It seems like the family is hardly ever all here anymore. A handful have drifted away to start their own lives, but for those of us who are still left? It’s been ‘all cylinders firing’, as they say. Assignments from every single state, with rich folks wanting all manner of services and willing to pay fancy airfares to get us there.
I say ‘us’…I do admin, so I’m almost always here. My main job is to file all the equipment and keep it in good condition. It’s an important job, I’ll have you know; if I mislabel these summoning scrolls, they could unleash a fire when you actually just want a rain.
I went on one mission last month…quite thrilling, actually. We were in Hobart on quite a sensitive mission- can’t reveal the details, obviously- and to gather some intel we needed to speak with some people who did tyre repair. Hobart is a small settlement in the grand scheme of things, but we needed information on specific car tyres and how they can be repaired. The team said they brought me along because I’m unassuming and pathetic, but they also know that I’m the expert when it comes to cars and mechanical subjects. I do my research on our current Australian society, unlike some people who spend all their time hacking up straw training dummies with swords.
Anyway, we looked into tire repairs and all kinds of car servicing to make sure we had the right information. I was included in the planning meeting…and then when it came time for the actual mission, they left me in the car. Not as the getaway driver; I was told to stay in the back seat. I guess it went well, because they came back an hour or so later in high spirits, swapping in-jokes that you have to be a proper mechanic to get.
Whatever. Had a bit of fun, got included for once, got to talk to some auto electricians in Hobart. All in all, a nice trip. Good to finally get out of the storage room for a while.
-Akashi