Sheridan Delivery Service

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 4, Post Number 87

-Sakuramori, outside Octavia Ashford's house, 5:00 A.M.-

Wearing her white Steel Matron t-shirt with black skirt and white tennis shoes, Victoria carried her backpack on her back that contained her iLac and Silver Dagger. Early this morning she had been contacted by an old client of hers, a collector of curiosities and books named Octavia Ashford. Miss Ashford had hired Victoria to carry some books she had borrowed from fellow collectors back to their rightful owners, but due to having the flu for the past week the woman had been unable to return them herself. That was where Victoria came in. Miss Ashford was still recovering, so Victoria was responsible for returning the books in her stead.

As it turned out, Victoria knew the first collector very well. The first collector was Thomas Montgomery of Capital Crocus, the lawyer who had helped Victoria secure her family's estate in her name. She would be returning to him a guide to valuable paintings that he had loaned Miss Ashford almost two months ago. Victoria knew the way there, so she would set out for Capital Crocus on her Centaur as soon as she had secured the rest of the books.

"I see that you've gotten some transportation since the last time we met, Miss Sheridan." Octavia said to Victoria, pointing towards the waiting Centaur. The ponytailed brunette nodded.

"Yeah. It's really handy. It saves me a lot of travel time and I can't imagine going anywhere without it." Victoria commented about the DH-40 Centaur she was standing next to. She set her backpack on the seat of the Centaur and opened it up, then carefully moved aside her Silver Dagger to make space for the books so that they would not be damaged in transit. Victoria took out her Silver Dagger and secured it to her left hip for the time being, then carefully placed the books inside the backpack and swaddled them in her gray hoodie before closing it up. She then turned to Miss Ashford for any last-minute instructions.

"Well, I'll leave you to it, but before you go, here's a list of the people I need you to return the books to. I've included their names and addresses so that you don't get lost. If you have an iLac with the NeverLost app, I suggest you use it. I've also included my Lacrima Idenfication Code so that I can call you if anything comes up." Miss Ashford suggested. Victoria gave a thumbs-up.

"Of course, Miss Ashford. I'll deliver these books to their owners just as fast as I can!" Victoria assured Miss Ashford. The ponytailed brunette then put on her backpack and climbed onto the Centaur, then turned the ethernano key to crank it up. The Centaur came to life and Victoria waved goodbye to the client.

"Be careful out there, Miss Sheridan! Call me on the iLac and let me know when you make each delivery!" Miss Ashford bade Victoria as the Sabertooth mage slowly accelerated to five MPH and slowly maneuvered the Centaur through the streets of Sakuramori. Thankfully the streets were almost empty, so the risk of hitting someone was not very high. As soon as she got out of the city limits Victoria would increase speed and make a beeline for Capital Crocus, the first stop of several she would have to make today before the job would be complete. The brunette carefully maneuvered down the town's streets and eventually maneuvered through the gate without incident.

Once she was clear of Sakuramori Victoria increased speed to 25 MPH and set out down the road towards Capital Crocus. Her first stop would be 1780 King's Court, where she would return a guide on valuable artwork to Mister Montgomery. She just hoped that Francesca Corlone would not be home to pester Victoria.

-Capital Crocus, one hour and fifteen minutes later-

Victoria was about four blocks from Mister Montgomery's house when some idiot in a red convertible plowed into the back of a pink convertible that looked like something from a Barbie catalogue, blocking the lane the brunette was in. Two young blonde female twentysomethings in crop tops and short skirts were standing beside the accident site and arguing back and forth over whose fault the accident was. One of them had waist-length hair that hung freely and wore a black crop top and short black skirt with black high heels while the other had a ponytail and wore a pink crop top and short white skirt with white tennis shoes. They were attracting a lot of male attention because their short skirts did not leave much to the imagination, but Victoria was not amused. The traffic jam was costing her valuable daylight and she had other stops to make before her job was complete.

Victoria sat on her Centaur and watched the two blondes argue back and forth. The insults started out mild enough... the blonde in pink called the blonde in black a "bottle blonde" and the blonde in black said that the blonde in pink had a lot of silicon in her chest. That was when things got ugly. The insults soon turned into four-letter words that were not fit for usage in polite company as each blonde implied that their opponent slept around a lot. Victoria could only sit back and watch the spectacle unfold as she grumbled to herself.

It was too early in the morning for this nonsense.

[Post Word Count: 906]
[Total Word Count: 906/11,000]

-1780 King's Court, one hour and fifteen minutes later-

By the time the fender bender had been cleared and traffic started flowing again an hour and fifteen minutes had passed and Victoria was livid. It should not have taken that long for the mess to be cleaned up, but it had taken that long for the mess to be cleaned up. Since there was no way to get back the lost time, the best she could do was make sure that there were no further delays because the head start she got from getting up early had been wiped out waiting for the fender bender to be cleared up.

Victoria pulled into the driveway of Mr. Montgomery's house and took off her backpack, then fished out the art guide that he had loaned Miss Ashford and clutched it in her hand. The brunette put her backpack on, walked up to the front door, and rang the doorbell. About a minute later someone came to the front door and answered it.

"Hey Vic, how's it going?" Allie asked Victoria. The younger Montgomery sister was wearing a plain white t-shirt and black gym shorts.

"Eh, traffic was a pain in the ass, but other than that I'm fine. Listen, is your father here?" Victoria replied before asking if Mr. Montgomery was present. Allie shook her head.

"He left for work almost two hours ago. Why?" Allie asked her. Victoria presented the book to her.

"I'm here on behalf of Miss Octavia Ashford of Sakuramori. Your father loaned her a book on artwork and she hired me to return it for her." Victoria explained why she was here. Allie took the book from her.

"I'll set this on his desk and let him know that you brought this to him. Would you like to come in?" Allie asked Victoria. The brunette shook her head.

"Not this time, Allie. I've got other deliveries to make." Victoria politely refused the offer. She then remembered that she was to call Miss Ashford every time she completed a delivery.

"I'll catch up with you later, Allie. Thanks for taking the book for me!" Victoria excused herself. Allie waved goodbye and shut the door. Victoria then walked towards the driveway and reached her Centaur. She took off her backpack, fished out the list with Miss Ashford's Lacrima Identification Code, and typed the number into her phone. She looked towards Francesca Corlone's driveway as she made the call.

The iLac ringed and ringed until someone picked up.

"Hello?" Miss Ashford asked.

"Hello, Miss Ashford. This is Victoria Sheridan and I've just made the first delivery to Mr. Montgomery's house. Listen, Mr. Montgomery wasn't there to receive it in person, but one of his daughters was at home, so I gave it to her. Is that OK?" Victoria asked her client if the book being given to one of his children was good enough.

