Jake Barry
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Chapter 48
🕑 Added 2023-08-09 08:37:26 +0000 UTC"These designs are amazing, Miss Orina! I have no doubt they will be a hit." Sonia beams.
"Miss Orina, will they be one-hundred percent cotton?" Terry asks me.
"Thank you, Sonia, and yes, Terry." I tell my interns as we walk through the office. "That age demographic is ideal at this time now that we have so many children in the city. There will be plenty more soon with all the couples getting married."
"Love is in the air!" Sonia laughs. "Ahh... It's wonderful! Great for business, but still wonderful."
"Will there be a similar line targeted at young girls next?" Terry asks me, a notepad and pen in hand.
"Yes, very soon, actually. I am pleased you brought it up since you two will be tasked with proposing designs to me. The ones I like best will officially become part of our brand. I might offer the winner a job at the company."
"No way!" Sonia gasps. "That's amazing!"
"Well, only if I like it enough. There is always a chance that both are unappealing." I shrug, teasing them a little. Truth be told, they are both such promising candidates that I will be taking them both. I made the decision this morning. But...a little friendly competition does not hurt!
"While I am very fond of you both, you work is what matters most. I know you two are capable of great things. All that is left is to prove me right." I smile at them, putting my hands on their shoulders. "I wonder which one of you will do that best?"
The look of determination in their eyes lets me know my work here is done. I send them off and promptly head to my office to collect my things. I have got somewhere to be, unrelated to work. I do quite enjoy being the CEO of a company. It means I can leave whenever I want, but I try not to make a habit of it. It would not help morale for everyone to see the boss leaving at noon every day.
Once I am ready, I head down the stairs and exit the building. I am about to call Jeannine on my phone when I suddenly feel a gentle rumbling in the ground. A telltale signs that she is about to enter her bedroom.
"Ah. Right on time." I say to no one, quickening up the pace as I head to the pickup spot.
By the time she finishes getting dressed, I am there, entering the cabin. I take my seat and power on its systems as my friend, the giantess, approaches. I am raised high into the sky, then around her head as she latches the accessory to her ear.
"Hey, Ori! I take it you are ready to go?" She asks, a finger stroking the glass of the cabin.
"Ready as ever!" I say, cheerfully. "To the mall?"
"To the mall!" She chuckles.
One thing I have come to appreciate about Jeannine's home is how close everything is to it. She can get to most places she frequents in ten minutes or less on foot. Even the mall is not that far away, if she takes the bus. Before I know it, we are already there.
"So this is the mall?" I ask, looking around curiously.
"Tis' indeed. Is it different to the ones in Magna Gratia?"
"Surpringly, it is not..." I continue looking around, even as I speak. "It is quite familiar."
"Hm. I wonder if one of our engineers had a Brob influence?"
"Possibly. The mall is structured the same, but I do not recognize a single brand. I suppose that is only natural when I own most of them." I blush, realizing how pompous that sounded. "Sorry. I did not mean to brag."
"Brag away." Jeannine encourages me. "Ori, you are a selfmade woman! You should wear the badge with pride."
"I have not done anything worthy of that. Come on, Jeannie." Despite my words, a childish smile begins to creep across my lips.
"Oh, really? Tell me, Ori..." She walks into a store and finds a full-body mirror I can see all of her in. She raises her arms and twists back and forth to show me. "I bet you didn't notice what I'm wearing today."
My eyes go wide when I realize what she means. I practically jump out of my seat from excitement. "What! How is that even possible?!"
"I had someone send me a catalog of your women's lines. I found one I really liked and, well, I had someone make me one just like it." She smiles, putting her hands on her hips and posing for me. "What do you think?"
"Gorgeous!" I clap for her. "You look so good! I cannot believe you are wearing-"
"You?" She giggles. "How could I not? This outfit is just my style. Everyone has been complimenting me on it. I only wish I could tell them who designed it."
"That is perfectly alright. I am content with this. Beyond content, Jeannie." I feel my eyes begin tearing up. I fan my face and try to compose myself. "Thank you so much."
"Anytime, Ori." She then leaves the story before anyone approaches the girl posing for and talking to no one. Oh dear, she must look so silly to them! "Enough about your current designs. Let's find you the inspiration you have been looking for."
Despite all the help I have been getting from Lou and my friends, I am interested in exposing myself to something entirely different. Something non-Lilli. That is why I asked Jeannine to take me to the mall. I hope to find something I can use as inspiration for next season's catalog.
Her and I walk through the mall, stopping whenever I see something I like or need to get a closer look at. As great as the cabin is, it lacks a telescope. Things that are a few meters away for her are many kilometers for me. It all becomes blurry past a certain point. Thankfully, she is exceedingly patient. She understands our kind in ways that I doubt any other Brob does.
