assistant lied to me to make me feel better.”
“You are full of yourself.” Kagome accused with a smile, and he laughed before dismissing her.
***
Kagome was grateful that she got a coffee, but it didn’t help her nerves as she stood in front of a boardroom full of men from the West Coast. Samuel wasn’t completely wrong in his accusation. They were a bunch of hippies. Most of them had braids, dreads or long hair. Most were dolphin yokai, with some shark. They unnerved her sometimes, but the two there today had always been friendly if she kept her distance.
“Good afternoon gentlemen,” She said, calling their attention.
“How are you, Kagome?”
“Doing well, Luther.” Luther was a dolphin yokai with beads through out his hair. He looked like he just came off the beach that morning and threw on the first suit he found.
The meeting was just a bunch of politics. Making sure different yokai were staking their claims in ways that humans could understand. Humans still did not truly understand the more brutal aspects of yokai, so it was still a touchy subject. And while the United States was still a good example of mixing of the two creatures, it had a good while to go.
Kagome insisted the WCYA needed some type of land yokai in their council. There was still a great many powerful ones that deserved to be heard on the west coast. Luther tried to assuage her, but reluctantly agreed after an hour of discussions.
In the end, Kagome was grateful for her more passive role in the next meeting with the European Yokai. Though Samuel always made sure she had her time to shine every once and awhile.
He liked to show off that he had a miko working for him.
It had been extremely controversial when he brought her on. While relations between Humans and Yokai were better than ever, relations between Yokai and priests, mikos and other holy people were still tense. But Kagome was an enigma, and she gladly started to forge a relationship between the two.
***
When Kagome got home, she gratefully took off her shoes with a sigh. The tiny heals were killing her, but they gave her a little boost of height she so desperately needed to at least contest with most of the men.
“Jenn? I am home!” She called out, dropping her keys into the bowl by the front door.
“I made dinner!” Jenn said, poking her head out around the corner. Jenn had red hair that came down to her shoulders with brilliant blue eyes. The two had met by happy coincidence, and became close friends quickly upon Kagome’s move to DC. Without Jenn, she would have never gotten rid of her accent as quickly as she did, or become so accustomed to American ways. Jenn worked at a women’s shelter around the block and spent most of her time helping others. Their apartment was a bit out of Jenn’s price range, but Kagome was more than happy to pay it.
Well, Jenn wouldn’t let her pay for all of it—though Kagome could afford to—so they made a deal that Jenn would pay what she could afford. And make it up by doing things that Kagome simply didn’t have time for. Making dinner was one of them. Kagome often joked that Jenn and her were a couple.
Jenn also claimed inuyokai blood, on her mother’s side. She wouldn’t age as quickly as others, but was otherwise completely human, though Kagome often teased her that she played like a puppy.
“It smells divine.” Kagome said, breathing in deeply, “How was work?”
“Another girl came in today—a little spit fire. You would like her,” Jenn said, she couldn’t be too descriptive, though Kagome did have training so that she could volunteer with Jenn on the weekends, “How was work for you?”
“Good, Samuel let me run a meeting!”
“How did it go?”
“It went really well, Luther agreed to add a land yokai to his council, which is great for the west coast,”
“Hm, that’s the delicious dolphin yokai?”
Kagome chuckled, “Yes,” As she got out things to set the table.
After the two had a delicious dinner and laughed until their stomachs hurt, they went to bed in preparation of a big day. When Kagome lay down in her bed, she felt a bit restless. After an hour of reckless sleep, she slipped out of her bed and went over to Jenn’s room.
“Jenn?” She called out.
“Hm?” She asked, rolling and sliding over so Kagome could slip in, “What’s up?”
“I think something is about to happen,”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I just—I just have this feeling.”
“What does your gut say?” Jenn asked. Jenn always asked those types of questions. She trusted her instinct, just as she trusted Kagome’s. She always forced Kagome to think through her feelings.
“I’m not sure—the last time I felt this way—the last time I felt this way,” The words caught in her throat. She couldn’t get out ‘I fell down a well into the past’. The story was too painful.
Strong fingers intertwined with her own, “When you are ready, Kagome, you know I am here for you,”
“I know Jenn,” She whispered, kissing her hands, and then smiled, “Do you think we knew each other in a past life?”
Jenn laughed, “I know we did,”
***
I wanted to get the first chapter out with the prologue just to start expanding the story and start setting it up! I am excitedly writing the next chapter, and I do hope to get it out by the end of the week. Just to keep you enticed.