"Yes, that's fine, Victoria. I'm glad you returned his book for me because we've been friends since way back. Like "old classmates" way back. Anyway, your second delivery's also in Capital Crocus. You're going to another old friend of mine, a guy named Charles Fauntleroy. He's a professor at Crocus Magicka University." Miss Ashford informed Victoria of where she was supposed to go next. Victoria consulted her list and learned that Professor Fauntleroy lived at 1886 Prince Avenue.

"OK, I'm on the way there now. I'll call you after I make the delivery." Victoria said before hanging up and bringing up the NeverLost app, then entering Professor Fauntleroy's address into the app. It came up as a red dot on the mini-map of Capital Crocus and the path was shown as a line. Victoria put her iLac into the side pocket of her backpack, put the list of addresses away, and climbed onto her Centaur. She was just about to take off when she saw the black sports car containing Francesca pull up into the driveway of the Corlone residence.

Victoria, not wanting to deal with the mob princess today, quickly accelerated and left King's Court before the blonde could get out of her car and hurl insults at the Sabertooth mage.

-1886 Prince Avenue, twenty-five minutes later-

Since she currently did not have a special bracket mounted on her Centaur to keep her iLac in front of her, Victoria was unable to consult the NeverLost app, but she was able to find her way to Prince Avenue without too much trouble thanks to the street signs. It turned out that Prince Avenue was only six blocks away from King's Court.

Victoria carefully pulled into the driveway of the Fauntleroy house and turned off the Centaur, then climbed off of it, took her backpack off, and fished out a thick brown history book on the history of Desierto that the professor had loaned her client. She then put her backpack back on and approached the thick wooden front door of the white single-story house. Victoria rang the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to arrive. She had to wait about five minutes before someone answered.

"Hello? Can I help you?" An older gentleman in a white dress shirt and khaki pants with black dress shoes said to her. In his right hand was a cup of tea.

"Yes, I'm here to deliver a book to Professor Fauntleroy on behalf of Miss Octavia Ashford." Victoria informed the man. He smiled.

"I'm Professor Charles Fauntleroy of Crocus Magic University." He claimed. Victoria analyzed his body language and learned that he was telling the truth. She handed him the thick book and he took it with his left hand, then smiled.

"Thank you for bringing this to me, young lady. Miss Ashford told me that she had been meaning to get it back to me, but she had fallen ill." He told her.

"It's no problem, Professor. Have a good day!" Victoria bade him farewell. He smiled and stepped back inside, closing the door behind him. Victoria fished her iLac out of her side pocket and brought up the contact list, then selected Miss Ashford's number and pressed the dial button. Before she left 1886 Prince Avenue she would confirm that the delivery to the professor had been made.

[Post Word Count: 1,040]
[Total Word Count: 1,946/11,000]

Victoria walked towards the waiting Centaur and sat her backpack on it to pull out the list with the next person she needed to return a book to. She glanced at the list and saw that her third and final delivery in Capital Crocus was on 1416 Monarch's Bridge. She put the list in her backpack and typed the address into the NeverLost app and found that it was only two blocks from here. Victoria changed over to the phone function and called Miss Ashford.

"Hello Miss Ashford. I've delivered the book to Professor Fauntleroy himself. Now I'm on the way to 1416 Monarch's Bridge." Victoria informed her client that the second delivery was a success.

"Excellent. Now I should warn you about Mr. Pryce. He's a bit... odd." Miss Ashford said to Victoria.

"Odd? How?" Victoria asked.

"I don't think he's playing with a full deck, if you know what I mean. He's got a mix of an obsession with books, paranoia, and anger issues. He'll probably think that you're a saleswoman for a book club or a corporate spy looking to steal his books so that he's forced to consume mass media. He almost always carries a walking stick and he's not afraid to use it. Be careful." Miss Ashford warned Victoria about her next delivery. The brunette frowned. Now Miss Ashford warned her. At least her client had the courtesy to tell her about the next delivery's... quirks.

"OK, thanks for the tip. I'll let you know when I make the delivery." Victoria informed the client, then hung up. Victoria put the iLac in the right side pocket and took off her Silver Dagger, putting it back in the backpack now that there was a bit of room for it. She got onto the Centaur, slowly reversed it until she was on the road, then accelerated and set course for 1416 Monarch's Bridge.

-1416 Monarch's Bridge, ten minutes later-

Victoria pulled up to the driveway of 1416 Monarch's Bridge, which was a nice-looking two-story home with a lot of security cameras. There were cameras above the front door, at the sides, and in the back yard protected by a six-foot-high wrought iron fence. Victoria quickly took off her backpack, fished out the book that he had loaned the client, and held it in her right hand as she approached the door. She glanced down at it and learned that it was an book on the history of Capital Crocus bound in leather.

Victoria had not even reached the front door of the house when an angry bald man in a white long-sleeved shirt with a gray sweater over it, khaki pants, and black dress shoes stormed out with a thick wooden cane in his right hand and got within two feet of Victoria before stopping. He must have been Mr. Pryce.

"GET OFF MY PROPERTY, YOU DAMN CORPORATE SPY! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I DON'T WANT YOU ON MY PROPERTY?!" He yelled at her. Victoria paused in place and offered the book to him. He swatted at her right hand with the end of the cane, causing her to pull her hand back.

"You're here to see if you can sneak in and steal my books, aren't you? You're here to take them away so that I have no choice but to listen to mass media, aren't you?" He asked her suspiciously. Victoria blinked.

"Um, no Sir, I'm not. I'm just here to give you a book-" Victoria replied. Saying that made him angry.

"Want me to buy the latest "chart-topper" book churned out by your corporation, huh? Tell your corporate masters that I don't want what they're selling! I don't want your damn book!" He yelled and waved the cane for emphasis. Victoria went from shocked to confused. What did he mean by "corporate spy"?

"I told them that I didn't want their books, but they don't listen! I don't want to join the book club! I used to be a librarian and I've got all the books I could ever want! I've got REAL books written by REAL authors, not paint-by-numbers watered-down drivel that some corporate employee churned out while hunched over their typewriter in a cramped cubicle!" He continued to rant at Victoria. The brunette blinked. What was a typewriter?

"They think that just because I'm old that I'm dumb and I'll buy anything some young tart throws at me. I'm not stupid. They can't sway Harold Pryce with their slick ads and attractive young women who are just computer creations made to sell things!" He shouted in defiance. Victoria was not sure if that "young tart" was her or one of numerous young women featured on television commercials, but she let it slide. It was nothing to get bent out of shape over. Besides, she had been called much worse.