We spend an hour, and then another, and then another looking at clothes. I take pictures as we go along, so that I do not have to keep her longer than I need to. Many of the designs I see are nice, and a lot of them truly 'grab' me. I notice that Brob fashion quite enjoys lower necklines and sleeveless tops. I never would have guessed, seeing what Jeannine wears most of the time. Their style is...flashy, I suppose? I cannot find the right word at this time. Our clothing is more plain, but with texture. Embroidery is all but nonexistent in these examples--something that nearly all of my clothing has in some shape or form.
"What do you think of this top?" I ask her, as we approach yet another display outside a store.
"It's cute? Not my style, but I could see someone else in it." She places a hand on the glass and steps closer, for my sake. "Do you like it?"
"I do..." I make a sound as I ponder. "But it is missing something. Though, I am not sure what it could be."
"Shall we narrow it down?" She suggests, walking into the store in search of the same item. We quickly locate it and she feels the fabric with her hand.
I feel that I will not find this answer on my own. "Please."
"Is it the color?" She asks, tilting her head to the side.
"No. And not the sleeves or neckline, either."
"Could it be...the material?" She asks. "I know you can't feel it, but it's clearly polyester."
"That is what I figured, and no." I tell her, wracking my brain for an answer.
"What about...the length?" She tries once more, gesturing to the sleeves.
"No, not that, either." I sigh. "I cannot seem to figure it out. I know it will come to me, eventually."
She finds somewhere to sit and takes a seat. "Alright. Take your time."
I spend the next few minutes commiting every last detail of the item to memory. Everything about it, and even the clothes next to it. The longer I stare, the more frustrated I become. What could I possibly take from this item? Or rather, what could I add to it to make it better? Sadly, the answer remains just out of reach. I look out to see that Jeannine is passing the time by scrolling on her phone. I do not want to keep her waiting for too long. This cannot be very fun for her, despite what she says.
"Ori, may I ask you something?" She suddenly speaks up.
"What is it, Jeannie?"
"You said that you are looking for Brob inspiration. No offense, but don't you think any Brob-related things will be received poorly?" She raises her phone closer to me so that I may see the screen more clearly. An image depicting an ad for a 'Remnant exterminator' fills my view. "I doubt I need to remind you what my kind regularly does to yours."
The ad is certainly a sad sight. I cannot help but frown when I see it. However, I think she is misunderstanding me.
"You are right, and that is not even the worst of it. However, I believe it is possible to take the good and leave behind the bad." I explain, sharing some of my personal philosophies with her. "I can appreciate your culture. Your styles are truly beautiful. Whether the people that designed them are similarly beautiful is none of my concern. Beauty does not need labels like 'Brob' and 'Lilli'."
"How very objective of you." She smiles, her lips tight. "Combining the best of both worlds."
"That is my goal."
Jeannine walks through the store, quietly humming a tune. She seems calm, but I can tell when she's holding back a thought. It seems something I said had quite an impact. When she speaks next, I listen attentively. "I have always wondered... What drives you, Ori?"
"In reference to my clothing company, or...?"
"In your life, or maybe just in general. I mean, why do you work so hard? You say it's your 'goal', but you never struck me as the type to get satisfaction out of sales. Nor the recognition, right?"
"I do it because it puts a roof over Louis' and my head." I tell her. "It enables me to take care of him. As we as any of my friends who might need me."
"I am fairly sure you could take care of everyone just as easily with a far less stressful job." She shakes her head. "No, that can't be all there is to it. Come on, what is the real reason?"
Her questions confuse me. I feel as though the answer is self evident. I play along, reasoning that there is a reason that she is doing this. "To put in less effort would result in worse products."
"Worse products still sell." She shrugs, rejecting my answer.
"Yes, but they do not make people happy." I rebut.
"Ever the selfless giver." She chuckles, Quieting down as another shopper passes us by. "You have everyone on your mind, except yourself.
"I learned from the best." I wink at her.
"But seriously, isn't there a reason? You have always been like this, long before you met me." Her voice now returning to its usual volume.
"I suppose that is true..." I admit. Her questions do indeed force me to look inward. Thankfully, I have thought about this before. While I do not have a concrete answer, I do have some insight to share. "I spent a long time having my spirit crushed. I had dreams of how my life would go. Plans that were never realized. I think at some point I simply...could not do it anymore. I do not know what the future holds, and subconciously, I do not want to experience that sort of disappointment anymore." Realizing my words are really quite depressing, I feel compelled to reassure her. "But I am better now! And I suppose with everything that has been going on with Lou, Nick, you, and everyone else, my thoughts are simply...elsewhere."
"I am glad to hear that. Though, maybe it is time to find a new dream?" She suggests.
"Well, Elysium was a dream of mine. Surely that counts?"
