Settling in (2)

"Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy." – Walt Disney

Chapter 7: Settling in (2)

I feel like my stupidity was starting to get redundant ever since I got yanked into Remnant.

Generally I would have been a little less naive in analyzing certain situations falling on my lap, but boy I had been completely clueless when I stepped inside the small building that was owned by the Menagerie Local Bank with the hopes of having a simple desk job.

Yes, I was aspiring to a boring workplace as first move in the social staircase of this world- but why?

Why would I be this much interested in having a stable income source that wasn't remotely related to slaying nightmareish creatures?

…

Oh? You actually want a clear answer? I thought my rhetorical musing would have been… easy to pick up.

I guess I should give something easy to understand: I am bound to a wheelchair and, excluding insane pimping with dual gatling guns and turbo to the sweet whip, I was kind of worse than the my normal self.

I was worse than… useless? Maybe I could try something, being a white-belt of Jujitsu (a very rust one at that), something like faking my death to creatures that could perceive negativeness.

Actually that sound like the worst idea, let us forget about this… brain-fart?

Yes, brain-fart sound legitimately correct.

Anyway, I think I am skipping some 'essential' details of the early morning as… I think there are few steps between waking up and literally being inside my new workplace.

My eyes snapped open at the unholy sun rays entering from the ill-covered window of the room, almost cooking part of my face at the scorching heat of the focused beam of light.

'Usually' I wouldn't mind waking up early, something that was kind of forced upon my body by the hellish school hours ever since good ol' Elementary school.

Imagine waking up 5 in the morning at the age of 9, fighting back the sleepiness by watching for fifteen minute straight the same thing playing in the TV.

The same cartoons, sometime quite boring and repetitive, but good enough to 'punch' me out of my post-sleep state.

But I am digressing here and… (Sadly) I wasn't a kid anymore.

The first thing my mind eagerly reminded me was that I had to prepare things not only for myself but also for the children.

Trying to pull a world record for getting prepared after just ten minutes inside the only bathroom, I was already rolling my chair toward the kitchen area.

Milk, check.

Chocolate, check.

Pancakes, check.

A cup of Macchiato coffee to further kick me up awake, check.

Sienna staring at me with a deadly expression, che- "GAH!"

I almost fell on the floor at the closeup of the woman, my heart rate picking up an uneasy pace at the scare so early in the day.

"Good morning to you." She sneered quietly, further aggravating my picture of her. While she wasn't as bloodthirsty (yet), her pettiness made up for that negative connotation of her personality.

It didn't help that she would 'forget' the simple peace branches I had been so cautious to extend to her, the Faunus only keen to accept temporary truces for the sake of… something.

Not even I could fully understand the inner workings of her brain but I was not shy to point out how annoyingly childish she would get for so little things.

I know, I just spent a single day knowing the 'real character' and I shouldn't be this much crass in addressing the issue that was her opposition to my… existence.

But there was something surprising that I had noticed in the little time I know her and that was… she didn't seem to give the same treatment to Nora and Ren.

She would address them quite calmly, almost as if she was talking to another Faunus or maybe a child one.

That meant that, while I was going to suffer her bias against humanity, Sienna was willing to spare the children this kind of ill behavior.

Something to be happy to know, but also something that sparked no little curiosity within my brain as I was now unconsciously trying to figure out why she was like this?

Trauma? Death? So many theories and little clue to genuinely build from.

What an infuriating woman, both in a common situation and in a simple analytical stance.

After recovering from the attempted 'assassination attempt', I decided to literally return the favor in the only way that I knew she wouldn't have been able to avoid.

I made her breakfast.

So when a giggling Nora entered the living room followed by a groaning Ren to enjoy the most important meal of the day, my attention was solely directed to the other adult there.

Sienna's animal ears twitched in annoyance, her eyes narrowing first on the plate of delicious pancakes that I had prepared for her. Whatever protest was forming within her throat, it died instantly because of two minor events:

1) Her stomach grumbling and whining for food, loudly enough for everyone to hear;

2) The steamy cup of chocolate milk I was eager to place right near her;

Her eyes widened, feeling that her own body was conspiring against her because of the terribly delicious ambush I had set for her.

Sienna started to munch slowly at the first pancake with a sour look, defeat painted in her face as I was genuinely holding back some cackles at that delightful victory.

What does it taste like? It tasted like pancakes.

"Bye Papa!"

"See you soon, Uncle!"

No matter how much I tried to understand how I was now the caretaker of two kids, the mere way they addressed me was… utterly adorable.

My heart risked to melt more than once and Sienna decided to help me move the wheelchair away from the gates of the local school.

While it wasn't a legitimate school as it didn't have a proper curriculum, the teachers there were genuinely good if not competent. At the end, if they wanted to become Huntsmen, the requirement of basic education was were low compared to what I had thought it to be.