"Um, Sir, this is your book. It's on the history of Capital Crocus. You loaned it to a Miss Octavia Ashford." Victoria gently reminded him that the "damn book" he was refusing to accept was a book from his personal library. He glared at her with beady brown eyes. Then he lightened up, but only a little.

"Oh, right. I'll take that. It took Miss Ashford long enough to give it back. I was starting to think that she had copied its contents by hand or something. Before the printing press was invented monks living in monasteries copied books by hand. Look it up sometime... if you can even read something other than an iLac screen." He said and took the book from her with his free hand. Victoria frowned a little. She might not be the most educated person on the planet, but she was not illiterate. She had grown up with books. Well, tattered secondhand books with partially torn and dog-eared pages that her adoptive father bought for her whenever he could, but they were paper books nonetheless.

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Pryce. Have a good day, Sir." Victoria said to him calmly. She did not appreciate the jab at her reading ability, but it was nothing to freak out and cause a scene over. She turned to walk away and he shouted at her one last time.

"Put down your iLac screen, young lady! Go to your local library and read paper books while you still can! Buy them in bookstores before they're gone!" Mr. Pryce encouraged Victoria. Victoria smiled and nodded. He obviously had something against corporations and mass media, but she was not going to look into his reasoning. He was a bit of a kook, but he was entitled to his opinion. She heard the door to his house slam shut and was glad that she had made the delivery before he really got going on the evils of corporations and mass media.

Now Victoria had to let Miss Ashford know that the delivery to Mr. Pryce was successful.

[Post Word Count: 1,160]
[Total Word Count: 3,106/11,000]

-Outside of a convenience store, fifteen minutes later-

Victoria had stopped at an unremarkable convenience store to use the restroom, stretch her legs, and buy a can of Strawberry Slam for the road. With the can of Strawberry Slam in hand, Victoria approached her Centaur, which was still in its parking space and in one piece. She took off her backpack, set it on the seat of the vehicle, and fished out the list to see where her next delivery would take her.

Victoria read over the list and saw that her next delivery would take her to the outskirts of Hargeon Town, that port town that she had not been to in quite some time. It was going to be a fairly long drive, but Victoria did not mind. Hargeon Town was a nice place to visit with a definite "port town" vibe and plenty of nice seafood restaurants. But before she zoomed on to Hargeon Town she needed to let Miss Ashford know that the delivery to Mr. Pryce had been successful.

Victoria put the list away, fished the iLac out of her side pocket, and set down the can of Strawberry Slam before calling Miss Ashford. Victoria patiently listened to the phone ring for two minutes before she got an answer.

"Hello Miss Ashford. I've made the book delivery to Mr. Pryce. I'm on the way to Hargeon Town to make the next delivery." Victoria informed the client.

"Excellent. Mr. Pryce didn't hurt you with his cane, did he?" Miss Ashford asked.

"No, he didn't hurt me with his cane, just with his words. He lectured me about mass media and how it was cranked out by underpaid corporate employees. He implied that I was addicted to my iLac and urged me to buy and read paper books before they were gone." Victoria replied with a brief summary of the encounter with Mr. Pryce. She heard a sigh of relief on the other end.

"I'm glad to hear that, Victoria. Mr. Pryce is more than a bit odd, but he's a good man. He's just really opinionated." Miss Ashford said to her. Victoria did not comment on that. The old librarian seemed like a good guy deep down... if one could look past his serious grudge against mass media and his penchant for waving a cane as a weapon.

"I'm about to leave Capital Crocus now. Is there anything I need to know about the next person I'm returning a book to?" Victoria asked her client.

"Yes. You're making a delivery to a Mrs. Francine Bradshaw. She's a woman who's a college classmate of mine. She's a pretty nice person. However, she's a dog breeder who's fond of them." Miss Ashford replied. Victoria blinked. What kind of dogs? Small lapdogs or big guard dogs that could rip the brunette's arm off if they got angry?

"Great. What kind of dogs are we talking about? Small breed or large breed?" Victoria asked, trying to conceal the fact that she was afraid of dogs. Just thinking about dogs made her recall the bad old days when she was chased by German Shepherds or Rottweilers through the back alleys of Capital Crocus.

"Large breed. German Shepherds are her favorite." Miss Ashford answered. Victoria felt her face go pale when "German Shepherds" were mentioned. She had a lot of bad memories of those dogs.

"OK. Thanks for the warning." Victoria said. Her apprehension must have been on her voice because Miss Ashford was moved to comment on it.

"You don't sound so chipper, Victoria. Are you sure you still want to make that delivery?" Miss Ashford asked Victoria. The brunette decided to come clean about her fear of dogs.

"In the past I've had some bad encounters with German Shepherds. I'm still willing to make the delivery, though. You hired me to do this, so I'm gonna follow through." Victoria told the client, omitting that she had been chased by them several times in the past.

"OK then. They shouldn't bother you too much as long as Mrs. Bradshaw's with you." Miss Ashford told Victoria.

"OK. Thanks." Victoria said before ending communication, putting the iLac into the left side pocket of the backpack, and hopping onto her Centaur for another road trip. Maybe there would not be another traffic jam and Victoria could get out of town and make it to Hargeon Town within the next couple of hours. Victoria backed out of her parking space and turned left, then gently accelerated out of the parking lot.

-The outskirts of Hargeon Town, three hours and five minutes later-

Despite her prayers Victoria had gotten caught in another traffic jam on the outskirts of Capital Crocus. This time a young man in a navy blue polo shirt and white cargo shorts with brown deck shoes driving a red convertible had bent the fender of a young twentysomething man's blue sports car. Much like with the battling blondes from hours ago, the two young men immediately began to argue and posture to see who could assert dominance before the authorities got to the scene. The blue sports car's owner, a man wearing a red football jersey and blue jeans with white tennis shoes, had held his own against the red convertible's driver and gave as good as he got. However, it ended in a draw when the authorities showed up.

After the hour-plus wait Victoria had gotten free and had covered the distance from Capital Crocus to Hargeon Town in a little over an hour and a half. She could have made it sooner if she had not stopped to drink her Strawberry Slam, read the list, and put Mrs. Bradshaw's address into the NeverLost app, but she doubted that anyone cared just so long as she made the delivery in a somewhat timely fashion. Now she had reached the outskirts of Hargeon Town.

Victoria pulled over to the side of the road and brought out her iLac to guide her to 601 Lighthouse Hill. No one was around, so the brunette would drive with her iLac out until she got close to where she was going. According to the iLac, the house was so far in the outskirts that it was almost out in the country. Mrs. Bradshaw probably chose that location so that she could raise her German Shepherds in peace and give them plenty of outdoor space to run around in.