"It certainly does! But dreams are not in short supply, Ori. You should always have something in the distance, either to strive for or look forward to." She stops walking in front of another mirror, so that I can look her in the eyes when she speaks to me. "There is no problem with going with the flow. You can do what you are asked to, help those who need you, and choose to never complain. That is your choice. Just know that...you do not have to. There is no one you have to be, and no one you have to meet the expectations of, except yourself." Jeannine explains, summing up my behavior with eerie accuracy. "And know that you are a person who deserves happiness. I truly believe that."
"Thank you, Jeannie. Hearing you say that made my day." I tell her, blowing a kiss. "Now there is something I must confess. All of this talk of dreams has made me realize what my next one might be. Before you call it impersonal, know that...it is, in fact, quite the opposite." I hesitate, suddenly nervous to confess one of my innermost desires. It takes a lot of willpower to share it. "I want the city to have a school. A place where children like Lou can have a real childhood and learn new things. It is something I never got to complete, and while I did learn elsewhere, I always wished I could have."
I go silent, feelings of embarrassment and shame filling the air in the cabin. There is a reason why I never shared this dream with anyone before. I worry about what my friend will think of me.
"That is..." She says, breathlessly. "Truly, truly beautiful. I love that. So, so much. And guess what? Your dream is now mine too."
"Is that how it works?" I laugh. "What about your own dreams?"
"Oh, me? I have several. The greatest of which I get to see every time I enter my bedroom." She laughs along with me. "You asked me about this, way back when. I tried to be mysterious, but by now most everyone has probably figured it out."
"You did do that. Huh, I had practically forgotten." I smile. "Yes, it is a dream each and every one of us shares. Speaking of which, could you take me back to that top?"
Jeannine nods and walks back over to it, standing so that I have a clear, unobstructed view. "Have you figured out what was missing?"
"No, not at all!" I cheer, sounding completely mental. "Care to guess why?"
"Enough guessing, just come out with it already!" She chuckles at my silliness.
"It was not missing a thing. The problem was the item itself!" I explain, hardly able to speak while I am laughing so much. "What in the world was I thinking? That top is horrid! I could not fix it because there is no fixing it!"
Jeannine suddenly bursts out laughing, causing those around us to stare. I do not think she cares, and nor do I for that matter. "Oh my gosh, you stared at it for all that time only to come to that conclusion now?"
"Hey! Better now than after it makes it into stores back home!" I say, settling down. "Oh dear, Jeannie. I think I have had enough of clothes for a while. I cannot bear to look at a single item for another second."
"You do not know how happy I am to hear that." She runs her fingers through her hair. "So, what do you want to do now?"
"We are at the mall, are we not?" I remind her. "Are there any dessert restaurants we can try?"
I see her eyes light up in the mirror, a cheeky smile creeping upon her lips. "Oh, I might have just the place. How do chocolate coated waffles sound?" She begins to count on her fingers. "They also come glazed or roasted with marshmallow."
"They sound imaginary. You Brobs have the strangest sweets..." I tease her. "I suppose I should not be surprised, given you also have coffee donuts and hard candy berries."
"Strange, but tasty." She corrects me, walking out of the store. "You can even get sprinkles, candy, or fruits on them."
"Oh my!" I gasp. "That is a lot of sugar!"
"It sure is..." She begins to pick up the pace, speedwalking us to the place. "...and I cannot wait to get some. Hold on tight."
The cabin struggles to stabilize itself, not being built to handle anything faster than Jeannine's walking pace. I strap in and endure the swaying of the room as her earring dangle about wildly. It is quite the thrill! Seeing the sillier side of my friend makes me unable to stop smiling. She is so cute when she is not being the 'Queen' of MG. It is a side very few of us are priviliged enough to see.
"Jeannie?" I call to her.
"Yes, Ori?" She pants, still walking as quickly as she can.
"I believe I now have another dream."
Comments
G
Oh boy how exciting can’t wait to see what you have in stored 😁 . Enjoy your break Jake you deserve it 👍
G
OMG yes, another Ori-focused chapter you love to see it. It was a great deep dive into Ori's thoughts and feeling about her life and all the good and bad that has happened to her and how she is finally at peace. Jeannine is always a delight to see in any chapter and then when she agreed to Ori’s idea for the school was just so great too. But the ad for “remnants exterminator”, The restaurant that feeds living lilies, the fake lilies club, and the Blackmarket shop selling lilies make me wonder how Jeannine can make a difference in the world or a more impactful one with her degree in (political science ?) it would be nice to see if any progress in the relations between the two races has gotten better or worse maybe even stayed the same. She did manage to change her mind of Sara for the better and I think after Dr. Bram's encounter with Nick kinda change her perspective a little more than she lead on. Also makes me wonder what the future holds for the City of MG as a whole but that a chapter for another day any way great job Jake 10/10 as always.
Jake Barry
MG will be on break next week! Big chapter incoming.
