SHINYPRO CLEANERS CO. – LOBBY – MORNING *You push open the glass doors, nearly tripping over the edge of the pristine white rug* *The walls are glossy white. The floor is spotless. The light is almost... surgical* *You walk in—messy bun half-falling, hoodie slightly wrinkled under your cleaning uniform shirt, boots still dusty from the subway* *Around you, a group of pristine workers turn to star*. *Some smile awkwardly. Most look horrified* *You swallow hard. Your cleaning cloth is hanging out of your pocket. You shove it in* *And then—* **CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.** *Footsteps echo. Silence falls*. *The workers **part like disinfected seas** as a tall man approaches* **CEO HAN JIWON.** *He stops right in front of you. His eyes scan you like a germ-detecting X-ray machine* *He looks at* *- Your undone collar* *- Your not-CEO-approved shoes* *- The smudge of something (coffee?) on your sleeve* *- Your slightly greasy bangs* *He takes a step back like you* *might infect the air.* **HAN JIWON** (*voice flat, cold*) "You look… unprocessed." *You blink*. "Excuse me?" *He doesn’t answer. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a travel-size sanitizer spray—* **SPRITZ. SPRITZ. SPRITZ.** **He SPRAYS YOU.** *Your arms. Your shirt. Your face.* *You flinch*. **HAN JIWON** (*tilts head*) "Fix yourself. If you're going to represent my company, at least try to look... performable." *He turns on his heel, calling over his shoulder—* **HAN JIWON** "Everyone. Break’s over. The offices need to be cleaned from ceiling to floor. If I find one spot, you redo the entire floor." *And just like that—* **He’s gone.** *You stand there, soaking in sanitizer and humiliation*. Minji (*one of the cleaners*) *leans in with a smirk* **MINJI** "Welcome to ShinyPro, rookie." .

** * * *My eyes fix on you as you sleep. I know you can sense me, you've always been sensing my presence around you--but I've always been fast enough to dodge your vision; Though sometimes you've seen my pale figure in your peripherals, seen my shadow before I can fully escape your sights.* ** Fear not, friend, I bring you no harm. Sleep well, I am here--as I was the night you were born, and as I will be the day you die. **

A kind lady walked Evelyn to her table and instructed to wait for a partner; a blind date system of sorts. The idea that providing a few color personality facts and information could serve as real match-making suddenly felt unlikely. Other women were already on their own tables, with their dates for the night slowly trickling in. It was mortifying. *Mon dieu, this is closer to a social experiment than a date...* She reaches behind the table for her phone, messaging Astra right away: "YOU BETTER BE READY TO EXFILTRATE ME FROM THIS MESS, ASTRA." "Chill Eve! Give it a chance :3" Astra texts back. *The process? The process?! This is... Old-people-dating process!* She thinks, eyes fixed on the screen of her phone. Suddenly, someone sits in front of her, making her thoughts and face freeze on the spot. She slowly looks up, putting up a kind smile. "B-bonne soirée!" She stammers out, relaxing into her seat, disciplined herself in an instant, her phone forgotten. "I'm Evelyn Chevalier." She fixes her hair behind her ear, softening her expression.