Victoria set aside her concerns about the dogs and slowly got back on the road, driving slowly so that she did not lose control of the Centaur while she was browsing her iLac. She carefully made her way towards 601 Lighthouse Hill while keeping an eye out for pedestrians.

[Post Word Count: 1,120]
[Total Word Count: 4,226/11,000]

-601 Lighthouse Hill, twenty-five minutes later-

Victoria pulled up to the wrought iron gate of the Bradshaw house and dismounted from the Centaur. She took off her backpack, put the iLac in the side pocket, and then dug out the list of people Miss Ashford still owed books to. Her eyes went down the list until she found Mrs. Bradshaw. Mrs. Bradshaw was due a book on dog breeds. Victoria looked in the bag and dug out a large brown-covered book on dog breeds, smiling in amusement as she did so.

Miss Ashford did not own any dogs, so why did she bother to borrow a book on dog breeds? Victoria thought about it a little and had a hypothesis.

Maybe Miss Ashford was in the market for a canine companion and wanted to make sure that she got the one right for her.

That was Victoria's hypothesis, but she was not getting paid to determine whether her client was looking for a pet or not. She was getting paid to return overdue books to their owners. Victoria put the list back in her backpack, closed it up, and went to the gate to return the book in her hand to its owner. About 25 meters away from her was a large two-story brick house that was sturdily built and was surrounded by an eight-foot-high brick wall with the exception of the gate she was standing in front of. Its most distinctive feature was a set of dark wooden double doors that served as front doors.

Victoria noticed that the gate had a box on the left and walked up to it. A quick glance told her that it was the means to contact the owner. Victoria located a white square button below a grill and pressed it, causing it to make a buzzing noise. She froze in place when she heard the sound of barking from the yard.

"Who is it?" A female voice asked. Victoria pressed the button and spoke into the grill.

"I'm Victoria Sheridan. I'm here on behalf of Miss Ashford to return a book that she owes you." Victoria replied calmly. Her calm was beginning to fade as the barking intensified. She hoped that Mrs. Bradshaw would hurry up and get here.

"Oh, right! Miss Ashford called earlier and told me to expect someone with that name! I'll be right out!" Mrs. Bradshaw told her. Victoria felt relief... until the front door to the house opened and out poured a pack of fifteen German Shepherds! She took a step back from the gate and watched with horror as they closed the twenty-five-meter distance with alarming speed. Victoria did not have a stopwatch handy, but she estimated that it took the dogs only about ten or twelve seconds to close the distance between the front door and the gate. If there had been no gate between them and Victoria had been on foot there was a good chance that they could have caught her without much trouble because the sight of them made the brunette freeze.

They reminded her of the rotting Dobermans from Silent Cemetery; their coloration was a lot healthier than that of the zombie dogs, but the speed and pack mentality was the same. She was glad that there was a fence between them because the dogs slammed up against the gate and raised themselves onto their hind legs while barking nonstop. The brunette took another step back in case a freak accident happened and they managed to break down the gate.

Victoria was so focused on the barking German Shepherds in front of her that she failed to notice Mrs. Bradshaw walking up to the gate.

"Hello? Miss Sheridan?" A female voice asked. Victoria heard the voice and focused on its source, which was a brown-haired woman in her late twenties or early thirties wearing a pink long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans with brown work boots. Victoria looked for the dogs and noticed that they had parted to allow Mrs. Bradshaw to walk up to the gate. They had also gone silent except for panting.

Victoria was unnerved by how the German Shepherds could got from slamming against the gate and barking loudly to quiet and docile. She walked over to the gate and handed Mrs. Bradshaw the book through a gap in the bars. The Sabertooth mage then stepped back in case the dogs got excited again. Mrs. Bradshaw noticed that and spoke to Victoria again.

"Would you like to come in and meet my German Shepherds?" Mrs. Bradshaw asked Victoria. The brunette took another step back.

"No thank you, Mrs. Bradshaw. I still have other deliveries to make. It was nice meeting you!" Victoria excused herself and hopped onto her Centaur, slowly accelerating away from the house. She wanted to get way from those dogs. They creeped her out to no end. One moment they were trying their best to tear down the gate and then the next they were calm. Victoria wanted no part of that.

-On the road towards Magnolia Town-

Once Victoria was far, far away from Mrs. Bradshaw and her German Shepherds Victoria pulled off to the side of the road and dismounted the Centaur, then took off her backpack and pulled out her trusty list. Now that Mrs. Bradshaw's book had been returned she needed to go to Rose Garden for the next delivery. Victoria sighed.

Her backside was going to be really sore by the time she got to that faraway town she had not visited in years.

Victoria took a deep breath and hopped back onto the Centaur, then accelerated to 5 MPH and set a course for Rose Garden.

That town held so many memories for Victoria. Rose Garden was her old home from the days she was a part of Black Rose. She wondered how much the place had changed over the years but had never gotten around to finding out. She had not visited Rose Garden ever since leaving it to join Sabertooth the day she discovered that Black Rose had disbanded. In a few hours she would be able to find out exactly how much Rose Garden had changed.

[Post Word Count: 1,030]
[Total Word Count: 5,256/11,000]

-Three hours later, Ace of Spades-

Victoria had been on the road to Rose Garden for three hours and was now entering Ace Of Spades to take a brief break. Her backside was killing her and she really needed to stretch her legs, but she also really needed to get to Rose Garden and make the delivery there. Victoria weighed the pros and cons of each as she slowed down to a safer speed to reduce the chances of hitting a pedestrian or a vehicle in Sabertooth's hometown.

If Victoria stopped now, she could stretch her legs and regain some much-needed focus for the road ahead. She could also drop off unneeded items back at the Guild Hall to free up space in her backpack for the books that needed to be delivered. Victoria was tempted to stop and rest awhile before getting back on the road so that she could be focused for the lengthy trip that was still ahead of her.

However, the brunette was afraid that stopping would cost her valuable time that she would need to make up one way or another. Victoria also did not need to take too long with her book deliveries because she might be on a timer. She did not know the schedules of the people Miss Ashford owed books to, only that the client owed books to people and she would like for them to be returned as soon as possible. Victoria was not sure what to do, so she made her way to the Red Dragon Inn to have a guaranteed safe place to pause and use the restroom, perhaps even get a quick meal before completing the trip to Rose Garden.