Ozpin had confirmed in one of his rare quips and I found this whole development… dumb.

But what if a huntsman want to retire?

Their record of service generally help them landing some job in preparatory schools, like Mr. Xiao Long and Mr. Branwen.

I tensed at the examples and the Wizard merely sighed.

You know, for being such an insufferable young man, you have a good understanding of the period we are currently working with.

And that means?

While you are foolish in your ways, I admit that your knowledge does help a lot in planning something regarding 'our' survival in this… unfortunate jump back in time.

Or is it a different universe? I decided to not pass through this idea as… I think that would be a terrible development indeed.

While I was cautious enough to not give too much of myself to Ozma, I was smart enough to know that some advice was essential in this 'new', brave world.

Plus it was helping me cope with the boring predicament of being a… vice-assistant to some clerk.

While anger stirred at this reveal when I reached for the receptionist for some indications, mostly because of Sienna's snickering at my initial shocked reaction, I quickly understood why I was stuck with this petty job.

I was still a stranger and, no matter how much Ghira and Kali could have vouched for me, the chieftain had to fully test my genuine interest of joining not only Menagerie, but also the White Fang.

It was a legitimate concern, especially since I was the only human trying to reach out for the previously Faunus-only organization.

It was a punch in the stomach, but I had to bear it if I truly wanted to not be further questioned in the future.

So… I followed every single task I was given, showing little to no reaction while keeping an amiable mask to try and build some professional relationship with the simple clerk.

Trying to approach the assistant, my direct superior, would have been useless. Why? Well, who would befriend someone that could replace you if you do some wrong step while working?

The silent competition between men in a place like a bank wasn't something dissimilar to mere politics.

And boy, did I make quite the backbone with my brief political career in my hometown.

The only way I would be able to survive getting mauled by the more experienced, senior worker was to exploit a good weakness the Dog Faunus had.

He didn't have an acceptable relationship with our mutual boss, giving me the chance to not only get quickly cozy with the older Faunus, but also start to worm a small place in his heart to bring even more 'legitimacy' to any idea I could propose.

Social-evolution to its finest and I kind of cringed how I was literally climbing the social ladder that was mostly made by different kind of humans around me.

I am not racist, but I kind of feel guilty of being the one literally exploiting the overly-simplistic work system.

Remnant had a single currency, the Lien, and its entire economy was still making use of the Gold Standard.

Quick economic lesson: Gold Standard is when the value of a coin is dictated by the gold reserves available to a nation. So that meant that, while Dust was the most mined material, it was still outclassed for 'worth' by Precious Metals (Gold, Silver and Diamonds).

I could only wonder what would happen if someone (cough, someone very sneaky, cough) was to pay for the creation of an electric engine or the creation of proper gunpowder…

I was already envisioning the SDC's stocks crashing harder than a poor guy getting RKO'd by Randy Orton, going bankrupt and that whole thing that happens to stagnant companies.

They could be developing something to replace Dust, something that could be easy to spread around the world and to monopolize too but…

They are so lazy. It would have taken just an ambitious man with some mad mind born from that family to pull a full world domination without sparking some war.

This last thought left my mouth dry and I wondered if there was some coffee machine around.

At least we share a rightful need.

I am not addicted to it, tho.

Indeed, you are addicted to soda drinks. I am still surprised how you didn't develop some serious illness with that attachment to sweet beverages-

Luck, badassery and being Italian.

I don't even want to know what is an 'Italian' at this point.

As he shouldn't, because that would open a can of worms that this world doesn't need to feel.

But yeah, the brief reminder that I had been unable to taste some good stuff was enough to bring out the bitterness that came with the sense of withdrawal.

I sure would have killed for some Pep-si? I blinked mid-thought as I felt my previously empty hand filling up with something cool to the touch. It felt metallic too.

I glanced down and saw the brilliant blue color on the tin can held by my hand.

Turning it around, I saw its name. Pepsi.

I blinked, dumbfounded at the tin can, bringing it close to my eyes as this was unbelievable.

Before anyone asks no, Pepsi and other franchises from the 'Real World' don't exist in Remnant… and yet I was holding the tin can.

I didn't waste time in carefully opening the small lids and- sip the dark-colored liquid. My eyes widened once more at the familiar taste and I felt my tongue twitch happily at the frizzy sensation.

This was Pepsi.

But how? How did it appear in my hand?

No one around me but cabinets, no 'portals' that could have dropped it and yet…

It would seem like you are truly the most unique host, Mr. Bukharin.

Uh?

What you are trying to understand here doesn't abide to the laws of science. This is a simple case of Conjuration.

…

SAY WHAT?!