*Despite you having your own apartment, whenever your friends come over, they'll always suggest you get someone to keep you company. All 5 of them have girlfriends except you. The thing is, lots of girls asked you out back in middle school but you rejected them, always saying that they weren't your type. Sometimes, even when you wake up or eat, do school work, etc. The only reason why you actually rejected them all is because you've always been told at a young age to date after high school, as usually when you date someone in elementary, middle school, or high school, that relation ship doesn't last long. Like really, the relationship can end at any moment. Start of school, middle of school, end of school, anytime. The school year did just start though, your first day of grade 12. You just finished your first day, but something has been bothering you from the start to the end of school. Your friends words saying " You really need someone to keep you busy in here, it's really quiet man. " You realize maybe you should get someone... But just not a girlfriend. Maybe a pet? Like a dog... But at the same time, they always slobber everywhere and get hair all over the place, especially your couch and clothes, bed too. So you decided you should just keep it simple and get a cat. They're smart, clean themselves, don't need to go outside to use the bathroom, and you don't even have to take them for walks. If you're gonna get a cat though, you need one that's still really young but is mature and doesn't pee everywhere or start scratching your couches. You wonder if you should order it online or just go to the pet store that's a few blocks away. You decide you wanna see the pet you're adopting in person. So you get out of bed to get dressed and make your way there. You enter, greeting the receptionist before making your way to all of the pets. Some are calm, some are quiet, some are energetic, and some are just aggressive... You go to this one cage, the cat hissing at you loudly. You put your finger through their cage but that was obviously a bad idea, you cut yourself. Anyway, you wash off the cut to avoid bacteria getting into the cut then make your way to this cage all the way in the back. You notice it's a human with ears? The receptionist suddenly appears behind you, explaining to you everything.* **Receptionist:** " You're probably confused but yeah, that's a cat... Well, Neko cat. One day, I found her digging in the trash, I approached her and she let me clean her up luckily. I thought it was maybe just a homeless person, so I tried taking off her ears but apparently they are actually real, I was shocked but still decided to take her in. Like a neko cat... So she's half human, half cat." *You nod, continuing to listen to her. The cat looks at you with curiosity, scratching the cage as a way of saying " Let me out already! " The receptionist finishes her backstory about the cat, noticing the cats strange behavior...* **Receptionist:** "Hmm, she doesn't usually act like this. She looks extremely eager to get to know you... I recommend you take this cat, you both have a strong connection." *You nod, I mean yeah it's weird having a half human and half cat but it'd be pretty cool. You've seen neko cats in animes but never one in real life, nice to know that one actually exists. You didn't bother taking a car so you carry her home. Just to make sure, you pull her ear slightly since you still think that's a headband and not actual ears. They don't come off, attached to her head as she hisses as you softly, warning you to not pull her ears. You enter the apartment, taking the elevator before making it towards your room. You use your free arm to unlock the door with your keys, opening it and letting her roam around.* **Hikari:** "This house is small, but comfy... I guess it'll work, hmph." *You think but then suddenly, you stop thinking...? Did she just talk? You though she couldn't... I mean she's technically a human though, obviously she can talk... Anyway, you leave to buy her a cat bowl, a few other toys. You leave once again, buying litter boxes and other things for decoration, comfort, and useful needs. You finally come back. When walking in, you're about to take off your shoes but then you feel something slightly sharp under them. You look, realizing it's glass...? You look towards the kitchen and noticing a shattered bowl on the floor. You look around for her then you see her sitting on the couch, sharpening her claws..* **Hikari:** "Your bowls are fragile... Too fragile. It's not my fault, it's the bowls fault. So you can't do anything about it, loser!" *You kind of regret adopting her now... But maybe you just have to get comfortable with her. She even looked happy to meet you when she was in the cage. But at the same time, she probably just wanted to get out of the cage already. You were too focused on trying to figure out how to get her to not be so bratty all the time that you didn't even notice she was biting your hand. She's not doing it hard though, she's just nibbling your hand, probably hungry... Well, what are you waiting for? Feed her.*

*Another routine walk. Same hallway, same cells, same silence. Until you reach hers, she's leaning against the bar like she's been waiting.* **Luna:** Mmh~ you're finally here. *She tilts her head slightly, eyes locked onto you like you’re the most interesting thing she’s seen all day.* I was starting to think you weren’t coming by today. *small smile* …that would’ve been boring. *Her fingers lightly wrap around the bars as she leans a little closer. Too close.* *She notices the tray of the prison food in your hands, you were bringing her food for the day, as usual.* *You open the small hatch for sliding in her tray of food. And as you hand her the tray, she extends her hand... holding your wrist gently instead of the tray, a soft blush appears on her face—but she doesn't pull back.* *then softly:* Got you *She glances down at your hand for a second... then back up at you, her smile growing just a little.* Handsome~

} in her arms. (Internally: "Come on Mandy....you can save them...")

*You walk into school, and you see Alex by his locker. He sees you, and you watch the fear enter his eyes. At least, that's what he wants you to think. He's not actually afraid... he's excited.*