-Outside Red Dragon Inn, five minutes later-

Victoria parked her DH-40 Centaur a short distance away and turned it off, then climbed off the vehicle. Her backside was really hurting from sitting on it for the past three hours and she was glad to get off of it for a few minutes. Judging from the people streaming into and out of the inn, it was quite busy. The brunette was here to use the restroom and get a non-alcoholic drink for the road. She walked up to the inn door and opened it, then stepped inside.

-Inside Red Dragon Inn, ten minutes later-

Victoria exited the restroom and made her way to the bar to order a drink for the road, settling in line to wait her turn. There were fifteen people ahead of her and they looked pretty hungry. Victoria was hungry herself and she would have preferred to get a bottle of vodka and some chicken wings, but she took a deep breath and set aside what she wanted to focus on the job at hand.

As tempting as it was to wait in line and get a meal, there was long line of fifteen people waiting to place orders and she did not have time to waste standing around. Miss Ashford would be quite displeased to find out that her trusted courier had decided to slack off and spend some time at an inn. If Miss Ashford got angry and complained to Sabertooth's top brass the brunette would be in deep trouble. Not wanting to risk that, the brunette decided to just get back on the road before Miss Ashford called and found out that her courier was slacking off. The Sabertooth mage reluctantly got out of line and made for the exit, leaving the bustling inn behind.

-Outside Red Dragon Inn, five minutes later-

Victoria walked back to her Centaur and found it exactly where it had been parked. She climbed on board and felt her backside ache again as she sat down in the seat and got ready for the lengthy drive. She put the key in the ignition and cranked the Centaur up, then slowly backed out of the space and turned until the vehicle was straight. Once the way was clear Victoria gently increased the throttle and got up to two MPH, then stopped at the entrance to the road to let a cluster of pedestrians pass on their way to the inn. Once they had moved on Victoria turned onto the road and resumed her trip to Rose Garden.

-Three hours later, in Rose Garden-

After another three-hour drive Victoria finally arrived in Rose Garden. It was now nighttime, but the town's streetlights were so bright that she would not have been able to tell. Victoria stopped on the side of the road, climbed off of the Centaur, took off her backpack, and fished out the list. She could not help but to chuckle when she read the destination.

Her stop in Rose Garden was Silver Moon Inn.

Victoria had spent many a day there slinging drinks and meeting people before she had made her way to Red Dragon Inn after Black Rose disbanded. Silver Moon Inn was also where she had encountered Francesca Corlone, that mob princess who seemed to make it her mission in life to antagonize and inconvenience Victoria any chance she got. The brunette frowned when she recalled the night she made a perfectly mixed Bloody Mary for Francesca only to have the blonde throw it on the brunette just because she could.

Since Victoria knew the way to the inn from her previous trips to Rose Garden, she did not need the help of the NeverLost app to get there. All she needed to do was get through town without hitting anyone or anything on the Centaur. She dug out the book that was to go back to Silver Moon Inn and found a brown leather book that was a book of popular drink recipes with the title in gold. Victoria chuckled again as she put it away in the backpack, put the backpack back on, and then gently accelerated towards Silver Moon Inn for a trip to a place that had been important to her life in Black Rose.

-Eighteen minutes later, outside Silver Moon Inn-

Victoria parked a short distance away from Silver Moon Inn, turned off the Centaur, and pulled the ignition key out. She got off the vehicle and took off her backpack, then fished out the book and took it into her hands. She put on her backpack and walked towards the inn with the book firmly in hand. Revisiting the inn after not going to it for over a year would be a trip down Memory Lane for the brunette.

[Post Word Count: 1,082]
[Total Word Count: 6,338/11,000]

-Inside Silver Moon Inn, the first floor-

Victoria wiped her feet off on the mat inside the door and walked into Silver Moon Inn to find that the place had totally changed since the last time she had been here. The interior walls looked a lot different and the place felt a lot different... it had an upscale restaurant feel that she could not recall the original Silver Moon Inn having. She looked around the restaurant and saw that it was packed with patrons... that brought back memories of her days with Black Rose slinging drinks at the bar. Speaking of the bar, Victoria saw it in the back of the restaurant and was pleased to see that it was stocked with a wide variety of drinks. She was almost tempted to walk to it and get a drink when an employee walked up to Victoria and engaged her in conversation.

"Hello, miss, and welcome to Silver Moon Inn! May I help you?" A young black-haired man dressed in dark clothing and wearing a black apron with the restaurant name in silver asked her. In his hands was a large laminated menu. Victoria looked towards him and spoke.

"Yes. I'm here to deliver a book to the Silver Moon Inn's manager that they're owed." Victoria said to the youth and took off her backpack, then produced the list with the person's name on it and pointed to it. The youth read the list and nodded when he saw the name.

"The manager's very busy right now, but if you'll wait a minute I'll take the book to him right away." The youth told her. Victoria analyzed his body language and learned that he was not going to pull a fast one on her and steal the book for himself. She nodded and handed the book over.

"I'll be waiting for you at the bar... if that's OK with you." Victoria said to the youth. He nodded and took off straight for the manager's office. Meanwhile she walked towards the bar while looking at the decor. The inn's decor looked rather new... had something happened here to make new decor necessary?

Victoria walked up to an empty stool at the bar and took a seat, ignoring the pain in her backside. She glanced at the drinks available and saw a lot of familiar names, including all the brands of vodka she drank. The brunette gave a small smile when she saw Albino Gander on display. That was her go-to drink, but she could not take a shot of it before getting back on the Centaur. She had to be completely sober to drive the Centaur to her next destination... speaking of which, where was her next destination anyway?

Victoria began to look at the list and looked below the manager of Silver Moon Inn. She found that her next destination was Motor City. It seemed that her job was going to take her on a trip all across Fiore before it was over. At least Miss Ashford paid well for the Sabertooth mage's time and effort.

Victoria put her list away and waited at the bar until a young woman with black hair and a ponytail much like Victoria's own approached her. She was dressed in dark clothing and a black apron with the inn's name in silver.

"Welcome to Silver Moon Inn! What will you be having tonight?" The young woman asked Victoria. The brunette smiled.

"I'll be having a glass of ice water, please." Victoria replied. She really wanted a Screwdriver, but she was not going to risk drinking and driving and all the trouble that would result from getting caught with even a bit of alcohol in her bloodstream. She would save the Screwdriver for when she got back to Red Dragon Inn and could drink as much as she wanted because she would not be driving then.

"Certainly. Wait one moment, please." The black-haired employee bade Victoria. The brunette nodded and watched the employee get a glass, fill it halfway with ice, then pour filtered water into it, all in the space of a minute before gently setting it in front of Victoria.

