Betray The Ill

Roma slogged through the day without much incident. Her days were always fairly predictable. Any stress or hardship to endure was expected, for the most part. The dealings with coworkers or the higher-ups, sudden changes in accounts she managed, and even the odd visit from a bigwig that happened. Nothing too special. Or perhaps, nothing that Roma perceived as special.

She didn't enjoy how her daily life failed to excite her, but accepted that it was probably best that her job not be too exciting. Excitement at work wouldn't mean anything good. When things went into high gear, it was always because something had gone wrong.

Kassy stretched her arms up above her and let out a deep yawn.

"I did it," she said. "I got things squared away. I get to go home."

"Nice job today, Kassy," Roma told her. "Got anything special planned for tonight?"

"I'll probably just splash some water on my face and head somewhere to eat out," she replied. "Why don't you come with me? We have the same two days off but we never do anything together anymore."

"I would..." Roma began, failing to find an excuse.

"Come on, it'll be fun. It's just food, Roma. My treat. What have you got to lose? Ruckus will be fine without you for a few hours. He's got auto-feeders right?"

Roma wanted to find a way out. She didn't quite know why she preferred to be alone. The want for solitude was always automatic. Alone was safe. Alone was familiar. She had gone out with Kassy before and enjoyed herself. They had taken trips before and had a great time, but something changed in her that made her want to get away from the world.

"You know, why not?" Roma decided. "How can I refuse if you're paying?"

"That's the spirit!" Kassy cheered with a big cheesy smile.

With their office picked up as much as each of them cared for, they locked the door and walked to the elevator together. It wasn't an uncommon sight for the two to be close as they left, but someone noticed that it seemed a little different than usual.

Hadiya watched her employees head out and smiled to herself. At least Kassy was reliable for that much.

The bubbly lady in red had taken Roma on a short cab ride into the downtown area. A place of flashing lights and busy sidewalks, it was always a place full of energy and activity. Roma had never bothered to come to such a place on her own, knowing it only from a couple times she had been dragged there. All of the places that Kassy enjoyed to eat at were downtown. Her taste was particularly attached to busy social environments.

The loud place that Kassy led them to was called The Cave. Amusingly fashioned to look like the inside was carved out the rocky earth, the walls and furniture were all constructed of what appeared to be solid pieces of smooth black stone. The booths of the upper VIP lounge, where Kassy always ate, overlooked the dining hall below them and had a nice view of the outside street through the front glass windows. Roma sat down on the stone bench and adjusted the heater of her seat to melt away some of her stress. Kassy watched her relax and smiled big.

"See?" she said to Roma. "You should come out with me more."

"Or maybe I should just get a heated chair for the office," Roma replied.

Kassy sighed deeply at her friend and took a glance towards the entrance. A couple had just walked in. A man and a woman, oddly enough. The sight made Kassy frown and squint almost comically.

"Lucky bitch," she said. "You know, I read an article that said every non-companion male has been taken for the last five years. The rest that aren't taken are still teenagers or younger, so there's no chance for girls like us to bag them when they have a whole school of meat at their disposal."

"What's the percentage like right now?" Roma questioned.

"Around ten percent," Kassy replied. "Something like five hundred thousand out of five billion-ish. I can see why you spend what little money you have on a companion. You should really think about saving up though. There's no telling when your mom..."

Kassy realized she was letting her mouth run without thinking.

"Yeah," Roma said. "There's no telling."