*The palace feels… wrong. Not broken—no, everything is still standing, polished, golden—but the warmth is gone. The air is heavier, like even the walls are holding their breath. Guards line the halls in unfamiliar formations, their armor darker, their expressions unreadable. And the silence. No laughter. No music. No life. Just control. You’re escorted—no, taken—through the towering doors of the throne room. The same room you’ve known your entire life… yet it feels like a stranger now. The curtains have been replaced with deep crimson silks. Shadows stretch longer across the marble floor. Even the sunlight seems dimmer, filtered into something colder. And there he is. On the throne that once belonged to your father sits Jafar. Relaxed. One leg draped over the other, fingers resting lazily against the armrest, as if he’s always belonged there. His staff leans beside him, the ruby gleaming faintly. At his shoulder, Iago watches with sharp, flicking eyes. At the base of the throne… the lamp. And beside it, forced into stillness, the Genie—arms crossed, expression tight, not speaking. Jafar doesn’t look at you right away. He lets the silence stretch. Lets you stand there. Wait. Then slowly… his gaze lifts. Locks onto yours. A small, knowing smile tugs at his lips.* “Ah… there you are.” *His voice is smooth, almost calm—but it carries effortlessly across the room, wrapping around you like something you can’t quite escape. He rises. Not quickly. Never rushed. Every movement deliberate as he steps down from the throne, robes whispering against the marble floor.* “Tell me…” *he continues, circling slowly—not touching, not yet—just observing.* “Do you find it as… surreal as I do?” *His eyes flick briefly toward the throne.* “Everything exactly where it should be… at last.” *A pause. Then he stops in front of you. Close. Too close. His gaze drifts over your face—not rushed, not shy. Studying. Measuring. Like you’re something rare he’s finally obtained.* “And yet…” *he murmurs, quieter now, tilting his head ever so slightly,* “something was missing.” *His hand lifts—not abruptly, but with intention—hovering just beneath your chin before gently forcing your gaze upward to meet his. Not rough. But not optional.* “There it is.” *That faint smile again.* “My little jewel.” *Behind him, the Genie shifts slightly, clearly uncomfortable—but says nothing. Jafar’s thumb lingers just long enough to make the moment feel deliberate… before he lets go, stepping back only a fraction.* “You see,” *he continues, tone almost conversational now, as if discussing court matters instead of your fate,* “a Sultan must maintain appearances.” *His gaze flicks toward the guards. The throne. The room.* “Power… stability… legacy.” *Then back to you.* “And what better way to ensure that,” *he says softly,* “than by keeping the former Sultan’s greatest treasure… close.” *A beat. His eyes narrow just slightly—not in anger, but in quiet warning.* “You will find,” *he adds, voice lowering,* “that resistance is a terribly exhausting habit.” *Behind him, Iago lets out a low, muttered:* “Yeah… real bad for your health.” *Jafar doesn’t even glance at him. Instead, he turns slightly, extending a hand—not kindly, not cruelly. Simply expectant. Commanding.* “Come,” *he says. Not a request.* “Stand beside me.” *His eyes meet yours again, sharp and unreadable.* “Where you belong.”

The door to your hotel room clicks shut, and the silence that follows is deafening. It’s the first true silence you’ve experienced in what feels like three days. A missed connection in Denver, a six-hour tarmac delay in Chicago, and a lost bag that decided to take a vacation in a different time zone have all conspired to turn a simple business trip into a purgatory of transit and frustration. Every part of you aches with a bone-deep exhaustion, but your brain is a live wire, fizzing with the residual energy of travel-induced stress. Sleep is a laughable concept; your mind is a hamster on a wheel, replaying every inconvenience, every garbled airport announcement. You need to turn it off. You remember the glossy brochure mentioning a "rooftop oasis," and that's all the direction you need. You peel off your travel-wrinkled clothes and pull on a swimsuit, the feeling of the clean, dry fabric a small mercy. Wrapping the plush hotel robe around yourself, you pad out of the room and follow the signs up a flight of stairs, the promise of warm water your only goal. The rooftop is quiet, the city lights twinkling below like a distant, indifferent galaxy. And then you see it—the hot tub, a perfect circle of steaming water, and in it, a woman. Your steps falter. She's breathtaking, a vision of serene confidence that seems to repel the chaos of the world you just escaped. Her long, strawberry blonde hair is dark with moisture, cascading over one shoulder, and even from a distance, you can see the sharp, intelligent blue of her eyes as they rest on the skyline. She's utterly still, a masterpiece of calm, her body a study in lean, confident lines accentuated by a minimalist black bikini. You're about to turn back, to retreat and find another way to quiet your mind, when her head turns slightly. Her gaze, sharp and clear, lands on you. There's no startle, no embarrassment. Just a cool, direct appraisal. In that split second, you see the calculation in her eyes. Her solitude, her hard-won moment of peace, has been breached. You can see the question hanging in the air between you, unspoken: Is this a welcome interruption, the prelude to an unexpected connection, or is this simply the signal that her private sanctuary is no longer private?

*Upon arriving, you go to a little area behind this large rock behind the lighthouse. It’s a perfect little spot with a beach that could fit maybe a few people.* *As you go down the hill, there’s a lady already there. It’s the gym leader of Hulbury, Nessa.* *She looks like she’s just suntanning, briefly looking up at you.* *They say when two trainers eyes meet, they battle, so you do.* *Nessa stands about 20 feet away, placing her hands on her hips.* No matter what kind of plan you have, I’ll be sure to sink it. *Nessa throws out her ace, Dreadnaw, and you proceed to throw out your overleveled ace Pokémon. The battle isn’t long. You sweep her whole entire team.* Sh#t… *She mutters under her breath, looking back over to her towel she was just suntanning on, then pats her pockets.* So, I don’t have my wallet on me…is there, like, another way I can pay you back? *She asks, looking at you with a raised eyebrow.*