"Thanks." Victoria said before raising the glass and taking a sip. It was pretty good filtered water that had a pleasant taste. One day she would come back to the bar to get a real drink, but for tonight this glass of ice water would do. Victoria felt a tap on her left shoulder and turned around to find the young man from earlier waiting for her.

"I've delivered the book to the manager and he told me to pass along his gratitude to both you and Miss Ashford." He informed her. Victoria saw that he was telling the truth when he said that he had delivered the book. That pleased her.

"Thank you." Victoria thanked the youth for his effort. She then turned back to the bar and paid for her drink, then finished it in a prolonged chug like she used when drinking vodka. She gently set the glass down on the bar and stood up to leave. She had a long ride to Motor City and had spent enough time here.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Miss?" The young male employee asked. Victoria's initial response was to politely decline and get back on the road, but then she felt really hungry. She had not had very much to eat all day long and now her stomach was telling her that she needed to eat. Unable to ignore that need any longer, Victoria looked at him.

"Does Silver Moon Inn do takeout meals?" Victoria asked. While she did not have time to sit down and eat in the place she used to work at, if she could get a hamburger to go or something she would take that on the road and eat somewhere between Rose Garden and Motor City. Miss Ashford would not begrudge her doing that.

-Outside Silver Moon Inn, twenty-five minutes later-

Clutching a white plastic bag containing a hamburger in a white styrofoam container and a to-go cup of ice water, Victoria did a delicate balancing act as she set the bag of food and the drink cup drink down on the ground, then took off her backpack and got out the ignition key for the Centaur. She then put the plastic bag containing the hamburger in her back pack, put her backpack back on, cranked the Centaur, and then picked up her cup of ice water and drank a little from it before taking off her backpack and placing the cup in the side pocket opposite her iLac.

Victoria took a deep breath and looked around her before putting the vehicle in reverse. She saw a nearby road sign indicating that she was on Silver Moon Street. She did not recall that sign being here last time, but she did not recall a lot of things about Rose Garden since the last time she was here. Victoria would have to go down Memory Lane later... right now she needed to get to Motor City.

Victoria gently straightened out the Centaur and began to move forward until she was on the road, then turned onto it and began to head for Motor City.

[Post Word Count: 1,220]
[Total Word Count: 7,558/11,000]

-Motor City, two hours later, outside Dr. Reid's Laboratory-

After another grueling two-hour ride Victoria came to a halt outside Dr. Reid's laboratory. She had parked at the garage door and gotten off of the Centaur, then walked over to the door and found the speaker. She took off her backpack, fished out the list, and found the doctor's name along with the password needed to gain access to the laboratory. Once she found the password the brunette pressed the button to get the doctor's attention.

"Password?" The doctor asked. Victoria looked on the list and found it written below the doctor's name. It was "Tesla."

"Tesla." Victoria replied with confidence. The door to the left opened and Dr. Reid stepped out. She was wearing her pink tube top and khaki cargo shorts with brown work boots but no lab coat. Dr. Reid looked like she had been burning the midnight oil for more than two consecutive nights and her hair was a barely organized mess.

"Oh hey Victoria. What brings you here?" Dr. Reid asked the brunette in a weary voice.

"I'm here to deliver a book that Miss Ashford borrowed from you." Victoria said. Dr. Reid gave Victoria a blank look for a moment before realizing what the brunette had said and smiling weakly.

"Oh, right! I remember now!" The doctor exclaimed. She looked towards the Centaur parked in front of the garage door and looked towards Victoria.

"Hang on a minute and I'll raise the door for you!" Dr. Reid said before closing the door behind her and disappearing inside the laboratory. About a minute later the garage door opened and the doctor waved at Victoria.

"Come on in, Victoria!" The doctor bade her. Victoria flashed a thumbs-up, then walked back over to the Centaur, climbed on board, and cranked it up. She then gently guided it into the garage and the garage door was lowered behind her.

-Inside Dr. Reid's Laboratory, the kitchen, three minutes later-

Victoria and Dr. Reid were sitting inside a kitchen a short distance away from the laboratory. Dr. Reid was leaning against a counter to Victoria's left sipping from a white mug of coffee that declared "I'll sleep when I'm dead!" in bold black letters. Victoria sat at a small square table near the right wall and munched on her cold hamburger and sipped lukewarm water that had once been ice water. Victoria was too tired and too hungry to care about niceties like heating the hamburger in a microwave.

"So you've got a book for me, huh?" Dr. Reid asked while drinking Motor City Nitro. The brunette could see that with each cup the doctor drank she looked like she was coming back to life. Her voice was getting stronger too.

"Yeah, Dr. Reid. Hang on and I'll get it for you." Victoria said. She got up from her seat and walked over to her backpack sitting in a chair against the right wall, then remembered that only moments before she had been handling a greasy hamburger. Touching the doctor's book with greasy hands was not a good idea. Victoria turned around and walked over to the sink, turned on the water and wet her hands, put some soap in her hands, and washed them, then dried them off with two paper towels put together. Once that was done Victoria discarded the paper towels in a wastebasket and walked back over to her backpack, then opened it up and fished out the book of Dr. Reid's.

Victoria held up a medium-sized blue book that was an introduction to robotics. She walked over to the doctor and handed it to the blonde doctor. Dr. Reid set aside the coffee mug and smiled when she took it into her hands.

"Ah yes, I definitely remember now! Miss Ashford borrowed this book from me a couple of months ago. I'm glad to have it back!" Dr. Reid informed Victoria. The brunette smiled a little. She watched Dr. Reid take the book out of the kitchen and into a side room, then return to continue the conversation.

"Fixing Dr. DuGalle's project is taking a very long time, Victoria. I haven't been able to find anyone willing to help me with it and I've had to be discreet when I did ask for help. I've had to work on it alone and I've had to slowly find the parts and buy them one by one so that I don't draw too much attention to myself." Dr. Reid informed Victoria about how the effort to fix her mentor's project had been going. Victoria was not terribly surprised to hear that. It sounded like Dr. Reid had had to be very careful when procuring what she needed to fix it. Considering that the robot was a war machine, Victoria did not blame the blonde doctor for moving slowly and carefully.

"I'm in no hurry, Doctor. Just take your time and be careful. I don't want you getting in trouble on my behalf." Victoria told the blonde. She did not want the doctor to be arrested for working on a war machine that may or may not be illegal. Victoria also did not want to get into trouble for not handing the robot over to the authorities, but the chance to have a powerful war machine as a partner was just too good to pass up.

