[X] (
Job Front) "Let's take all three paid weeks, that should be enough for me to handle the, um, 'personal trauma'. By which I mean the divine quest thing." (
Yeah, right.)
[X] (
The Other Thing) Don't, you don't wanna know.
[X] (
Unknown to Senaz) NNSG is extremely interested in this situation and how to potentially exploit it - legitimately or otherwise.
---
"Um, skipping, the um independent contractors bit… Yeah, this is. A complicated traumatic situation. From my perspective, I lived ten years as an entirely different person, then the Sean you know kind of collided in like a rock hitting me in the skull."
Dianna nodded. "I don't get it, in that it's a situation crazy enough that I just have to try and shuffle it into the closest box I can, and be the best support I can. So I'm guessing you do want to take some leave?"
"Yeah. I think the three weeks ought to be enough to get this divine quest thing dealt with and stabilize my situation."
… Your Succubus-enhanced sense for reading people tells you that cough was her trying to avoid saying 'fat chance' aloud. Rude, but you just gotta prove her wrong! Fulfill an undefined sacred quest by a shady goddess with no clear requirements in three weeks. Six, if you split your time in and out of your apartment 50/50. Easy! Right? Yeah. Easy. Ahahahahaha.
Fuck.
Okay, three weeks maybe can get you more established in terms of the two halves of what is now your life, and if you can do that without losing pay…
You continue, "I can of course make myself available to talk with the team to hand stuff off in the meanwhile… Though, um, hopefully no one's going to turn out to be transphobic."
Dianna's tone returns to that certain terrifying. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'll be
very, very clear about the importance of gender identity acceptance in the workplace. Cultural 'isms' are anathema to efficient value creation and will be
suitably rejected."
Was HR always this terrifying? You're literally out of their physical reach and you're still worrying that some Mafia or Yakuza goons are about to knock at your door… Which leaves you resolved to
not ask about your deadbody. Just, nope. Leave that alone.
Dianna continues, "Now, all information from this conversation beyond the broadest strokes and effects will be confidential between you and me, your management cannot ask about it
unless you volunteer it, they're not allowed to pressure you… Look, just, get with me if there's issues, okay?"
"Y-yeah." You nod a bit. "Should probably trim the details a lot. Given I look, um, really different, any recommendations for how to explain that?"
"Just don't, honestly. Tell people your body type has experienced significant changes that are more consistent with your gender identity. Really, the larger story is… Well, I'd hope it's less relevant to your work. You still have the fingers to type and the brain to devise, the rest is none of their business."
You nod. "That… I guess it makes sense. Feels weird, but it should work."
Dianna nods. "For now, I'm going to draft notifications to your team. I'll ask that you pop in for a quick team chat with you, me, and your immediate supervisor at 9 AM tomorrow to get the broad discussion across, pass off urgent duties, and otherwise get everything in order for the leave."
"R-right. Thank you, Dianna, and may your evening be great."
"Thanks, Senaz, you too." And then the call ends.
… You breathe out, as Helen chuckles. "It seems your employer is a bit… Interesting. I'd guess they're probably some kind of crime front. Which probably means they're thinking about how to use your situation to their advantage."
You nod. "My boss might not be allowed to know much, but the company executives? Dianna will probably be breaking bread and beer with them to share the key points in half an hour. Who knows what they'll do with it."
"Indeed. But those three weeks of leave you took should give you time to try and sort that out. Of course, it gives them time to refine ideas too, so..." Helen sighs. "The command structures of the Compact are different enough that I'm a bit out of context. Just. Trust yourself, all right?"
"... Right." You shudder a bit. "The context's different, but… Well, I've got even more important things to worry about. My friends, for one. Our quest, too."
Helen nods. "And making sure you don't screw up with your bit of skirt-chasing."
You freeze, laughing uneasily. "Y-yeah. I'll. Handle that."
"Perhaps. But you should be responsible about this sort of thing. Especially given your abilities… Well, you're not thinking in terms of manipulation first, that's good. But letting yourself go on this front could turn into a lot of problems down the line - including just it becoming easier to become irresponsible elsewhere."
You pause. "... I mean, I think you've got a point, but it's not that worrisome yet, right?"
"Perhaps not. Especially since you were doing so specifically to get someone off of my back. It… Almost came across like you lost track of what you were saying until you were done." Helen chuckles. "Mastering that part of yourself will be important, too, alongside the fact that there's probably going to be a
lot of fighting to do."
"What makes you think that?"
"This goddess specifically put me in the circumstances to become a Paladin, fighting's a hell of a lot of what we do. And set you up to become a Bard, someone who knows how to fight even if it's not their singular thing." Helen nods a bit. "I doubt she'd set us up to fight if she thought the quest wasn't going to involve a lot of fighting. You
do know how to fight, right?"
You nod. "In several different ways, even."
"Good. Now, you mentioned your friends… While I'm starting to wonder if being a bit more circumspect may have been better for the job, I think that when it comes to your friends, you should be as truthful as you are comfortable with. They'll know you enough to know you're hiding things if you try to. So be out and proud."
"... So no making myself look like the Smol Ame version of myself?"
"What?"
"N-never mind! I think I can manage being honest about this. Just… Gotta be okay with some of the group maybe thinking I'm insane. That's fine, right?" You laugh uneasily.
Helen chuckles. "I'd bet that it'll go better than you think."
You're not so sure, but…
[ ] (Raid Group - Honesty) Tell the full truth and just hope people trust and believe you…
[ ] (Raid Group - Honesty) Tell only some of the truth; you're a bit too worried people are gonna think you're crazy.
[ ] (Raid Group - Honesty) Nope, sorry Helen, you're not saying
anything about the isekai situation, just the transness and now you're using an avatar and a voice changer, ahahaha!
[ ] (Raid Group - Timing) Log on
now and get this over with before you go enjoy some vulpine company. It'll let you test the results on a smaller group before your main raid tomorrow (Earth time).
[ ] (Raid Group - Timing) Go pursue the fluffy tail first, the time difference means you'll be fine as long as you aren't anxiously thinking about this the entire time you're touching fluffy gail!
[ ] (Raid Group - Timing) Go for it tomorrow (Earth Time) and tag up everyone at once - that way, you don't have to do this twice at least…
***
Not 100 percent better, but handling.
The first scene that needs to be behind a spoiler is likely to be in the next post or two.
I promise a minimum of comparisons to mollusks, and with it a minimum of continued psychic damage to people who know what I am referencing.