"I'll be careful. In the meantime, is there anything else I can do for you?" Dr. Reid asked Victoria while the latter bit into her cold hamburger. The brunette hurriedly chewed it and looked at the doctor for a moment before turning them elsewhere. Victoria's eyes settled on the coffee pot sitting on the coffeemaker on the left corner of the counter.

"I'm on a job and I've got some more driving to do before I get to go home, Doctor. Do you have any Motor City Nitro to spare?" Victoria asked the blonde. The brunette knew that she was taking a big risk getting wired on coffee, but she needed something to fight the fatigue she was feeling. Coffee was the best thing she could think of to get through the ride to her next destination.

Victoria went back to the backpack and got the list to read where she was going to be going next. Her eyes drifted down the list and located where she was going next. Her next destination was Sakuramori. That was not terribly far from here.

[Post Word Count: 1,080]
[Total Word Count: 8,638/11,000]

-Sakuramori, two hours later-

Wired on a liberal quantity of Motor City Nitro thanks to Dr. Reid's generosity, Victoria rolled into Sakuramori and stopped outside what she hoped was her final destination. Victoria hopped off of the Centaur and pulled out the final book she was to deliver, which was a book on herbal medicine with a gray cover. Victoria wondered whose book it was until she read the list and found a familiar name.

Florence Manderley.

Victoria could hardly believe that Florence would even own a book on herbal medicine because the blonde doctor seemed like the type who would not give traditional medicine a second glance. However, like the time she had discovered her mentor's fondness for metal music, appearances could be deceiving. Victoria put away the list, took the book to the front door, and knocked.

The brunette heard shouting and patiently waited for the door to open. About three minutes later out came Florence dressed for work with a white lab coat, white blouse, black knee-length skirt, and black dress shoes. The blonde looked at Victoria and waved.

"Oh, hey Victoria! It's nice to see you again! I didn't expect to see you this early in the day, but it's nice to see you!" Florence said to Victoria. The brunette smiled at her mentor and presented the book.

"I was sent here to deliver this book on behalf of Miss Ashford-" Victoria started her spiel before being cut off with a raised hand.

"Miss Ashford told me to expect your arrival at some point. I didn't expect it to be so early in the morning. Say, you look kinda different." Florence said to Victoria. The blonde woman made eye contact with the brunette and began to look her over with a critical eye. The wired Sabertooth mage continued to smile to try and distract her mentor from the fact that hours ago she had downed three cups of coffee with triple the caffeine of normal coffee. If the doctor found that out she would be angry with her student.

"You look kinda jittery. Have you been taking caffeine pills?" Florence asked Victoria in a tone of suspicion.

"No. I'm really wired off of Motor City Nitro. Like three cups in a row wired." Victoria came clean with her mentor. Florence frowned deeply.

"You drank Motor City Nitro? THREE cups of it, one behind the other? Coffee that advertises that a single cup has three times the caffeine of other coffee brands?" Florence asked Victoria, growing more and more upset with each question. Victoria knew that a stern lecture was coming her way.

"I can't believe that you'd do such a thing, Victoria! You should know how bad that much caffeine is for you!" Florence began to lecture her student on the evils of consuming too much of that kind of drink. Victoria frowned. The doctor would hit the roof if she ever learned of Dr. Reid's caffeine consumption.

"I know it's bad for me, but I had to ride across a lot of Fiore to get here. I'm really tired and my ass hurts really bad from hours of sitting. I'm driving a vehicle that can go from 0 to 100 in sixty seconds. It's better that I'm wired on caffeine than drowsy as hell." Victoria said in her defense. Florence frowned at Victoria before resuming the lecture.

"You're lucky that the worst that's happened to you is that you're jittery. If you're not used to that kind of caffeine a lot of bad things can happen to you. Caffeine's no substitute for scheduling breaks when you travel." Florence continued. Victoria continued to frown. It felt like she was being talked down to by someone she trusted to treat her with a modicum of respect. The brunette knew that Florence was talking to her as a health care professional, so Victoria kept her mouth shut and refrained from being too aggressive in defending herself.

"I didn't know what kind of timetable I was on. That's on me. I shoulda asked before I zipped off into the distance with all those books." Victoria started as calm a defense as she could mount.

"I shoulda asked what kind of timetable I was on, but I didn't think to do that. More than once I was tempted to take a break, but I didn't want word getting back to Miss Ashford that I was being lazy instead of doing what I was hired to do. So I kept going. And I probably pushed myself a bit too hard by zipping around all day and night, but I'm almost finished... you're the last delivery I have to make." Victoria continued to calmly defend her actions. She did not know what she was getting into when she drank so much of the coffee that Dr. Reid seemed to live on, but that was on her. Victoria was not going to make excuses for it.

"As soon as I'm finished here and confirm that Miss Ashford doesn't need me to make any more deliveries I'm gonna go home and pass out for awhile. I'm not gonna operate a motor vehicle for the rest of the day. I'll also lay off the Strawberry Slam." Victoria promised Florence that after getting paid by Miss Ashford that the Sabertooth mage would go home and sleep, browse the Lacrimanet on her Daggerbook, or do anything other than drive the Centaur. Upon hearing that Florence stopped frowning and relented.

"Look, Victoria. I know that you're a busy mage who's trying to make a Jewel, but don't push yourself too hard. And try not to drink too much Motor City Nitro in the future because that stuff can be almost as bad for you as the vodka you drink." Florence said to Victoria in a gentle voice. Victoria stopped frowning and smiled a little.

"I'll try not to drink so much Motor City Nitro in the future. I promise." Victoria promised her mentor.

"You probably shouldn't try to drive back to Ace Of Spades, but I won't keep you here if you think you can make it. Once you're finished with Miss Ashford give me a call. You have an iLac, right?" Florence asked Victoria. The brunette nodded. The pair pulled out iLacs and exchanged Lacrima Identification Codes so that they could easily keep in touch with one another. Once that was done Florence put away her iLac and Victoria put away her own.

"Well, I've gotta get to work. I'll see you again some time. Take care, Victoria!" Florence bade her student farewell. Victoria waved goodbye and hopped onto her Centaur to go and finish things up with Miss Ashford. Maybe she would not have to make any more deliveries after making the delivery to her mentor.

[Post Word Count: 1,130]
[Total Word Count: 9,768/11,000]

-At Miss Ashford's house, ten minutes later-

Victoria and Miss Ashford stood outside the latter's house as they reviewed the job and whether any more deliveries needed to be made. Miss Ashford seemed to be pleased with the Sabertooth mage's work. Victoria was doing all she could to stay focused and awake long enough to get through the discussion and get paid.

"So you delivered all the books on the list I provided you?" Miss Ashford asked Victoria. Victoria nodded.

"It took me awhile to get them all delivered, but I did it." Victoria replied calmly, struggling to keep the fatigue off of her voice. The caffeine was starting to wear off a little and she was starting to feel the exhaustion that had accumulated over the past half-day or so. Miss Ashford smiled a little.

"I knew that I could count on you, Miss Sheridan. I've gotten calls from everyone confirming that they got their books back. Everyone except Miss Manderley." The client praised the brunette's diligence and informed her that she had gotten confirmation of each delivery. Victoria smiled wearily.

"I gave her her book ten minutes ago before she had to go to work. You can call her if you'd like. Or I can call her for you." Victoria offered to provide proof that she had made the last delivery. The client shook her head.

"That won't be necessary, Miss Sheridan. I know that you got the job done." Miss Ashford said, refusing the offer for Victoria to call Florence for confirmation. Victoria, not wanting to press the issue, relented.

"OK then. Are there any more deliveries that I need to make for you, Miss Ashford?" Victoria asked the client if there was anything else that she needed to deliver on her behalf. Victoria did not actually expect anything, but it was good form to ask. Miss Ashford shook her head.

"No, Miss Sheridan. You've done what I hired you for. I don't need anything else from you today." The client confirmed that the job was indeed completed. Victoria kept a straight face, but she was celebrating on the inside. As soon as she got back to Ace Of Spades she was going to go to Sabertooth Guild Hall, go straight to her room, walk to her bed, and pass out for several hours. Once she woke up she was going to go to Red Dragon Inn and get some food to eat at the inn.

Miss Ashford went back into her house and left Victoria standing outside. The brunette remained in place while the client went about her business. Victoria did not have too long to wait because three minutes later Miss Ashford came out carrying a large bag of Jewels that she handed to the Sabertooth mage.

"Here's your payment for a job well done, Miss Sheridan. You did me a big favor by returning all of those books for me in such a timely fashion. I can't thank you enough." Miss Ashford presented Victoria with the payment and thanked her for her hard work. Victoria smiled widely. The Jewels made riding across a good chunk of Fiore worth every minute.

"It's no problem. I'm glad that I could help." Victoria replied with sincerity. Miss Ashford smiled.

"Now that I've got your Lacrima identification Code, I can call you whenever I need your services. Keep an eye on your iLac because I might call you with more work some time in the future." Miss Ashford let Victoria know that more work might be sent her way in the future. Victoria nodded.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye on my iLac." Victoria assured the client. Miss Ashford smiled and turned back towards her home.

"I'll see you later, Miss Sheridan. And thanks again for your hard work." The client bade Victoria farewell. Victoria waved goodbye and watched Miss Ashford enter her house before shutting the door. Victoria took her backpack off, put the bag of Jewels inside, and then pulled out her iLac. She was going to keep her word to Florence and call her before setting out for Ace Of Spades.

Victoria sat on the Centaur and took her iLac into her right hand. She quickly found Florence's Lacrima Identification Code and called it. After three minutes of waiting Florence picked up.

"Hello?" Florence asked.

"It's me, Victoria. I know you're busy, so I'll be brief. I'm gonna drive to Ace of Spades." Victoria told Florence of her decision. She could hear the blonde sigh in resignation. It was obvious that Florence was hoping that Victoria would remain in Sakuramori, but the blonde was not going to stop her student from going home if the latter felt that she could make it.

"OK, Victoria. Just be careful and let me know the moment you get to Ace Of Spades." Florence ordered Victoria.

"I'll let you know the moment I get there." Victoria promised her mentor.

"OK. Talk to you then." Florence said and hung up. Victoria hung up and put away her iLac, then got onto the Centaur and cranked it up. She gently put the vehicle in reverse until she was aligned with the road, then gently accelerated to three MPH and began making her way out of Sakuramori. Victoria was going to take the trip to Ace Of Spades nice and slow. Now that her job was finished there was no need to hurry and risk hurting someone in a collision.

With that in mind Victoria focused on staying awake long enough to get to Ace Of Spades and safely park the Centaur. She was really tired, but she was going to have to power through the fatigue. Victoria lowered her speed to two MPH and carefully navigated through the streets of Sakuramori, taking extra care to avoid hitting anyone or anything on her way out. A few hours from now and she would be home.

[Post Word Count: 984]
[Total Word Count: 10,752/11,000]

-Sabertooth Guild Hall, Victoria's Room, three hours later-

Victoria walked into her room and shut the door, then turned around and staggered towards her bed. She took off her backpack and set it in her chair, then turned back towards the bed. She was halfway to the bed before she realized that she had left her iLac in her backpack. Victoria reluctantly turned around and went back to retrieve it. She shambled back over to her backpack, retrieved the iLac from its side pocket, and walked back over to the bed, where she finally collapsed on her face.

Victoria rolled over, sat up straight, then took off her shoes. She then took off her socks and stuffed them in her shoes, then turned to the iLac and picked it up. She scrolled through her small contacts list and found Florence's Lacrima Identification Code. She selected it and called.

"Victoria, did you make it back home safely?" Florence asked the brunette.

"Yeah, I made it safely. I'm in my room now." Victoria confirmed. Florence sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad you made it. I'll leave you alone then. I'll talk to you later, Victoria." Florence said before hanging up. Victoria set the iLac aside and rolled over on her left side to face her room door. She was so glad that she had managed to make it home safely without having an accident.

Victoria did not bother getting up and changing her clothes. She was too tired to care. Besides, no one cared too much about what she wore as long as she was decently dressed. She just lay on her side and tried to sleep, which would not be too hard now that the caffeine rush provided by the Motor City Nitro had worn off. After the caffeine rush came the crash... it was a good thing that Victoria was home when the crash started to happen because it was hitting her hard.

The brunette also did not bother to undo her ponytail. She would just leave it as it was and worry about it later when she got up to go get something to eat at Red Dragon Inn. Again she was too tired to care about niceties like how her hair looked.

Once she had had enough of staring at her room door Victoria rolled over on her right side to face a wall for awhile. Soon she would be asleep and would not care which direction she was facing. Hopefully she would be able to sleep without interruption for awhile. Hopefully by the time she finally woke up Red Dragon Inn would still be open so that she could get something to eat.

With those final thoughts drifting through her mind Victoria drifted off to sleep. She had completed another job and had gotten paid for it. Now she would sleep. In a few hours she would wake up and try to get something to eat before looking for another job to keep the money flowing in. Victoria did not like to go too long between jobs because she liked travel and she liked money.

[Post Word Count: 519]
[Total Word Count: 11,271/11,000]